Call it the Pee-wee Herman Strategy. Kamala Harris opened her campaign by essentially telling her opponent: “I know who you are, but what am I?” In a general sense, she pursues this on policy and personality. Specifically, she attacks her opponent on the two areas — immigration and a quirky personality — where she looks more vulnerable than a child falling out of a coconut tree. (RELATED: Kamala Harris, Conservative Statesman) “On the border, the choice is simple,” one of her ubiquitous ads explains. “Kamala Harris supports increasing the number of border patrol agents. Donald Trump blocked a bill to increase the number of border patrol.” The commercial boasts about Harris’s political position on immigration as it ignores her position within the administration largely responsible for the border crisis. In early 2021, Joe Biden placed Harris in charge of a “Root Causes Strategy” on immigration. Three million reasons, in the form of those illegally crossing the border in 2023, indicate she did not quite address the root causes. The migrant caravans, illegals taking over subsidized hotels and evicting kids from recreation centers, and other such images put an exclamation point on the failure. The Harris advertisement tells viewers, “There’s two choices in this election: the one who will fix our broken immigration system and the one who’s trying to stop her.” The word for that is “chutzpah.” Kamala Is Trying Not to Appear Inauthentic. She’s Failing. The other lemon she seeks to turn into lemonade involves her personality. Harris strikes as weird, which is not necessarily a bad word even if it is in politics. Part of that weirdness involves projecting that quality upon Donald Trump and JD Vance. Her announced fondness for Venn diagrams, her shrill, occasionally whiny manner of speaking, her repeated use of the line “the ability to see, unburdened by what has been” as though on par with “nothing to fear but fear itself” or “tear down this wall,” and especially her unprovoked laughter in a manner almost like that of one overmedicated all indicate a woman socially off. She adopts phony accents and infamously relied on child actors for a cringe conversation about outer space. People who come off as inauthentic make others feel uncomfortable. It’s not that Harris partly grew up outside of the United States in Montreal and Berkeley, or that her parents came from India and Jamaica, or that she has no kids of her own. In 2024, all of this feels more normal and may even work to Harris’s electoral benefit. It’s that Harris is that person at the party who repeats the punchline after not eliciting a laugh and who speaks to adults as though toddlers. It’s hard to take someone seriously when they respond to serious issues with jokes and non sequitur laughter. (RELATED: Vance Is Right. Our Society Is Plagued by Childless Cat Ladies.) To deal with her weirdness problem, Harris and her votaries invoke the “W” word to describe Donald Trump and JD Vance. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, and Sen. Chris Murphy all applied “weird” to Trump in recent days. “These guys are just weird,” Walz said on MSNBC of the Republican ticket. “They’re running for He-Man Women Haters Club or something. That’s what they’re doing. That’s just not what people are interested in.” The talking orders came from the ventriloquists in the Harris campaign. A press release recently asked, “Is Donald Trump ok?” and “Trump is old and quite weird?” (that question mark seems quite weird?). Last week, the campaign tweeted: “JD Vance is weird and creepy.” The candidate herself maintains that “some of what he and his running mate are saying, well, it’s just plain weird. I mean that’s the box you put that in.” Blackjack players rarely double-down on twelves and rarely win the hand when they do. Politics isn’t cards. Sometimes political players turn a losing hand into a winning one. The playground beats the casino as a venue more comparable to political campaigns. And there, an I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I response to insults, like “I’m rubber, your glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you,” works. Harris this playground deflection results in her presidential election. The post Kamala’s Pee-wee Herman Strategy appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

On Wednesday, Algeria’s Imane Khelif, allegedly a biological male, defeated Italy’s Angela Carini in women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics. Just 46 seconds into the fight, Carini forfeited. After Khelif was declared the winner, Carini retreated to her corner of the ring and cried. The incident has ignited a storm of controversy, raising serious questions about the future of women’s sports. (READ MORE: The Paris Olympics Aren’t Representative of the France I Know) After the match, Carini said, “I have never been hit so hard in my life…. I didn’t give up, but a punch hurt too much and so I said enough. I go out with my head held high.”  Speculation on Khelif’s Gender Abounds Khelif’s victory is being overshadowed by questions about the boxer’s gender. She has not commented on the issue yet, but there is speculation that she may have a sexual development disorder, a rare condition affecting less than 1 percent of the population. The speculation began last year when Khelif was disqualified by the International Boxing Association (IBA) from competing in the 2023 World Championships. The IBA said Khleif failed “to meet the IBA eligibility criteria” after failing a gender eligibility test. Algerian media reported that she was disqualified for having elevated levels of testosterone.  However, the president of the IBA, Umar Kremlev, told Tass News: Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues into posing as women… According to the results of the tests, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition. Along with Khelif, the Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu‑ting was disqualified from the 2023 world championships.  Khelif repeatedly claimed that the accusations were a conspiracy on social media. Lin did not comment publicly on the disqualification. The IBA’s decision to disqualify Khelif and Lin sparked outrage and prompted a reevaluation of gender eligibility rules on a larger scale. (WATCH: The Spectator P.M. Podcast Ep. 63: Don’t Believe Them. The Drag Queens at the Olympics Were Mocking Christianity) As a result, in 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) withdrew recognition from the IBA and its eligibility criteria. Instead, the IOC created the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit to manage eligibility requirements. Now, despite their previous disqualification, both boxers are currently competing as women in the Paris Olympics. The Olympics Stands at a Crossroads On Tuesday, the IOC reaffirmed this policy change. They stated that “all athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations.” On the other hand, many celebrities have publicly condemned the IOC’s decision. For example, J.K. Rowling, the author of Harry Potter wrote on X: “Someone with a [sexual development disorder] cannot help the way they were born but they can choose not to cheat; they can choose not to take medals from women; they can choose not to cause injury.” Khelif’s victory underscores the unique challenges facing women’s sports. As pressure mounts from all sides, the Olympics stand at a crucial crossroads. It must consider all possibilities including women with naturally higher levels of testosterone, sexual development disorders, and men seeking to exploit their biological advantages. (READ MORE: We’ll Never Have Paris) The world’s greatest sporting stage must strike a careful balance of inclusivity, fairness, and safety.  Failure to do so may irreparably damage the integrity of women’s sports. The post Imane Khelif, Alleged Biological Male, Wins Olympic Fight in Women’s Division appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.

Wegmans is a grocery chain that has seen its fair share of food recalls. Take a look at the biggest cases of product recalls from brands Wegmans carried.

My generation’s worst habits are finally being put under the magnifying glass. Social media addiction is getting national attention, from the surgeon general of the United States advising a warning label, to some of the biggest school districts in the country straight-up banning children from using cellphones during the school day. Continue Reading...

by M Dowling, Independent Sentinel: Sen. Hawley said a whistleblower told him that Acting Secret Service Director Rowe directed cuts to the USSS agents who do threat assessments for events. None of those agents were in Butler. Some had warned of security problems for months. This is the allegation. Rowe was directly responsible for the day-to-day […]

by Harley Schlanger, LaRouche Organization: Netanyahu promised he would bring the hostages home; then he ordered the murder of the Hamas’ chief negotiator at a crucial moment in finalizing an agreement.  The reckless actions in the name of revenge put at risk the lives of not just the remaining hostages, but everyone in the Middle East, […]

from Mark Dice: TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

This week, I’ve been gazing into my crystal ball and writing about what I believe is coming up next for the various manufacturers in pinball. I’ve already done Stern and Jersey Jack. Today I’m going to talk about American Pinball. I thought about not writing this one, because the last time I wrote about AP some people were pretty upset and certain podcasters almost encouraged them to sue me (thanks Final Round). However, I strongly believe everything I have said now and in the past to be true. OK, so what’s going on at American? Despite the deep pockets of its parent company Aimtron, money seems to be getting very tight there. They’ve laid off a couple of employees recently as part of cutbacks. Having said this, I think that things are looking up for AP IF they can get their next game ready by the fall AND it is well received by the public. Those are obviously big ifs. AP is circling the wagons and has all hands on deck in an attempt to get several prototype copies of its next game, Cuphead – designed by Ryan McQuaid (first revealed by Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast), ready by the Chicago Pinball Expo in October. Much like its former game Hot Wheels, to me AP is at its best when it has readymade assets for its games rather than having to use its small staff to create all of the video from scratch like they did on Barry O’s BBQ Challenge. Ryan McQuaid’s Sonic the Hedgehog homebrew game was beloved by the public and had a lot of cool shots in it. I’m hoping that the stars align for American on this one. Time will tell. If Cuphead is well received, I’ve heard from multiple people that American has a real banger of a theme lined up next in the pipeline. I’ve been saying since July that I believe AP has the He-Man license secured and has already begun work on the game. From what I can tell from reading people’s comments on-line and speaking with folks, Masters of the Universe (MOTU) is a super desired theme for pinball. If it is true that AP has this license, and it makes sense since Mattel owns the rights to Hot Wheels and MOTU, it would be a giant win for the company and in my humble opinion by far the best theme that they have made a game for yet. So that’s the deal right now with AP as I understand it. What people don’t seem to get when they threaten me for writing what I believe to be the truth about American Pinball is I’m rooting for the company. I want them to be successful. People who read my site regularly know that I’ve been nicer to AP and given them more free publicity than probably anyone out there. It’s always darkest before the storm. If AP can get their ducks in a row and have a cool game ready for Expo they can turn things around after what had to be disappointing sales for them of their last two releases BBQ Challenge and Galactic Tank Force. I feel the need to add the following disclaimer here after what happened the last time I wrote about them… “The information on this website is of a general and informative nature. Although this website has been compiled with the utmost care, no assurance can be given with regard to the accuracy or completeness of data and information provided on this website, or with regard to its suitability for any purpose, situation or use.   The information on this website is intended for general information purposes. The author may not be held liable for any damages, losses or other consequences that may result from the use of information or data contained on this website.” Here’s what I wrote back in July. He-Man & the Masters of the Universe Pinball is Coming, but Not From Stern The post What’s Next for American Pinball? appeared first on Old School Gamer Magazine.