refinersfiremusic

A reminder about the most important minute in American culture (prove me wrong)

Footage of an Iranian ballistic missile fragment hitting the old city of Jerusalem, falling roughly 400 yards from the Western Wall and Al-Aqsa.

@waynehhsiung THANK YOU

It's all very abstract until you look at one. Just one. And imagine what she's going through after 7 years in this cage. This is why we had to break them out.

@MHenkem @JeremyTate41 Yes. But maybe it we should think of it as "German-speaking", the Czechs are a bit sensitive about this, and it really wasn't "German-speaking" either since most of the instruction was in Latin. It's tricky.

@refinersfiremu1 @JeremyTate41 As an aside, Prague is home to the oldest German university.

Old Europe was beautiful because old Europe was Christian.

21 years ago, they starved Terri Schaivo to death. Her brother Bobby Schindler reflects on the terrible anniversary: Every year on March 31, I honor my sister, Terri Schiavo, and reflect on how our nation treats its most medically vulnerable citizens. Terri’s story is not just a family tragedy; it’s a warning about what happens when the sanctity of life is eroded, and convenience replaces compassion. Terri was just 26 years old in 1990 when she suddenly collapsed at home with her husband, Michael Schiavo, for reasons that remain unknown. Although Terri sustained a severe brain injury, she was never dying. She had no terminal illness, was not on life-support machines, and was not ‘brain dead.’ With basic care, including a feeding tube necessitated by her swallowing difficulties, Terri could have lived a normal lifespan. However, after just two years, Michael lost interest in caring for his cognitively disabled wife after he began cohabiting with another woman. As Terri’s legal guardian, he subsequently petitioned the courts to remove her food and water. On March 18, 2005, following an extended legal process lasting more than a decade, Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge George W. Greer authorized the removal of Terri’s feeding tube. After almost two weeks without food or water, Terri died from severe dehydration. On this sad anniversary of Terri’s death, I am left asking whether we are still a nation that respects every life. Have we become so numb that we now measure a person’s worth solely by productivity and convenience?

I had to check, because I didn't know for sure. Federal properties do not pay property tax and state buildings, within the state that owns the property, are also exempt from local property taxes. But maybe that's not what you meant. And employees of non-profits pay taxes. I still don't think there's any political will behind removing the tax exemption for all 501(c)(3) institutions. In any case, there does seem to be a lot of abuse in the system.

@refinersfiremu1 Minority opinion: Sales and property tax exemptions are the most inane form of favoritism in society. Non profits function as profiteering for employees. Religions are businesses. Everyone, including government, pays, and you remove all avenues for cheating

Populations change, cultures change, buildings change. Once one of the largest Protestant churches in New England, now the Islamic Center of Bridgeport.

@medicalgrower42 I'm so sorry to read this.

Today is an extra sad day. I'm being laid off from my job. I have worked in this Steel Foundry for 18 years.

OMG this is insane! A former CIA operative just admitted on camera that the US intentionally armed and relied on Al-Qaeda and ISIS in Syria just to serve Israel's geopolitical interests against Iran. They literally created the ISIS caliphate!

Art Deco Nationalism / [buffalo city hall]

@Hero_OfThe_Day Stick with junior high and high school basketball, seats are cheaper and the games better.

What a JOKE. Between the flopping, the travels, and ego’s— THIS is why a lot of people have stopped watching the NBA 🔥🔥 How many steps did Shai Gilgeous Alexander get away with on this travel??

Congress has a responsibility to ensure emerging technologies do not compromise the accuracy, security, or integrity of our judicial system. I joined @SenatorWicker and @SenPeterWelch in introducing the Research and Oversight of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Courts Act. As an attorney for over three decades, I know the importance of precision and accuracy in our legal system.

@kenshii_ai I hope they win and bankrupt OpenAI. Completely bankrupt it. Treat it like Carthage. Destroy it. Then salt the earth.

Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam Webster have just sued Sam Altmans OpenAI. These legendary publishers accuse OpenAI of stealing nearly 100000 copyrighted articles and dictionary entries to train ChatGPT. The AI now copies their content freely while crushing their website traffic and revenue that built centuries of real knowledge. This is not innovation or progress. This is blatant industrial scale theft from the guardians of human knowledge. Sam Altman preaches ethics and safety while building his empire on plagiarism and lies. The lawsuits are only getting started.

@JoshPhillipsPhD IMO, very few faculty members of liberal arts units in a university could give a coherent definition of what a "liberal arts education" would be.

The Liberal Arts are the core of the university. Both left and right have failed in this regard. "The humanities have been converted into vehicles for leftist activism...chilled by fear and subordinated to whatever ideological fad happens to dominate the moment. The right has sought a utilitarian answer that sees the liberally educated generalist as a luxury; a vision of American education begins and ends with workforce alignment." mindingthecampus.org/2026/03/19/lib…

Microsoft was founded in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1975 by two Americans. In 2025 they laid off more than 15,000 American workers. The same year the DOL certified 14,181 H-1B positions for Microsoft. Microsoft ranked third in the entire country for H-1B applications. Microsoft says most were "renewals." Renewing 14,181 foreign worker positions while laying off 15,000 Americans. From 2021 to 2024 Microsoft filed more than 5 H-1B requests for every 1 net new American job created. And while Americans were losing their jobs, Microsoft committed over $20 billion to cloud and AI infrastructure in India. $3 billion in January 2025. $17.5 billion more in December 2025. Satya Nadella met personally with India's Prime Minister to announce the investment.

🚨HOLY CRAP!!! The Houston TSA line has now stretched to a mind-blowing 150 minute-wait-time and has snaked around the airport, down an escalator and into BAGGAGE CLAIM!!! THIS IS INSANE!!!!

Earlier this week there was major controversy over an 800-acre data center project in Joliet, Illinois—the City Council has approved it. It will sit on an already dried-up aquifer that Joliet plans to replace with water from Lake Michigan—all while consuming 1.8 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power Chicago. The self-proclaimed Democrat environmentalists claim to protect the middle and lower class from rising utility costs—yet projects like this keep happening. 😵‍💫

@mattvanswol The community note is disingenuous at best and reasonably can be seen as purposefully deceitful. The problem with the governor's proclamation is the final statement where he urges ALL residents to observe Ramadan. This community "note" is community "disinformation."

I rarely come out against community notes, but the one current on this post is insane. Trump has NEVER ONCE commended Ramadan’s observance to ALL residents. I have every right to say it’s insane for my governor to do this without community notes being weaponized like this.

Well… it’s true. Democrat North Carolina Governor, Josh Stein, has formally recognized Ramadan in the state for February 17 – March 19, 2026. The declaration states Ramadan is to be: “commended in its observance to ALL residents…” This is absolutely insane…

@dagodubnos GREAT chapter about this in this book, which I can not over recommend. It's WONDERFUL amazon.com/First-Nights-F…

"The Premiere of the Ninth Symphony" - Lithograph by Carl Offterdinger, 1879 Theater am Kärntnertor, Vienna, 7 May 1824 Michael Umlauf conducting, behind him Beethoven

The owner of French Laundry has successfully halted a large affordable housing project that was planned near the Michelin-starred restaurant in Napa Valley.

@ImtiazMadmood Don't people realize that Christians do this every time they recite the Creed?

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says anyone who insults Islam will be imprisoned: “There is no place among us for those who insult religions...and anyone who insults the Prophet Muhammad or the Islamic religion will face a prison sentence of five years.” Pure insanity.