1/ As this excellent story from Bill Moyers.com says "this is the hate election".......the winner will be the candidate who is hated less than the other. But the one thing both sides agree on is that everyone loathes the media, and this is very dangerous.
The story explains why, and this is important folks - the press is supposed to hold politicians accountable, but if the media is intimidated and indeed despised it can't do it's job.
Republicans for decades now have been undermining Americans' faith in government, and a subset of that was to destroy the media.
It's worked.....and that's scary.....excellent story.....
Donald Trump (Credit: AP/Charles Rex Arbogast)
As the political pundits keep reminding us, this might be called the “hate” election. Both major parties’ presumptive nominees, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, have historically high net unfavorable ratings – so high that voters are said to be casting their ballots against a candidate rather than in favor of one. The question seems to be: Who do you hate less?
But this narrative, which threatens to be the dominant one of this political season, has two flaws. In the first place, none of the candidates has had particularly high favorability ratings this campaign – not Cruz or Sanders or Jeb Bush or even the anointed one, Marco Rubio. Only John Kasich would qualify as “popular,” if a paltry net favorability of 12 percent makes you so.
So Trump’s and Clinton’s ratings are the equivalent of, say, the batting averages during a baseball season in which no one is hitting very well. Americans are just in a very surly, unreceptive mood. They hate everybody.
2/ The universe [explained by a Brit with a wicked sense of humour] in four minutes......all of the science, with jokes.....very good indeed.....
The explanation of the universe starts with the very basics and grows from there. It's a rapidly expanding subject, after all. You probably won’t understand any more about the universe than you did once it’s done, but you will enjoy a few laughs.....
3/ Part 2 of Samantha Bee's takedown of the religious right, and this eight minute clip is how abortion got to be the hot button it is for the crazies.....she's excellent, comedic reporting with edgy jokes.....
A must watch primer about abortion politics, with laughs....
Samantha Bee used her Monday night show to go on another trip back through time, and demonstrate how evangelical conservatives were able to mainstream the Republican Party’s opposition to the concept of abortion.
Full Frontal has touched on both sides of this coin many times before. Bee used last week’s episode to describe how the Religious Right returned to its nativist roots by supporting a man like Donald Trump, and she demolished policy efforts to control abortion in the week before that.
This time around, Bee explained how the Roe v. Wade decision was only part of a broader effort by Jerry Falwell, Paul Wirke and other figures of the Moral Majority to expand their influence in the late 70’s. For proof, Bee pointed to a conference call where evangelical leaders decided that abortion would be one of the easiest issues for them to politicize.
4/ This column from the Times resonated with me, as I find myself unable to ask my conservative friends if they are Trump supporters because I really don't want to take the risk the answer might be yes.......
Good one from Frank Bruni.......
I recently asked a good friend where her boss stood on Donald Trump.
This wasn’t an idle question. Her boss gives big money to Republican candidates. He’s both power broker and weather vane. And she talks politics with him all the time.
But she has no idea about him and Trump. She hasn’t inquired, because she doesn’t want to know. She’s fond of her boss. She respects him. But what if he’s made peace with a candidate who called for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States, mocked a disabled journalist, belittled John McCain’s experience as a prisoner of war, praised Vladimir Putin’s thuggish leadership style, complimented the Chinese government on its brutal handling of the uprising in Tiananmen Square, made misogynistic remarks galore and boasted during a debate about the size of his penis?
She can’t go there.
5/ This sketch with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler was selected as the best from the SNL 2016 season......and it's equal parts laugh out loud funny and a little painful.....but most of all funny.....
Don't read the commentary below first - watch the four minute clip, then read the analysis after you've seen it.....
Before the sketch gets going, there are two easy-to-miss clues that something strange and unexpected is on the way. First, after introducing the contestants for this game show parody, the voice-over announcer says, ”They may not know it yet, but they’re all guests on America’s favorite new show, Meet Your Second Wife.” Why wouldn’t they know it?
Second, when the hosts, played by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, introduce themselves, Poehler starts, “I’m Helen Walsh,” and Fey follows with, “and I’m Tina Fey.” Intended as such or not, it’s an appropriate introduction for a sketch where reality is malleable, and time and identity are skewed in unfathomable ways.
Despite long-time criticism from viewers that SNL wildly overuses the fake game show format, it does allow for brilliant and incisive work at times. This, the slyest and funniest SNL game show parody since 2011’s “Who’s on Top” and my choice for SNL’s best sketch of the 2015-2016 season, is the perfect example.
A large part of Fey and Poehler’s widespread appeal is their seamless ability to make feminist stances funny, and they tackle the subject here as brutally and hilariously as they’ve ever done.
Taking on men who toss over age-appropriate wives for much younger women, the sketch leaves its purpose a mystery until a stunning reveal.
As Poehler tells the three male contestants that the show is “where happily married men get a chance to meet the person who will one day become their second wife,” the men look confused. Their wives (all firsts, we assume) are all in the audience.
We then meet contestant Brian, played by Bobby Moynihan. After saying hello to his wife, played by Vanessa Bayer, Fey says, “She seems great. For now.” Poehler then says, “Brian, let’s meet your second wife,” and the sketch’s premise is revealed as 8th grader Helen walks out.
Surprise is an important and powerful ingredient for comedy, and this moment marked one of the show’s best uses of it in years. Implying what it does, the appearance of a child feels dangerous in a way SNL used to, back in its early days, but rarely does anymore. In its journey to respectability, SNL has become firmly establishment. Shocks within the comedy are rare; dangerous shocks, which make one believe the show has gone too far, rarer still. But a shock of this sort with a message behind it can seem a relic from the days of Michael O’Donoghue.
At that moment, the sketch became a punishing reminder to men who pursue much younger women that compared to their own experience, they’re pursuing children. It’s more than a message, in fact – it’s a display. Like all great storytelling, it shows instead of telling.
At first, Moynihan is incredulous. But when Fey informs him that the novel he’s working on will be a best-seller and perhaps even a movie, he pivots immediately, saying, “Oh yeah, I get it now.” After a brief, awkward get-acquainted conversation with the girl – he asks what kinds of things she likes and she replies, “horses” – he says, “Alright, well, guess I’ll see you in 20 years.” Fey: “Actually, it’s seven.”
It gets worse. Taran Killam’s second wife turns out to be five. We know this because when she’s asked her age, she holds up five fingers. Final contestant Kenan Thompson gets it worst of all. With wife Leslie Jones looking on with steam practically rising out of her head, he says, “Don’t be white. Don’t be white. Don’t be white,” as his second wife is introduced, and he doesn’t get his wish, as Cecily Strong comes out. But race turns out to be the least of his problems, as we learn that his second wife will not be Strong. She, it happens, is three months pregnant with Thompson’s second wife.
In addition to a killer premise and spot-on execution, the sketch has great lines throughout. When Aidy Bryant, as Killam’s wife, says, “I thought this was a home makeover show,” Fey answers, “In a way, it is.” After Killam learns that he’ll meet the now-five-year-old because she’ll be his daughter’s college roommate, he cluelessly responds, “I mean, that’s kind of nice, right? At least then my daughter and she can stay friends.” Fey replies, with just the right touch of sarcasm, “Oh yeah. Your daughter’s gonna love it.”
There’s not a wasted word, moment, or facial expression in this sketch, and everything that happens carries laughter and meaning in equal measure. Aspiring sketch writers should study this to see how it’s done.
6/ You have all seen the stories about the primaries being rigged, both parties, and have probably tuned it out......but John Oliver in a brilliant piece dissects it all for you.....
One of his good ones, informative and very amusing too......shorter than usual.....14 minutes.....
And remember this face!
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Last Week Tonight
Despite winning the Louisiana primary election in March, Donald Trump walked away with fewer GOP delegates than Ted Cruz. As you would imagine, the billionaire called the results "a fix" and "rigged."
Last Week Tonight's John Oliver was forced to side with Trump. "I get why he's annoyed. And there is no clearer piece of evidence that our system is broken, no more thoroughly dead canary in the coal mine, than when Donald Trump is actually making sense. When you see results like that, the process does feel counterintuitive."
America's bizarre primary system goes back to the 1960s, when the Democrats chose Hubert Humphrey as their nominee despite the fact he hadn't won any primaries. The Democratic convention was chaos, leading to bouts of violence. So both parties decided to reform their systems to make them more democratic.
"But many of the details were left up to state leaders," Oliver said, "which might help explain why we have such an erratic clusterfuck every four years. Almost every part of this process is difficult to understand."
7/ An interesting article from Time about the fundamentals of our economic system.....a look at Capitalism as a way of governance, and whether it's sustainable. This question is not often asked or discussed, and maybe it should be.....
This should make you think......
Rana Foroohar is TIME's assistant managing editor in charge of economics and business.
How Wall Street is choking our economy and how to fix it
A couple of weeks ago, a poll conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics found something startling: only 19% of Americans ages 18 to 29 identified themselves as “capitalists.” In the richest and most market-oriented country in the world, only 42% of that group said they “supported capitalism.” The numbers were higher among older people; still, only 26% considered themselves capitalists. A little over half supported the system as a whole.
This represents more than just millennials not minding the label “socialist” or disaffected middle-aged Americans tiring of an anemic recovery. This is a majority of citizens being uncomfortable with the country’s economic foundation—a system that over hundreds of years turned a fledgling society of farmers and prospectors into the most prosperous nation in human history. To be sure, polls measure feelings, not hard market data. But public sentiment reflects day-to-day economic reality. And the data (more on that later) shows Americans have plenty of concrete reasons to question their system.
8/ A "People Are Awesome" video.....four minutes of athletic feats that all go right....
9/ A challenging article from WaPo and [surprisingly] Robert Kagan, a noted right wing columnist for the Post saying that the country is at risk for a slide into fascism with Trump.....
He lays out a plausible case for what would happen under a President Trump....plausible, and scary.....
The Republican candidate continues to dominate the presidential contest.
Robert Kagan is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a contributing columnist for The Post.
The Republican Party’s attempt to treat Donald Trump as a normal political candidate would be laughable were it not so perilous to the republic. If only he would mouth the party’s “conservative” principles, all would be well.
But of course the entire Trump phenomenon has nothing to do with policy or ideology. It has nothing to do with the Republican Party, either, except in its historic role as incubator of this singular threat to our democracy. Trump has transcended the party that produced him. His growing army of supporters no longer cares about the party. Because it did not immediately and fully embrace Trump, because a dwindling number of its political and intellectual leaders still resist him, the party is regarded with suspicion and even hostility by his followers. Their allegiance is to him and him alone.
10/ Men - worried about your prostate? Doctor telling you you need surgery for prostate cancer?
Read this first.......please.....
Bruce Perry of Charleston, W.Va., said his doctors never discussed active surveillance
Seemingly overnight, treatment of men with early-stage prostate cancer has undergone a sea change. Five years ago, nearly all opted for surgery or radiation; now, nearly half are choosing no treatment at all.
The approach is called active surveillance. It means their cancers are left alone but regularly monitored to be sure they are not growing. Just 10 percent to 15 percent of early-stage prostate cancer patients were being treated by active surveillance several years ago. Now, national data from three independent sources consistently finds that 40 percent to 50 percent of them are making that choice.
In recent years, major research organizations have begun to recommend active surveillance, which for years had been promoted mostly by academic urologists in major medical centers, but not by urologists in private practice, who treat most men. In 2011, the National Institutes of Healthheld a consensus conference that concluded that it should be the preferred course for men with small and innocuous-looking tumors. Last year, the American Society of Clinical Oncology issued guidelines with the same advice.
11/ This is the full "Chewbacca" video that has gone super viral with 149 million views......I kept seeing it on FB and websites and finally said "OK already, time to watch the damn thing"......
And yes it's stupid but it's also hysterically funny and charming in it's own way......three minutes, slow at the beginning but it builds nicely.....
Here she is, in full Chewbacca glory, laughing to the point of full-on weeping.
The Star Wars fan had just bought the talking wookiee mask — as in, Chewbacca — on store credit after making a few returns. Of course, it takes a little while to even make out the fact that the mask talks, because Payne could not hold it together. Frankly, much of the video is simply Payne laughing hysterically at what she clearly thinks is the funniest thing she has ever seen.
And by the end, it's difficult to disagree. NPR's Rachel Martin said she was "literally weeping, she was laughing so hard" herself when she watched the video.
12/ Mary and I were on the Harmony of the Seas two night travel agent cruise last weekend, so this snarky but in the end positive review below was insightful.....it's the third Oasis-class vessel with minor tweaks from the original, but since the Oasis was the most incredible cruise ship ever built it's still a wonderful experience to be on the largest, most elaborate floating hotel on the sea.
The review isn't much of a review at all - more of a stream of consciousness a la Hunter S. Thompson about the strangeness of being on a ship that feels like a hotel, but there are some amusing bits. It's worth a read if you're in the business.....
However my pet peeve is one of the things no one [including RCCL executives] ever mentions is the art on board - my belief is it's the reason Royal ships keep getting lauded for their design. The art is integrated into every space, and seems so natural you don't really notice it but it has a subliminal effect and makes one feel comfortable. Just my theory, and maybe I'm biased because I used to oversee the ship's art program and did my best to encourage our consultants to make sure Royal had the edgiest art we could sneak on board, and if you look at the Radiance class and Voyager class you will appreciate this.
Anyway if you ever see the Harmony have an extended look at the giant [moving] metal profile art piece on the Royal Promenade.....wonderful.
To sum up....the Harmony is a great experience and I have no hesitation in recommending it for a family group or group of friends.....just don't go on there as a couple. In addition if you cruise book one of the specialty restaurants every night and eat there. The cost is $25 or so, and you will have cuisine equal to the best NYC or London restaurants.....great value, and gourmet food and service.
I'm
Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas is a very big boat, an 18-layer wedding cake that seriously alters the skyline and the population wherever it docks. You’ve probably seen the figures: a billion dollars to build, 362m long, 226,963 tonnes, 23 pools including waveriders and waterslides, 20 restaurants.
13/ A Floriduh story that will feel depressingly familiar in a state that has turned down $50 billion in federal Medicaid funds for people like these......thanks Rick Scott, you bastard......
Story from the Guardian, a British paper.....
William Hager, 86, was being held without bond in jail after admitting that he had shot his wife, Carolyn, in the head as she slept in their home in Port St Lucie, according to an arrest affidavit released by the St Lucie county sheriff’s office.
14/ "The Nice Guys" looks like a pretty good movie.....Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling.....
Twenty or 30 years ago, the multiplexes were lousy with mismatched-buddy-cop action comedies, and they’re still around — except the bickering buddy cops now have superpowers and no one ever really dies. That’s why Shane Black’s '70s L.A. noir The Nice Guys feels fresh, even when it isn’t. Its loose, shambling rhythms and lack of whoosh make it seem grounded, and its A-list stars, Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, look as if they’re having a good time. (If they aren’t, they know to pretend they are. Mismatched buddy cops should always seem a bit in love.) And characters do die, horribly. There’s something cruel and unresolved in Black’s work, even at its most ingratiating. The threat of violence against women is pervasive. The threat of violence against men who commit violence against women is even more intense.
The Nice Guys begins with an act of violence against a woman — although you’d need a seasoned Freudian to process it fully.
"The Nice Guys" trailer......
Todays video - when was the last time you watched a horror movie?
Thought so.....try this two minute award winning short film......it's an OMG folks......
Todays husband joke
A husband walks into Victoria's Secret to purchase a sheer negligee for his wife.
He is shown several possibilities that range from $250 to $500 in price -- the sheerer, the higher the price.
Naturally, he opts for the sheerest item, pays the $500, and takes it home.
He presents it to his wife and asks her to go upstairs, put it on, and model it for him.
Upstairs the wife thinks (she's no dummy), 'I have an idea. It's so sheer that it might as well be nothing.
I won't put it on, but I'll do the modeling naked, return it tomorrow, and keep the $500 refund for myself.'
She appears naked on the balcony and strikes a pose.
The husband says, 'Good Grief! You'd think for $500, they'd at least iron it!'
He never heard the shot.
Funeral on Thursday at Noon.
Closed coffin.
He is shown several possibilities that range from $250 to $500 in price -- the sheerer, the higher the price.
Naturally, he opts for the sheerest item, pays the $500, and takes it home.
He presents it to his wife and asks her to go upstairs, put it on, and model it for him.
Upstairs the wife thinks (she's no dummy), 'I have an idea. It's so sheer that it might as well be nothing.
I won't put it on, but I'll do the modeling naked, return it tomorrow, and keep the $500 refund for myself.'
She appears naked on the balcony and strikes a pose.
The husband says, 'Good Grief! You'd think for $500, they'd at least iron it!'
He never heard the shot.
Funeral on Thursday at Noon.
Closed coffin.
Todays Irish joke
An Irish Daughter had not been home for over 5 years. Upon her
return, her Father cursed her heavily.
'Where have ye been all this time, child? Why did ye not write to
us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand
what ye put yer old Mother through?'
The girl, crying, replied, Dad . . . I became a Prostitute.'
'Ye what!? Get out a here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You're
a disgrace to this Catholic Family.'
'OK, Dad... as ye wish. I only came back to give mum this
luxurious fur coat, title deed to a ten bedroom Mansion, plus a
5 million savings certificate. For me little Brother, this gold Rolex.
And for ye Daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition
convertible that's parked outside plus a membership to the country
club . . . (takes a breath) . . . and an invitation for ye all to spend
New Year's Eve on board my new Yacht in the Riviera.'
'What was it ye said ye had become?' says Dad.
Girl, crying again, 'A Prostitute, Daddy!.'
'Oh! My Goodness! Ye scared me half to death, Girl! I thought
ye said a Protestant! Come here and give yer old Dad a hug
Todays Seniors jokes
Who says senior citizens don't wear stylish clothes. Hah!!
|
During a visit to my doctor, I asked him, "How do you determine whether or not an older person should be put in an old age home?"
"Well," he said, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to
the person to empty the bathtub."
"Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because it is bigger
than the spoon or the teacup."
"No" he said. "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"
"No" he said. "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"
ARE YOU GOING TO PASS THIS ON … OR DO YOU WANT THE BED NEXT TO MINE?
SENIOR CITIZENS ARE THE NATION'S LEADING CARRIERS OF AIDS!
HEARING AIDS
BAND AIDS
ROLL AIDS
WALKING AIDS
MEDICAL AIDS
GOVERNMENT AIDS
MOST OF ALL,
MONETARY AIDS TO THEIR KIDS!
Not forgetting HIV
MONETARY AIDS TO THEIR KIDS!
Not forgetting HIV
(Hair is Vanishing)
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humour out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.
I'm only sending this to my 'old' friends.
Give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some humour out of life,
And pass it on to other folk.
I'm only sending this to my 'old' friends.
And a few younger ones so they can see the future.
