November 1, 2026

JAMES LILEKS: Be Ready-ish.

English authorities said the country’s new “Be Ready” campaign is intended to help people through a bad patch in case extreme weather plays havoc — nothing more. Also, keep in mind, a can opener can be used as a weapon to open the throat of an invader. Oh, and we’re raising the age at which retired military personnel can be recalled from 55 to 65, but that isn’t in reaction to anything at all. Japan has issued the same recommendations, probably saying it’s in case there’s a tsunami and certainly not a surprise attack by China that knocks them out in the event of a fast-moving Taiwan gambit.

Many people on social media have also noted news of the FORTRESS America project, intended to make all military facilities self-reliant for 90 days should local utilities fail. You nod and say, “Good idea, and also, why haven’t you done this before, and also, why now?” Then you learn it’s part of PROJECT HARDINATE or OPERATION SECURE TURGIDITY or something that was started a few years ago. In short, there’s probably nothing to it. There’s probably no intel about intricate utility-killing plots using sleeper cells infiltrated during Biden-era border laxity. There probably isn’t anything imminent. If there was, they would have head-faked us with some more declassified UFO footage.

I’ve been prepped since the Twin Towers fell. I put together a bug-out box after 9/11, figuring that if something bad happened, we would light out for the territories, head to North Dakota where my family had a gas station. Dad would be guarding the tanks with one of his many, many rifles. I bought some buckets of shelf-stable food. Civilization might crack and chaos rule the land, but we were going to dine like kings on beef stroganoff every night for a solid month. Twenty-five-year shelf life, I thought, in 2001. We’re good.

Remain indoors, and DO NOT THINK OF THE EVENT:

Posted at 12:18 pm by Ed Driscoll

THE NEW SPACE RACE:

The current no-earlier-than date for Flight 15 is November 12.

Posted at 12:09 pm by Stephen Green

HUZZAH! BIG NEWS FROM THE EEOC:  “EEOC Votes to Rescind Enforcement Guidance on Arrest and Conviction Records.”  That 2012 Guidance was uncommonly crazy even for the Obama-Era.  I discussed it in my article on disparate impact liability.  I also discuss it very briefly in my new book (which will be officially released on Wednesday).  I suppose that means the book already contains a bit of outdated information.  But I’m happy anyway (and confident that my earlier work was helpful in getting to the point where the EEOC could withdraw the 2012 Guidance).  Purr.

Posted at 12:03 pm by Gail Heriot

THEY DON’T HATE HIM IN SPITE OF HIM DOING MIRACULOUS GOOD THINGS, THEY HATE HIM BECAUSE OF IT.

Posted at 12:00 pm by Glenn Reynolds

THE LEVEL OF CORRUPTION IN TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS IS STAGGERING:  It’s another way in which George H.W. Bush allowed so-called “civil rights law” to go berserk.  I keep thinking I should write about it myself.  In the meantime, Katie Davis is writing about it.

Posted at 11:34 am by Gail Heriot

WELL, WHEN YOU PUT IT LIKE THAT:

Posted at 11:20 am by Stephen Green

THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE HERO AT THE OREGON SCHOOL SHOOTING:  Teacher Cassidy Schultz was wrestling with the shooter as Kalub Giamanco arrived and put an end to things.  Bless them both.

Posted at 11:15 am by Gail Heriot

GREAT MOMENTS IN OIKOPHOBIA:

Flashback: Easy Riders, Raging Oedipal Resentment.

UPDATE: Pete Hegseth’s Dad Leveled El-Sayed, Then Came the Clips That Finished Him Off.

MORE:

(Bumped.)

Posted at 10:55 am by Ed Driscoll

NORMALIZING THEFT…:

…and excusing it in advance.

More:

Posted at 10:16 am by Stephen Green

FEDERALLY BACKED STUDENT LOANS PAY FOR THIS? U. Florida offers class on ‘werewolf romance’ and ‘Mexican-American vampires.’

“The English Language and Literature majors at the University of Florida (UF) are predicted to have a negative ROI of approximately $132,000 post-graduation (assuming on-time graduation),” she said.

“Because UF is a public institution supported by significant taxpayer dollars,” Doan said, “it is also reasonable for policymakers and taxpayers to ask whether academic programs are producing positive educational and economic outcomes for students.”

She said the classes are more focused on a “niche topic,” Doan said, instead of a “rigorous understanding of literature.”

Well, that might be difficult.

Posted at 9:42 am by Stephen Green

SPACE IS HARD. IT’S HARDER WHEN YOU’RE SANCTIONED AND SLOWLY GOING BROKE:

Plus: “Bureau 1440 launched 16 Rassvet satellites in March and 16 in July 2026. As of 31 Aug, only 12, all from March, held their 550 km target orbit, per ISW citing N2YO tracking.”

Posted at 9:09 am by Stephen Green

THE BILLIONAIRES DOING THIS AREN’T THE ONES MAKING HUGE DONATIONS TO DEMOCRATS:

Posted at 8:30 am by Glenn Reynolds

VOTE… WHILE IT’S STILL THE PRIMARY WAY OF SETTLING POLITICAL DISPUTES:

Posted at 8:20 am by Stephen Green

ASKING (AND ANSWERING) THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: How big and powerful is SpaceX’s Starship rocket? “The Super Heavy booster packs 33 Raptor engines, which burn liquid methane and liquid oxygen to generate 18.1 million pounds-force of booster thrust. For an interesting perspective, NASA’s Space Launch System produces 8.8 million to 9.4 million pounds of max thrust. Once Super Heavy separates, Starship will go on, powered by three regular Raptor engines and three Raptor Vacuum engines designed to operate in space. SpaceX lists the upper stage’s thrust at roughly 3.5 million pounds-force. Only the booster figure represents liftoff thrust.”

Posted at 7:45 am by Stephen Green

PERHAPS THIS COULD BE A BRANCH OF THE UNIVERSITY OF AUSTIN:

Posted at 7:44 am by Ed Driscoll