Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Wednesday Wanderings

After a busy day of exploring, I decided to take it easy today, down here in my temporary undisclosed location in North Carolina.  Thus, I present a more-or-less regular blog post.  On a cool and cloudy Wednesday, here are some things going on:

From National Review, has the U.S. figured out the "Havana syndrome"?

From FrontpageMag, when a Somalia-born Minneapolis policeman shot a white Australian woman.

From Townhall, President Trump responds to a heckler.

From The Washington Free Beacon, who is funding the people who harass ICE personnel?

From the Washington Examiner, according to the Department of Justice, there is "no basis" for a civil rights investigation of the ICE shooting in Minneapolis.

From The Federalist, Mr. Bill defies a congressional subpoena for testimony in relation to the late Jeffrey Epstein, thus risking a charge of contempt.

From American Thinker, ICE and outrage in New York City.

From NewsBusters, CNN shows its double standards on inflation.

From Canada Free Press, birth certificates matter.

From TeleSUR, 13 million hectares of land in Argentina belong to foreigners.

From TCW Defending Freedom, Hungary shows the right way to do government.

From Snouts in the Trough, do left-wingers give a rat's [bleep] when Muslims kill Muslims?

From EuroNews, the European Commission urges europarliamentcritters to approve a €90 billion loan to Ukraine.

From Free West Media, dismantling the post-World War II international order.

From ReMix, Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoes an online publication bill that in his opinion would lead to censorship, and is congratulated by the Chief Twit.  (If you read Polish, read the story at Do Rzeczy.)

From Balkan Insight, a village carnival in Vevčani, North Macedonia mixes ancient tradition and modern satire.

From The North Africa Post, Libya plans to overhaul its refineries, in order to reduce its fuel imports and strengthen its economy.

From The New Arab, why the alliance between Saudi Arabia and the UAE has ruptured.

From The Times Of Israel, a man wanted for allegedly firebombing a synagogue in Melbourne, Australia is arrested is Iraq.

From the Daily Mail, pictures of Lawrence of Arabia in which he wears Arab clothing are given a trigger warning.

From Arutz Sheva, a review of a book written by a former Muslim, which claims that Islam is really not an Abrahamic faith.

From Gatestone Institute, the U.N. plans to censor all criticism of its climate agenda.

From The Daily Signal, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announces the next phase of Trump's peace plan for Gaza.

From The American Conservative, the first year of Trump's second term.

From The Western Journal, Iran kills as many civilians in two weeks as Israeli did in 13 months, but left-wing protesters have become Sergeant Schultz.

From BizPac Review, dashcam footage contradicts a left-wing false accusation that Tennessee cops ran over an anti-ICE protester.

From the Daily Caller, a physician can't give a straight answer when Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) asks her if men can get pregnant.

From the New York Post, a federal judge refuses to stop ICE from operating in Minnesota.

From Breitbart, ICE requests custody of an illegal alien who allegedly murdered two teenage boys in North Carolina.

From Newsmax, the ICE agent who shot and killed a woman who tried to run him over sustained internal injuries from that incident.

And from The Babylon Bee, a five-year-old boy from Iowa is brought in to explain to the Supreme Court justices the difference between boys and girls.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Bentonville Battlefield - Part 2

Besides the areas near the visitor center, Bentonville Battlefield has some other places worth exploring.  One of these is just a short distance to the east, and includes this statue of Confederate General Joseph Eggleston Johnston, who fought against Union General William Tecumseh Sherman.  Behind it are two monuments and a flagpole.

Bentonville Battlefield - Part 1

Today I went from one battlefield to another.  The second one was Bentonville Battlefield, located near the village of Bentonville.  This Civil War battle was the last one between Union forces led by General William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate forces led by General Joseph Eggleston Johnston.  Near the visitor center is the Harper House, which was built in the 1850s and commandeered by Union Troops for use as field hospital.

The World's Largest Frying Pan

After visiting Moores Creek Battlefield, I turned northward and went to Rose Hill, to see what is claimed to be the world's largest frying pan.  It's near the intersection of Main and Sycamore Streets and is in a wooden shelter, which you're not allowed to enter.

Moores Creek Battlefield

On February 27th, 1776, a force of patriots defeated British loyalists in a battle at a bridge over Moores Creek near modern Currie, North Carolina.  The loyalists were mostly Scottish Highlanders, who were armed with broadswords, while the patriots had muskets and cannons.  It was the first significant victory for patriots in what became the American Revolution.  Today, I visited the site of the battle, now administered by the National Park Service.  From the visitor center, I walked on the History Trail, the dark path on the left.  The light grey path on the right is an old stage road that extended between Wilmington and Fayetteville.  The two intersect later on.

Monday, January 12, 2026

Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park

Earlier today I found a place where I could make like a good sasquatch and walk through a forest, the Latham-Whitehurst Nature Park.  Although dedicated to nature, the place had some human comforts, such as this shelter.

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Return To New Bern

Today I went back to New Bern, North Carolina, which I first visited in January 2020.  As I did back then, I found a place to park the Bigfootmobile in Union Point Park and set out on foot from there.  The park still includes this set of metallic black bear statues.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

Late Saturday Checking In

Today I set out on my second trip of the new year.  My new undisclosed location is pretty close to where I was six years ago, not too far from New Bern, North Carolina.  This means that I'll be exploring the same general area, but will try to find some things that I did not visit back then.  Stay tuned.

Friday, January 9, 2026

Friday Phenomena

On a cool and rainy Friday, here are some things going on:

From National Review, the unnecessary crisis over Greenland.

From FrontpageMag, when ramming ICE and Border Patrol officers became a left-wing trend.

From Townhall, a new video obliterates a bunch of left-wing narratives about the ICE shooting in Minneapolis.

From The Washington Free Beacon, when senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich) was a professor at Columbia University, he claimed to have Egyptian citizenship, which his campaign claims to have been a mistake.

From the Washington Examiner, the House Oversight Committee threatens Mr. Bill and Mrs. Hill with contempt if they don't show up to hearings about the late Jeffrey Epstein.

From The Federalist, how professional activists use guerilla tactics to interfere with ICE arrests.

From American Thinker, the left howls as President Trump frees political prisoners in Venezuela.

From NewsBusters, media networks omit the anti-ICE activism of the woman killed in Minneapolis.

From Canada Free Press, white left-wingers don't protest on behalf of black victims if the suspected perpetrator does not fit their stereotype of the right.

From TeleSUR, Honduran governing party lawmakers approve a recount of the 2025 elections.

From TCW Defending Freedom, does U.S. President Trump regard Greenland as more important than NATO?

From Snouts in the Trough, why are (Israel-hating) "elites" in the U.K. ignoring the most important story in 50 years?

From EuroNews, Russia strikes Ukraine with a hypersonic Oreshnik missile.

From ReMix, four illegal aliens from Algeria are caught burglarizing a house in Yvelines, France, and released after claiming that they were 16 years old.

From Balkan Insight, Bosnian Serbs defy a court ban by holding a parade in the city of Banja Luka.

From The North Africa Post, Morocco and Spain intensify their investment partnership in the sectors of biscuits and industrial bread.  (Your guess for the definition of "industrial bread" is as good as mine.)

From The New Arab, members of the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen claim that reports of its dissolution have been greatly exaggerated.

From Jewish News Syndicate, elite Iranian officials are reportedly seeking save haven in Europe.

From The Times Of Israel, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei digs in amid protests and claims that claims that Trump will be "overthrown", and anti-Israel protesters in New York City admit that they support Hamas.

From OpIndia, the UAE is concerned that its people could become radical Muslims if they attend college in the U.K.  (Please bear in mind that the UAE is a Muslim-majority country.)

From Arutz Sheva, according to an opinion column, Arabs have as much to learn from Iranians as they do from Israelis.

From Gatestone Institute, the E.U.'s Digital Services Act is "a mechanism of mass censorship".

From The Daily Signal, Trump announces plans to ban institutional investors from buying up houses and then renting them out.

From The American Conservative, how Chinese President Xi Jinping views the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

From The Western Journal, footage of the aforementioned ICE shooting in Minneapolis released by CNN doesn't help the left's case.

From BizPac Review, independent journalist Nick Shirley floats an "interesting" theory on why Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) was chosen to run for vice president.

From the Daily Caller, video obtained by Alpha News shows the ICE agent's perspective in the twice-aforementioned Minneapolis shooting.

From Breitbart, more on the aforementioned Alpha News video.

From Newsmax, according to congresscritter Dan Meuser (R-PA), the recent operation in Venezuela was about ending a dictatorship, not seizing its oil.

And from the New York Post, if you have some extra money lying around, you can buy a drum played by Ringo Starr on The Ed Sullivan Show, Elton John's old Steinway piano, and/or a baseball bat used by Jackie Robinson, among other items from the estate of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Thursday, January 8, 2026

Thursday Tidbits

On a sunny and cool Thursday, here are some things going on:

From National Review, our political culture is full of arsonists.

From FrontpageMag, Democrats just keep siding with the enemies of the U.S.

From Townhall, according to a legal expert, the ICE shooting in Minneapolis was justified.

From The Washington Free Beacon, senatorial candidate Graham Platner (D-ME) rallies with a Somali state lawmaker who is a "person of interest" in Congress's investigation of fraud.

From the Washington Examiner, former Georgia state lawmaker Stacey Abrams decides against running for governor for the third time.

From The Federalist, Democrats hate President Trump more than a real live dictator.

From American Thinker, Trump is not making the same mistakes as President Bush the Younger.

From NewsBusters, how the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "stole" American oil and other assets.

From Canada Free Press, why do some left-wingers harass and attack ICE agents and other DHS personnel?

From TeleSUR, the Austrian company Doppelmayr will build what will be the world's longest cable car system in Mexico City.

From TCW Defending Freedom, the outrageous hounding of CNN anchor Valerie Hoff DeCarlo.

From Snouts in the Trough, will Trump launch an "invasion" of Greenland?  (Wait a minute.  I thought from yesterday's SitT post that the site will come to an end.  Even so, it looks like its author just had to make today's post.)

From EuroNews, Russian attacks leave a million Ukrainians without power and water.

From Free West Media, Danish farmers raise the alarm over the feed additive Bovaer.

From ReMix, ahead of Hungarian election scheduled for this spring, the E.U. is supporting media favorable to the Hungarian opposition.  (If you read Hungarian, read the story and a related story at Magyar Nemzet.)

From Balkan Insight, Kosovo authorities arrest 39 people for alleged insurance fraud.

From The North Africa Post, Morocco and Switzerland launch a program to install 500 megawatts of rooftop solar panels.

From The New Arab, Yemeni separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi reportedly flees to the UAE.

From Jewish News Syndicate, Hamas entrenches its rule over Palestinians in Gaza.

From The Jerusalem Post, the IDF strikes in Gaza after terrorists launch a rocket at an Israeli hospital.

From Gatestone Institute, U.S. President Trump's "peace" plan has not stopped Hamas from torturing and murdering Palestinians in Gaza.

From The Daily Signal, according to Trump, U.S. oversight in Venezuela could last for years.

From The American Conservative, "life and death in California", as reflected in the life of Judge Robert M. Letteau.  (The article's author is Letteau's grandson.)

From The Western Journal, the partner of the woman shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis "made a devastating admission" just after the shooting, which the Democrats will bury.

From BizPac Review, congresscritter Ted Lieu (D-Cal) is the latest to urge military personnel to disobey orders from Trump.

From the Daily Caller, Trump calls for political hits on five Republican Senators who voted to check his authority to use military force in Venezuela.

From the New York Post, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, brother of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela will release a "significant number" of political prisoners.

From Breitbart, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem warns against laying "a finger on" any DHS officer.

From Newsmax, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association slams the "reckless rhetoric" from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D).

And from The Beaverton, a man realizes that the aforementioned President Bush had the decency to lie about his oil wars.