Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 04-22-26

The drags on, but the Pook-Emu Bee links are strong. Or so I tell myself, at least. 1, Italy Summons Russian Ambassador After Propagandist Calls Giorgia Meloni ‘Whore’ (Christian K. Caruzo for Breitbart. April 22, 2026.) That is not nice. Is Russian TV (which the Russian government has absolutely no control over, we are assured) just stringing together every insult the host can think of? But regarding Ms. Meloni specifically, this goes one step beyond Associated Press reporting. 2. Macron backs Lebanon as France is sidelined from Israel talks (Pauline Cohen for Brussels Signal. April 22, 2026.) France hasn’t been sidelines this hard since several West African military juntas replaced French soldiers with Russian mercenaries (to the benefit of no one, including in many cases the sub-standard Russian mercenaries) five minutes ago. Of course, sidelining France in Lebanon is good for all parties, including Lebanon. 3. Shaq names the big men who gave him the most trouble (Julian Eschenbach for Basketball Network. June 29, 2025.) I sadly never saw Bryant “Big Country” Reeves play on TV. The Vancouver Grizzlies were not a national TV fixture for reasons I explored in an article about their ill-fated 1997 trade which wound up costing them the second overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft and I did not have cable until the 2001-02 season, which he missed entirely with back injuries before retiring. 4. YouTube extends likeness detection to celebrities and talent agencies (Fla for AlternativeTo. April 22, 2026.) “Talent agencies” and “celebrities” get special protections. Normal people, however, may have less luck with Google. 5. A look back at the SPLC (Scott Johnson for Power Line. April 22, 2026.) I remember this reporting on SPLC with the refresher. Good stuff in hindsight. 6. Playdate Has Had Enough Of All This Generative AI Nonsense (Damien McFerran for Time Extension. April 22, 2026.) I almost bought a Playdate when I saw it for about 40% cheaper than the store price on Ebay, but I did not pull the trigger. Their new AI policy for the store seems fair and reasonable to me. 7. NYC high school librarian a predator who targeted an ‘endless pool’ of Asian students: reports (David Spector for the New York Post. April 18, 2026.) So what happened after authorities became aware of his behavior? Well… SCI urged then-Schools Chancellor David Banks to terminate Von Hoppe in a 2024 letter, but he was instead reassigned to a ‘rubber room,’ Edelman reported. He has been on the city payroll since then, earning $140,588 as of last year, records showed. Sounds about right. He will “retire” at the end of this year after collecting more than a year’s worth of full salary. Great job guys.