On this day, in 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, killing all of the crew and passengers on board. Eleven people from the town also died when burning wreckage crashed into the land.

NEW: Brexit In Name Only: UK Dragged Into EU Court for Not Making Migration Easy Enough.
https://thenationalpulse.com/2024/12/17/brexit-in-name-only-uk-dragged-into-eu-court-for-not-making-migration-easy-enough/?feed_id=31263&_unique_id=6761682413ba3

"Stern, who was Jewish, intended the story as an update of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol (1843), with narrative elements from the biblical story of Job. For those unfamiliar, Job is the story of God inflicting woe and despair on his devotee, Job. God’s intent is to test Job’s faith. After being subjected to horrible pain and grief (poverty, death of his son, horrible illness), Job asks God, “Why are all these horrible things happening to a good person like me?” God rather unsatisfactorily answers, “Who are you to try and understand my plan?” That’s it. That’s the lesson. Horrible things happen. There is nothing you can do about it. The ultimate cosmic horror."
https://nighttidemag.com/2024/12/13/sinister-screen-its-a-horrible-life-dr/#:~:text=Stern%2C%20who%20was,ultimate%20cosmic%20horror.

BREAKING: The CR bill has officially passed and the government will avoid shutdown

https://x.com/dschlopesisback/status/1870239072104411604?s=46&t=G8osZoHuXTQhHbGFJD4WZg

@Dschlopes

“Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something. That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.”

The Distribution of Christianity by 300 AD (1950s map)
https://redd.it/1hfdqgq
@r_mapporn

Science Fiction and Fantasy New Releases: 21 December 2024

Every week, the Castalia House Blog spotlights some of the many new releases in independent, pulp, and web novel-influenced science fiction and fantasy. The Assistant (Honor of the Fleet #3) – Felix R. Savage A merciless evil is stalking the cities of the Moon. Only Siegn can unravel the mystery. Assigned to break a VR […]

http://www.castaliahouse.com/science-fiction-and-fantasy-new-releases-21-december-2024/

BREAKING:

🇺🇲🇬🇧🇾🇪 Fierce clash between the US, UK and the Houthis in the Red Sea, the US lost a fighter jet

Yemeni Armed Forces announces to have targeted the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group overnight, in an operation that resulted in the failure of a joint American-British attack on Yemen, and the (friendly) downing of an F/A-18 fighter jet.

The operation was carried out with 8 Cruise Missiles & 17 Kamikaze Drones.

This attack provoked panic among the US Navy ships & fighter jets operators, pushing the USS Gettysburg to fire missiles at one of the F18s that was 'defending' them.

@Megatron_ron

Search for the historical Trump:

Donald Trump is not a historical figure but is actually a compilation of 4 distinct sources.
A thread 🧵

It seems there are actually four sources being used by the author of the Trump narrative. The oldest two sources are the paleocon (P) and libertarian (L) sources.

A later neocon (N) source was then added to make the narrative more acceptable, and the final MAGA (M) redactor combined these distinct sources into a single narrative.

The P source can be seen in Trump’s more traditionalist views, such as discussions on immigration or racial issues.

The L source can be seen in Trump’s deregulation, his general anger towards the establishment, and his isolationist foreign policy. These issues overlap with the P source, suggesting these could be authentic sayings of a historical Donald Trump.

The L source is actually the result of the failed messianic movement of the Ron Paul campaign. When Ron Paul’s campaign failed, this energy was transferred into the mythical person of Trump.

We can also see the messianic roots of Trumpism in the Trump narrative’s ending. Many supporters still believe he will return to reclaim the presidency and save America.

This ending is clearly borrowed from Egyptian religion. Trump replaces Osiris, and Biden replaces Seth.

Since the P and L sources are the earliest, dating back to 2015 and the primaries, they must have been written first.

Once Trump became the nominee, the influences of the N source become evident. For example, Trump’s calls to bomb ISIS show the establishment’s additions to the narrative.

The N source is so influential that it is hard to distinguish it from the L source. However, the N author clearly disliked the P source, as it downplays Trump’s social views.

As these sources were passed down through oral tradition, many accretions were added. For example, does it seem reasonable to assume this is a real tweet from a US president?

Donald J. Trump (Tweet):
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food-starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!
— 7:49 PM, 2 Jan 2018

Other scholars think this meets the criterion of embarrassment and so can be said to be an authentic statement of the historical Donald Trump. However, since Trump’s tweets don’t exist (conveniently explained away by the banning in the M source), there is no way to prove this.

These various sources were then synthesized by the M source. Donald of the P source and Trump of the L and N sources are made to be the same character. Trump’s contradictory statements are explained away by all these policies being about making America great again.

However, some gaps in the narrative still exist. For example, to explain away the abundance of secondary characters, the redactor had to make Trump constantly fire his cabinet members. In addition, his wives in the L and N sources are made ex-wives.

Is there any truth to the Trump narrative? It seems that Trump could be loosely based on a person attested to in many contemporary sources, Donald Drumf. However, the differences are so large it is likely only the name is taken. Further research ought to be done here though.

https://x.com/omnologos/status/1870847422454280672

“Sam was the only member of the party who had not been over the river before. He had a strange feeling as the slow gurgling stream slipped by: his old life lay behind in the mists, dark adventure lay in front.” - The Lord of the Rings

People’s social group make-up from the 1930’s until 2024

When you see it laid out like this it is seriously disturbing. I don’t see how it’s possible for a civilization to undergo an upheaval of this magnitude and ever return to what it once was outside of total collapse.

However, in your individual life, it is possible to reclaim this. It’s going to be a hell of a struggle and it will take a couple of generations but those who recognize the value of what we once had and restructure their lives to return to it will be the ones left who survive and rebuild the whole thing after it inevitably falls.

Hard times create strong men.

@AltSkull48