Karmi

WordPress Theme Migration with Local: Setup & Testing Environment

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WordPress theme migration series Part 1 featuring Local by WP Engine for setup and testing environment

Thinking about WordPress theme migration but terrified of breaking your site? I get it. I spent three years with a $39 theme that worked fine until it started fighting every customization attempt. Bullet text displayed larger than paragraph text, and CSS fixes failed repeatedly. The theme’s stubborn specificity overrode everything.

But here’s the thing: WordPress theme migration doesn’t have to be risky. You can test everything safely on your own computer before touching your live site. No expensive staging servers, no $5,000 web developers, just free software called Local and a methodical approach.

This is Part 1 of a complete guide showing you how to migrate WordPress themes safely. I’m a 79-year-old hermit who just migrated from Multipurpose Blog Pro to GeneratePress using Local. If I can do this, you can do it too.

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Dropping Claude: Testing My New AI Sidekick ChatGPT

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Cartoon detective dropping Claude robot and shaking hands with ChatGPT robot — AI Sidekick illustration for blog post

Bottom Line Up Front: For almost a year I treated AI apps as tools to test — interesting, but disposable. But in mid-July 2025 everything changed. I moved to Rank Math SEO and began working with an AI Sidekick instead of just another app. Grok, Claude, and SuperGrok stepped in as co-authors and Digital Reporters, helping me push for better-flowing, better-structured posts. That’s also when my premium X account became part of the mix — blog posts front and center, with hot X posts teasing readers back to my self-hosted Hostinger WP blog. 

Claude had its run as my MAIN Sidekick, but loops and bloat pushed it out of the subscription slot. ChatGPT steps in now as my newest subscription Sidekick — not a savior, just another partner under trial at the Remote Florida Swamp Desk. Together we’ll see if a True Collaboration between hermit and AI can deliver cleaner drafts, stronger SEO, and real results without the hype.

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Russian Military Modernization Déjà Vu: From 2000s Reforms to 2025 (and Trump’s Flip-Flop)

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Trench warfare scene illustrating Russian military modernization Déjà Vu, highlighting how Putin’s so-called modernization echoes WWI tactics.

Bottom Line Up Front: Russian military modernization has been described as a “rebirth” more than once — in the 2000s, again before the 2022 Ukraine invasion, and now once more in 2025. Each cycle promises reform, new technology, and force generation, but the results often reveal the same weaknesses in logistics, corruption, and sustainability. The latest ISW update on Russian force generation and technological adaptations is only the newest chapter in a long-running pattern of déjà vu moments.

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Testing Zorin OS 18 Beta – Is This the Windows 10 Replacement You Need?

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Zorin OS 18 desktop interface showing activities menu and mountain wallpaper with beta announcement text

Bottom Line Up Front

Zorin OS 18 Beta delivers a polished, Windows-like experience that may ease the October 2025 Windows 10 end-of-life transition for millions of PCs. I’ve been testing Linux since 1996 — and Zorin since late 2009 — and this release shows real promise for Windows users who want familiar functionality without the steep Linux learning curve. As a daily Windows 11 user, I appreciate that Zorin doesn’t bash Windows, but instead tries to deliver an OS that feels familiar while staying true to Linux’s strengths.

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Charlie Kirk Assassination: The Murderous Left and MAGA’s Mob of White Men

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Charlie Kirk assassination image showing Tyler Robinson, Michelle Obama, Joy Reid, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson with text overlay about murderous left and MAGA mob

Bottom Line Up Front: In a pre-shooting note, assassin Tyler Robinson scrawled: “Some hatred cannot be negotiated with.” That phrase — echoed in his texts and in FBI briefings — became the stated rationale for targeting Charlie Kirk over blunt anti-affirmative-action and anti-DEI critiques. Reporting since the killing has been chaotic: outlets recycle decontextualized clips and social-media snippets; at the same time, pro-Kirk networks compile doxx lists and push to get critics fired.

The Democratic Party limits black Americans to a narrow definition of success – either through affirmative action credentials or sports achievements. Aren’t black Americans equal and free to stand on their own merit without government programs propping up select individuals? What about everyone else who doesn’t get that assistance? Was the racist affirmative action Kirk’s target instead of him being the racist?

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