Simon Taylor

Thought for the day

Jesus Christ man

2026: The year America finally completes its transformation into a strip mall vape store.

We are now at peak cringe in America: Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem dancing to Vanilla Ice on New Year's Eve at Mar-a-Lago reminds me of that time Joseph Goebbels danced alongside Eva Braun on New Year's Eve at the Berghof. 😂🤣👇

Even by NYT Middle East Desk standards, this is really bad. Not a new low, because that would be impossible at this point, but really bad.

Just hours after Caroline Kennedy’s daughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, tragically died, Donald Trump has launched a series of social media attacks against her family. RETWEET if you stand with @CarolineKennedy against these despicable attacks!

Israel to ban Doctors Without Borders, among other aid groups YNet News:

Six months ago, former Minnesota Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered by a right-wing extremist. RETWEET to honor her life of service 💙

🚨NEW: Legendary jazz saxophonist Billy Harper has cancelled his planned New Years Eve performance at the Kennedy Center: "I would never even consider performing in a venue bearing a name that represents overt racism" RETWEET if you stand with Harper against Trump!

CLEOPATRA | Cleopatra’s Theme Cleopatra, comin' at ya Straight outta Moss Side Manchester. Who remembers their debut single which reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart back in 1998? #Cleopatra

i want to read so many books but there are so many books

The math on this image is insane. New Horizons transmitted at 2,000 bits per second from 3 billion miles away. Slower than a 1990s dial-up modem. It took 16 months to download all the flyby data. The spacecraft had to hit a target box 100km wide, arriving within 150 seconds of schedule, after 9 years of flight. Miss it and the preloaded observation commands point at empty space. Ten days before arrival, the spacecraft crashed and went into safe mode. Engineers had 72 hours to restore everything. The probe is now 5 billion miles out, still whispering data back to Earth. We got 50 gigabits of Pluto photos using technology slower than your phone’s bluetooth.

🇳🇱 Netherlands: Arrived high, brought edibles for everyone, insists on splitting the bill exactly 🇧🇪 Belgium: Brought the best beer and chocolate, but arguing with himself in three languages 🇵🇹Portugal: Late but charming, singing fado songs sadly in the corner while everyone dances 🇬🇷Crashed the party uninvited, dancing wildly, owes everyone money from last time 🇮🇪Ireland: Started drinking at noon, telling epic stories, ends up crying about potatoes 🇩🇰Denmark: Hygge vibes, brought candles, quietly getting smashed on aquavit 🇫🇮Finland: Sitting silently in the corner with vodka, occasionally knife-throwing for fun 🇳🇴 Norway: Paid for half the party but complains it's too warm inside 🇦🇹Austria: Waltzing elegantly, brought schnapps, pretending not to be German 🇭🇺Hungary: Brought pálinka, challenging everyone to drinking games, gets intensely patriotic 🇨🇿Czechia: Quietly outdrinking everyone with endless beers, no hangover tomorrow 🇷🇴 Romania: Brought homemade țuică, telling vampire jokes, counts Dracula as a plus 🇧🇬Bulgaria: Nodding along to everything, brought rakia stronger than anyone's 🇭🇷Croatia: On the balcony smoking, bragging about the beautiful coast 🇷🇸Serbia: Grilling ćevapi in the kitchen, arguing passionately about history 🇦🇱Albania: Arrived with a big family entourage, super hospitable, bunkers mentioned somehow 🇺🇦Ukraine: Brought borscht and horilka, singing beautifully, resilient through the chaos 🇹🇷Turkey: The charismatic host's cousin, brought kebabs and raki, toasting endlessly but watching the door 🇬🇪Georgia: Endless elaborate toasts with wine, claiming to have invented it, supra master 🇦🇲 Armenia: Brought cognac and lavash, sharing ancient stories, wary of certain guests 🇦🇿Azerbaijan: Brought caviar and tea, quietly dominating the playlist with mugham 🇱🇺Luxembourg: Quietly the richest guy there, paying for rounds anonymously, banking everyone's secrets 🇱🇮Liechtenstein: Showed up with a crown prince vibe, tiny but fancy, chatting only with Switzerland 🇲🇨Monaco: Arrived in a yacht (parked outside), dripping in diamonds, gambling at the side table all night 🇻🇦Vatican City: Blesses the drinks early, leaves before things get sinful, whispering confessions in the corner 🇸🇲 San Marino: Oldest guy at the party, perched on a "hill" claiming independence, telling medieval stories 🇦🇩Andorra: Skiing in late from the mountains, duty-free shopping bags full of booze and perfume for everyone 🇲🇩Moldova: Brought the best homemade wine from the world's biggest cellars, quietly underrated but keeps pouring 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina: Grilling the best ćevapi with Serbia, but side-eyeing each other over coffee 🇲🇪Montenegro: Chilling on the "balcony" bragging about the stunning bays, rakija shots with the Balkans crew 🇲🇰North Macedonia: Dancing in circles with Greece and Bulgaria, arguing about who invented the best salad 🇽🇰Kosovo: Youngest at the party, full of energy, declaring independence from the playlist, everyone debates inviting him 🇸🇮 Slovenia: Brought amazing wine and hiking stories, low-key the most beautiful but doesn't brag 🇪🇪Estonia: Digital wizard, set up the Wi-Fi and playlist remotely before arriving, quietly innovative 🇱🇻Latvia: Singing folk songs beautifully with the Baltics, brought Riga Black Balsam for brave shots 🇱🇹Lithuania: Basketball dunking contests in the backyard, fierce but friendly rivalry with neighbors 🇷🇺Russia thinking how to crash the whole party because wasnt invited. Most likely 3 cars full of gopniks about to arrive.

“A house without books is like a room without windows.” ― Horace Mann

normal person: i wish my husband was still alive 😢 erika kirk:

I just saw Stephen Miller referred to as PeeWeeHimmler and now I can’t unsee it. 😂😂

‘everyone grieves differently’ Erika Kirk:

So, a lot of people ask me why I buy so many books. The truth is, I have a genetic disorder where my body doesn’t produce enough books of its own, so I have to supplement.

Don’t fuck with the villa

Umberto Eco, who owned 50,000 books, had this to say about home libraries: “It is foolish to think that you have to read all the books you buy, as it is foolish to criticize those who buy more books than they will ever be able to read. It would be like saying that you should use all the cutlery or glasses or screwdrivers or drill bits you bought before buying new ones. “There are things in life that we need to always have plenty of supplies, even if we will only use a small portion. “If, for example, we consider books as medicine, we understand that it is good to have many at home rather than a few: when you want to feel better, then you go to the ‘medicine closet’ and choose a book. Not a random one, but the right book for that moment. That’s why you should always have a nutrition choice! “Those who buy only one book, read only that one and then get rid of it. They simply apply the consumer mentality to books, that is, they consider them a consumer product, a good. Those who love books know that a book is anything but a commodity.”