1/. Marco Rubio, in his own relatively quiet way, is much more dangerous than the idiot Hegseth......
One year into Donald Trump’s second term, it’s difficult to grasp the coherence of MAGA. At its core, MAGA is about tariffs and xenophobia. It’s also about purported populism that favors tax cuts for the rich, brutal cuts to the social safety net, and attacks on free speech. On the foreign-policy front, the isolationism and deal-making that were supposed to characterize Trump’s philosophy — he has vowed, at various points over the past decade, to not entangle America in new wars — has given way, over a number of months, to something darker: the longing for regime change. In Venezuela, Trump seems to have found his Iraq, a nation ruled by a dictator that poses no serious threat to the United States but must be, for entirely dubious reasons, upended.
2/. Pete Hegseth gives a press conference......SNL.....5 minutes.....quite funny.
3/. Angus Petersen with another depressing yet inspiring article.....
Yes - he keeps repeating the same message, chaos is gradually overtaking us, but it doesn't mean he's wrong.......
You notice it in the quiet moments, the ones you used to mistake for rest. The grocery app freezes again. Just a blank screen holding its breath. You tap it once, twice, then harder, like force might shake the truth loose. Nothing. Strange how such a tiny glitch can feel like a warning. The house hums around you. The kids in the next room arguing about something small, probably pencils or who gets the blue folder. And for a second you picture all the little digital ties holding their day together. The bus schedule. The learning platform. The power line behind the house that buzzes louder when the heat kicks on. We were promised ease. Instead we got hairline cracks under every routine.
4/. It's a toon, but this is pretty close to what actually happens!
5/. "If Mamdani gets elected the wealthy will flee NYC"......
A right wing [and a few elite Democrats] talking point......complete BS.
The warnings were stark. If Zohran Mamdani were to win the New York City mayoral election, his plans to raise taxes – slightly – on the city’s wealthiest residents would cause millionaires to bolt en masse, decamping to lower-tax states such as Florida and Texas.
The New York Post, a conservative tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch, told readers on an almost daily basis through October that New York would effectively become a ghost town under Mamdani’s mayoralty, a propaganda campaign that concluded the day before the election with the bombastic claim that “nearly a million” people were planning to “flee”.
But a month after Mamdani’s historic win, there is no evidence that rich people are leaving the Big Apple. In fact, they seem to be committing to staying in New York.
6/. Kelly Eldridge Boesch with "A Clockwork Orange meets Rocky Horror"......AI....3 minutes....
7/. Never seen a headline like this about a Cabinet member - "The Malignant Incompetence of Kash Patel".....
According to a new report created by a group of former and current FBI special agents about the first six months of Kash Patel’s tenure as FBI Director, three of the incidents below are real; I made up the other three. Try to guess which is which:
(1) Patel expensed more than $4,000 to the FBI to pay for creatine and other bodybuilding supplements in an effort to “look more ripped.”
2) While he received a classified briefing on potential security threats to U.S. landmarks, Patel was seen scrolling the TMZ feed on Instagram.
(3) Patel refused to disembark from an FBI plane at a high-profile crime scene until he was given a size-medium FBI raid jacket; his handlers had to borrow one from a female agent (even then, he demanded that spiffy velcro patches be affixed to the sleeve).
(4) Patel prepared for a press conference to announce a major narcotics takedown by playing Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and practicing stern looks in the mirror of his secure SUV.
(5) After Patel learned that some FBI agents had doubts about whether he should be issued a firearm, he demanded they submit to polygraph tests to determine who had doubted his marksmanship.
(6) Patel ordered all FBI agents to remove special messages from their email signatures, while keeping his own signature boasting of being “#9” (the ninth-ever FBI Director).
Your answers: 3, 5, and 6 are real, while 1, 2, and 4 are not. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/fbi-director-kash-patel-malignant-incompetence.html?ueid=757da4c757bd7d86b040a18975d30c93&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekendreader_intel_20251206&utm_term=Smart%20List%20-%20Intel%20Daily%20and%20Weekend%20Lists
8/. Sarah Sherman [she's so funny!] is the raccoon that broke into the liquor store......very good, 4 minutes....
9/. Are you a Boomer? Are you aware younger Americans hate us all for having ruined their chances of getting ahead economically?
I thought not.....but this article tells us why......
Almost every couple that I know in their 20s, 30s or even 40s has had the same argument with their parents before getting married.
The parents say to open a wedding registry. The couple responds that they do not want one. They don’t expect gifts from wedding guests (their “presence is enough”), and they have been cohabiting for years and already have plates, bedsheets and a blender. In fact, since they live in a small rented apartment, they barely have room for the plates that they do have – let alone a set of china.
Perhaps, they will timidly suggest, guests who really want to give a gift can donate to a honeymoon fund? Or better yet, make a small contributiontoward a downpayment on a house?
The parents get upset. Asking for cash, they say, is “tacky”, and also puts people in the difficult position of having to choose an amount to give. The young couple will point out that they are not asking for cash, just giving an option for those who want to mark the occasion.
10/. It's coming! Just like Hunger Games and the Running Man will....
11/. The NYT Wirecutter lists the best stocking stuffers of the year.......
If you still stuff a stocking or two, good for you!
There’s a timeless, ageless delight that one gets from emptying a stocking on Christmas morning. (In fact, we know a lot of adults who forgo big gifts altogether in favor of stocking stuffers.) We’re still fans of the traditional fillings, such as tangerines, chocolate Santas, and gum. Yet we also appreciate more-unusual offerings, items that have the potential to spark a little joy — and to last beyond Christmas morning. From the whimsical (like a deck of reboot-your-life cards) to the practical (including a bright roll of sticky notes), here are the best pint-size gifts to charm any adult on your list.
12/. Yup.....this is the way fascism works.....
13/. Rolling Stone has the 15 best TV shows of this year......
Just when you thought the post-Peak TV glacier of shows had melted into a puddle of mediocre algorithm-feeders, the medium snapped back to form in 2025. We may not be in the midst of a new golden age — streamers and cable networks alike are muddling their way through a very uncertain media landscape (see Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery just this morning!) — but this year delivered a handful of truly original shows that did more than throw A-list stars at a paper-thin plot and try to pass it off as prestige. The series that stood out were daring, stylish, and had something to say about the world we live in today. Oh, and they were damn entertaining, too. Whether dissecting Hollywood or the health care industry, exploring history or an alternate universe, making us laugh or making us cry (and sometimes both), these 15 shows, presented here in alphabetical order, proved that TV’s top creators still have dogs in the fight.
14/. Vanity Fair with the 11 best movies of 2025......
Looks like we all missed some good ones!
What are the best movies of 2025? Though the year in film got off to a rocky start—with some bad IP that stunk up multiplexes and smaller genre movies that wound up disappointing both audiences and critics—things picked up as soon as Ryan Coogler’s Sinners blazed onto screens in April, single-handedly (or double-handedly?) reigniting the box office. Then a strong crop of Oscar contenders emerged in the late summer and fall, promising an exciting and competitive awards season—though, if you ask some pundits, the best-picture and best-director races may already be all sewn up, thanks to the early dominance of Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/best-movies-2025?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=vf&utm_mailing=VF_VFD_UNPAID_120525&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9d5dd3f92a40469e409a5&cndid=24450331&hasha=757da4c757bd7d86b040a18975d30c93&hashc=fbbe473f5037f7de779a9b352866aaa97ce40dede88d542358cbe645dd211019&mbid=&utm_campaign=VF_VFD_UNPAID_120525&utm_term=VYF_Cocktail_Hour_UNPAID
Today's rude but funny joke
A man was hunting when a gust of wind blew, the gun fell over & discharged, shooting him in the genitals.
Several hours later, lying in a hospital bed, he was approached by his doctor.
"Well, sir, I have some good news & some bad news.
The good news is that you are going to be OK.
The damage was local to your groin, there was very little internal damage, & we were able to remove all of the buckshot."
"What's the bad news?" asked the hunter. "The bad news is that there was some pretty extensive buckshot damage done to your willy which left quite a few holes in it.
I'm going to have to refer you to my sister."
"Well, I guess that isn't too bad," the hunter replied.
"Is your sister a plastic surgeon?"
" Not exactly answered the doctor"
"She's a flute player in the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
She's going to teach you where to put your fingers so you don't piss in your eye.
Today's oldie but goodie joke
Fred had been suffering from terrible headaches for over twenty years.
Finally, he went to see a specialist. After a long examination, the doctor said:
“Fred, the good news is I can cure your headaches. The bad news is… it will require castration.
You have a rare condition where your testicles press against your spine, causing severe headaches. Removing them is the only way to relieve the pressure.”
Fred was stunned and devastated, but after years of pain, he agreed to the surgery.
When he left the hospital, he felt strange and incomplete — but for the first time in decades, he had no headache.
As he walked down the street, he decided he needed a fresh start. A new life.
Maybe even a new wardrobe.
He passed a men’s clothing store and thought, Why not?
He walked in and told the salesman, “I’d like a new suit.”
The elderly tailor looked him over and said, “You’re a size 44 long.”
Fred laughed. “That’s right. How did you know?”
“Been in the business sixty years,” the tailor said.
Fred tried on the suit — it fit perfectly.
“How about a shirt?” the tailor asked.
Fred nodded, and the tailor studied him again. “34 sleeve, 16½ neck.”
“Amazing,” Fred said. “Exactly right.”
“Been in the business sixty years,” the tailor replied.
After trying on the perfect shirt, Fred walked around the store feeling better already.
Then the tailor asked, “How about some new underwear?”
The tailor looked him over and said, “Size 36.”
Fred laughed loudly. “Got you there! I’ve worn size 34 since I was eighteen.”
The tailor shook his head and said:
Size 34 would press your testicles right up against the base of your spine… and give you one terrible headache.
Another oldie but goodie.....
The boss wondered why one of his most valued employees had not phoned in sick one day.
Having an urgent problem with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper. " Hello ? "
"Is your daddy home?" he asked.
"Yes ," whispered the small voice.
May I talk with him?"
The child whispered, " No ." Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?"
"Yes ."
"May I talk with her?"
Again the small voice whispered, " No ."
Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?"
"Yes ," whispered the child, " a policeman ".
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?"
"No, he's busy ", whispered the child.
"Busy doing what?"
"Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman ," came the whispered answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?"
"A helicopter " answered the whispering voice.
"What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered, " The search team just landed a helicopter ."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?"
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle... " ME!!.
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