The Onion
Man Doesn’t Like Who He Becomes When He’s Around Salsa
ST. LOUIS—Tearfully admitting that the lifelong problem had finally reached a breaking point, local man Darren Moore told reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t like who he becomes when he’s around salsa. “There’s something about when a bowl of salsa hits the table…I become…different…” said Moore, adding that even on nights when he’d try to just have a few bites, he’d inevitably end up spiraling alone in his apartment, slamming untold amounts of salsa verde or pico de gallo. “It doesn’t matter if it’s mild or spicy. Once I get a whiff, I transform into a fucking monster. There were whole parties where I just hovered over the salsa, dunking tortilla chip after tortilla chip. Deep down, I know the best thing I can do for myself, my friends, and my family is to stop keeping it in the house. That’s why I’ve decided to pour all my jars down the sink.” Moore went on to say that he likely had so much trouble controlling himself around salsa because his dad was addicted to guacamole.
The Onion.
Inter-Not-So-Stellar
The Onion.
Visit To Girlfriend’s Family Provides Illuminating Insight Into Why She’s Asian
CHICAGO—Saying he now saw the woman he’d been dating in a totally different light, local man Arthur Morris confirmed Tuesday that a recent visit to his girlfriend’s family provided illuminating insight into why she was Asian. “The first time I saw her parents, it totally clicked why she’s the race she is,” said Morris, adding that “odd details” like her Chinese last name, her fondness for five-spice chicken, and her ability to speak Mandarin were “finally starting to make sense” after meeting her relatives. “Ashley’s mom is Asian, Ashley’s dad is Asian, and if that picture on the wall is anything to go by, her grandparents are probably Asian, too. I never wanted to ask if there was a reason she was Asian, but I totally get it now. Oh! That’s probably why her 23andMe results came out the way they did.” Morris told reporters there were a lot of males in his girlfriend’s family, so he was still trying to figure out how she turned out a woman.
The Onion.
Report: Tennis-Racket-Shaped Bag Gotta Be Full Of Tennis Rackets
ESTES PARK, CO—Noting the bag’s elongated oval shape, prominent Wilson logo, and the fact that its owner was walking directly toward a tennis court, a new report released Tuesday concluded that the tennis-racket-shaped bag in local man Marcus Walman’s hand just had to be full of tennis rackets. “Using a multivariate Bayesian object-classification framework incorporating a 40,000-image training set of recreational sporting equipment, we determined that when a person is carrying a bag specifically contoured to the dimensions of a tennis racket, particularly while dressed in tennis clothes and in the vicinity of a tennis facility, there is a greater than 94% probability that the bag contains at least one tennis racket,” said report co-author Melissa Crane, adding that while the possibility remained that Walman was transporting similarly shaped objects such as a toilet brush, an oversized lollipop, or perhaps a stingray, specialized carrying cases for those items were comparatively rare. “We ran thousands of simulations, controlled for brand visibility, zipper placement, shoulder-strap length, and material-density estimates, and every model points to the same conclusion: That thing is almost certainly packed with rackets. Frankly, we’d be stunned if it contained anything else.” At press time, Walman had reportedly unzipped the bag to reveal approximately six pounds of mixed nuts.
The Onion.
Gene Editing Used To Create Hypoallergenic Beagles
Geneticists used CRISPR to produce twin beagle pups who do not make the lead allergy-causing protein found in dogs, opening up new possibilities for gene-editing technologies. What do you think?
“One day I’ll be able to edit my genes to make myself allergic to them all over again.”
Renée Arellanez, Tuna Prepper
“Good. Now give them wings.”
Oscar Halifax, Magnet Strengthener
“People will do anything to not have to get a bichon frisé.”
Andy Geiger, Piñata Hanger
The Onion.
ClickHole
Powerful Gesture: Google Maps Will Now Give You Slightly Better Directions If You’re Menstruating
Many companies talk a big game about supporting women, but few companies walk the walk like Google is: Google Maps will now give you slightly better directions if you’re menstruating.
Yup, Google has officially earned its feminist bonafides! Your move, Apple Maps!
Earlier today, Google Maps formally rolled out Menstrual Reroutes, a new feature that lets female users disclose when they’re menstruating in exchange for marginally better directions, which the tech giant says will save travellers in menses “around three to four minutes of transit time on average.” Google CEO Sundar Pichai explained via press release that the period-conscious Maps update, applies to all methods of travel, meaning drivers on their period will be rerouted down somewhat quicker roads just as menstruators on foot will see their walking directions take a subtly-but-technically more direct path towards their destination.
“Maps knows on-the-go is the last place you want to be when you’re on-the-flow, and that’s why we’re helping menstruators get where they’re going kind of sooner with directions unavailable to non-menstruators,” wrote Pichai. “If there are no faster routes than the one you’re on, we will send Maps commuters ahead of you down a wrong turn, because even if it only saves you a minute or two of travel time, Google believes women are worth it.”
Google is now promoting Menstrual Reroutes on billboards across the country, featuring photos of women in transit following Maps directions while sorting through a bag of menstrual hygiene products in the passenger seat, freebleeding through their pants on the bus, and trailing blood down a bike path, accompanied by copy showing decreased travel times like “23 min 20 min: Now shortening your time on the road at that time of the month.”
Wow. If you’re a menstruator en route, Google’s throwing you a nice bone here!
What a powerful gesture Google Maps is making towards women across the world—and we have to give them props for being so upfront about how their directions only get slightly better when you’re menstruating. In our patriarchal society, slightly better is a step forward nonetheless – we’ll take it!
Ugh: This Guy Is One Of Those Guys Whose Personality Is His Entire Personality
Sorry to ruin your day, but this is just so insufferable we can’t look away: This guy is one of those guys whose personality is his entire personality.
Ugh, dude. Can’t you find something better to define yourself than the way that you are?
Thirty-two-year-old Nonprofit Coordinator Julian Coleman is the type of cringey asshole who can’t go ten seconds without exuding one of his many defining characteristics. His entire personality is based around how he likes certain things, acts certain ways, and holds certain values in a unique combination that is specific to him.
Take one look at his social media feeds and you’ll find post after post where there’s always got to be some sort of reference to something he did or something he was thinking about or a picture of himself or something he saw.
It’s like, we get it dude: You’re Julian Coleman! You live in Austin! You’re a fulltime caretaker for your disabled sister! Your photographs of your travels through Myanmar in your 20s were made into a book! You’re funny! Your girlfriend’s name is Stacy and you met her when you got in an argument with her on Reddit about the best Nirvana song! But do you really have to make these things–and the many other characteristics that define you as a person–your entire personality?
God, guys like this are SO annoying…
Would it kill this guy to find something, anything for his personality to revolve around besides his personality? A certain sports team or diet or hobby, maybe? There’s more to life than being you, man. Branch out a little.
Wetting The Bed Means You’re Strong (By Tom Holland)
Hiya! Tom Holland here. Television’s Spiderman. It’s a commonly held belief that wetting the bed means you’re weak. A goofy little child. A grody old man covered in sores. A worthless baby!
Not being able to hold your pee in is seen as a sign that your pee muscles are weak or that you’ve got a real little bitch of a bladder.
This couldn’t be more idiotic and stupid as hell!!
I’ve got news for you: Wetting the bed means you’re really strong! It doesn’t matter what society or much less your wife says. Being unable to hold your urine overnight while sleeping means that you are as strong as it gets and that you are a GREAT person.
I’m not going to get into the science of it all, because no one would understand it anyway. But basically, only the strongest of people piss their beds or “can’t hold it” on long car rides and wet themselves while driving. Your wife might say otherwise. She might say, “You need to go to a doctor about this, Tom,” or “Why don’t you try emptying your bladder right before bed?”
Blah blah blah.
She says these things because she’s never been with a strong man before. Her old boyfriend, Jacob, never let even a drizzle of pee out of his penis at night. She grew to believe that meant he was “strong.” But he wasn’t.
He sucked.
If your idea of “normal” is waking up in a dry bed and NOT smelling urine (i.e., “waking up weak”) you may want to ask yourself where that idea came from. Opening your eyes in the morning and declaring, “Oh great, I pissed the bed again,” it is a sign of strength, courage, and fortitude. Not weakness, as some liars would have you believe. Ancient Samoan warriors pissed the bed 15, 20 times a night. And their piss was THICK.
You don’t see anyone calling them “weak.”
Does having large muscles and being able to lift heavy weights make one “strong?” Or does strength come from within, and then that strength pushes your pee out all over your mattress, sheets, and comforter? Every smart person agrees that more strength comes from leaving a hotel bed soaked in gallons of piss because you drank five to six Gatorades right before bed and were too sleepy to get up and hit the toilet before bed than lifting weights ever will.
And that’s not only a fact, but it’s true.
Thrilling For Her: Mom Just Learned Some Super Sad News That She Gets To Tell Everyone
If you’re a fan of Mom, then this story is going to make you stand up and cheer, because something amazing is happening to her right now that’s going to absolutely make her entire week. Mom just learned some super sad news that she gets to tell everyone.
Hell yes! This must be so thrilling for Mom!
Earlier today, Mom started texting everyone in the family with an ominous message that simply said, “When you have a minute, we need to talk. Sad, sad news to share.” It’s possible that someone in the family passed away, or maybe someone was diagnosed with a serious illness. Regardless of what this tragedy is, Mom was one of the first people in the family to know, and she gets to be the one who tells everyone else.
Mom must be feeling so awesome and important right now!
While we haven’t learned the exact nature of the bad news yet, it’s safe to say that it’s probably very sad, because Mom followed up her initial text with the message, “I’ve been crying all afternoon. Call me back ASAP so I can tell you.” She’s also sent texts asking if people in the family would rather find out the sad news over the phone, over FaceTime, or if they’d like to come over to her house so she can tell them in person. No matter what option we choose, Mom will be the center of it all, and she’s going to get to be the one who tells us about the devastating event that has taken place.
One of the best things about this whole thing, especially if you’re Mom, is that Mom is in total control of the situation. When Cousin Evelyn asked if she could get back to Mom after work, Mom texted back “NO. EMERGENCY. News is VERY SHOCKING AND TRAGIC.” Mom knows the super sad news, so Mom calls the shots. Simple as that.
Hell yes. This incredibly disastrous day must be one of the best days of Mom’s life. This is a woman who is holding all the cards and is totally in her element. She’s going to be relaying this bad news to the whole family all day long, and we’re all in her thrall as long as she holds that power. Enjoy telling everyone the super sad news, Mom! You’ve earned it!
Aw: The Two Flies In Your Apartment Seem To Be Becoming Friends
If you haven’t gotten your daily dose of cuteness yet, you’re in luck, because this story is one of the most adorable things you’re ever going to learn about in your entire life: The two flies in your apartment seem to be becoming friends.
Awwww! This is the sweetest thing!
While the two flies started out on opposite sides of your apartment, with one hovering around your living room window and the other hovering around the bowl of fruit you keep on your kitchen table, over time they’ve been flying closer and closer to each other, and they’re clearly developing a deeper sort of companionship. Just a few hours ago, both of the flies landed on your coffee table, one so he could rub his front legs together and the other so that he could crawl around near some crumbs. Then the two flies took off at literally almost the same time and started flying around your living room kind of close to each other.
If you need us, you can find us in the hospital recovering from a cuteness overload!
“While we can’t read the minds of these flies, after extensive analysis and rigorous peer-reviewed studies it’s safe to say that they are buddies,” said Professor Allison Raudsepp, a biologist at Princeton University who recently published a paper on the ways the two flies in your apartment recently spent over an hour hovering around your kitchen garbage can together. “After watching these two dudes crawl all over the same apple or land on the same windowpane and rest there only a few inches apart, it is quickly becoming the consensus in the scientific community that they are pals and only growing closer.”
Professor Raudsepp said she was particularly interested in the way the flies seem to fly around in circles that are nearish to one another. “Think about it,” she said, “if you and your best friend had wings, would you fly far away from each other, or kind of next to each other? The fact that these flies are close together shows they are best friends and might even be in love.”
Well, it’s official: this situation is so goddamn precious that we cannot possibly handle it. If you’re not squealing with glee right now thinking about the two flies in your apartment hanging out and being bros, you do not deserve to be protected by the laws of our country. We can’t wait to watch this budding friendship between the flies in your apartment get deeper and deeper. It’s one of the best things we’ve ever heard about, and it’s giving us a reason to live!
Duffel Blog
Air Force IG uncovers SNACKOs taking kickbacks from Big Insulin
WASHINGTON — An Air Force inspector general investigation has uncovered an alleged kickback scheme between several squadron snack officers and representatives of the insulin industry, raising concerns that America’s most junior officers have spent years quietly undermining military fitness for profit.The SNACKO, or snack officer, is traditionally the newest and least respected officer in a flying squadron and is responsible for maintaining adequate supplies of energy drinks, candy bars, chips, ramen noodles, and foods capable of surviving multiple presidential administrations.According to investigators, at least seven SNACKOs accepted money, mileage reimbursements, and free Costco memberships in exchange for ensuring their squadron snack bars remained “aggressively incompatible with the warrior ethos.”“This investigation began after Secretary Hegseth demanded we find out why everyone’s waist-to-height ratio keeps getting worse despite all the mandatory PT,” said Air Force investigator Lt. Col. Aaron Mitchell. “Eventually somebody looked at the snack bar.”“What we found was horrifying.”The report describes shelves stocked almost exclusively with Pop-Tarts, powdered donuts, peanut butter crackers, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, energy drinks, and ramen with expiration dates extending beyond the projected service life of the F-35.Investigators said the scheme began when pharmaceutical representatives infiltrated an online SNACKO forum while posing as experienced airlift squadron snack officers.“They understood the target,” Mitchell said. “A brand-new lieutenant making lieutenant money, entrusted with $800 in Venmo payments and absolutely no adult supervision.”One SNACKO reportedly became suspicious after being encouraged to remove apples, bananas, and kale chips from his squadron.“I tried healthy food once,” the officer told investigators. “Nobody touched it. The bananas turned black, the apples became soft, and someone wrote ‘COMMIE FOOD’ on the kale.”He paused.“I’d never felt that kind of professional shame.”
Pentagon facing dangerous shortage of fucks given
THE PENTAGON — Senior military officials warned this week that the United States is rapidly exhausting its strategic supply of fucks given, raising concerns that the force may soon lack sufficient fucks to sustain the war with Iran while deterring China.“We knew munitions were getting tight,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said. “What nobody anticipated was the burn rate on fucks.”According to officials, the shortage cuts across every service and rank.“We’re low on tactical fucks at the unit level, operational fucks at the combatant commands, and strategic fucks here in Washington,” Parnell said. “Frankly, the Pentagon is approaching what planners call No Fucks Remaining, or NFR.”Officials said six months of war with Iran dramatically accelerated the decline.“You can triple Patriot production. You can quadruple THAAD production,” said one senior defense official. “But you cannot surge a staff sergeant’s will to live on a multiyear procurement contract.”The official said the Pentagon compounded the problem by prematurely disposing of experienced fuck reserves during a sweeping turnover of senior military leadership.“We had generals with 30 or 40 years of institutional fucks stored up,” he said. “Then we fired half of them because they gave a fuck about the wrong things.”Officials said several replacements arrived with abundant enthusiasm but were later determined to possess “high quantities of confidence with negligible fuck content.”The shortage has become particularly acute as military planners simultaneously manage the Iran war, depleted weapons inventories, deteriorating infrastructure, and preparations for a possible future conflict in the Pacific.“China is the pacing threat,” said retired Army Col. Eric Halvorsen, a defense analyst. “If we expend every remaining fuck in CENTCOM, what are we supposed to give INDOPACOM?”Halvorsen said the Pentagon spent decades neglecting what he called the fuck-industrial base.“We assumed fucks were basically infinite,” he said. “You'd commission a lieutenant, issue him a CAC card, and somehow five years later he'd still care about something.”“That assumption was catastrophically wrong.”There is one encouraging sign.After years of recruiting difficulties, the services are once again bringing large numbers of young Americans into uniform, providing the military with its first significant supply of virgin fucks in years.“The average 18-year-old recruit arrives with an astonishing number of fucks to give,” Parnell said. “They care about fitness. They care about doing a good job. Some of them actually believe their chain of command knows what it's doing.”He paused.“Obviously, retention is our concern.”Army researchers estimate that basic training consumes relatively few fucks, but the first permanent duty station can deplete a soldier’s reserves within months through repeated motor-pool formations, barracks mold, online training, weekend recalls, and being told at 1630 that nobody is going home until an unspecified task is complete.“One poorly planned command-maintenance Monday can burn through fucks faster than Iran burns through Shahed drones,” said one Army official.Pentagon planners are considering several emergency measures, including recycling previously expended fucks, purchasing fucks from allied nations, and invoking the Defense Production Act to compel American industry to give a shit.Officials cautioned that foreign supplies may also be limited.“The Ukrainians used to have fucks to spare,” Halvorsen said. “Then they spent four years fighting Russia while we held meetings about whether they were using them efficiently.”Hegseth dismissed concerns about the shortage.“We have more fucks than anybody,” he said. “Beautiful fucks. Lethal fucks. We're manufacturing fucks at levels nobody has ever seen.”At press time, President Trump had reportedly ordered an investigation to determine who leaked the classified location of America’s remaining fucks.🖊️Kay Too Ess Ohhhhh finds your excuses vague and unconvincing.
Opinion: Listen up, assholes. Turn in your excess cruise missiles or everybody stays in formation
The following is an opinion article by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.At ease, patriots. Listen up because I’m only going to say this 15 or 20 more times.Nobody is fucking going anywhere until we have 100% accountability of all sensitive items, exquisite munitions, and long-range precision weapons in the United States military.The boss wants this Iran thing wrapped up, and apparently firing hundreds of cruise missiles, Patriots, THAAD interceptors and other expensive-ass shit means we are starting to run low on them.
I don’t want to hear any pissing and moaning. You people should have seen this coming.We destroyed Iran’s military months ago. Then we destroyed it again. Then a third time. Unfortunately, they keep showing up for work, so we may have to destroy it several more times before they understand that they’ve been destroyed.So I need every commander in every service to conduct a hands-across-America sensitive-items inventory immediately.Somewhere out there is a Tomahawk you thought somebody else signed for. I want that motherfucker.Maybe there’s an air-launched cruise missile being used as a picnic table at Minot. Or there's some Navy chief out there with three TLAMs shoved behind a paint locker because moving them would require updating a spreadsheet. Perhaps there's an Army warrant officer sitting on six THAAD interceptors since 2019 because nobody ever specifically asked him about them.Check, goddamnit. I want to physically see the missile.And don’t come back telling me something is “accounted for” because it appears on a property book.If the hand receipt says you have 12 and there are 11 sitting there, congratulations: We are all staying until somebody finds number 12.I don’t care if the guy who signed for it PCSed four years ago. Get him on the damn phone.To encourage honesty, we’ve placed amnesty boxes at installations worldwide. If you have an unauthorized high-end munition, just put it inside. No questions asked.I don't care if you took a JASSM home as a souvenir or if your squadron has been using an SM-6 as a coat rack. Maybe you found a Patriot interceptor behind the barracks and were afraid to say anything.Today is your day.It doesn't matter how it got there. We just need it back.And before anybody asks: Yes, missiles displayed outside headquarters buildings count. There is no such thing as a “ceremonial Tomahawk” anymore. Not when China exists.This isn’t just about Iran. We need enough weapons left over to deter China, defend Taiwan, defend Guam, defend Japan and fight whatever other war we accidentally discover we’re already in by then.People keep telling me long-range munitions production requires years of industrial planning, specialized supply chains, and sustained procurement.Bullshit. Have you checked the motor pool?Frankly, I don’t like this any more than you do. I’ve got things to do. But the old man says we’re staying here until we have enough missiles for Iran, the Pacific, and whatever comes next, or until everybody stops asking about the Epstein files.I don’t need to tell you which requirement I expect us to meet first.So when I dismiss you, I want to see assholes and elbows. Check every office, bunker, hangar, ship, warehouse and wall locker in the Department of War.And if anybody finds a pallet marked “DO NOT INVENTORY — CENTCOM,” leave it exactly where it is and call me personally.I’ll be in my office doing pull-ups if you need me. This strategic logistics bullshit has interfered with my PT program long enough.🖊️Bull Winkle is a writer and amateur phrenologist who is available to make your next party, birthday, wedding or pointless war super fun.
Army Reserve adopts 'Nothing we do today is more important than lunch' as new recruiting slogan
FORT BRAGG — U.S. Army Reserve Command today unveiled a new recruiting slogan after officials concluded their previous campaign had failed to resonate with younger Americans.Beginning next battle assembly, the Army Reserve will officially adopt “Nothing we do today is more important than lunch” as its new recruiting motto.“We tried ‘It’s Your Time,’” said Maj. Tyler Hooker of USARC’s advertising team. “It turns out Gen Z doesn’t believe anyone is handing them anything — not jobs, not houses, and definitely not free time.”According to Hooker, a market research study conducted over a single drill weekend found younger Americans were primarily interested in the Reserve as an opportunity to experience active duty without accidentally becoming active duty.“Well, shit,” recalled Col. Mark Bravo after reviewing the results. “That was basically the Army Reserve before Sept. 11.”The study also found that junior reservists ranked the primary benefits of service as wearing the uniform, accomplishing as little work as possible before 1130, and collecting a free lunch.“To be fair,” Bravo said, “that’s also a pretty accurate description of active duty.”Researchers noted there are plenty of civilian jobs where employees accomplish very little, but few provide free uniforms, government travel, and the possibility of spending three hours discussing a PowerPoint presentation over lunch at P.F. Chang’s or Twin Peaks.Hooker said the campaign’s breakthrough came midway through a briefing when Maj. John Boros interrupted the presentation.“Knock off all this briefing nonsense,” Boros reportedly said. “Let’s get down to business. Where are we eating lunch?”The room fell silent.“Then he looked around and said, ‘Nothing we do today is more important than lunch,’” Hooker recalled. “Colonel Bravo immediately stood up and yelled, ‘That’s it! Print the posters!’”Bravo defended the slogan as refreshingly honest.“We’re not saying we don’t accomplish important things,” he said. “We’re simply acknowledging that lunch consistently outranks all of them.”Bravo admitted leadership briefly considered bringing back the Army’s iconic “Be All You Can Be” campaign before deciding against it.“That slogan let people project whatever dream they wanted onto military service,” Bravo said. “Our new one tells them exactly what they’re getting.”At press time, the slogan rollout had been postponed because the working group assigned to finalize it was still out to lunch.🖊️SECDEF_Nice served in Army Civil Affairs and specialized in failing to influence populations and occasionally his own chain-of-command. Follow him at Foxhole Briefs, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Hegseth mistakes getting older for declining military standards
THE PENTAGON — Senior defense officials launched an internal review this week after discovering Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s repeated warnings about collapsing military fitness standards were based primarily on his own advancing age.According to multiple officials, concerns began after Hegseth repeatedly claimed the Army lowered its standards “every four or five years, usually around my birthday.”“After about the fifth time he said the force was getting softer, I finally asked him which standards he meant,” said one official. “Holy shit. Within five seconds, I realized this man had apparently never read an age-based scoring chart.”The official said Hegseth’s approach to physical fitness testing throughout his military career was remarkably consistent.“He would show up, ask what he needed to do to score 70 points, then leave before anyone explained why the number had changed,” the official said. “He genuinely thought the Army kept lowering the standard. Nobody had the heart to tell him he was just getting older.”Army Fitness Test standards divide soldiers into progressively older age groups, generally in five-year increments.“Every time he entered a new bracket, he interpreted it as another collapse in discipline,” the official said. “From his perspective, military readiness has been steadily declining since his twenties.”Officials reviewing Hegseth’s records said the pattern was unmistakable.When his run time allowance increased in his early 30s, he blamed President Barack Obama. When it increased again in his late 30s, he blamed [cliffhanger] diversity initiatives. After entering his most recent bracket, he ordered a department-wide review of the warrior ethos.Officials acknowledged that the military provides little formal instruction on reading fitness score tables but questioned whether any was necessary.“It's not the Rosetta Stone,” another official said. “The chart is about as complicated as breathing burn pit fumes.”According to the official, Hegseth initially mistook the age ranges for presidential approval ratings.“He pointed to ‘42-46’ and said, ‘See? Biden destroyed readiness,’” the official recalled. “We explained that was his age bracket. He accused us of making excuses.”Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell declined to address whether Hegseth understood age-normed scoring.“I’m not going to get into hypothetical charts,” Parnell said. “The secretary remains focused on restoring the warrior ethos, increasing lethality, and ensuring America has the most physically capable fighting force on Earth.”Parnell abruptly ended the briefing when a reporter asked whether the most capable fighting force on Earth should also be capable of reading a PDF.At press time, Hegseth had ordered the Army to restore the physical fitness standards in effect when he was 23, calling them “the last objectively rigorous standards before the military began changing them specifically to embarrass me.”🖊️SECDEF_Nice served in Army Civil Affairs and specialized in failing to influence populations and occasionally his own chain-of-command. Follow him at Foxhole Briefs, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Daily Mash
‘Sober at work’ and other acting roles you should be recognised for
ACTING isn’t the preserve of the good-looking, the talented, or even their nepo babies. Ordinary people like you perform, and these six turns in particular deserve an Oscar:
Sober at work
The Academy would be blown away if they’d seen your convincing portrayal of a sober person at work the morning after a heavy night. Your liver was still metabolising 12 pints, but like an Equity card holder you didn’t keel over and throw up once. With these talents you should be performing Shakespeare. Hamlet’s soliloquies would be a piece of piss in comparison.
Delight at receiving gift
Traditionally a difficult role to nail. Overdoing your enthusiasm looks hammy, underplay it and people get suspicious. You threaded the needle perfectly when your wife got you that spa weekend gift voucher instead of the Nerf gun you’d dropped hints about. And that ad-lib about how you’d already been thinking of buying a relaxing hotel break for yourself? Inspired.
Interest in other people’s exercise regimes
Meryl Streep has never pretended to look fascinated as someone drones on about their 5K personal best. That’s because it’s beyond her abilities as an actor. You made it look effortless though when you nodded through your colleague’s tedious explanation while thinking about Terminator 2. Have you ever thought about getting an agent? Your talents are going to waste in the office.
Happy to stay friends
When you were in a relationship you gave a convincing portrayal of somebody who wasn’t boring. Once your ex saw through your charade and binned you off though, you gave an even better performance as ‘man happy to stay friends’. It’s hard for actors to cry on cue, but it’s even more difficult to hold back tears when you’re heartbroken like you did. Bravo.
Fascinated by friend’s young children
Parents are allowed to find their kids irritating or tedious, but other people are expected to be enthralled when they throw food on the floor. You went full method actor by feigning interest in a child’s crap finger painting when they weren’t even in the room. Either you’re this generation’s Marlon Brando or you have no artistic taste.
Pretending to be fine
The toughest of all acting roles. It would’ve been so easy to slip out of character when your friend asked how you are, but nobody wants to hear a Brechtian monologue of despair and alienation. Smiling and saying you’re fine is your career-defining part, but now you’ve been typecast into doing it every day until you die.
Teacher doesn’t give a toss what ex-pupil doing now
A secondary school teacher could not care less what some kid they taught 20 years ago is up to these days.
Upon being approached by a former pupil while doing the big shop, history teacher Martin Bishop made it clear he had no interest in reminiscing about his underpaid day job.
Bishop said: “Apparently I was an inspirational Robin Williams from Dead Poets Society figure to this guy. Shame I didn’t inspire him to leave me the f**k alone. He’s blocking the frozen chips.
“Why would I be happy to see him? He’s a grim reminder of the relentless passage of time. Since I last saw him he’s all grown up, yet I’m still droning on about Nazis to a bunch of Year 9s who don’t give a shit.
“What did he expect to happen? That I’d be overwhelmed with nostalgia and we’d pick up where we left off? The last thing we talked about was probably the failure of the League of Nations, which isn’t the basis of a friendship.
“To be honest I don’t even remember him. Pupils blend into one greasy, amorphous blob after a while. The only ones us teachers recall are the arseholes. We like to read in the local paper when they’re sent down.”
Bishop’s ex-student Jack Browne said: “I thought he’d be happy to hear my knowledge of history had led to a fulfilling career. But all he said was his hasn’t.”
Five occasions men wear their one generic M&S suit
THE estate of manhood comes with a single inoffensive M&S suit, to be worn at each and every formal social event. Including these:
Christenings
Christenings are nothing more than a formality. Parents only do them so they can post tasteful black-and-white pictures to Instagram, and the child will likely grow up atheist. This means men can rock the suit they bought for £45 in 2013 without feeling guilty for not putting in any effort. Nobody’s ever going to look back on this non-event, let alone judge their wardrobe.
Funerals
If he’s chosen wisely, a man’s suit will be of a muted shade that’s just as at home on the wedding dancefloor as the graveyard. Black is too limiting, but navy or dark brown are versatile enough. Then it’s simply a case of adopting a sombre expression as they coast through the eulogies. You’d never guess they’re solely focused on whether the wake will have a free bar.
Job interviews
Job interviews are all about creating a good first impression. A bland M&S suit that’s already been worn to a graduation ceremony and jury duty tells employers that you’re resourceful and budget-conscious. But other candidates know this trick, so men are forced to stand out with an impressive CV or a useful skillset that generates revenue which is frankly unfair.
First dates with classy women
Sophisticated women expect to go for drinks at snazzy cocktail bars, which means men can’t wear their usual food-stained graphic tees. That’s where M&S’s finest polyester comes to the rescue. The cheapness is hidden under low lighting, and she’ll only feel the average workmanship if she flirtatiously touches the man’s arm. Which she won’t.
Work Christmas drinks
A proper suit would be wasted on a night out getting pissed with people you barely tolerate. Middle-of-the-road M&S suits were made for these occasions where men have to show face but also want to communicate that they’d rather be slumped in front of the telly. They’re also a subtle way for men to indicate to their managers they’re badly in need of a raise.
Burnham: I only sexted White House hoaxer
Richard Tice’s guide to sitting back and enjoying a wildfire
By Richard Tice, Reform shadow minister for not being Farage and MP of somewhere urgh
WHY the hysteria? Climate change can’t be fought. Instead, follow these simple rules and you’ll find yourself savouring the wildfires in your neighbourhood.
Choose a vantage point
Ideally a hill, but if it offers spectacular views the roof of a neighbour’s house is fine as long as you’re more English than they are. Set up a folding chair, an ice bucket and opera glasses and watch the spectacle unfold. Keep an eye out for the group of scrotal teenagers who set it, they are natural Reform canvassers.
Enjoy the panic
The woke Fire Brigade, the something-for-nothing crew, the police with their so-called concern for public safety – they’ll all be scurrying around, bleating about danger from the fires which have dominated this proud country since time immemorial. I don’t recall anyone screeching the Great Fire of London should be ‘put out’! Lefty nonsense.
Bask in the heat
If global warming is real – and many prominent-on-the-internet scientists believe it isn’t – then isn’t that a blessing? Haven’t we all complained about the British weather? The truth is, the liberal commentariat is outraged that Clacton, Blackpoool, Skegness and other Reform-loving towns will be popular holiday resorts again, and Tuscany closed down.
Imagine Green faces
As the grassfire spreads to the trees – wow, that pine went up like a rocket! – you should be chuckling away as you picture the dismayed fizzogs of the Green lobby. Every tree consumed by flames is a slap in their stupid, self-satisfied faces, which means every tree that burns is a win for good old-fashioned common sense alarm clock Britain.
Toast British ingenuity
Fires in Spain and France? Caused by mere accident. Fires in the UK? Set by children making their own entertainment, gloriously discarded fag-ends from white van windows, or celebratory fireworks. Let’s toast them with a pint of ale and a pack of ten per cent pork sausages on the disposable barbecue. Take that, Burnham.
The Poke
‘What’s something you did as a kid that terrified your parents?’ – 17 childhood fails that put our folks through the wringer
Kids often come across as really brave, mainly because they’re not aware of how fragile their mortality is and their bones appear to be made out of rubber. This means their parents look on in terror 24/7. Elsdotcom wanted to hear about the scariest scraps kids put their parents through by posing the following question […]
The Poke.
Couples have been sharing their unhinged marriage hacks – 17 bizarre tips that (might) prevent trouble in paradise
There’s no formula for a happy marriage. Every couple is different and has their own way of navigating wedlock. Still, it doesn’t hurt to hear some pointers from couples who have been together for a while. That was the thinking behind the following question Nightpatrol404 put to r/AsReddit: ‘Married people of Reddit, what’s your most […]
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Fox News took to the beach to test ordinary Americans’ most basic political knowledge and it’s surely the most revealing thing the Trump-loving channel has ever done
Fox News took to the beach, not just to get a tan, but to check in with ordinary Americans to find out how much they know about the American political landscape. Not the complicated stuff mind you, the absolute (basically preschool) basics. And, well, best have a watch for yourself. We asked students on the […]
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This insight into the mind of a certain kind of little Englander is an absolute classic of the genre
We didn’t write too much about the 10th anniversary of the Brexit vote – you remember – possibly because we’ve written about it pretty much every day since anyway. But some anniversaries are simply too tempting to resist, and into that category falls this interview, an exchange with Novara Media in the weeks after the […]
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Toby Young’s been wondering why 70% of GB relay athletes were black and Richard Bacon surely said it best
We don’t write about Toby Young – you remember – as much as we used to, to no-one’s great disappointment anywhere. But sometimes he makes it too hard to resist, and this is surely one of those occasions. It’s the free speechmeister over on Twitter who posed the question – well posed the question posed […]
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