AND YET SOME LGBTQ PEOPLE STILL INSIST ON BEING CHICKENS FOR KFC:  Berlin: 1 Killed, 29 Injured as Machete-Wielding Islamist Rams Van Targeting Pride Parade.

I TOO AM STILL INCLINED TO BE MORE OPTIMISTIC:  It is Far from Over?

YEAH, THIS IS COMING OUT ALL OVER:  CBP intercepted biological materials tied to US–China virus network before COVID, new documents show. A DHS report details a coronavirus research network centered around University of Minnesota virologist Fang Li.

IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS YOU MUST MONITOR WHAT THEY’RE TAUGHT VERY CLOSELY. NO. CLOSER THAN THAT. NO, I MEAN EVEN CLOSER:  Taxpayer-funded trans dolls with removable genitalia to hit classrooms this fall for kids as young as 4 to ‘learn about different options’.

YEP: The first rule of strategic analysis.

WHEN MY FRIENDS ARE IN THE NEWS:  Iowa Park based publishing company goes global through social media.

GIVEN A MODICUM OF FREEDOM, IT ALWAYS DOES:  How Capitalism Beat Communism in Vietnam. It only took a generation to go from ration cards to exporting electronics.

HUMANS ARE NOT WIDGETS:  On not being a widget and the rise of corporatism.

X-cancel.

GOOD:  Pleased to report that the defensive provisions of the GRANITE Act have been adopted as model policy by the American Legislative Exchange Council. I am told the vote was unanimous.

X-cancel.

ON SUNDAYS I DO A PROMO POST FOR (MOSTLY) INDIE AUTHORS:  Book Promo And Vignettes By Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike.

There is also a fun vignette challenge.

OPEN THREAD: Ring out the weekend.

HIS MOST UNDERRATED PROPERTY: Elon Musk’s Boring Company reportedly raising funding at a $20 billion valuation.

NUCLEAR POWER AND DESALINATION PLANTS: ‘Tremendously Grave’: The First US City Is on Track to Run Out of Water.

CONFUSED BY TRUMP’S IRAN MOVES? Richard Pollock reminds us of the best guide to the Trump mind, his book “The Art of the Deal,” by marshaling multiple passages that just might explain his on/off approach on military action and negotiations.

RESTORE CURSIVE INSTRUCTION: Yes, I am a Boomer and “back in the good ole days” we all learned cursive writing skills in elementary school. Even as late as 2010, every state in the union either required or strongly encouraged teaching cursive writing skills.

But then during the Obama administration, that changed in the Common Core Standards and by 2016, only 14 states maintained the cursive element. Thankfully, and for whatever reasons, sanity is returning and today 27 states recognize that cursive writing skills improve cognitive and other key skills in youngsters. Here’s why I think we need to get all 50 states back in the cursive arena.

I REMEMBER JERRY POURNELLE IN THE 1970S WRITING ABOUT WHAT ORBITAL TELESCOPES COULD DO: Astronomers Detect an Atmosphere on a Potentially Earth-Like World.

KEEP YOUR PET SAFE: Furbo Mini 360.° #CommissionEarned

WELL, GOOD: Scientists find compound that may help muscles stay strong as we age.

I’VE ALWAYS KIND OF WANTED A V-12: 2026 Aston Martin Vanquish 25 First Look: A Silver Anniversary of V-12 Power.

FRANCE IS SAVING CHILDREN FROM SOCIAL MEDIA BY SAVING US ALL FROM PRIVACY! Its under-15 ban raises the usual age-verification threats: surveillance, privacy risks, and barriers to lawful information. Europe’s identity-gated internet marches on in this week’s update.

READER FAVORITE: Toniiq Tribulus Terrestris for Men. #CommissionEarned

NO SURPRISE: Oh Look! Another Bloomberg Mayor Would Rather Limit Gun Rights Than Jail Criminals.

CHECK YOUR HEART: KardiaMobile 1-Lead EKG Monitor. #CommissionEarned We have one of these and it seems to work well.

AMERICA’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD:

https://t.co/a3cvznvChl pic.twitter.com/wCuQqKPAv2

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) July 25, 2026

WELL, GOOD: Underwater drones find Benin coral reef long presumed dead, and it’s teeming with life.