The Heckler Awards, Part 3 – Celebrating the Bottom of Journalism in 2025

The Argument Is Getting Louder and the Evidence Is Getting Harder to Ignore

Great food, reasonable prices, and a welcoming vibe - that's what we all want in a hole-in-the-wall diner. Here's our pick for the best one in every state.

Looking to try something new from the Costco bakery, but not sure which item to choose? We voted this specialty bread as the top pick in the store.

Netanyahu is expected to tell Trump that in order for a ceasefire to take place to protect the living, the dead body of the last Israeli hostage must be returned.

from The Epoch Times: I want to be very clear. Yes, I am a regenerative farmer. Yes, I farm without chemicals. Yes, I speak publicly—on podcasts, from stages, and in print—about better ways to grow food. But I never villainize farmers. Not conventional farmers. Not farmers locked into systems they did not design. Not farmers […]

Rescue Dogs Choose Their Own Christmas Presents | The Dodo

Pope Urban II Preaches for the Crusades, c. 1095. Source: Wikimedia   Calls for a Christian retaking of the Holy Land began in the 1090s with Pope Urban II. Jerusalem had fallen to the Muslims in 638. The Byzantine Empire proved unable to retake the Holy City. In 1095, the Byzantines asked for Western help against the Turks and to retake the Holy Land. The Pope, hoping to reunite the two Christian faiths, issued a call for soldiers. His simple appeal-forgiveness of sin and eternal glory-caused thousands to take up the cause.    By 1097 and on, Christian forces marched on the Holy Land, defeating Muslim forces. Large swathes of land fell to them, fueled by fervor and political desires. By June 1099, the largely successful Crusaders neared Jerusalem.   Toehold: The 1099 Siege of Jerusalem July 15, 1099, Fall of Jerusalem to the Crusaders. Source: Bridgeman Art Library   The First Crusade began in 1096 following the Pope’s call to arms. Over the next three years, the Crusaders battled the Muslims, sometimes with Byzantine help. Major cities in modern Turkey or Syria, like Acre and Nicaea, fell. And on June 7, 1099, the Crusader army began its siege.    The Crusaders, numbering over 13,000, fired by passion and zeal, invested the city. Their initial assault on June 13 failed due to low supplies and hastily built siege engines. By mid-June, the Crusaders’ situation deteriorated due to heat and shortages. Seeking inspiration, the Crusaders marched around the city barefoot, singing hymns.    In late June, reinforcements and supplies came via Genoese ships. Beginning on July 13, the Crusaders assaulted the city walls, breaking through on July 15. In the resulting massacre, estimates of up to 70,000 Muslims and Jews perished. However, now Jerusalem was Christian again.   Jerusalem’s recapture achieved the First Crusade’s goal. The Crusaders established the Kingdom of Jerusalem and elected Duke Godfrey of Bouillon. This victory and new kingdom immediately gave the West legitimacy and a toehold. Soon, several centuries of conflict would ensue.   A Turning Point: The 1187 Battle of Hattin Capture of Crusader Leaders and True Cross at the Battle of Hattin. Source: Arsenal Library, France   The late 12th century found the Crusader states established in the Holy Land. Though militarily strong, internal political problems roiled them. The Kingdom of Jerusalem, though the biggest, had difficulties with baronial power. The Crusaders’ main opponent was the Ayyubid Dynasty of Egypt, founded in 1171 by Islam’s greatest general, Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Or simply, Saladin.   This pivotal battle stemmed from a broken truce. A French noble, Raymond of Chatillon, raided a caravan to Syria, angering Saladin. As a result, on July 2, 1187, Saladin besieged Tiberias, north of Jerusalem, hoping to lure out his enemies.    The Crusaders assembled their army, led by King Guy. Against most advice, the King marched across the open desert in summer’s high heat. Saladin’s army struck quickly, using his cavalry to harass and exhaust the Crusaders. At the Horns of Hattin (extinct volcanoes), the two sides fought.   King Richard the Lionhearted, Battle of Acre. Source: Wikimedia   The Muslim army cut off and surrounded King Guy’s army on July 3. Now unable to reach water, the Crusaders tried a breakout. Continual cavalry charges met only frustration, stopped by Saladin’s disciplined forces. His archers continually rained arrows down, weakening the Christians. On July 4, they pressed against the hills, and the Crusaders broke. The Muslims captured Jerusalem’s King, the True Cross, and executed Raymond.    The Battle of Hattin marked the Crusades’ turning point. Only three Crusader states remained, with the Kingdom of Jerusalem significantly weakened. Saladin next rolled up Jerusalem in October 1187 and more, only leaving Antioch and Tripoli. These only survived with European help and the Third Crusade.   The Attempted Resurgence: The 1189 Siege of Acre Richard the Lionhearted Marching Towards Jerusalem. Source: Wikimedia   The West recoiled following the loss of Jerusalem. Soon, only Tyre (in modern Lebanon) remained a Christian Levant state. By October 1187, Pope Gregory VIII called for a Third Crusade, citing Jerusalem’s shocking loss. The West’s greatest rulers took up the call- England’s Richard I (Lionhearted), France’s Phillip II, and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I.    Jerusalem’s King Guy made the Third Crusade’s first move, besieging the vital port city of Acre in August 1189. First local forces held the siege, strengthened by European reinforcements. But in a strange twist, Saladin’s stronger forces surrounded the Crusaders, creating a two-pronged siege that dragged on for two years. The siege’s final phase started in mid-1191 as the Third Crusade arrived. The massive European armies soon arrived, defeated Saladin, and attacked. Acre fell on July 12, 1191.   Victory at Acre boosted morale but proved hollow. Jerusalem was too far inland. Any attack would risk being cut off. Plus, the European rulers soon left for home. Acre only prolonged the Crusaders’ presence in the Holy Land. Acre fell again in 1291, this time to the Mamluks, ending the last Christian stronghold.

  Insurmountable tensions between Indigenous peoples and American settlers, both desperate to perpetuate their way of life, resulted in deadly outcomes during the latter part of the 19th century. Through these struggles of clashing cultures, a number of impressive figures gained fame as a result of their dedication to preserving and supporting their people. One of these leaders was Sitting Bull, a Lakota man who would be one of the last to succumb to the pressures of the US government. His iconic life resulted in his remembrance as a hero of American history.   1. Sitting Bull Was a Respected Warrior Sitting Bull around 1883. Photograph by David F. Barry. Source: Daniel Guggisberg Historical Photographs Collection / Wikimedia Commons   Sitting Bull, born Jumping Badger, entered the world sometime in the early 1830s. His nickname was “Slow” in reference to his calm and careful demeanor. He was born in what Americans referred to as the Dakota Territory into the Hunkpapa tribe. The Hunkpapa is one of the seven divisions within the Lakota, grouped with the Nakota and Dakota into the Oceti Sakowin. This alliance is also commonly referred to as the Sioux Nation. Sitting Bull became a member of the Kit Fox Warrior Society and the Strong Heart Warrior Society, and was heavily involved in tribal welfare matters. He helped expand his people’s hunting grounds and gained a reputation as a steadfast warrior who had great concern for his people. As time went on and conflict with white settlers increased, Sitting Bull became an outspoken critic of America’s obsession with Manifest Destiny.   2. His Accomplishments Started at a Young Age Bison were essential to many aspects of the Lakota lifestyle. Source: Agricultural Research Service / Wikimedia Commons   With his father and two uncles all prominent chiefs within the tribe, Sitting Bull was expected to live up to their standards and model the four cardinal Lakota virtues: bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom. His accomplishments began stacking up when he was still just a boy. He killed his first bison at the age of ten. At age fourteen, he counted coup for the first time, a Plains tribes tradition that involved getting in close proximity to an opponent and touching them without being injured or, worse, killed. This act was lauded as exceptionally brave, as the warrior was taking a great risk compared to shooting an enemy from afar with a gun or arrows. The coup resulted in Sitting Bull being awarded his adult name, a tradition typically reserved for when young men achieved a life-changing milestone or otherwise earned it. The teen was bestowed with his father’s name, Tatanka-Iyotanka, or Sitting Bull.   3. Sitting Bull Was a Leader at the Battle of Greasy Grass The legendary battlefield today. Source: National Park Service Gallery / Wikimedia Commons   By the time the Battle of the Little Bighorn, or the Battle of Greasy Grass, rolled around in 1876, Sitting Bull had decades of experience as a warrior. In mid-May of that year, Sitting Bull participated in a ritual called the Sun Dance, which involves fasting, prayer, and cutting flesh. The Sun Dance was often utilized in the pursuit of a vision, and Sitting Bull shared the vision he received during this particular ritual. His prophecy showed him a great defeat of a group of white men who invaded an Indigenous camp.   Just over a month later, General George Custer and his command showed up, looking for Sitting Bull’s people. They found the nomadic village and attacked. The Lakota contingency, allied with Cheyenne and Arapaho people, wiped out Custer’s entire unit in a defeat that would cause the US government to double down on their efforts to exterminate America’s Indigenous population.   Battle of the Little Bighorn by Kurz & Allison, 1889. Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons   Though Sitting Bull was still an esteemed political leader and decision-maker in his community, he did not participate directly in the Battle at the Greasy Grass. He was considered beyond fighting age at the time, though he did bless his nephews with his personal medicine as they entered the battle. His role also extended to encouraging and monitoring the efforts of the younger warriors he mentored.   4. He Lived in Canada for a Time The only known photo of Sitting Bull taken during his time in Canada. Source: Saskatchewan Archives / Wikimedia Commons   After the defeat of US forces at Little Bighorn, the government increased its efforts to confine all Native Americans to the reservation system. The embarrassment of the defeat on the eve of America’s centennial only angered US officials further. Sitting Bull was among those who recognized the military power of the United States but was determined to retain his freedom. As a result, he led a contingency of his people to Canada and settled at Wood Mountain in the Northwest Territories.   However, food and resources were limited, and the Canadian government was hesitant to become too involved for fear of angering the United States. In addition, Canada also had an interest in expanding their own white presence in the area. Eventually, the lack of food supplies became problematic to the point that many Indigenous people chose to return to the US and submit to the reservation system to avoid starvation. Sitting Bull would be among the last to do so, surrendering to the Standing Rock Reserve in North Dakota in 1881.   5. He Was Impressed With Annie Oakley Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull were fond of one another. Source: Richard K. Fox / Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons   In 1884, Sitting Bull received permission from his reservation’s Indian Agent to travel. On one of his trips, he met sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Sitting Bull was so impressed with the young woman that he paid $65 to take a photo of the two of them together. The following year, Sitting Bull joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, where Oakley performed, and the two enjoyed a great friendship. Sitting Bull gave Oakley the nickname Watanya Cicilla, meaning “Little Sure Shot.” According to Oakley, he informally adopted her, asking her to take the place of the daughter he lost not long after the Battle of the Greasy Grass. When she heard of Sitting Bull’s arrest and subsequent death in 1890, Oakley was quoted as saying that if Sitting Bull had been a white man, “someone would have hung for his murder.”   6. Sitting Bull Made the Acquaintance of Grover Cleveland Sitting Bull met a number of dignitaries while on tour, including the president. Source: Library of Congress / Wikimedia Commons   While he was on tour with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, Sitting Bull traveled around the country. One of the tour stops was Washington DC, where Sitting Bull met acting President Grover Cleveland. Sitting Bull referred to Cleveland as the “new White Father at Washington.” The meeting, however, was short and was referred to as a “quick handshake.”   7. He Was Killed by Reservation Police Capture & Death of Sitting Bull by Kurz & Allison. Source: Cowan’s Auctions / Wikimedia Commons   After his stint with Buffalo Bill Cody, Sitting Bull returned to the reservation. He continued to be an outspoken critic of US government policy. As the last decade of the 19th century dawned, Sitting Bull became interested in a new spiritual movement that was spreading through various Indigenous tribes across the country. Known as the Ghost Dance, the premise of the movement was that participation would eventually cause the white man to vanish from Native homelands. The US government was wary of these spiritual developments, looking upon them as a threat to white supremacy. Sitting Bull’s interest in the Ghost Dance cast him in a negative light with reservation officials.   In 1890, over forty reservation police officers, Indigenous men called “metal breasts” due to their badges, were sent by reservation agent James McLaughlin to arrest and question Sitting Bull about his affiliation with the movement. At approximately 6 o’clock on the morning of December 19, Sitting Bull’s family was awoken when the officers broke down their door.   Sitting Bull was hauled from his bed and dragged outside. A struggle ensued, and a crowd gathered. Gunfire erupted, and when the firefight ceased, Sitting Bull lay dead at the age of fifty-nine. He had received a bullet wound to the chest. Six police officers were killed and one injured, along with members of the crowd. Sitting Bull’s seventeen-year-old son, Crow Foot, was killed as well. It was reported that Crow Foot called out, “My uncles, do not kill me. I do not wish to die” before he was bludgeoned and shot.   8. A College Is Named for Him Sitting Bull’s legacy is still an important aspect of Lakota culture, as evidenced by this 2022 photo. Source: Thayne Tuason / Wikimedia Commons   Sitting Bull College is a tribal higher education institution named for the Lakota hero. The main campus is located on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, and there are two satellite campuses in South Dakota. Originally called Standing Rock Community College, when it was chartered in 1973, the school further expanded to offer bachelor of science programs and continued to expand its accreditation and offerings. In March of 1996, the Standing Rock tribal council voted to amend the school’s charter and changed its name to Sitting Bull College. As of 2024, there are over seventy staff and more than three hundred students enrolled at the institution.