2/ Andrew Sullivan on the way we have lost out moral senses as a country with Trump in charge, and how the military is
our last hope....but he's working on corrupting them too....
Photo: Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
I saw the gripping New York Times documentary on Hulu this past week about the case of Navy SEAL Commander Eddie Gallagher, a rogue soldier who routinely shot civilians in Iraq for the hell of it, and finally stabbed to death a barely conscious captive young ISIS fighter who was the lone survivor of a missile hit on an enemy house. The documentary has video of the testimonies of his fellow SEALs, all of whom were in obvious anguish and pain as they told the truth to investigators. It also shows a photograph of Gallagher holding up the murdered kid’s head like a trophy in a wild-game hunt. The image is difficult to put out of your mind.
3/ AOC has changed Washington, but it hasn't changed her much.....good story....
The corridors of Capitol Hill are a marbled monotony, with Oxford heels clacking around corners indistinguishable from one another, white walls, oaken doors, and a steady rhythm of rectangular congressional nameplates.
Except for one. At the very end of a hallway in Cannon Office Building is an explosion of affirmation cribbed onto thousands of Post-it notes, a neon-green-and-pastel-pink flower bursting outward. Go there at the right time, Hill aides say, and you can see groups of people, usually women, often young, weeping at the sight of it.
4/ Seth Meyers on Trump's borrowing George W's playbook on Iran......a good 11 minutes. This is classic comedic reporting....
5/ Nicolas Kristof went back to his home town in rural Oregon, but finds despair and devastation ....a portrait
of how we have destroyed small town America....
YAMHILL, Ore. — Chaos reigned daily on the No. 6 school bus, with working-class boys and girls flirting and gossiping and dreaming, brimming with mischief, bravado and optimism. Nick rode it every day in the 1970s with neighbors here in rural Oregon, neighbors like Farlan, Zealan, Rogena, Nathan and Keylan Knapp.
They were bright, rambunctious, upwardly mobile youngsters whose father had a good job installing pipes. The Knapps were thrilled to have just bought their own home, and everyone oohed and aahed when Farlan received a Ford Mustang for his 16th birthday.
Yet today about one-quarter of the children on that No. 6 bus are dead, mostly from drugs, suicide, alcohol or reckless accidents.
6/ Disgusting story on how the Murdoch press and right wing Media are spreading lies about climate change and
the causes of the fires in Australia....and Australians are falling for the lies....
WOMBEYAN CAVES, Australia — Deep in the burning forests south of Sydney this week, volunteer firefighters were clearing a track through the woods, hoping to hold back a nearby blaze, when one of them shouted over the crunching of bulldozers.
“Don’t take photos of any trees coming down,” he said. “The greenies will get a hold of it, and it’ll all be over.”
The idea that “greenies” or environmentalists would oppose measures to prevent fires from ravaging homes and lives
is simply false. But the comment reflects a narrative that’s been promoted for months by conservative
Australian media outlets, especially the influential newspapers and television stations owned by Rupert Murdoch.
And it’s far from the only Murdoch-fueled claim making the rounds. His standard-bearing national newspaper, The Australian, has also repeatedly argued that this year’s fires are no worse than those of the past — not true, scientists say, noting that 12 million acres have burned so far, with 2019 alone scorching more of New South Wales than the previous 15 years combined.
7/ Paul Krugman on how tactics like the ones in the story above are dooming the world to catastrophe.....
Right wingers and Republicans don't care if they destroy the planet....
This is a must read folks...
In a rational world, the burning of Australia would be a historical turning point. After all, it’s exactly the kind of catastrophe climate scientists long warned us to expect if we didn’t take action to limit greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, a
2008 report commissioned by the Australian government predicted that global warming would cause the nation’s fire seasons to begin earlier, end later, and be more intense — starting around 2020.
Furthermore, though it may seem callous to say it, this disaster is unusually photogenic. You don’t need to pore over charts and statistical tables; this is a horror story told by walls of fire and terrified refugees huddled on beaches.
So this should be the moment when governments finally began urgent efforts to stave off climate catastrophe.
But the world isn’t rational.
8/ Matt Taibbi on the Democratic campaign trail....insightful!
Noon, January 2, Concord High in New Hampshire. “Hello!” shouts
Andrew Yang, sprinting up the aisles of the school auditorium like he’s introducing a daytime talk show called
Andrew!
No candidate has leaned more into the fun part of running for president than Yang. He does some high fives, then reminds all: He’s the guy who wants to give everyone $1,000 a month. He notes the state of Alaska already does something like this, divvying up oil revenues. What’s the 21st century version of oil?
Murmurs among the teenagers. Yang grins.
“It’s technology,” he says. “Although, I thought someone was going to say marijuana. And that’s cool, because I want to legalize weed, too.”
9/ Umair with one of his better, more logical columns.....same message [we are doomed] just more persuasive....
“You don’t seriously think…civilization…is going to…collapse? Do you? LOL! Dude!! Here, have a beer!” It’s a question I get asked these days, sometimes angrily, sometimes mockingly, sometimes like I’m crazy — rarely seriously. My answer — said as gently as I can — tends to go something like this.
What exactly do you imagine “civilizational collapse” is? This strange, sci-fi term you might be hearing more and more, by overly concerned and earnest people like…well…me? Maybe you think, having watched too many Hollywood movies, and enjoyed them, like me, that it’s 2012 meets the Purge by way of Noah. Hold on —but isn’t reality far outpacing fiction these days?
What does a “civilizational collapse” look like? It looks like this. Here and now. It’s staring you right in the face.
10/ Almond milk is a fraud, and dangerous for the environment as well.....it takes 1.1 gallons of water to produce one
almond.......for some real insights on the almond industry watch "Goliath" Season 3 with Billy Bob Thornton.....excellent!
But in the meantime, try something else!
Almond milk, the ever-popular soy-free, dairy-free, vegan-friendly milk substitute now found everywhere from hip restaurants to
Starbucks coffee shops, is ruining the world.
It's not almond milk's sometimes-chalky taste that's worrisome, but its impact on the environment as well as its misleading nutritional profile.
11/ One of the most underrated bands of the last decades is Rush....three wonderful musicians who have made solid hits since the 70's. Their drummer Neil Peart just died, and the tributes are pouring in saying he was the best drummer in the world....
Here is a snippet called "The Best Intro ever", 11 minutes of classic Rush.
12/ A tribute to Rush from a Times columnist....read why you liked them.....
Whenever I’m walking in Midtown Manhattan, there are moments when a lyric written about 40 years ago runs through my mind.
The buildings are lost / In their limitless rise / My feet catch the pulse / And the purposeful stride.
The words are from the song “
The Camera Eye,” written by Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist of the Canadian progressive-rock trio Rush. It’s an 11-minute, B-side track from the band’s best-known album, “Moving Pictures.” Along with other Rush classics like “2112” and “Permanent Waves,” I must have played it about 10,000 times or so in high school.
13/ The best movies of 2019....
The year 2019 felt like one massive screen from which we couldn’t turn away. It wasn’t just that there was so much to watch, it was that there was so much that it seemed like we should be watching: Amid it all, hundreds of movies flickered too quickly through theaters and platforms. Everyone wanted our attention, from Disney and Apple jumping into streaming to Netflix taking The Irishman to Broadway. It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, we were sitting in a multiplex bearing the brunt of Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing film of all time and the culmination of a 22-film, decade-plus arc.
14/ If you aren't watching Schitt's Creek on Netflix, you should be. It's one of the funniest, most charming and nicest comedies on TV.....each episode is 22 minutes, and a great fill in or a nightcap when you can't take an hour of something intense.....Mary and I totally recommend it.
TORONTO — “You take such good care of your hands,” Daniel Levy marveled as he waited for the director to call “action.”
It was the last day of spring, and the last week of filming for the sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek,” which premiered January 7 on Pop. During a lull between takes, Levy, one of the show’s creators and stars, admired his scene partner’s nails. “I’m a little obsessed,” said the actress, Genelle Williams, who was playing a chef.
His response was swift: “So we all should be!”
Todays video - "Pass The Salt".......an absolutely wonderful 90 second slice of life......if you are over 50, you will like this one.....
Todays sexy joke
One night, after the older couple had retired for the night, the woman
became aware that her husband was touching her in a most unusual manner.
He started by running his hand across her shoulders and the small of her
back. He ran his hand over her breasts, touching them very lightly. Then,
he proceeded to run his hand gently down her side, sliding his hand over
her stomach, and then down the other side to a point below her waist.
He continued on, gently feeling her hips, first one side and the other. His
hand ran further down the outside of her thighs. His gentle probing then
started up the inside of her left thigh, stopped and the returned to do the
same to her right thigh.
By this time the woman was becoming aroused and she squirmed a little to
better position herself.
The man stopped abruptly and rolled over to his side of the bed.
"Why are you stopping darling?" she whispered.
He whispered back, " I found the remote!"
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Todays Capitalism jokes
TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.
SOCIALIST
You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbour. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow.
COMMUNIST
You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour.
FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. The cows go on strike to keep out American hormone-fed milk and launch a stampede through a McDonalds franchise at Euro-Disney. The French Cow Liberation Front hacks into the Cheddar website with images of Roquefort and WAV files declaring “Vive la France!” You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good.
JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school. You then create clever cow cartoon images called Cowkimon and market them Worldwide.
GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You reengineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves. They are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year.
BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows. Both are mad.
ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don’t know where they are. You break for lunch. Life is good.
RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 12 cows. The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.
SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others for storing them.
INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows. You worship them.
CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows. You have 300 people milking them. You claim full employment, high bovine productivity, and arrest the newsman who reported the numbers.
ISRAELI CORPORATION
So, there are these two Jewish cows, right? They open a milk factory, an ice cream store, and then sell the movie rights. They send their calves to Harvard to become doctors. So, who needs people?
BELGIAN CORPORATION
You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he’s French, other times he’s Flemish. The Flemish cow won’t share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow’s milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy.
TALIBAN CORPORATION
You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don’t milk them because you cannot touch any creature’s private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the U.S. government to find alternatives to milk production, but use the money to buy weapons.
AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
2009: You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have downsized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up.
DEMOCRAT
You have two cows. Your neighbour has none. You feel guilty for being successful. You push for higher taxes so the government can provide cows for everyone.
REPUBLICAN
You have two cows. Your neighbour has none. So?
AN ARKANSAS CORPORATION
You have two cows. That one on the left is kinda cute...
CALIFORNIA CORPORATION
You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only five speak English. Most are illegal. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.
Todays political joke
While walking down the street one day a corrupt Senator is tragically hit by
a car and killed. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the
entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there
is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so
we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the Senator.
"Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from the higher ups. What we'll do is
have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where
to spend eternity."
"Really?, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven," says the Senator.
"I'm sorry, but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down,
down to hell.
The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In
the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends
and other politicians who had worked with him.
Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake
his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at
the expense of the people. They played a friendly game of golf and then dine
on lobster, caviar and the finest champagne.
Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who is having a
good time dancing and telling jokes.
They are all having such a good time that, before the Senator realizes it,
it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the
elevator rises.
The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in heaven, where St. Peter
is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit heaven for a day.”
So, the Senator joins a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud,
playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes
it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns "Well then, you've spent
a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity."
The Senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: "Well, I would never
have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would
be better off in hell."
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to
hell.
Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land
covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags,
picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from
above The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulders.
"I don't understand," stammers the Senator. "Yesterday I was here and there
was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank
champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland
full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?"
The devil smiles at him and says,
"Yesterday we were campaigning to get your vote...Today, you voted."
