“OUR DEMOCRACY.” Data Republican (small r) strikes again. The X (Twitter) post is here.

This woman is a national treasure. Follow her.

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS just hijacked redistricting in the Commonwealth, but there's a silver lining.

Watch the video of Winsome.

LUCKILY I GREW UP BEFORE 'EXPERTS' TOOK OVER SCIENCE: Early peanut introduction cuts allergies by 43% in kids under three.

I have a granddaughter who's a victim of their 'expertise'.

NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT OVERPOPULATION. Social media culture makes Gen Z men scared to date.

THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA computer system attacked and the message, while hilarious, couldn't be clearer.

I'm somewhat amused by the whole thing because the University of Pennsylvania is in fact the birthplace of the first computer. As of the mid-70's when I lived in Pennsylvania, it was still stored there....

[VIP] JUDGES ORDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TO FUND SNAP — there's just one problem. From the comments:

It seems to me that would have just about as much merit and standing as what they just did to the administration. In other words, if you can order the administration to spend money, illegally or otherwise, you should be able to order Congress to appropriate it.

Maybe the “no kings” protest was aimed at the wrong branch of government?.

Weren't the three branches of government supposedly 'co-equal'?

HOW LONG UNTIL 1+1 IS NOT EQUAL TO 2? The corruption of the sciences is devastating our disciplines.

BUT WILL THEY PAY FOR IT? Two judges rule the Trump administration must keep SNAP benefits in place.

IMPEACH JUDGE BOASBERG: The 'Arctic Frost' spying scandal gets so much worse, and it leads back to infamous Judge Boasberg.

CONSERVING CONSERVATISM MOST CONSERVATIVELY: Bill Kristol says he would vote for Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor.

But does he really live in NYC? And if so, for how long after Mamdani wins?

Linked from Instapundit.

FALLING LEAVES 2026, Week 6: We start this week with a view from our 'reading room' -- the loft's (mostly cat) lounge area. Because the wind here is generally westerly, the trees don't lose their leaves early, and this year they're spectacularly yellow and holding on for dear life.

Here are the usual pond/fire pit views:

The pictures have rather dramatically changed over the week. The trees, which were mostly green with tinges of brown, have now turned mostly brown and leaves are dropping faster.

The back yard, looking back toward the fire pit and house, is completely covered with leaves -- no bare ground whatever. I'm hoping it will remain deep enough to discourage the underbrush when spring returns. (There's a squirrel running back and forth along the retaining wall fence outside my window -- very distracting. I think it's moving acorns to winter storage in its nest in the trees.)

Here's a closer view of the yard, taken roughly from the fire pit. The grass is mostly gone, except for a few freshly seeded areas. The elephant ears and other bushes/flowers that line the walkway are finally giving up with the more consistent colder temperatures.

Finally this week I leave you with this view of a bright red tree I took during one of my regular walks at the county park. It, unfortunately, has dropped many of the leaves from its crown since I was last there.

Until next week, then....

RANDOM THOUGHT: Seen on a local church message board: "We're not Dairy Queen but we still have great Sundays."

IMPRIMIS: Lawlessness is a choice.

It is common sense that law and order is an 80-20 issue. You don’t need a pollster to say so, although according to a recent AP-NORC poll, 81 percent of Americans across political persuasions say crime is a “major problem.” The other 19 percent must be either criminals, progressive politicians, or both.

I agree.

IT'S OKAY WHEN WE DO IT: Massachusetts Governor cracked down on gun owners while an aide illegally carried a pistol and dealt coke right under her nose.