Tuesday Links - 28 July

Virtual Mirage is first with an update on the sad state of Privacy. Trading Privacy for Safety?

You’ve likely been flocked, possibly without your knowledge. There are also flocking deniers. “I’m sure I haven’t been flocked!” What am I talking about? If you don’t know what Flock cameras are, here is AI’s description…

William Teach at Pirate's Cove - Oh Noes, Some American Cities Will Never Drop Below 50F By 2100

Obviously, no one will be fired for this bit of Scaremongering, because no one will remember it. It’s meant to scare people into giving up their money and freedom to Government right now

Libs of TikTok - WEEKLY WRAP: LOTT GETS 4 BIG WINS

2. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation staffer FIRED for not complying with ICE

Shannon Desherow, an Assistant General Counsel for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, posted a video of herself online having an unhinged meltdown, where she appeared to threaten ICE

Michael Schwarz, of The Western Journal, by way of The Gateway Pundit - Leftists Seethe as Ella Langley’s Chart-Topping Country Song Makes History

Older men, to be clear, probably have no business writing about contemporary music. After all, I confess that until today I had never heard of Langley.

The exercise, however, has not been in vain, for anything that irritates liberals is, by definition, a good thing.

No Tricks Zone - Greenland’s Ice Sheet Was Supposed To Be Rapidly Melting Away. It Hasn’t Been.

Greenland is halfway through its current (2025-2026) melt season. So far it’s not looking good for the alarmist narrative.

The Other McCain - Criminal Carnival in Madison, Wisconsin

The fact that a drug-addicted career criminal fresh out of prison was wandering the streets of Madison is not surprising. What is surprising is that, when the aforesaid criminal was accused of stealing bicycles and attempting to burglarize vehicles in broad daylight, the Madison police actually tried to arrest him:

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 26 July 2026: No Skorking Edition

The US has accused a citizen re-entering the country of giving the CBP a "duress" password that wiped his phone. (Tech Crunch)

Do not do this. Whatever you think about border agents scrolling through your sick memes, anything you don't want on your phone you should simply not have on your phone when you cross the border.

Wombat-socho - FMJRA 2.0: At Last, The Draft

Son of Silvercon IV went well – Tim Powers was a fantastic guest, and everybody had a good time – but I came home with a terrible cold (or some kind of virus) and I’m only now starting to bounce back from.

Miguel Gonzalez - Their actions will always be right.

To denounce the 30-month sentence after the plea as unduly harsh when he could have gotten 20 years just reeks political idiocy or the firm belief that striking the head of the ICE agent with a rock was not only legally justified but morally righteous.

Defensive Gun Uses in February

From Crime Prevention Research Center: Defensive Gun Uses By People Legally Carrying Guns: 21 Cases During February 2026

The Crime Prevention Research Center is compiling lists of legal self-defense incidents.

From Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on February 2nd, through Saint Louis, Missouri, on February 28th, there are 21 cases of self-defense by legal concealed carry license holders.

Sweden Is Lost

From Peter Sweden we get the following: The SHOCKING court verdict from Sweden.

What I’m about to tell you has barely been covered in the international news.

The things happening in Sweden now is beyond belief. I’m simply lost for words at this court ruling.

A 40-year-old raped a 14-year-old girl with autism and ADHD.

Not only did the court not deport the man, but he didn’t even get any prison. He was set free.

Click thru for the insane reason.

The prosecutor is not happy with the verdict and is appealing to the Svea Court of Appeal.

I miss Western Civilization.

Journalists Or Chinese Apologists?

Natalie Winters brings us a not-to-surprising story of "Professional Journalists." REVEALED: Here Are the Mainstream Journalists on China’s Payroll

I was going to call them agents, and maybe they are, but let's start with "apologists."

Foreign-agent filings reveal that operatives working for a Chinese Communist Party-linked influence organization planned free trips for American journalists based on the potential for “favorable coverage” and sought to “effectively disseminate positive messages” about Beijing.

But the filings did not plainly identify the reporters who received the access.

By cross-referencing the filings with archived newsletters, annual reports and contemporaneous accounts, this investigation has uncovered the names of prominent American journalists who participated in China trips organized or funded by the China-United States Exchange Foundation, or CUSEF.

Trips to China in exchange for favorable treatment of China in the press. Allegedly, anyway.

That is what passes for "Professional Journalistic Ethics." Some would call that quid pro quo.

Hat tip to The Twitchy Team, who called it exactly that.

In a breaking thread that is going viral on X today, White House Correspondent for the Bannon War Room, Natalie Winters, has just exposed a GIGANTIC list of 'journalists' who were treated to CCP-funded trips to China—and more—allegedly in exchange for favorable coverage of the country. The quid pro quo reportedly goes back as far as 2009.

Here is the original post from X.

REVEALED: Here Are the Mainstream Journalists on China’s Payroll 🚨

I exclusively uncovered the identities of prominent U.S. journalists flown to China by a CCP-linked influence operation seeking “favorable coverage” and “positive messages” about Beijing. 🧵

— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) July 27, 2026

Why Does the Smith Chart Scare Engineers?

Is it really the scariest chart in electrical engineering? Maybe not.

It's scary, but it's also damn useful.

I think there are 2 reasons that engineers find the Smith Chart intimidating. The first is simple. People learn Cartesean Coordinates in middle school. They get exposed to just enough of the Polar Coordinate system to hate it, and not enough to know when it is useful. So in the end, they don't like anything that doesn't look like a standard X-Y plane.

The second reason is that the chart itself is based on Imaginary numbers (the Square root of -1), and they don't trust the math enough to just use it. even though it has been shown to work.

This is the Veritasium video The Scariest Chart in Electrical Engineering

Well, and a fair number of the charts do say "Black Magic Design" on the chart itself. It does simplify certain calculations around antenna design; that can seem magical.

We've verified that this crazy map switch from the complex plane to the reflection coefficient plane leading to these insane appearing circles, they actually mean something. Like, in real life we've used it to increase the power. Crazy. It is crazy.

I first encountered the Smith Chart in college, and later when I was getting/upgrading my Ham radio license. The video is long, at 40 minutes, but I enjoyed it.

Run

Floor Jansen is one of my favorite Heavy Metal singers. She was lead singer for After Forever until 2007 (?) when that group disbanded. She then joined Nightwish, which was one of my favorite bands before they parted ways with Tarja. Aside from a few other projects, she also started a solo career.

From Louder we get a fairly standard publicity blurb. “It feels like the start of something heavier and more direct”: Nightwish’s Floor Jansen returns with metallic new single Run and announces 2027 tour dates

The song brings the Dutch singer back to her symphonic metal roots, following her detour into pop-rock with her 2023 debut solo album Paragon. It also likely precedes the release of her second album, which is as-yet-unannounced. Listen below.

This is "Run" by Floor Jansen. It was released as a single on June 26th. So does this mean it is still "new music?"

I'm Not in Favor of Vigilantism

She found a 20-year-old hiding in her 13-year-old daughter's room. Woman charged with shooting man found under daughter's bed

This is a story out of Memphis.

The man, who has been identified as Rodderius Morton, was pronounced dead after suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of his head, police reported.

A woman, later identified as Kendra Scott, stated to police that she “saw a dude under my kids’ bed, and I did what I had to do.”

If that was the whole story, it might be different, but after she ordered him to leave, she shot him on the front porch/ front lawn of the home. She shot him at close range, in the back of the head. He did not survive.

Hard to claim he was an imminent threat to anyone under those conditions.

Once Scott and Morton made it to the front porch, the juvenile said she heard one gunshot.

Scott does not have a bond set and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.

Self-defense doesn't mean you can shoot anyone whenever you think it is a good idea. You cannot even shoot people who you believe are doing bad things to family members. You may think she was justified. You may think that a 20-year-old in a 13-year-old's bedroom is a problem, but I am not quite ready to give up on the idea of law and order.

I imagine that a lot of people will say she did it to save her daughter. How saved is her daughter, right now? Her mother is in jail, facing serious prison time for murder. (Hat tip to Concealed Nation.)

This is Colion Noir's take on the incident. Man Hiding Under Child’s Bed Shot In Back Of Head

Department of Justice versus Virgin Islands Gun and Magazine Ban

It is nice that the DOJ is sort of on the side of the gun owner these days. DOJ Targets Virgin Islands Assault Weapon and Magazine Ban

New Jersey tried to limit magazines at 10. The appeals court said no way. The US Virgin Islands selected 15 rounds. The DOJ says nope.

The filing came just five days after the en banc Third Circuit struck down New Jersey’s bans on semi-automatic rifles and magazines holding more than ten rounds in Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs v. Attorney General New Jersey, formerly known as the Cheeseman case.

Because the U.S. Virgin Islands falls within the Third Circuit, the DOJ argues that territorial officials cannot enforce essentially the same unconstitutional restrictions under a different numerical cutoff.

Click thru for details and SCRIBID document of the DOJ's filing.

Hollywood Is Dying

I love movies, but increasingly I say that I love old movies, because I haven't seen anything in years, that interested me. Even The Hollywood Reporter is covering the problems, so you know they're bad. Los Angeles Filming Levels Down Amid State Recovery Effort

Since I'm not really a fan of horror these days, I haven't seen Obsession, Iron Lung, or Backrooms. I suppose I will seem them eventually.

The number of shoot days in the three-month period from April to June fell 12 percent compared to the same period last year.

The article spends a lot of time covering the tax incentives in place, and that L.A. Mayor Karen Bass is lobbying to increase.

It doesn't cover all the other insane requirements of permitting in LA, or the dictates of the unions, but then you don't really expect that from The Hollywood Reporter. (I think of that "news outlet" more as a cheering section than real journalism at this point.)

Hat tip to the Film Threat News video LA FILMING LEVELS CONTINUE TO TUMBLE

The problem with Hollywood is it's a hostile work environment.
    — Alan Ng

The Other McCain on Tucker C.

From The Other McCain: My Own Tucker Carlson Theory

Raise your hand if you have a beef with the Republican Party establishment. Everybody’s hand is up, am I correct? Now, keep your hand up if you feel that the Official Conservative Movement is often ineffective and sometimes not really conservative at all. Pretty much everyone still has their hand up, I believe. It is fair to say that, the more conservative you are, the more discontented you are with the institutions and “leaders” who are supposed to represent your point of view.

At the same time, however, what are you going to do? We try as much as we can to steer things in the right direction, and occasionally express our outrage at the ballot box — hat-tip to those Texans who finally dumped John Cornyn — but we know that it’s bad tactics to form circular firing squads. Keep your fire aimed downrange is always good advice in politics, and there are always plenty of liberals targets to aim at.

Click thru for the whole thing.

Personally I have been mad at the Republicans in Congress for a very long time. At least since GWB was in office, and probably longer than that.

That said, I find the insanity on the right more of a distraction, than anything of interest.

Woke Games versus Profitable Games

Seplay is a YouTube channel that focuses on video games. While I might not follow that channel, this video on what Woke has done to an industry is interesting, especially since he does a credible job of tracking down the numbers.

This is the Seplay video Do Woke Games Actually Sell? The Numbers Don’t Lie

Over the past few years, we've been asking the same question to the gaming industry. Why do game studios insist, I mean really insist on political correctness and DEI on video games?

If you ask me, I think political correctness, aka wokeness, is killing the gaming industry. Sales are failing. There are giant layoffs. Studios are closing down. There are too many examples. Concord, Dragon Age, The Vanguard, Star Wars Outcast, ...

He does admit that some woke games, such as The Last of Us: Part 2, sold well. That was in part due to the excitement generated in Part 1. Though if I'm reading the market correctly, they killed all chance of continuing the franchise.

The video is about 12 and a half minutes.

I found this by way of Side Scrollers.

A Pirate's Cove Musical Interlude

William Teach at Pirate's Cove brings us a musical interlude. Music Saturday: Candy Dulfer

The album Live in Amsterdam was recorded during a live performance by Candy Dulfer and her band at the Paradiso concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in October 2000. [Grokipedia]

First up you will find "Lily Was Here (Live)" by Candy Dulfer, with accoustic guitar by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. It was released in 2001 as part of the album Live in Amsterdam.

The 2nd song at the link is "The Grand Conjuration" by Opeth from the 2005 album, Ghost Reveries.

Enjoy.

Self-Defense is Legal in New Mexico

This incident might be more about "reasonable doubt." DA declines charges in deadly Clovis shooting after citing self-defense claim

According to the Clovis Police Department, officers responded at about 11:06 p.m. to a report of a vehicle that had crashed into a home near 14th and Hull streets. When officers arrived, they found a white SUV and [28-year-old Abel] Abeyta suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

He did not survive his injuries.

Prosecutors determined the available evidence, including surveillance video, was insufficient to overcome a claim of self-defense, meaning the case did not meet the legal standard required for criminal prosecution.

Clovis, New Mexico is close to the Texas state-line. It is about a 100 mile drive northwest of Lubbock, Texas, about a 100 mile drive southwest of Amarillo, Texas, or about a 220 mile drive east of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

While I don't like stories with indeterminate outcomes, I do believe in "Proved Guilty beyond a reasonable doubt." There was reasonable doubt.

To be clear, this might be unequivocally self-defense. We are given almost no information about the evidence, which includes some video evidence, regarding this incident.

Self-defense is a human right.

Chicago Teachers Union Hates America

From Warner Todd Huston at Chicago Contrarian: Chicago Teachers Union Pushes Radical, Anti-American Communist Event

The Chicago Teachers Union has once again proven that it is about radical, leftist revolution and not anything approaching educating our children with its latest stunt in support of an Iran-supporting, pro-Hamas terrorist, Israel-hating, communist event that called for sabotaging America's sea ports among other revolutionary acts.

It almost sounds like a joke, doesn't it? Why is the radical, left-wing "teachers" union jumping in to support an event for Marxists trying to take down and destroy the United States? What possible reason could a putative American education union have for helping an organization that wants to destroy our country?

Click thru.

Feds Use Fines to Convince Immigrants to Self-Deport

The New York Times most impacted. Trump Administration Pressures Some Immigrants to Self-Deport With Fines Up to $1.8 Million - The New York Times

The Trump administration is aggressively deploying a potent tool to pressure undocumented immigrants into self-deporting — civil fines that can total as much as $1.8 million.

More than 100,000 people have received letters from the Homeland Security Department informing them that they owe $998 for each day that they have stayed in the United States after an immigration judge has ruled they have no legal right to remain in the country.

The 1.8 million number is the $998 times 5 years, which is the time limit of the fine.

Some people are leaving.

Hat tip to William Teach at Pirate's Cove. Oh Noes: Illegal Aliens Can Either Pay Massive Fines Or Self Deport

OK, so, let’s say I built a life hiding on the property of a NY Times bigwig, and eventually get caught: are they going to let me stay on their land? Let’s say I build a cabin in the middle of a national forest, will they let me stay? Of course not. Will the Elites let me squat and build a life at their McMansions by the sea? Nope.

Many people have “built lives” after committing crimes, and, the cops and legal system do not allow them to go back to those lives when they are caught. The best thing for these illegals to do is simply leave.

Saturday Roundup of Link Roundups - 25 July

The Right Way is up first with Top of the News

Convicted Illegal Alien Files Lawsuit Against Trump — Demands $75M, Public Apology, U.S. Citizenship - Bongino Report

Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 07.22.26

CDR Salamander: Cuba Libre
Don Surber: The Boasberg boomerang

EBL - Helen of Troy

EBL: The real tragedy, The Odyssey and Michael Knowles Review
AoSHQ: Morning Report 07.22.26

Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony - Daily News Stuff 23 July 2026: Proximate Causal Inviolability Edition

Across the social sciences, half of research doesn't replicate. (Science)
And only 34% of it is confirmed by multiple reviewers.
But it gets worse.

The Glibertarians - Thursday Morning Links

House passes ‘Stop Insider Trading Act’ in bipartisan vote
Fifth Circuit Rules Illegal Aliens Do Not Have Constitutional Right To Roam Free In US

Gates of Vienna - News Feed 7/22/2026

Democrats are increasingly worried that Republicans’ overwhelming financial advantage among party committees and outside groups could undercut hopes of a strong midterm showing

Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 07.23.26

Don Surber: They should have just kept Starmer
Racket News: On Substack’s New AI-Spotting Tool & The Importance of Human Thought

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog - LinkSwarm For July 24, 2026

“Feds Flagged Daszak As ‘An Extremely High Person Of Interest’ – Then The FBI Told Them To Stand Down.”
“The Democrats Have a Communist Problem.”

A View from the Beach - Flotsam and Jetsam - What The He!! is John Thune Doing?

At PJM, VodkaPundit envisions Puting passing the hat, Buddy, Can You Spare 1.5 Trillion Rubles? "that's exactly what happened last week when the Kremlin attempted to sell OFZs (like U.S. Treasuries), but buyers said Nyet!

Small Dead Animals - Wednesday On Turtle Island

The Democrat Party’s America: Victor Davis Hanson – Middle class phonies. A new elite. America’s future.
Davos Carney’s Canada: Muslim values are Canadian values. The Singh family and friends.

Political Hat - Quick Takes – Friction For The Euthanasia Slippery-Slope: Bipartisan Oversight; Alberta Makes It Harder To Get; Scotland Says No

Canada making euthanasia harder to get? In the province of Alberta, at least, it’s becoming harder.
Scotland suprisingly isn’t too eager to start killing people.

Once Again from Wombat-socho - In The Mailbox: 07.24.26

Dana Loesch: Midweek News Roundup
Don Surber: DSA is not in America’s DNA, also, Saudis go nuke

Maggie's Farm - Wednesday morning links

Teachers' Unions Must Be Banned
Housing and NYC politics

J.J. Sefton at Ace of Spades HQ - The Morning Report — 7/ 23 /26

Far-left, extremist ideology prevents an honest interpretation of crime and incarceration data.
Why Socialists Want to Shut Down Prisons

Doug Ross - Larwyn’s Linx: Illegal Immigration Made The Average New House $30K More Expensive Under Biden

• If It Looks Like a Leftist: What the Murder of Ann Widdecombe Says About Politics in the UK - Raw Egg Nationalist
• how to not learn what you don't want to know - el gato malo

Anonymous Conservative - News Briefs – 07/24/2026

GOP lawmakers send criminal referral to DOJ to investigate Jack Smith.
Modelling scout in Paris who helped Epstein acquire trafficking victims is found dead of a heart attack in his apartment in France.

I leave you with Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #3962 from 90 Miles from Tyranny, Midweek Memes from Granite Grok, Friday Memes … from MaddMedic, and Friday's gifs from Wirecutter.

US Virgin Islands Sued Over Right to Bear Arms

From myMotherLode. US Virgin Islands faces second lawsuit over right to bear arms as Florida resident seeks license

Gun Owners of America and Gun Owners Foundation are suing the government of the U.S. Virgin Islands and its police commissioner as a fight over the Second Amendment deepens.

The nonprofits are asking a federal judge to allow nonresidents to apply for and be issued licenses to carry concealed handguns in the U.S. territory.

They can't both be part of the US and ignore the Constitution.

“The Second Amendment doesn’t end at the shoreline,” Luis Valdes, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ outreach director for Gun Owners of America, said in a statement. “Americans don’t lose their constitutional rights simply because they travel to a U.S. territory.”

This will either be over in an instant, or take years. I don't think there will be a middle ground.

Climate Cultists Attack Microsoft Data Center

Climate Cultists Attack Microsoft Data Center With Acid-Filled Balloons

The acid attacks are taking place in The Netherlands.

Demonstrating is fine. Using acid for sabotage is not. Anyone who purports to save the world by destroying property or endangering people’s lives should be jailed and forced to pay restitution for their deeds.

Hat tip to William Teach at Pirate's Cove: If All You See…

Now I despise both Microsoft and all forms of AI, but this just seems like a bunch spoiled brats, throwing tantrums.

Dirty Diana

Shaman's Harvest is a band I found for the 1st time in June. I don't know much about them, aside that they are from Missouri, and they are described as Post Grunge, and Alternative Rock. I haven't heard much by them but that will change. As is usual, this song was served up by the Tidal streaming service.

This song is "Dirty Diana" by Shaman's Harvest. It is from their 2014 album, Smokin' Hearts & Broken Guns (Deluxe Edition).