When beloved couples quit without warning, we all get hurt.
Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
Day: April 16, 2026
I went to my local Taco Bell to taste test the new Diablo Dusted Crispy Chicken Nuggets, and to keep the heat rolling, the new Zab’s Chicken Ranch Nacho Fries.
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Fans who purchased tickets early are feeling cheated after Kid Rock’s festival dramatically slashed prices on general admission entry for all dates. Continue reading…The Boot – Country Music News, Music Videos and Songs
Fans who purchased tickets early are feeling cheated after Kid Rock’s festival dramatically slashed prices on general admission entry for all dates. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
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Was Mrs Butterworth A Real Person?
You might remember drizzling your waffles and pancakes with this syrup as a child, but did you ever wonder if it’s named after a real person?
Mashed – Fast Food, Celebrity Chefs, Grocery, Reviews
Reading Time: 2 minutes
If you’re a fan of the 1994 film classic Pulp Fiction, then you’ll likely remember the scene in which Samuel L. Jackson recites Ezekiel 25:17 before emptying his clip into the dudes who wound up with his boss’ briefcase.
And apparently, the ultimate high-powered hitman Pete Hegseth found the chapter and verse so inspirational that he recited them at a recent Pentagon prayer event.
The only problem is, the words from Quentin Tarantino’s beloved film don’t appear anywhere in the Bible.
“This prayer was recited by Sandy 1, which is one of the Sandies, to all Sandies, all those A-10 crews, prior to all CSAR missions, but especially this CSAR mission, which happened in real time,” Hegseth said.
“They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17.
“So the prayer is CSAR 25:17 and it reads, and pray with me please, ‘The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” the defense secretary continued (as seen in the video below).
“Blessed is he who in the name of camaraderie and duty shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.
“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother, and you will know my call sign is Sandy 1 when I lay my vengeance upon thee. Amen.”
It might not be as unexpected as Donald Trump’s numerous AI Jesus posts, but the situation has a lot of peopple scratching their heads.
In the King James translation of the Bible, Ezekiel 25:17 reads simply:
“And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.”
However, the version that Jules Winfield hisses before he unloads on Big Brain Brad goes like this:
“The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.
“Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.
“And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord, when I lay my vengeance upon thee.”
In typical Tarantino fashion, the quote is cribbed from a 1970s Japanese martial arts movie titled Bodyguard Kiba.
So Hegseth was working with a copy of a copy that had apparently been repurposed by members of the Air Force.
They might not believe in climate change, but this administration sure likes recycling.
Pete Hegseth Quotes Fake Bible Verse From ‘Pulp Fiction’ at Pentagon Prayer … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Over the weekend, Donald Trump’s portrayal of himself as Jesus earned a lot of reprisal from his own fans.
Trump officials offered various explanations and excuses. The man himself called it a mistake, claiming that he’d believed that the AI slop was depicting him as a “doctor” of the “Red Cross.”
But he has now posted a second image of a very similar nature.
Will this deepen the divide? Or will he keep slopping until his remaining supporters stop complaining?
He’s at it again
On Wednesday, April 15, Donald Trump shared another image — this time a screenshot of a tweet — to his Orwellian “Truth Social” social media page.
“The Radical Left Lunatics might not like this, but I think it is quite nice!!!” he captioned the screenshot.
(One has to wonder if this means that he has decided to brand conservative evangelicals who condemned the previous image as “radical left lunatics,” as well.)
The AI generated slop depicts the man himself in front of a microphone, with Jesus draping over him.
Some have suggested that this image is even worse, as the pose seems very … intimate.
Though the genAI slop is the focus of the post, we cannot discount the deeply unwell text of the original tweet.
“I was never a very religious man,” the unidentified original poster wrote.
The poster continued: “But doesn’t it seem with all these satanic, demonic, child sacrificing monster being exposed … that God might be playing his Trump card!”
This message appears to be leaning into QAnon conspiracy theories, which pretend that famous actors and TV news anchors and musicians are part of a demonic cult that sacrifices children.
Reality is full of twisted, evil individuals — but it is also banal. When the wealthy and powerful prey upon children, it doesn’t involve demons — just power, money, and the evil in the hearts of men like Jeffrey Epstein and his buddies.
Didn’t he just get massive blowback for a similar image?
Trump’s post comes just days after his last one, a similarly brazen piece of genAI slop.
That image depicted the man as Jesus, performing a miraculous act of healing upon a sick man.
(Some suggested that the sick man resembled Trump’s longtime friend, Epstein. Others compared the man’s looks to comedian Jon Stewart.)
Likening oneself to one’s own religion’s holiest figure is considered blasphemous in many faiths — including Christianity.
Trump’s core supporters include many who dislike his behavior and policies, but who support him in the name of things like white nationalism and Christian nationalism. Folks believing that the rest is somehow worth it if their beliefs become law were really struggling with such a sacrilegious display.
As you can see, Trump — as always — cannot abide any criticism, even from fellow conservatives, even from his most ardent supporters.
He lashed out at transphobic grifter Riley Gaines, at former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, and at disgraced conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
Speaking with CBS News on Monday, April 13, Trump claimed that he’d believed that the slop image depicted him, not as Christianity’s messiah figure, but as “a doctor.”
Absurdly, he insisted: “I viewed that as a picture of me being a doctor in fixing — you had the Red Cross right there, you had, you know, medical people surrounding me.”
There is speculation that Trump, given his obvious cognitive decline, misunderstood a plan to claim that the image had been “doctored,” after his press secretary used that word.
Why is he doubling down?
Trump seemed shocked by the outcry that his initial post elicited from conservative Christians who previously supported him.
Meanwhile, other members of his regime have conjured up various excuses — such as Vance claiming that it was a “joke” that people misinterpreted.
Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson admitted that he did ask Trump to delete the post.
Even conservative commentators have marveled at how Trump deleted that image, but left the racist depiction of the Obamas up. We probably all understand why Trump cares more about white evangelicals than he does about Black constituents, right?
Only, he’s doubling down on the AI Jesus stuff. Is he testing the waters? Or is this kneejerk defiance against any request for decency, which is the same attitude that defines his political movement?
Donald Trump Posts ANOTHER AI Jesus Image Despite Conservative Christian Backlash was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.
The Hollywood Gossip
Seafood skews expensive, particularly when you’re paying for the freshest fish, and these restaurant chains are among the most expensive in the biz.
Food Republic – Restaurants, Reviews, Recipes, Cooking Tips
It’s rare for a country artist to have a No. 1 hit with a debut single, but Blake Shelton pulled it off. Continue reading…Country Music News – Taste of Country
NOTN- The Juneau Assembly held a special budget listening session last night as the city faces a steep drop in revenue following last fall’s municipal election.
Assembly and staff said voter-approved changes, including a property tax mill rate cap and new sales tax exemptions on essential food and residential utilities. have created a larger-than-expected budget gap.
“As I’m sure most of or all of you know, we’re in a difficult position of having to come up with a balanced budget after significant revenue loss.” Finance Chair Christine Woll said, “People are paying less in taxes, which is a good thing. The flip side is we have less resources available to fund city services.”
Finance staff now project roughly a $14 million reduction in sales tax revenue heading into fiscal year 2027.
The Assembly is searching for $2-4 million in service cuts and potential new revenue.
“No question, there’s reduced revenue, but we’re really trying to be measured in how they approach it, which means you will be hearing from us and having this conversation over the course of two years, and you’ll get very tired of it, but expect us to be in this conversation of, ‘how do we live within our means for a couple of years?’ Because he certainly wants to make sure that it’s done thoughtfully and with lots of engagement.” Said City Manager Katie Koester.
Public testimony at the listening session focused largely on protecting Parks and Recreation services, including the Treadwell Arena, Diamond Park Field House, pools, and the Jensen-Olson Arboretum.
Testifiers told heartwarming stories about their experiences, memories and use of these city facilities emphasizing to the assembly their importance to Juneau life year round but especially during long winters like this one.
“I understand that the city has some tough decisions to make regarding funding, and while fields, playgrounds and a field house may not seem vital parts to our community, I’m here to tell you they are.” Said one testifier, Lexi, “Parks and Rec is vital to the Juneau community because it organizes sports for youth to participate in, without the high price tag of club teams. It also provides facilities that youth can play organized or pick up games. Any large cuts to Parks and Rec will substantially hurt the youth of Juneau, the parents that support them and the adults that still feel like they’re youths on the field.”
Residents argued those facilities are critical to Juneau’s physical and mental health, youth opportunities and community retention, especially through long winters.
“I made the possibly questionable decision to start playing hockey at 59 years of age.” Said testifier Kieth, “Since I started I have found a community that is incredible. What’s important to our community is what’s going to keep young people and families here in Juneau, and I’m afraid that recreation opportunities are underestimated in their value there. It’s hard to quantify. People make decisions about whether they’re going to stay here or not based upon what kind of opportunities there are. There’s a wide range of people that I’ve met there, from all across the community that I would never have met before, spans all generations. And during the dark, wet winter months, it’s always light and dry, well lit. And so, I just think it’s a very important place to maintain and I hope we can keep the full funding for the for the rink.”
Some speakers urged the city to raise or revisit certain tax exemptions, while others called for expanded use of user fees, volunteers, and public‑private partnerships rather than deeper cuts to specific city entities.
“Maintain existing services within your existing revenue stream. I don’t think that you ought to adjust taxes, particularly sales tax.
I do think that reasonable adjustments to fees are acceptable to users, if they enjoy the service that you’re providing, or the community is providing, then they ought to pay for those and they should understand that we’re in tough times.” Said testifier Don.
Assembly members repeatedly warned, that even with strong public support, some services are still likely to be reduced as they work to balance the budget over the next two years.
Budget discussions will continue, with more public input opportunities expected before the city passes next year’s budget.