1/. Andrew Sullivan defends the SAT system, which is under attack from the left as a racist test.....interesting article.....
Behind the Covid19 news, outside the 1619 wars, far more important than Dr Seuss, and much more far-reaching than dismantling the classics, a real line is being crossed in American education, and therefore American society as a whole. It’s the accelerating abandonment of standardized tests, the one objective measurement of students’ ability and potential in our society and culture: 77 percent of high school seniors sent in SAT scores in 2019-20; only 44 percent this year; and many schools want to keep it that way. What was initially a temporary suspension of tests because of Covid has become an opportunity to tear down the entire system.
2/. Not sure I know who Jessie Raunch is, but this Weekend Update skit is funny with
Heidi Gardner, or is it Freddy Kreuger! Two minutes...
3/. And on the same theme as #1, Bill Maher does his "New Rules" on awareness.....good one....five minutes...
4/. Interesting column from Nicholas Kristof about the danger of being right....
The Trump years were a time of high passion, of moral certainty, of drawing lines in the sand, of despair at the ethical and intellectual vacuity of political foes. But now it’s time to recalibrate.
From my liberal point of view, Democrats were largely vindicated. From the Muslim ban to the separation of families at the border, from the mishandling of the pandemic to the Capitol insurrection, Democrats’ warnings aged well. Yet one of the perils in life is being proven right.
5/. The future?
6/ The "Weekend Update" lads with two minutes of very good jokes....
7/. An interesting case is made in this article to blame the very rich for
everything, yes everything that is wrong with our society....quite persuasive!
Since last December, I’ve been researching the sources of Donald Trump’s rise to power. I noted how the 45th President manipulated his base with professional wrestling showmanship and how he created scapegoats to start his populist movement.
8/. John Oliver had an excellent piece of comedic reporting on police raids, and how
they often end up botched....a good 25 minutes....
9/. Tired of Meghan Markle? Don't know what the fuss is all about?
Read this piece from Vanity Fair....
When royal aides told The Times of London this week about Meghan Markle’s alleged bullying at Kensington Palace, their timing carried an unmistakable significance. On Sunday, CBS will air the interview with Oprah Winfrey that friends of Meghan and Prince Harryhave described as the couple’s “opportunity to tell their side of the story.” Those who worked with Meghan at the palace, it seems, feel they have a story to tell as well, and credit to The Times for being open about why a two-year-old complaint would count as news: “The sources approached The Times because they felt that only a partial version had emerged of Meghan’s two years as a working member of the royal family and they wished to tell their side, concerned about how such matters are handled by the Palace,” wrote the paper’s reporter, Valentine Low.
10/. Millennials are forced to rent in a lot of cities, and certainly the author of this story is fed up with the abuses of renting....
There was an eviction notice on my door. I called my landlord.
He didn’t believe I’d been paying my rent. “If you’re so sure, then you can bring me some official bank statements.”
It was hard to sleep that night, and not just because of the freight trains that roared by every hour.
11/. NFL 2021 - Bad Lip Reading.....there's even a musical number at the end...
12/. Tom Tomorrow....
13/. The way we treat prisoners in this country is disgusting, and according to this excellent article in the
Times awful, inedible food seems to be part of their punishment....
Of the seemingly endless tally of injustices of mass incarceration, one of the worst humiliations gets little attention from outside: the food. This shadow issue — the 3,000 bologna sandwiches, mystery meats slathered on white bread, soy filler masquerading as chicken and other culinary indignities consumed during a prison sentence — permeates life behind bars and instills a nearly universal sense of disgust.
14/. The SNL cold open [from three weeks ago] with Britney Spears....a pretty good one with some great zingers, 7 minutes...
15/. "Fix The Door", a video is attached below....
16/. "Mare of Easttown" on HBO mid-April looks interesting....trailer below....
17/. "Allen vs Farrow" on HBO is a meticulously researched documentary.....
Today's biker joke
Back on January 9th, a group of HELLS ANGELS, South Carolina bikers were riding east on 378 when they saw a girl about to jump off the Pee Dee ...River Bridge. So they stopped.
George, their leader, a big burly man of 53, gets off his Harley, walks through a group of gawkers, past the State Trooper who was trying to talk her down off the railing, and says,
"Hey Baby . . . whatcha doin' up there on that railin'?"
She says tearfully, "I'm going to commit suicide!!"
While he didn't want to appear "sensitive," George also didn't want to miss this "be-a-legend" opportunity either so he asked . . . "Well, before you jump, Honey-Babe . . .
why don't you give ol' George here your best last kiss?"
So, with no hesitation at all, she leaned back over the railing and did just that . . .
and it was a long, deep, lingering kiss followed immediately by another even better one.
After they breathlessly finished, George gets a big thumbs-up approval from his biker-buddies, the onlookers, and even the State Trooper, and then says, "Wow! That was the best kiss I have ever had! That's a real talent you're wasting there, Sugar Shorts. You could be famous if you rode with me. Why are you committing suicide?"
"My parents don't like me dressing up like a girl."
It's still unclear whether she jumped or was pushed...
Today's marital joke
Today's wine taster joke
At a winery, the regular taster died and the director started looking for a new one to hire.
A drunkard with a ragged, dirty look came in to apply for the position.
The director of the winery wondered how to "nicely" send him away in this "all too Politically Correct" world. He gave him a glass of their low end wine to drink.
The drunk sipped it and without the traditional sniffing or swirling said, “It’s a Muscat, three years old, grown on a north slope, matured in steel containers. Low grade, but acceptable.”
“That’s correct”, said the boss.
Another glass…
“This is a Cabernet, eight years old, a south-western slope, oak barrels, matured at 8 degrees. Requires three more years for finest results.”
“Correct.”
A third glass…
“It’s a Pinot Blanc Champagne , high grade and exclusive,” the drunk said calmly.
The director was astonished. He winked at his secretary, secretly suggesting something. She left the room, and came back in with a glass of urine.
The alcoholic tried it.
“It’s a blonde, 26 years old, three months pregnant and if I don’t get the job I’ll name the father.”
Today's cowboy joke
In the old West, a young cowboy, sitting in a saloon one Saturday night, recognized an elderly man standing at the bar who, in his day, had been the fastest gun in the West.
The cowboy walked over to the old-timer, bought him a drink and told him of his great ambition to be a great gunfighter. "Could you give me some tips?" he asked.
The old man said, "Well, for one thing, you're wearing your gun too high -- tie the holster a little lower downon your leg."
"Will that make me a better gunfighter?"
"Sure will."
The young man did as he was told, then stood up, whipped out his .44, and shot the bow tie off the piano player.
"That's terrific!" exclaimed the cowboy. "Got any more tips?"
"Yep," said the old man. "Cut a notch out of your holster where the hammer hits it -- that'll give you a smoother draw."
"Will that make me a better gunfighter?" asked the young man.
"You bet it will,"said the old-timer.
The young man took out his knife, cut the notch, stood up, drew his gun in a blur, and then shot a cuff link off the piano player.
"Wow!" said the cowboy excitedly, "I'm learnin somethin here. Got any more tips?"
The old man pointed to a large can in a corner of the saloon. "See that can of axle grease over there? Coat your gun with it."
The young man smeared some of the grease on the barrel of his gun. "No," said the old-timer, "I mean smear it all over the gun, the handle, and all."
"Will that make me a better gunfighter?" asked the puzzled young man.
"No," said the old-timer, "but when Wyatt Earp gets done playing the piano, he's gonna shove that gun up your ass, and it won't hurt near as much."
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