1/. Some [or is it most] of you are following Trump's playbook.......getting outraged
to the point where you just go numb......don't get sucked in.....
The first month of the second Trump presidency has put the lie to the widespread wisdom that Donald Trump has no ideology and no ideas, only an insatiable thirst for power and money. Trump has shown that he has ideas. So many ideas. They are just really bad ideas:
The United States can own, ethnically cleanse and redevelop Gaza as a luxury resort. The U.S. will buy Greenland and take possession of the Panama Canal. The government will become more efficient by cutting the Department of Education, U.S.A.I.D., medical and science research and many many jobs. D.E.I. caused the collision of an Army helicopter and a passenger plane in the air near Washington, D.C. Immigrants and transgender people are an existential threat to Americans. The president can and should rule by decree. These are all ideas, in the sense that they are opinions, beliefs or expressions of a possible course of action. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/15/opinion/trump-autocracy-bad-ideas.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
2/. Oh yeah......
3/. Insightful story about exactly how Trump crushed the Senate - Republican Senators are now his creatures.....
First, before Elon Musk came for everyone, Donald Trump came for the US Senate. When he returned to office, the House of Representatives was already under his heel. Many of the House Republican leaders had been his sidekicks during January 6, and one, Mike Johnson, had since become the speaker. The Senate, however, still retained, for the most part, its club-like atmosphere where the members considered themselves powers unto themselves. Senators with a toga complex have always looked down on House members as rabble. Trump viewed the independent character of the upper body as a thorn in his side. The subservience of the House of Representatives was the model that Trump envisioned for the Senate. It could no longer pretend to be the greatest deliberative body of legislators in the world, but a vassal fiefdom subject to his whims.
4/. Tom Tomorrow with a clever one, but I wish it were funny......
5/. Andrew Sullivan says Trump's regime, however loud and obnoxious, is destined for failure......boy I hope so......
The words “shock and awe” describe the first month of the second Trump administration pretty well, it seems to me. It’s been a blitzkrieg of executive orders, mass firings, violations of laws and norms, wanton cruelty for the sick, destitute, and hungry, and performative administrative chaos as far as the eye can see — all designed to paralyze and stun what’s left of the opposition.
And front and center: a drug-fueled, sleep-addled billionaire, commandeering the Oval Office, offering half-baked political theories, threatening judges with impeachment, tweeting at the pace of an adderall-addicted gamer, and holding press conferences with a toddler on his shoulders, where he tells the world he cannot be trusted to tell the truth. I guess there are some people who find all this deeply impressive. I’m sorry to say that, despite agreeing with some of Trump’s policy planks, I don’t. https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/trumps-shock-and-awe-month?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=61371&post_id=156888524&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=2cwgv&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
6/. I missed this Super Bowl WeatherTech commercial......really funny.
7/. Is Trump a Russian asset? And has been for decades?
Thom Hartmann thinks yes.....
What if Putin owns Trump?
I mean, seriously, what the hell is up with this? The BBC reported yesterday that Trump gave Russia everything they want with regard to Ukraine, rewarding Putin’s invasion of a sovereign European nation, and even took steps to help rebuild Russia’s economy that sanctions and the war damaged:
“The Americans said they agreed to four principles with the Russians, maintaining talks between the delegations, restoring broader diplomatic ties, enabling teams to work on a path to end the war in Ukraine, and then what the US called historic economic and investment opportunities with Russia.
“But what of any concessions being demanded of Moscow? Mr. Rubio wouldn't set any out to reporters after the meeting, saying only that it would be a matter for future talks. Mr. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, made clear European peacekeeping forces were out of the question. …https://hartmannreport.com/p/does-putin-own-trump-48b?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=302288&post_id=157442843&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=2cwgv&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
8/. And if you think Hartmann is a little OTT, here is the logical, rational Heather Cox Richardson on the same subject.....
The past week has solidified a sea change in American—and global—history.
A week ago, on Wednesday, February 12, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels, Belgium, that President Donald Trump intended to back away from support for Ukraine in its fight to push back Russia’s invasions of 2014 and 2022.
Hegseth said that Trump wanted to negotiate peace with Russia, and he promptly threw on the table three key Russian demands. He said that it was “unrealistic” to think that Ukraine would get back all its land—essentially suggesting that Russia could keep Crimea, at least—and that the U.S. would not back Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the mutual security agreement that has kept Russian incursions into Europe at bay since 1949.
9/. You wanted him, you got him......
It hasn’t even been three weeks yet.
Not even three weeks, and I and I’m sure countless others are already trying to comprehend what has already happened, and how the damage could ever be undone. It’s been a whirlwind that has unfortunately prompted me to consider, realistically, four years from now if there would ever be a version of the Democratic Party with the strength and willpower to really undo what has happened and try to correct it. https://xlauren-mx.medium.com/yeah-this-is-the-donald-trump-america-elected-4433c2cb3366
11/. Bob Lefsetz celebrates Bernie Sanders being on TikTok, where Democrats fear to tread.....not Bernie!
What kind of crazy, f*cked up world do we live in where an octogenarian from Vermont is hipper and more in touch with the zeitgeist of the country than Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries and the rest of the Democratic party honchos.
In case you missed the memo, TikTok is once again available in the Apple and Google app stores. So if you haven’t yet signed up…
Then again, today’s “New York Times” reviews two anti-internet books. What chance does our country have when its left wing intelligentsia is completely out of touch with the populace and furthermore looks down upon it?
https://lefsetz.com/wordpress/2025/02/16/bernie-sanders-on-tiktok/
12/. I loved this one.....Bernie at his finest on TikTok.....
It just makes you sick that the DNC rigged the Dem primary in 2015.....
13/. You can hear them whining.....
14/. Americans are moving much less than even 30 years ago....and that's had some serious consequences....
he idea that people should be able to choose their own communities—instead of being stuck where they are born—is a distinctly American innovation. It is the foundation for the country’s prosperity and democracy, and it just may be America’s most profound contribution to the world.
No society has ever been as mobile as the United States once was. No society has even come close. In the 19th century, the heyday of American mobility, roughly a third of all Americans changed addresses each year. European visitors were astonished, and more than slightly appalled. The American “is devoured with a passion for locomotion,” the French writer Michel Chevalier observed in 1835; “he cannot stay in one place.” Americans moved far more often, over longer distances, and to greater advantage than did people in the lands from which they had come. They understood this as the key to their national character, the thing that made their country distinctive.
15/. Again - clever, insightful and I wish it was funny.....
16/. The title of this is - "Don't Get Crushed When The World Goes Sideways".....
Some excellent advice here.....
I have a dismal and pessimistic view of the future. It wasn’t always the case.
Studying economics, experiencing the less than ethical practices at various tech and finance companies and working on disruptive technologies that can displace humans didn’t give me confidence for a utopian future imagined in science fiction films.
The next few years is going to be rough. Not maybe. Not possibly. Will be.
You’ve seen the signs.
Climate disasters hitting harder each year. Cities looking like scenes from Mad Max or Escape from New York. Prices climbing while paychecks shrink. Politicians more interested in social media and PR wars than fixing anything.
But here’s the thing — you’re not helpless. You just need to be smart about it. https://medium.com/predict/dont-get-crushed-when-the-world-goes-sideways-in-2025-2029-a-field-guide-0a28772b510d
17/. Did you know your Smart TV has a data cache? Thought not......here's why and how to clear it.....
Just like on your phone or computer, a cluttered TV cache can lead to sluggish performance, app crashes, and even hinder new content from loading properly. That's why it's important to clear all that extra cache and make your TV feel like new again. Before I break down the steps for how to do it, let's address the big elephant in the room first.
What is a cache?
A cache is a temporary storage area where data is kept for quick access. On your smart TV, the cache stores information from apps, websites, and system processes to help them load faster every time you turn it on. Think of it as a bunch of temporary files intended to speed up loading times for frequently accessed information.
8/. Season 3 of White Lotus is here.....and the Guardian likes it....
Actually anything with Walton Goggins in it is good by me....
Sure, The White Lotus is an acclaimed drama, eagerly anticipated after more than two years away from our screens, but it is also a solid and reliable meme factory. From the second season’s banger of a theme tune, to every line Jennifer Coolidge’s character deigned to speak, when The White Lotus is in season, the internet transforms into its fan account. For such a rich and well-crafted satire on bored elites and their casual cruelty, it really does translate well to screenshots and parodies. These memes, they’re trying to murder me!
In an age of fragmented attention spans, then, The White Lotus is that rare cultural phenomenon that still feels like a collective activity. These days, only a handful of shows would warrant mass speculation about how a season is going to end, and The White Lotus has become one of them. Inevitably, it returns for a third series under the heavy weight of expectation. Can it survive the loss of Coolidge’s Tanya, killed off with operatic gusto at the end of season two? Can it survive a new theme tune? Thankfully, the answers are yes and yes. It has had a few minor tweakments but the work is subtle, and it basically passes as its former youthful self.
19/. This looks really good.....The Monkey".....
Writer-director Osgood Perkins made one of the 21st century’s best horror films last year, and now he’s made another. But even if Longlegs’ intensely creepy atmosphere was too much, don’t be tempted to dodge The Monkey. This little guy has a whole new set of tricks to amuse and astound.
Theo James (The White Lotus) stars in the dual role of Hal and Bill Shelburn, twin brothers whose traumatic family inheritance comes – and keeps coming – in the form of a wind-up, drum-banging monkey that once belonged to their absentee father. The malevolent toy is a familiar horror trope, specifically derived in this instance from a 1980 short story by Stephen King, then lovingly embellished with eccentric comic details. There’s a too-long fringe, an absurdly oversized water bottle and a 50s rock’n’roll soundtrack, though none of these at all ease the terrific tension that – literally and audibly – ratchets up every time the Monkey’s key is turned. You know someone’s gruesome demise is imminent, but you’ll never guess who or how. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/22/the-monkey-review-fear-is-the-key-in-a-terrifyingly-brilliant-toy-story?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Today's music video - probably one of the goofiest ever made....but amusing...
Weezer with "Pork and Beans....
Today's videos - classic Bud Lite commercials
The sea shell......
Clothing drive.....
Today's old guy joke
Two old guys, one 84 and one 87, were sitting on their usual park bench.
The 87 year old had just finished his morning jog and wasn't even short of breath.
The 84 year old was amazed at his friend's stamina and asked him what he did to have so much energy.
The 87 year old said, "Well, I eat rye bread every day.
It keeps your energy level high and you'll have great stamina with the ladies."
So, on the way home the 84 year old stops at the bakery.
As he was looking around, the lady asked if he needed any help.
He said "Do you have any Rye bread?"
She said, "Yes, there's a whole shelf of it. Would you like some?"
He said, "I want 5 loaves."
She said, "My goodness, 5 loaves ...
By the time you get to the 3rd loaf, it'll be hard"
He replied, "I can't believe it! Everybody knows about this shit but me."
Today's postman joke
After 35 years, mailman George decides to retire. On his last day, he makes his usual rounds.
When he arrives at the first house, the whole family comes out, congratulates him, and sends him on his way with a tidy gift envelope.
At the second house, they present him with a box of fine cigars.
The folks at the third house hand him a selection of terrific fishing lures.
At the next house, he is met at the door by a strikingly beautiful woman in a revealing negligee.
She takes him by the hand and leads him up to the bedroom, where she blows his mind with the most passionate sex he has ever experienced.
When done, they go downstairs, where she fixes him a giant breakfast.
As she pours him a cup of coffee, he notices a dollar bill sticking out from under the cup's bottom edge.
"All this is just too wonderful for words," he says, "but what's the dollar for?"
"Well," she says, "last night, I told my husband that today would be your last day and that I wanted to do something special for you.
I asked him what to give you. He said, 'Screw him. Give him a dollar.' But breakfast was my idea."
Today's golfer joke
This is one of the Alien Kidnappers who are kidnapping golfers.
| Female aliens are invading the earth and kidnapping sexy, good looking men, who are great golfers. |
You, personally, are not in any danger.
I just emailed you to say "Goodbye."
Today's oldies but goodies.....
It's 1977, I'm 9 years old. My mom and dad are roaring with laughter and I don't understand what's so funny.
Q . Paul, what is a good reason for pounding meat?
A. Paul Lynde: Loneliness! (The audience laughed so long and so hard it took up almost 15 minutes of the show!)
Q. It is the most abused and neglected part of your body, what is it? A. Paul Lynde: Mine may be abused, but it certainly isn’t neglected.
Q. Do female frogs croak?
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough.
Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.
Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years?
A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes.
Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman?
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.
Q. According to Cosmopolitan, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married?
A.. Rose Marie: No, wait until morning.
Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older?
A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency.
Q. What are 'Do It,' 'I Can Help,' and 'I Can't Get Enough'?
A.George Gobel: I don't know, but it's coming from the next apartment.
Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?
A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget.
Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather?
A. Paul Lynde: Because chiffon wrinkles too easily.
Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawberries. Are you going to get any during the first year?
A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'm too busy growing strawberries.
Q. In bowling, what's a perfect score?
A. Rose Marie: Ralph, the pin boy.
Q. During a tornado, are you safer in the bedroom or in the closet?
A. Rose Marie: Unfortunately Peter, I'm always safe in the bedroom.
Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls?
A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out.
Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do?
A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark?
Q. If you were pregnant for two years, what would you give birth to?
A. Paul Lynde: Whatever it is, it would never be afraid of the dark..
Q. According to Ann Landers, is there anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of people?
A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army.
Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do?
A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.
Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they?
A. Charley Weaver: His feet.
Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed?
A. Paul Lynde: Point and laugh.
