Stop the Idiocracy

Monday, July 13, 2026

Between the dragon and the sun

A fantasy illustration shows a blonde woman reclining on richly patterned drapery, wearing a flowing translucent gown with gold embellishments. She gazes confidently towards the viewer while seated amid a surreal landscape. Behind her, smoking industrial towers and flames contrast with crystalline cities, floating islands, waterfalls, wind turbines, and solar panels suspended in the sky. Luminous dragon-like forms drift through the clouds as a spiral of golden light ascends heavenward. The image juxtaposes industry, environmental change, technology, and utopian possibility within a vividly coloured dreamlike setting.

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Energy prices soar, led by a seventeen-year high in the cost of natural gas. {Bloomberg 13 July}

https://finance.yahoo.com/energy/articles/us-cost-gas-power-17-110000139.html

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The burden of false guardians

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White Christianity having been thoroughly hijacked by #MAGA, a remnant of pastors with a conscience run in Democratic primaries. {AFP 13 July}

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/democratic-pastors-run-reclaim-jesus-013012065.html

Godspeed to these individuals, but they have a very long and steep hill to climb if they believe American Christianity is going to be reformed any time soon. Indeed, they may even be placing themselves in genuine physical and legal danger. The seeds were planted long ago; now, so to speak, the harvest is underway.

Many within the younger generations are being indoctrinated into Christian Nationalism, and informed by violent anti-Semites and misogynists such as Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes. When the youngest members of that movement eventually come to power in force, they may unleash waves of repression across this country — and beyond — that are scarcely imaginable to the average Western citizen today. The Democratic Party should have confronted the political and cultural right's successful hijacking of Christianity and patriotism decades ago. To attempt to reverse the process now is too little and far too late for a party that is itself, in all likelihood, headed for the ash heap of history.

Furthermore, I am no longer entirely certain that Jesus is opposed to any of this. Perhaps He is simply allowing these travesties to unfold as judgement upon an empire — not so much a nation as an empire — of hypocrites, sinners, and liars. I am almost certain that He hath forsaken this polyglot realm of the former United States (still known as such in name, of course), and entirely certain that He hath hated me from the day of my birth. As a nation, at least — I shall deal with my own spiritual house, thank you — seeking His favour at this point seems a futile endeavour.

In other words, America increasingly appears a lost cause, and I believe it is so. And if so many people genuinely desire their Christian Nationalist utopia, then perhaps we ought to carve out a large swathe of this empire — a substantial portion of the South and Midwest, sacrifices notwithstanding — and allow them to build it in earnest, no more ‘woke’ folk to get in the way. Raise a wall around and keep their citizens the hell out of everybody else’s lands. As someone living in Massachusetts, I have no desire to be governed by such people, nor to watch them continue to poison the well for the rest of us.

Again, though, good on these pastors for trying. If I lived in any of those states, I would not hesitate to give them my vote — even in vain. After all, it seems to me there have been many times through the years I have voted for candidates and ballot questions that I knew were going to lose, so do not mistake my cynicism for lack of approval… perhaps there is even some mild enthusiasm here.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Summer beyond the window

A highly detailed illustration depicts a glamorous blonde woman resting inside a vintage iron lung in a rustic ranch-house bedroom. Only her head and neck emerge from the polished metal cylinder, which stretches across most of the room and is fitted with gauges, portholes, valves, and mechanical components. Her hair is styled in elegant mid-century curls, and she gazes upward with a calm, reflective expression while resting on a white pillow. The warmly lit room features wooden panelling, framed photographs, a bedside lamp, a saddle draped over a chair, and a view of open countryside through the window. The contrast between the sophisticated portraiture and the imposing medical device creates a poignant atmosphere, evoking themes of resilience, isolation, and life sustained through technology.

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The last American polio patient to still rely on an iron lung device hath died, aged 78. {AP 12 July}

https://apnews.com/article/iron-lung-last-patient-died-polio-41e5b4da4f4e710344dd0872d7fcf987

FTA: Polio was once one of the nation’s most feared diseases, with annual outbreaks causing thousands of cases of paralysis. The disease primarily affects children.

Vaccines became available starting in 1955. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a national vaccination campaign cut the annual number of U.S. cases to fewer than 100 in the 1960s and fewer than 10 in the 1970s. In 1979, polio was declared eliminated in the U.S., meaning it was no longer routinely spread.

If Americans had thought in the 1950s the way so many do today — and if public-health policy had been dictated by the likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — the widespread adoption of Jonas Salk's vaccine would never have been possible. There would be far more individuals like Martha Lillard in the world (albeit most would not live anywhere near as long), and the polio virus would likely remain a scourge upon the planet.

Martha Lillard was told not to expect to live beyond the age of twenty, and the fact that she reached seventy-eight is undoubtedly a testament to the human will to live. I would have thrown in the towel decades ago, so she hath my deepest respect.

Fare thee well.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Sen. Lindsey Graham hath passed, aged 71

A formal portrait of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham smiling outdoors in bright daylight. He wears a dark navy suit, light blue dress shirt, and burgundy tie, with a small lapel pin combining the flags of the United States and Ukraine. His white hair is lightly tousled by the wind, and he faces the camera with a relaxed, approachable expression. The background is softly blurred, showing indistinct industrial or maritime structures that provide context without distracting from the subject. Natural sunlight illuminates his face and clothing, creating a clear, candid image typical of contemporary political and news photography.

Reuters

Would not have to explain myself to John McCain, and am thinking suicide. RIP all the same: Sen. Lindsey Graham is dead. {Washington Post 12 July; photo: Reuters}

https://wapo.st/4f6QMNV

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Saturday, July 11, 2026

The lady of the Black Sea

A highly detailed fantasy illustration depicts a blonde warrior princess standing atop a rocky cliff overlooking a turbulent coastal landscape. Dressed in richly embroidered Slavic-inspired garments with an ornate blue-and-crimson cloak, decorated belt, jewellery, and leather boots, she raises an elaborate sword high above her head in a gesture of defiance and resolve. Her long hair streams dramatically in the wind as she gazes towards the horizon with determination. Below her, a rugged shoreline stretches beside dark waters, while damaged infrastructure, smoke plumes, and signs of conflict scar the distant landscape. Overhead, Saturn hangs prominently in a cloud-filled twilight sky, its rings glowing against the fading light. The composition combines heroic symbolism, folklore-inspired costume design, and epic environmental detail to create a powerful image of courage, resistance, and perseverance in the face of adversity.

generated via ChatGPT

Inside Ukraine’s campaign to cut off Crimea by air, land, and sea. {The Telegraph 11 July}

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/261ace880b5d185a

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The trial of public service

A dramatic, cinematic illustration depicts a dark-haired woman seated in a wooden chair within a dimly lit office strewn with papers and abandoned desks. She wears a white blouse and dark skirt, while thin wires attached to her wrists, arms, and legs connect her to a nearby polygraph machine. Leaning back in apparent exhaustion and emotional strain, she gazes upward with tears visible on her face, conveying anxiety, defiance, and inner turmoil. The room is illuminated by warm, low lighting that reflects across the polished floor and scattered documents. Through the large windows behind her, an immense image of Saturn dominates the star-filled night sky. The contrast between the intimate human drama, the interrogation equipment, and the vast cosmic backdrop creates an atmosphere of scrutiny, isolation, and psychological pressure.

generated via ChatGPT

Homeland Security overhaul has traumatised staff and migrants alike — did the Stasi ever treat its own people this poorly? #Murica {The Guardian 11 July}

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/11/inside-homeland-security-campaign-of-fear

To put this in layman's terms: really f**king scary stuff, straight out of the world of dictatorships and hellholes on earth. If Homeland Security — at least under this regime, though many problems existed under previous administrations as well — cannot be trusted to treat its own people with respect and dignity, then it cannot be trusted to treat others with either, nor can it be trusted to keep the American public safe from genuine threats.

Running government agencies on fear and propaganda is driving competent and humane people out across the board, and rebuilding all of this — if, not when, these lunatics are finally removed from power — is going to be a gargantuan undertaking. And one that the former United States may not be able to fully afford.

Some agencies and institutions may never completely recover. Others may never recover at all. Millions of lives ruined.

What y'all voted for.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

A mortgage, not a miracle

A bright, cheerful illustration shows a red-haired woman seated barefoot on the wooden front steps of a tidy suburban home. Her vivid hair is styled in playful pigtails tied with red ribbons, and she wears a short white summer dress with a distinctive red Peter Pan collar. Smiling warmly towards the viewer, she holds a glossy red lollipop in one hand while a light breeze lifts strands of her hair and the hem of her dress. Behind her stands a well-kept two-storey house with white siding, dark shutters, flower boxes filled with colourful blooms, and a neatly maintained lawn. Bathed in soft daylight, the scene conveys optimism, comfort, homeownership, and an idealised vision of suburban prosperity.

generated by Meta

Bipartisan housing bill becomes law without the president's signature; Trump dismisses housing affordability for American families as 'so unimportant' while continuing his hissy fit over the stalled SAVE America Act. {AP 11 July}

https://apnews.com/article/trump-housing-bill-77ec340dcdd676c46c458813b461b1af

Rigging elections in his own favour and that of his party, under the thin pretence of combating largely nonexistent voter fraud, hath been openly declared by this man to be more pressing than helping Americans purchase homes. The alleged epidemic of voter fraud was thoroughly debunked in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, yet that hath neither stopped him from repeating the lie nor dissuaded his supporters from believing it.

And this bipartisan legislation is probably not even a bandage upon the gaping wound that is housing unaffordability in today's #Murica. It is better than nothing, certainly, but even that appears to be a step too far for a president determined to have the entire world — and every person's very psyche — orbit around himself.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The wrath of the red moon

A richly detailed fantasy illustration portrays a powerful sorceress standing at the centre of an opulent Persian-inspired palace hall. She wears flowing crimson robes embroidered with gold, layered jewellery, and an ornate jeweled headdress, while strands of glowing red magical energy spiral from her outstretched hand. Her dark hair cascades around her shoulders and her intense gaze dominates the composition. Surrounding her are lavish carpets, silk cushions, gilded lanterns, carved marble columns, intricate tilework, and jewel-toned draperies rendered in extraordinary detail. In the background, two elegantly dressed women recline together upon cushions, providing a quiet contrast to the central figure’s commanding presence. Warm lantern light, rich crimson and gold hues, and elaborate decorative motifs create an atmosphere of luxury, mysticism, and regal authority.

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Khamenei Jr. vows to avenge his father’s death, crude oil prices soar again, while the White House seeks an agreement to free up the Strait of Hormuz that is never going to be adhered to. What a bloody mess. {Reuters 11 July}

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/us-seeks-iranian-pledge-to-free-up-strait-of-hormuz/

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Friday, July 10, 2026

Pennsylvania Avenue prisoner

A symbolic illustration depicts a distressed Lady Liberty standing in chains before a tall metal security fence surrounding the White House at night. Wearing a torn classical robe and the iconic spiked crown, she grips the bars while heavy shackles bind her wrists and ankles. Tears streak her face and her expression conveys sorrow, helplessness, and confinement. The illuminated White House stands behind the fence, framed by security barriers and lamplit grounds. Above the scene, an enormous image of Saturn dominates the dark sky, its rings stretching across the horizon. Dramatic lighting highlights the contrast between the glowing presidential residence, the cold steel bars, and the chained figure, creating an allegory of liberty restrained by power and security.

generated via ChatGPT

The actions of one fancying never leaving office: Trump regime considering permanent fencing near White House and Lafayette Square. {CBS News 10 July}

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/white-house-considering-plan-to-add-fencing-nearby-to-bolster-security/

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The woman who said no

A formal portrait of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum standing in an ornate government office. She wears a cream-coloured dress with embroidered details on the sleeves and a presidential sash in the colours of the Mexican flag, featuring the national coat of arms. Her hands are clasped before her as she gazes slightly to one side with a composed expression. Behind her are dark wooden bookcases filled with books, carved architectural details, and a Mexican flag positioned beside a large desk. Warm lighting highlights the rich wood panelling and ceremonial atmosphere, conveying authority, dignity, and the formality of high office.

World Economic Forum

Sheinbaum vows legal action against the former United States after a Mexican national is killed in Houston by ICE agents. {click2houston 10 July}

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2026/07/08/mexican-president-vows-legal-action-against-us-after-ices-shooting-death-of-lorenzo-salgado-araujo-in-houston/

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The plunder of Eden

$A dramatic allegorical illustration depicts a distressed Lady Liberty standing upon a fractured stone pedestal. Her pale hair streams in the wind, her torch raised as numerous hands reach from all sides, clutching her robes and pulling at her body while she struggles to remain upright. Her torn garments and anguished expression suggest vulnerability, conflict, and the erosion of cherished ideals. Behind her, Saturn looms immense in a dark cosmic sky. Below, the Earth appears scarred by environmental devastation, with vast open-pit mines, drilling rigs, polluted waterways, dying wildlife, barren forests, and cracked landscapes. The composition symbolically links threats to liberty, exploitation, and ecological destruction.$

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A crime against nature: the Trump regime moves to undo regulations that have protected endangered species for fifty years. {NYT 10 July}

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/climate/endangered-species-act-harm.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wlA.sROY.QiZOjeuzP9GG&smid=url-share

Some of the regulations currently in place may indeed be overly burdensome, and there was a time when I would have argued that certain revisions to the Endangered Species Act were warranted. Now, however, I am older and under no such illusions. The veil hath been lifted: human beings — particularly those motivated by profit — simply cannot be trusted. Private industry, despite its frequent proclamations to the contrary, cannot be relied upon to serve as a good steward of either the environment or the natural world.

Donald Trump and the individuals who comprise his dictatorial government cannot be trusted to protect nature. Indeed, many of them have repeatedly demonstrated all the qualities of cartoon villains and would probably relish the destruction of habitats and the extinction of entire species. Therefore, even if some regulations are overly burdensome, I am afraid they remain necessary for so long as human beings are fallen and sinful creatures.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Echoes of 2008

A dramatic, highly detailed illustration depicts two women outside a neglected suburban house under a turbulent, storm-darkened sky. In the foreground, a distressed blonde woman wearing a blue gingham dress kneels upon cracked pavement amid overgrown weeds and signs of decay. Tears stream down her face as she looks upward in anguish, her posture conveying desperation and vulnerability. Towering above her stands a dark-haired woman in a fitted navy business dress and high heels. With one hand on her hip and the other pointing sternly downward, she projects authority, judgement, and control. The weathered house behind them appears abandoned or in severe disrepair, reinforcing themes of financial hardship and personal crisis. Strong contrasts of light and shadow heighten the emotional tension, creating a visual allegory of foreclosure, powerlessness, and economic displacement.

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Foreclosure rate at seven-year high in former US, driven mainly by Trumpvilles in South and Midwest. {MortgagePoint 7 July}

https://themortgagepoint.com/2026/07/07/foreclosures-reach-7-year-high-as-affordability-remains-a-challenge/

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Among the faithful dead in the last refuge of civilisation

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Literacy crisis: Americans today are outright refusing to read; gambling now more common than books in the former US. {Rose Horowitch, The Atlantic 8 July}

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/?gift=9FZn7jkTomfZUUZKAohjmj-cCDVI01zjt7XQQzsljuM&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

A new Dark Ages is taking shape, and that is not hyperbole but probably an understatement. Consider this anecdote, FTA:

Adult-literacy scores have also dropped: Nearly 30 percent of American adults cannot paraphrase or make inferences from a multipage text. In 2017, that number was less than 20 percent.

That is a staggering decline in less than a decade. Nine years is not even a blip in the course of modern civilisation. The figure is so extraordinary that I can scarcely wrap my mind around it, so I shall not attempt to do so any further at the moment.

The scariest part of the decline in reading for pleasure is that it is being witnessed across all demographics. The youngest generations are the least inclined to read and the most tech-addled, as one might expect, but only an estimated 38 per cent of Americans read a novel last year. Is it any coincidence that this is occurring at the same time anti-intellectualism is running amok and a narcissistic clown has returned to the White House after failing spectacularly the first time around?

Decades of vapid popular culture, political gaslighting that convinced people to oppose their own interests, and immersion in technologies designed to fragment attention have combined to produce a society that no longer practises critical thinking. A kind of mass zombification is underway, and I want out of this timeline and away from everyone in it. It is not the sort of life I wish to live, nor the sort of society in which I wish to live. #Murica.

FTA: Reading books is a workout for the attention span. The more you read, the easier it is to read, and the more you’re rewarded with new understanding. Eventually the process is more pleasurable than it is challenging. But as with physical exercise, the converse is true as well: The less you read, the more difficult it is to read, and the rockier the path to acquiring knowledge.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The threat heard round the living room: business as usual in Madrid

A richly detailed illustration depicts a warmly lit Spanish-inspired sitting room filled with colourful ceramics, wrought-iron décor, patterned textiles, and candlelight. At the centre, a dark-haired woman stands laughing and gesturing playfully while wearing an oversized red Spanish national football team jersey. Behind her, a television broadcasts a political meeting featuring a prominent American political figure seated at a conference table. A Spanish flag hangs above the television, while framed portraits and decorative tiles reinforce the Iberian setting. On a sofa nearby, a blonde woman in a white satin chemise lies asleep among embroidered cushions, seemingly oblivious to the scene. Through an arched doorway, illuminated domes and towers rise against the night sky. The composition juxtaposes domestic comfort, humour, politics, and national identity within an opulent Mediterranean atmosphere.

generated via ChatGPT

Trump lashes out at Spain during NATO summit and threatens trade relations (never mind that US–Spanish trade is conducted through the EU, as is the case for all EU member states); PM Sánchez's office responds with a shrug: ‘Business as usual’. {The Hill, 8 July}

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5958540-donald-trump-us-spain-trade/

What is with Donald Trump's obsession with how much individual NATO member states contribute? The (now-former) United States hath always been the alliance's largest and most powerful member, and from those who have much, much is expected, as the old proverb goes. America contributes the most because it possesses the most to give militarily, and by a considerable margin — though how long that remains true once this regime finishes decimating the Pentagon and Armed Services remains to be seen.

Prior to Trump, it was scarcely controversial that the US served as NATO's lynchpin, precisely because small European states lack the resources to defend themselves alone against the alliance's principal adversary: Mother Russia. And there lies the answer to why Trump works so relentlessly to undermine NATO. This is not rocket science, yet many refuse to say it aloud, dismiss those who do as conspiracy theorists, or simply cannot bring themselves to believe it. After all this time, the possibility remains unthinkable to them: that he is Putin's puppet (or the puppet of any number of foreign and domestic adversaries) and is actively working to weaken the United States from within.

The signs have been there for a decade — from the 2016 election, Cambridge Analytica, and the propaganda mills of St Petersburg, to the investigation conducted by Robert Mueller (RIP). Have we forgotten already? Apparently so, for here we are in bloody 2026, still cursed with this unholy bastard dominating our national life, the entire country revolving around his fragile ego while the self-proclaimed tough guys around us deride anyone who objects as a ‘snowflake’ or worse, and ninety per cent of the Christians tell us Jesus will send us to pits of Hades if we reject him.

As stated, however, once the Trump regime finishes dismantling America's armed forces, this endless argument over who is paying enough in global defence and who is not will become entirely moot.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

No one thought the fire would reach them

A dramatic fantasy illustration depicts a red-haired woman running through a devastated industrial landscape dominated by burning oil-refinery infrastructure. Her traditional folk-inspired dress, decorated with floral embroidery, is torn, mud-stained, and blackened by soot. Wind-whipped hair frames a frightened, exhausted expression as she flees across a debris-strewn roadway reflecting the orange glow of surrounding fires. Towering refinery columns and processing towers erupt in flames behind her, sending immense plumes of black smoke into a turbulent sky. Fire engines, emergency vehicles, and rescue personnel are scattered throughout the chaotic scene, while twisted wreckage and shattered equipment litter the foreground. Above the inferno looms an enormous, symbolic image of Saturn, its rings spanning the sky. The composition combines disaster imagery, mythic symbolism, and human vulnerability, creating an atmosphere of urgency, destruction, and apocalyptic grandeur.

generated via ChatGPT

Ukraine drone strike halts Russia's largest Omsk refinery, hitting key fuel producer and worsening shortages. {Kyiv Post 8 July}

https://www.kyivpost.com/post/79829

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The lovers of Kalocsa

A romantic fantasy illustration depicts two young women standing together in a flower-filled garden inspired by Hungarian folk traditions during the golden light of sunset. They wear ornate embroidered dresses featuring vivid floral motifs, lace trim, ribbons, decorative jewellery, and matching high-heeled shoes. Their attire incorporates stylised folk elements with shorter skirts, embroidered stockings, and garter-like embellishments that showcase intricate craftsmanship and colourful patterns. Framed by a carved wooden gate painted with traditional floral designs, the women gaze affectionately into one another’s eyes while standing amid blooming roses and flowering plants. Behind them, an elaborately decorated pavilion overlooks a picturesque countryside village crowned by a distant church spire. Warm amber sunlight bathes the scene, emphasising themes of romance, beauty, folk heritage, and idyllic rural enchantment.

generated via ChatGPT

Hungary halts public news broadcasts to scrap Orbán-era propaganda, promising independent and trustworthy media. {BBC 7 July}

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgevwq1pndgo

“Public media should not lie. We are sorry for doing it for so long.” Words we shall never hear from any American broadcaster.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Mistresses of the chokepoint

A richly detailed fantasy illustration portrays four elegantly attired women within an opulent Persian-inspired palace chamber illuminated by lanterns, candles, and golden ambient light. Intricate jewellery, embroidered silks, ornate carpets, and gilded furnishings create an atmosphere of extraordinary luxury. At the centre, a regal woman reclines upon cushions while attendants adjust her adornments, offer refreshments, and fan her with peacock feathers. Beyond a grand arched opening and an enormous gilded mirror, a narrow maritime waterway is crowded with tankers, warships, patrol craft, and helicopters. Fires burn along distant shorelines, while columns of smoke rise beneath a crescent moon, suggesting a region engulfed by conflict. The composition juxtaposes courtly splendour, wealth, and refinement against the ominous spectacle of war unfolding beyond the palace walls.

generated via ChatGPT

Crude oil prices begin to rise once more with the renewal of combat in the Strait of Hormuz. {MarketWatch 7 July}

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-rise-as-the-u-s-cancels-irans-license-to-sell-oil-030635fc

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The long night of Hormuz

A lavish fantasy illustration depicts six elegantly dressed women gathered within an opulent Persian-inspired pavilion overlooking a nighttime waterfront cityscape. Richly coloured silks in sapphire, emerald, crimson, gold, and violet cascade across carpets, cushions, and marble terraces illuminated by lanterns and candlelight. Intricate arches, gilded ornamentation, and elaborate mosaics frame the scene. Several women study a large map spread across a low table while others gaze anxiously towards the horizon. Beyond the pavilion, a modern skyline dominated by a towering skyscraper rises across a narrow strait crowded with warships, tankers, and patrol vessels. Fires burn along distant shorelines, columns of smoke ascend into the night sky, and a helicopter sweeps the water with a searchlight. The composition contrasts luxury, culture, and civilisation with the ominous spectre of geopolitical crisis and approaching conflict.

generated via ChatGPT

Trumpistan and Iran fire at each other again in the Strait of Hormuz: another failed ceasefire (and how many is this now?) {AP 7 July}

https://whdh.com/news/us-launches-new-strikes-against-iran-after-three-ships-were-hit-in-strait-of-hormuz/

When is anyone ever going to get it? The Iranians are never going to abide by the terms of a peace deal. America hath two options, and neither is good: either withdraw completely from the region, thereby leaving Israel and the Gulf states vulnerable while further emboldening powers such as Russia and China; or commit to a full-scale war aimed at the all-out, genuine (meaning not half-assed) destruction of the Islamic Republic, risking World War III. The global economy hath already taken a major hit, and gas prices are not going down, are they? What a bloody mess — one that is going to take decades to recover from, assuming recovery is even possible.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

No favour could save them

Two dejected footballers in dark navy USA kit stand consoling each other after a match. The player wearing number 13, with blond hair tied back, covers his face with his hand in visible distress, while the player wearing number 14, with curly brown hair, has his arm around his teammate's shoulders and gazes off to the side with a sombre expression, holding a small towel in his other hand. Both wear a "2026" FIFA World Cup patch on their sleeves. The blurred background shows a stadium advertising hoarding and spectators

Getty Images

Trump, always quick to boast and even quicker to complain, is curiously silent after the former US is drubbed out of the World Cup, despite having first been granted a special favour at his insistence and with the acquiescence of FIFA boss Infantino. {The Sun 7 July}

https://www.the-sun.com/sport/16649921/trump-ignores-usas-world-cup-hammering/

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Where mercy met exhaustion

Surreal apocalyptic illustration of an Ebola outbreak response. In the foreground, three exhausted aid workers in yellow hazmat suits sit on crates outside canvas tents, bound together at the wrists by a glowing blue chain, with paperwork scattered on the muddy ground before them. Beyond a chain-link fence, a crowd of onlookers presses forward, some with fists raised. In the middle distance, a row of makeshift shelters burns near a body of water, with a small abandoned doll lying on cracked earth nearby. Above, a ghostly procession of shadowy human silhouettes falls from a vast dark, cracked, ringed planet looming in a stormy red-and-black sky, rain falling throughout the scene.

generated via Gemini

Africa: Ebola deaths top 500. {AP 6 July}

https://apnews.com/article/congo-ebola-health-workers-strike-deaths-ituri-1831766b125395f48ff626fbf664fb36

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Monday, July 6, 2026

Waiting for new horizons

A polished, cinematic illustration depicts a young Air Canada flight attendant seated beside a vast airport terminal window overlooking a rain-swept apron. Dressed in a tailored dark uniform with matching cap, white gloves, and aviation insignia, she holds a clipboard while gazing thoughtfully across the tarmac. Her dark bobbed hair, carefully applied make-up, and composed posture evoke the elegance of mid-century airline advertising. Beyond the glass, an Air Canada aircraft waits at the gate beneath a heavy overcast sky, with service vehicles and terminal structures reflected upon the wet pavement. An air traffic control tower rises in the distance. In the foreground, a leather flight bag, folded coat, and coffee cup bearing a maple-leaf emblem reinforce the Canadian setting. The subdued lighting and muted palette create an atmosphere of professionalism, anticipation, and quiet reflection amid the rhythms of modern air travel.

generated via ChatGPT

Air Canada cuts more US flights amid high jet fuel costs and falling Canadian demand for travel. {Canadian Press 6 July}

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/air-canada-halts-some-us-routes-9.7260269

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Their fortune, her prison

$A detailed dystopian cyberpunk illustration of a rain-soaked futuristic city dominated by a colossal fractured Saturn looming in the night sky, its crimson rings casting ominous light across skyscrapers. Foreground, two imposing men in dark suits stand atop a sleek black supercar. One gripeth a steering wheel; the other manipulateth glowing puppet strings descending into the city. Shattered holographic panels with distressed human silhouettes float about—confinement and exploitation. Chains of metallic pound symbols snake through the composition. Neon-lit buildings display currency signs; monumental structures evoke courtrooms and prisons. Police lights reflect on wet streets crowded with spectators. A dark allegory of wealth, power, surveillance, and social control—vivid purples, crimson, harsh neon.$

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The notorious Tate brothers — celebrated by young men all over the world, but especially in Trump’s #Murica — ‘made more than £1m from prostituting a teenager through their webcam sex business’. {The Telegraph 6 July}

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/06/tate-brothers-made-1m-from-teenage-sex-trafficking-victim/

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Liberty’s fall on the rocky cliffs of Maine

A dramatic allegorical illustration unfolds upon a storm-battered rocky coastline. At the centre stands a distressed female embodiment of Lady Liberty, her tarnished crown askew and her weathered green robes torn and windswept by the sea. Tears glisten upon her face as she reaches imploringly towards a rugged man standing before her at the water’s edge. Her expression conveys desperation, heartbreak, and uncertainty. An extinguished torch lies abandoned among the wet rocks in the foreground, symbolising lost confidence or weakened ideals. Behind Liberty, atop a rocky outcrop, a stern blonde woman in a dark business suit observes the confrontation with folded arms. Powerful waves crash against the shore beneath a sky filled with heavy clouds and fading sunlight. The composition combines political symbolism with emotional drama, presenting a vision of liberty in crisis, caught between competing forces amid a landscape of turmoil and foreboding change.

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Maine Democratic Party calls on Graham Platner to drop out of US Senate race after sexual assault allegations emerge. {Maine Morning Star 6 July}

https://mainemorningstar.com/2026/07/06/democrats-are-calling-on-platner-to-drop-after-latest-allegations/

Do not be so confident the Democratic Party is going to win anything in November. Between backing a clearly unstable and dangerous candidate in Platner, candidates moving further left and alienating a centre-right nation, and successful GOP gerrymandering efforts in key states, it is not looking as though the GOP becoming nothing more than a personality cult — a gaggle of sycophants to Trump — is going to dissuade average voters from leaning Republican, because the alternative is just that much worse to them. I do not personally believe the Democrats are worse — not after ten years of Republicans making fools of themselves, appeasing Trump and his white trash voter base, and adopting neo-fascism as their guiding ideology — but are they any good? They stabbed President Joe Biden in the back, and in doing so allowed Donald Trump to return to office, and these are the consequences of such treachery. The Republicans are clearly aiming toward an eventual one-party state, and the Democrats just keep shooting themselves in the foot. A viable centrist third party should have come along about a decade ago, but it is too late. Into the abyss we go.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

Where the grid ends and fate begins

A richly detailed illustration depicts a weary young woman seated on the floor of a dilapidated room during a tropical night. Her dark hair hangs damp against her face and shoulders, while perspiration and tears glisten upon her skin. Dressed in a simple floral slip, she leans against a cracked, peeling wall with an expression of exhaustion, sorrow, and quiet endurance. A single candle burns upon a small table beside her, casting warm golden light across worn furnishings, rough plaster, and a tiled floor. Through an open window, palm trees and low rooftops are silhouetted beneath a star-filled Caribbean sky. Dominating the heavens is the ringed planet Saturn, rendered as a surreal symbolic presence above drifting clouds. The contrast between the candlelit interior and the vast celestial scene beyond creates a mood of loneliness, resilience, and contemplative melancholy amid hardship and uncertainty.

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The entirety of the island nation of Cuba was, again, left without electricity on Monday. {Reuters 6 July}

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cuba-island-wide-power-outage-9.7260307

Look into it, in many areas America is not quite so far ahead of Cuba in infrastructure upkeep, and the ageing grids that power this country are now being expected to take on far more stress with all the data centres opening up everywhere. It varies from region to region, and obviously we are vastly larger than Cuba — but that only means we shall fall harder. In the race to the bottom, we are not as far behind as we would love to believe.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈

The great #Murican pout at the World Cup

A warmly lit, nostalgic hospital-room illustration depicts a compassionate red-haired nurse attending to a young blonde woman recovering in bed. The nurse, dressed in a traditional white uniform and cap, gently places a cool cloth upon the patient’s forehead while resting her other hand reassuringly on the bedding. The patient reclines against crisp white pillows beneath neatly arranged sheets, gazing upward with an expression that combines fatigue, vulnerability, and gratitude. A red spotted rash is visible across her face, neck, shoulders, and upper chest, indicating illness. Sunlight filters through a nearby window, illuminating floral curtains, polished wooden furnishings, glass medicine bottles, and a vintage metal bed frame. Rich golden tones and careful period detail evoke a mid-twentieth-century atmosphere of attentive care, quiet dignity, and human compassion in the face of sickness.

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FIFA succumbs to Trump pressure, will allow suspended US star to play Monday night. {ESPN 6 July}

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49287344/fifa-reject-belgium-request-balogun-clear-play-belgium

FIFA's decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's automatic red-card ban after intervention from President Trump hath provoked outrage across the sporting world, with UEFA describing the move as ‘unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable’, whilst Belgian officials have questioned the integrity of the tournament itself.

How can anyone be blamed for being furious?

The issue is no longer whether Balogun deserved the red card. Reasonable people can disagree on that. The problem is the appearance that the host nation's star player was granted relief after the President of the United States personally sought a review from FIFA's leadership. Trump has publicly acknowledged contacting FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and FIFA subsequently lifted the suspension using a rarely-invoked disciplinary provision. Critics across Europe have argued that the decision creates the perception that one nation is playing by a different set of rules from everyone else — and I believe it is more than mere perception.

Should America somehow advance to the World Cup Final and lift the trophy — already unlikely, but even more so without Balogun — this controversy will not simply disappear and their win shall be tainted. An asterisk will forever be attached to that achievement. The Americans would be confronted by a question that no champion should ever have to answer: did they prevail because they were the best team, or because political influence succeeded where sporting merit alone could not? For a nation that once championed the rule of law and equal treatment — however imperfectly — that is a humiliating question even to have to answer.

I believe this country hath a collective humiliation kink now. No other way to explain bringing this corrupt tyrant back to office. One who hath continually humiliated America and its people on the world stage for years, and the people just spread 'em wider for him.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

🪐💔 #QueSeraSera 𓅨 🕈