1/ Frank Rich does a major story about once a month, and it's always worth waiting for because his insights are so revealing.....as is this story. He argues progressives should basically ignore Fox News as the network is fractured and dying, like most of it's audience.
This is one of these articles that open your eyes, and if you are at all interested in the real world, like our media, it's a must read. Let's stop taking the idiots at Fox so seriously......
Stop Beating a Dead Fox
The conservative news channel’s only real power is in riling up liberals, who by this point should know better.
- By Frank Rich
- Published Jan 26, 2014
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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“There ain’t no sanity clause,” Chico Marx told Groucho. There is also no Santa Claus. And there was no sanity in the Santa fracas that became an embarrassing liberal-media fixation just before Christmas. For those who missed it, what happened was this: A Fox News anchor, Megyn Kelly, came upon a tongue-in-cheek blog post at Slate in which a black writer, Aisha Harris, proposed that Santa be recast as a penguin for the sake of racial inclusiveness. After tossing this scrap of red meat to her all-white panel of prime-time guests, Kelly reassured any “kids watching” (this was nearing 10 p.m.) that “Santa justis white.” (For good measure, she added, “Jesus was a white man, too.”) Soon and sure enough, Kelly’s sound bites were being masticated in op-ed pieces, online, and especially on cable, where a passing wisecrack best left to the satirical stylings of Stewart and Colbert became a call to arms. At CNN, one anchor brought on Santas of four races to debunk Kelly. BuzzFeed reported that MSNBC programs hopped on the story fourteen times in a single week.
Of course what Kelly said was dumb. But the reaction was even dumber. Every year, Fox News whips up some phantom “war on Christmas” plotted by what the network’s blowhard-in-chief Bill O’Reilly calls “secular progressives.” This seasonal stunt has long been old news, yet many in the liberal media still can’t resist the bait. You had to feel for the NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker, who was drafted into filing a Kelly-Santa storyon the Today show for no discernible reason other than that she is not white.
2/ One of the funniest Daily Show segments we have seen for a while, Jon Stewart looks at the Atlanta meltdown and nails everyone involved.....two clips, five and three minutes.....
On Thursday, The Daily Show tackled the paralyzing snow that struck Atlanta, Georgia, over the week that caused nearly 24-hour traffic jams and resulted in strong criticism for Mayor Kasim Reed and Republican Gov. Nathan Deal.
Host Jon Stewart played clips of Deal explaining that the lack of preparedness was due to the lack of warning the state had prior to the storm. “Sure, no, I guess that’s probably the case,” Stewart said, “Unless anybody in that room had been watching what I guess you would call the weather.”
3/ Many of the superrich are upset because they are being criticised, and one wrote to the Wall Street Journal [a Murdoch paper] whining that the uberwealthy were being persecuted.....and the WSJ followed up with an Editorial agreeing with this asshole.
Paul Krugman puts it all in perspective for us.....
Paranoia of the Plutocrats
JAN. 26, 2014
Rising inequality has obvious economic costs: stagnant wagesdespite rising productivity, rising debt that makes us more vulnerable to financial crisis. It also has big social and human costs. There is, for example, strong evidence that high inequality leads to worse health and higher mortality.
But there’s more. Extreme inequality, it turns out, creates a class of people who are alarmingly detached from reality — and simultaneously gives these people great power.
The example many are buzzing about right now is the billionaire investor Tom Perkins, a founding member of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. In a letter to the editor of The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Perkins lamented public criticism of the “one percent” — and compared such criticism to Nazi attacks on the Jews, suggesting that we are on the road to another Kristallnacht.
You may say that this is just one crazy guy and wonder why The Journal would publish such a thing. But Mr. Perkins isn’t that much of an outlier. He isn’t even the first finance titan to compare advocates of progressive taxation to Nazis. Back in 2010 Stephen Schwarzman, the chairman and chief executive of the Blackstone Group, declared that proposals to eliminate tax loopholes for hedge fund and private-equity managers were “like when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939.”
And there are a number of other plutocrats who manage to keep Hitler out of their remarks but who nonetheless hold, and loudly express, political and economic views that combine paranoia and megalomania in equal measure.
4/ Rachel Maddow is one of the best interviewers on TV - she is focused, and relentless with politicians who evade questions, like this Congressman from one of our stupidest states, Kansas. This is the full 9 minute interview, and shows what a complete asshole this Tim Huelscamp is......and towards the end he made the huge mistake of calling Rachel a "cheerleader"....oops....
A wonderful video......
RACHEL MADDOW: Did you vote to cut diplomatic security facilities and their security before the Benghazi incident?
REP. TIM HUELSKAMP (R-KANSAS): No, we had passed additional security measures, as requested by the administration, but don't forget, the facts of the matter is Hillary Clinton did not request security enhancements, and we do believe that this administration let our troops down and let this diplomat down.
We need more answers there, we need answers about a lot of things. This administration promised to be the most transparent in history, Rachel, and I think if you would stop being a cheerleader and be a journalist, you'd recognize we're not getting those answers.
MADDOW: Did you just call me a cheerleader?
REP. TIM HUELSKAMP (R-KANSAS): No, we had passed additional security measures, as requested by the administration, but don't forget, the facts of the matter is Hillary Clinton did not request security enhancements, and we do believe that this administration let our troops down and let this diplomat down.
We need more answers there, we need answers about a lot of things. This administration promised to be the most transparent in history, Rachel, and I think if you would stop being a cheerleader and be a journalist, you'd recognize we're not getting those answers.
MADDOW: Did you just call me a cheerleader?
5/ "NFL Bad Lip Reading" is definitely a guy video, and as an occasional football fan I found it very funny to see these NFL brutes say totally inappropriate things.........
Mary not so much, so ladies watch the opening 30 seconds and make your decision.....three minutes.....
The talented folks at Bad Lip Reading have done it again with another hilarious NFL version. Jim Harbaugh, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and more make it into this year's version.
6/ We just had the SOTU address by the President, but many of the most serious issues won't be actioned any time soon because of the political gridlock, and the fact is corporate America is happy with quite a few of the list of 27 injustices being done to working people.......makes labour cheaper, and workers are easily cowed if they are insecure.
Yes it's a cynical comment, but unfortunately it's true.....
27 Shocking Numbers That Reveal the True State of the Union
Scary statistics on unemployment, inequality, climate change and more
In the State of the Union speech, we heard a lot about the nation's continuing recovery from the Great Recession, and about President Obama's determination to run an executive end-run around obstructionist Republicans in order to kick the economy into a higher gear.
But as the nation pauses for this annual moment of reflection on our fiscal and social health, too many leading indicators get short shrift. Here are 27 statistics – on unemployment, inequality, the drug war, defense spending, climate change and more – that underscore the troubled reality of America in 2014:
1. New income generated since 2009 that has gone to the top 1 percent: 95 percent
2. Financial wealth controlled by the bottom 60 percent of all Americans: 2.3 percent
3. Record combined wealth of the top 400 richest Americans: $2,000,000,000,000
4. Real decline in median middle-class incomes since 1999: $5,000
5. Percentage of Hispanic and African-American children living in poverty, respectively: 33.8 percent; 36.7 percent
6. Amount that food stamps will be cut in 2014: $5 billion
7. Federal minimum wage: $7.25
8. What the minimum wage would be if it had kept pace with gains in worker productivity since 1968: $21.72
7/ Tom Tomorrow on the West Virginia water poisoning.......if only it was a terrorist attack and we could bomb someone.....
Sometimes a cartoon says it all.....
8/ Royal Caribbean has had some bad luck recently with two of their ships having Norovirus outbreaks, with the Explorer of the Seas cutting the cruise short and giving compensation to every passenger.
But how does the ship get sanitised after these outbreaks? The crew does it, and even though most of the tipped employees don't get gratuities for the cruise they are expected to work around the clock deep cleaning the ship, for minimal compensation.
This blog post really illustrates the underbelly of the cruise industry, and how the crew members are treated.
Note - It's written by a maritime lawyer who makes a living suing the cruise industry so it's a tad one sided, but there is more than a grain of truth in his comments.....
........the passengers leave the cruise ship at the last day of this cruise from hell, will they tip these hardworking crew members? Many passengers are mad and feel ripped off. They didn't obtain the vacations which they paid for with their family. They want their money back from the cruise line. Are they going to track down the public bathroom cleaners responsible for sanitizing all of the public restrooms and give them a $50 tip?
Today Royal Caribbean announced "compensation" for the passengers: a 50% refund and a 50% future credit. Is that fair? Some will accept it. Others will think that they are being mistreated again. Some people were sailing on the Explorer as a replacement cruise after the Grandeur of the Seas caught on fire last year. Are they interested in testing their luck one more time?
Whatever you think of the cruise line's offer of compensation, remember one thing. The crew is not getting a nickel extra from the cruise line. So if you are a passenger and want to bitch, whine, moan and complain, don't forget about all of those crew members you left behind. Remember that they were the ones cleaning up all of your vomit and removing your bio-hazard bags. They are not receiving any compensation at all. They are busy trying to get the cruise ship in shape for the next 3,000 guests who will soon board.
9/ An amazing video of a glacier calving, the largest ever filmed from the movie "Chasing Ice".....chunks of ice the size of Manhattan breaking off from a glacier.....four minutes of awesome ..........
"Chasing Ice", a 2012 documentary film on the effects of climate change, records the largest glacier calving known to man. Glacial calving happens when an iceberg breaks off from the larger ice shelf.
10/ Time for some SuperBowl commercials you may or may not be seeing Sunday......
A gooey but very well done Busweiser ad.....puppies and Clydedales......lots of sniffles......
Not sure if this is going to air, but if it doesn't it's still SuperBowl related, sort of......stars the beautiful Anna Kendrick.....[who?].....
The commercial features a behind-the-scenes discussion with Anna about a commercial that was allegedly never shot.
The ad opens with the words: 'Behind the scenes of the mega huge football game that Newcastle Brown Ale almost made... which almost starred Anna Kendrick.'
The Twilight star is then seen seated in front of the camera, her highlighted honey-blonde hair in glamorous curls as a man runs a brush through it, before she starts talking to the camera.
'I was really excited to make a Super Bowl commercial with Newcastle but it turns out they don't even have the money or the permission to make a Super Bowl commercial,' she said, with the 'Bowl' bleeped out. 'They can't even say the word Super Bowl.' she then repeats the word, each time with the bowl buzzed out.
And the funniest - the Audi Doberhuahua........
But if you are a glutton for punishment, here is a compendium of 20 spots coming during the big game.....
11/ Do you hate Comcast as much as I do? Did you say you hate them more?
Here is a primer on how to cut the cord from the monopoly.....some of you may need a 20 year old to set up for you, but it can be done! A good article from Forbes......
In the face of rising prices, poor customer service and ever more frequent blackouts over fee disputes, many consumers yearn for a way out of the grip of their cable TV subscription. Though companies such as Google GOOG +3.18%,Intel IN
These do require additional hardware, running extra cables from your TV, and waiting at least a day to watch the newest episodes of cable network shows. And if you’re hoping to sever all ties with your cable provider, that’s not going to be an option in many regional markets, as you’ll still need them for the high-speed Internet service that makes this all work. But the cost savings of dropping the TV package can be substantial, and there have never been as many good choices available as there are today in both hardware and content. Here’s what you’ll need.
12/ This year was one of the best Grammy awards yet, but the high point of the evening was the performance of Daft Punk's song "Get Lucky", with Pharrell Williams, Stevie Wonder and an amazingly good band, including the happiest drummer ever......
Fresh off his producer of the year Grammy win, Pharrell Williams -- with his headline-making hat -- was joined by musical legends Nile Rodgers (of Chic) and Stevie Wonder for their rendition of Daft Punk's summer disco anthem "Get Lucky."
After Williams and Wonder each had their turn at verses of the radio hit, Daft Punk -- dressed in pristine white helmets and suits -- was revealed behind the glass of the makeshift recording studio set to add even more pep to the performance.
Almost flawlessly, the beat transitioned into Chic's "Le Freak," Wonder's "Another Star" and remnants of Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger."
Among the stars grooving to the performance: Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Jay Z, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Bruno Mars, Marc Anthony, Steven Tyler, Keith Urban, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, with the rest of the Staples Center crowd also on its feet.
13/ Want to stay healthy and age well? You need to exercise.......
Exercise to Age Well, Whatever Your Age
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
Jon Feingersh/Getty Images
Offering hope and encouragement to the many adults who have somehow neglected to exercise for the past few decades, a new study suggests that becoming physically active in middle age, even if someone has been sedentary for years, substantially reduces the likelihood that he or she will become seriously ill or physically disabled in retirement.
The new study joins a growing body of research examining successful aging, a topic of considerable scientific interest, as the populations of the United States and Europe grow older, and so do many scientists. When the term is used in research, successful aging means more than simply remaining alive, although that, obviously, is the baseline requirement. Successful aging involves minimal debility past the age of 65 or so, with little or no serious chronic disease diagnoses, depression, cognitive decline or physical infirmities that would prevent someone from living independently.
Previous epidemiological studies have found that several, unsurprising factors contribute to successful aging. Not smoking is one, as is moderate alcohol consumption, and so, unfairly or not, is having money. People with greater economic resources tend to develop fewer health problems later in life than people who are not well-off.
14/ A disgusting, appalling story this week about how 50 children were treated in a Utah elementary school......the kids were served their lunch, but when the cashier found they didn't have enough money in their school lunch account the meal was taken away and put into the garbage.
Hmmm.....Utah, a solid Republican state.....think they don't hate the poor? And since Mormons own and run Utah, Mormonism must be one of those capitalist religions......no money kid? No food......
(CNN) -- Dozens of children at a Utah elementary school had their lunch trays snatched away from them before they could take a bite this week.
Salt Lake City School District officials say the trays were taken away at Uintah Elementary School Tuesday because some students had negative balances in the accounts used to pay for lunches. But they admit the situation should have been handled differently.
Instead of regular lunches, the students were given fruit and milk.
"We don't ever let kids go without any food entirely," Salt Lake City School District spokesman Jason Olsen told CNN affiliate KSL.
Mother Erica Lukes told KSL she was "blindsided" when her daughter, a fifth grader, described what a school district official told her: "You don't have any money in your account, so you can't get lunch."
"There were a lot of tears," Lukes said, "and it was pretty upsetting for them."
The district said it started notifying parents about negative account balances Monday. But Lukes said she and other parents were never told about the problem.
Todays video - Cameron Diaz and Christine Applegate in the best scene from the otherwise undistinguished movie "Sweetist Thing"......, where a biker thinks the ladies are engaged in......something lesbian.....
Todays divorce joke
She replied, "About four acres and a nice little home in the middle of the property with a stream running by."
"No," he said, "I mean what is the foundation of this case?"
"It is made of concrete, brick and mortar," she responded.
"I mean," he continued, "What are your relations like?"
"I have an aunt and uncle living here in town, and so do my husband's parents."
The judge said, "Do you have a real grudge?"
"No," she replied, "We have a two-car carport and have never really needed one."
"Please," he tried again, "is there any infidelity in your marriage?"
"Yes, both my son and daughter have stereo sets. We don't necessarily like the music, but the answer to your questions is yes."
"Ma'am, does your husband ever beat you up?"
"Yes," she responded, "about twice a week he gets up earlier than I do."
Finally, in frustration, the judge asked, "Lady, why do you want a divorce?"
"Oh, I don't want a divorce," she replied. "I've never wanted a divorce. My husband does. He said he can't communicate with me."
Todays airline jokes
Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn't take itself too seriously. Check out their new livery! And get a kick out of the comments at the end of the photos.
WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN'T FLY INTERNATIONALLY - WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR - SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN. Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg . Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining.
Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced,
"People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it !"
---o0o---
On another flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said,
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
----o0o---
On landing, the stewardess said,
"Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it 's something we'd like to have."
----o0o---
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."
---o0o---
"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
---o0o---
As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker:
"Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
---o0o--
After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
---o0o---
From a Kulula employee:
"Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth . To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
---o0o---
"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
---o0o---
"Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than KululaAirlines."
----o0o---
"Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
---o0o---
"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses.."
---o0o---
And from the pilot during his welcome message:
"Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
---o0o—
Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said,
"That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
---o0o—
Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
---o0o—
Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."
---o0o—
An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline". He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said,
"Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why, no Ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it ?"
The little old lady said,
"Did we land, or were we shot down?"
---o0o—
After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg, the attendant came on with,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.."
---o0o—
Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement:
"We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."
---o0o—
Heard on a Kulula flight:
"Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."
Todays geezer joke
An elderly golfer comes in after a good round of golf at the new course and heads straight to
the bar/restaurant area of the club house.
As he passes through the swinging doors, he spots a sign hanging over the bar that reads:
COLD BEER: $5.00
HAMBURGER: $10.00
CHEESEBURGER: $15.50
CHICKEN SANDWICH: $18.50
HAND JOB: $250.00
Checking his wallet to be sure he has the necessary money, the old golfer walks up
to the bar and beckons to the exceptionally attractive female
bartender who is serving drinks to a couple of sun-wrinkled golfers.
She glides down behind the bar to the old golfer.
“Yes?” she inquires with a wide,
knowing smile. “May I help you sir?”
The old golfer leans over the bar and whispers,“I was wondering young lady, are you the one who
gives the hand-jobs around here?”
She looks into his wrinkled eyes and with a wide smile purrs,“Yes sir, I sure am.”
The old golfer leans in even closerand into her left ear says softly,“Well then, be sure to wash your hands real good, because I want a cheeseburger and a beer.”
