1/ A sober and disturbing essay by Roger Cohen in the Times about the changes that have been unleashed in our society and around the world....
Excellent journalism....and writing style, akin to Hunter S. Thompson........
NEW YORK — The long wave unfurled at last. Perhaps it is no surprise that the two societies that felt its furious force — the United States and Britain — are also the open societies at the hub of globalized turbo-capitalism and finance. For at least a decade, accelerating since the crash of 2008, fears and resentments had been building over the impunity of elites, the dizzying disruption of technology, the influx of migrants and the precariousness of modern existence.
In Western societies, for too long, there had been no victories, no glory and diminishing certainties. Wars were waged; nobody knew how they could be won. Their wounds festered. The distance between metropolis and periphery grew into a cultural chasm. Many things became unsayable; even gender became debatable. Truth blurred, then was sidelined, in an online tribal cacophony.
2/ SNL has Jake Tapper interviewing Trump's pick for head of the DEA.....a very good five minutes.....
Saturday night’s SNLopened with a surprise sketch featuring previous show host Bryan Cranstonin one of his most identifiable roles: Walter White of Breaking Badfame.
For the sketch, White plays one of President-elect Donald Trump‘s newest cabinet appointments. The sketch, which was framed around a faux-taping of The Lead with Jake Tapper, featured Kate McKinnonas Kellyanne Conway and Beck Bennett as the CNN host himself.
The conceit behind the sketch poked fun at Trump’s real life appointments, many of whom seem to be utterly head-scratching choices considering their limited experience for the roles. Enter Walter White, who quips, “I know the DEA better than anyone.”
3/ If you are a liberal you are in the left wing bubble, and have no idea how stupid America is seeing the President-elect's run up to the inauguration. You are getting anxious about his Cabinet choices, and getting nervous about what's to come. Stupid America doesn't see it this way....
Eye opening blog from Scott Adams......excellent - every one of you should read this.....
Watching Trump Create Money from Nothing
A new CNBC poll shows that optimism in the economy has surged since Trump got elected. That’s how Trump creates money from nothing. Literally.
The economy runs on optimism. The more you have, the better your economy will be, all other things being equal. And Trump just cranked up the optimism in a way that history has rarely seen. The stock market is up too, as you would expect when you have more optimism.
Optimistic business owners invest today because they expect tomorrow to be better. That investment creates jobs and stimulates the economy, creating a self-fulfilling path to prosperity. Individual companies can fail and succeed as usual, but the economy as a whole is likely to do well when optimism is high.
In the ancient world, the big problem was resources, not optimism. You didn’t always have access to raw materials, the right kind of labor, or markets. But in 2016 we can generally find anything we need and move anything to anywhere. The physical element of economics is largely solved. All that matters today is how we think about the economy. That’s the key element.
4/ Samantha Bee with a look at fake news and traces the origins of "pizzagate".....
“Full Frontal” host Samantha Bee on Monday reflected on the real world implications of so-called “fake news,” the latest media buzzword (remember the “alt-right”?) keeping liberals up at night — perhaps for good reason.
Over the weekend, 28-year-old North Carolina-native Edgar Maddison Welch brought an assault rifle into Comet Ping Pong, a pizza restaurant in Washington, D.C. The fake news echo chamber pegged Comet as a front for a child sex-trafficking operation after it showed up in Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta’s WikiLeaked emails.
Welch told police he’d planned to “self-investigate” the conspiracy theory and, according to court documents, surrendered when he “found no evidence that underage children were being harbored in the restaurant.”
“Full Frontal” correspondent Mike Rubens interviewed Jestin Coler, a fake news pioneer whom NPR tracked down last month.
5/ Trump is a businessman with property and hotels around the world.....he will soon be the President. What better target for terrorists could there be than a Trump Hotel? This is a yuuuuuuge issue not being discussed. And what will he do if one of his towers is attacked? It's not worth thinking about.....
Trump Tower in the Makati City district of Manila is being developed by Donald J. Trump’s business partner Jose E.B. Antonio,
who has just been named the Philippines’ special trade envoy to the United States.
President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he would separate himself from his businesses before he enters the White House. More details about the arrangement will be announced in mid-December, but it sounds as if he plans to step away from only the management of his business, which presumably will be turned over to his children, while retaining ownership.
This is not enough. There has been much discussion of Mr. Trump’s business dealings’ putting him in violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits government officials from accepting gifts and payments from foreign governments or corporations controlled by foreign governments. But there are other conflict-of-interest issues that have gotten less attention and could cause Mr. Trump — and America — much trouble as well. To prevent this, he must sell or give away his ownership interest in his global business empire as soon as possible.
One of Mr. Trump’s most lucrative initiatives has been the licensing of the Trump brand — and name. There are Trump-branded properties like towers and hotels in some 20 countries.
6/ I love Seth Meyers - he's funny, but gets the zingers out with charm and wit......here he looks at Trump on voter fraud and more
An excellent nine minutes..........
Seth Meyers took a “Closer Look” last night at Donald Trump‘s claims of mass voter fraud, and all of his supporters offering to defend or validate these claims with solid proof.
As the president-elect continues to insist that he actually wonAmerica’s popular vote, studies suggest that illegal voting had no substantial impact on the 2016 election. Even so, Meyers noted that that “has not stopped [Trump] from peddling conspiracy theories that have no basis in reality,” and his fans are backing him up whenever the media call him out for it.
7/ Tom Engelhard with an essay on "America - The Most Dangerous Country On Earth". It's an analysis on the way the CIA has engineered regime change worldwide, and how this process has now landed here. He makes a case for saying we are already in the middle of a slow moving coup.
This article will make you think.....
In a moment that, in so many senses, is filling with extremism and in which the jihadists of the national security state are clearly going to be riding high, it’s at least possible that election 2016 will prove the equivalent of a slow-motion coup in America. Donald Trump, like right-wing populists before him, has a temperament that could lend itself not only to demagoguery (as in the recent election campaign), but to an American version of authoritarianism, especially since in recent years, in terms of a loss of rights and the strengthening of government powers, the country has already moved in an autocratic direction, even if that’s been a little noted reality.
Whatever Americans may have ushered in with the events of 11/8, one thing is increasingly certain about the country that Donald Trump will govern. Forget Vladimir Putin and his rickety petro-state: the most dangerous nation on the planet will now be ours.
http://www.tomdispatch.com/pos
8/ Interesting mini-doc from the Weather Channel on Lake Okeechobee - they run through the history of the Lake, and the situation right now with the Treasure Coast being poisoned by the toxic runoff from cattle and the sugar fields. They aren't afraid to blame the sugar industry and our politicians for this disaster either.
An educational 10 minutes....
CLEWISTON, Fla. – For months during 2016, plumes of toxic algae turned South Florida’s emerald waters the color of coffee and smothered its inlets under a fetid blanket of guacamole-green goop that killed off fish, suffocated oyster beds and triggered a ferocious outcry from coastal residents.
From NBC’s “Today Show” to The Daily Telegraph of London, news outlets chronicled the closing of beaches, the declaration of a state of emergency and the desperate, heart-breaking efforts of people using garden hoses to save manatees, affectionately known as sea cows, caked in toxic slime and struggling to breathe.
Lake Okeechobee's fertilizer-infused water turns the ocean the color of coffee causing ecological and economic calamity for South Florida’s Treasure Coast.
9/ The wonderful Garrison Keillor in the Washington Post.....excellent story.....
Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. (Mike Segar/Reuters)
Garrison Keillor is an author and radio personality.
He promised the swamp would be drained,
Was elected, said “Rain!” and it rained
And the old crocodiles
Wore flesh-eating smiles
And the turtles were well entertained.
It’s a wonderful satire right out of Twain or Thurber. A minority of the electorate goes for the loosest and least knowledgeable candidate, certain that he will lose and their votes will be only harmless protest, a middle finger to Washington, and then — whoa. The joke comes true. You put a whoopee cushion on your father’s chair and he sits down and it barks and he has a massive coronary. You wanted to get a rise out of him and instead he falls down dead. Very funny.
Thank you, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania for this wonderful joke. Voters in high dudgeon against Wall Street manipulators and the Washington aristocracy vote for the billionaire populist who puts tycoons in power and the Republican hierarchy who owned the logjam that the voters voted against. If Billy the Kid had been smart, he’d’ve run for sheriff.
10/ A clever and unusual piece from SNL - seeing the world of Donald Trump through his eyes.....funny and also a little disturbing it's so real.....four good minutes....
On tonight’s Saturday Night Live, host John Cena of WWE fame played President-elect Donald Trump in one sketch that shows a day in the life of the soon-to-be Commander in Chief. Of course, no day in Trump Tower is complete without watching Fox & Friends first thing in the morning, and SNL nailed the exact cadence of Trump’s habits.
The bit — called “Through Donald’s Eyes” — turns into a carousel of the people in Trump’s life who enter his orbit: presumably passionate low-intelligence fans (read: deplorable), VP-elect Mike Pence, and of course Kellyanne Conway portrayed by fan-favorite SNL star Kate McKinnon. “Kellyanne will fix it. Mommy lives for you,” she says.
11/ A Paul Krugman column that spells out exactly what the angry Trump voters can expect from the orange one......you guessed it - nothing....
Donald Trump won the Electoral College (though not the popular vote) on the strength of overwhelming support from working-class whites, who feel left behind by a changing economy and society. And they’re about to get their reward — the same reward that, throughout Mr. Trump’s career, has come to everyone who trusted his good intentions. Think Trump University.
Yes, the white working class is about to be betrayed.
The evidence of that coming betrayal is obvious in the choice of an array of pro-corporate, anti-labor figures for key positions. In particular, the most important story of the week — seriously, people, stop focusing on Trump Twitter — was the selection of Tom Price, an ardent opponent of Obamacare and advocate of Medicare privatization, as secretary of health and human services. This choice probably means that the Affordable Care Act is doomed — and Mr. Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters will be among the biggest losers.
12/ Social Media - a helpful addition to our lives? Possibly, but it has transformed our society in ways we don't yet understand......hence this story from the Times on Snapchat.....
Really interesting....
Snap Inc., the parent company of the popular photo-messaging and storytelling app Snapchat, is having a productive autumn.
A couple of weeks ago, Snap filed confidential documents for a coming stock offering that could value the firm at $30 billion, which would make it one of the largest initial public offerings in recent years. Around the same time, it began selling Spectacles, sunglasses that can record video clips, which have become one of the most sought-after gadgets of the season.
And yet, even when it’s grabbing headlines, it often seems as if Snap gets little respect.
Though Snapchat has overtaken Twitter in terms of daily users to become one of the most popular social networks in the world, it has not attracted the media attention that the 140-character platform earns, perhaps because journalists and presidential candidates don’t use it very much. Snapchat’s news division has become a popular and innovative source of information for young people, but it is rarely mentioned in the hand-wringing over how social media affected the presidential election.
13/ Love this one - in my opinion the best music video of the year - Above and Beyond with "We're All We Need".......almost like a little film....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phXRX1p8woY
14/ A primer on how to be cool in your 60's from the WSJ.....hint - it's very difficult!
ILLUSTRATION: A. RICHARD ALLEN FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Rather than hobbling, I purchased a sparkly, day-glow-purple cane. My thought was that a slick fashion choice would make me appear vital. But when it came time to actually stroll outside with it, a glimpse in the mirror revealed that rather than the expected vision of an aging hipster, I looked like an aging buffoon.
I ditched the cane in favor of not walking so much.
You have to understand: I’m very cool. I always have been. In the ’60s, instead of the administration building, I led the takeover of the girls’ gym. In the ’70s, I bartended at the coolest East Side singles’ bars and told patrons that whatever I served them was Hemingway’s favorite.
Todays video - been a while since we have looked at TwisterNederland fail compilations, where drunks, idiots and machines get damaged......this is a good one....
Todays political joke
Obama, Hillary and Trump are standing at the throne of heaven. God looks at them and says, "Before granting you a place at my side, I must ask you what you have learned, what you believe in."
God asks Obama first: “What do you believe?"
He thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, "I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my countrymen".
God can’t help but see the essential goodness of Obama , and offers him a seat to his left.
Then God turns to Hillary and says, "What do you believe?"
Hillary says, "I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. Like Obama I believe in hard work. I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I've always tried to be a true patriot and a loyal American."
God is greatly moved by Hillary's high-pitched eloquence, and he offers her a seat to his right.
Finally, God turns to Trump and says, "And you, Donald, what do you believe?"
Trump replies, “You're in my seat."
Todays guy jokes
MAKE THE WOMAN HAPPY!Do something she likes, and you get points.Do something she dislikes, and points are subtracted.You don't get any points for doing something she expects.SIMPLE DUTIESYou make the bed. (+1)You make the bed, but forget the decorative pillows. (-10)You throw the bedspread over rumpled sheets. (-3)You go out to buy her what she wants (+5) in the rain (+8)But return with Beer. (-5)PROTECTIVE DUTIESYou check out a suspicious noise at night. (+1)You check out a suspicious noise, and it is nothing. (0)You check out a suspicious noise, and it is something. (+5)You pummel it with an iron rod. (+10)It's her pet Poodle. (-30)SOCIAL ENGAGEMENTSYou stay by her side for the entire party. (+1)You stay by her side for a while, then leave to chat with an old school friend. (-2)Named Tina (-10)Tina is a dancer. (-20)Tina has breast implants. (-40)HER BIRTHDAYYou take her out to dinner. (+2)You take her out to dinner, and it's not a sports bar. (+3)Okay, it's a sports bar. (-2)And its all-you-can-eat night. (-3)It's a sports bar, it's all-you-can-eat night, and your face is painted the colors of your favorite team. (-10)A NIGHT OUTYou take her to a movie. (+1)You take her to a movie she likes. (+5)You take her to a movie you hate. (+6)You take her to a movie you like. (-2)YOUR PHYSIQUEYou develop a noticeable potbelly. (-15)You develop a noticeable potbelly and exercise to get rid of it (+10)You develop a noticeable potbelly and resort to baggy jeans and baggy Hawaiian shirts. (-30)You say to her, "It doesn't matter, you have one too." (-80)THE BIG QUESTIONShe asks, "Do I look fat?" (-5) (Yes, you lose points no matter what)You hesitate in responding. (-10)You reply, "Where?" (-35)You give any other response. (-40)COMMUNICATIONWhen she wants to talk about a problem, you listen, displaying what looks like a concerned expression. (+2)You listen, for over 30 minutes (+50)You listen for more than 30 minutes without looking at the TV. (+500)She realizes this is because you have fallen asleep. (-4000)
Todays blonde jokes, one male!
A blonde woman is driving down the road. She notices that she’s low on gas, so she stops at a gas station.
While she’s pumping her gas, she notices that she locked the keys in the car.
So when she goes inside to pay, she asks the attendant for a hanger so that she can attempt to open the door herself. She returns outside and begins to jimmy the lock.
Ten minutes later, the attendant comes out to see how the blonde is faring.
Outside the car, the blonde is moving the hanger around and around while the blonde inside the car is saying, “A little more to the left…a little more to the right!…”
Three construction workers are on the seventy-fifth floor of a non-finished building.
The italian opens his lunch box to find a pizza and says "Man, if I get pizza one more time I am going to jump off this building and fall to my death!"
The chinese opens his lunch box to find rice and says "Man, if I get rice one more time I am going to jump off this building and fall to my death!"
The blonde opens his lunch box to find a cheeseburger and says" Man, if I get a cheeseburger one more time im going to jump off this building and fall to my death!"
So the next day they all got the same thing and they jumped off the building to their death.
That weekend at the funeral, the italian and the chinese wives are crying and saying "I would have fixed him something else for lunch but he never told me."
And as the two wives stare at the blondes wife, they both ask why she isn't sad about her husbands death, the blonde replys "Don't look at me, he packs his own lunch."
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