1/ The excellent Frank Rich with his take on the news......
Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. This week: Clinton and Trump's New York victories, and whether the GOP convention needs a little more "showbiz."
With Bernie Sanders’s loss to Hillary Clinton in New York, many campaign watchers are expecting renewed calls for Sanders to drop out. Is Sanders right to ignore them?
In the aftermath of this rout, the chances of Sanders winning the Democratic nomination are so small that some in his camp are now pinning their hopes on winning over superdelegates. Or on pulling off a miracle in multiple ballots at a contested convention, Republican style. That’s not happening. If Sanders’s presidential bid is not over already, the nails in the coffin are likely to be hammered in next week in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, and Rhode Island. So why should he stay in? One reason: to help prepare and toughen up Hillary Clinton for what’s to come in a general election that may well not be the cakewalk so many Democrats seem to be taking as a fait accompli.
In the aftermath of this rout, the chances of Sanders winning the Democratic nomination are so small that some in his camp are now pinning their hopes on winning over superdelegates. Or on pulling off a miracle in multiple ballots at a contested convention, Republican style. That’s not happening. If Sanders’s presidential bid is not over already, the nails in the coffin are likely to be hammered in next week in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, and Rhode Island. So why should he stay in? One reason: to help prepare and toughen up Hillary Clinton for what’s to come in a general election that may well not be the cakewalk so many Democrats seem to be taking as a fait accompli.
2/ Amy Schumer's premiere had this powerful skit......it's funny and totally relevant......two great minutes .....
It's been a minute since Amy Schumer was all over … well, everything, but her Comedy Central series Inside Amy Schumer came back for a fourth season on Thursday, April 21. The premiere is the perfect encapsulation of what makes the series so good — and one sketch stood out in particular as the kind of pointed commentary we've come to expect and crave from Schumer's show.
In "Dr. Congress", Schumer goes to get a routine pap smear, only to be met by a team of clueless old guys in suits from a congressional "women's health" committee. The sketch depicts the members of the committee as so mind-bogglingly obtuse on basic anatomy that they can barely utter the word "sex" without dissolving into scandalized tsk'ing.
Here are just some of the hilarious — in a horrifying way — questions they ask her:
- "When was the date of your last lady curse?"
- "How many blood diapers did you use?"
- "It says here that you're 34. How many children do you have?" (To which Schumer perplexes them all by responding, "None."
3/ A fascinating story from the Times about Iceland, and how and why it's citizens are among the happiest and nicest people in the world.....not political, just a really interesting human story.......
On a frigid February day in Reykjavik, I stood bare-chested and dripping wet just inside the dressing room at the Vesturbaejar pool, facing a long, cold walk to the outdoor hot tubs. My host was stoic, strong, a Viking. I was whining.
“I just don’t want to go out there,” I said. “How do you make yourself do it?”
“You must, to swim in the pool,” Valdimar Hafstein said with a shrug. He is a folklorist at the University of Iceland who studies the country’s pools. “Kids hate it, too. I have to haul my kids kicking and screaming.” I took a deep breath and tried to think of warm things. Wearing only a Speedo bathing suit — I had packed three, in honor of the island’s reputation as one of the company’s most avid markets — I stepped onto the deck. It was a few degrees below freezing.
Imagine the feeling you get when you hold an ice cube tight, that combination of sting and ache, except imagine it all over your nearly nude body. Battling my long-ingrained instincts never to run at a swimming pool, I fell into a kind of brisk walk-trot, aiming for the large set of interconnected hot tubs in the center of the complex. I’m sure I looked ridiculous. The good news: I’d never been less concerned about my appearance while wearing almost nothing in public.
4/ Although we don't follow it "Veep" is supposed to be a very funny show, and based on this collection of insults and oaths looks like great adult humor......two minutes of amusing profanity.....
In honor of the fifth season premiere of HBO’s Veep this Sunday we rounded up the most profane, brutal and brilliant zingers from the first four seasons. It wasn’t easy to narrow down, given this show’s genius at fierce retorts and stinging one-liners, but we gave it our best and the result is 160 seconds of hilarity. Enjoy.
5/ Neil Cavuto is a Fox News host and most of his interviews are one-sided and basically right wing propaganda because they make sure the guest is shouted down or put in their place. Not this young lady - she is smart, prepared and stomps all over Cavuto.
The full segment is sixteen minutes, but the interview heats up around the 11 minute mark if you want to cut down the time. This young lady is going places....
Darletta Scruggs, a Sanders supporter, appeared on Fox News & challenged Neil Cavuto. She successfully slammed his defense of the current economic system.
Who is Darletta Scruggs?
Scruggs is a Million Student March organizer. She is the mother of a four-year-old. She was fired by a major corporation for organizing employees. In effect, she is a young activist that will not buy into fallacies of the corporate media.
Darletta appeared on Fox News and showed the depth of her knowledge not only of American policies but on policies in other countries that care more about their poor and middle-classes. It is important that more activists get out the message in every venue possible.
Listen to the clip in its entirety objectively. The young activist is on point.
6/ The Democratic primary, from Tom Tomorrow.....a cartoon that nails it again.....
And a glimpse of the future Trump's America from another great cartoonist - Doonesbury....
7/ Even though it's pretty amusing I am putting this segment from John Oliver as a news story, because he explains the Puerto Rican fiscal crisis that of course Congress in incapable of dealing with clearly and simply....with jokes.....
Seventeen funny and informative minutes....
“Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver last night devoted his main segment to Puerto Rico.
The territory now has approximately $70 billion in debt and a 45% poverty rate. In an attempt to chip away at that deficit, the Puerto Rican government has increased sales taxes and closed schools, convincing thousands to leave for the contiguous U.S.
“Right now, Puerto Rico is like the last Tower Records,” Oliver said. “Everything’s overpriced, everyone’s being laid off, and there’s still a weirdly large number of Ricky Martin CDs.”
The seemingly obvious solution for the Puerto Rican government would be to declare Chapter 9, but a 1984 provision slipped without debate into a larger bill specifically exempts the territory from declaring bankruptcy.
8/ Since there is a slight possibility this clown will be the candidate watch this hilarious Bad Lip Reading again - Ted Cruz....three very funny minutes.....and don't miss the ending.....
9/ There's a crisis in Brazil, but as usual the corporate media isn't telling you the whole story. According to Glenn Greenwald the right wing oligarchs are bringing down the left wing government with trumped up BS charges against Dilma Rousseff, so they can put in a completely corrupt stooge in this already corrupt country.
Dilma Rousseff (Credit: AP/Eraldo Peres)
Analysts are warning that there is a slow-motion “coup” going on in Brazil, where the country’s right-wing opposition is trying to impeach the democratically elected left-wing president with the support of corporate elites and likely even the U.S.
“Brazilian financial and media elites are pretending that corruption is the reason for removing the twice-elected president of the country as they conspire to install and empower the country’s most corrupted political figures,” writes journalist Glenn Greenwald in a new report on the scandal.
Brazilian oligarchs, he explains, are trying to remove “from power a moderately left-wing government that won four straight elections in the name of representing the country’s poor, and are literally handing control over the Brazilian economy (the world’s seventh largest) to Goldman Sachs and bank industry lobbyists.”
Given the huge influence Brazil has in the world, as the fifth-largest country by population, there has been shockingly little attention in the U.S. to the ongoing crisis.
There has not been a lot of critical English-language reporting on the scandal, while Brazil’s media outlets are overwhelmingly controlled by right-wing corporate elites pushing for the impeachment.
Greenwald, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who worked with whistleblower Edward Snowden to expose massive NSA surveillance, has lived in Rio for several years, and his news outlet The Intercept has been one of the few English-language outlets that has reported on the events in Brazil closely.
10/ Samantha Bee with a riff on the Cruz- Kasich team up.....a most amusing five minutes.....
Samantha Bee (Credit: TBS)
“Full Frontal” host Samantha Bee last night took to task the newly announced Kasich-Cruz alliance to stop Trump.
“What’s your plan?” Bee asked Kasich, who needs more than 160% of remaining delegates to make it to 1,237, according to CNN. “Wait ’til the Republican party has slaughtered itself, then mosey onto the battlefield and suck the marrow from the delegates’ bones for strength?”
No, Kasich’s plan is to team up with Ted Cruz, another candidate with a mathematically impossible chance of winning the party’s nomination
11/ "If Trump is elected, I'm moving to Canada" is a common refrain, so this article is timely - it argues you should consider Portugal and gives 11 pretty good reasons why the lifestyle might be better than Trumpland or even Canada......
Most interesting......Mary! Read this.....
The sunny coastal region of Algarve, home to more than 100,000 resident expat retirees, is the best place in the world to live or retire that nobody’s talking about.
Particularly appealing are the two municipalities of Silves and Lagoa, both slightly west of the center of Portugal’s southernmost province. In these two spots, you can enjoy the best the region has to offer, from medieval towns and fishing villages to open-air markets, local wine, and some of Europe’s best sandy beaches. This is a land of cobblestoned streets and whitewashed houses with lace-patterned chimneys surrounded by fig, olive, almond, and carob trees.
We’ve been showcasing in the past this glorious coast from my perspective and highlighting some of its benefits and appeals. Today I thought it might be helpful to regroup and recap.
Specifically, here’s why we say Portugal’s Algarve qualifies not only as a top lifestyle option in Europe, but, in fact, as the world’s best place to live or retire right now:
12/ Bill Maher with his "New Rules", on the way liberals shoot themselves in the foot trying to be PC.....a pretty good five minutes....
“Real Time” host Bill Maher last night railed against the liberal PC police during his “New Rules” segment.
“White people need to find some middle ground between racists and people who see racism everywhere,” he began. “Because, at this point, I can’t tell who’s more annoying, conservatives who don’t care about anyone who isn’t white or liberals who hate themselves because they are white.”
Maher added that on the political spectrum, there has to be “some sweet spot between the PC police and the Baltimore police.” He explained that both positions are “stupid” in their own right, “But we expect stupid from conservatives.”
13/ Prince passed last week, and this tribute to George Harrison was one of his finer moments....
Prince's breathtaking guitar solo at the end of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" could be the single greatest musical moment at any Rock Hall induction ceremony in its history. It almost didn't happen: George Harrison's widow, Olivia, wanted the performance of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to be limited to people who knew George — unlike Prince, who later claimed he had never even heard the song before it was sent to him to learn for the performance. Organizers persuaded Olivia to let Prince play. For Prince, the initial attraction was the chance to share a stage with Tom Petty. "It was an honor to play with him," Prince said later. "'Free Fallin" is one of my favorite songs."
The delighted look on George's son Dhani Harrison's face said it all when Prince stepped to the center of the stage and delivered a two-minute solo complete with fluttering high notes and ringing harmonics. Prince took over completely, leaning backward off the front of the stage so that a handler had to hold him up, and strutting offstage before the song had faded, tossing his guitar high in the air.
14/ Sick? Odds are you look up the symptoms on the Google, and the first site is normally "WebMD".....but keep going - WebMD is funded by big Pharma and Big Medical and usually either tells you 1/ you have cancer or 2/ you need a drug.....
One of the better medical sites that we have found is mayoclinic.org.....
A. and I. Kruk/Shutterstock
Welcome to Dear Julia, a column where readers submit everyday health questions. Which over-the-counter painkillers work best? Will intermittent fasting help you lose weight? Julia Belluz sifts through the research and consults experts in the field to figure out how science can help us live happier and healthier lives.
Dear Julia: Can I trust WebMD?
WebMD is the most popular source of health information in the US, and is likely to dominate your Google search results for almost any medical question you have. According to its editorial policy, WebMD promises to empower patients and health professionals with "objective, trustworthy, and accurate health information."
But is WebMD actually trustworthy?
While there have been some investigations into WebMD's potential conflicts of interest, there's a remarkable dearth of independent information on this question. The site generates revenue primarily through advertising and sponsored content for pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies, as well as hospitals, health insurance providers, and lifestyle and wellness brands.
15/ A long article from the Miami New Times on Miami Beach's efforts to help mitigate the flooding coming every year in November, and on some streets daily.
It's fascinating - the neighboring City of Miami is in denial about the sea levels rising as is the rest of our State Legislature and Governor, but right across the causeway an iconic Florida city is drowning.
A well written story, and quite informative.....
City workers install stormwater pumps as part of a $400 million project to fight flooding.
The poster-sized map on Bruce Mowry's desk is scrawled with blotchy patches of red, showing elevations across Miami Beach. Everywhere 2.2 feet or lower is shaded in deep crimson. That's the same height, incidentally, that water reached last September during the King Tide, the highest nonstorm water level ever recorded in the city.
Mowry, a jovial man with gray hair, rosy cheeks, and a Southern accent, is calm and calculated as he explains the disturbing reality evident on the map: Fifty percent of South Beach is red. Almost all of Belle Isle and the west side of Palm Island are too. The Indian Creek corridor from 26th to 39th is bright red. And so is Normandy Isle and the eastern part of Biscayne Point. If current forecasts are right, these areas will be submerged within the next century.
"When people ask me where I'm going to focus my attention, I just tell them to look at the map," Mowry says. "Where would you start?"
From his sunny corner office on the sixth floor of Miami Beach City Hall, the engineer has spent the past two and a half years working on one of the hardest jobs in the country: trying to keep this city of 90,000 above water.
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Todays video - Kevin Spacey on the Fallon show giving his impressions of Johnny Carson and others.....and he's damn good!
Todays one liners.....
I bought a vacuum cleaner six months ago and so far all it's been
doing is gathering dust.
Every time someone comes up with a foolproof solution, along comes a more-talented fool.
I'll bet you $4,567 you can't guess how much I owe my bookie.
Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.
If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble
putting on your pants.
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Ever stop to think and forget to start again?
When I married Miss Right, I had no idea her first name was Always.
My wife got 8 out 10 on her driver's test--the other two guys managed to jump out of her way.
There may be no excuse for laziness, but I'm still looking.
Women spend more time wondering what men are thinking than men spend thinking.
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
He who laughs last thinks slowest.
Is it wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly?
Women sometimes make fools of men, but most guys are the do-it-yourself type.
I was going to give him a nasty look, but he already had one.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
The grass may be greener on the other side but at least you don't have mow it.
I like long walks, especially when they're taken by people who annoy me.
I was going to wear my camouflage shirt today, but I couldn't find it.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.
If tomatoes are technically a fruit, is ketchup a smoothie?
Money is the root of all wealth.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
doing is gathering dust.
Every time someone comes up with a foolproof solution, along comes a more-talented fool.
I'll bet you $4,567 you can't guess how much I owe my bookie.
Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.
If you keep your feet firmly on the ground, you'll have trouble
putting on your pants.
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.
Ever stop to think and forget to start again?
When I married Miss Right, I had no idea her first name was Always.
My wife got 8 out 10 on her driver's test--the other two guys managed to jump out of her way.
There may be no excuse for laziness, but I'm still looking.
Women spend more time wondering what men are thinking than men spend thinking.
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
He who laughs last thinks slowest.
Is it wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly?
Women sometimes make fools of men, but most guys are the do-it-yourself type.
I was going to give him a nasty look, but he already had one.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
The grass may be greener on the other side but at least you don't have mow it.
I like long walks, especially when they're taken by people who annoy me.
I was going to wear my camouflage shirt today, but I couldn't find it.
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
Sometimes I wake up grumpy; other times I let her sleep.
If tomatoes are technically a fruit, is ketchup a smoothie?
Money is the root of all wealth.
No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
Todays religious joke...
A man is driving down the road and his car breaks down near a monastery.He goes to the monastery, knocks on the door, and says, "My car broke down.Do you think I could stay the night?"The monks graciously accept him, feed him dinner, and even fix his car. Asthe man tries to fall asleep, he hears a strange sound. A sound unlikeanything he's ever heard before. The Sirens that nearly seduced Odysseusinto crashing his ship comes to his mind. He doesn't sleep that night.He tosses and turns trying to figure out what could possibly be making sucha seductive sound. The next morning, he asks the monks what the sound was,but they say, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."Distraught, the man is forced to leave.Years later, after never being able to forget that sound, the man goes backto the monastery and pleads for the answer again.The monks reply, "We can't tell you. You're not a monk."The man says, "If the only way I can find out what is making that beautifulsound is to become a monk, then please, make me a monk."The monks reply, "You must travel the earth and tell us how many blades ofgrass there are and the exact number of grains of sand. When you find theseanswers, you will have become a monk."The man sets about his task.After years of searching he returns as a gray-haired old man and knocks onthe door of the monastery. A monk answers. He is taken before a gathering ofall the monks."In my quest to find what makes that beautiful sound, I travelled the earthand have found what you asked for: By design, the world is in a state ofperpetual change. Only God knows what you ask. All a man can know ishimself, and only then if he is honest and reflective and willing to stripaway self deception."The monks reply, "Congratulations. You have become a monk. We shall now showyou the way to the mystery of the sacred sound."The monks lead the man to a wooden door, where the head monk says, "Thesound is beyond that door."The monks give him the key, and he opens the door. Behind the wooden door isanother door made of stone. The man is given the key to the stone door andhe opens it, only to find a door made of ruby. And so it went that he neededkeys to doors of emerald, pearl and diamond.Finally, they come to a door made of solid gold. The sound has become veryclear and definite. The monks say, "This is the last key to the last door."The man is apprehensive to no end. His life's wish is behind that door!With trembling hands, he unlocks the door, turns the knob, and slowly pushesthe door open. Falling to his knees, he is utterly amazed to discover thesource of that haunting and seductive sound...But, of course, I can't tell you what it is because you're not a monk.
Todays Martian joke
The year is 2122 and Charlie and Maureen land on Mars after accumulating
enough Frequent Flier miles.
They meet a Martian couple and are talking about all sorts of things.
Charlie asks if Mars has a stock market, if they have laptop computers, how
they make money, etc.
Finally, Maureen brings up the subject of sex.
'Just how do you guys do it?' asks Maureen.
The Martian responds, 'Pretty much the way you do.'
A discussion ensues and finally the couples decide to swap partners for the
night and experience one another...
Maureen and the male Martian go off to a bedroom where the Martian strips..
He's got only a teeny,weenie member about half an inch long and just a
quarter-inch thick.
'I don't think this is going to work,' says Maureen.
'Why?' he asks. 'What's the matter?'
'Well,' she replies, 'it's just not long enough to reach me!'
'No problem,' he says, and proceeds to slap his forehead with his palm. With
each slap of his forehead, his member grows until it's quite impressively
long.
'Well,' she says, 'that's quite impressive, but it is still narrow.'
'No problem,' he says, and starts pulling his ears. With each pull, his
member grows wider and wider until the entire measurement is extremely
exciting to the woman.
'Wow!' she exclaims, as they fell into bed and made mad passionate love.
The next day the couples rejoin their other partners and go their separate
ways. As they walked along, Charlie asks, 'Well, was it any good?'
'I hate to say it,' says Maureen, 'but it was wonderful.
How about you?'
'It was horrible,' he replies. 'All I got was a headache...
She kept slapping my forehead and pulling my ears..'
They meet a Martian couple and are talking about all sorts of things.
Charlie asks if Mars has a stock market, if they have laptop computers, how
they make money, etc.
Finally, Maureen brings up the subject of sex.
'Just how do you guys do it?' asks Maureen.
The Martian responds, 'Pretty much the way you do.'
A discussion ensues and finally the couples decide to swap partners for the
night and experience one another...
Maureen and the male Martian go off to a bedroom where the Martian strips..
He's got only a teeny,weenie member about half an inch long and just a
quarter-inch thick.
'I don't think this is going to work,' says Maureen.
'Why?' he asks. 'What's the matter?'
'Well,' she replies, 'it's just not long enough to reach me!'
'No problem,' he says, and proceeds to slap his forehead with his palm. With
each slap of his forehead, his member grows until it's quite impressively
long.
'Well,' she says, 'that's quite impressive, but it is still narrow.'
'No problem,' he says, and starts pulling his ears. With each pull, his
member grows wider and wider until the entire measurement is extremely
exciting to the woman.
'Wow!' she exclaims, as they fell into bed and made mad passionate love.
The next day the couples rejoin their other partners and go their separate
ways. As they walked along, Charlie asks, 'Well, was it any good?'
'I hate to say it,' says Maureen, 'but it was wonderful.
How about you?'
'It was horrible,' he replies. 'All I got was a headache...
She kept slapping my forehead and pulling my ears..'
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