Author: HP McLovincraft

Seeker of rabbit holes. Pessimist. Libertine. Contrarian. Your huckleberry. Possibly true tales of sanity-blasting horror also known as abject reality. Prepare yourself. Veteran of a thousand psychic wars. I have seen the fnords. Deplatformed on Tumblr and Twitter.

Cleveland Clinic Flu Shots Study Shows Vaccine INCREASED Risk of Getting the Flu

For decades, Americans have been lectured, pressured, and in many cases coerced into getting annual flu shots under the promise that “the science is settled” and that vaccination is an unquestionable public good.

But a growing body of research is blowing that narrative apart, and the latest data are nothing short of explosive.

A new study from the prestigious Cleveland Clinic has found that the 2024-2025 flu shot not only failed to protect people but also increased their risk of contracting the flu.

The study, published as a preprint on medRxiv and led by Dr. Nabin K. Shrestha and colleagues from the Departments of Infectious Diseases, Infection Prevention, and Quantitative Health Sciences, tracked 53,402 Cleveland Clinic employees across Ohio during the 2024–2025 respiratory viral season, which began on October 1, 2024.

By the end of the 25-week observation period (ending March 26, 2025), 82.1% of the cohort (43,857 individuals) had been vaccinated, primarily with the trivalent inactivated vaccine.

A total of 1,079 employees (2.02%) tested positive for influenza, with 98.8% being influenza A cases.

Using a time-dependent analysis (treating vaccination as a variable that changes over time), the researchers calculated a vaccine effectiveness of -26.9% (95% CI: -51.0% to -6.6%). This means vaccinated individuals had a 27% higher hazard ratio (HR 1.27) for contracting influenza compared to unvaccinated ones, after adjusting for factors like age, sex, job type (e.g., clinical nursing), and work location.

The study addressed potential biases by examining testing rates. Vaccinated employees were more likely to get tested, but the proportion of positive tests was similar between groups, suggesting the higher infection rate wasn’t due to testing differences but actual increased susceptibility.

A Simon-Makuch plot showed that early in the season, infection rates were similar, but they rose more rapidly among the vaccinated over time.

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Washington Democrats Sponsor Bill to Slash Penalties for Pedophiles Snared in Online Sting Operations

Four Democratic Washington State Senators are pushing legislation to reduce penalties for individuals busted during sting operations for attempting to sexually abuse children.

The bill, Senate Bill 5312, sponsored by Sens. Lisa Wellman, Noel Frame, T’wina Nobles, and Claire Wilson, aims to shorten sex offender registration and post-release supervision for first-time offenders involved in stings where law enforcement poses as fictitious minors.

The proposal comes on the heels of a November vote by the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission, which recommended lighter sentences for such offenders.

The commission’s decision mirrors SB 5312, advocating for alternatives to incarceration for crimes with “no identifiable victim,” citing lower recidivism rates among those convicted in stings compared to offenders who target real children.

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Watchdog group demands answers after ‘unbelievable security lapse’ by Trump’s Secret Service team

The Secret Service continues to endanger the president’s life with lax security, and the government is sitting on information that might expose recent failures which allowed President Trump to get shouted down by Code Pink protesters during a recent outing to a Washington DC restaurant, advocates fear.

“I’m just really concerned about the president’s safety,” Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch told The Post.

“He was almost killed twice supposedly under the protection of the Secret Service and then they walked him into a potentially dangerous ambush,” he said of the September incident at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab.

The watchdog group has been trying for three months to get information on how the protesters got advance notice about Trump’s closely-held movements — at an event intended to demonstrate that the city was thriving under new federal security protection.

“These people were allowed to get within arm’s length of the sitting president with knives and who knows what else in the restaurant available to them,” Fitton said.

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75 US Deportees To End Up On Tiny Island In Cash Deal With Local Rulers

In the Trump administration’s latest display of creativity when it comes to unloading unwanted immigrants, the United States has made a deal with the rulers of the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau, which will take 75 rejected migrants off Uncle Sam’s hands in exchange for $100,000 per head. The deportees in question will be a diverse group, but they’ll likely share one thing in common — none of them are from Palau, or ever heard of it.  

Palau will serve as a small relief valve for situations where a migrant’s home country refuses to take them back. “Palau and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding allowing up to 75 third country nationals, who have never been charged with a crime, to live and work in Palau, helping address local labor shortages in needed occupations,” said Palauan President Surangel Whipps in a statement. 

Located in the Pacific region of Micronesia, Palau comprises some 350 tiny coral and volcanic islands, with a population of only 18,000. It was administered by the US government from World War II to 1994, when it became independent. However, it has maintained close relations with America via an arrangement called “free association,” which lets Palauans work, live or study in the United States — but we’re guessing that privilege won’t be extended to the 75 deportees. Palau also uses the US dollar as its currency, and its mail is delivered by the USPS.

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Fresh fears Texas serial killer could be on the loose as three more bodies pulled from bayous

Fears of a Texas serial killer resurfaced in Houston after three more bodies were recovered from the city’s bayous this week.

The latest discoveries bring the number of bodies found in the waterways in 2025 to at least 34, according to KTRK, just one less than last year’s total.

Authorities have repeatedly denied that the high figure is the work of a mystery murderer, as terrified locals have demanded answers.

On Monday, a body was found in the Buffalo Bayou near the 100 block of Crawford Street, per Houston Public Media.

The deceased was recovered after someone spotted a body in the water and called 911, bringing a response from the Houston Police Department’s dive team.

That same day, another body was found near the Brays Bayou at the intersection of Texas Spur 5 and Old Spanish Trail.

The person was found on Christmas Eve in the Buffalo Bayou around 3500 Memorial Parkway, Houston police said on X.

Since 2017, at least 198 dead bodies have been found in Houston’s bayous, per Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office records obtained by KPRC 2.

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Federal Judge Blocks Texas App Store Digital ID Age Verification Law, Citing First Amendment Violations

A new Texas statute aimed at inserting the state into routine decisions about app downloads has been stopped at the courthouse door, at least for now.

A federal judge ruled days before the law’s scheduled launch that its design collides with the First Amendment and cannot be enforced while the case moves forward.

Robert Pitman of the Western District of Texas issued a preliminary injunction blocking Senate Bill 2420, the Texas App Store Accountability Act, which was set to take effect on January 1.

We obtained a copy of the order for you here.

The law would have required app stores to verify every user’s age (which would mean digital ID checks or biometric scans) and forced minors to obtain parental approval before downloading apps or buying in-app content.

In a detailed written ruling, Pitman concluded the statute is both constitutionally defective and structurally unworkable.

“The Act is akin to a law that would require every bookstore to verify the age of every customer at the door and, for minors, require parental consent before the child or teen could enter and again when they try to purchase a book,” he wrote.

He added that “when considered on the merits, SB 2420 violates the First Amendment.”

SB 2420 does not target a narrow category of online services. It applies to nearly every app store and app developer operating in Texas, bringing in news outlets, streaming platforms, educational tools, fitness apps, and digital libraries alongside social media and games.

Under the statute, developers must assign state-defined age ratings, explain the reasoning behind each rating, and report significant changes to content or features.

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‘Revenge porn’ betrayal of thousands of women: 40,000 cases identified but only three per cent of suspects charged as new AI apps help abusers humiliate victims

Women are being ‘failed’ by revenge porn laws because most perpetrators are avoiding justice, official data suggests.

Just 3 per cent of suspects were charged in 40,000 cases probed by police over the past five years.

The problem – in which intimate private photos or video footage are shared without consent by a former partner – is likely to grow, as experts warn that AI apps capable of generating lifelike fake sexual images will make it easier for abusers to humiliate victims.

Thousands of distressing cases were left unsolved or closed over the five-year period due to a lack of crucial evidence, the Home Office statistics revealed.

The data showed that 40,110 offences were reported to the police – roughly one every hour. Yet just 3.2 per cent of cases ended with a criminal charge.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said last night: ‘The statistics are absolutely staggering. We must do more to ensure perpetrators are held accountable and victims are properly supported so the system doesn’t fail women.

‘We were unapologetic in government about standing up for women and protecting victims of domestic abuse. 

‘We toughened up sentences for rapists and stalkers, outlawed upskirting and revenge porn, and made violence against women and girls a national policing priority – but it is clear more needs to be done.’

Love Island star Georgia Harrison took her ex-boyfriend to court for uploading online sexual footage of her in 2023.

Ms Harrison, 31, gave evidence against Stephen Bear, 35, at Chelmsford Crown Court, where he was jailed for 21 months for voyeurism and two counts of disclosing private sexual images without consent.

Experts fear the number of cases could soar as culprits use so-called ‘nudification’ apps, which can edit an ordinary photograph of a person to make it appear that they are naked. 

Other powerful AI software can be used to insert a victim’s face into sexually explicit pictures or videos – known as deep-fakes – such as the high-profile clips of pop star Taylor Swift that caused outrage last year.

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Junk Food Bans For SNAP Users In Some States Starting 2026: What To Know

Americans using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to purchase groceries may need to adjust their shopping habits in 2026 as some states will prohibit the use of SNAP funds to purchase certain “junk foods.”

Also starting next year, states will have to shoulder a larger portion of the cost of running the program. In addition, states could lose funds if their payment error rate is too high.

Here is what to know about the overhaul of America’s largest nutrition program.

Restrictions on Purchases in Some States

Eighteen states will restrict the purchase of certain foods lacking in nutritional value next year. The changes are being made under the banner of the Make America Healthy Again initiative launched by the Department of Health and Human Services. To institute the changes, the states had to submit and have approved a waiver of federal rules from the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the nutrition program.

The starting dates for the restrictions and the foods prohibited vary by state.

Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and West Virginia will implement purchase restrictions on Jan. 1, 2026. Idaho, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, Texas, Virginia, and Florida have starting dates from February to April. Arkansas, Tennessee, Hawaii, South Carolina, North Dakota, and Missouri will begin their bans between July and October.

Most of these states have removed candy, soda, and energy drinks from the list of SNAP-eligible items.

In Tennessee and Iowa, SNAP beneficiaries cannot use the funds to purchase processed foods. Tennessee defines a processed food as one that has been changed in any way from its natural state.

Prepared desserts, such as cakes and cookies, are restricted in Florida and Missouri.

In Iowa, foods that are prepared for consumption or come with eating utensils may not be purchased with SNAP funds. Cold, unpackaged foods without utensils, such as bread, fruit, or canned goods, are still permitted.

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No criminal charges for Hawaii Island police officer in the death of K-9 police dog

There will be no criminal charges filed against Hawaii Police Department Officer Sidra Brown, the handler of K-9 Archer, the narcotics detection dog that died Sept. 4 after being left unattended in a police vehicle in Kona.

Archer was a 6-year-old narcotics detection dog.

The Dept. of the Attorney General said, “After careful consideration of the evidence associated with this case, examination of the scene, and possible applicable law, our office has declined to prosecute this matter due to insufficient evidence of a crime.”

Hawaii has both misdemeanor and felony charges for animal cruelty. First- degree animal cruelty is a Class C felony punishable by five years imprisonment.

Officer Brown was reassigned to another position while the police department continues its own administrative investigation.

The police department told the paper that it will now have heat detectors in patrol cars with K-9’s as well as collars that will be connected to the officer’s cellphone to monitor the dogs’ health at all times.

Warnings from the collar would be sent to its handler if it’s in distress.

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Politico Claims That The ‘Far-Right’ Has “Stolen” Christmas By Daring To Call It Christian

A Christmas Eve screed from Politico has ignited online mockery, with the outlet claiming ‘far-right’ leaders are weaponizing the holiday by emphasizing its Christian origins amid secular pressures and immigration debates.

The article spotlights Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and others for framing Christmas as a “marker of Christian civilization” being under threat. It accuses far-right parties in Italy, France, Spain, and Germany of repurposing seasonal cheer into a culture war tool, positioning themselves against a “hostile, secular left.”

Roberts highlights Meloni’s defense of traditions, quoting her past remarks: “How can my culture offend you?” in reference to nativity scenes in public spaces. The piece notes Brothers of Italy’s lavish Christmas festival, complete with Santa and ice-skating, as a “spectacle” to rally supporters.

So called ‘experts’ like University of Surrey professor Daniele Albertazzi are cited, explaining how post-2010 Islamic terror attacks shifted the radical right to embrace “cultural Christianity” as an identity marker against perceived threats.

The piece notes how in Germany, the AfD warns of Christmas markets losing their “German character,” while in Italy, right-wing figures attack schools for scrubbing religious references from songs. Brothers of Italy MP Marta Schifone is quoted: “For us, traditions represent our roots, who we are, who we have been, and the history that made us what we are today. Those roots must be celebrated and absolutely defended.”

Politico claims those on the right are not really religious, but use Christianity as “civilizational shorthand” to draw boundaries, framing it as manipulative, while glossing over leftist efforts to neuter Christmas with “holiday season” jargon for “inclusivity.”

Online, the backlash was swift and savage, with users dismantling the premise that acknowledging Christmas’s Christian roots is some radical act.

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