Podcasts about bureaucrats

Two stories this week about who's quietly grabbing the things you thought were yours. First, a Michigan family lost $118,000 in home equity over a $2,242 tax bill they had already won in court -- and the Supreme Court spent an hour deciding whether the bureaucrat in your county should still be allowed to do the same thing in five states (yours might be one of them). Then, a World Bank paper, a 246-page bill nobody read, and a Larry Fink quote that should keep every homeowner awake at night -- the rails under your money are being rewired so a line of code can freeze, burn, or expire your savings without a judge in the loop. Three moves under $1,500 to put your house outside the reach of any of it are at protectwhatsmine.com, and we go through them in plain English. Take one action this week before the rules quietly change on you.  

A surprisingly gearheadly episode for something served with a side of dried apples - it's time to tighten your belt and peel your ears.  We've got someone spoofing The Hoff's Knight 2000 so Mr. Someone can speed through school zones, tunnels falling apart in big cities (not always fatal), tales of tickets and fees that no one earned (and some tolls that no one deserved - talk about incompetence...), trucks on mountains at night, Porsche selling off properties because they overreached again (some more), and many more auto manufacturers (including the guys at Porch) taking yuge losses on electric cars. There's also some thoughts on bad radio ads (beta much, you incompetent boobs?), good beans, and a septic tanker that parked in the second worse spot in the world.  Also, a the Unida/Dozer split album...

A surprisingly gearheadly episode for something served with a side of dried apples - it's time to tighten your belt and peel your ears.  We've got someone spoofing The Hoff's Knight 2000 so Mr. Someone can speed through school zones, tunnels falling apart in big cities (not always fatal), tales of tickets and fees that no one earned (and some tolls that no one deserved - talk about incompetence...), trucks on mountains at night, Porsche selling off properties because they overreached again (some more), and many more auto manufacturers (including the guys at Porch) taking yuge losses on electric cars. There's also some thoughts on bad radio ads (beta much, you incompetent boobs?), good beans, and a septic tanker that parked in the second worse spot in the world.  Also, a the Unida/Dozer split album...

Welcome to Week In Geek Wednesday for our quick-hits segment of entertainment and interesting bits of internet debris for you... the people! This week, we get into some "Star Wars" discussion, talk over the Rousey/Carano "fight", and then step into Idiot's Court to adjudicate whatever the hell The John Cena Classic is going to be!   FULL VIDEO EPISODES! That's right folks, you can see our bright smiling idiotic faces in full color on our YouTube channel. Full episodes available as well as clips.   LINKS OF INTEREST: - Has Star Wars Forgotten Its True Villians – the Bureaucrats! - Uncle Corny weighs in on the Rousey/Carano not-quite-a-fight that happened over the weekend - Lance Storm and Jeff Jarrett make some compelling points about The John Cena Classic   ...AND ANOTHER THING: The Man They Call Tim suggests checking out Spotify's Party of the Year Uncle Todd suggests watching 2010's “Sherlock” starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman   FOLLOW US ON THE SOCIAL MEDIAS: Facebook - http://facebook.com/freerangeidiocy Instagram - http://instagram.com/freerangeidiocy YouTube - http://youtube.com/@freerangeidiocy

An investigation by The Indian Express has found that funds meant to support athletes and build public sporting infrastructure were also used to develop high-end facilities inside civil services institutions and a residential colony for bureaucrats. In this episode, host Mihir Vasavda, who undertook this investigation, talks about how the National Sports Development Fund was allegedly diverted, the records uncovered through RTI documents, and why the findings raise larger questions about accountability and the use of public money.You can read the investigation here.Hosted and produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

An investigation by The Indian Express has found that funds meant to support athletes and build public sporting infrastructure were also used to develop high-end facilities inside civil services institutions and a residential colony for bureaucrats. In this episode, we speak to Mihir Vasavda, who undertook this investigation, about how the National Sports Development Fund was allegedly diverted, the records uncovered through RTI documents, and why the findings raise larger questions about accountability and the use of public money.You can read the investigation here.Hosted and produced by Shashank BhargavaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

The headlines of the day by The Indian Express

You can't escape bureaucrats in Wellington; it's an occupational hazard. Despite the bad press they get, they're not all useless. But it depends on how you use them, and how often. Take the Golden Mile disaster in Wellington, as just one example. The council agrees to a project it can't afford. Expensive. Crazy. Ratepayers revolt. The cost blows out from $160m to $220m. The blowout is $60m - or 30 disco toilets in Wellington dollars. A new Mayor comes in. A review is ordered. Then enter the reviewers: a nine-person panel, supposedly independent. The review is costing $400k, which is at least one bike rack for cyclists in Wellington dollars. Then yesterday there's a meeting. They basically say this thing is still somehow affordable for Wellington, despite the fact the city can't afford a 50c mix at the dairy at present. Enter the Mayor. The Mayor is asking some questions about mission creep. He's not so subtly suggesting that political judgements are being made by these reviewers. Leave that to the politicians, he says. They want their big project, and they don't care which poor old Wellington ratepayers funds it. This is not entirely the fault of the boffins doing the reviewing. Because, as I understand it, the review was set up not to actually make major changes, just tweaks. Which begs the question: why was a review ever needed at all? And why'd it cost $400k? You either don't want to spend $60m, in which case, don't. Or you do, in which case, do. Why the endless spending on pen-pushers and reviews?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

-The show declares Iran's economy is collapsing so fast it's now competing with Monopoly money for global relevance, while the U.S. casually runs a blockade like it's a naval-themed reality show. -Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer (Ret.) joins via the Newsmax hotline and lays out a cautiously optimistic path forward, explaining that the strategy against Iran is finally taking shape after years of delay. He emphasizes that securing global shipping lanes is critical, notes Europe—not the U.S.—may benefit most. Today's podcast is sponsored by : CHAPTER - If you're turning 65 or already on Medicare, call Chapter at 27-MEDICARE for the plan that suits you best. RELIEF FACTOR - You don't need to live with aches & pains! Reduce muscle & joint inflammation and live a pain-free life by visiting http://ReliefFactor.com  GHOSTBED - I used to think a mattress was just furniture, until I got my GhostBed! GhostBed is offering my audience their lowest prices of the season, plus an extra 10% off. Go to http://GhostBed.com/CARSON and use promo code CARSON BOLL & BRANCH - Upgrade your sleep with Boll & Branch quality bedding. Get 15% off your first order plus free shipping at http://BollAndBranch.com/robcarson with code ROBCARSON. BIRCH GOLD - Protect and grow your retirement savings with gold. Text ROB to 98 98 98 for your FREE information kit! To call in and speak with Rob Carson live on the show, dial 1-800-922-6680 between the hours of 12 Noon and 3:00 pm Eastern Time Monday through Friday… Musical parodies provided by Jim Gossett (http://patreon.com/JimGossettComedy) You can now WATCH and chat with The Rob Carson Show LIVE on Newsmax's social media channels (Facebook, X/Twitter, YouTube, Rumble) Listen to Newsmax LIVE and see our entire podcast lineup at http://Newsmax.com/Listen Make the switch to NEWSMAX today! Get your 15 day free trial of NEWSMAX+ at http://NewsmaxPlus.com Looking for NEWSMAX caps, tees, mugs & more? Check out the Newsmax merchandise shop at : http://nws.mx/shop Follow NEWSMAX on Social Media:  -Facebook: http://nws.mx/FB  -X/Twitter: http://nws.mx/twitter -Instagram: http://nws.mx/IG -YouTube: https://youtube.com/NewsmaxTV -Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/NewsmaxTV -TRUTH Social: https://truthsocial.com/@NEWSMAX -GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/newsmax -Threads: http://threads.net/@NEWSMAX  -Telegram: http://t.me/newsmax  -BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/newsmax.com -Parler: http://app.parler.com/newsmax Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian is a country boy, but the school of hard knocks led him to wonderful community service

And fails, miserably.

What's next for DRIPA? Has David Eby lost the confidence of British Columbians? Canada Post racks up over a billion in losses. Is the end of the Crown corporation in sight? And your tax dollars at work - bureaucrats getting car allowances on the public dime! For working at home? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Kelly reflects on a new political era characterized by a preference for private-sector pragmatism over the caution of career bureaucrats. He argues that the national security establishment and the media previously engaged in a calculated subversion of the executive branch through "fake news" and historical briefings intended to undermine leadership. Amidst discussions of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and critiques of modern political figures, he then shifts toward a philosophical call for personal growth, emphasizing the importance of organized priorities, faith, and genuine generosity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He said it out loud. New York City Mayor Mamdani is now openly admitting the plan—tax the rich, squeeze success, and hope the system doesn’t collapse under its own weight. But here’s the reality they won’t tell you: when you punish the people creating jobs, investing capital, and keeping cities alive… they leave. And when they leave, what’s left behind? A hollowed-out economy and a desperate government scrambling for control. And that brings us to the next disaster: a $33 million, taxpayer-funded grocery store. Government running a grocery store? We’ve seen this movie before. It always ends the same way—empty shelves, bloated budgets, corruption, and failure. Bureaucrats are not entrepreneurs. They don’t innovate, they don’t compete, and they certainly don’t operate efficiently. This isn’t about helping people… it’s about expanding control while burning through your money. Meanwhile, something even more dangerous is happening. The rhetoric targeting Donald Trump is escalating—and fast. What used to be political disagreement is turning into something darker, more aggressive, and far more reckless. When leaders and media figures normalize extreme language, history tells us it doesn’t just stay words. It fuels real-world consequences. So ask yourself—where does this end? A city driving out success. A government replacing the private sector. And a political climate growing more volatile by the day. We break it all down. The Maverick System — https://TheMaverickSystem.comVRA Insider — https://VRAInsider.comPatriot Mobile — https://www.PatriotMobile.com/GrantTWC Health (Use code Grant for 10% off) — https://Twc.Health/GrantLost Soldier Oil and Gas — https://www.LostSoldier.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran-linked hackers claim a breach of the FBI director's personal email. ShinyHunters hit the European Commission. F5 and Citrix warn of actively exploited flaws. A WordPress plugin exposes hundreds of thousands of sites. Infinity Stealer targets macOS users. A Russian APT adopts a new iOS exploit kit. Treasury weighs a cyber insurance backstop. DHS clears suspended CISA staff. Our guest is Brian Long, CEO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Security, discussing deepfake job hires and the new identity attack surface. Bureaucrats bless a black-box behemoth. Remember to leave us a 5-star rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Miss an episode? Sign-up for our daily intelligence roundup, Daily Briefing, and you'll never miss a beat. And be sure to follow CyberWire Daily on LinkedIn. CyberWire Guest We will be sharing a series of interviews we held at RSAC 2026 over the next few weeks. Today, Dave Bittner is joined by Brian Long, CEO and Co-Founder of Adaptive Security, discussing deepfake job hires and the new identity attack surface. AI-generated identities are turning the hiring process into a new entry point for attackers. The solution isn't spotting perfect fakes — it's building stronger identity verification into hiring. Tune into the full conversation here. Selected Reading Iran-linked hackers breach FBI director's personal email, publish photos and documents European Commission confirms data breach after Europa.eu hack Hackers now exploit critical F5 BIG-IP flaw in attacks, patch now Critical Citrix NetScaler Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild - Infosecurity Magazine File read flaw in Smart Slider plugin impacts 500K WordPress sites New Infinity Stealer malware grabs macOS data via ClickFix lures Russian APT Star Blizzard Adopts DarkSword iOS Exploit Kit - SecurityWeek US Treasury Weighs Cyber Insurance Backstop - GovInfoSecurity DHS drops investigation into former acting CISA chief's failed polygraph exam - Nextgov/FCW Federal Cyber Experts Thought Microsoft's Cloud Was “a Pile of Shit.” They Approved It Anyway Share your feedback. What do you think about CyberWire Daily? Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts with us by completing our brief listener survey. Thank you for helping us continue to improve our show. Want to hear your company in the show? N2K CyberWire helps you reach the industry's most influential leaders and operators, while building visibility, authority, and connectivity across the cybersecurity community. Learn more at sponsor.thecyberwire.com. The CyberWire is a production of N2K Networks, your source for strategic workforce intelligence. © N2K Networks, Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send us Fan MailIllinois Social Equity Loan Delays, Hemp/THC Crackdowns, and Shifting Federal-State Cannabis PolicyThe episode reviews cannabis legalization news while focusing on Illinois's stalled social equity loan program: about 160+ applicants sought a $40 million fund, were promised decisions by January then delayed into spring, and the hosts argue the Illinois DCEO's inaction is pushing operators into defaults, forcing fronted rent and buildout costs, and potentially prompting Court of Claims litigation. They discuss broader regulatory frustration, contrasting state bureaucracy with perceived federal movement, including a planned federal/CMS-style CBD product coverage pilot with strict THC caps that tighten further in November, plus concerns about bans and limits on inhalables/flower and full-spectrum CBD. The hosts anticipate Texas lawsuits over impending hemp/THCA restrictions, note Missouri's cease-and-desist actions and microbusiness losses, cover South Carolina's THC beverage bill limits, mention Idaho's medical marijuana ballot signature progress, and promote ACPrivilege.ai for non-discoverable AI legal queries and Collateral Base consulting.00:00 Going Live Intro00:05 Illinois Loan Delays02:02 Equity Program Breakdown03:43 Hemp Loopholes Backlash05:34 Federal CBD Crackdown07:38 Dispensary Cash Crunch10:01 Texas Lawsuit Countdown12:53 Bureaucrats vs Entrepreneurs15:30 Missouri Hemp Enforcement18:49 Illinois Politics and Hemp20:14 White House Policy Meeting26:13 Science Standards and Consumers27:53 What Being High Means28:58 Deportations Over Weed29:27 South Carolina THC Drinks31:36 Hemp Loopholes and Factions34:57 CBD Medicare Subsidy Debate39:13 Trolls and Cannabis Risks43:22 Minnesota Policy Stalls45:20 Medical Program Failures48:00 Idaho Ballot Push48:50 AI Privilege Legal Tool54:10 Collateral Base Closing AdSupport the showGet our newsletter: https://bit.ly/3VEn9vu

A choice, a trap, and a necklace.By HectorBidon. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.The next morning’s sun found its way in through our porthole once again. We had sorted ourselves out somewhat during the night. I was on my side, tangled in a bit of sheet. She was on her side, tangled in a bit of blanket. I could just make out the pale tan lines on her bottom and her back.We’d become cabin buddies of a different order. At the Jack-and-Ciara level. That’s probably what most people would have assumed all along, but I certainly hadn’t, and I didn’t think that she had either.And yet, here we were.I waited a while for her to wake up, but she didn’t. So I finally got up myself.We’d just passed through the entrance in the seawall at Ensenada and were coming up to our docking site. The pilot, or maybe it was the captain himself, was standing on a little deck that jutted out from the side of the ship to joy-stick our massive vessel precisely up to the pier.Molly was still in bed when I got back. She smiled and went to the bathroom, a little embarrassed to be still naked while I was already dressed. Her pubic hair, I noticed, was trim and attractive.She came out wearing a towel and had her coffee. We checked the day’s schedule. She was delighted to discover that they’d transferred Mrs. Pendergast’s excursion ticket to me.A little later that morning we went ashore. It was a strange sensation, stepping off the gangway into a foreign country. Somehow I expected every little thing to be different and exotic, but the first thing we encountered, sprouting up through a crack in the pavement, was a little tuft of grass. Nothing exotic at all, just plain old grass.Our excursion van was heralded by a woman with a clipboard, a younger, more boisterous, Mexican Denise. There were three other couples in our group and a single unaccompanied woman about Ciara’s age. I took a seat next to the window with Molly beside me with the unaccompanied woman next to her. Her name was Meryl. This was her first real vacation since her divorce. She was really excited to be having such an adventure.We drove through the streets of Ensenada, our guide giving us a bit of local color in her prettily accented English. The scene was at once familiar and strange: traffic and lane markings and stop lights just exactly like at home, but unintelligible store signs in unlikely colors painted directly on pastel stucco walls. Beyond the city were dusty, cactus-strewn hills not unlike the Catalina hinterland.Our destination was a site called the Bufadora, a cleft in the rocky sea cliff where ocean waves sent up enormous geyser-like sprays. The sprays were so high that we got wet even at our vantage point fifty feet above the water.The path back from the observation point was lined with gaudy souvenir shops, like the midway of a county fair. Meryl had tagged along with Molly and me. We stopped at one of the taco stands for lunch.“So how did you guys meet?”Molly didn’t volunteer an answer. "Just here on the cruise, actually,“ I said."Really? See, aren’t cruises great?” Molly gushed.After lunch we went into one of the souvenir shops and Meryl asked our opinion about all the little nick-nacks she wanted to buy. When we got back to the van, I ended up sitting in the middle.“The nicest thing.” she said. “is that every day you make new friends.”We drove back through town, then out into the desert in a different direction to a picturesque winery. We sat around a table on a palm-shaded patio and sampled the different vintages. Meryl chatted on about Simi Valley and the cruise and her ex and the weather and the ship and the people she’d met. She got me to go into the little gift shop with her to help pick out a couple bottles.Molly was quiet at dinner. I had to remind her that we’d made plans to see the comedy show with Meryl.“I’ve got a bit of a headache,” she said. “I think I’ll go back to the room.”Meryl was waiting in the forward theatre. She was sorry to hear about Molly’s headache and put her hand on my arm to convey her concern. The show turned out to be pretty adult-rated, pretty raunchy in fact. Meryl yucked it upAfter the show she suggested we take a spin about the deck. The ship had set sail again and we were just passing the exposed wreck that lies up against the sea wall. Somehow Meryl managed to tuck herself inside my arm.“Wouldn’t you just love to go dancing?” she cooed.“I, uh,  Actually, I’ve kind of got to go now.”“But the night is still young. Meryl rebutted. Let’s at least stop by my room first.”“I’ve got to check on Molly.” I insisted“We can open one of the tequilas.”“Thanks, but,"It’s just that, I was kind of hoping to get lucky tonight.”Christ Almighty. A guy tries to be a gentleman. I didn’t need an etiquette book for this one. I finally managed to pry myself away,When I got back to the room, Molly was in her pajamas, watching TV.“Is your headache any better?” I asked.She didn’t look up from the screen.I sat on the chair and twisted around to see what she was watching. A travelogue of some sort.“You didn’t miss much,” I said. “The show was kind of,”But she leaned in closer to the screen to make it clear that I was interrupting her program. Something about the way the locals made their tortillas.OK. I got the message. She didn’t like the fact that I’d gone to the show with Meryl. I went into the bathroom to pee. I’d only been trying to be polite to a fellow cruise member. Was that a crime? Molly had been there when we’d made the plans. I thought that she’d been trying to be friendly too. That we’d sort of taken Meryl under our wing.I came out of the bathroom a minute later, and sat down on the chair again. The secret to the tortillas, apparently, had something to do with lime juice.“I didn’t expect to see you back here tonight,” Molly said. In a sarcastic tone of voice. As if my presence was an imposition. As if she was sorry she’d ever offered to share the room in the first place.I didn’t even bother to answer. I got undressed, then crawled up onto my side of the bed. Where else was I supposed to go? I got under the blanket and turned toward the bulkhead. A guy tries to be a gentleman. And this is what he gets.I woke up first again, the next morning. I went up on deck. Did she really think that I’d found Meryl even the least bit attractive? She was a fellow shipmate, nothing more. I’d thought that we’d both been trying to be polite to her. Was that a crime?I brought back coffee and a croissant, but Molly was still asleep. Or pretending to be. I banged around a little, but she didn’t budge. Finally I got fed up and left.So here I was again, back to my usual routine, wandering down empty corridors, drifting up little-used gangways, poking around lonely corners where nobody else much ever cared to go. Doing what I probably would have been doing if I’d gotten my single in the first place.I came back to the room around lunch time, but Molly wasn’t there. I wandered up to the pool. Denise was there, chatting with some people. She waved. Meryl was there, stalking about, but I managed to slip away before she saw me. But no Molly.It was a long day. The ship had parked itself out in the middle of the ocean somewhere. Or maybe the rest of the world really had blown itself up and they just hadn’t told us. I eventually ended up back in the little coffee shop at the tail end of the ship. The sky seemed a lot flatter though, the seagulls a lot more listless, my algorithms a lot less interesting. Finally I got up again and trudged back down into the labyrinth.The casino was practically empty. The lower piano bar was closed. The little art gallery was still showing the same old photographs.The gift shop was open. The same lady was behind the counter. What was it that Molly had asked to see? A necklace. It must have been, that one. The lady brought it out. A pair of crystalline dolphins on a slender silver chain. They sparkled in the light.Molly still wasn’t in the room when I got back. This time our towel had been folded into a seal, sunning itself on the bedspread. I moved it a little closer to her pillow and arranged the necklace around its neck.There were still a couple hours until dinner. I thought it might be better if I wasn’t there when she got back.I got to dinner right on time. It was our last night on board, and the dining room was even more boisterous than usual.“Where’s Molly?” asked Ciara.“She had a little headache. She might not be joining us.”Valentin our waiter was really joshing it up, angling for a big end-of-trip tip. He was just taking the drink orders when Molly appeared. She was wearing a pink skirt, a whitish blouse,,  and the necklace. Her eye caught mine as she made her way around the table, but quickly shot away again.Ciara asked her how she was doing. The couple on my other side were there for once. Tom and somebody. He was in air conditioning and gave me the full rundown. It was too noisy for Molly and me to talk, but every time I looked, she was still wearing the necklace.It being our last night, the waiters were going to put on a little show. Just after they passed out the dessert plates they went into a huddle near the service entrance. Molly leaned over.“Do you want to go back to the room?”We got up.“Oh, are you guys going to the revue?” asked Ciara.Molly replied in the louder voice you had to use to make yourself heard. But the room was beginning to quiet down in a hush, as the waiters were taking their places, and so the whole table heard what she said.“Make-up sex.”The table burst into laughter. Molly continued her way out of the room, and I just followed sheepishly behind her.“Can you forgive me?” she asked as we got out into the hallway.“For letting everybody know where we’re going?”“For last night. I’m so sorry for the way I acted. It was my fault. It was all my fault.”“The worst part is, we wasted a whole day,” I remorsed.“We still have tonight.” She tried to assure me.“Yeah. We still have tonight.” I agreed.As soon as we got into the room we fell into each other’s arms.“I love the necklace,” she murmured.“It looks really nice on you.”We kissed and shuffled toward the bed.But my blood was pumping. I was thinking about our wasted day.“Let’s do something first, want to? I pleaded. It’s our last night. Let’s get our money’s worth. Let’s go to the show! Let’s go dancing! Let’s shoot for that royal flush! The bed will still be here when we get back. But let’s make up for some of the things we didn’t do today. Let’s paint the ship red. Okay? Want to? C'mon! Hup hup!”Jack and Ciara were surprised to see us at the theatre.“That was quick,” Ciara said with a look of astonishment.Molly blushed. I put my arm around her and pulled her tight. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”The review was Motown classics, the Supremes, the Four Tops. “You can’t hurry love, no you’ll just have to wait, The whole auditorium was singing along. The girls pulled Jack and me up from our seats to dance in the aisle. "Sugar pie, honeybunch, you know that I love you,Afterwards, the night was balmy, perfect for a stroll on deck. We could see lights off in the distance, the rest of the world was still there after all! We ran into Meryl, wrapped in the arm of a dapper, middle-aged gentleman whose smile was just as smug as hers was. We exchanged pleasantries. She gave us both a little wink.Molly, perhaps I m clueless. Did you have any idea that Meryl was going to try to hit on me? I had to ask.Oh, my God! Molly stared at me. All day long, she was angling for you. I thought you were trying for a threesome, and my fake headache was me forcing you to choose one or the other.What? I thought you and I were just trying to be hospitable; you know, so she d have some friends to socialize with.Well, Molly confessed. I finally figured out that you were completely innocent, but it took me until late afternoon to dispel my worst presumptions.I went to the show, because we told her we d both join her, there. I explained. When you were bedridden with a headache, I assumed it fell on me to go alone, even though I really didn t want to be away from you.Ah, really? That s so sweet! Molly gushed. She gave me a deep kiss right there on the mezzanine. I assumed you went because you wanted another notch on your belt.  I m so, so sorry.Well, when the performance ended, I said I had to head back to you. She did try every diversion. I passed on all of them. Then she flatly told me she was hoping to get lucky with me. I told her I definitely could not accommodate that, and I walked straight back to our room.Oh, I was awful to you! Molly lamented. But I was also right about that slut s intentions, wasn t I? Molly paused, then added; When I finally got over my inner rage, I realized that you didn t come back smelling like cunt. Hell, you didn t even have lipstick smeared on your face.  This afternoon, I finally left my hiding spot, and saw you were heading to dinner, I went to the cabin and saw this beautiful necklace.  I literally cried. I don t deserve you. You don t deserve my juvenile drama. I d planned to skip the dinner, but when I saw the dolphin necklace, I had to come and grovel your forgiveness.You know, Molly I paused. Perhaps I was too clueless, yesterday. Perhaps you were too presuming? Do you think we can both help to balance each other?Oh, I love that! Yes, let s balance each other.The nightclubs were hopping. We wound our way from one to the other, dancing one dance in each. But then we decided to forgo the casino and just head back to the cabin. And sure enough, the bed was still there, right where we’d left it.We kissed. I ran my hands up along her sides, up inside her blouse. She undid my buttons and pulled open my shirt. I fiddled with her skirt and managed to slip it down over the swell of her hips. She unfastened my belt buckle and my button and my zipper. I slid my hands down inside her panties. She slid hers down inside my underpants. We pawed and shucked and kicked off everything that remained. And then she took off the very last thing that she was wearing, the crystalline necklace, and placed it carefully on the nightstand.I backed her down onto the bed. I kissed the pretty spot where the necklace had been, and the spot next to that, and the spot next to that. She lay back and closed her eyes and let herself be kissed.I settled myself down on top of her, stroking her full lovely body with my own, savoring her softness and her excitement, trying to fuse our unfortunate separateness into something more fulfilling. And somehow, in the midst of our kissing and our stroking, my penis must have slid up at just the right angle, and her hips must have been open to just the right degree, and we coupled, as adroitly as if that had been our conscious intention, as naturally as if we were two jungle cats whose lithe jungle bodies just instinctively knew how to fuck.And somewhere in the midst of our coupling we sweetly came, but it was not so much a climax as just a sweet vista point along the way. For just as we hadn’t consciously willed our engagement, neither did we ever willfully disengage, but just eventually nestled more comfortably down beside each other, still caressing, still softly kissing, still sweetly fused.The loudspeaker blasted us awake early the next morning. Our luggage needed to be out in the hallway for pickup by eight o'clock sharp!Molly wriggled a bit deeper under the blanket. "Uh,” she groaned. “Just five more minutes.”I remembered the look on her face, when had it been? just four days ago, when we first learned we might have to share the cabin together. She’d been just as uncertain as I had. But now it was hard to imagine any other arrangement. Her lying in bed beside me, trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, leaving it up to me to keep track of the time, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.We hadn’t begun to pack yet, but we’d kept things fairly organized. I gave her a generous five minutes, and then I gave her a little nudge. “C'mon, sleepyhead. Up and at um.”She groaned, but she dragged herself out of bed. We were both still naked. I slipped on a pair of boxers, and she put on a T-shirt. It rode up in back, though, so that her pretty bottom kept peeking out as she went around collecting her things and tucking them into her suitcase.“Do you kinda wish that the rest of the world really had blown itself up?” I asked.She was folding one of her bras. “Oh, I don’t know. We’d probably get tired of eating cheesecake eventually.”“They’d run out. Then we’d have to eat whatever it is that Valentin eats.”“He gets cheesecake sometimes, don’t you think? When they have some left over?”“I don’t know. He’s pretty skinny.”“I wonder why Meryl didn’t think of him.”“Yeah. Good question. Wrong table, I suppose.”“I suppose.”I crammed my sports coat in between my shirts and my underwear bag. She gave the zipper of her suitcase a final tug. “Besides,” she said. “Your algorithms would miss you.”I slipped on my trousers and rolled the bags out into the corridor. There were a surprising number of people walking by, and every single one of them gawked into the room as they passed. Nothing is more titillating to a person walking down a stateroom corridor than an open doorway.When I got the door closed again, Molly was sitting up on the bed with the sheet pulled up in front of her and a rather indignant look on her face. What a lot of nerve some people had!I couldn’t help but smile. “I wonder what they thought you were hiding back there.”She rolled her eyebrows.But I was feeling a little playful. The final day’s schedule was lying on the floor. I picked it up and pretended it was an official form.“Customs inspection, Miss, May I see what you’ve got behind that sheet?”She wasn’t so sure she wanted to show me. She coyly raised the sheet a little higher.“That shirt you’re wearing, Miss. Did you purchase it abroad?”She looked down behind the sheet. This old thing?.“Regulations, Miss; It may contain contraband fibers.” I held out my hand. “May I see it please?”She huffed. Bureaucrats! Without letting go of the sheet she wriggled one arm out of its sleeve and then the ot

A choice, a trap, and a necklace.By HectorBidon. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.The next morning’s sun found its way in through our porthole once again. We had sorted ourselves out somewhat during the night. I was on my side, tangled in a bit of sheet. She was on her side, tangled in a bit of blanket. I could just make out the pale tan lines on her bottom and her back.We’d become cabin buddies of a different order. At the Jack-and-Ciara level. That’s probably what most people would have assumed all along, but I certainly hadn’t, and I didn’t think that she had either.And yet, here we were.I waited a while for her to wake up, but she didn’t. So I finally got up myself.We’d just passed through the entrance in the seawall at Ensenada and were coming up to our docking site. The pilot, or maybe it was the captain himself, was standing on a little deck that jutted out from the side of the ship to joy-stick our massive vessel precisely up to the pier.Molly was still in bed when I got back. She smiled and went to the bathroom, a little embarrassed to be still naked while I was already dressed. Her pubic hair, I noticed, was trim and attractive.She came out wearing a towel and had her coffee. We checked the day’s schedule. She was delighted to discover that they’d transferred Mrs. Pendergast’s excursion ticket to me.A little later that morning we went ashore. It was a strange sensation, stepping off the gangway into a foreign country. Somehow I expected every little thing to be different and exotic, but the first thing we encountered, sprouting up through a crack in the pavement, was a little tuft of grass. Nothing exotic at all, just plain old grass.Our excursion van was heralded by a woman with a clipboard, a younger, more boisterous, Mexican Denise. There were three other couples in our group and a single unaccompanied woman about Ciara’s age. I took a seat next to the window with Molly beside me with the unaccompanied woman next to her. Her name was Meryl. This was her first real vacation since her divorce. She was really excited to be having such an adventure.We drove through the streets of Ensenada, our guide giving us a bit of local color in her prettily accented English. The scene was at once familiar and strange: traffic and lane markings and stop lights just exactly like at home, but unintelligible store signs in unlikely colors painted directly on pastel stucco walls. Beyond the city were dusty, cactus-strewn hills not unlike the Catalina hinterland.Our destination was a site called the Bufadora, a cleft in the rocky sea cliff where ocean waves sent up enormous geyser-like sprays. The sprays were so high that we got wet even at our vantage point fifty feet above the water.The path back from the observation point was lined with gaudy souvenir shops, like the midway of a county fair. Meryl had tagged along with Molly and me. We stopped at one of the taco stands for lunch.“So how did you guys meet?”Molly didn’t volunteer an answer. "Just here on the cruise, actually,“ I said."Really? See, aren’t cruises great?” Molly gushed.After lunch we went into one of the souvenir shops and Meryl asked our opinion about all the little nick-nacks she wanted to buy. When we got back to the van, I ended up sitting in the middle.“The nicest thing.” she said. “is that every day you make new friends.”We drove back through town, then out into the desert in a different direction to a picturesque winery. We sat around a table on a palm-shaded patio and sampled the different vintages. Meryl chatted on about Simi Valley and the cruise and her ex and the weather and the ship and the people she’d met. She got me to go into the little gift shop with her to help pick out a couple bottles.Molly was quiet at dinner. I had to remind her that we’d made plans to see the comedy show with Meryl.“I’ve got a bit of a headache,” she said. “I think I’ll go back to the room.”Meryl was waiting in the forward theatre. She was sorry to hear about Molly’s headache and put her hand on my arm to convey her concern. The show turned out to be pretty adult-rated, pretty raunchy in fact. Meryl yucked it upAfter the show she suggested we take a spin about the deck. The ship had set sail again and we were just passing the exposed wreck that lies up against the sea wall. Somehow Meryl managed to tuck herself inside my arm.“Wouldn’t you just love to go dancing?” she cooed.“I, uh,  Actually, I’ve kind of got to go now.”“But the night is still young. Meryl rebutted. Let’s at least stop by my room first.”“I’ve got to check on Molly.” I insisted“We can open one of the tequilas.”“Thanks, but,"It’s just that, I was kind of hoping to get lucky tonight.”Christ Almighty. A guy tries to be a gentleman. I didn’t need an etiquette book for this one. I finally managed to pry myself away,When I got back to the room, Molly was in her pajamas, watching TV.“Is your headache any better?” I asked.She didn’t look up from the screen.I sat on the chair and twisted around to see what she was watching. A travelogue of some sort.“You didn’t miss much,” I said. “The show was kind of,”But she leaned in closer to the screen to make it clear that I was interrupting her program. Something about the way the locals made their tortillas.OK. I got the message. She didn’t like the fact that I’d gone to the show with Meryl. I went into the bathroom to pee. I’d only been trying to be polite to a fellow cruise member. Was that a crime? Molly had been there when we’d made the plans. I thought that she’d been trying to be friendly too. That we’d sort of taken Meryl under our wing.I came out of the bathroom a minute later, and sat down on the chair again. The secret to the tortillas, apparently, had something to do with lime juice.“I didn’t expect to see you back here tonight,” Molly said. In a sarcastic tone of voice. As if my presence was an imposition. As if she was sorry she’d ever offered to share the room in the first place.I didn’t even bother to answer. I got undressed, then crawled up onto my side of the bed. Where else was I supposed to go? I got under the blanket and turned toward the bulkhead. A guy tries to be a gentleman. And this is what he gets.I woke up first again, the next morning. I went up on deck. Did she really think that I’d found Meryl even the least bit attractive? She was a fellow shipmate, nothing more. I’d thought that we’d both been trying to be polite to her. Was that a crime?I brought back coffee and a croissant, but Molly was still asleep. Or pretending to be. I banged around a little, but she didn’t budge. Finally I got fed up and left.So here I was again, back to my usual routine, wandering down empty corridors, drifting up little-used gangways, poking around lonely corners where nobody else much ever cared to go. Doing what I probably would have been doing if I’d gotten my single in the first place.I came back to the room around lunch time, but Molly wasn’t there. I wandered up to the pool. Denise was there, chatting with some people. She waved. Meryl was there, stalking about, but I managed to slip away before she saw me. But no Molly.It was a long day. The ship had parked itself out in the middle of the ocean somewhere. Or maybe the rest of the world really had blown itself up and they just hadn’t told us. I eventually ended up back in the little coffee shop at the tail end of the ship. The sky seemed a lot flatter though, the seagulls a lot more listless, my algorithms a lot less interesting. Finally I got up again and trudged back down into the labyrinth.The casino was practically empty. The lower piano bar was closed. The little art gallery was still showing the same old photographs.The gift shop was open. The same lady was behind the counter. What was it that Molly had asked to see? A necklace. It must have been, that one. The lady brought it out. A pair of crystalline dolphins on a slender silver chain. They sparkled in the light.Molly still wasn’t in the room when I got back. This time our towel had been folded into a seal, sunning itself on the bedspread. I moved it a little closer to her pillow and arranged the necklace around its neck.There were still a couple hours until dinner. I thought it might be better if I wasn’t there when she got back.I got to dinner right on time. It was our last night on board, and the dining room was even more boisterous than usual.“Where’s Molly?” asked Ciara.“She had a little headache. She might not be joining us.”Valentin our waiter was really joshing it up, angling for a big end-of-trip tip. He was just taking the drink orders when Molly appeared. She was wearing a pink skirt, a whitish blouse,,  and the necklace. Her eye caught mine as she made her way around the table, but quickly shot away again.Ciara asked her how she was doing. The couple on my other side were there for once. Tom and somebody. He was in air conditioning and gave me the full rundown. It was too noisy for Molly and me to talk, but every time I looked, she was still wearing the necklace.It being our last night, the waiters were going to put on a little show. Just after they passed out the dessert plates they went into a huddle near the service entrance. Molly leaned over.“Do you want to go back to the room?”We got up.“Oh, are you guys going to the revue?” asked Ciara.Molly replied in the louder voice you had to use to make yourself heard. But the room was beginning to quiet down in a hush, as the waiters were taking their places, and so the whole table heard what she said.“Make-up sex.”The table burst into laughter. Molly continued her way out of the room, and I just followed sheepishly behind her.“Can you forgive me?” she asked as we got out into the hallway.“For letting everybody know where we’re going?”“For last night. I’m so sorry for the way I acted. It was my fault. It was all my fault.”“The worst part is, we wasted a whole day,” I remorsed.“We still have tonight.” She tried to assure me.“Yeah. We still have tonight.” I agreed.As soon as we got into the room we fell into each other’s arms.“I love the necklace,” she murmured.“It looks really nice on you.”We kissed and shuffled toward the bed.But my blood was pumping. I was thinking about our wasted day.“Let’s do something first, want to? I pleaded. It’s our last night. Let’s get our money’s worth. Let’s go to the show! Let’s go dancing! Let’s shoot for that royal flush! The bed will still be here when we get back. But let’s make up for some of the things we didn’t do today. Let’s paint the ship red. Okay? Want to? C'mon! Hup hup!”Jack and Ciara were surprised to see us at the theatre.“That was quick,” Ciara said with a look of astonishment.Molly blushed. I put my arm around her and pulled her tight. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”The review was Motown classics, the Supremes, the Four Tops. “You can’t hurry love, no you’ll just have to wait, The whole auditorium was singing along. The girls pulled Jack and me up from our seats to dance in the aisle. "Sugar pie, honeybunch, you know that I love you,Afterwards, the night was balmy, perfect for a stroll on deck. We could see lights off in the distance, the rest of the world was still there after all! We ran into Meryl, wrapped in the arm of a dapper, middle-aged gentleman whose smile was just as smug as hers was. We exchanged pleasantries. She gave us both a little wink.Molly, perhaps I m clueless. Did you have any idea that Meryl was going to try to hit on me? I had to ask.Oh, my God! Molly stared at me. All day long, she was angling for you. I thought you were trying for a threesome, and my fake headache was me forcing you to choose one or the other.What? I thought you and I were just trying to be hospitable; you know, so she d have some friends to socialize with.Well, Molly confessed. I finally figured out that you were completely innocent, but it took me until late afternoon to dispel my worst presumptions.I went to the show, because we told her we d both join her, there. I explained. When you were bedridden with a headache, I assumed it fell on me to go alone, even though I really didn t want to be away from you.Ah, really? That s so sweet! Molly gushed. She gave me a deep kiss right there on the mezzanine. I assumed you went because you wanted another notch on your belt.  I m so, so sorry.Well, when the performance ended, I said I had to head back to you. She did try every diversion. I passed on all of them. Then she flatly told me she was hoping to get lucky with me. I told her I definitely could not accommodate that, and I walked straight back to our room.Oh, I was awful to you! Molly lamented. But I was also right about that slut s intentions, wasn t I? Molly paused, then added; When I finally got over my inner rage, I realized that you didn t come back smelling like cunt. Hell, you didn t even have lipstick smeared on your face.  This afternoon, I finally left my hiding spot, and saw you were heading to dinner, I went to the cabin and saw this beautiful necklace.  I literally cried. I don t deserve you. You don t deserve my juvenile drama. I d planned to skip the dinner, but when I saw the dolphin necklace, I had to come and grovel your forgiveness.You know, Molly I paused. Perhaps I was too clueless, yesterday. Perhaps you were too presuming? Do you think we can both help to balance each other?Oh, I love that! Yes, let s balance each other.The nightclubs were hopping. We wound our way from one to the other, dancing one dance in each. But then we decided to forgo the casino and just head back to the cabin. And sure enough, the bed was still there, right where we’d left it.We kissed. I ran my hands up along her sides, up inside her blouse. She undid my buttons and pulled open my shirt. I fiddled with her skirt and managed to slip it down over the swell of her hips. She unfastened my belt buckle and my button and my zipper. I slid my hands down inside her panties. She slid hers down inside my underpants. We pawed and shucked and kicked off everything that remained. And then she took off the very last thing that she was wearing, the crystalline necklace, and placed it carefully on the nightstand.I backed her down onto the bed. I kissed the pretty spot where the necklace had been, and the spot next to that, and the spot next to that. She lay back and closed her eyes and let herself be kissed.I settled myself down on top of her, stroking her full lovely body with my own, savoring her softness and her excitement, trying to fuse our unfortunate separateness into something more fulfilling. And somehow, in the midst of our kissing and our stroking, my penis must have slid up at just the right angle, and her hips must have been open to just the right degree, and we coupled, as adroitly as if that had been our conscious intention, as naturally as if we were two jungle cats whose lithe jungle bodies just instinctively knew how to fuck.And somewhere in the midst of our coupling we sweetly came, but it was not so much a climax as just a sweet vista point along the way. For just as we hadn’t consciously willed our engagement, neither did we ever willfully disengage, but just eventually nestled more comfortably down beside each other, still caressing, still softly kissing, still sweetly fused.The loudspeaker blasted us awake early the next morning. Our luggage needed to be out in the hallway for pickup by eight o'clock sharp!Molly wriggled a bit deeper under the blanket. "Uh,” she groaned. “Just five more minutes.”I remembered the look on her face, when had it been? just four days ago, when we first learned we might have to share the cabin together. She’d been just as uncertain as I had. But now it was hard to imagine any other arrangement. Her lying in bed beside me, trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, leaving it up to me to keep track of the time, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.We hadn’t begun to pack yet, but we’d kept things fairly organized. I gave her a generous five minutes, and then I gave her a little nudge. “C'mon, sleepyhead. Up and at um.”She groaned, but she dragged herself out of bed. We were both still naked. I slipped on a pair of boxers, and she put on a T-shirt. It rode up in back, though, so that her pretty bottom kept peeking out as she went around collecting her things and tucking them into her suitcase.“Do you kinda wish that the rest of the world really had blown itself up?” I asked.She was folding one of her bras. “Oh, I don’t know. We’d probably get tired of eating cheesecake eventually.”“They’d run out. Then we’d have to eat whatever it is that Valentin eats.”“He gets cheesecake sometimes, don’t you think? When they have some left over?”“I don’t know. He’s pretty skinny.”“I wonder why Meryl didn’t think of him.”“Yeah. Good question. Wrong table, I suppose.”“I suppose.”I crammed my sports coat in between my shirts and my underwear bag. She gave the zipper of her suitcase a final tug. “Besides,” she said. “Your algorithms would miss you.”I slipped on my trousers and rolled the bags out into the corridor. There were a surprising number of people walking by, and every single one of them gawked into the room as they passed. Nothing is more titillating to a person walking down a stateroom corridor than an open doorway.When I got the door closed again, Molly was sitting up on the bed with the sheet pulled up in front of her and a rather indignant look on her face. What a lot of nerve some people had!I couldn’t help but smile. “I wonder what they thought you were hiding back there.”She rolled her eyebrows.But I was feeling a little playful. The final day’s schedule was lying on the floor. I picked it up and pretended it was an official form.“Customs inspection, Miss, May I see what you’ve got behind that sheet?”She wasn’t so sure she wanted to show me. She coyly raised the sheet a little higher.“That shirt you’re wearing, Miss. Did you purchase it abroad?”She looked down behind the sheet. This old thing?.“Regulations, Miss; It may contain contraband fibers.” I held out my hand. “May I see it please?”She huffed. Bureaucrats! Without letting go of the sheet she wriggled one arm out of its sleeve and then the ot

A choice, a trap, and a necklace.By HectorBidon. Listen to the ►Podcast at Steamy Stories.The next morning’s sun found its way in through our porthole once again. We had sorted ourselves out somewhat during the night. I was on my side, tangled in a bit of sheet. She was on her side, tangled in a bit of blanket. I could just make out the pale tan lines on her bottom and her back.We’d become cabin buddies of a different order. At the Jack-and-Ciara level. That’s probably what most people would have assumed all along, but I certainly hadn’t, and I didn’t think that she had either.And yet, here we were.I waited a while for her to wake up, but she didn’t. So I finally got up myself.We’d just passed through the entrance in the seawall at Ensenada and were coming up to our docking site. The pilot, or maybe it was the captain himself, was standing on a little deck that jutted out from the side of the ship to joy-stick our massive vessel precisely up to the pier.Molly was still in bed when I got back. She smiled and went to the bathroom, a little embarrassed to be still naked while I was already dressed. Her pubic hair, I noticed, was trim and attractive.She came out wearing a towel and had her coffee. We checked the day’s schedule. She was delighted to discover that they’d transferred Mrs. Pendergast’s excursion ticket to me.A little later that morning we went ashore. It was a strange sensation, stepping off the gangway into a foreign country. Somehow I expected every little thing to be different and exotic, but the first thing we encountered, sprouting up through a crack in the pavement, was a little tuft of grass. Nothing exotic at all, just plain old grass.Our excursion van was heralded by a woman with a clipboard, a younger, more boisterous, Mexican Denise. There were three other couples in our group and a single unaccompanied woman about Ciara’s age. I took a seat next to the window with Molly beside me with the unaccompanied woman next to her. Her name was Meryl. This was her first real vacation since her divorce. She was really excited to be having such an adventure.We drove through the streets of Ensenada, our guide giving us a bit of local color in her prettily accented English. The scene was at once familiar and strange: traffic and lane markings and stop lights just exactly like at home, but unintelligible store signs in unlikely colors painted directly on pastel stucco walls. Beyond the city were dusty, cactus-strewn hills not unlike the Catalina hinterland.Our destination was a site called the Bufadora, a cleft in the rocky sea cliff where ocean waves sent up enormous geyser-like sprays. The sprays were so high that we got wet even at our vantage point fifty feet above the water.The path back from the observation point was lined with gaudy souvenir shops, like the midway of a county fair. Meryl had tagged along with Molly and me. We stopped at one of the taco stands for lunch.“So how did you guys meet?”Molly didn’t volunteer an answer. "Just here on the cruise, actually,“ I said."Really? See, aren’t cruises great?” Molly gushed.After lunch we went into one of the souvenir shops and Meryl asked our opinion about all the little nick-nacks she wanted to buy. When we got back to the van, I ended up sitting in the middle.“The nicest thing.” she said. “is that every day you make new friends.”We drove back through town, then out into the desert in a different direction to a picturesque winery. We sat around a table on a palm-shaded patio and sampled the different vintages. Meryl chatted on about Simi Valley and the cruise and her ex and the weather and the ship and the people she’d met. She got me to go into the little gift shop with her to help pick out a couple bottles.Molly was quiet at dinner. I had to remind her that we’d made plans to see the comedy show with Meryl.“I’ve got a bit of a headache,” she said. “I think I’ll go back to the room.”Meryl was waiting in the forward theatre. She was sorry to hear about Molly’s headache and put her hand on my arm to convey her concern. The show turned out to be pretty adult-rated, pretty raunchy in fact. Meryl yucked it upAfter the show she suggested we take a spin about the deck. The ship had set sail again and we were just passing the exposed wreck that lies up against the sea wall. Somehow Meryl managed to tuck herself inside my arm.“Wouldn’t you just love to go dancing?” she cooed.“I, uh,  Actually, I’ve kind of got to go now.”“But the night is still young. Meryl rebutted. Let’s at least stop by my room first.”“I’ve got to check on Molly.” I insisted“We can open one of the tequilas.”“Thanks, but,"It’s just that, I was kind of hoping to get lucky tonight.”Christ Almighty. A guy tries to be a gentleman. I didn’t need an etiquette book for this one. I finally managed to pry myself away,When I got back to the room, Molly was in her pajamas, watching TV.“Is your headache any better?” I asked.She didn’t look up from the screen.I sat on the chair and twisted around to see what she was watching. A travelogue of some sort.“You didn’t miss much,” I said. “The show was kind of,”But she leaned in closer to the screen to make it clear that I was interrupting her program. Something about the way the locals made their tortillas.OK. I got the message. She didn’t like the fact that I’d gone to the show with Meryl. I went into the bathroom to pee. I’d only been trying to be polite to a fellow cruise member. Was that a crime? Molly had been there when we’d made the plans. I thought that she’d been trying to be friendly too. That we’d sort of taken Meryl under our wing.I came out of the bathroom a minute later, and sat down on the chair again. The secret to the tortillas, apparently, had something to do with lime juice.“I didn’t expect to see you back here tonight,” Molly said. In a sarcastic tone of voice. As if my presence was an imposition. As if she was sorry she’d ever offered to share the room in the first place.I didn’t even bother to answer. I got undressed, then crawled up onto my side of the bed. Where else was I supposed to go? I got under the blanket and turned toward the bulkhead. A guy tries to be a gentleman. And this is what he gets.I woke up first again, the next morning. I went up on deck. Did she really think that I’d found Meryl even the least bit attractive? She was a fellow shipmate, nothing more. I’d thought that we’d both been trying to be polite to her. Was that a crime?I brought back coffee and a croissant, but Molly was still asleep. Or pretending to be. I banged around a little, but she didn’t budge. Finally I got fed up and left.So here I was again, back to my usual routine, wandering down empty corridors, drifting up little-used gangways, poking around lonely corners where nobody else much ever cared to go. Doing what I probably would have been doing if I’d gotten my single in the first place.I came back to the room around lunch time, but Molly wasn’t there. I wandered up to the pool. Denise was there, chatting with some people. She waved. Meryl was there, stalking about, but I managed to slip away before she saw me. But no Molly.It was a long day. The ship had parked itself out in the middle of the ocean somewhere. Or maybe the rest of the world really had blown itself up and they just hadn’t told us. I eventually ended up back in the little coffee shop at the tail end of the ship. The sky seemed a lot flatter though, the seagulls a lot more listless, my algorithms a lot less interesting. Finally I got up again and trudged back down into the labyrinth.The casino was practically empty. The lower piano bar was closed. The little art gallery was still showing the same old photographs.The gift shop was open. The same lady was behind the counter. What was it that Molly had asked to see? A necklace. It must have been, that one. The lady brought it out. A pair of crystalline dolphins on a slender silver chain. They sparkled in the light.Molly still wasn’t in the room when I got back. This time our towel had been folded into a seal, sunning itself on the bedspread. I moved it a little closer to her pillow and arranged the necklace around its neck.There were still a couple hours until dinner. I thought it might be better if I wasn’t there when she got back.I got to dinner right on time. It was our last night on board, and the dining room was even more boisterous than usual.“Where’s Molly?” asked Ciara.“She had a little headache. She might not be joining us.”Valentin our waiter was really joshing it up, angling for a big end-of-trip tip. He was just taking the drink orders when Molly appeared. She was wearing a pink skirt, a whitish blouse,,  and the necklace. Her eye caught mine as she made her way around the table, but quickly shot away again.Ciara asked her how she was doing. The couple on my other side were there for once. Tom and somebody. He was in air conditioning and gave me the full rundown. It was too noisy for Molly and me to talk, but every time I looked, she was still wearing the necklace.It being our last night, the waiters were going to put on a little show. Just after they passed out the dessert plates they went into a huddle near the service entrance. Molly leaned over.“Do you want to go back to the room?”We got up.“Oh, are you guys going to the revue?” asked Ciara.Molly replied in the louder voice you had to use to make yourself heard. But the room was beginning to quiet down in a hush, as the waiters were taking their places, and so the whole table heard what she said.“Make-up sex.”The table burst into laughter. Molly continued her way out of the room, and I just followed sheepishly behind her.“Can you forgive me?” she asked as we got out into the hallway.“For letting everybody know where we’re going?”“For last night. I’m so sorry for the way I acted. It was my fault. It was all my fault.”“The worst part is, we wasted a whole day,” I remorsed.“We still have tonight.” She tried to assure me.“Yeah. We still have tonight.” I agreed.As soon as we got into the room we fell into each other’s arms.“I love the necklace,” she murmured.“It looks really nice on you.”We kissed and shuffled toward the bed.But my blood was pumping. I was thinking about our wasted day.“Let’s do something first, want to? I pleaded. It’s our last night. Let’s get our money’s worth. Let’s go to the show! Let’s go dancing! Let’s shoot for that royal flush! The bed will still be here when we get back. But let’s make up for some of the things we didn’t do today. Let’s paint the ship red. Okay? Want to? C'mon! Hup hup!”Jack and Ciara were surprised to see us at the theatre.“That was quick,” Ciara said with a look of astonishment.Molly blushed. I put my arm around her and pulled her tight. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”The review was Motown classics, the Supremes, the Four Tops. “You can’t hurry love, no you’ll just have to wait, The whole auditorium was singing along. The girls pulled Jack and me up from our seats to dance in the aisle. "Sugar pie, honeybunch, you know that I love you,Afterwards, the night was balmy, perfect for a stroll on deck. We could see lights off in the distance, the rest of the world was still there after all! We ran into Meryl, wrapped in the arm of a dapper, middle-aged gentleman whose smile was just as smug as hers was. We exchanged pleasantries. She gave us both a little wink.Molly, perhaps I m clueless. Did you have any idea that Meryl was going to try to hit on me? I had to ask.Oh, my God! Molly stared at me. All day long, she was angling for you. I thought you were trying for a threesome, and my fake headache was me forcing you to choose one or the other.What? I thought you and I were just trying to be hospitable; you know, so she d have some friends to socialize with.Well, Molly confessed. I finally figured out that you were completely innocent, but it took me until late afternoon to dispel my worst presumptions.I went to the show, because we told her we d both join her, there. I explained. When you were bedridden with a headache, I assumed it fell on me to go alone, even though I really didn t want to be away from you.Ah, really? That s so sweet! Molly gushed. She gave me a deep kiss right there on the mezzanine. I assumed you went because you wanted another notch on your belt.  I m so, so sorry.Well, when the performance ended, I said I had to head back to you. She did try every diversion. I passed on all of them. Then she flatly told me she was hoping to get lucky with me. I told her I definitely could not accommodate that, and I walked straight back to our room.Oh, I was awful to you! Molly lamented. But I was also right about that slut s intentions, wasn t I? Molly paused, then added; When I finally got over my inner rage, I realized that you didn t come back smelling like cunt. Hell, you didn t even have lipstick smeared on your face.  This afternoon, I finally left my hiding spot, and saw you were heading to dinner, I went to the cabin and saw this beautiful necklace.  I literally cried. I don t deserve you. You don t deserve my juvenile drama. I d planned to skip the dinner, but when I saw the dolphin necklace, I had to come and grovel your forgiveness.You know, Molly I paused. Perhaps I was too clueless, yesterday. Perhaps you were too presuming? Do you think we can both help to balance each other?Oh, I love that! Yes, let s balance each other.The nightclubs were hopping. We wound our way from one to the other, dancing one dance in each. But then we decided to forgo the casino and just head back to the cabin. And sure enough, the bed was still there, right where we’d left it.We kissed. I ran my hands up along her sides, up inside her blouse. She undid my buttons and pulled open my shirt. I fiddled with her skirt and managed to slip it down over the swell of her hips. She unfastened my belt buckle and my button and my zipper. I slid my hands down inside her panties. She slid hers down inside my underpants. We pawed and shucked and kicked off everything that remained. And then she took off the very last thing that she was wearing, the crystalline necklace, and placed it carefully on the nightstand.I backed her down onto the bed. I kissed the pretty spot where the necklace had been, and the spot next to that, and the spot next to that. She lay back and closed her eyes and let herself be kissed.I settled myself down on top of her, stroking her full lovely body with my own, savoring her softness and her excitement, trying to fuse our unfortunate separateness into something more fulfilling. And somehow, in the midst of our kissing and our stroking, my penis must have slid up at just the right angle, and her hips must have been open to just the right degree, and we coupled, as adroitly as if that had been our conscious intention, as naturally as if we were two jungle cats whose lithe jungle bodies just instinctively knew how to fuck.And somewhere in the midst of our coupling we sweetly came, but it was not so much a climax as just a sweet vista point along the way. For just as we hadn’t consciously willed our engagement, neither did we ever willfully disengage, but just eventually nestled more comfortably down beside each other, still caressing, still softly kissing, still sweetly fused.The loudspeaker blasted us awake early the next morning. Our luggage needed to be out in the hallway for pickup by eight o'clock sharp!Molly wriggled a bit deeper under the blanket. "Uh,” she groaned. “Just five more minutes.”I remembered the look on her face, when had it been? just four days ago, when we first learned we might have to share the cabin together. She’d been just as uncertain as I had. But now it was hard to imagine any other arrangement. Her lying in bed beside me, trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep, leaving it up to me to keep track of the time, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.We hadn’t begun to pack yet, but we’d kept things fairly organized. I gave her a generous five minutes, and then I gave her a little nudge. “C'mon, sleepyhead. Up and at um.”She groaned, but she dragged herself out of bed. We were both still naked. I slipped on a pair of boxers, and she put on a T-shirt. It rode up in back, though, so that her pretty bottom kept peeking out as she went around collecting her things and tucking them into her suitcase.“Do you kinda wish that the rest of the world really had blown itself up?” I asked.She was folding one of her bras. “Oh, I don’t know. We’d probably get tired of eating cheesecake eventually.”“They’d run out. Then we’d have to eat whatever it is that Valentin eats.”“He gets cheesecake sometimes, don’t you think? When they have some left over?”“I don’t know. He’s pretty skinny.”“I wonder why Meryl didn’t think of him.”“Yeah. Good question. Wrong table, I suppose.”“I suppose.”I crammed my sports coat in between my shirts and my underwear bag. She gave the zipper of her suitcase a final tug. “Besides,” she said. “Your algorithms would miss you.”I slipped on my trousers and rolled the bags out into the corridor. There were a surprising number of people walking by, and every single one of them gawked into the room as they passed. Nothing is more titillating to a person walking down a stateroom corridor than an open doorway.When I got the door closed again, Molly was sitting up on the bed with the sheet pulled up in front of her and a rather indignant look on her face. What a lot of nerve some people had!I couldn’t help but smile. “I wonder what they thought you were hiding back there.”She rolled her eyebrows.But I was feeling a little playful. The final day’s schedule was lying on the floor. I picked it up and pretended it was an official form.“Customs inspection, Miss, May I see what you’ve got behind that sheet?”She wasn’t so sure she wanted to show me. She coyly raised the sheet a little higher.“That shirt you’re wearing, Miss. Did you purchase it abroad?”She looked down behind the sheet. This old thing?.“Regulations, Miss; It may contain contraband fibers.” I held out my hand. “May I see it please?”She huffed. Bureaucrats! Without letting go of the sheet she wriggled one arm out of its sleeve and then the ot

Old stuff!  Told'ja there were leftovers from 2025 lying around in the Garagosphere...  This gem from July was special because we got about 10 years of hate off the collective gearhead chest about bad P.S.A. ads that make you wish any car guy had been a part of any of the production.  On the plus side, now we know what to look out for (patronizing betaboys and their bullygirl narrators).  There's better bits to be had, like a trucker from New York City (see, there's still good things there) who built a 1500 sq-ft balsa replica of the city (because why not, or perhaps because X-Acto Knife), plus the selfsame city's plans to spend $2,000,000,000 to REMOVE 300K parking spots (because what, what?) while its parking garages do their best impression of a Denny's pancake breakfast. There's also the tale of unscheduled monster truck disassembly mid-show (and the cars the parts landed upon). Back to the warnings: Raiders, Dredd, Snatch, Urban and Reeves, Animal House, Jenny in Japan, any PR ≠ good PR, '80s Fleppard, old Subaru Foresters, the soundtrack rule, foreign coverage of domestic stories, and the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack.

Old stuff!  Told'ja there were leftovers from 2025 lying around in the Garagosphere...  This gem from July was special because we got about 10 years of hate off the collective gearhead chest about bad P.S.A. ads that make you wish any car guy had been a part of any of the production.  On the plus side, now we know what to look out for (patronizing betaboys and their bullygirl narrators).  There's better bits to be had, like a trucker from New York City (see, there's still good things there) who built a 1500 sq-ft balsa replica of the city (because why not, or perhaps because X-Acto Knife), plus the selfsame city's plans to spend $2,000,000,000 to REMOVE 300K parking spots (because what, what?) while its parking garages do their best impression of a Denny's pancake breakfast. There's also the tale of unscheduled monster truck disassembly mid-show (and the cars the parts landed upon). Back to the warnings: Raiders, Dredd, Snatch, Urban and Reeves, Animal House, Jenny in Japan, any PR ≠ good PR, '80s Fleppard, old Subaru Foresters, the soundtrack rule, foreign coverage of domestic stories, and the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack.

The Rebel News podcasts features free audio-only versions of select RebelNews+ content and other Rebel News long-form videos, livestreams, and interviews. Monday to Friday enjoy the audio version of Ezra Levant's daily TV-style show, The Ezra Levant Show, where Ezra gives you his contrarian and conservative take on free speech, politics, and foreign policy through in-depth commentary and interviews. Wednesday evenings you can listen to the audio version of The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid the Chief Reporter of Rebel News. Sheila brings a western sensibility to Canadian news. With one foot in the oil patch and one foot in agriculture, Sheila challenges mainstream media narratives and stands up for Albertans. If you want to watch the video versions of these podcasts, make sure to begin your free RebelNewsPlus trial by subscribing at http://www.RebelNewsPlus.com

Support Dr. Grande on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/drgrande⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Grande's book Harm Reduction: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Harm-Reduction-Todd-Grande-PhD/dp/1950057313⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dr. Grande's book Psychology of Notorious Serial Killers: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Notorious-Serial-Killers-Intersection/dp/1950057259⁠ Check out Dr. Grande's merchandise ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://teespring.com/stores/dr-grandes-store⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Steve Gruber Show | Accountability in Crisis: Borders, Bureaucrats, and the Battle for America --- 00:00 - Monologue 19:05 – Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Committee and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Mix discusses how a key union decision could test promises of affordability made by political leaders. He also addresses allegations that the UAW illegally fired a worker who objected to funding union political activities. 27:55 – Madeline Alfonso, Digital Assistant at Advancing American Freedom. Alfonso argues that Planned Parenthood should not receive public support as America approaches its 250th anniversary. She explains the policy and funding debate surrounding the organization. 37:58 - Monologue 46:55 – Adam Schwarze, former Navy SEAL with nine combat deployments and current U.S. Senate candidate. Schwarze discusses the Minnesota fraud scandal, immigration enforcement, and foreign policy challenges. He shares how his military background shapes his approach to national security. 56:49 – Scott Mechkowski, former senior ICE field official. Mechkowski outlines a new coalition plan proposing more than one million ICE removals in 2026, described as “Phase Two” of expanded immigration enforcement. He explains the logistics and legal framework behind the proposal. 1:05:36 – Jon Hartley, economist and Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Hartley analyzes the State of the Union with a focus on affordability and economic messaging. He discusses inflation, wages, and broader macroeconomic trends. 1:15:45 - Monologue 1:24:32 – Aric Nesbitt, Michigan Senate Minority Leader. Nesbitt reacts to Michigan's State of the State address, outlining Republican concerns about spending and policy direction. He discusses priorities heading into the next legislative session. 1:34:29 – Kaitlyn Buss, columnist for The Detroit News. Buss provides additional analysis of the State of the State, focusing on political tone and policy proposals. She explains how the speech may shape Michigan's political landscape. 1:43:18 – Mark J. Quann, author of Be Smart, Pay Zero Taxes: Use the Buy, Borrow, Die Strategy to Get Rich and Stay Rich. Quann breaks down President Trump's newly announced retirement plan from the State of the Union. He explains how Americans can legally reduce taxes, protect income, and build long-term financial security. --- Check out our brand new podcast, 'Forgotten America'... The second episode is live NOW at Steve Gruber on YouTube! Link below: https://youtu.be/vZiEUjtQ-m4

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First, we speak to The Indian Express' Divya A about Nikhil Gupta, the Indian national who has pleaded guilty in a US court in the assassination plot against Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.Next, we turn to a first-of-its-kind experiment inside the Indian government. The Indian Express' Harikishan Sharma explains how the Cabinet Secretariat has begun grading Union Secretaries using a 100-mark administrative scorecard and what this could mean for bureaucratic accountability. (11:12)And in the end, we look at how social media accounts linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang allegedly influenced young men arrested in the firing outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty's residence. (23:05)Hosted by Ichha SharmaProduced by Niharika Nanda and Ichha SharmaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Some Garage Hours are on the gearhead nose, and others (ahem; this one?) start lost in woods and get even loster.  This episode is heavy on the 2A and stupid human tricks, with tales of Big Gov't trying to truncate your right to bear arms, drones being weaponized by faceless white-collared tweakers, and some fool bastard in France with a WW1 shell jammed up his Peugeot. What else? A bunch of snowmobilin' outdoorsmen gather forces to rescue a lost pony named Mouse, an inquiry of what your privacy is worth, and a deluded twit in China who thought it would be a good idea to take a selfie with a hungry leopard.  You were warned... What's more: English accents ain't what they used to be, Virgina won't be worth much for long, laws that ain't worth what they're printed on, and about four tons of Puny Human.

Some Garage Hours are on the gearhead nose, and others (ahem; this one?) start lost in woods and get even loster.  This episode is heavy on the 2A and stupid human tricks, with tales of Big Gov't trying to truncate your right to bear arms, drones being weaponized by faceless white-collared tweakers, and some fool bastard in France with a WW1 shell jammed up his Peugeot. What else? A bunch of snowmobilin' outdoorsmen gather forces to rescue a lost pony named Mouse, an inquiry of what your privacy is worth, and a deluded twit in China who thought it would be a good idea to take a selfie with a hungry leopard.  You were warned... What's more: English accents ain't what they used to be, Virgina won't be worth much for long, laws that ain't worth what they're printed on, and about four tons of Puny Human.

Greg Belfrage interviews Senator Mike Rounds about the SAVE act, election integrity, bureaucrats at the veteran's affairs office and the broken postal system in the United States. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are the AIs plotting against us? :: Is YouTube already controlled by AI? :: Being nice to AI so it's nice to us :: Peter Thiel anagram is The Reptile :: Guy took all his texts with dead fiancé and put it into AI to pretend AI was her :: Postmodernism and subjective vs objective reality :: Hillary Clinton so disliked that she has to limit comments on her social media :: Bureaucrats admit to making regulations too hard to follow so they can go after you :: Cops are not above just killing you if you don't comply :: Each side thinks they're the counter culture of the other :: Divide and conquer over and over again :: Journalists running cover for Epstein :: Residents leaving New Mexico :: Venezuelan soldiers say the US hit them with energy weapons that made their eyes and ears bleed :: TSA fining people $50 :: 2026-01-31 :: Bonnie, Riley, Angelo

Are the AIs plotting against us? :: Is YouTube already controlled by AI? :: Being nice to AI so it's nice to us :: Peter Thiel anagram is The Reptile :: Guy took all his texts with dead fiancé and put it into AI to pretend AI was her :: Postmodernism and subjective vs objective reality :: Hillary Clinton so disliked that she has to limit comments on her social media :: Bureaucrats admit to making regulations too hard to follow so they can go after you :: Cops are not above just killing you if you don't comply :: Each side thinks they're the counter culture of the other :: Divide and conquer over and over again :: Journalists running cover for Epstein :: Residents leaving New Mexico :: Venezuelan soldiers say the US hit them with energy weapons that made their eyes and ears bleed :: TSA fining people $50 :: 2026-01-31 :: Bonnie, Riley, Angelo

Unleashed! The Political News Hour with Mayor Deb – Why should anyone listen to these “unelected technocrats, the hedge-fund vampires, the NGO grifters, the media courtesans” adorned in cashmere sweaters and bespoke suits? For far too long, it seems as though the world has been controlled, by way of fear instilled upon humanity, by the power-drunk elite...

(0:00) The Besties introduce Dr. Oz (3:26) Trump's vision for healthcare in America (13:26) AI & self-directed healthcare (30:10) The future of GLP-1s and affordability (35:06) The Medical Fraud Crisis (44:02) California fraud and accountability (56:57) Immigration and addiction Follow Dr. Oz: https://x.com/DrOz Follow the besties: https://x.com/chamath https://x.com/Jason https://x.com/DavidSacks https://x.com/friedberg Follow on X: https://x.com/theallinpod Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theallinpod Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theallinpod Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/allinpod Intro Music Credit: https://rb.gy/tppkzl https://x.com/yung_spielburg Intro Video Credit: https://x.com/TheZachEffect Referenced in the show: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-025-01671-6

8. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: The Pandemic, Science, and Unelected Authority. Summary: Hanson argues the pandemic response empowered unelected bureaucrats like Fauci to arbitrarily shut down small businesses while protecting large corporations. He criticizes the suppression of the lab-leak theory by globalist elites and notes that lockdowns caused immense collateral damage to children and the working class without scientific justification,.1913 GETTYSBURGH REUNION 50TH ANNIVERSARY

4. Guest Author: Victor Davis Hanson. Headline: The Unaccountable Power of the Deep State. Summary: Hanson warns against the "administrative state," a permanent class of bureaucrats who wield power without democratic accountability, exemplified by regulatory overreach in the raisin industry. He claims this "deep state" actively undermined the Trump administration through "resistance" tactics, viewing themselves as superior to elected representatives.1870 HENRY WARD BEECHER AND HIS SISTER HARRIET BEECHER STOWE

For years, the big spenders in Congress—and the Biden administration—worked together to drive the nation deeper into debt as they wasted taxpayer money on their crazy ESG, DEI far Left agenda. Between the Democrats who just wanna see Trump fail, and the big spender Republicans who want to see any budget cuts fail, Trump has an uphill battle against the “uniparty” when it comes to further progress in the spending fight.  Federal finance is the executive branch's job, but it really comes down to Congress which “passes spending and tax legislation,” explains Chief Heritage Foundation Economist E.J. Antoni, PhD., on today's special video commentary.   “It's high time those legislators actually do something to fix the problem that they themselves helped cause.”

This week, Tim gets to walk a dog, Andy uses a surprising method to help his son change his school schedule, Noah sees some ska music live, and the boys discuss a lot of movies and shows. [CONTENT WARNING] TANcast features mature language and immature hosts but is NOT a representation of the stand up […] The post TANcast 743 – Find A Better Bureaucrat first appeared on TANcast.

While street protests and violence dominate headlines, an even bigger story is being buried.

While riots, protests, and chaos dominate the headlines, an even bigger story is being deliberately buried.

Steve sits down with Jason Hayes, Director of Energy and Environment at the America First Policy Institute, to expose how state agency overreach is harming Michigan's farms, small businesses, and job creators. Hayes breaks down how unelected bureaucrats are using environmental and energy regulations to bypass lawmakers, drive up costs, and make it harder for families to farm, build, and grow businesses in the Great Lakes State. It's a clear-eyed conversation about accountability, local control, and restoring common sense to policies that should serve the people, not suffocate them.

We are counting down the top 10 shows that Y'ALL CHOSE! We're kicking it off with the tenth most viewed show this year, a TIR CRÜE extravaganza where we talk about Trump the government.   Check out our new bi-weekly series, "The Crisis Papers" here: https://www.patreon.com/bitterlakepresents/shop   Thank you guys again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and everyone of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined,   BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH!   Become a patron now https://www.patreon.com/join/BitterLakePresents?   Please also like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms as well, (specially YouTube!)   THANKS Y'ALL   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/ Twitter: @TIRShowOakland Instagram: @thisisrevolutionoakland   Substack: https://jmylesoftir.substack.com/.../the-money-will-roll...   Read Jason Myles in Sublation Magazine https://www.sublationmag.com/writers/jason-myles Read Jason Myles in Damage Magazine https://damagemag.com/2023/11/07/the-man-who-sold-the-world/  

A Portland bureaucrat literally cries on camera and blames capitalism for the city's homelessness crisis—after spending THREE BILLION DOLLARS in five years while homelessness skyrocketed 150-200%. You can't make this up. City Administrator Michael Jordan refuses to mention drugs or mental illness, instead pointing fingers at "wealth distribution" while Portland's streets overflow with addiction and untreated mental health crises. Meanwhile, other cities that don't coddle the homeless industrial complex somehow manage just fine without spending billions on failed policies. Portland spent $700+ million in a single year and saw homelessness jump 67% in two years. Their response? Cry, blame capitalism, and ask for more taxpayer money. No accountability, no mention of drugs or mental health, just progressive ideology running the city into the ground while businesses and residents flee. Is anyone surprised that treating symptoms instead of root causes doesn't work? How many more billions will they waste before admitting their housing-first, harm-reduction approach is a catastrophic failure? Subscribe for more government accountability and policy reality checks that the mainstream media won't give you.

THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE AND UNELECTED POWER Colleague Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson describes the "administrative state" or "deep state" as a permanent class of unelected bureaucrats who possess vast power without accountability to voters or Congress. He asserts that these officials, believing their expertise gives them moral authority, actively "resisted" the Trump administration through leaks and bureaucratic sabotage, viewing themselves as superior to elected leadership. He cites the "raisin police" as a specific example of how this regulatory state can tyrannically control the private property and labor of citizens. NUMBER 4

COVID-19 AND THE EMPOWERMENT OF UNELECTED BUREAUCRATS Colleague Victor Davis Hanson. Hanson asserts that the COVID-19 pandemic empowered unelected bureaucrats to enforce lockdowns that disproportionately crushed the middle class while enriching large corporations and the "Zoom class." He claims the scientific consensus was manipulated to protect China regarding the virus's origins and that early dissenters who questioned the efficacy of lockdowns and masks have since been vindicated. The response highlighted a deep divide between the "essential" working class and the insulated elites who managed the crisis from safety. NUMBER 8

Neoborn Caveman lets loose a marble-mouthed pro-humanity satire on privilege, warhawk hypocrisy, and bureaucratic tyranny, questions whether melanin or blood clots define true privilege while mocking coerced silence from Ofcom and the BBC's admitted propaganda, slams leaders who send others' children to trenches while hiding behind manipulated news, defends populists who actually serve people over parasitic cockroaches, celebrates an Oklahoma student flunked for quoting Christian beliefs in a gender essay, demands accountability for unelected bureaucrats funded by everyday purchases, and reminds listeners that sovereignty begins with refusing mortgages, Uber, and fake honey while reclaiming local power through recalls and pressure; the second half features a throwback interview with Soul Sparkles (Patreon exclusive).Music guest: Van Hechter with his latest song, Boy ProblemsKey TakeawaysPrivilege is life itself, not pigment or compliance.Warhawks never fight their own wars.Legalised lying by government is the death of trust.Populists rise when elites stop serving.Bureaucrats must face recall or pressure.Tax is hidden in every purchase—you fund your own cage.Education now punishes honest reasoning.Sovereignty rejects debt slavery and green agendas.History repeats when accountability vanishes.You are special—never listen to inner naysayers.Sound Bites"Is it the pigment level? The melanin level? The blood clots level?""None of the warhawks in white tie ever join from the trenches.""Hussein Obama made it legal to lie to the people.""Putin… seems to serve the people's interest… then the people won't change that person.""Getting a zero point because she was quoting Christian beliefs in a gender essay.""If there is a bureaucrat, fire them!""We need to set a good example… the rest of the world can learn from that example.""You are special. You are amazing! You are one of the kind."Gather for unfiltered rambles (and the full throwback interview with Soul Sparkles) at patreon.com/theneoborncavemanshow —free join, chats, lives.keywords: privilege, warhawks, populism, propaganda, bureaucratic tyranny, Christian persecution, sovereignty, accountability, debt slavery, green agendaHumanity centered satirical takes on the world & news + music - with a marble mouthed host.Free speech marinated in comedy.Supporting Purple Rabbits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a long time, the bureaucracy--in all its elitist, meritocratic glory--has taken a great deal of the credit for Japan's postwar economic miracle. But how much of that credit does it actually deserve? Plus, some ruminations on the post-1990s fate of the bureaucracy and its general history. Show notes here.  

Builders vs Bureaucrats, LIVE News Coverage | TRIGGERED Ep.292   Order 1775 Coffee today at http://www.1775coffee.com/TRIGGERED - code TRIGGERED to save 15% off your order --- Protect your savings with Birch Gold. Text DONJR to 989898 and claim your eligibility for free silver today. https://birchgold.com/donjr

This week: the Meiji Bureaucracy, in all its glory. How did the system actually work? What sorts of people did it attract? And what happened when the United States tried to reform the system after 1945? Show notes here. 

In America, when we think of bureaucracy, it doesn't conjure the best associations. In Japan, meanwhile, the bureaucracy has a long history as one of the central organs of the state. So, how did that happen, and why has the bureaucracy--rather uniquely among Japanese institutions--survived as long as it has? Show notes here. 

Accusations of Democratic Extremism Ben and Sen Cruz call out Democrats for using inflammatory language (e.g., calling Republicans “fascists,” ICE “Gestapo,” or U.S. politics a “supervillain convention”). They argue this rhetoric contributes to real-world violence, citing examples like the assassination of Charlie Kirk, attacks on ICE facilities, and other incidents. ICE and Law Enforcement The segment focuses on how Democrats describe ICE in terms linked to Nazi Germany, slavery, and authoritarian regimes. The commentary frames these descriptions as dangerous because they demonize law enforcement and allegedly inspire violence against officers. Government Shutdown Hypocrisy The discussion highlights Democrats’ past opposition to government shutdowns (using 2018 quotes) and contrasts it with their alleged role in a current shutdown. The speakers accuse Democrats of hypocrisy, noting they once said shutdowns hurt “everyday Americans” but are now engaged in one themselves. Violence and Ideological Conflict Ben and Sen Cruz emphasize left-wing violence, referencing BLM protests, campus antisemitism, riots in Los Angeles, and assassination attempts. They contrast this with what they describe as conservative restraint, claiming the right condemns violence universally while the left often encourages or celebrates it. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson and The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/verdictwithtedcruz X: https://x.com/tedcruz X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.