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Three Miles: Part 3

Four Years Ago Today...the Spooky Laptop Letter

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough joined HBO Real Time host Bill Maher on Friday to discuss how they believe that Republicans are more guilty of spreading misinformation than the left. However, one of their examples of right-wing disinformation was their claim that the Russia collusion hoax is itself a hoax. Maher and Scarborough began by misunderstanding each other. Maher was dismayed at California citing Elon Musk’s political activities as a reason for limiting his company’s ability to launch rockets in the state. Scarborough predicted the courts will reverse the decision, but Maher insisted that, “It's just the attitude that I find scary. That—far too willing to stifle freedoms, including speech, for the sake of safety or misinformation. Sometimes, which is coming from everybody because, you know, no one has a monopoly on it or just power. It’s just power.”     Scarborough, apparently not knowing what “monopoly” means, lamented, “Come on, that's some moral relativism, right there.” Alluding to fellow panelist Mark Cuban, Scarborough continued, “That's like saying no one has a monopoly on being a billionaire—he's got that monopoly out here. I mean, he's got more money than us, a lot more money than us.” Maher claimed he didn’t understand what Scarborough was trying to get at, so Scarborough sought to clarify, “You don’t get it. You’re saying it's both sides. There's no doubt there’s some disinformation from the left, but comparing it to what Donald Trump is spewing out.” Moving closer to each other’s position, Maher interrupted, “No, of course, I agree.” Scarborough continued, “every week, comparing it to what Elon Musk is spewing out, unfortunately, on X. There’s no—you sound like Bret Stephens with all due respect. It’s a joke. That’s a Real Time with Bill Maher joke. Eventually, Maher added, “I've never argued with that. I've never argued for a false equivalency. I just said there is misinformation from both sides.”     Later, during the Real Time Overtime segment, Maher undermined their claim, “I mean, I kind of alluded to in the show, but I think the biggest hoax going is the idea that the Russia collusion was not a, was a, is a hoax. It's not a hoax. There was collusion just because Bob Mueller was bad at proving it. There is definitely collusion.” Scarborough agreed, “That's one of the more maddening things. I still read the Wall Street Journal editorial page and the op-eds and, and it's sort of my go to in the morning and it's maddening to even see people on there talking about ‘Russia hoax’ and you just want to say, read the Mueller report, read everything that's happened.” Reconciliation complete, Maher added, “And it's more dangerous than even that because they use it as a jumping-off point. Like, ‘Well, since Russia was a hoax then’ and it's like, but Russia wasn't a hoax, but once you get them to believe that Russia was a hoax, now, now anything goes. If Mueller “was bad at proving it,” maybe that is because there was no conspiracy. Here is a transcript for the October 18 show: HBO Real Time with Bill Maher 10/18/2024 10:29 PM ET BILL MAHER: It's just the attitude that I find scary. That—far too willing to stifle freedoms, including speech, for the sake of safety or misinformation. Sometimes, which is coming from everybody because, you know, no one has a monopoly on it or just power. It’s just power. JOE SCARBOROUGH: Come on, that's some moral relativism, right there.  MAHER: I said nobody has a monopoly. SCARBOROUGH: You said nobody has a monopoly on it, that's like saying no one has a monopoly on being a billionaire — he's got that monopoly out here. I mean, he's got more money than us, a lot more money than us, so—. MAHER: I don’t get the— I don't know what point you're making. SCARBOROUGH: You don’t get it. You’re saying it's both sides. There's no doubt— MAHER: There’s no misinformation— SCARBOROUGH: — there’s some disinformation from the left, but comparing it to what Donald Trump is spewing out— MAHER: No, of course, I agree. SCARBOROUGH: — every day— MAHER: I agree. SCARBOROUGH: — every week, comparing it to what Elon Musk is spewing out, unfortunately, on X. There’s no—you sound like Bret Stephens— MAHER: I don’t. SCARBOROUGH: — with all due respect. It’s a joke. That’s a Real Time with Bill Maher joke. MAHER: And you sound like him, who looks like Rachel Maddow.  [Crosstalk] SCARBOROUGH: But you understand what I'm saying? MAHER: I've never argued with that. I've never argued for a false equivalency. I just said there is misinformation from both sides. I lived through COVID, don't tell me there wasn't misinformation. *** HBO Real Time with Bill Maher Overtime 10/18/2024 BILL MAHER: I mean, I kind of alluded to in the show, but I think the biggest hoax going is the idea that the Russia collusion was not a, was a, is a hoax. It's not a hoax. MARK CUBAN: It's not. MAHER: There was collusion just because Bob Mueller was bad at proving it. There is definitely collusion.  SCARBOROUGH: That, that, that's, that's one of the more maddening things. I still read the Wall Street Journal editorial page and the op-eds and, and it's sort of my go to in the morning and it's maddening to even see people on there talking about "Russia hoax" and you just want to say, read the Mueller report, read everything that's happened. MAHER: Yeah. SCARBOROUGH: Ask yourself why time and time again, Donald Trump's doing things that make no sense. Why does he say in Helsinki in 2018 regarding Russia, I trust Vladimir Putin more than my own intel agencies? Why? As I always tell my kids, something doesn't make sense. There's a good reason it doesn't make it make sense. MAHER: And it's more dangerous than even that because they use it as a jumping-off point. Like, "Well, since Russia was a hoax then" and it's like, but Russia wasn't a hoax, but once you get them to believe that Russia was a hoax, now, now anything goes.

Paganism has been on the rise in the Western world for some time now. More and more people are abandoning their religious upbringings and rejecting the Judeo-Christian values of the West. While some have opted to adopt agnosticism or atheism, others, especially Gen Zers, have chosen to replace Christianity with a different set of beliefs and practices rooted in paganism. Ranging from engaging in actual black magic to just dressing in dark, edgy clothing, witchcore is the newest fad among the rising generation. Unlike the colonial days when witches were so feared that even the town spinster had to watch her back, today, witches and witchcraft are embraced by society. Allie Beth Stuckey points to a recent magazine in a grocery store checkout lane titled “Witches: Discover their secretive and mysterious practices” as an example of how mainstream the occult has become. The magazine, which features a woman clad in black robes and a pointed hat holding a cluster of burning red candles, sits adjacent to gossip columns and rows of candy as if it’s just another mundane object. “This is clearly a glorification of witchcraft,” says Allie. While the magazine features a traditional-looking witch, the majority of today’s witches look like “your normal suburban mom.” “Even if someone is not wearing a pointy hat and walking around with their black cat, they might be imbibing and emulating [and] exhibiting aspects of witchcraft,” says Allie. Further, modern “witchcraft doesn't necessarily always look like a Ouija board or like dying your hair black and casting spells,” she explains. It often looks like “manifesting,” “transcendental meditation,” “burning sage,” “using crystals,” etc. Modern witches weren’t ushered into the dark arts because they happened to stumble upon a group of women chanting incantations in the forest either. Most of them were introduced to new age concepts in the growing realm of “self-help” and “self-empowerment” guides. Allie explains that things like “a Cosmo article,” “astrology,” or the idea of tapping into your inner “goddess” is all it takes for someone to set off down a path of darkness. A recent British Vogue article even spoke on the subject of witchcore and admitted that although the fad aims to “merge romantic mystical vibes with grungy Gothic undertones,” the “witchcore aesthetic is influenced by ancient rituals and practices, from potion making and herbalism to tarot card reading, sage burning, and crystal healing.” “It’s not just about following a trend that you saw that you think is cute,” says Allie. Even things that seem benign, like a specific clothing aesthetic, are rooted in the incredibly dark idea of unleashing “a woman’s darker side.” Artists like Taylor Swift are heavily responsible for viralizing the witchcore trend. Allie plays a video of Swift performing on her Eras tour in a black robe surrounded by a circle of female dancers who are also clad in black robes. They essentially bow down to the pop icon who stands in the center of the dark ring. “That is clearly demonic,” says Allie. What’s perhaps even more disturbing, however, is the number of Christians who don’t recognize that these new age concepts and practices are satanic in nature. Some even try to engage in certain aspects of new ageism while maintaining their Christian faith. “That’s called syncretism,” says Allie. “In the Book of Revelation, one of the things that [Jesus] condemns is syncretism — trying to wed light and darkness.” To hear more of Allie’s commentary on the rise of modern witchcraft, watch the episode above. Want more from Allie Beth Stuckey?To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Automation is mesmerizing. After hours of putting your nose to the grindstone, it’s rewarding to step back and listen to the whirring of your industrial megalopolis. You can turn an urban area into a well-oiled machine in Cities Skylines, watch resources float on by in Satisfactory, and even create redstone contraptions in Minecraft - but the universal scale of Eden Crafters is totally new. Thrust onto a barren planet, it’s your job to navigate the landscapes and turn them into a habitable, automated heaven. After a popular Steam demo the full, early access launch is finally here, and you can get it slightly cheaper right now. Continue reading Automated survival game Eden Crafters is finally out, with an all-new planet MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best co-op games, Best survival games, Best sandbox games

One of the only things that’s more satisfying than building a masterpiece in the best sandbox games is then destroying your creation in spectacular fashion. Besiege is a game that excels at both sides of the coin, as its ‘overwhelmingly positive’ 95% Steam rating attests, and developer Spiderling Studios has just dropped a surprise update with some incredible changes. A huge wealth of new objects for the level editor, a dramatic upgrade to the size of multiplayer maps, and an alternate camera mode are the highlights, but there’s even more to look forward to - and there’s even a Steam sale discount if you’re new. Continue reading Big Besiege update improves the sandbox game’s level editor dramatically MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best sandbox games, Best building games, Best medieval games