1/. "Hunter Biden's Laptop" - how many times have you heard this phrase and immediately switched off - plenty I'll bet.
But according to this story from New York Magazine the laptop data is real, the scandal has some basis and is about to get started
again with Republicans in charge of the House.
This is well worth reading, just so you stay informed for January's scandals. And Hunter certainly was a bad boy......
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Imagine the entirety of your digital existence plotted out before you: your accounts and passwords; your avatars; your contacts; every exchange of written dialogue; the full history of your logged interests, banal and forgettable and closely held; the note where you scrawled once-urgent word fragments that now make zero sense to you; the rabbit holes you fell down or the minor obsession or the thing that connected to the thing that led you to decide to do another thing that became a part of a part of a part of who you are, or a part of who you are to some people, or a part of who you are only to yourself, barely recognizable in the light of day. Your selfies. Your sexts. Your emails. Your calendar. Your to-do list. Your playlists. Your tabs.
2/. Tom Tomorrow goes AI.....
3/. A devastating story from Olivia Nuzzi on the disintegration of Trump and Trump's campaign.....how he behaves in his Mar-A-Lago bunker, and
how his mind seems to be slipping.....
His fall is fascinating and inevitable......but he is still very dangerous......
Note in response to this story he went on a demented rant on Truth Social about Nuzzi....
Donald Trump was calling from Mar-a-Lago. It was a Monday afternoon in the middle of December. He was at his desk in what is known as 45 Office, a room on the second floor, above what is known as the Donald J. Trump Grand Ballroom, 20,000 square feet festooned with 16 sedan-size crystal chandeliers and what he claims to be $7 million of gold leaf.
Members of the Mar-a-Lago Club, who pay $200,000 initiation fees and annual fees of $14,000, may use the space, at an additional cost, for “important occasions that inspire, enchant, and exceed every expectation.” At the galas and bat mitzvahs and weekend weddings, Trump often wanders in. How could he resist a room like this? He smiles and waves. He joins groomsmen for photos. He steps onto the dance floor with the bride. Dark suit jacket, no tie, shirt unbuttoned, red MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN hat on his head. He tilts his face to the strobe lights and pumps his fists in the air. Sometimes he grabs a microphone and gives a speech. He knows what the people who show up here want.
4/. Good column about Musk and Tesla from Paul Krugman....
If you're one of those people who bought Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency near its peak last fall, you’ve lost a lot of money. Is it any consolation to know that you would have lost a similar amount if you had bought Tesla stock instead?
OK, probably not. Still, Tesla stock’s plunge is an opportunity to talk about what makes businesses successful in the information age. And in the end, Tesla and Bitcoin may have more in common than you think.
5/. I have heard comparisons of the American Empire to ancient Rome before, so this was especially interesting
to me.....and debunks a few "truths" as well.....
Many who argue that America is in decline like to point to a perceived parallel with the decline of Rome, where citizens went from ruling the world to surviving by eating mouse dung and weeds in the streets.
They are pointing to the wrong flaw, and if their lesson is heeded, America will indeed be in trouble.
The alleged script goes like this: After a series of remarkable conquests, when Rome ruled the world, it came to rely on ‘foreign’ armies for its power. These armies killed Rome.
Only it didn’t. It didn’t fall at all. And that is the more serious comparison with America. The Western Roman Empire declined gently into insignificance.
It did not fall; it faded.
6/. Working remotely is here to stay, but the real effects haven't been felt yet by American cities' commercial real estate..........
Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The “work from home” revolution has been very good for political columnists who like to write shirtless in pajama pants and share too much personal information with their readers. But the phenomenon hasn’t been so great for America’s cities.
7/. Science is political!
8/. Bob Lefsetz with philosophy, TV recommendations, politics and general common sense.....one of his better riffs on life....
I’ve been sick as a dog. And there’s nothing worse than being unable to ski whilst at a ski area. I could check myself, apologize somehow, for not only being in Vail but choosing to ski at all, but that’s exactly the point. You think everybody is watching, you think everybody cares, when in truth almost nobody is or does. Even if you’re world-famous you can ignore the haters. Because hating is an activity these flamethrowers love to engage in. It’s their raison d’être.
In other words, we no longer live in a cohesive society. This is what Covid taught us. Nobody was in control. And it does not only apply to illness.
So last night we were watching this documentary on Netflix entitled “Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta?” I’d never heard of it, and you probably haven’t either, but Jared Leto recommended it in the “Wall Street Journal”:
“I recently binge-watched: ‘The Alcàsser Murders.’ It’s a Spanish true-crime series. The other thing I recommend is ‘Carmel: Who Killed Maria Marta?’—about an Argentine murder. Trust me, watch it.”
9/. Life on Mars.....
10/. How our mainstream media continue to fail to report on Trump and the right wing threat in the name of false equivalence.....
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The day after Donald Trump, a former president and the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, called for the “termination” of provisions of the US Constitution governing elections and essentially demanded that he be declared the “rightful winner” of the 2020 election, neither the New York Times nor the Washington Post ran a front-page story reporting Trump’s call for ripping up portions of the nation’s founding document. No mention of this even appeared in the Times that day. Trump’s unprecedented and dangerous statement was not deemed a big deal. This raised a question: Have major media players still not figured out how to cover Trump’s extremism?
11/. This is what it feels like sometimes....
12/. The newsmakers of 2022.....kind of amusing to read!
It wasn’t exactly a feel-good year. With brutal inflation, the war in Ukraine, periodic pandemic surges, gun massacres and the Supreme Court’s ruling that women do not have a right to bodily autonomy, 2022 had its dark spots. Then again, we avoided a presidential impeachment, and no one stormed the Capitol trying to overthrow the government. So that was a step up. Plus, Sarah Palin lost her House race. Twice.
13/. The best movies of 2022, from Rolling Stone....
NO ONE COULD be blamed for thinking that the Movies — the capital-M medium — was in a midst of an existential crisis in 2022. The theatrical experience constantly seemed to be hanging on by a thread, threatening to become a thing of the past. (Though a hearty thank you to you, Mr. Tom Cruise, for saving it for at least one more year.) Streaming services kept underwriting canon-worthy directors’ new projects, then undermining those same films by throwing them to the algorithm wolves and turning them into just another bit of “content.” Superhero movies continued to dominate multiplex screens, and I.P. franchises continued to multiply and/or go multiversal at the expense of a variety of other options. (If we have to suffer through one more “Marty or Marvel?” argument on Film Twitter…just kidding. R.I.P. Twitter.) If a film fell in the forest, and a pop star wasn’t accused of spitting on a costarwhile promoting it, did it even make a sound? The phrase “casual moviegoer” remained on the verge of becoming an oxy-moron. The sky is falling!, cried the chorus of chicken-little cinephiles, before turning back to the Criterion Channel to binge yesterday’s arthouse heroes.
14/. The 23 best TV shows of 2022, chosen by Vanity Fair.....definitely some to catch up with....
The temperatures are dropping and the siren call of the remote control has never been stronger. ‘Tis the season to catch up on the best shows of 2022, naturally. Here, Vanity Fair staffers make their case for the best shows of the year, conveniently presented for you in alphabetical order.
15/. The Guardian's choice of the best movies of the year.....
From a sharp comedy reboot to an erotic political thriller, Guardian writers pick the hidden films of the year that people should know more about
Dali Benssalah in Athena, Jessica Chastain in The Forgiven and Jon Hamm in Confess Fletch.Composite: Alamy16/. Have you seen Glass Onion - Knives Out with Daniel Craig on Netflix? If so, you'll be interested in this.....
‘An increasing need to go bigger and more elaborate.’ Edward Norton as Miles, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey and Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc. Photograph: John Wilson/Netflix © 2022Fri 30 Dec 2022 07.48 EST
As a therapist to “ultra high net worth individuals”, for me the new Netflix sensation, Glass Onion, A Knives Out Mystery, hits a little too close to home. While the average person naturally finds it hard to muster any sympathy for billionaires, the sequel to the 2019 murder mystery film Knives Out perfectly illustrates why I would never choose to enter the complicated world of my clients. Trust me when I say you’ll never see me buying a lottery ticket.
Today's video - a classic , "The Dentist" from the Carol Burnett show, with Harvey Korman and Tim Conway.......
The full version is funny, but the really funny bits start at the five minute mark.........
Today's philosophical jokes.....
1. When one door closes and another door opens, you are probably
in prison.
2. To me, "drink responsibly" means don't spill it.
3. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.
4. It's the start of a brand new day, and I'm off like a herd of turtles.
5. The older I get, the earlier it gets late.
6. When I say, "The other day," I could be referring to any time
between yesterday and 15 years ago.
7. I remember being able to get up without making sound effects.
8. I had my patience tested. I'm negative.
9. Remember, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a
Tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers.
10. If you're sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to
you, just stare straight ahead and say, "Did you bring the money?"
11. When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say "nothing," it
does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.
12. I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days, but
whatever.
13. I run like the winded.
14. I hate when a couple argues in public, and I missed the
beginning and don't know whose side I'm on.
15. When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and
ask, "Why, what did you hear?"
16. When you do squats, are your knees supposed to sound like a
goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?
17. I don't mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember
things and get really excited.
18. When I ask for directions, please don't use words like "east."
19. Don't bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring.
Spend 30 seconds in my head. That'll freak you right out.
20. Sometimes, someone unexpected comes into your life out of
nowhere, makes your heart race, and changes you forever. We call
those people cops.
21. My luck is like a bald guy who just won a comb.
in prison.
2. To me, "drink responsibly" means don't spill it.
3. Age 60 might be the new 40, but 9:00 pm is the new midnight.
4. It's the start of a brand new day, and I'm off like a herd of turtles.
5. The older I get, the earlier it gets late.
6. When I say, "The other day," I could be referring to any time
between yesterday and 15 years ago.
7. I remember being able to get up without making sound effects.
8. I had my patience tested. I'm negative.
9. Remember, if you lose a sock in the dryer, it comes back as a
Tupperware lid that doesn't fit any of your containers.
10. If you're sitting in public and a stranger takes the seat next to
you, just stare straight ahead and say, "Did you bring the money?"
11. When you ask me what I am doing today, and I say "nothing," it
does not mean I am free. It means I am doing nothing.
12. I finally got eight hours of sleep. It took me three days, but
whatever.
13. I run like the winded.
14. I hate when a couple argues in public, and I missed the
beginning and don't know whose side I'm on.
15. When someone asks what I did over the weekend, I squint and
ask, "Why, what did you hear?"
16. When you do squats, are your knees supposed to sound like a
goat chewing on an aluminum can stuffed with celery?
17. I don't mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember
things and get really excited.
18. When I ask for directions, please don't use words like "east."
19. Don't bother walking a mile in my shoes. That would be boring.
Spend 30 seconds in my head. That'll freak you right out.
20. Sometimes, someone unexpected comes into your life out of
nowhere, makes your heart race, and changes you forever. We call
those people cops.
21. My luck is like a bald guy who just won a comb.
Today's naughty joke
A couple living in a small Minnesota town take on an 18-year-old girl as a lodger.
She asked if she could have a bath but the woman of the house told her they didn't have a bathroom as such but she could use a tin bath in front of the fire.
"Monday's the best night, when my husband goes out to bowl," the woman said. So the young girl agreed to have a bath the following Monday night.
After her husband had gone off for his bowling tournament, the woman filled the bath and watched as the girl got undressed.
She was surprised to see that the young lass didn't have any pubic hair and told her husband when he came home. He didn't believe her, so she said, "Next week, when you go off to bowl, I'll leave a little gap in the curtains so that you can see for yourself, alright?"
The following Monday night, while the girl got undressed for her bath, the wife asked her, "Do you shave down there?"
"No," replied the girl, "I've just never grown any hairs down there. Do you have hair on yours?"
"Oh, yes," said the woman and she showed the girl her hairy muff.
After the girl had gone to bed the husband came home and the wife asked, "Did you see it?"
"Yes," he said, "but why the hell did you have to show her yours?"
"Why not?" she said, "You've seen it before.”
"I know," he replied, "but the bowling team hadn't!"
She asked if she could have a bath but the woman of the house told her they didn't have a bathroom as such but she could use a tin bath in front of the fire.
"Monday's the best night, when my husband goes out to bowl," the woman said. So the young girl agreed to have a bath the following Monday night.
After her husband had gone off for his bowling tournament, the woman filled the bath and watched as the girl got undressed.
She was surprised to see that the young lass didn't have any pubic hair and told her husband when he came home. He didn't believe her, so she said, "Next week, when you go off to bowl, I'll leave a little gap in the curtains so that you can see for yourself, alright?"
The following Monday night, while the girl got undressed for her bath, the wife asked her, "Do you shave down there?"
"No," replied the girl, "I've just never grown any hairs down there. Do you have hair on yours?"
"Oh, yes," said the woman and she showed the girl her hairy muff.
After the girl had gone to bed the husband came home and the wife asked, "Did you see it?"
"Yes," he said, "but why the hell did you have to show her yours?"
"Why not?" she said, "You've seen it before.”
"I know," he replied, "but the bowling team hadn't!"
Today's senior joke
While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch.
After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant, and resumed their trip. When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss them until they had been driving for about forty minutes.
By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a safe place to turn around, in order to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses.
All the way back, the elderly husband became the classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained, and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her, the more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up for a single minute.
To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car, and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old geezer yelled to her, "While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card."
Coming up is National Senior Mental Health Week. You can do YOUR part by remembering to contact at least one unstable Senior that you know personally...to show you care.
At least I've done MY part!!
After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant, and resumed their trip. When leaving, the elderly woman unknowingly left her glasses on the table, and she didn't miss them until they had been driving for about forty minutes.
By then, to add to the aggravation, they had to travel quite a distance before they could find a safe place to turn around, in order to return to the restaurant to retrieve her glasses.
All the way back, the elderly husband became the classic grouchy old man. He fussed and complained, and scolded his wife relentlessly during the entire return drive. The more he chided her, the more agitated he became. He just wouldn't let up for a single minute.
To her relief, they finally arrived at the restaurant. As the woman got out of the car, and hurried inside to retrieve her glasses, the old geezer yelled to her, "While you're in there, you might as well get my hat and the credit card."
Coming up is National Senior Mental Health Week. You can do YOUR part by remembering to contact at least one unstable Senior that you know personally...to show you care.
At least I've done MY part!!
Today's blonde joke
A young, successful
"What does a person's physical attributes have to do with their worth as a human being?" she goes on to say...
"It's guys like you who keep women like me from being respected at work and in my community, of reaching my full potential as a person because you and your kind continue to perpetuate discrimination against not only blondes but women at large - all in the name of humor."
Flustered, the ventriloquist begins to apologize, when the blonde screams again, "You stay out of this mister, I'm talking to that little sh*t on your knee!"
"What does a person's physical attributes have to do with their worth as a human being?" she goes on to say...
"It's guys like you who keep women like me from being respected at work and in my community, of reaching my full potential as a person because you and your kind continue to perpetuate discrimination against not only blondes but women at large - all in the name of humor."
Flustered, the ventriloquist begins to apologize, when the blonde screams again, "You stay out of this mister, I'm talking to that little sh*t on your knee!"
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