Hot, and dry this late-afternoon Wednesday here in California’s Central Valley — according to the NWS, we’re still boiling at 102 degrees as I type this, and a couple of hours till dark. We and a goodly chunk of the earth are in the midst of over-the-top heat bouts (called ‘domes‘ nowadays), and unfortunately, the situation will only get worse.
Whether the weather gets us, or not, we’re indeed in the midst of some strange, cruel, and wild times — just today’s display of Orange-Turded ignorance:
Can we go back to the Hannibal Lecter routine again? I'm kinda worn out on this one.
— Benjamin Dreyer (@bcdreyer.social) 2026-07-15T20:39:01.686Z
Deep thoughts.
Jump to another f*cked slice of some weird shit:
Hegseth now wants taxpayers to pay to give testosterone injections to troops to make them better warfighters.
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) 2026-07-15T17:09:13.098Z
Details/nutshell:
The US defense secretary unveiled plans for a new screening program for testosterone deficiency among troops that will work to ensure service members have the “right testosterone levels” to perform at their optimal condition in a video posted to X.
“I’m authorizing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency for our service members, ensuring you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best,” Hegseth said in the video.
“As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting,” he added. “It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness, and by addressing these health markers early, we’re keeping you on the leading edge of lethality, and giving you the same level of support that you give this nation – the absolute best.”
Further again today:
OSSOFF: Who won the 2020 election?CLAYTON: Uhm, you know, I'm not going to do this with youO: This is a job interview. You have an obligation to be honest with the committee. Who won the 2020 election?C: I'm not gonna get into that with youO: You're not being honest or forthrightC: …
Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the southern district of New York, refused to say that Joe Biden won the 2020 election during his Wednesday confirmation hearing to become the country’s next intelligence chief.
Clayton opted instead to say that Biden was “certified” as president. Clayton also skirted questions about his previous election integrity claims and whether or not a White House official asked him to subpoena a group of New York Times journalists as part of an alleged national security investigation.
Also, gaining more attention today: Explosive horror beyond the corner of my eye, and a literal shit-on-a-stick:
"'The interesting thing about this parasite is humans are the only known host. So every contamination event traces back to—and I know this is disgusting—human waste or fecal matter, somewhere along the train, and usually in water.'"
Another nutshell:
“EXPLOSIVE DIARRHEA” IS NOT A PHRASE YOU WANT to be hearing in your household, let alone on the national news. But it is happening a lot these days, thanks to an outbreak of a parasitic infection called cyclospora that has already sickened thousands of people across the country.
So far the largest number is in Michigan, my home state. But it’s not simply a Michigan problem: More than thirty states have recorded cases. And although officials have said they think contaminated lettuce might be the culprit, or one of the culprits, as of Wednesday morning they still were not sure.
What the shit?! Now here in California, too!
Close the outhouse:
Toilet paper shortage, or not, yet here we are once again …
(Illustration out front — and above: Salvador Dalí’s “The Burning Giraffe” [1937], oil on panel, and found here.)
