Happy New Year everyone......hope it's better than 2024, but I have a feeling it won't be.....
1/. The Guardian on the AOC issue......
They may have lost the presidency, the House, and the Senate, but when it comes to avoiding introspection, the Democrats are completely undefeated. You’d have thought that after the disastrous presidential election, the Democrats might have taken some time to figure out what went wrong. You’d have thought they might have decided to try and refresh the party – make it more relevant to disenchanted voters. You’d have thought they might have realized that they needed to shake things up.
Well, you’d have thought wrong. As the recent drama with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shows, it’s business as usual with the Democratic establishment. Instead of trying to present a fresh new face to the world, they’re continuing to be a party of geriatric multimillionaires who are more concerned about pomp and procedure than actually winning elections.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/21/aoc-centrist-politics-democrats-change?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
2/. It's there all right.....
3/. I'm afraid most experts and scientists agree a societal collapse is coming, as a combination of warming, degeneration
of farmlands, fresh water shortages and many many other factors. The problem is none of them can give us a timeline.....
For someone who has examined 361 studies and 73 books on societal collapses, Danilo Brozović’s conclusion on what must happen to avoid today’s world imploding is both disarmingly simple and a daunting challenge: “We need dramatic social and technological changes.”
The collapse of past civilisations, from the mighty Mayan empire to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), has long fascinated people and for obvious reasons – how stable is our own society? Does ever-growing complexity in societies or human hubris inevitably lead to oblivion? In the face of the climate crisis, rampant destruction of the natural world, rising geopolitical tensions and more, the question is more urgent than ever.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/28/we-need-dramatic-social-and-technological-changes-is-societal-collapse-inevitable?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
4/. Rolling Stone with the 50 best [music biz] photos of the year.
Bet you haven't heard of most of these stars, like this - one Chappell Roan..........
5/. For a lot of countries you have never heard of, collapse is already here......
A summary of a dangerous 2024 from the most pessimistic newsletter I get.....
This is a special edition of Last Week in Collapse, normally a weekly newsletter compiling some of the most important, timely, helpful, depressing, ironic, stunning, or otherwise must-see/can’t-look-away moments in Collapse.
Today’s edition is a retrospective on Conflict and War in 2024, and this edition is free in its entirety. https://lastweekincollapse.substack.com/p/last-year-in-collapse-war-2024?utm_source=publication-search
6/. Tom Tomorrow is anxious!
7/. Who trusts the legal system? Not too many of us.......
The US supreme court has been hijacked by the extreme right and corrupted to its core.
American oligarchs bestow millions in gifts and largesse on rightwing justices. The court’s conservative supermajority hands down deeply unpopular decisions that take away long-settled rights, concentrate powerfor themselves and their friends and grease the electoral rails for their party.
Sometimes, an insurrectionist flag waves in front of a justice’s home.
Now a legal system fashioned with Leonard Leo’s dark-money riches and led toward dishonor by John Roberts has received a damning verdict from the American people. According to a new Gallup poll, Americans have a historic lack of trust in the courts. In an era of little faith in institutions, confidence in the judiciary has fallen the fastest and the steepest during the 2020s.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/21/americans-trust-supreme-court
8/. And yet Chief Justice John Roberts, author of the recent opinion that gives Trump total immunity, is whining here about the
loss of confidence in the Courts and especially the corrupt Supreme Court.
What an a##hole.
Judicial independence is under grave threat on several fronts, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote on Tuesday in an unusually urgent and somber year-end report on the state of the federal judiciary.
“Violence, intimidation and defiance directed at judges because of their work undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable,” he wrote.
The report, which arrived in the wake of questions about the court’s ethical standards and a drop in its approval ratings, said some criticism of judges’ work is healthy, warranted and welcome.
“Unfortunately, not all actors engage in ‘informed criticism’ or anything remotely resembling it,” he wrote. “I feel compelled to address four areas of illegitimate activity that, in my view, do threaten the independence of judges on which the rule of law depends.”
9/. Ahhhh....our spineless media....
10/. Bob Lefsetz with one of his philosophical posts......interesting premise......"Entitlement"....
Maybe this is the problem with America.
At the end of the day, Pepsi sponsors a deejay at the base of Vail. Along with said deejay, they provide Pepsi itself. The Pepsi is in these round barrels with plastic covers. You can see right into the vessel where all the cans are on ice.
Knowing this from previous experience, I strode to a barrel and…it was covered with someone’s helmet and gloves. I looked this person in the eye, a middle-aged woman, not a teen punk, and she removed her wares and I reached in for a Pepsi and went inside to put on my SkiSkootys and when I looked outside, this same damn woman put her helmet and gloves back on the Pepsi barrel. Now everybody is not as experienced as me, they don’t know there’s free Pepsi, and as long as this woman keeps her stuff on top of the barrel, they’ll go without.
But she doesn’t mind.
No one minds.
Don’t tell me entitlement is only about the left. It’s everybody in America today. Everybody believes they can do whatever they want and the rules do not apply to them. On the right the excuse is FREEDOM! Freedom from society, freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want. How does that work?
https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2024/12/22/entitlement-2/
11/. Tom Tomorrow and how AI will improve your life......
kidding.....
12/. Got a Harvard degree? Lucky you, rich white guy......
Last week I recorded a podcast with a friend who works in private equity. More on that later. He mentioned that his firm looks at education the same way they looked at housing in 2007 — a market propped up by cheap debt, artificial scarcity, and mass delusion about underlying value. But the more we talked, the more I realized we’re not looking at one bubble — it’s a triple threat. A wealth bubble, a debt bubble, and a cultural bubble all reinforcing each other.
Let’s start with some numbers that should terrify anyone paying attention:
The average cost of attendance at an elite private university is now over $80,000 per year. This means a four-year degree costs roughly $320,000 — more than the median home price in most American cities. Total student loan debt has topped $1.7 trillion. These numbers represent two completely different markets masquerading as one system. https://medium.com/westenberg/why-elite-education-is-the-next-ponzi-scheme-to-collapse-9f62b5011d74
13/. Weekend Update - Christmas joke swap 2024 - the boys crack up on this one.....quite amusing!
14/. Bob Lefsetz on electric cars and how the Chinese are waaaaaaay ahead of us.
And this definitely won't change for the next four years.....
The biggest business story of the past year is not artificial intelligence, but the success and proliferation of the Chinese car industry.
If you’re following the latest AI news… The industry is running out of data to train its systems on. Promised breakthroughs are being pushed into the future. AI is a sexy subject, whose mania is primarily based on fear (isn’t it funny that we no longer hear about restricting AI?) Are the machines here to replace us? Well, right now they can’t always get it right and there are debates as to how much they will aid productivity and…
Chinese cars have obliterated their competitors in their home country and are now invading the rest of the world, decimating other companies in their wake.
Meanwhile, all we hear from western governments is protection, taxes, but the auto manufacturers themselves want to compete, it’s the only way they can survive. Many have invested heavily in electric cars and if the public doesn’t start buying them in quantity, they’re in trouble. https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2024/12/31/chinese-cars/
15/. The Guardian lists the 50 best movies of 2024......don't be intimidated by the number of movies,
they write a brief description and then there is a link to the review......
And you can jump to the top ten as well..
16/. The Guardian with the best TV you never watched last year.......
17/. Some interesting shows I'd never heard of......from Rolling Stone....
Happy holidays, everyone. As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time for one final end-of-year TV list. So far, we’ve ranked the year’s 10 best shows, and picked 10 of our favorite performances and individual episodes. We conclude by shining the spotlight on some impressive newcomers.
We’re in a moment of huge churn for the TV business. The era where hit shows were all but guaranteed to run somewhere between five and 10 years is over. Exceptions are occasionally made, and a lot of old warhorses like Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia are still kicking. But most series just don’t get to stick around for very long, so they have to make an impression while they can.
18/. Love the title of this article....."Scream At The TV Stupid"......the biggest TV letdowns of the year!
From the silliest concept ever to killer thrillers so dull Villanelle would roll her eyes, there have been plenty of televisual duds in 2024. Here are the biggest turkeys
19/. Interesting - a remake of "Nosferatu", the classic vampire movie......
The American director Robert Eggers has a gift for cinema that goes beyond storytelling, instead tipping into the creation of whole immersive worlds. Watch The Lighthouse (2019) and you can almost feel the sea spray flaying your skin and fraying the edges of your sanity. His 2015 debut, The Witch, was so steeped in 17th-century folkloric rituals that you could practically taste the wood smoke, superstition and terror. These films etch themselves into your subconscious. But even by his usual standards, Nosferatu, a remake of FW Murnau’s 1922 German expressionist silent film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, is an unsettlingly atmospheric and richly realised work. There’s something about the macabre sensuality and mossy, crepuscular gloom of this retelling of the vampire legend that leaves a mark on the audience. It’s not so much a viewing experience as a kind of haunting.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/dec/29/nosferatu-review-lily-rose-depp-robert-eggers-willem-dafoe?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Today's snow shovel joke
DIARY OF A SNOW SHOVELER: Moved to North Dakota this fall. We heard that summers are fun and winter is beautiful.
We think there is no more beautiful a place in the whole world!
December 8 - 6:00 PM It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic, we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!
December 9 - We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I've ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!
December 12 - The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry- we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.
December 14 - Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.
December 15 - 20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.
December 16 - Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.
December 17 - Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God! I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.
December 20 - Electricity's back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all day. The damn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but. they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.
December 22 - Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it's so cold, it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob-who has a plow on his truck-for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think the asshole is lying.
December 23 - Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago. She says she did but I think she's lying.
December 24 - 6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snowplow, l broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling, and then he comes down the street...at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents...but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow.
December 25 - Merry f---ing Christmas! 20 more inches of the damn slop tonight - snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to feed her through a chipper shredder.
December 26 - Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.
December 27 - Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $4,400 to replace all my pipes.
December 28 - Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The BITCH is driving me crazy!!!
December 29 - 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?
December 30 - Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only for the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.
December 31 - I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.
January 8 - Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed ???
Today's bar joke
A man walks into a bar and sees a beautiful woman sitting
at the end of it.
She is so beautiful he cannot take his mind
off her, so he calls the bartender over and says, "Take that
The bartender says, "It won't work."
"What do you mean, it won't work?"
"That woman," says the bartender, "is a hard-hearted bitch.
You won't get anywhere with her. Nobody does."
"OK," says the guy. "How about this: you got any Spanish fly?"
"Spanish fly? No," says the bartender, "I've got Jewish fly."
"So, what the hell is Jewish fly?"
"I don't know; I've never used it. You want to give it a try?"
"Yes," says the guy, and the next chance he gets, on his way
to the men's room, he reaches behind the woman's back and drops
the stuff in her drink.
Nothing happens for a long time.
But then all of a sudden he
feels her body close to his, and her voice is whispering hotly
in his ear, and she's saying, "I can't stand it any more! You
excite me so much! Take me shopping!"
Today's spoon joke
Freda and Kitty hear about a very new and advanced restaurant called ‘Glat's Best' which has just opened in Boro Park and decide to try it out.
When the waiter arrives to take their order, Kitty notices that he has a spoon sticking out of his shirt pocket – in fact she notices that all the waiters have spoons sticking out of their shirt pockets.
She thinks this is very odd and after they give their order, she mentions it to Freda.
Freda says, "Why not ask the waiter about the spoon when he returns?" The waiter arrives with their chicken soup and Kitty says, "Excuse me for asking, but why the spoon?"
"Well," he explains, "when the restaurant first opened, Mr Cohen hired BALEBOSS CONSULTING to ensure that our productivity was at its highest level.
After a full analysis, they told us that every time a spoon is dropped, it takes time to pick it up, take it to the kitchen and return with a new one.
BALEBOSS said that if the waiters were better prepared, we could reduce these unnecessary kitchen trips and the restaurant would save 40 man hours per week. So we all carry a spoon now."
Freda and Kitty thank him for the explanation and he leaves them to enjoy the soup.
But then, guess what? Freda accidentally drops her spoon whilst half way through her soup.
Almost immediately their waiter appears and quickly replaces the dropped spoon with the spare one from his pocket. "I'll get another spoon next time I go to the kitchen," he says, "it’ll save me having to make an extra trip to get it right now."
Kitty is impressed but then notices a small piece of string hanging out of the waiter's fly.
Looking around, she sees that all the waiters have pieces of string hanging from their flies.
So before he can walk away, she points to the string and says, "Excuse me, but what’s with the string?"
"It’s simple, madam," he quietly replies. "BALEBOSS also discovered that we waiters can save time when we have to visit the toilet.
By tying string to the tip of our …. you know what, we can pull it out without touching it and thus eliminate the need to wash our hands afterwards.
This reduces the time we spend in the toilet."
"But after you get it out," asks Kitty giggling, "how do you put it back?"
"Well," he whispers, "I don't know about the others, but I use the spoon."
Today's Italian joke
An elderly Italian man who lived on the outskirts of Rimini,Italy, went to the local church for confession.
When the priest slid open the panel in the confessional, theman said:
"Father, during World War II, a beautiful Jewish woman from our neighborhood knocked urgently on my door and asked me to hide her from the Nazis. So I hid her in my attic."
The priest replied: "That was a wonderful thing you did, and you have no need to confess that."
"There is more to tell, Father. She started to repay me with sexual favors. This happened several times a week, and sometimes twice on Sundays."
The priest said, "That was a long time ago and by doing what you did, you placed the two of you in great danger, but two people under those circumstances can easily succumb to the weakness of the flesh.
However, if you are truly sorry for your actions, you are indeed forgiven."
"Thank you, Father. That's a great load off my mind. I do have one more question."
"And what is that?" asked the priest.
"Should I tell her the war is over?'' |
Today's Scottish joke
A man was sitting on a blanket at the beach.
He had no arms and no legs.
Three women - one from England, another from Wales, and the other from Scotland, were walking past and felt
sorry for the poor man.
The English woman said, "Have you ever had a hug?"
The man said, "No."
So she gave him a hug and walked on, feeling pleased about herself.
The Welsh woman said, "Have you ever had a kiss?"
The man said, "No."
So she gave him a kiss and walked on, feeling pleased about herself.
The Scottish woman came to him and said, " 'ave ye ever been fucked, laddie? "
The man broke into a big smile and said, "No".
She said, "Aye, well ye will be when the tide comes in"
