The Kiffness performs viral ‘eating the cats' track live in Munich. More pain for Trump.

The Kiffness is a talented South African musician renown for this satirical music. He has latched onto Trump's egg-on-the-face rant about Haitian migrants eating cats and made a funny song about it. More pain for Trump.

"My initial desire to remix the quote was because I thought it was amusing and outlandish, but I also recognized the melodic element to the statement. I decided to give it a shot and I had the basic idea for the song in a matter of minutes," The Kiffness told Newsweek of his inspiration to remix the line from the debate.

Here is a video on this:

About The Kiffness

The Kiffness is the stage name of David Scott, a South African musician, producer, and internet personality, renowned for his satirical, humorous, and socially conscious music content. He gained widespread fame through his innovative remixes of viral internet videos, as well as his original songs and clever musical parodies.

Key Facts about The Kiffness:

• Full Name: David Scott
• Born: 1988, in Cape Town, South Africa
• Education: Studied jazz at Rhodes University in South Africa
• Musical Style: Primarily electronic, with influences from jazz, house, funk, and pop

Early Life and Career

David Scott was musically inclined from a young age, learning piano and trumpet. He formed The Kiffness in 2011, initially as a live electronic act that performed energetic house and electronic dance music (EDM) at various festivals and events. "Kiff" is South African slang for "cool" or "awesome," which reflects the fun, positive, and lighthearted nature of his musical persona.

Over time, Scott's music evolved to incorporate more humor and social commentary, often addressing political and societal issues in South Africa. This shift in tone helped him gain more widespread attention, as he used his platform to speak out on issues like government corruption, load shedding (power cuts), and social inequalities.

Rise to Fame with Viral Internet Videos

The Kiffness skyrocketed to global recognition by remixing viral internet content, often featuring animals, news clips, and quirky internet personalities. His most well-known viral remixes include songs featuring meowing cats, yodeling goats, and quirky interviews. These videos not only display his musical creativity but also his ability to adapt viral trends into humorous, catchy songs.

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, his unique remixes, especially those incorporating viral animal videos, found a huge audience online. The popularity of these videos led to massive growth on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok.

One of his standout collaborations is the remix of a popular Russian cat video, where a cat meows in a distinct rhythmic pattern, and The Kiffness adds layers of instrumental and vocal harmonies, creating a viral hit.

Social Commentary and Satire

David Scott frequently uses his platform to make biting social commentary on political and social issues, both in South Africa and globally. His humor is sharp and often takes aim at government corruption, corporate greed, and environmental issues, but he always manages to balance it with light-heartedness and wit.

For example, he created a satirical song about South Africa's frequent power outages due to Eskom, the country's electricity supplier, and he has voiced his frustrations with governmental mismanagement in a way that resonates with many South Africans.

Activism and Advocacy

Beyond humor and satire, Scott is also vocal about issues he cares about, such as animal rights, environmental conservation, and promoting fairness in the music industry. He has advocated for fair compensation for musicians and transparency in the streaming industry, criticizing unfair royalty payouts from platforms like Spotify.

Personal Life

David Scott is married to Jute Scott, who is also part of The Kiffness’s videos and acts as a behind-the-scenes collaborator on many projects. He is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and continues to produce content that blends music, humor, and social awareness.

Impact and Legacy

The Kiffness has not only entertained millions worldwide with his catchy remixes and satirical content but has also managed to turn viral trends into meaningful social commentary. His ability to mix humor, music, and activism has solidified him as one of South Africa's most prominent internet personalities and a global viral sensation.

His work exemplifies how internet culture and music can merge to create viral, impactful content that transcends language and cultural barriers, making him a unique and influential figure in both the South African and global music scenes.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

List with links to 14 diseases inherited by the Peke-face Persian (infographic)

The list is pretty comprehensive. It may not be entirely complete but there are enough inherited diseases listed in this infographic to put the wind up anyone who is considering buying one of these cats. 

14 inherited diseases/conditions affecting the Peke-face Persian by Michael Broad

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I know that I am going on about this, perhaps for too long, but it is important that everybody is clear that the Peke-face Persian cat inherits these diseases because of decades of extreme breeding to create this abnormally flat face. The extreme breeding even feeds back into a disease called lordosis which is not to do with the face by the way! And it effects giving birth. Yes, the whole cat's being is affected and always negatively.

This extreme breeding affects the cat of course because they are likely to be much less happy than they would have been if they were blessed with normal anatomy. And it affects the caregiver because there's a lot more work to do in maintenance and it is likely that they will be obliged to take out a pet health insurance policy which in the modern era are quite expensive. 

And also at the moment there are a lot of people who are concerned about their financial affairs because there's been inflation and we are still, if we are honest, coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic. It's impact is still felt.

And the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is still being felt in Europe because of the need to source oil and gas from places other than Russia. I won't go on anymore but I hope people click on the links in this Infographic which go to more infographics for easy reading explaining these diseases.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Rescue cat, Marley, wins top prize as a women's safe-house cat

Marley, is a rescue cat who works his magic at a safe house for women who have been enslaved, exploited or trafficked. He has won a national award. Marley, who is black-and-white, beat thousands of other entries to be named Cats Protection cat of the year in recognition of the way he offers comfort to people at Caritas Bakhita House in London.

Marley in the garden. I think he has a good life too. Great story of positives. Image: Ciaran McCrickard/PA Wire.

He's been named Cats Protection's National Cat of the Year 2024. He is seven years old. He has the "gift of empathy". The head of the house, Karen Anstiss, 59, said "I'm so proud Marley has won National Cat of the Year - he's a wonderful example of the power of love. Often Marley placing a paw on our guests' legs is the first kindness they've experienced in years. He has this incredible gift of empathy and has assisted many, many women along the road to recovery."

"Before he went into rescue, I think he had a hard time. So, he recognises our guests' trauma because he has suffered too," Ms Anstiss added.

"Initially he sits really close, to see how the women respond. Then he gently puts a paw on their leg letting them know they're not alone.

"We had one guest who was so traumatised she didn't speak to us - only to Marley - and because she trusted him, over time we were able to reach her."

She added that, "nobody is allowed to touch his patch of daisies" in the garden. Marley often joins the staff and guests at a dinner and one guest has even composed a song for him. Marley was selected as overall winner by a panel of celebrity judges.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

American politics has descended into funny cat memes

We can thank the great man himself, Donald Trump, for the dumbing down of American politics into cat memes (see below for definition). Political discourse is now a social media fun activity. Where's the serious debate about serious stuff that affects us all? I say 'us all' because the decisions of the president of the United States affects the world.

I am referring to the latest debacle over the much-reported Haitian migrant cat eating rumours. And they are all rumours. Check out the post below for more on that:

Story about Haitians eating cats was third or fourth hand and unsubstantiated

Trump made a meal out of the rumour and stated it as fact in that criticial debate with Kamala Harris. He got egg on his face and he can't get it off thanks to the avalanche of memes 😱😃!

Here is a comment by a Guardian journalist with whom I agree:

"The debate over Springfield also illustrates the continuing “memeification” of politics – the turning of politics more into a collection of signals and symbols than discussions of content or policy. Trump has always insisted on dragging politics into the gutter. He is only able to do so, though, because the desire to feed the outrage machine rather than engage in nuanced discussion has become such an integral feature of politics."

And here are just two examples of what has happened in terms of meme imagery:

And another!

Both were created by AI, probably DALL E3. Bing Copilot uses DALLE.

What is a meme? Answer: 

A meme is a piece of content, typically in the form of an image, video, or text, that spreads rapidly across the internet, often with humorous or satirical intent. Memes are usually simple, easily recognizable, and can evolve over time as they are adapted by different people to reflect various situations, ideas, or emotions.

They often rely on shared cultural references, making them relatable to specific groups. For instance, a meme might use a popular image or phrase to comment on everyday experiences or current events in a light-hearted way.

In essence, memes are a form of digital cultural shorthand, using humor to connect people through shared understanding or collective experiences.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Are the exploding pager attacks killing 9 including a girl and boy state-sponsored murder or an act of war?

Image: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

I asked AI the above question. Note: for me this alleged Israeli attack on Hezbollah is very close (or is) state-sponsored murder as a boy and girl were killed and of course non-Hezbollah members might have been killed or badly injured. It was reckless. How could Israel (if they did it) guarantee that only Hezbollah members would be carrying the pagers? There was a real risk of killing and injuring innocent civilians which is what has happened. Update: latest count is 12 dead with thousands injured some very seriously. Further update: Hezbollah say that 300 have been injured and 9 dead so far.

Further update, next day: 'New phase' in conflict as walkie-talkie blasts kill 20. Same sort of thing. In this case 20 killed and 450 injured by booby-trapped walkie-talkie devices that blow up in your hands. This is certainly the work of sophisticated Mossad, Israel's spy service. This is a different kind of warfare but is it cold-blooded murder?

Further update: Also hand-held radios used by Hezbollah have exploded across the country's south, and in the southern suburbs of the capital. And solar energy systems have exploded in several areas as well. This is an incredible example of underhand warfare which I have suggested might be state sponsored murder and mayhem. But if it is Israel, they won't give a damn. They've killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians including children and babies in Gaza, by recklessly shelling and firing rockets into civilian buildings.

The pagers where were made under licence in Budapest by a firm called BAC Consulting, using the Gold Apollo name.

 Here is AI's response (ChatGPT).

The incident you’re referring to involving exploding pagers killing nine people, including a girl and boy, sounds like a targeted or violent attack, but without additional details about the specific case, it's difficult to categorize it definitively as state-sponsored murder or an act of war. The distinction depends on several factors:

1. State-Sponsored Murder: This occurs when a government or a state-backed entity carries out or orders the assassination or killing of individuals. Examples include targeted assassinations, politically motivated killings, or extrajudicial killings that a government either directs or endorses. These are typically covert operations intended to silence or eliminate threats or opposition.
2. Act of War: An act of war refers to aggressive actions between states or factions engaged in armed conflict. If the attack was carried out by one state or an armed group as part of a larger military campaign against another state, then it could be seen as an act of war. In this context, civilian casualties can occur as a result of broader hostilities.

To determine whether this particular attack was state-sponsored or an act of war, you'd need to consider:

• The perpetrator: Was it a state or state-backed group that carried out the attack, or was it a non-state actor, such as a terrorist organization or criminal group?
• The motive: Was the attack politically motivated, part of a conflict, or related to some other cause like terrorism or organized crime?
• The context: Was the attack part of a larger military conflict, or was it a targeted strike on individuals?

If this attack was part of a broader conflict between states, it could be considered an act of war. If it was a targeted killing carried out by or on behalf of a government, it could fall under the category of state-sponsored murder. If more context can be provided, a more specific classification could be offered.

When an innocent boy and girl are killed and possibly non-Hezbollah individuals too this is very close to murder isn't it?

Yes, when innocent civilians, including children, are killed in an attack—especially if they are not involved in any armed conflict or militant activities—it is generally viewed as a grave injustice and could be described as murder. Whether or not the attack was carried out by a state or a non-state actor, the intentional or reckless killing of non-combatants, especially children, is often considered a violation of international humanitarian law and human rights.

Here’s how different perspectives might frame such an event:

1. Murder: From a moral and legal perspective, the killing of innocent civilians, particularly children, could be considered murder if it was intentional or if the attackers acted with reckless disregard for human life. Murder implies an unlawful, unjustified, and deliberate act of killing. Even in conflict zones, the deliberate targeting of civilians is a criminal act.
2. War Crime: In the context of armed conflict, if the attack violated the rules of war, such as the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit attacks on civilians, it could be considered a war crime. Targeting civilians, including children, is explicitly forbidden, regardless of the attackers' affiliation.
3. State-Sponsored Assassination vs. Collateral Damage: If a government or state-backed entity carried out the attack, and it was aimed at specific targets but resulted in civilian deaths, it could be categorized as state-sponsored murder or extrajudicial killings. Even if the target was not civilians (but militants, for example), the killing of innocent bystanders, especially when children are involved, could be interpreted as a failure to observe the principle of proportionality and distinction in warfare, potentially leading to criminal liability.

Innocent lives lost in such a situation, especially if the victims were not involved in any hostile activities, reflect the devastating human cost of violence. Even when not labeled outright murder, the attack would likely be condemned as reckless, unjustified, and deeply tragic.

If this incident occurred in the context of a military operation or state-sponsored attack, international law, ethics, and public opinion would view the loss of innocent lives as highly problematic and likely demand accountability.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Story about Haitians eating cats was third or fourth hand and unsubstantiated

Note: see update at end of article. The Daily Mail tells us that Erika Lee is the person who posted information/rumours about Haitian migrants in Springfield Ohio killing and eating cats. But she got the information according to this paper through a neighbour who told her daughter about the rumour. The neighbour's name is Kimberly Newton. Kimberly Newton heard the rumour through a friend. And her friend heard the rumour from the alleged cat owner!

So I make that three stages through which the story passed i.e. through three different people, may be four if you count her daughter.

It's the kind of rumour that carries zero weight in terms of evidence in a court. It's third or fourth hand, a rumour or anecdote, there's no first hand evidence here. It's just highly speculative and Erika Lee regrets what happened.

She has posted to Facebook about this and about how the evidence is so weak that it has to be ignored.

Lee's initial Facebook post sparked panic across social media after screenshots were circulated around X in which she warned Haitian migrants were hanging cats from a branch like you do a deer for butchering.

And she went on to talk about dogs suffering the same fate and ducks and geese. And she said that people should keep a close eye on their animals.

As the entire world now knows, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance picked up on this and made complete fools of themselves with Trump raising it during that critical debate with Kamala Harris. Since then both Trump and Vance have tried to row back from that egg-on-the-face moment.

But Vance has dug a bigger hole for himself by saying that all along he spewed out the story to make a point about illegal immigrants and the reason for their existence in America namely Kamala Harris's policies. But that ridiculous claim has also backfired because it looks transparently fictitious. He's making it up as he goes along.

But this post is about one thing: the fourth hand rumour mill which ended up a hard fact in Trump's mind much to his ultimate chagrin.

'It just exploded into something I didn't mean to happen,' Erika Lee told NBC News.

Update 18-9-2024:  Huff Post reports the following:

An Ohio woman whose police report was used to power racist rumors about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating neighborhood cats has admitted her pet was found in her home, just days after she reported her Haitian neighbors to local police.

It appears that the cat owner is Anna Kilgore who filed the report but who she "told the paper that her pet, Miss Sassy, was found in her basement days after she contacted the police."

There you go. Another nail in the coffin of this silly story and another dollop of egg on Donald Trump's face. 😎

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Don't buy or use this F**k**g litter robot killer (infographic and video)

This is a cross-post as the information needs to spread around the internet like manure over a farmer's field 😱. Look, when a device made in China ends up killing cats it gets me very annoyed. And there is a long history of China shipping crappy products from their country to the West which kill cats and dogs.

Cycles vertically - a scissor action by Michael Broad

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Tourists regularly throw their smartphones into the Trevi Fountain

Image: Wikipedia

I'll keep this short but I found it quite amusing. Rome's Trevi Fountain is often completely swamped by tourists who want to throw coins into it and make a wish I guess. There are so many people there on occasions that it's impossible for those standing around it behind the crowds to safely throw a coin into the fountain because it might strike the back of the head of somebody in front of them!

But remarkably The Times reports that local officials in Rome, about once a day, visit the local bakery to borrow a pincher arm meant for reaching high shelves and they use it to fish phones out of the fountain when tourists try to take a photo of themselves throwing a coin over their shoulder but get their arms mixed up.

Here is the catch: A proper Trevi coin toss is done using your right hand to throw the coin over your left shoulder. That's were the confusion comes from.

You get the message don't you? They want to throw the coin with their right arm but I guess in the pandemonium and confusion caused by the required method they throw their phone with their left arm. The phone is in their left hand in order to video their right arm throwing the coin into the fountain. That's it. I think it's very strange but amusing. And clearly quite a lot of very nice smartphones are being destroyed in the Trevi Fountain every day! 

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

"My cat killing claim was all bull" said J.D. Vance

OPINION AND NEWS: In my view, J.D. Vance has dreamt up, over the last few days, a way to row back from the absurd claim he made about Haitian migrants in Springfield Ohio eating pet dogs, cats and ducks. He was heavily criticised. There was an avalanche of Mickey taking and he got burnt as did Trump. So he is backtracking and is doing it by saying that what he said was all lies. Quite a neat idea but more gasoline on the dying embers.

Image: Wikipedia.

J.D. Vance has admitted that he "created" the story about Haitian migrants eating pets. Speaking to CNN yesterday, Vance, 40, said that he created the unsubstantiated claims about Springfield which have been dismissed by the local mayor. He did so he says to "draw attention to the Biden/Harris immigration policies".

He said that he had to do this to draw attention to what he argues is sloppy policies by the Biden and Harris administration on matters concerning immigration. He claimed that he has to "create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do."

He added (emphasised) that "I say that we are creating a story, meaning we are creating the American media focusing on it. I don't create 20,000 illegal migrants coming into Springfield thanks to Kamala Harris's policies. Her policies did that."

Sidebar: I'm not sure that migrants in Springfield are actually illegal. In a previous post it was claimed that they were legal but that needs to be clarified.

And he further added: "But, yes, we created the actual focus that allowed the American media to talk about the story and the suffering caused by Kamala Harris's policies." The third time he said it.

So there you go, he is arguably backtracking and trying to brush over what I argue was a massive faux pas on his behalf and also by Donald Trump. And I've also argued in another post this morning that the recent attempted assassination of Donald Trump while he was playing golf just might (allegation) have been set up by Don Trump himself and his team in order to garner more support in a faltering campaign brought partly about by Trump and Vance's irresponsible statements about these Haitian immigrants.

My guess is that Vance's team dreamt up this latest idea. He probably had a fraught meeting about it and asked for ideas. They came up with this. 

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Putting unwanted items outside your home for recycling could be fly-tipping!

I've just spotted a story in The Times newspaper about a woman who was given a £500 fly-tipping fine after leaving an item of furniture outside her home for someone else to reuse. Sidebar: this is an overzealous council trying to raise money illegally in my view. Many councils in the UK are broke because of poor financial management and reduced government funding.

Isabelle Pepin was issued with the fine by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council in the UK. She put an IKEA cabinet outside her home with a note telling passers-by that it was free if they wanted it. This is very common in the UK.

Where I live a lot of people do it and quite often the item is picked up by somebody because they have a use for it. It is a very effective way in fact of recycling unwanted items with little effort.

In this story, the IKEA cabinet was left on her road for a few hours and was untaken and moved back onto her property. Three weeks later an enforcement officer visited her and told her that she would have to pay a £500 fine for fly tipping. The officer said that it would be doubled to £1000 if it went unpaid.

She is adamant that it is not fly tipping. It's just recycling. Isabelle said: "It's not fly-tipping, that is not what is happening here. It's recycling things people no longer want or need. The guy from the council initially came when I was away and spoke with my housemate about the cabinet that was left outside for a few hours. My housemate just laughed because he thought it was nothing serious and brought it back onto the driveway."

Isabelle said that the official was quite intimidating. One councillor thought that the fine was excessive. And said that it was difficult to see that it was fly tipping. Another official from the council said that the council is committed to tackling fly tipping and has contracted with Waste Investigation Support and Enforcement to investigate offences and administer penalty notices as appropriate."

Well, this is a first for me. I think it's ridiculous. It clearly isn't fly tipping. It is a standard way to recycle unwanted goods in this council have behaved irresponsibly and I would argue stupidly. I wish Isabelle well and I hope that she can resolve the matter.

It seems the contractor is to blame. They should own up and the fine rescinded.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Was the latest Trump attempted assassination set up by Trump himself?

OPINION: It's all over the news as expected. Trump targeted again in attempted assassination. The presidential candidate declares that he is "safe and well" after a suspected gunmen was arrested near his golf club.

When he plays golf there are Secret Service personnel ahead scanning the environment for potential assassins which in this case worked because they spotted an AK-47 automatic weapon in bushes. A man was spotted as Trump played golf at his West Palm Beach resort in Florida.

Secret Service agents fired at the unnamed man but they are unclear whether he is a suspect. A suspect was stopped in their car about 45 miles from the discovery. 

No shots were fired at Donald Trump but the law enforcement personnel shot at the man as I understand it.

The AK-47 was found in bushes and they found two backpacks, a rifle scope and a Go Pro camera which had been attached to a fence.

The president was between 300-500 yards from the gunmen at the time. That's within the range of being shot when using a scope.

The video below explains fully.

So the big news is that Donald Trump escaped another assassination. The last time there was an attempt on his life he took the opportunity to leverage that event by wearing an oversize plaster on his ear and declaring to the world that he was immortal or something like that. And that they could never kill him and he would go on fighting for America for the rest of his life to which his followers roared in delight.

On this occasion Trump, 78, said in a statement: There were gunshots in my vicinity [presumably the gunshots of the Secret Service personnel not the gunmen!] But before rumours start spiralling out of control I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL! Nothing will slow me down. I will NEVER SURRENDER! I will always love you for supporting me."

Inspiring words. No?

The question being asked in news media is whether this event will boost his flagging campaign. The general trend is towards Harris to win the presidential election and I wonder if Donald Trump has been seeking some major event to swing votes towards him at the last minute. And I wonder if he came up with the idea of another attempted assassination. That's an allegation and suggestion no more.

It is not beyond the bounds of possibility to suggest this. It's an idea I had this morning. I don't know whether anybody else has had the same idea. It would of course involve the participation of this alleged gunmen. But if that gunmen was paid a few million dollars and if he was fairly sure he could get away, I think there are men who would do that.

So, today's conspiracy theory is that Trump arranged this attempted assassination in order to boost his presidential campaign. It's not just me who is actually suggesting that this event could reignite his campaign. The Times has reported that "His campaign last night wasted little time in sending out an email to supporters, asking for more money, but whether yesterday's instant leads to a change in his electoral chances remains doubtful."

Yes, doubtful but possible.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Owner of world's TRUE oldest cat didn't bother to apply to Guinness World Records

The true oldest domestic cat in the world (probably) has, according to a report in The Times today, just passed over the rainbow bridge at the age of 33. Her name was Rosie and she lived with her owner, Lila Brissett, in a ground floor flat. 

Lila Brissett and Rosie. Image: The Mirror newspaper.

Rosie turned 33 on June 1 this year which made her 152 years old in human terms. The interesting story for me about Rosie is that Guinness World Records sent Rosie's owner an application form to apply for the world's oldest cat but she never completed it. 🙄😃

Lila Brissett, a widower, said she was heartbroken about losing Rosie. She added that she misses her "so much". Lila says she never wanted to have Rosie euthanised and therefore Rosie died of natural causes. Lila said this about her death: "She wasn't very well and one day she just walked into the hallway of the house, laid it down and passed away."

She added that: "There were lots of good memories though and I'm happy we had our time together."

As you might expect in her old age Rosie became very particular and had a very set routine which was to eat and go to her favourite spot by the window where she would stay all day and sleep and snooze. She insisted on eating Purina One cat food. If she didn't get it she kicked up a fuss.

Lila was naturally concerned about Rosie's passing over the rainbow bridge because she had lived with her for 33 years and "She'll leave a big void".

Rosie was adopted as a shelter kitten from a rescue centre because the family who own Rosie had a cat allergy we are told.

She was approached by the rescue centre because she had previously rescued an abuse cat and dog from them.

Rosie's mother was a grey Ragdoll according to this report (The Times) who mated with a ginger tom. Rosie was a longhaired cat with a very fluffy coat.

The oldest domestic cat ever was called Creme Puff from Austin, Texas, USA. She was born in 1967 and died in August 2005 having lived an impressive 38 years and three days.

The story implies that the Guinness World Records reports of the oldest cat are not necessarily the true oldest cats because it does rely upon an application being made by the owner. There will probably be thousands of very old cats out there right now who could be in the Guinness World Records book but are not. The current oldest cat is 28 years old. Her name is Flossie. It's probably true that another cat somewhere is older than that.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

From the outside Polish firefighters rescue a cat stuck in a window on the 7th floor

Polish firefighters rescue a cat stuck in window on 7th floor of an apartment block from the outside of the building which is very unusual. Some fighters don't do this as it is expensive and for some administrations a waste of public funds.

The rescue looks tricky. I have estimated that it is the 7th floor. I don't see a cat carrier on the cherry picker. And we don't know why the cat needed rescuing except to guess that the owner was away and the cat somehow became trapped in the window. He/she was released with the help of a metal bar.

My guess is that the window opens by rocking around a central axis and the cat walked on the window to get out because the owner was away for a long time. The window rocked on its axis and trapped the cat between the window and the frame. The cat then cried out and the fire service was called by a neighbour in the block. Just guessing and speculating.

Polish firefighters rescue a cat!Thank you heroes!👨🏻‍🚒🧡 pic.twitter.com/O27lD5AYAX

— No Cats No Life (@NoCatsNoLife_m) September 12, 2024

Separately, there is currently severe flooding in parts of Poland so there will be many pets who need rescuing and who have been rescued and probably some who've died. Let's think of them and wish them the best of luck.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

JD Vance pours gasoline on the Haitian cat eating story and gets badly burned

Surprisingly, and in another poor decision by the Trump/Vance partnership, JD Vance has continued to pour gasoline on the discredited migrant cat eating story by posting on his Twitter/X feed (with 1.9 million followers) a video of poultry being cooked on an outdoor grill while claiming that domestic cats were being cooked in preparation for an outdoor meal in Ohio!

JD Vance. Image: Wikipedia.

The video accompanied the following words: "Kamala Harris and her media apparatchiks should be ashamed of themselves. Another debunked story that turned out to have merit."

Kamala Harris and her media apparatchiks should be ashamed of themselves.

Another "debunked" story that turned out to have merit. https://t.co/dOyh9oTXhb

— JD Vance (@JDVance) September 14, 2024

You may remember that JD Vance had claimed falsely that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio were stealing domestic cats and eating them. There are many Haitian immigrants (I believe that they are legal immigrants) in Springfield, Ohio a town of 58,000 citizens. And I believe that the indigenous citizens have become annoyed by this 20,000 influx and have created this false scenario on social media which went viral.

Trump and Vance grabbed hold of it is a useful story to emphasise their desire to stop illegal immigration and that they are the duo best suited for this task. But they dug a big hole for themselves. And in this instance JD Vance has apparently got burnt by throwing gasoline on an already simmering fire.

The Independent newspaper tells us that this video was originally posted by the right-wing Manhattan Institute's Christopher Rufo, who apparently offered a $5,000 bounty to anyone that could provide proof of cat eating migrants in Ohio.

The newspaper is able to tell us that the footage was filmed last year in Dayton according to Rufo who has spoken to the person who made the video. The person who shot the video said that "some Africans that stay right next door to my kid's mother". And Rufo insists that the claims were verified i.e. that cats were being eaten, by "multiple witnesses and visual cross-references." 

His article states that the video shows "a pair of flayed cats on a blue barbecue in Dayton Ohio".

Note: Haiti is not in Africa! It is in the Caribbean.

The reaction was rapid on social media. The general tenor of the criticisms is that chickens were being cooked and they were surprised that Rufo and JD Vance was unable to tell the difference between chickens and cats who reposted the video.

Here's an example: " “I find it strange that a self-professed ‘hillbilly’ doesn’t know what whole chickens look like."

And another example in capital letters to emphasise the point!: “HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT CHICKENS LOOK LIKE WITH THEIR LEGS ATTACHED YOU F****ING DIPSHIT.”

The Independent reached out to Rufo for a comment but he did not respond. Also, the JD Vance campaign declined to comment. And an expert at the National Chicken Council did not reply to requests to comment.

However, somebody close to JD Vance told the newspaper that they did not believe the carcasses to be grilled were chickens. The Independent newspaper journalist writes that "a visual comparison of skinned cats prepared for laboratory use and whole plucked chickens suggested the animals in the video are almost certainly not feline."

The story is both bizarre and sickening actually. We have to discuss, in this story, skinned cats being grilled in a backyard in Ohio. It makes me want to puke.

This is another escalation in this ridiculous story and it very strongly appears that JD Vance is digging a bigger hole for himself and the Tramp campaign. He's thrown gasoline on the embers of a fire that was fizzling out nicely and now it is back in flames in the headlines.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Pope Francis asks America's Roman Catholics to vote for Harris or Trump based on WHO IS THE LESSER EVIL!

OPINION: Pope Francis has unexpectedly and uncommonly dived into the American presidential election campaign and suggested that America's 52 million Roman Catholics should make a decision about who to support on the basis of the presidential candidates' views on abortion and immigration and who therefore is the 'lesser evil'.

Pope Francis pontificating about God knows what. Excuse the double pun. Image: Reuters.

We know that Kamala Harris has vowed to sign any legislation passed by Congress that would restore national protections for abortion access which was struck down by the Supreme Court two years ago under the then President Trump.

In Trump we know that he is very strong on illegal immigration. He has consistently said that he will crack down on illegal immigration and deport millions of immigrants who made it to the United States.

And Pope Francis said that both issues are about life. The lives of unborn babies and the lives of immigrants. You decide what's more important. He doesn't know the answer. He said that Roman Catholics must choose the lesser evil.

"You must choose the lesser evil. Who is the lesser evil? That lady, or that gentleman? I don't know."

So he's asking people to decide whether Harris is better than Trump or Trump is better than Harris in terms of overall character. But to refer to Harris as evil is mad. 😎😒

Well, Pope Francis is entirely wrong in asking Roman Catholics to decide on the character of Trump and Harris on the basis of their policies on immigration and abortion.

You have to decide on a person's character on a full spectrum of behaviours. On what they say and do over a long period of time.

And when you do that you are forced to come to the only possible conclusion namely that Kamala Harris is a far better person than Donald Trump.

I realise that a lot of Americans worship him (I respect that) but Donald Trump has clearly demonstrated that he lacks integrity. For example, you might think it minor but he cheats at golf. Anybody who does that lacks integrity. And we know he lies. And we know that he is a misogynistic egocentric twit. Plus he is a convicted criminal for God's sake. We know is a bad decision-maker judging by the last presidential debate. What more do we need?

And we know that Kamala Harris has a very strong record on animal welfare throughout her personal and professional life - a sign of a good character. She has a good face. She has a face which beams integrity in my view. I think we can read faces and I think faces project a person's personality. That's why I say she has a good face. She has integrity. She is normal. She is balanced. She wants to do the right thing. She hasn't got an ego as big as a house. She isn't narcissistic. She is decent.

These are the issues when deciding who the better person is. Donald Trump wants to build a wall to block immigrants to America. I understand the concerns about mass illegal immigration to America. They are very great concerns but I think we have to ask ourselves whether we would do the same thing as these immigrants if we lived in crappy countries and wanted to improve our lives. I would certainly go north from South and Central America and try and get into the US. It's normal.

As for abortion, this is a very polarised topic. But the general consensus is that abortion is acceptable provided the foetuses is below a certain age. Deciding what that ages is complicated. So abortion per se according to the vast majority of people is not evil or bad. It is a natural extension of humankind's carelessness in having a child that they don't want.

I agree with the Pope in one respect in that in a more ideal and better world there would be no need for abortion because people would be far more careful and there would be no unwanted babies. But we have to accommodate humankind's sloppiness and bad behaviour. Abortion is a very bad compromise accommodating humankind's poor behaviour but it has to be acceptable because you have to respect women's rights as well. And the welfare of a child brought into this grim world when unwanted.

As I said, Pope Francis has got this wrong. And as I also say it's obvious who the better person is. And for the Pope to even suggest that Kamala Harris is evil is ridiculous. You might say that about Donald Trump! But it depends upon your political affiliations.

Some people worship Donald Trump. There's a kind of cult worship for him which is disconcerting. But neither person is evil really. But neither person is perfect. It's just that Kamala Harris is in a different league in terms of decent behaviour.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

According to Ian Murray, a Scottish Labour politician, Larry the Cat is a "little shit"

NEW AND VIEWS: Ian Murray is a Scottish Labour politician who has represented the Edinburgh South constituency in the UK Parliament since 2010. He grew up in Edinburgh and is a football fan. He is an advocate for Unionism and he dislikes Brexit. He's a centrist and a resilient and experienced politician.

Larry the Cat photographed at Downing Street outside No 10. Don't know who the photographer is. Sorry. Please tell me in a comment.

After the recent landslide Labour Party victory in the general election, he went to Downing Street after the office called the Scottish Labour Party politicians to get them down to number 10 as I understand it.

In a speech at the annual dinner of CBI Scotland in Glasgow he said the following about that visit:

"We were initially like kids in a sweet shop. Because the first thing we all did, we had the election, we had the overnight counts, the 37 Scottish Labour MPs got their photographs taken in Glasgow, we darted to the airport, we got to London, just made it to London in time. Downing Street rang, and all of us who pretty much knew inevitably that the Cabinet was going to be as the shadow cabinet was with a few exceptions, walked to Downing Street really excited and all we wanted to do was, not get the chat with the Prime Minister to be appointed [Sir Kier Starmer] but was to try and get a picture with Larry the cat."

He continued:

"And without putting too fine a point on it, Larry the Cat was a little shit. So none of us got a picture with Larry the Cat. Larry the Cat is the most miserable animal you'll ever meet in your life. I'm not surprised given who he's had to live with for the last 10 years."

Of course, he was making a funny speech or trying to be funny! So we have to forgive his criticism of Larry the Cat. But clearly the criticism is incorrect because why should Larry the Cat want to cooperate with the demands of a bunch of politicians who charge into number 10 Downing Street looking for a photograph. Many cats don't even like being photographed never mind with strangers.

Ian Murray. Image by Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street - Number 10 Flickr page, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=150064834

He should have realised that domestic cats in general don't like the presence of entire strangers on their territory. And let's be clear, number 10 Downing Street is the territory of Larry the Cat. It is his home range including the environs. He's not going to cooperate. He no doubt scarpered and disappeared as soon as possible.

Without wishing to be too serious because this is a funny story (really), I think Ian Murray should do a little bit of judicious studying about cat behaviour at which point he wouldn't be so critical of our beloved Downing Street mouser.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Donald Trump's Truth Social website publishes funny cat pics which are NOT funny

OPINION: This is a cross-post. In the other post [link] I explained that Donald Trump, in my view, is trying to defuse his near-fatal faux pas when he dived into making strong and unpleasant allegations about Haitian migrants in Springfield Ohio eating ducks, pet cats and pet dogs. He did this on mainstream television during the debate with Kamala Harris. He is a poor decision-maker and he knows he's made a big mistake and has been trying to roll back from that faux pas ever since to recover some losses to his campaign.

Image: DALLE as commissioned by Truth Social workers.

And with this goal in mind, he has, in my view, published some funny cat pictures which are decidedly unfunny on his Truth Social website, which, as you may know, is a substitute to X/Twitter from which he was banned at one time but he has now been reinstated by Elon Musk.

Image: DALLE as commissioned by Truth Social workers. This unfunny cat pic is a reference to Trump's allegation that he is strong on immigration while Harris is weak. And that migrants eat pet cats! Really, Trump is far to extreme and he is destabilising.

The pictures are, as you might imagine, generated by AI which cannot spell properly and often rights gobbledygook. But in the first picture it is claimed that Kamala Harris hates cats. It's actually the complete opposite. She has a very long and impressive track record both personally and professionally as a politician of supporting animal welfare both in respect of domestic and wild animals.

You can read about some of her actions by clicking on this link. In contrast, Donald Trump has a sketchy or arguably a very poor record of animal welfare. He has undermined conservation efforts in America regarding wolves and bears for example. He never had a companion animal in the White House which is the first instance for a hundred years.

His sons like to sport hunt Africa. Although to be fair Donald Trump doesn't like trophy hunting. But he did nothing about it when president. In fact he undermined the conservation and protection of iconic animals in Africa because she allowed the importation of trophies into America.

I have written many articles about Trump's failures in animal welfare. Click here to see the articles.

It's quite clear to me and I suspect to others that Donald Trump is not really interested in animal welfare. He is far more interested in making money and he's good with the economy which is important but the American economy should be expanded while respecting animal welfare in terms of wild animal conservation and protections for domestic animals. You can achieve both at the same time but Donald Trump likes to ride roughshod over the landscape, nature, and while animal welfare in driving economic growth.

Kamala Harris has demonstrated the complete opposite it seems to me. She is a tender-hearted woman and has been described as an animal champion. Trump supporters would probably argue that she is not strong on immigration or the economy but I think you have to give her a chance to demonstrate her strengths in these areas.

If you are to deal with illegal immigration in America humanely it becomes very difficult to deal with illegal immigration! The same problems exist in the UK and in continental Europe, specifically Germany. It's a very difficult problem, dealing with illegal immigration but you have to deal with it humanely.

Trump does not really want to deal with it humanely. I think we have to ask ourselves whether we would do the same thing as illegal immigrants if we were in their position. I certainly would. I would look for a better life. And if you can make it work by simply walking into America then you do it. It's one world. We are all in it together.

To return to the pictures. The picture of the ginger tabby holding up the Kamala Harris placard is misleading. It's entirely misleading. It's a lie! But then, Donald Trump is very good at lying isn't he?

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Many extreme claims of human longevity are likely due to errors or deliberate fraud

Super old people are sometimes not as old as claimed according to this scientist by Michael Broad

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The news media regularly report on the oldest woman or man. Many live in Japan. How do they achieve such long lifespans? Here is a theory:

Saul Justin Newman's theory on record-breaking longevity suggests that extreme claims of human longevity, particularly in areas without robust civil registration systems, might be inflated due to fraud or errors in age reporting. Newman argues that some of the longest-lived individuals, particularly supercentenarians (people over 110 years old), might not actually be as old as reported. Here's a breakdown of his argument:

1. Lack of Reliable Documentation

Newman points out that many of the regions reporting the longest-lived people, such as rural or economically underdeveloped areas, often lack reliable birth documentation like birth certificates. In these places, age records are frequently based on verbal reports or family accounts, which can be imprecise or exaggerated. Without a birth certificate, it becomes much harder to verify the actual age of an individual.

2. Error and Fraud in Age Reporting

• Errors: In some cases, age might be overestimated due to innocent mistakes. People might not remember or know their exact birth date and may rely on rough estimates. These errors can compound over time and lead to exaggerated ages, especially in regions where age verification is not a priority or where official documentation is scarce.
• Fraud: Newman also highlights the possibility of intentional fraud. In certain cases, people may intentionally exaggerate their age for various benefits, such as pensions, government support, or simply for social recognition and status. In areas where record-keeping is lax, it is easier for individuals to make such claims without being scrutinized.

3. Geographical Patterns in Longevity

Newman observes that many of the world's so-called longevity hotspots, like parts of the Caucasus, Okinawa, and Sardinia, report an unusually high number of centenarians and supercentenarians. However, these areas often have a history of poor birth registration systems or inaccurate civil records, which may inflate the actual number of extremely old individuals.

4. Statistical Models

Newman uses statistical models to suggest that extreme longevity claims are more likely to occur in populations with poor age reporting. According to his research, the distribution of reported supercentenarians is inconsistent with what would be expected if their ages were accurate. This statistical anomaly supports his hypothesis that errors or fraudulent claims are skewing the data.

5. Implications for Longevity Research

Newman's theory challenges the authenticity of the oldest age records, which has significant implications for the study of aging and human longevity. If these claims are unreliable, then the true limits of human lifespan might be lower than what is currently accepted. Moreover, it may also affect research into the biological factors contributing to extreme longevity, as studies based on inaccurate data might yield misleading conclusions.

In summary, Newman’s theory argues that many extreme claims of human longevity, especially in regions with poor documentation, are likely due to age-reporting errors or deliberate fraud rather than genuine biological outliers. This casts doubt on some of the most famous cases of extreme old age and calls for more rigorous verification of longevity records.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Kamala Harris accused of wearing earpiece earrings during presidential debate

It seems that the Donald Trump Cult followers have hatched a new conspiracy theory which as planned has gone viral on social media the purpose of which is to claw back some credibility for their leader after his disastrous performance during the debate as he ranted on about migrants in Ohio eating domestic cats without reasonable evidence. 

It all seems so bizarre to me. All of it. Including this latest conspiracy which has been covered by the English version of France 24.

Their video assesses this conspiracy theory and concludes that it is FAKE. As I have said things seems to descend into chaos when Trump is around. 

Here is the story in a video:

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.

Taylor Swift signs off "Childless Cat Lady" on Instagram post supporting Kamala Harris

Taylor Swift is the world's most musically talented and influential 'cat lady' even if she adopted the wrong cat - a Scottish Fold 😎😒. It seems that the almost the whole of the USA is following her on Instagram. The US population is 336 million at present and she has 284 million followers. She has the power to make a difference in this election.

Taylor Swift and Benjamin Button a Ragdoll cat. Photo Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift has said that she supports Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the presidential election. She signs off her post as a "Childless Cat Lady" in taking the Mickey out of J.D. Vance who as you may remember criticised childless cat ladies as people who were unhappy because they did not have a family. He both denigrated independent-minded women and the domestic cat at the same time. His comment attracted an avalanche of criticism which damaged Trump's presidential campaign. He tried unsuccessfully to backtrack.

And Taylor Swift said, as you can see in the post below, that she has to be transparent about who she wants to support because AI is a danger to the Internet (and of course it can be a great benefit - it depends how you use it). She says that an AI bot appears to have adopted her persona and made a post on her Instagram site saying that she endorsed Donald Trump; clearly very false and damaging information.

So in the vein of being transparent and open, she has clearly stated that she "will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election".

She is voting for Kamala Harris, like many other people, because she champions the right sort of causes. She is a balanced individual. She's smart and decent and I say that she has a good face by which I mean that she has integrity which you can see in her general demeanour and her facial expressions.

And I've also stated that she is an animal champion. She champions animal welfare. This is the behaviour of a tender-hearted person in a world needs that kind of person.

Taylor Swift agrees with me that if Donald Trump becomes president there will be a certain amount of chaos. I have argue that if we have Putin plus Trump plus Xi Jinping in power at the same time we going to have chaos. We need someone to moderate things and focus on cooperation and compromise in order to stabilise the world. And I believe that Kamala Harris is that person.

And Taylor Swift says that she is very heartened by Walz's support of LGBTQ+ rights and IVF and "a woman's right to her own body". That's a reference I believe to abortion. The right to an abortion has been curtailed as I remember in certain states thanks to Trump's time as president.

Taylor Swift has done her research she says and she asks her followers to do theirs. She wants her followers to vote for Kamala Harris.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. Also, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable.