I pass brief judgement on Pete Buttigieg and Penguin Batman.

Look, I try not to be self-deprecating but this is a low-quality ramble. I discuss again the war in Gaza and left-wing strategy.

I write about how movies from Taxi Driver to Joker are part of a long-running narrow stereotype of community breakdown and isolation.

I take a swing again at a poorly written Stuff article, and give a quick nod to a new all-time favourite film of mine.

I skirt around Rule One re: the novel Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, and judge Narcos: Mexico compared to the original Narcos.

I discuss Haitiangate and a celebrity endorsement in the US presidential election.

(Gonna roll together the non-fiction and fiction categories today.) The Weekly Defrost is changing from always responding to current...

In this week's edition: why do we still teach 1066 in schools, and after watching Season 2, do I recommend the Game of Thrones prequel show?

I talk about narcotics. Frozen Peaches does not advocate for or endorse drug usage and cannot be held legally liable for ignoring Nancy.

I write without much enthusiasm on the nuisance of a one-track political mind, and with a lot of enthusiasm on a new mature animated show.

I talk about vice-presidents one last time - was Walz the man for the hour? - and recommend "Waiting for Godot, but good".

Serious writeups on Imane Khelif and a post-March 15th report, followed by a more lighthearted look at veepstakes.

A serious one. I talk about the state's systematic abuse over decades of thousands of vulnerable New Zealanders taken into "care".

I very pettily take apart a pedestrian puritan article on Stuff, then discuss the stuff American vice-presidential nominees are made of.

I use the weekly newsletter to seriously discuss the dangers of the Trump shooting, and offer a list of totally, definitely real suspects.

It's all about the British election this week! I break down the vote at length, do some MMP math on it, and recommend a UK politics podcast.

I examine the China-NZ relationship as fears of the CCP rise, who could replace Biden after a disaster debate, and Star Wars: The Acolyte.

I briefly diss Trump's latest ??? idea before trying to get inside the head of Emmanuel Macron and the French parliamentary election.

x DESTROYS y in debate!!! (not clickbait) (liberals fume) (cat screech, dog bark, pipe falling sound effects) I also cover the SA coalition.

The weekly newsletter introduces some edutainment and covers elections in Britain and India, plus I discuss AI art and Star Wars stories!