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Sunday, July 26, 2026
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Here’s a place to share cartoons, jokes, music, art, nature,
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This feature will appear every day at 1pm mountain time.
As Its Leaders Fight, Iran May Now Be Coming Apart From Within
Could Iran's civil and military leadership be coming apart at the seams? We've seen some indication that this might be happening; the supposed "Supreme Leader," Mojtaba Khamenei missing in action, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) seeming to have seized control of what's left of Iran's military, and Iran's negotiations are best characterized as a left hand with no knowledge of what the right hand is doing.
Things aren't looking good for the Islamic Republic, even before you include the fact that the United States is basically shoveling tons of high explosives into Iran every night.
Now, a New York Post piece is citing reports from "regional sources" that the disintegration of Iran's leadership may be further along than we thought.
Iran’s leaders are fighting each other almost as much as they’re battling the West, with some senior politicians scrambling to save US talks while the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leans into the renewed war, regional sources told The Post.
With Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei out of public view, there’s no one left to force the rival factions back into line — meaning the future of the conflict may now be decided by a power struggle in Tehran, not by Washington.
The growing divide has exposed what the sources describe as two competing centers of power inside Tehran: civilian leaders trying to preserve a fragile diplomatic track and military hardliners determined to keep up pressure through confrontation.
Now, there's a little room for skepticism here.
First of all, we've heard indications of such a disintegration before, as noted above, and yet the fight goes on. The Supreme Leader, yes, appears to have been deprived of his marbles, even if he is still above whatever passes for grass in Tehran, and not under it. Iran's negotiating team seems to have very little grasp of what they are supposed to be doing, and the IRGC seems to be doing whatever it pleases. But so far, the remains of Iran's civil leadership seem to be holding together.
One named expert did express some doubts:
“Yes, there are politicians who occasionally come out, including even Iran’s foreign minister, who talk about dialogue,” (Behnam Ben) Taleblu (senior director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Iran Program) told The Post. “But those driving the train, those with their finger on the trigger, those making some of the most important decisions continue to talk and act like escalation is what will secure their survival, not engagement.”
There's the key concern. It's looking as though the harder Iran gets pounded, the more its civil leadership is degraded, the more influence on the direction of the country falls to the IRGC, and these people are, to put it mildly, nuts. They appear to have no intention of giving up, and every intention of fighting it out, whatever the cost. And here's the problem: Time may well work for them, not for the United States. They are certainly aware of our midterm elections in November. They are certainly aware that a new Congress will be seated in January of 2027, one that may not support President Trump's Iran agenda and may yank funding, forcing the hostilities to an end.
Yes, there are signs that the Iranian government may be coming apart at the seams. But that makes bringing this thing to a quick and decisive end more, not less, vital.
CENTCOM Reports US Forces Boarded Ship, Disabled Another Trying to Run Iran Blockade
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) gave an update on some of its actions on Saturday in enforcing the naval blockade against Iran, which it said remains in full effect.
They explained how they had, to this point on July 25, "redirected 12 commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, disabled 2 that didn't comply, and boarded 2 to ensure total compliance."
Two of those actions took place over the past two days. Earlier today, U.S. forces completed a verification boarding of Comoros-flagged M/T Charminar in the Arabian Sea, and the tanker is now continuing its journey. You can see that boarding below.
CENTCOM forces also disabled the Mozambique-flagged M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman on July 24.
The ship had attempted to breach the blockade "multiple times and ignored repeated warnings."
"The ship is no longer transiting to Iran," the post said. Translation? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
"American forces remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready," CENTCOM stated.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is also squeezing Iran even more on the economic front. While their politicians reportedly want to make a deal, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continues to push for escalation.
There are also explosions in Bandar Abbas, Iran, although reports said the U.S. denied they were hitting it at that point. So they may be getting hit by one of their Gulf neighbors.
Terrorist Attack at Berlin Gay Pride Event
A white van drove into a crowd of the alphabet supporters at the big gay pride event in Berlin, Germany. At least one person is killed with many more reported as injured. Police are looking for the suspect who drove away.
Berlin AP — A van slammed into people gathered for Berlin’s famed LGBTQ+ event on Saturday, killing one person, injuring at least 15 others and prompting police to call off the celebrations and a concert in the German capital hours after they had begun.
Police said some of the victims had life-threatening injuries. Firefighters, ambulances and event emergency staffers were attending to the victims.
In a post on X, police called on everyone to leave the site of the event immediately. According to police, a white van had driven into the Tiergarten park, which is next to the route that the pride march had passed along earlier, and hit several people before colliding with a tree. Police could not say how many officers had been deployed to the scene but that it was “definitely a lot of police.” (read more)
Sunday Scripture
Thoughts on Today's Verse from Verse of the Day
Obedience is faith put into practice. Without actions and good deeds, Jesus' brother James reminds us that our faith is not genuine — it is false faith (James 2:14, 17, 26). So, without arguing or procrastinating, let's quickly obey — let's "hasten and not delay to obey" — even when we don't fully understand why. We've seen God's love demonstrated to us in Jesus, so we should obey because we know he loves us. Most of us have also seen the blessings that flow from obeying him. So, let's "hasten and not delay to obey"God's commands!
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Post whatever you got in the comments section below.
This feature will post every day at 6:30am Mountain time.
Canadian NATO Intern at Military HQ Arrested for Spying
A Canadian intern at NATO military headquarters in Belgium was arrested for espionage. The name of the intern is Chinese, but to protect the Canadian government from embarrassment the nation the woman was spying for remains undisclosed. Go figure.
The Chinese influence operations within Canadian government and politics is a subject that has been disclosed over the past few years with a great deal of consternation inside Canada. The intern was within the SHAPE operation.
SHAPE is a strategic headquarters. Its role is to prepare, plan, conduct and execute NATO military operations, missions and tasks in order to achieve the strategic objectives of the Alliance. {Source}
SHAPE is the tip of the NATO spear on what’s called Forward Land Forces (FLF), currently operating in Eastern Europe on a mission to support the Ukraine military objectives. {SOURCE}
So, this Chinese spy from Canada was operating inside the NATO military operation that was supporting the weapon supply system for Ukraine.
(NYT) – The authorities in Belgium said on Saturday that a Canadian intern at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s military headquarters had been arrested on suspicion of spying for another country.
The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the woman was “of Chinese origin” and was arrested on Friday. “She is suspected of spying on behalf of a third country and of being a member of a criminal organization,” it said in a statement, which did not identify the country or the criminal organization.
The intern was first flagged by the security services at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, which is near Mons, Belgium. The case was then referred to Belgian intelligence and a police investigation was launched, the federal prosecutor’s office said.
That investigation led to searches of the woman’s home and place of work on Thursday, and a judge decided to place her under arrest on Friday, the prosecutor’s office said, adding in its statement that it would not comment further on the case. (MORE)
Sunday Surprise - Good news
Arizona Mechanic Builds Own Fleet of Dwarf Cars Out of Old Fridges, Junkyard Scraps—Opens Own Museum
Master tinkerer Ernie Adams had always
wanted a race car. But who has money for a race car?
Moreover, living in a little trailer park
in Harvard, Nebraska, at the time, he had no room to park one.
So, Adams, who has worked in a garage
since age 16, satisfied his longing by building his very own antique dwarf car.
Over the years, his hobby would snowball
massively. Now 82 and retired, Adams has an entire fleet comprised of some 15
antique dwarf cars—including several race cars—all made by his hand.
Ernie Adams beside his dwarf 1940 Mercury 2-door sedan. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
No stranger to tinkering in the shop,
growing up, Adams lived just a quarter mile from the city dump, which fed his
hobby. “That city dump was like a free department store for me,” he told The
Epoch Times.
“At that time, they were taking gas
washing machine motors off and putting electric on, and they’d throw the old
motors in the dump.”
There were old bicycle and wagon parts,
too, and he started deconstructing and reconstructing them and then selling his
fully-functioning contraptions.
“I didn’t realize I was learning my trade
back then,” he said, adding that his learning to build his own vehicles in
those days came easy, because “time meant nothing, and there was no money
involved.”
Adams was motivated to build his dwarf race cars by watching side hack races that he found dissatisfying. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
His motivation for building dwarf cars was
fueled by watching old side-hack races, which dissatisfied him because the
drivers had to slow down around corners. He would think to himself, “Put four
wheels on it and a small car body and slide them corners!”
Thus, the young Adams started formulating
an idea.
He recalled an old refrigerator laying in
the weeds by the train tracks near his childhood house, and a miniature
car popped into his mind. “I wanted an antique car and couldn’t
afford one, didn’t have room for one. I picked up some refrigerators and built
one,” he said.
“I saw it in my mind, you know?”
Adams's antique dwarf car which he thinks most closely resembles a ’28 Chevy. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
It was to be Adam’s very first dwarf
car—though it wouldn’t be the last.
He didn’t follow any design specifications
or particular model for the first one, but said it looks “more like a ’28 Chevy
than anything else“ and also that it ”looked pretty decent.” He’s still
got that old ’28 Chevy dwarf car today.
But Adams wasn’t satisfied with just one
car; from the get-go, he had had a race car in mind.
So it was that throughout the 1980s, he
pretty much sparked the whole “dwarf race car craze,” which spread nationwide,
and he started making others’ miniature race car dreams come true, too.
Adams working on a dwarf car. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
A dwarf car in the works in Adams's
workshop. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
“People started wanting them,” he said.
“People started seeing them, and they were cheap. And I was helping people
build them for nothing for my labor.”
“It was just a fun hobby for me.”
Adams became handy at making scaled-down
versions of larger cars, imitating them to a tee. He learned to bend metal and
weld; he crafted interior items, such as steering wheels and knobs on the
dashboard; he even built his own tools, including his own bead roller and
English wheel.
“I couldn’t afford to buy [those tools],
and I just sat down and made them,” he said. “I made a better bead roller than
I could have bought.”
Adams shows several of his dwarf cars
outside his garage. Courtesy of Ernie
Adams
Adams next to his dwarf ’42 Ford Deluxe Convertible, made in 1999. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
Adams shows off his dwarf 1940 Mercury 2-door sedan. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
Adams's “Little Bitty," a dwarf 1954 Chevy Bel Air. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
Adams's ’29 Ford Hillbilly dwarf car. Courtesy
of Ernie Adams
Besides cars for the racetrack, the
mechanical maverick created dwarf models that are street-legal. Those include a
’39 Chevy 2-door, a ’29 Ford Hillbilly 2-door sedan, a ’40 Mercury coupe
chopped top, a ’54 Chevy 2-door Bel Air, and a ’32 Ford 3-window coupe.
But perhaps the most impressive of Adams’s
fleet is his prized ’49 Mercury. “It was a well-sought-after car,” he
said. “Even now people pay big money for a ’49 Mercury.”
He added that he wouldn’t sell it for any
amount of money.
“No, it’s not for sale,” he said.
“That car is just exactly like the real
car, inside and out—the bumpers, everything. It’s like the original: the
steering wheel, the emblem on the horn button, the window cranks. All the
gauges look exactly like the original—the glove box, radio, heater.”
All of these he crafted with his own two
hands and homemade tools.
Adams poses beside “Rebel Rouser," his dwarf ’49 Mercury. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
Adams shows off his prized dwarf ’49 Mercury. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
Adams learned to fold metal to construct the bodies of his dwarf car fleet. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
Adams stands towering next to his
dwarf ’49 Mercury. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
“The only thing different about the dash
is it’s got a CD player instead of a radio,” he said. “It’s a beautiful
automobile.”
The mechanic’s dwarf cars can easily
handle the highway, zooming at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, while traveling
as far as 200 or 300 miles on a tank of gas. They run on Honda motors installed
by Adams.
Sure, it’s cozy but not uncomfortable, as
Adams drops the floors down low to provide legroom aplenty.
Plus, they’re street legal; Adams, now
living in Maricopa, contacted Arizona authorities and had them registered as
“homemade” vehicles—as one would register a homemade trailer.
Having participated in dozens upon dozens
of antique car competitions across the state and beyond, Adams boasts a wall
full of trophies.
“Here’s one that’s five feet tall,” he
said, pointing to one from a church car show, awarded for People’s Choice.
Adams and his ’34 Ford sedan, his personal
favorite. Courtesy of Ernie Adams
If Adams had to choose a favorite from among his antique beauties, it would be his ’34 Ford 2-door sedan, which he never painted but chose to let rust, thus bearing raw steel for all to see.
There are many who consider it their
favorite as well.
His pride and joy features all the
original levers and styling. Its door handles, dash, and everything else are
just like the original.
Adams’s showroom eventually became so busy
with visitors, he decided to have it registered as a legitimate museum,
the Dwarf Car
Museum, located 17 miles southwest of Maricopa.
“People come in here and look, and they
said, ‘Oh, this is just like a museum,’” Adams told the newspaper. “So we had
it legally registered as a museum in 2009.
“I think there’s probably been twenty here
this morning already—or thirty?”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/arizona-mechanic-builds-own-fleet-of-dwarf-cars-out-of-old-fridges-junkyard-scraps-opens-own-museum-4963809?&utm_source=MB_article_paid_f&utm_campaign=MB_article_2026-07-26-ca&utm_medium=email&est=QUHiDBBGj%2Fs2UzN%2BaCpZwLTcUrHb7YMDqqd6PXc2JgIWfQGklSdTq25NV1VIrDXqAPyB&utm_content=highlight-news-1