1/ We start today with Celine Dion singing an Edith Piaf song live at the VMA Awards this weekend.....it's emotional and moving....
Ms. Dion is of course French-Canadian so this must have meant a lot to her.....
LOS ANGELES — Celine Dion honored the victims of the attacks in Paris at Sunday’s American Music Awards.
Dion performed a rendition of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à L’Amour” in French at the ceremony to pay tribute to those affected by last week’s attacks.
American Music Awards producer Larry Klein says the ceremony’s producers wanted to show solidarity.
“Hymne à L’Amour” was written by Piaf as a tribute to lover Marcel Cerdan. He died in a plane crash in 1949.
2/ Paul Krugman with one of his best columns for a while - he looks at the right's technique of fear mongering, the creation of phony outrages to make the base of stupids constantly angry.....
Excellent writing.....
Erick Erickson, the editor in chief of the website RedState.com, is a serious power in right-wing circles. Speechifying at RedState’s annual gathering is a rite of passage for aspiring Republican politicians, and Mr. Erickson made headlines this year when he disinvited Donald Trump from the festivities.
So it’s worth paying attention to what Mr. Erickson says. And as you might guess, he doesn’t think highly of President Obama’s antiterrorism policies.
Still, his response to the attack in Paris was a bit startling. The French themselves are making a point of staying calm, indeed of going out to cafesto show that they refuse to be intimidated. But Mr. Erickson declared on his website that he won’t be going to see the new “Star Wars” movie on opening day, because “there are no metal detectors at American theaters.”
3/ A very good Colbert with some really funny zingers.....
Despite reports arguing Late Show host Stephen Colbert may have dropped to third in the ratings as a result of alienating audiences with political content, the host spent his desk segment of Thursday’s show going after the Syrian refugee crisis.
Colbert opened referring to last week’s Paris attacks, “After that senseless tragedy, the question of whether to let Syrian refugees into this country has become the new political issue, completely overshadowing the old political issue: whether to let Mexicans into this country.”
The host of The Late Show went on to address the news of Thursday’s legislation voted on through Congress which Colbert said was the “American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act, or ASAFEA, because under this law no one with a name like [Asafea] would be allowed.”
4/ "Who turned my blue state red" is the title of this insightful article from the Times, and it has a go at explaining why [it appears] the stupids in red states vote against their own interests....the answer may surprise you.
If you have any interest at all in politics, read this.....it's a revelation....
IT is one of the central political puzzles of our time: Parts of the country that depend on the safety-net programs supported by Democrats are increasingly voting for Republicans who favor shredding that net.
In his successful bid for the Senate in 2010, the libertarian Rand Paul railed against “intergenerational welfare” and said that “the culture of dependency on government destroys people’s spirits,” yet racked up winning margins in eastern Kentucky, a former Democratic stronghold that is heavily dependent on public benefits. Last year, Paul R. LePage, the fiercely anti-welfare Republican governor of Maine, was re-elected despite a highly erratic first term — with strong support in struggling towns where many rely on public assistance. And earlier this month, Kentucky elected as governor a conservative Republican who had vowed to largely undo the Medicaid expansion that had given the state the country’s largest decrease in the uninsured under Obamacare, with roughly one in 10 residents gaining coverage.
It’s enough to give Democrats the willies as they contemplate a map where the red keeps seeping outward, confining them to ever narrower redoubts of blue. The temptation for coastal liberals is to shake their heads over those godforsaken white-working-class provincials who are voting against their own interests.
But this reaction misses the complexity of the political dynamic that’s taken hold in these parts of the country. It misdiagnoses the Democratic Party’s growing conundrum with working-class white voters. And it also keeps us from fully grasping what’s going on in communities where conditions have deteriorated to the point where researchers have detected alarming trends in their mortality rates.
5/ Here at DDD central we have the unenviable job of looking at a fair number of comedy videos, so trust me - this six minute clip of Amy Schumer on the Ellen show is one of the funniest you will see for a while.....
Her delivery is wonderful, and Ellen is speechless she's laughing so much....
6/ A literate, exhaustive and pretty fair article about what's facing Miami Beach and what they are doing about it.....it includes interviews with the mayor, a review of the lunatic real estate frenzy that is consuming not just the Beach but all of South Florida and a discussion of the science involved.
An excellent, thought-provoking story about the future of Florida......long, but worth it.....
THE FUTURE
An artist's conception of what encroaching water could do to the mid-beach area.
An artist's conception of what encroaching water could do to the mid-beach area.
Miami real estate is booming as never before—but rising sea levels driven by global warming might mean a major bust. The mayor, climate scientists, and other experts tackle the dilemma.
I. PADDLING HOME
In the summer of 2013, one of the leading candidates in Miami Beach’s mayoral race, a businessman named Philip Levine, released a TV commercial that showed him kayaking his way home through traffic in a Paddington hat and a plastic poncho, accompanied by his boxer, Earl, who was kitted out in a life jacket. “In some parts of the world,” Levine said in the spot, “going around the city by boat is pretty cool. Like Venice. But in Miami Beach, when it rains, it floods. That’s got to stop. Because I’m just not sure how much more of this Earl and I can take.”
Miami Beach does indeed have serious water issues. In the hundred years since it was incorporated as a city, it has repeatedly been pummeled by major storms, one of which, the Great Hurricane of 1926, wiped out buildings, tossed ships ashore, and remains, in adjusted dollars, the costliest hurricane in American history. Essentially a long, narrow barrier island, Miami Beach is surrounded by and infused with water. Biscayne Bay (which separates the city from its larger neighbor, Miami) lies to the west, the Atlantic to the east, and a large waterway, Indian Creek, cuts through the city for much of its length
7/ Fascinating five minute clip of Adele auditioning for herself on the Graham Norton show with a large group of Adele impersonators.....
Lovely, kind of touching too.....and next edition I'll give you where the idea for this came from......
GHNASSIA/NMA2016/SIPA/REX SHUTTERSTOCK
Leave it to Adele to take even a standard televised performance to the next level. In this new video, a group of auditioning Adele impersonators got a surprise from a rather nosey (ahem) performer among them. Who, it turns out, was the 25 singer herself.
For Adele at the BBC, the British network’s one-off BBC Music exclusive (hosted by the adorable Graham Norton), Adele underwent an extreme makeover to become “Jenny." Her grand entrance reveals she’s been given a prosthetic nose and chin — “I’ve got bum chins,” she quips — and she gives her infamous accent an overhaul.
After some priceless backstage banter with the other Adeles, it takes but the first line of “To Make You Feel My Love” — a song from her album 19, written by Bob Dylan — for her fellow auditioners to figure out it’s her. Well, all but one Adele skeptic. Is there an Adele truther movement yet?
For Adele at the BBC, the British network’s one-off BBC Music exclusive (hosted by the adorable Graham Norton), Adele underwent an extreme makeover to become “Jenny." Her grand entrance reveals she’s been given a prosthetic nose and chin — “I’ve got bum chins,” she quips — and she gives her infamous accent an overhaul.
After some priceless backstage banter with the other Adeles, it takes but the first line of “To Make You Feel My Love” — a song from her album 19, written by Bob Dylan — for her fellow auditioners to figure out it’s her. Well, all but one Adele skeptic. Is there an Adele truther movement yet?
8/ Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and SNL has a wonderful parody of how Thanksgiving dinner might sound, with drunk auntie and bigot dad.....but Adele breaks it up.....four clever minutes.....
This week’s Saturday Night Live featured a novel twist on a recent trend: the viral Adele cover. The pop star and SNL musical guest’s hit “Hello” has quickly become the sensation that people love to out their own stamp on, and the uniquely SNL twist was a typically combative Thanksgiving dinner whose warring factions could only unite in song.
A flimsy premise, perhaps, but when your source material is this hot and the performers are this hilarious, a flimsy premise can go a long way. Now you know what to do when your aunt claims to have seen “an ISIS.
9/ Most interesting story by Robert Parry on how the "official" line from Washington is almost always bullshit, with our spineless media giving you whatever the military-industrial complex wants you to think.....
He gives the examples of the Ukraine and also the phony conflict with Russia over the Syrian situation.....
Makes you think....
One way to view Official Washington is to envision a giant bubble that serves as a hothouse for growing genetically modified “group thinks.” Most inhabitants of the bubble praise these creations as glorious and beyond reproach, but a few dissenters note how strange and dangerous these products are. Those critics, however, are then banished from the bubble, leaving behind an evermore concentrated consensus.
This process could be almost comical – as the many armchair warriors repeat What Everyone Knows to Be True as self-justifying proof that more and more wars and confrontations are needed – but the United States is the most powerful nation on earth and its fallacious “group thinks” are spreading a widening arc of chaos and death around the globe.
President Barack Obama meets with his national security advisors in the Situation Room of the White House, Aug. 7, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
We even have presidential candidates, especially among the Republicans but including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, competing to out-bellicose each other, treating an invasion of Syria as the least one can do and some even bragging about how they might like to shoot down a few Russian warplanes.
10/ How do they do this shit? A mashup of movie stars from the 40's and 50's dancing to "Uptown Funk", perfectly synchronized.....amazing......
11/ One of the side stories about the Republican clown car is that a couple of the stars, Trump and Cruz, are targeting Big Sugar which hasn't happened ever.....about bloody time!
Note Marco is wholly owned by the sugar lobby.....
In Florida's political circles, criticizing Big Sugar is about as popular as whining about coal in Kentucky. It neverhappens. Suddenly, though, the tectonic plates are shifting around Florida. It is because of a GOP presidential primary completely scrambled by outsiders who are topping the charts.
A month ago, front runner Donald Trump bumped up against Big Sugar when he condemned the closure of a midwestern candy factory and the loss of jobs to Mexico. He didn't quite get the reason, right, or the outrage.
The one who does get it right isn't even on the stage: Grover Norquist. Earlier this year, my eyebrows lifted when I read that Norquist, arguably the most effective conservative firebrand in American politics, declared that ending the sugar subsidy in the Farm Bill was his top priority, after cutting taxes. Norquist called the sugar subsidy, "cronyism in its undiluted, inexcusable majesty."
The reason my jaw didn't drop is that for decades, the sugar subsidy has been lambasted as the worst form of corporate welfare from conservative news organizations like the Wall Street Journal to conservative foundations like the Cato Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. And nothing changed.
Big Sugar's perks amount to legalized corruption of the campaign finance system. In Florida, Big Sugar money influence is so great that the industry acts in the state capitol as a shadow government. What Big Sugar wants, it gets. These days, a solid GOP majority in the state legislature, Gov. Rick Scott, and Adam Putnam -- the agriculture secretary aiming to replace Marco Rubio in the US Senate -- are so deep in Big Sugar's pocket, you can't even see them. Not that Floridians are looking.
A month ago, front runner Donald Trump bumped up against Big Sugar when he condemned the closure of a midwestern candy factory and the loss of jobs to Mexico. He didn't quite get the reason, right, or the outrage.
The one who does get it right isn't even on the stage: Grover Norquist. Earlier this year, my eyebrows lifted when I read that Norquist, arguably the most effective conservative firebrand in American politics, declared that ending the sugar subsidy in the Farm Bill was his top priority, after cutting taxes. Norquist called the sugar subsidy, "cronyism in its undiluted, inexcusable majesty."
The reason my jaw didn't drop is that for decades, the sugar subsidy has been lambasted as the worst form of corporate welfare from conservative news organizations like the Wall Street Journal to conservative foundations like the Cato Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. And nothing changed.
Big Sugar's perks amount to legalized corruption of the campaign finance system. In Florida, Big Sugar money influence is so great that the industry acts in the state capitol as a shadow government. What Big Sugar wants, it gets. These days, a solid GOP majority in the state legislature, Gov. Rick Scott, and Adam Putnam -- the agriculture secretary aiming to replace Marco Rubio in the US Senate -- are so deep in Big Sugar's pocket, you can't even see them. Not that Floridians are looking.
12/ "Hunger Games - Mockingjay Part 2" is out this week, and according to the Times it's pretty good.....
There’s no risk that Katniss Everdeen, the warrior who has led the charge against oppression in “The Hunger Games” movies, can ever return to her current incarnation. Even if she and her world are rebooted back into franchise existence by a ravenous studio, her moment was now. Katniss, as played by Jennifer Lawrence over three years and four blockbusters, has evolved from a backwoods scrapper in the first movie into a battle-scarred champion and an exemplar of female power on screen and off — and the battles she’s fought have extended far beyond the fictional nation of Panem.
So, yes, of course Katniss is back, just as promised by the clumsy title of her last movie, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.” In “Part 2,” she has returned as destined to finish the fight, defeat the enemy and send off a big-screen series that has had an astonishing run both in cold-cash terms and in its meaningful symbolism. She’s ready. Since 2012, when the first movie landed, Katniss has grown into her role as a savior, an evolution that parallels that of Ms. Lawrence, who entered the series as a Sundance starlet and leaves it as one of the biggest stars in the world. Both have grown exponentially, rising to the demands of their loving audience.
"Hunger Games #2" trailer......
Todays hotel joke
A Hotel guest calls the front desk and the clerk answers, "May I help you?"
The man says, "Yes, I'm in room 858. You need to send someone to my room immediately. I'm having an argument with my wife and she says she's going to jump out the window."
The desk clerk says, "I'm sorry sir, but that's a personal matter."
The man replies, "Listen you idiot. The window won't open... and that's a maintenance matter."
Todays sports jokes
"Last year we couldn't win at home and we were losing on the road. My failure as a coach was that I couldn't think of anyplace else to play."- Harry Neale, professional hockey coach"Blind people come to the ballpark just to listen to him pitch."- Reggie Jackson commenting on Tom Seaver"I'm working as hard as I can to get my life and my cash to run out at the same time. If I can just die after lunch Tuesday, everything willbe perfect."- Doug Sanders, professional golfer"All the fat guys watch me and say to their wives, 'See, there's a fat guy doing okay. Bring me another beer.'"- Mickey Lolich, Detroit Tigers Pitcher"I found out that it's not good to talk about my troubles. Eighty percent of the people who hear them don't care and the other twentypercent are glad you're having them."- Tommy LaSorda, LA Dodgers manager"My knees look like they lost a knife fight with a midget."- E.J. Holub, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker regarding his 12 knee operations"My theory is that if you buy an ice-cream cone and make it hit your mouth, you can learn to play tennis. If you stick it on your forehead, your chances aren't as good."- Vic Braden, tennis instructor"I don't know. I only played there for nine years."- Walt Garrison, Dallas Cowboys fullback when asked if Tom Landry ever smiles"We were tipping off our plays. Whenever we broke from the huddle, three backs were laughing and one was pale as a ghost."- John Breen, Houston Oilers"The film looks suspiciously like the game itself."- Bum Phillips, New Orleans Saints, after viewing a lopsided loss to the Atlanta Falcons"When I'm on the road, my greatest ambition is to get a standing boo."- Al Hrabosky, major league relief pitcher"I have discovered in 20 years of moving around the ball park, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats."- Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox owner"Because if it didn't work out, I didn't want to blow the whole day."- Paul Horning, Green Bay Packers running back on why his marriage ceremony was before noon."I have a lifetime contract. That means I can't be fired during the third quarter if we're ahead and moving the ball."- Lou Holtz ,Arkansas/Minnesota/Notre Dame/South Carolina football coach"I won't know until my barber tells me on Monday."- Knute Rockne, when asked why Notre Dame had lost a game"I tell him 'Attaway to hit, George.'"- Jim Frey, K.C. Royals manager when asked what advice he gives GeorgeBrett on hitting"I learned a long time ago that 'minor surgery' is when they do the operation on someone else, not you."- Bill Walton, Portland Trail Blazers"The only difference between me and General Custer is that I have to watch the films on Sunday."- Rick Venturi, Northwestern football coach
Todays flight attendant joke
A businessman in the first class cabin decided to chat up the
drop dead gorgeous flight attendant:“What is your name?”
Flight Attendant: “Angela Benz, sir”
Businessman: “Lovely name ... any relation to Mercedes Benz?”
Flight Attendant: “Yes sir, very close”
Businessman: “How close?”
Flight Attendant: “Same price".
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