Game Over 🌎

This is not Normal - Question Everything #allthehashtags

[jay plemons @jayplemons]

Nick Shirley uncovers an adult day care in Flushing, Queens with 7,000 phantom members.

Nick: “This public document says you have 7,899 members.”

Employee: “No, we don’t have 7,000 members.”

Nick: “So you’re overbilling then? You’re getting paid $1,600 per patient — that���s how you got $12.9 million in 2024.”

Employee: “Please leave.”

American taxpayer dollars at work.

[Merriam-Webster @MerriamWebster]

IT'S 'HEAR, HEAR,' NOT 'HERE, HERE.'

IT'S 'SNEAK PEEK,' NOT 'SNEAK PEAK.'

IT'S 'EXACT REVENGE,' NOT 'EXTRACT REVENGE.'

IT'S 'BY AND LARGE,' NOT 'BY IN LARGE.'

THIS HAS BEEN A CAPSLOCK PSA.

[Colin McCarthy @US_Stormwatch]

The 2026-27 El Niño is simply astonishing.

Tropical Pacific waters are running nearly 7 weeks ahead of where they’ve ever been at this point in an El Niño cycle in modern history.

Models now put the peak strength at 3.6°C on the Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI), the new standard for measuring El Niño that adjusts for background ocean warming from climate change.

That would beat the previous record (Dec. 1877, the strongest El Niño ever observed) by 0.7°C. In the context of climate, that’s completely blowing the previous record out of the water. For context, an El Niño is informally considered a Super El Niño when, for 3 months, the Niño 3.4 index is 2.0°C or above.

Frankly, expect extreme climate and weather impacts over the next 12-18 months.

Forecasts have also been consistently, aggressively wet for California and the southern US. Many of California’s largest floods have hit during El Niño years, and in very strong events, El Niño typically becomes the single best predictor of a very wet winter in California. It also elevates the odds of a megaflood in the state. @Weather_West’s research found 7 of 8 modeled ARkStorms occurred during moderate-to-strong El Niño years.

The bigger picture: 2027 could be the first year Earth briefly touches 2°C above preindustrial levels. With each successive model update, the forecasted strength of El Niño is increasing, with ensembles now putting a 94% chance on a Super El Niño this winter. Virtually certain.

[Andrew Follett @AndrewCFollett]

Defense is 8% of US government spending.

Education 15%!

Welfare is 47%!

[The White House @WhiteHouse]

Weekly reminder: Decline is a choice.

[Michelle Maxwell ™ @MichelleMaxwell]

With everything we are hearing right now about ticks this seems like good information to share.

“Here’s what I’ve learned after more ticks than I care to count.
First, whatever your uncle told you, forget it. No matches. No nail polish. No Vaseline. No soap on a cotton ball. All of those do the same terrible thing, they stress the tick out, and a stressed tick empties its gut back into the bite before letting go. Which, if you think about what that actually means for a second, is literally how Lyme and the rest get transmitted so you’re not speeding up its exit. You’re making it throw up into you.
Fine-tipped tweezers. Grip right where the mouthparts enter the skin, not the body, the head. Pull straight up, steady, no twisting, no jerking. It’ll feel like it’s resisting because it is, the mouthparts are barbed. Just keep the pressure on and it lets go in a few seconds. If a piece breaks off in the skin, leave it alone. Your body pushes splinters out. Digging around with a needle does more damage then the fragment ever would.
Clean it with alcohol or soap. Wash your hands.
Now here’s the part most people skip: don’t flush the tick.
Tape it to an index card. Clear packing tape right over the body, write the date and where on your body it was, and stick the card in a drawer. If you come down with anything weird in the next 30 days, rash, fever, joint pain, that flu-that-isn’t-flu feeling, that tick goes with you to the doctor. Some labs will test the tick itself, which is faster and often more reliable than waiting for antibodies to show up in your own blood. A dated tick taped to a card is one of the most useful things you can hand a doctor who’s trying to figure out what’s wrong with you.
The other thing worth saying out loud: if the tick was engorged when you pulled it, and you can’t swear it was off your body within 24 hours, call your doctor that same day. Don’t wait for a rash. Fewer than three out of four Lyme cases even produce the classic bullseye. A single preventive dose of doxycycline within 72 hours of a deer tick bite cuts the Lyme odds way down, and most docs in tick country will write that prescription without giving you a hard time, especially if you walk in with the tick taped to a card and a clear timeline.”

[Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 @Noahpinion]

The progressive idea of "Let's make everyone equal at math by just not making anyone learn math" is going just about as well as you'd expect

[NOLLY @omoelerinjare1]

Jean-Paul LaPierre, a 54-year-old boxer and marathon runner from Weymouth, Massachusetts (Boston area), was riding a CTA Blue Line train in Chicago heading to the marathon.

He stepped off, learned a man was robbing passengers at gunpoint, went back aboard, confronted the robber, grappled with him, disarmed the gun, and held him against the train wall until police arrived.

In the video, LaPierre says, “That kinda made me mad” and “I’m a boxer. I’ll break your head in one punch.” He later added, “It matters to me.”

The robber, Tremaine Anderson (30, with prior record), was arrested and charged with armed robbery.

LaPierre then ran the Chicago Marathon (his 12th) and later received a Carnegie Hero Medal for his bravery.

[Nick shirley @nickshirleyy]

🚨 California just voted to pass AB 2624 aka “The Stop Nick Shirley Act”:
This bill puts journalists at civil risk for investigating fraud and makes it harder to expose fraud in “immigration support services,” including NGOs, nonprofits and health care facilities that receive hundreds of millions from the state of California each year.

This bill would have made it criminal to expose fake hospices in LA or the Somali “learing center” in Minnesota if they then claim “reasonable fear” and the business owner gives a written demand not to post the video.

Plain and simple, California is trying to make it harder to expose fraud and scare individuals from investigating fraud in their communities, as they could be sued for an injunction to remove the video + forced to pay their attorney fees + minimum $4,000 in damages.

The Attorney General's wife, Mia Bonta, created this bill and is now trying to make it law. How is this not a conflict of interest?

California is full of FRAUDSTERS!

[Neetu Arnold @neetu_arnold]

University of California STEM professors want standardized tests back due to severe math deficiencies among students:

“We now observe preparation gaps so severe that instructors must reteach middle school mathematics”

“The current admissions metric, based primarily on GPA & essays, can no longer reliably distinguish readiness for university-level STEM majors in an era of severe grade inflation & AI assisted application essays”

[Joe Rogan Podcast News @joeroganhq]

Stephen A. Smith: "I don't understand how sanctuary cities are allowed in this country… If there's federal laws that mandate that you can't cross the border illegally, there shouldn't be sanctuary cities saying, 'Yes, you can.'… It makes no sense."

[Ian Miller @ianmSC]

It’s the same pattern that you see in most other areas of education. Once an organization or institution starts moving left, it only ever becomes increasingly more left. There is no tolerance for dissent or moderation, just an aggressive demand for ideological purity.

[Collin Rugg @CollinRugg]

Chicago woman mocks Democrats by speaking in a squeaky, high-pitched voice, who say black people's voting rights are in danger.

The woman also called out the commissioners one by one to their faces.

"I'm 63 years old. I've been voting since I was 18. I have never had a problem voting..."

"So now you're all gonna drag black people in here, definitely some senior citizens, and gonna have them come up here and talk about how they're scared to vote... all that junk, when you know it's not true."

[Jen @IlliniJen]

Why do smash-and-grabs keep happening in Chicago?

Thieves just rammed a Jeep into a River North gas station at 5 a.m. and walked off with the ATM.

It’s almost as if there are zero consequences for crime in this city.

But that couldn’t possibly be it.

[Ian Miller @ianmSC]

What’s impressive about this is that the education system didn’t just eliminate virtually all conservative thought as it moved toward left wing extremism, they got rid of almost anyone who was in the middle too. Anyone who doesn’t fully comply with the groupthink isn’t welcome.

[Nick shirley @nickshirleyy]

California is trying to pass a bill that would criminalize investigative journalism with misdemeanors, $10,000 fines, imprisonment, and content takedown.

The proposed bill is titled AB 2624 and was made after I exposed mass fraud by immigrant groups in America.

Under AB 2624, government-funded entities like the Somali “Learing” Daycare centers would be protected from being exposed if they operated inside California.

The enemy truly is within. When our politicians would rather protect fraudsters and illegal migrants, it’s time for us to stand up or face mass oppression from the traitors who “rule” over us.

[Colin McCarthy @US_Stormwatch]

42.5 inches of snow in the last 3 days at Donner Summit, CA.

The biggest April 3-day storm since 1983.

A truly historic spring storm.

[60 Minutes @60Minutes]

A landmark lawsuit against 10 manufacturers of ultraprocessed foods alleges that, like the tobacco companies, they knowingly engineered and marketed addictive, dangerous products while hiding the risks and causing a public health crisis. https://t.co/bZBNVT6Htt

[Jeff Berardelli @WeatherProf]

We say #snowmageddon as a joke, but if ever there was a time to use it, it’s now!! Watch as the West Coast gets bombarded by at least 5 storms in 15 days, with up to 15 feet of snow in the high Sierra, and that may be an underestimate if the models verify. NWS says 8 feet possible by Wednesday. Incredible! #snow

[Metabolic Uncle @MetabolicUncle]

WHAT WALKING ACTUALLY DOES

Your heart isn't the problem. The pipes are.

Most cardiovascular disease starts with stiff, resistant blood vessels forcing the heart to push harder against mounting pressure. The pump itself works fine until the system wears it down.

Walking fixes this at the source through steady flow stimulating vessel walls to relax and cooperate.

Blood vessels have an inner lining called endothelium. When blood flows consistently past it, the endothelium releases signals that make vessels widen.

No force required. Just regular use preventing stagnation. As vascular resistance drops, each heartbeat becomes less strained. The heart stops fighting its own infrastructure.

This happens fast. Within minutes of walking, blood flow patterns shift. Vessels detect the change and begin adjusting. Not dramatically. Quietly.

The nervous system stays calm because the body doesn't interpret moderate movement as threat. You're not triggering alarm responses. You're entering an intelligent maintenance state where efficiency improves without drama.

THE STEP COUNT FALLACY

Biology doesn't care about 10,000 steps. That number is marketing, not physiology.

Large observational studies show meaningful cardiovascular benefits starting around 2,500 to 2,700 daily steps. For sedentary people, that tiny increase produces disproportionately large gains.

First steps carry the highest biological return. The curve flattens past 7,000 steps, where the cardiovascular system gets most signals it needs for flexibility and resilience.

This matters because fixation on arbitrary targets creates unnecessary pressure. People cycle between intense bursts and burnout instead of building sustainable rhythms.

The body doesn't track your calendar. It integrates signals over time. Even hitting higher step counts one or two days weekly offers protection compared to nothing.

Walking stops being a task and becomes collaboration with your own biology. That's where durable benefits emerge.

PACE TEACHES PRECISION

How you walk matters nearly as much as how much. A moderately brisk pace creates gentle challenge space where heart and vessels must coordinate more precisely while staying fully controlled. Not suffering. Calibration.

Faster cadence produces stronger, smoother blood flow. Vessel walls expand more dynamically. The heart fine-tunes rhythm and contraction strength to maintain stability.

With repetition, the cardiovascular system learns to handle above-normal conditions gracefully, preparing infrastructure for peak loads while everyday operation remains quiet.

A pace allowing short conversation signals the ideal adaptive zone. In this range, the cardiovascular system receives clear learning signals while the nervous system stays stable enough to support recovery.

Advanced, highly efficient walking is interval walking, where a faster pace alternates with an easier pace.

THE POST-MEAL WINDOW

After eating, blood glucose rises and the body redirects flow toward digestion. For people with metabolic dysfunction or sedentary habits, this becomes quiet vascular stress. Sharp glucose spikes directly affect endothelium, creating less favorable environments for vessel function.

Light walking after meals intervenes remarkably gently. No intensity needed. Movement allows muscles to draw glucose from blood through insulin-independent pathways, flattening post-meal peaks and reducing metabolic stress on vessels. Blood flow redistributes evenly. The endothelium receives its familiar signal: steady, moderate flow without shock.

This protects vessels at their most vulnerable moment. Even healthy people experience cumulative stress from repeated daily glucose spikes. Walking after meals doesn't erase modern eating patterns but softens metabolic edges enough to reduce unnecessary cardiovascular strain over years.

It uses a window that already exists. A few minutes of movement after eating sends a powerful biological message. The system is supported, not overwhelmed.

WHAT CHANGES OVER TIME

Consistent walking produces measurable traces. Blood pressure drops modestly, but over years this reduces cumulative vessel strain and translates into tangible cardiovascular risk reduction.

Resting heart rate lowers not pathologically but because each beat becomes more efficient. With greater stroke volume, the heart beats less often to meet resting demands.

Large population studies show walking habits correlate with lower rates of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality at moderate activity levels. Not extremes. Biological consistency.

The deeper change is harder to chart. Everyday movements trigger less alarm. Heart rate rises less dramatically for the same effort. Breathing steadies faster after exertion. Stress recovery improves as the cardiovascular system becomes flexible and confident rather than locked in prolonged alert mode.

These aren't flashy shifts. They quietly reshape how heart, vessels, and nervous system coordinate daily. From that stable foundation, the most durable cardiovascular health builds through intelligent repetition, not intensity.

THE EVOLUTIONARY FRAME

Humans evolved moving frequently at moderate intensity throughout the day. Not to train. To survive. Our cardiovascular systems optimized for that environment: steady movement, manageable demand, minimal prolonged alarm.

Walking is the closest modern behavior to that evolutionary template. It doesn't trigger excessive survival responses or force the heart into battle. Instead it sends a familiar signal: environment safe, demand reasonable, efficiency preferred.

Modern science confirms what intuition suggested. From sustained blood pressure reductions and lower resting heart rate to improved vascular flexibility and faster stress recovery, walking doesn't just improve numbers. It re-educates how the cardiovascular system responds to life itself.

A body not constantly over-activated recovers better, tolerates stress more effectively, ages more slowly. Walking doesn't grant immortality but allows systems to operate as designed. That alignment is the foundation of long-term health.

Perfection isn't required. Not 10,000 steps. Not pain. Not force. Just small, correctly timed, repeatedly delivered signals. Biology rewards consistency, not extremes.

Walking is a daily message to heart and vessels that the world is manageable. In an era defined by chronic pressure, that message might be one of the most powerful forms of medicine we still underestimate.