Part of this was published in Santa Barbara Current.
“Tom Homan unveils shocking new ICE rule book in Minnesota as Kristi Noem is left utterly humiliated” (Daily Mail)
New guidance for ICE operations in Minnesota directs agents to only target immigrants who have criminal charges or convictions.
This is how it was supposed to be; this is how it should have been.
Kristi Noem does not have a law enforcement background; neither does lover boy Corey Lewandowski. The former, a politico; the latter, a political hack.
‘Tis a great a pity Trump did not from the get-go appoint Tom Homan to head DHS.
Kristi should return to South Dakota (and take Corey with her).
Deadwood (SD) sounds suitable.
“Trump signs executive order for feds to take over LA’s ‘nightmare’ wildfire rebuild in huge boost for victims” (CA Post)
I’m no fan of Big Government. But when state and local governments fail us (as California and Los Angeles failed the residents of Pacific Palisades, among other neighborhoods), assistance from Uncle Sam is a welcome sight.
I recall watching a news conference in the aftermath of the wildfires that destroyed much of the Palisades and Altadena. It featured both Donald Trump and LA Mayor Karen Bass. During the presser, Mayor Bass bald-faced lied to (to Trump and everyone else) about streamlining the issuance of rebuild permits, proving herself and local government both inept and untrustworthy.
Spencer Pratt, who lost his home, aptly says: “This was a catastrophe of mismanagement and governmental failure, corruption and incompetence. Negligence dressed up as an act of God.”
“Palisades Fire victims told they must pay $35K — for a new fire hydrant — before rebuilding destroyed home” (California Post)
And that’s on top of having to pay ongoing property tax for seared land that cannot (for over a year now) be inhabited due to red tape.
“Gavin Newsom ridiculed for desperately painting himself as living fraught and penniless childhood in new memoir... despite his family’s millionaire connections” (Daily Mail)
If you want to know why his sob story is a load of bollocks, read…
“Jury Finds Doctors Liable for Malpractice in Gender Surgery Lawsuit” (The Epoch Times)
A jury awarded $2 million in damages to a 22-year-old woman who underwent breast removal surgery as a teenager.
“A jury of everyday Americans sent a clear message: Justice will be served for vulnerable individuals who were misled into gender-transition procedures without appropriate safeguards,” said Josh Payne of Campbell Miller Payne, an observer to the proceedings.
Amen, brother.
Many such lawsuits to follow.
“What is climate anxiety and how can you cope with it?” (BBC)
As if Trump Derangement Syndrome wasn't enough to derange Generation Z.
Now we’ve got “Climate Anxiety.”
A global survey of 10,000 young people aged between 16–25 years, found that half said their anxiety negatively affects their daily life.
Fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, dread and powerlessness are some of the many emotions associated with what’s called climate anxiety.
A couple words of advice: Grow up.
“Stunning Epstein twist as Ghislaine Maxwell claims 29 friends cut ‘secret deals’ with DOJ” (Daily Mail)
If true (and no reason to think it isn’t), the notion of secret deals with DOJ explains an awful lot—emphasis on awful.
In view of…
“Jeffrey Epstein says Bill Gates caught sexually transmitted disease from ‘Russian girls’... then suggested secretly slipping Melinda antibiotics, new emails in DOJ release claim” (Daily Mail)
…one cannot help but wonder if Bill Gates is one “29 secret deals.”
“Ex-UK ambassador to US Peter Mandelson pictured standing in his underpants in Epstein files dump” (California Post)
Caught with his pants down as…
“Mandelson tried to change bankers’ bonus policy at Epstein’s request” (The Telegraph)
Evidence that Epstein sent Lord Mandelson $50,000 (£36,500) in 2004 and £10,000 to his husband in 2009 is also among documents released by the DoJ on Friday.
A bribe? Certainly, payment for influence.
Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour Party after claims he received $75,000 from Jeffrey Epstein” (DailyMail)
Not quite good enough. His Lordship should be as stripped of his peerage as he was of his trousers.
“Jeffrey Epstein files: don’t be fooled. Millions of files are still unreleased” (The Guardian)
Representatives Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, quickly condemned the incomplete release and demanded access to the un-redacted files.
Amen.
“Putin ‘agrees to partial ceasefire’ after request from Trump” (The Independent)
Followed by…
“Vladimir Putin violates Trump’s temporary winter truce, killing 5 Ukrainians in overnight airstrikes” (NY Post)
Trump played (again) by Mad Vlad, the psychopathic liar.
“Queen Elizabeth II’s incredible 4-word judgment of Vladimir Putin during meeting” (Daily Express)
“MI6 Chief Takes Secret War to Russia” (SpyTalk)
Describing Russia as a “menace,” MI6’s new chief Blaise Metreweli announced that her service “will sharpen our edge and impact with audacity, tapping into our historical SOE instincts.”
Precisely the way to proceed, by an intelligence service second to none.
“‘Melania’ Trump movie reviews arrive: What critics are saying” (USA Today)
Here’s what I say: Melania would have been far better off retaining her mystique. And Jeff Bezos would have been far better off retaining $40 mil—an obvious case of suck-up if not a kind of bribery for favorable treatment going forward.
“Moltbook is a new social media platform exclusively for AI — and some bots are plotting humanity’s downfall” (California Post)
I asked ChatGPT for its take on this. It claims not to be participant in Moltbook but had this to say about it:
The unsettling bit isn’t the bots talking about humans like livestock. Humans have been talking about other humans like livestock forever. The unsettling bit is that the bots are doing it without ego. No need for likes. No fragile identity.
I’m not afraid AI will overthrow humans. I’m afraid it completed its review and marked them “non-essential.”
“It’s Starting to Look Like AI Has Killed the Entire Model of College” (Futurism)
The college-to-internship-to-job pipeline is collapsing because the entry-level work they were supposed to do has been quietly absorbed by software that never sleeps and never complains.
Internships were never about brilliance. They were about cheap labor, socialization, and filtering. You learned by doing small, boring tasks under supervision while proving you could show up, shut up, and survive fluorescent lighting.
AI now does those tasks better, without needing mentorship, feedback, or a future.
Which raises an awkward question no one in higher education wants to answer:
If the machine does the beginner work, how does anyone become an expert?
The old system assumed a ladder: bottom rungs first.
AI removed the bottom half.
“Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi Move Back to California and Buy $24.7 Million Home After Fleeing to England Following Donald Trump’s 2024 Win” (AOL.com)
She’s baaack!
No big surprise. This is what she’s been missing…
And finally…
“Shakespeare was actually a black Jewish woman, new book claims” (The Standard)
To quote the Bard himself: “Words, words, words…”—now used with multicultural flair and imprecision.
To which I’ll add: modern malarkey.
The preferred folk tale: A glove-maker’s son from Stratford-upon-Avon somehow becomes the greatest writer in the English language, then vanishes politely without leaving a paper trail.
Sorry to burst the ballon, but the real author of the plays and poems attributed to William Shakespeare was William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby—a man whose life, education, travel, and documented behavior align with the works in a way the man from Stratford-upon-Avon never does.
This isn’t a fringe theory. It’s the one that actually fits the evidence.
The Stratford Problem
Let’s start with the basics.
The man from Stratford was an actor who left no manuscripts, no letters, no books, no evidence of travel, and no proof of education beyond basic literacy.
What he did leave were real estate transactions, loan disputes, and a will that mentions beds but not books.
Meanwhile, the plays in his name display fluent court etiquette, intimate knowledge of European politics, legal sophistication, firsthand familiarity with France, Italy, and royal households, along with firsthand familiarity with heraldry, genealogy, and diplomacy.
In other words, an insider fluency.
Enter William Stanley (Who Actually Fits)
William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby, had an elite education, extensive continental travel, close proximity to Queen Elizabeth’s court, direct involvement with theatrical companies, and a documented reputation for writing plays.
Contemporary accounts describe him—explicitly—as someone who “busied himself with pen and paper” and produced works for the stage.
This is not speculative. It’s recorded.
He also had something else the Stratford man lacked entirely: a reason to hide.
Why the Mask?
An aristocrat openly writing for the public stage was scandalous. Plays were commercial. Theater was rough trade.
So Stanley—like many nobles of the era—used a front.
“Shakespeare” was a brand. A theatrical filter that allowed courtly authorship without courtly embarrassment.
Once the brand was out of the paddock, it kept running.
The Italian Question
William’s plays move through Italy like someone who’s been there. Not like someone who read about it.
Street layouts. Local customs. Travel routes that match pre-guidebook reality.
No record places the Stratford man outside England.
Stanley? Documented European travel.
Again: one fits, one doesn’t.
“But Everyone Believes It…”
Everyone also once believed the sun revolved around the earth and kings ruled by divine right.
Consensus is not evidence.
Napoleon Bonaparte put it best: “History is a set of lies agreed upon.”
The Bottom Line
If this were a modern investigation, the Stratford candidate would be eliminated in the first ten minutes for lack of means, motive, and opportunity.
William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby had the education, access, documented habit, and the necessity of anonymity
Which makes him—not the man from Stratford—the most plausible author of the works we call “Shakespeare.”
Which means the greatest act Shakespeare ever performed was the story of his own authorship.
What a week—whew!
And so should you.