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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌

@tomhicksmedia.bsky.social
34K followers 49K following 15K posts

Writer & Publisher of Off Script, Lotus Purrspective, Chart Collision, Panic Room Sports, Rabbit Ears Classic TV, The Backlot Ghost, and What The Hell?.

PostsRepliesMedia
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 20h
Which is harder to believe: the Browns are 3-1, or Dallas has already hit the panic button? panicroomsports.substack.com/p/dallas-fin...
panicroomsports.substack.com
Dallas Finally Admitted Its Defense Has a Problem
Joey Porter Jr. is a Cowboy, De’Von Achane leaves a fantasy crater, Detroit gets a gift from the Carolina injury report, and we found a reason for fantasy players to care about NASCAR in Las Vegas.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 20h
What were you listening to in October 1995? chartcollision.substack.com/p/chart-coll...
chartcollision.substack.com
Chart Collision: October 2, 1995
Mariah had the biggest song in America. Coolio owned rap. Tim McGraw ruled country. And somehow Patti LaBelle, Seal, and the Goo Goo Dolls all fit into the same week.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 20h
Do you actually go to bed when you’re tired, or do you suddenly find seventeen things that need doing first? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/the-suspic...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
The Suspiciously Specific Time Humans Call “Bedtime”
You were asleep on the couch twenty minutes ago. Then you started preparing to sleep. This makes no sense.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 20h
Would you let a contractor help write the shopping list? open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
The Pentagon Asked Three Outsiders to Imagine the Next War. Two of Them Could Sell It the Weapons.
Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey already have enormous Pentagon business. Now they’re helping decide what technology America’s military will need next.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 20h
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam Cameo put funk in a red codpiece and sent it marching through the ’80s. Ridiculous? Absolutely. Does that groove still hit like a subpoena? Word up. Word Up - Cameo youtu.be/lYOSdI_91WM?...
youtu.be
Word Up!
YouTube video by Cameo - Topic
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What classic TV show had no business lasting this long in our memory? rabbitearstv.substack.com/p/how-did-39...
rabbitearstv.substack.com
How Did 39 Episodes Last 71 Years?
The Honeymooners became television shorthand for marriage, friendship, and big dreams from one ridiculously small apartment.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Which of these six No. 1s takes you back to 1987 the fastest? tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/october-1-...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
October 1, 1987: Whitney Had the Hot 100, Michael Was Bad, and Prince Owned the Dance Floor
Six Billboard charts. Six different No. 1s. One week that sounds unmistakably like 1987.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
When everyone finally leaves you alone, do you miss them—or enjoy the silence? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/the-differ...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
The Difference Between Being Alone and Being Left Alone
Humans often confuse loneliness with solitude. Cats absolutely do not.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Would you trust the referee more if one team could complain until it got a different one? open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
The Government Lost in Court. Now It Wants Different Judges.
DOJ says Minnesota judges crossed an ethical line. The remedy is the real story.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam Newcleus took a bass line, a drum machine, and what sounds like an alien hijacking the PA system. The result still jams harder than most records made on Earth. Jam On It - Newcleus youtu.be/uAEw_sX7CFA?...
youtu.be
Newcleus - Jam On It
YouTube video by UPROXX
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
📽️ What movie sounded completely ridiculous until you actually watched it? backlotghost.substack.com/p/the-movie-...
backlotghost.substack.com
THE MOVIE THAT SHOULD HAVE RUN OUT OF GAS IN 20 MINUTES
Speed had a ridiculous premise, a first-time director, and a bus that couldn’t slow down. Then almost everybody involved made the right decision.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
What movie sounded completely ridiculous until you actually watched it? backlotghost.substack.com/p/the-movie-...
backlotghost.substack.com
THE MOVIE THAT SHOULD HAVE RUN OUT OF GAS IN 20 MINUTES
Speed had a ridiculous premise, a first-time director, and a bus that couldn’t slow down. Then almost everybody involved made the right decision.
041
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Could anybody in America escape Elvis Presley in 1956? tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/september-...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
September 30, 1956: Elvis. Elvis. Elvis. And One Very Determined Bill Doggett.
I was two and a half months old. Elvis Presley was considerably busier.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Who actually knows where everybody is in your house? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/why-am-i-t...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
Why Am I the Only One Who Knows Where Everybody Is?
Apparently, I am running household air traffic control, and nobody bothered to tell me.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
If your tax dollars were used to put a president on TV, whose signature would you want to see? open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
Congress Paid for Border Security. Who Turned It Into Trump’s TV Campaign?
A $20 million advertising contract followed a CBP budget move by one day. Soon, taxpayers were paying to air a video from Trump’s old campaign. Let’s see the paperwork.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam Some friends bring wine. Pebbles brings receipts and a beat. “Girlfriend” is an intervention you can dance to. Girlfriend - Pebbles youtu.be/cJMOsz9bDfI?...
youtu.be
“Girlfriend” - Pebbles - 1987 - (HQ HD) @djgusrodarte (Extended 12" Vinyl Remix) remastered edit
YouTube video by Dj Gus Rodarte
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This👇
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Anybody else make the “right” fantasy decision and get completely screwed anyway? panicroomsports.substack.com/p/the-nfl-lo...
panicroomsports.substack.com
THE NFL LOST ITS DAMN MIND
Seven seconds should be enough to reach overtime. Dallas somehow found a way to lose instead. Meanwhile, October baseball arrives early, and Kyle Larson just put the NASCAR field on notice.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
How many times did you think a game was over on Sunday? panicroomsports.substack.com/p/the-nfl-lo...
panicroomsports.substack.com
THE NFL LOST ITS DAMN MIND
Seven seconds should be enough to reach overtime. Dallas somehow found a way to lose instead. Meanwhile, October baseball arrives early, and Kyle Larson just put the NASCAR field on notice.
031
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
What’s the first song that comes to mind when you think of 1972? tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/september-...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
September 29, 1972: Mac Davis Had Two Charts Hooked
James Brown was on the good foot, Mel Tillis finally scored his country No. 1, and a strange little instrumental called “Popcorn” sounded like it had arrived from the future.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Do you ever turn something on just because the room feels too quiet? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/why-do-hum...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
Why Do Humans Need Background Noise?
My human apparently cannot exist in a room unless somebody, somewhere, is talking.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Should a Supreme Court justice explain a recusal after the Court already explained why he didn’t need one? open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
Did Samuel Alito Finally Grow a Conscience?
The Supreme Court said Alito didn’t have to recuse from a major climate case. Four months later, he did anyway. So what the hell changed?
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam Pet Shop Boys proved a dance record could sound detached, menacing, and impossibly cool. “West End Girls” barely raises its voice and still owns the damn city. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys youtu.be/UGZG-ByYqJc?...
youtu.be
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (Extended Version) 1985
YouTube video by Disco Dance Classix
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
CBS rejected the pilot. Jerry Van Dyke rejected the role. Sixty-two years later, guess which show we’re still watching? rabbitearstv.substack.com/p/everybody-...
rabbitearstv.substack.com
Everybody Was Wrong About Gilligan
CBS rejected the pilot. Jerry Van Dyke rejected the role. Sixty-two years later, guess which show we’re still watching?
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Could one radio dial really take you from the Association to Donovan to Motown to David Houston in the same afternoon? tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/toms-numbe...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
Tom’s Number Ones: September 28, 1966
Six songs, six corners of American music, and one week when the ’60s sounded like they were changing by the hour
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
How many times today have you had to prove you’re actually you? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/why-does-m...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
Why Does My Human Keep Having to Prove He’s My Human?
Today, I investigate passwords, verification codes and the baffling security systems protecting the man I can identify from three rooms away.
020
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Would you trust artificial intelligence to decide who dies without a human making the final call? open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
THE PENTAGON AND AN AI COMPANY JUST HAD A FIGHT WE SHOULD ALL BE HAVING
Claude’s maker drew two red lines for the military: mass surveillance of Americans and machines making their own kill decisions. The Pentagon’s answer was essentially: you don’t get to draw them.
020
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam “Yo no sé” means “I don’t know.” Pajama Party may not have had the answer, but that drum machine knew exactly what the hell it was doing. Pajama Party - Yo No Sé (12" Club Version) youtu.be/MCB-arHVajk?...
youtu.be
Pajama Party - Yo No Sé (12" Club Version)
YouTube video by Montag Studios GmbH
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It's hilarious to see these lying scumbags suddenly scurrying to put daylight between themselves and Trump after they have been kissing his ass for ten years. Don't be fooled. If they somehow manage to win re-election, they'll be back to kissing the fascist pig's diapered ass again on November 4th.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
What protest song still hits you just as hard today? #TomsNumberOnes #ProtestSongs #MusicHistory #BillieHoliday #WoodyGuthrie #BobDylan #NinaSimone #SamCooke #MarvinGaye #StevieWonder #PublicEnemy tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/25-protest...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
25 Protest Songs That Refused to Shut Up
From Billie Holiday to Public Enemy, fifty years of musicians turning anger, grief, and resistance into records that refused to disappear.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Why would you mess with something that was already perfectly good? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/humans-rui...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
Humans Ruined Milk Because, Of Course They Did.
Apparently plain milk wasn’t complicated enough.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Pete Hegseth just gave America a remarkably good explanation of why absentee voting exists. He may not have meant to. open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
Apparently, Mail Voting Works Just Fine When You Wear a Uniform
Pete Hegseth just gave America a remarkably good explanation of why absentee voting exists. He may not have meant to.
020
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam Freestyle understood romance: make a lifelong declaration, then add enough percussion to prevent anyone from asking follow-up questions. You’re My One and Only (True Love) - Seduction youtu.be/Bza1omYGlx8?...
youtu.be
Seduction ‎– You're My One And Only (True Love) (Club Mix)
YouTube video by NewJoeyBoy Tashamba
020
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
📽️ What older movie effect still makes you wonder how the hell they pulled it off? backlotghost.substack.com/p/they-knew-...
backlotghost.substack.com
They Knew How to Mix Cartoons and Humans. Then Roger Rabbit Broke the Rules.
Moving cameras, impossible eyelines and thousands of hand-drawn frames turned a Hollywood trick into one of the most ambitious filmmaking gambles of the 1980s.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
What older movie effect still makes you wonder how the hell they pulled it off? backlotghost.substack.com/p/they-knew-...
backlotghost.substack.com
They Knew How to Mix Cartoons and Humans. Then Roger Rabbit Broke the Rules.
Moving cameras, impossible eyelines and thousands of hand-drawn frames turned a Hollywood trick into one of the most ambitious filmmaking gambles of the 1980s.
051
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Which one of these 2005 No. 1s would still make your playlist today? tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/september-...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
September 26, 2005: Kanye Owned Two Charts, Gorillaz Wouldn’t Leave, and the iPod Was Taking Over
One day in 2005 catches pop music halfway between the CD rack and the download button.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Would you trust a cat to name Connecticut’s newest little celebrity? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/species-re...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
SPECIES REVIEW: RED PANDA
Cute, fluffy, endangered, and currently nameless. Finally, a species with its priorities straight.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Trump says it’s about stopping noncitizens from voting. The system being built to find them is much bigger than the problem. open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
Your Name. Your Address. Your Vote. Washington Wants the File.
Trump says it’s about stopping noncitizens from voting. The system being built to find them is much bigger than the problem.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam Some songs get the party started. This one does that, and then some. C+C Music Factory hit the gas in 1990 and gave dance floors an order nobody argued with: EVERYBODY DANCE NOW! 🔥 Gonna Make You Sweat - C+C Music Factory youtu.be/LaTGrV58wec?...
youtu.be
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) (Official HD Video)
YouTube video by CCMusicFactoryVEVO
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What did you believe about Week 3 yesterday that you don’t believe anymore? panicroomsports.substack.com/p/well-that-...
panicroomsports.substack.com
Well, That Changed Fast
Thursday night blew up a few assumptions. Now let’s figure out what we actually know before Sunday.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What did you believe about Week 3 yesterday that you don’t believe anymore? panicroomsports.substack.com/p/well-that-...
panicroomsports.substack.com
Well, That Changed Fast
Thursday night blew up a few assumptions. Now let’s figure out what we actually know before Sunday.
020
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
If you could keep only one song from this week in 1997, which one would survive? tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/toms-numbe...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
TOM’S NUMBER ONES: SEPTEMBER 25, 1997
Mariah owned the week. Usher was becoming a star. And one of the decade’s most unavoidable bands was just getting started.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Does your pet believe food ever stops being edible once it hits the floor? lotuspurrspective.substack.com/p/the-five-s...
lotuspurrspective.substack.com
The Five-Second Rule Is Human Propaganda
Your food does not become dangerous when it hits the floor. It becomes available.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Would you take a cancer blood test if you knew it might miss the cancer you feared most? open.substack.com/pub/theunred...
open.substack.com
A Blood Test for 50-Plus Cancers. What Will It Miss?
My father died after keeping a cancer warning to himself. I remembered his decision when I faced my own.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🎶 #TomsDailyDanceJam Jamaica wouldn’t let Andrea True take her commercial pay home, so she spent it recording this disco classic. Best use of trapped cash in music history. More, More, More - Andrea True Connection Andrea True Connection - More, More, More (Audio) youtu.be/73RYirgeLV4?...
youtu.be
Andrea True Connection - More, More, More (Audio)
YouTube video by AndreaTrueConnVEVO
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The most important thing this November is voting every Republican out of office. Every. Single. Fucking. One.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Well, here we are.
0101
𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Who was the one TV character you fell a little bit in love with? rabbitearstv.substack.com/p/the-avenge...
rabbitearstv.substack.com
The Avengers Had a Revolving Door. Then Emma Peel Walked Through It.
John Steed had several partners, and some damn good ones. But when Diana Rigg arrived, one of television’s strangest shows found its perfect accomplice.
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𝐓𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 - 𝐓𝐇𝐌 @tomhicksmedia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Which September 1980 record would get your quarter first? tomsnumberones.substack.com/p/september-...
tomsnumberones.substack.com
September 24, 1980: Diana Ross Owns the Top. Queen Is Coming.
Six charts catch American music between decades, with disco refusing to die, country crossing borders and one enormous bass line waiting to take over.
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