The Firday Link for 7/26/24

 Hi everyone!

As everyone knows, I love Doctor Who, the British TV show where a time lord called The Doctor travels through space and time to stop bad guys and correct wrongs.  Sure they head out into the reaches of space but the Doctor spends a lot of time at various points of world history, primarily English history.  It's a fun watch, no matter what version of The Doctor you watch (did I mention the character can regenerate into a new character?).

But how safe would it actually be to go back to the Middle Ages?  In reality, you'd probably have A LOT of problems.  These are numerous so let me pass you off to a guy I have featured before on this channel, the Premodernist.  This guy is an incredibly smart historian who knows his stuff.

This is a long video, but it is thorough. Apparently, many things could go wrong and likely would go wrong for you, as a modern person visiting the Middle Ages. 

Since I am being a bit on the academic side this week, I will also share a video from PBS Terra, where new technology allows us to view the ancient path of the earth.  And some of the images are gorgeous.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Stay safe and get vaccinated!  Wear a mask in large groups! 

The Friday Link for 7/19/24

Hi everyone! This week's Friday Link is all about food!

I'm a big foodie.  My mother is a sensational cook and she taught me so much growing up.  I cook most of my family's food, I love cooking videos, I LOVE historic cooking videos, and my secret dream vacation is a street food tour of South Korea.  

In any given week I will watch 5 to 15 cooking videos, from many of the channels I have featured here.  Some of the end results look good.  Sometimes it looks okay.  Occasionally (especially on certain historic cooking videos) it looks horrific. But occasionally, I will stumble upon one that looks so good I'm going to have to make it myself as soon as I can.

This week, I had three of them! 

If you are not the cooking type, that's fine.  Watch these as good old fashion food porn, but if you like to cook and have most of these ingredients on hand, give them a shot.

Number one this week is a gem from Tasting History with Max Miller.  I've enjoyed many of his fun videos, but this one has me scrambling to the store for strawberries.  I never knew strawberries were so popular for so many years. Max does a great little history lesson on the strawberry, but the superstar of this video is the recipe. It's a strawberry tart, looks relatively simple, has bread crumbs in it (???), and judging by Miller's reaction (he whips out a "Y'all!"), it looks like it tastes AMAZING! My guess is it'd be perfect with vanilla ice cream. 

Next up is the always wonderful Ina Garten, with a recipe that I can swear I ate once out in Crete. Pastitsio is basically a Greek version of lasagna, but it is made better with the addition of bechamel sauce.  Now this recipe is a little more labor intensive, maybe not the one you want to do as a rookie cook.  That said, you're never going to become good unless you try it.  From what I remember from 33 years ago (!) it was delicious! Good luck! 

And finally tonight the second video I've featured from Sam the Cooking Guy out of San Diego.  This is Chicken Christopher.  Now two points.  Sam is making some of the techniques look really easy.  Be advised some skills are being displayed here. Also, I am not a big fan of timed cooks, especially when there has already been some prep work done. That's not the real world. Sam is doing a restaurant quality version of this, which includes speed.

My suggestion is to watch Sam do the 15-minute version and aim for your version to be 25 to 30 minutes, not bad considering how delicious that chicken looks when he is done.

Bon Appétit! 

Please make sure to keep up to date on your vaccinations and please be careful in large crowds! 

Have a great weekend! 

The Firday Link for 7/12/24

Hi all, I hope you have a great weekend.  Let's focus this week on Summer movies.  

The Natural is the greatest baseball movie ever made, a top 3 all-time sports movie, and an undeniable summer blockbuster.  Released in May of 1984, it went on to become the 14th biggest movie of the year. If at this point you haven't seen it, go see it.  Even the non-baseball, non-sports fan can appreciate this film.  My daughters have both mentioned how dreamy Robert Redford was back then, Glen Close was damn near perfect as the All-American gal, and Wilford Brimley is fantastic as the coach.

When it's on, I can't stop watching it. I think it's one of those movies you end up appreciating more as you get older, being able to relate to the person finally getting their shot and making the most of it. 

Here are a bunch of clips from that movie. 

I'm also going to post a scene from what I think is the best movie of the year so far, Furiosa. I know it underperformed at the box office, but that's a crime. This take on the background story of the character Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road (itself one of the best movies ever made) was deep, complex, suspenseful, and a riot. Here we see Chris Mensworth's shockingly good Dementus go meet the bad guys from Fury Road. 

Last tonight is the new trailer for what WILL NOT be a summer movie, but a movie I can't wait to see, Captain America: Brave New World.  Red Hulk finally shows up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! 

Have a great weekend everyone! Make sure to stay up to date on your vaccinations! 

Eliminating the Middle Man

I returned from my annual vacation at the lake up north two weeks ago.  After unpacking and getting back into the routine I decided I needed to catch up on some of the television I had missed.  One of my regular watches is Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and I had two episodes to binge.

The first episode was a stark eye-opening expose on Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's manifesto for changing the US government substantially while nearly ensuring Republicans never step down from power ever again.  The second episode was a preview of what happened in England on the 4th of July.  The Conservatives/Tories, the right-leaning mainstream party in England (at that point), was on the verge of a historic drubbing, a massive loss at the polls. This was due to the public completely losing faith in them for changing the country dramatically for the worse.

The episode for Project 2025 was terrifying.  Project 2025 is a culmination of various extremist policies from the far-right Heritage Foundation mashed into a tyrannical manifesto, something many in Trump's circle have said will be initiated on Day 1 of his next term.  It's part Christian Nationalist takeover (no abortion nationwide, no contraception, removal of LGBTQIA+ rights, forced Christian education, killing no-fault divorce, installing a Christiananity über alles society), part MAGA buzzword policy (Getting rid of all DEI programs, eleimating African American and Gender studies at all level of education, no teaching of slavery in America, nationwide book banning), an extreme far right policy wish list (eliminate all unions and worker's rights, elimination of all climate change policies, immediate opening of all America to fossil fuel drilling, ending public education in America, no taxes on the wealthy, while massive tax increases on the middle and lower class, raising retirement age, killing Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the EPA, FDA, the NOAA, and more), and totalitarian regime installation (streamline death penalites, banning Muslims from even entering the US, ordering troops into American communities as an extreme police force, getting rid of the FBI, concentration camps to deport millions of people including established American citizens). As bad as all that sounds, it's not even scratching the surface.  You need to read up on it.  It is terrifying.  Google 'Project 2025' and then realize the extent of Trump's authoritarian power takeover and destruction of the American economy. (Read: https://www.axios.com/2024/07/02/trump-2025-imperial-us-presidency and https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2024/can-trump-replace-income-taxes-tariffs#:~:text=For%20starters%2C%20it%20would%20cost,the%20poor%20and%20middle%20class.)

The episode on the foreseen upheaval of the Tories was just as interesting.  After 14 years of Trump/GOP/MAGA-like promises, the floor had finally fallen out underneath Britain.  The Conservatives did two things that eventually doomed them.  The first was Brexit, the UK leaving the European Union with promises that everything would be the same as it was before but better.  I'm not sure if the Conservatives really were stupid enough to think the EU would give England the same rights as a member, or if they thought they could strong-arm the EU, but neither happened.  Britain's economy is in shambles as they are losing 100 BILLION pounds a year to lost business.  As bad as the fallout is from that, the austerity measures the Tories put into place are actually much worse.  They have taken a country with a fairly reliable social safety net system and what used to be one of the better government-run medical systems in the world and gutted them, leaving the citizens of Britain in a bleak crisis. The benefactor of all of these cuts has been England's super-rich, who have seen their wealth skyrocket, while the average Brit is making 10,000 pounds per year less than when the Conservatives took over.  The ensuing beatdown at the polls on July 4th was pretty astounding, their worst loss of all time, going from 371 seats to a paltry 121.

It was very interesting to see these two episodes back to back. On one side you saw the outrageous conservative policies the US Right is bragging about installing.  On the other side were the eventual consequences of those Far Right policies, exposed for the lies and fraud that they always were, leading to a public rejection of them, on par with the turnover from Republicans to Democrats in 1930 and 1932. 

It made me ask this question:  Can we just eliminate the middle man and prevent from the US collapsing, preventing us from having to get to the point of the Right's willfully belligerent Republican voters come to the realization the people they were voting for were never on their side? 

The problem is making the standard Trump voter understand they are being lied to openly.  Let's take one of the issues from Project 2025/the Trump campaign: the elimination of public schools as we know it. 

The Republican voter applauds this because of a very simple delusion; "Clearly the Trump Republicans are not going to take away MY kid's public school."  Republican voters, when they hear a Republican politician say we'll eliminate public education hear "We're going to shut down those inner city schools where the minority kids waste my taxpayer dollars, but not my kids nearly all white wholesome rural school." No doubt the Republicans are going to shut the metro schools down (maybe not the wealthier suburban high schools which are quite popular, the schools where the majority of the GOP donations come from), but all the rural schools will be on the chopping block too. When the reality starts to hit, Republicans will tell their voters "Well we can't shut down the minority schools without shutting down your school.  Even though it's not ideal, we think it's the best option." This is a variation on the already blue-collar Republican voter accepted "Well your taxes have to go up but the wealthy people get a tax cut because they're the 'job creators.'" 

Let's just eliminate the middleman, preventing the suffering that will ensue when these outrageous Project 2025 policies destroy us.  Not only do I not want people to suffer needlessly, while all their money is filtered up to the handful of wealthy Republican kingmakers, but look at the Project 2025 agenda.  This will hurt and kill a lot of people!  There is a real question of whether America will ever get another chance to pick the people who represent them.  But that's kind of the whole point of Project 2025.  After 30 years of Jimmy-rigging the system to allow the minority Republicans to maintain power, they're still losing base and can't win even with the unfair advantages they've given themselves.  This whole Project 2025/Trump agenda is about seizing power and never relinquishing it. 

We can avoid all of that by making sure Trump loses in November.  It's the only way we can save America.

The Firday Link for 7/5/24

Hi all! I hope you all had a nice Independence Day holiday.

I usually don't start off with music videos but I'm going to make an exception this week.  Two reasons:

1) The main video tonight has A LOT of naughty language but it's an all-time iconic moment in stand-up comedy.  I wanted to do a palate cleanser before I post that, and if you don't want the naughtiness, then enjoy the first video and move on.

2) This song is the weirdest mash-up I've seen in a while - Heavy Metal, industrial techno, and Japanese girl band. It works.  This song has been running through my head for a week now and I still like it.  

To begin this week, Babymetal and Electric Callboy with Ratatata! 

OUTSTANDING!

Now adult content from here on out.

So there was a comedy show in Philadelphia where Bill Burr took the stage.  After one or two jokes, the Philly fans (which are notoriously some of the most obnoxious fans anywhere) started booing.  What happens next is legendary comedy.  Bill Burr turns on the audience. He melts down and starts roasting the hell out of them. It takes a few minutes but he really gets going towards the end.

I'm not sure how much of this was ad-libbed versus jokes he knew but wasn't necessarily planning on using this show, but some of the smackdowns he delivered are instant classics.  As you listen to this, notice how he's so good that the crowd starts cheering for him in the end.  It's literally the Blues Brother's movie, where the final concert is in front of a hostile crowd but Jake and Elwood win them over.

Once again, the language in this video is REALLY ROUGH! Viewers be warned!  Because of that, you have to watch this on YouTube.  Follow the link below.

He actually counts down how many minutes he has left in the beatdown he delivers in Philly. The lines about Rocky...

The video starts with a still image but around 2 and a half minutes in it becomes the video from the actual rant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_H_Suj7SEs

That routine has become a legendary all-time classic. So many comedians are in awe of it.  

Bill Burr actually talks at length about what happened there, and his self-reflection is amazing to listen to.  He talks about the crowd wasn't horrible to all the acts, and that the show itself was a bad idea. It's also amazing to hear him show real concern about becoming a one-trick comic, the guy that sits and riffs on the city he is in.  He didn't become that (thank God!), but I could see how the demand for him to do that in every town could jeopardize the career he wanted.  

Speaking of the Blues Brothers here is that all-time classic scene from the movie.

Have a great weekend.

Make sure you stay up to date on your vaccinations.

The Friday Link for 6/28/24

This week, since the 4th of July/Independence Day is next Thursday, I will post videos that never get old, the Muppets, particularly Sam the American Eagle trying to celebrate the holiday.

Also this week, Antarctica! There is so little we know about Antarctica, and even what we do know is pretty minimal (and not too known outside of scientific circles).  Did you know Antarctica is larger than the US and Mexico combined? There's a lot of weird history and just weirdness with the Antarctic continent, and Joe Scott takes us south to make you realize you probably never want to go there. 

Finally tonight, another gem from ZeFrank, this time his crack research team is giving us the full lowdown on plants that explode, and there are a shocking amount of them!

Have a great weekend everyone! I'll see you all at PRIDE in Minneapolis!

Make sure yo stay up to date on your vaccinations! 

The Friday Link for 6/21/24

Hi all!  I hope you've all had a good week.

The three for this week are all revisiting some of the regulars. 

First up is Jon Stewart and The Daily Show.  His take on why corporate America is starting to look ridiculous with their botched attempts at appealing to the LGBTQ community at pride, how their stupid mistakes are due to their real master (profits), and how it might be time for them to stop. 

As a Veteran, I can relate.  A lot of companies try to plaster veterans all over their logos to make THEMSELVES look patriotic.  Sure they might offer a minor benefit to those who served, but the real benefit is in their marketing.

Next up is the Honest Trailers for Godzilla Minus One.  Not only was this a great Godzilla flick, but it actually had a pretty good human story, focusing on Japan trying to gain back its pride after losing WWII. By the way, this movie won the Oscar for special effects and it did deserve it.  See it.

Finally tonight, the latest from Tasting History with Max Miller.  I love good pork-and-beans, and we forget it was not too long ago that it was a staple of a lot of people's diets.  What I love about this recipe is how freaking easy it is.  It takes time, but the results look fantastic! 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Please stay healthy and safe! 

The Friday Link for 6/14/24

Howdy all.

I just realized I have not done a round up of my favorite SNL sketches from the last season. I know everyone loved the Ryan Gosling Beavis and Butt-Head skit (and it is on this list) but it's not #1.

#10  - Hot Ones with Beyoncé 2 - Maya Rudolph is just too good to not have at least one of her sketches on this list. 

#9 - Trump Sneakers with Shane Gillis who actually does a really good Trump impression. And the concept of this bit is very good.

#8 - Pilates - I actually posted this sensational Kristen Wiig skit on an earlier Friday Link.  This was the best bit from her show, who like Maya, elevated the entire show.

#7 - Close Encounter - The first of the two Ryan Gosling clips to make the list (and there was almost a third).  They revisited one of the better sketch series from the last 10 years. Kate McKinnon is so good in this sketch. 

#6 - I'm Just Pete - From the first episode of the season, Pete Davidson sings a song that asks the question "Why am I popular?"

#5 - Bowen's Straight - Bowen Yang (at times) is an all-time cast member. This was a good behind-the-scenes produced bit, with Sydney Sweeney.

#4 - Weekend Update: Colin and Michael Swap Jokes - This is a recurring bit where the two Weekend Update hosts exchange jokes the other person has not read.  In the past Micheal Che has dominated Colin, but this time around, the best hit was delivered by Colin, via Kendrick Lamar.

#3 - Beavis and Butt-head - What has become an all-time SNL skit, by far the most popular skit of the season.  Ryan Gosling and Mikey Day make everyone roll, but it's Keenan who makes this skit an all-time classic, managing to keep his composure. Yes, sometimes cracking up makes a skit better.

#2 - Washington's Dream - This sketch is so damn funny, making fun of the weird things we do in the United States, as told to the Revolutionary War fighters by Nate Bargatze's George Washington. When he got to football, I was in tears.

#1 - OBGYN - Kenan Thompson is SO DAMN FUNNY!  The concept of this is great.  What exactly was their new OBGYN's previous career? Everyone is laughing in the end. 

Have a great Father's Day weekend everyone. 

Please stay healthy and safe. Make sure you stay up to date on your vaccinations!

The Friday Link for 6/7/24

I have to make it short and sweet as this week has been a bear.  I forget how crazy the last few weeks of the school year are.

RiffTrax is funny as heck! 

Do you want content?  Here is TWELVE HOURS of RiffTrax! 

If you do have some things to do and can't watch RiffTrax for half a day, some True Facts of the Opossum can be your short and sweet this week! 

Have a great weekend! 

Make sure you stay up to date on your vaccines! 

2000 Lies

One thing the Republicans are good at is propaganda.  They're fantastic at creating an alternate reality and convincing their followers it's the truth. It helps they have a voter base who has been brainwashed by right-wing media and extremist websites for 30 years, but they know how to play them like a fiddle.

Take this weekend, the first weekend after Trump was convicted in his hush money cover-up trial in Manhattan. EVERY Republican got the memo and is speaking the same tailing point:  "Joe Biden controlled this entire outcome!"  His guilty verdict has to be about ANYTHING besides his being guilty of the crime.

For the record, he is guilty of the crime.  New York started investigating Trump in 2018.  This was a New York case, cleared through a grand jury, and his conviction was sealed by a jury HIS legal team HELPED SELECT!  Trump is guilty because he hid payments to a porn star to try to help his 2016 election.

The truth doesn't matter though.  The point was to ensure all of their voters heard the 'Biden Star Chamber' fairy tale, which they have instantly categorized as a factual truth. They DESPERATELY want it to be true, so their favorite right-wing talking head saying it's true is all the validation they need.  Chisel it into granite!

The problem with Republicans and their propaganda machine is there are many times they forget it's propaganda, and they think they can change reality.  When reality smacks back (and it always does) it generally leaves a pretty big mark.  That's what's happened with the MAGA fantasy "documentary" '2000 Mules.'

Let me first explain the laughable argument the film makes.  The three entities behind this mess are the conservative non-profit True the Vote, right-wing political commentator Dinesh D'Souza, and Salem Media Group, the company that published the film and book (a book which was never released). The argument the "documentary" makes is that left-leaning groups, working hand in hand with the Democratic Party, hired people (referred to as mules) to illegally collect and deposit fraudulent ballots into ballot drop boxes in swing states, flipping the 2020 election win to Biden over Trump.  They said they proved this with two sources.  The first is the use of geolocation data to determine the mules were constantly going to multiple ballot drop boxes, repeatedly, and mailing fraudulent ballots.  They even showed video footage they claimed showed people 'muling,' identified by pinging their cell phones.  The other source was an anonymous whistleblower who claimed they were aware of the entire scheme (but because of a confidentiality agreement, they could not offer any information about John Doe), as well as the names of ballot harvester whistleblowers who authenticated the fraud.

This movie had A LOT of deception, half-truths, non-existent facts, and outright lies.  Pretty much every time someone pointed out an undeniable flaw with the facts of the "documentary," the groups dismissed the criticism, falling back to the geolocation data and the confidential sources as their "proof."

This group was so committed to their propaganda that they actually encouraged the Georgia Secretary of State and the Georgia Election Board to conduct their own investigation in November of 2021.  This is where they made their mistake.  My guess is they thought the Republicans involved with those offices would just show 2000 Mules at the trial and then scream "We rest our case!" That's not how investigators work.  

The geolocation data was quickly picked apart for its fraud.  Basically, their argument was that in a major city, they could accurately pinpoint where people were with their cell phones.  That's just garbage.  Millions of people live in these major cities so there are automatically going to be a lot of people going by ballot drop-off boxes regularly.  The movie showed security footage of people dropping ballots in boxes, CLEARLY implying they were mules, partially "identified" by their cell phone geolocation. That's actually impossible to do with their method.  There's no way they could correctly identify a person dropping a ballot into a ballot box as carrying the phone they said was pinging. 

That's not liberal Matt McNeil pointing this out.  That is Trump's own AG, Bill Barr!!!

Many others have pointed out the CLEAR LIES stated about geolocation data in 2000 Mules, something the people behind the film either insist they never said was definitive or imply the critics are intentionally dismissing their data, without clarifying the critic's mistakes. 

But even with all this, the investigators wanted to talk with the 2000 Mules sources, but (FUNNY!!!) True the Vote didn't want to give them their evidence, namely their contact information for the main informant, his confidentiality agreement, and the names of the other people who helped corroborate the ballot harvesting story.  The Georgia Election Commission went to court to force them to give them the information, INFORMATION TRUE THE VOTE, DINESH D'SOUZA, AND THE SALEM MEDIA GROUP ALL REPEATEDLY INSISTED WAS REAL!!!   The following excerpt is from a July 2023 AP story (https://apnews.com/article/georgia-election-board-true-vote-ballot-harvesting-a6669b44107201e2485b15d8f5b2a45f) on the case. 

The courts sided with Georgia, and finally, in February of this year, the truth came out.

THEY MADE IT ALL UP!!!

There was NO John Doe!  There was NO corroborating witnesses!  THERE WASN'T EVEN A CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT, the thing they kept using as their excuse to not share information. (https://apnews.com/article/georgia-elections-true-vote-ballot-stuffing-199113b47bc2df79c63fdf007cd23115) Once again:

THEY MADE IT ALL UP!!!

Here's where reality is starting to smack back, hard.  One of the people show in 2000 Mules they accused of ballot harvesting and being a mule, Mark Andrews, was only dropping off ballots for himself, his wife, and his kids, something VERY LEGAL to do.  How could they be so stupid to accuse him of something they know he didn't do?  He's now suing True the Vote, Dinesh D'Souza, and (up until this last week) Salem Media for falsely depicting him illegally voting, allegations which led to numerous death threats against him.  On Friday Salem Media apologized to Mr. Andrews, pulled the movie and book from its catalog, and viciously threw True the Vote and Dinesh D'Souza under the bus. We can only hope Mr. Andrews gets in the high 8 figures from the other two clown cars.

In the end, the damage has already been done.  Not only will most conservatives insist 2000 Mules is truthful, but they'll never even see the news stories exposing the massive lie.  Not only does the conservative media attack the Left, but they also bury stories that will make the Right look bad.  They don't want to stop anyone from believing the lie. 

Over the next few months on your social media pages, you'll have numerous conservative family members, coworkers, and trolls insist 2000 Mules proved fraud existed.  The only counterpunch you have is posting this article to their timeline. I'm not saying they'll believe what I've typed, but at least they'll have some doubt. Maybe they'll begin to see the emperor's splendid new clothes might not be what he claims them to be.  I know that it's not much of a consolation prize, but it'll have to do.  There will never be any real justice for the lies these traitors told our country.

Conservatives will sit in their basements rewatching the DVD over and over again.

None of the news outlets that allowed repeated positive coverage of 2000 Mules will dedicate even a syllable to correcting the record.

Cinemark Theaters will never apologize for showing 2000 Mules on the big screen.

And after the 2000 LIES that the people around 2000 Mules told the American people, there will only be one apology, an apology to the people they stupidly falsely accused of voter fraud, an apology True the Vote and Dinesh D'Souza will hope no one will ever hear. 

When that story comes out, post it like they WRONGLY think votes were cast in 2020, early and often.

The Friday Link for 5/31/24

Guten Abend everyone! 

So today I'm going to start by getting a song stuck in your head.  Meet Bodo Wartke and Marti Fischer, two German dudes who seem to be musicians.  They made a cute little song which basically is a German tongue twister, Barbara's Rhubarb Bar. These guys are VERY good at singing this, and the beat is solid. It's a cute little thing.  Enjoy!

Catchy! Apparently, I'm not the first to notice. The first time I heard this song was on a video highlighting a dance that has become synonymous with the song.  No, the dance doesn't seem to have anything to do with Bodo and Marti (originally) or anything to do with the lyrics.  After I figured out the song, I took time to track down where the dance originated from. That led me to Australia where TikTok accounts from a woman named Stephanie (@Steph_who___) and Christina Stasii (@stasii777) seems to be the originators of this dance.  

Those two do not have a YouTube page, but as these things go, Bodo and Marti made their own version of the dance.  Click on the link to see it. https://youtube.com/shorts/Rpa4IDC17bw?si=ug9Ez38Yx4Vrs_z1

AND of course, now there is a second chapter to the song, and another dance.  I'm a professional radio guy and I sure as heck couldn't read this as fast as they do. 

Also tonight the sensational Kat Abu.  Her watch of Fox News in the wake of the Trump Guilty verdict (He's A FELON!!!) exposed how inconsolable the same people who yelled "Lock her Up" are at their guy actually getting his day in court, and losing BADLY! 

That's all for this week.  Make sure to stay up to date on your vaccinations.  

Stay healthy and stay Safe! 

The Friday Link for 5/24/24

Howdy all! I hope you all have a nice Memorial Day Weekend.

I want to start off this week with an instant classic Jon Stewart rant from The Daily Show last Monday.  He takes on the LAUGHABLE argument there is an actual Cancel Culture.

People being critical of someone saying something stupid, or ignorant, or racist, or bigoted, or misogynistic is NOT Cancel Culture.  It's called Freedom of Speech.  Too many people present Freedom of Speech as meaning freedom from criticism.  Freedom of Speech protects the speaker as well as the person(s) critical of the speaker.  They know this, so as a way to dismiss and negate legit criticism, they insist the person being critical is engaging in "Cancel Culture."

Do you know how you can tell "Cancel Culture" is a non-existent myth? When a TV show was Cancelled, they didn't come back with another two seasons of them screaming "We've been canceled!"  Nope, the show was done and that was the end of that.  The people who scream Cancel Culture is silencing them NEVER STOP SCREAMING THEIR IGNORANCE. They feign vindication to seem like they've stood up to some mythical mob and survived, yet keep screaming they're being silenced.

When you think about it, it really is stupid.

Jon Stewart did a magnificent job calling it out.  In the end, he does point out the one true Cancel Culture group out there, Republicans who will cancel you in a heartbeat if you dare talk ill will of their true God, Trump.  Enjoy! 

Also this week is the annual tradition of ending Saturday Night Live's last episode of the season Weekend Update with Colin and Micheal agreeing to read jokes the other person has written for them, that they have not seen.  It gets pretty ugly.  Remind yourself that they're trying to get the other person to say insanely offensive jokes. 

Finally tonight Cowboy Kent Rollins takes us back to the Great Depression for a recipe for Hoover Stew! I remember eating Hoover stew back in the early 70's.  Made right it can be quite tasty! 

I hope you have a nice weekend.  Happy Memorial Day. 

Please make sure you stay up to date on all your vaccines!

The Friday Link for 5/17/24

This week Stephen Colbert invited Steve Carell onto The Late Show and they revisited one of the best bits to ever come out of The Daily Show, Even Stevphen.  This was a take off of the 'Crossfire' style of news show of the late 90s early 2000s.  The real news shows were so contrived.  They'd randomly pick an issue, one guy would be for it the other guy against it and they'd squabble pettily over who was right or wrong.  It was PERFECT for The Daily show to parody.

First up is the Even Stevphen version from this week, a fight over aging. 

Also here are three of the classic episodes from over 20 years ago. TWENTY FREAKING YEARS!

Finally tonight a great video from Pete Buttigieg.  "If all you have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a culture war."  He absolutely tags why MAGA politicians are failing people, not offering any solutions, and only bullying others to cover up for their unwillingness to do ANYTHING.  I know it's political, but it is so spot on.

Have a great weekend everyone.  Stay safe and make sure you keep up to date with your vaccinations! 

The Friday Link for 5/10/24

Howdy all.

I don't have delusions of grandeur. I know Elon Musk could care less about what I have to think, or maybe he does.  The dude literally threw billions of dollars into Twitter to stop people from mocking him, only to see it tumble in value because he doesn't know what the heck he's doing!  But smart business choices are not his forte. This is also a guy who runs an electric motor company and decided to tell his likely consumer base (liberals) that they're all political hacks.  That's like opening a meat-free alternative burger joint and then bad-mouthing all vegans. 

The Cybertruck is the latest stupid thing this guy has done.  Forget the "truck" looks like a set piece from a 1980s sci-fi TV show, the vehicle is bad! It seems to have an insane amount of design flaws and doesn't really operate well as an urban vehicle, let alone as a truck.  The video of the thing getting stuck in 4 inches of snow does not bode well for the off-road durability.

This week, let's get some evaluations on the Cybertruck.  First up is Vehicle Virgins with a review which seems to want to be nice to Elon, but in the end exposes a lot of the faults of the vehicle. Who the hell would even think a rearview mirror where you can't see anything behind you was a good idea. 

The next takedown of the Cybertruck is a far more practical one. In this video, the channel Electric goes through point by point why the Cybertruck was messed up with its design, rollout, pricing, durability, and...practicality. 

Finally tonight, Lewis Black from The Daily Show will have the final say on the Cybertruck. Who would be so stupid to put their finger in the closing trunk AFTER it had already broken a stick? Musk fans are WEIRD! 

(Warning ***Adult language!***) 

Drive safe everyone!

And make sure to get your vaccinations up to date! I want you to be safe! 

The Friday Link for 5/3/24

I never thought I'd ever say this, but the Friday Link this week features a...MIME! 

For some reason the YouTube algorithm gods put Tom the Sea World Mime into my suggested viewing window and I've been addicted. He is a really good mime, a profession you don't see portrayed in a positive light too often.  Most references to them today are in a fairly negative light, so when I saw one come into my suggested videos, I had to watch.

This guy is good. Seriously, he is one of the best at this art form I've ever seen.  And he makes me laugh. 

Maybe that's why I am featuring four of his videos this week.  I think we all need a good laugh.

Enjoy the mime.

I'll say no more.

Have a great weekend. Make sure to stay up to date on all your vaccinations, including your COVID ones.

The Friday Link for 4/26/24

Hey all! I have an eclectic Link for you this week.  

I'm starting off with a regular contributor to the Friday Link, Ze Frank, and his True Facts series which talks about the animal kingdom.  He's very funny as he unloads a series of weird and interesting facts about a certain creature in the animal kingdom, but I'm incredibly impressed with the educational content of his latest video.

Bees can count?  Yes, they can, and they're incredibly smart when it comes to other tasks too.  It has a little bit of adult content, but enjoy (what I consider to be) a fascinating trip into nature! 

Next up is the VERY R-RATED video for the latest Deadpool movie 'Deadpool & Wolverine."  It looks fantastic. Just take my money! 

Next up is FALLOUT.  It was a multi-version video game series before it became a TV show, but I never played the game.  I did watch Season One of the series on Amazon Prime, and it was really good! Having never really explored the FALLOUT universe, I took some time to understand the story, from the video game to the TV show.  The video is about 40 minutes long, but it's worth it if you like the series and want to find out more. 

Finally tonight, IT'S ME! Here is a clip from my show the guys at BlueAmp were kind enough to post! I talk about how the true legacy of Republicans in rural America is the utter devastation of rural healthcare.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Please make sure to stay up to date on your COVID vaccinations.

The Friday Link for 4/19/24

Howdy all!

I love Doctor Who and it's been a while since I featured the classic TV show, now 60 years strong, in the Friday Link.

Let me start off with the positive.  What Culture, a YouTube Channel that gives us random rankings of various entertainment and cultural categories has its own Doctor Who channel, WhoCulture! They did their own ranking of the best Doctor Who episodes of the modern era (minus the recent specials that just aired) and I have to agree with most of this list.  It helps that the list is comprised by the channel's Doctor Who experts. Watch any of these episodes (especially Blink!) and you'll find a lot of joy.

But I will also post the WhoCulture 'best of' version of fan-rated episodes.  This one is a little weird, and very 11th Doctor Matt Smith-heavy.  I do like The Doctor's Wife and Vincent and the Doctor being included, but be careful with The Angels Take Manhattan.  Not that it's really bad, but it's not in my top 30 episodes of the modern era.

I will also post the WhoCulture list of the worst Doctor Who stories of the modern era.  The only one of these episodes I disagree with is Nightmare in Silver.  I liked that episode, and how they made the Cybermen super creepy (but the kids were obnoxious).

Finally tonight, the Beavis and Butthead skit from SNL.  I would have featured it first but I featured SNL last week.  One of their best skits of the last ten years.

Have a great weekend everyone.  Stay safe.  Get vaccinated!!!

The Friday Link for 4/12/24

This week we start with the successful return of Kristen Wiig to Saturday Night Live.

Last weekend I was in Chicago and had the chance to catch one of the latest shows at Second City, the comedy Mecca which has launched an insane amount of great comedic talent.  A long time ago, I did some comedy improv in the Twin Cities and I held my own in the local group.  I wasn't the best, but I did okay.  The people who were the best absolutely shined at comedy, creating a light that drew everyone's attention.  Every time they were on the stage, for even a second, they commanded the audience.

Now consider the comedy improv like baseball. I did a comedy improv which was more like an A Ball.  The best move up to bigger improv groups and then bigger improv groups. Second City is the major league of comedy improv.  Even at that level, some people absolutely stole the show.  Three in particular.  I kept asking how are they not on SNL at this point.

Kristen Wiig is one of those people who steals the show with her presence.  She is just so far ahead of everyone else, with a natural poise and cadence that draws you in.  Watching her in the current season of SNL it reminds me how insanely good the cast from her time at SNL was, back when she was a regular (from 2005 - 2012). 

Here are three skits from last week's show and notice how Wiig just elevates the comedy.

Finally tonight another great Tasting History with Max Miller as he goes back to the 1950s to make what used to be the norm, delicious airline food! 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. 

Make sure you stay up to date on your vaccinations!

Dishonesty

Remember in 2016 when you would see Twitter accounts that seemed like they were Democrats, echoing some Democratic talking points, playing all friendly then suddenly start insisting "There's no difference between Hillary and Trump!"  I remember that.  I talked about it all the time on the radio show. I would confront the individuals and say "You can't be serious."

Not only would the individuals double down, but they sometimes would make the argument that they wanted Trump to win because "it wouldn't be that bad."

Spoiler alert, it was! It was horrible! And it was only after the 2016 election we realized these were fake Twitter users, manufactured trolls whose goal was to convince Democrats they were one of them, and then try to convince as many Democrats to either vote for Trump or sit the election out (usually with chants of "Bernie!"). 

They did their job and just enough Democrats decided to not vote for the candidate they agreed with 80% of the time, and instead help install a President they never agreed with. 

Well, it sure appears to me that they're doing it again.

Republicans are starting to have a massive math problem. GenZ is firmly against them and their strong base, the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers, two generations with very loyal support for the GOP (cultivated by Reagan), are dying off. They're desperately needing to convince the younger voters they are not that bad or to sit the election out, even as the Right openly takes their rights away from them.  To do this, they are going back to the old tool, trolls disguised as leftists whose job is to trick them into either supporting Trump or sitting the election out.

I've already come across a few.  I'll be the first to say I can't say for sure, one way or the other, if they are actually plants or just deeply misinformed fools, but regardless you need to be careful and err on the side of caution.

Let me give you an example of this.  

Now, once again I am not saying this person is someone intentionally deceiving others.  She might just be a misguided individual, but by the time we get to her last argument, I think we'll all agree something is going on here.

This is a profile where I have taken out some information:

I am sure someone can track her down, but I do not want to help her with her links or cash app features.  She showed up a few times in my timeline, and even though she says she's on the very far left of the political spectrum, she seemed to make a few good points.  She also posts a lot of party and fashion photos. She was a fun account to follow.

And I do clearly see 'socialist' in her profile.  When I first looked at her posts, I would place her more in the Democratic Socialist category. Needless to say, you would not think someone on the far left of the political spectrum would in any way entertain a far-right fascist as a good political option.

This morning this post showed up in my timeline: 

Kate Willett (a person I've interviewed) is like a lot of people frustrated by Biden, helping Israel as they use the horrific terrorist attack from last October to justify a genocide of the Palestinians.  For the record, I think Israel should've stopped months ago, but I don't blame Biden nearly as much as I blame Israel.  This is clearly a land grab and they'll kill anyone (Palestinians, World Central Kitchen Volunteers, and even hostages trying to get back to Israel) to achieve their goal. It's wrong.  

I also hear the Republicans talking about what they would do in the Gaza Strip.  They have stated they'll line up every Palestinian and shoot them in the head. You may not like Biden, but if you care about Palestinians, the Republicans are still the FAR worse option.

While Kate has criticized Biden, she has also consistently stated that Trump is a very real danger to our way of life. I can appreciate that.  It's like I said in a previous post; Biden might be an Arby's Beef 'N Cheddar (not the best option) but he is still technically food.  Trump is a crap sandwich; feces on two slices of bread.  He's not even food.  

But Trump's supporters need to convince you to take a big bite; that it won't be that bad.

Let's focus on Bri's quote tweet. She starts by implying a vote for Biden is being complacent to Biden, something which is comical when you realize she is trying to call Kate out on that.  Kate has been a very vocal criticizer of Biden, so Bri saying that seems to be trying to frame the argument in a very specific way. 

Then comes the first big WTF comment.  Biden and Trump won't be 'materially different' from each other?  That's insanity.  Trump has already said he wants to be a dictator, wants to make himself immune from prosecution, wants to gut social security and social safety net programs, wants to use the government to attack his enemies, and plans on taking away multiple rights from American citizens.  No socialist or Democratic Socialist can possibly say "There is no difference between Trump and Biden" with a straight face. 

She then implies a Trump win would be a positive because everyone would be angry and protest.  Once again, she presents this as a positive.  I don't know how anyone can argue taking away people's rights and well-being is a positive, especially not a "socialist."  A lot of people argued for Trump in 2016, presenting a narrative of "one way to the other he would bring the system down."  It didn't go that way, but he did a lot of damage. We all lost and lost badly, with zero positives. 

My response to her was very straightforward pointing out we already did the 'there's no difference' dance in 2016, and it didn't go well. 

Bri responded: 

The first thing she says is good.  I'm glad she's not planning on voting for Trump, but not voting, or voting for a candidate with no chance, is only helping Trump. That's a fact. 

The second point she makes is a bit of a head-scratcher and I started to think Bri might be a fake account.  I had multiple radio shows talking about the "there's no difference" movement to help Trump in 2016. There were a lot of troll accounts pushing that narrative. 

Was she upset about me mentioning the "there's no difference' argument from 2016 because it was her schtick this election cycle and wanted the GenZ voters to feel like she was original?  Maybe she was just not aware of the 2016 attempt, but that aside, the last line set off a MASSIVE red flag. 

She is CLEARLY implying Joe Biden was responsible for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  That's insanity.

Once again, I'm not sure of her motivations, but the only way I could see anyone being that dishonest, ignorant, and stupid would be if they were intentionally trying to take the blame off of Trump and place the blame on Biden.  For the record, Trump took away women's bodily autonomy.

I immediately blocked the account.

Be prepared! If someone you think is a good old leftie starts insisting that Joe Biden is to blame for all your problems, or that Trump is a better option, or that it doesn't matter who wins in 2024, immediately block them and warn off all your followers.  

It's better to be safe than sorry, especially when Democracy itself is on the line in 2024.

Friday Link for 4/5/24

Happy weekend everyone! I hope you've had a great week and are looking forward to a fantastic weekend.

This week we start with a person who has become a must-watch when I see a new video or post from her, Katherine Abughazaleh, or as everyone knows her, Kat Abu. 

If you have not seen my two previous posts with her, she's a brave soul who watches, views, reads, and immerses herself in conservative media, and gives you a breakdown of the insanity without you ever having to delve into the deep end of the pool.  She's fantastic, so find her on all social media.

This week she really dives in front of the bullet for us and breaks down what sounds like an atrocious book, "The Cancel Culture Dictionary," written by some idiot at Fox News (it really is irrelevant who the author is.  It's just the latest in keyword-focused, light-speed written, crap sandwich talking point scribblings attached to the latest Fox dolt to keep their viewers feeling like they're cultured). 

What makes Kat one of the best at this is how she approaches it.  This isn't just a lazy "It's stupid" diatribe.  She actually reviews the book like a NY Times reviewer, and by doing so she is much more astute to the failings of this knee-jerk literature.  This book is bad, but even Kat finds one or two things she doesn't hate about it. By pointing those rare moments out, she exposes the depths of the word sewage that makes up the rest of the offensive tome.  It's a brutal takedown because she does take it seriously.

Kat, thank you for your service.  I salute you again! 

Also this week I'm posting a GQ video featuring Michael Keaton breaking down some of his movie roles. Keaton is such an underrated actor, having shown insane range over his career. Not only is it great to hear him talk about his most recognizable roles (Batman, Beetlejuice, and Birdman) but it's great to hear him open up about some of his other roles.

I especially love him pointing out how ahead of its time Mr. Mom was, being a young actor getting a breakout role on the wonderful Night Shift, and touching on his role as Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing! They didn't have enough time but I would've loved to hear from him about Johnny Dangerously, Gung Ho, Pacific Heights, Cars, The Founder, American Assassin, and Dopesick.  Like I said, what a freaking amazing actor. 

All my best and remember to stay up to date on your vaccinations!  I don't want you sick, dead, with long COVID, or with a lifetime of medical debt.

The Friday Link for 3/29/24

Howdy everyone, and Happy Easter weekend to all who celebrate.

I'm going to start off with religious content.  This is not about converting anyone.  You do, or don't do, whatever it is you want to do or don't want to do.  I'm Christian.

I'm a person who's desperately trying to wrestle Christianity, a religion based on love, peace, welcoming, compassion, diversity, inclusion, and equity, away from those who constantly use it as a vehicle of commanded hatred. I'm always on the lookout for people who intelligently and honestly talk about religion.  John Fugelsang is one of my favorite people to listen to talk about this subject.  Wickedly intelligent and funny as heck.

This week I want to introduce you to Dan McClellan, a scholar of the Bible, and one of the smartest theological minds I've ever had the privilege of hearing. This guy knows his Bible, down to astounding detail, and provides the research which backs up his talk.  I discovered him on social media and I became an immediate fan.

We will start this Good Friday with two of his videos, beginning with him having an epic takedown of Michele Bachmann, Minnesota's own clown car of ignorance.  Bubbles tries to put forward the lie that the Constitution is a Biblical document and Dan McClellan takes her to task, bringing the receipts! Enjoy! 

Also, enjoy his video which takes down the notion that Easter itself is an ancient celebration that was forced into Christianity.  None of what this guy posted is true. It wasn't, and Dan explains where exactly Easter came from.

Speaking of challenging ignorant people, Jordan Klepper challenges the MAGA crowd trying to make their brand of extremism mainstream.  His point about Trump embracing the Jan. 6th Insurrectionists as patriots while also bellyaching about Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem puts a lot of Trump's insanity into perspective. As he says, we can't allow that to happen. 

And finally tonight, something to make you smile.  Honest Trailers dismantles Madam Web. 

Have a great weekend, make sure you stay up to date on your vaccinations, and if you do celebrate Easter (like I do) I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

The Friday Link for 3/22/24

Hi all!

I have to be short and sweet this week as I have a lot of fun family stuff planned!  

Let's start off with an MST3K! The newest season was a little hit or miss, but I thought the best one of the new season was the first one they did, Santo and the Treasure Of Dracula. This features Jonah and his crew (they had alternating hosts this year, including a few episodes with original boss Joel Hodgson) but this movie is freaking BONKERS! 

It's a wrestler who's a scientist with a time machine that goes back in time to Dracula in Mexico.  They had me with the line, "he's a Hershey's Kiss in a suit!"

There are some ads on this but not too bad.  Pluto TV, which is free, has the entire season. By the way, due to age restrictions on this one, you have to click the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbT3kGtJAMY

Also tonight another great video from John Oliver. I have two kids in college and it is downright terrifying the debt load we burden college graduates with.  People who complain about the idea of making college cheaper are usually:

1) Unaware that when they went to college a complete degree cost you 20K.  Now that's not enough for a single year at most major universities, and

2) They don't understand that it hurts the economy to have a generation of our biggest wage earners saddled with 30 years of debt, and

3) Most people against offsetting college costs have personal, usually petty, issues with doing it for others. 

Regardless, college costs are out of control, and for the record, Joe Biden is trying to do something about it.  Here's Last Week Tonight's breakdown of it. 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Make sure to keep up to date on your vaccinations. 

The Friday Link for 3/15/24

Hi all!

Let's start this one out with 90 seconds of pure bliss.  Here is John Mulaney presenting at last week's Oscars. This is comedy brilliance.

I started out with a very funny bit because the rest of the Link this week is more serious.  Let's next go to John Oliver and Last Week Tonight. Two weeks ago he broke down what the hell is wrong with Boeing, and he made a very compelling case on why the Federal Government needs to start regulating the heck out of that company.

I could try to explain it, but Oliver does it so well. 

Last video tonight is a tragedy I never heard of before I saw this video.  Back in 1866, 16 people were killed when a small creek quickly burst over its banks amidst a massive rain storm.  If 16 people died today, society would remember it very clearly for a few years, but time has a way of making us forget. Let me give you an example.  When was the last time you thought about the 35W bridge collapse? That was only 17 years ago.  Thirteen died, 145 were injured and most of us hardly think of that tragedy at all anymore.  

We've had fires that wiped out entire towns, boating accidents (the Sea Wing Disaster killed 98 in 1890), industrial accidents, and our fair share of natural disasters (Armistice Day blizzard). When it comes to major disasters, our memories start to forget them 15 to 20 years later.

But one plea.  The grave this guy found near where the tragedy occurred has a Veteran's marker on it.  Someone who served is there and has been long forgotten.  We should not forget the Veterans.  Someone from the US Army needs to get out there and make sure we pay some proper respect.

State Treasures has the story and takes us to the site of the disaster from 1866.

That's it for this week.  Have a great weekend and make sure to stay up to date on your vaccinations! 

The Friday link for 3/8/24

Hi all! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Let's start it off by giving everyone recurring nightmares. 

When I was a kid, there was one character that scared me, and most people, to the core; The Child Catcher from 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.' That move was weirdly unsettling overall, but The Child Catcher had kids screaming themselves awake for years.  The movie was released in the late 1960s, but (like a lot of kids' movies back then) was played consistently in theaters on weekends up through the 1970s.  I must have been 5 or 6 when I saw The Child Catcher for the first time and I remember refusing to look at the screen for the rest of the movie in case he showed up again. 

To tell you how scary The Child Catcher was, I remember seeing 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' on a weekend flipping through TV channels in the 80s, and when I saw The Child Catcher again, I froze. Who was the psychopath who decided he needed a hook?!?  Even today the character gives me the freaking creeps!

I had placed him out of my mind until The Cyan Man on YouTube decided that we really needed to talk about how messed up The Child Catcher really was.  Relive the terror for yourself (and laugh a little too) as The Cyan Man has a pretty funny take. 

Also with the Oscars this weekend, let's all enjoy the Screen Junkies guys doing their annual Honest Trailer takedown of the Best Picture Nominees.

And finally this week, The Daily Show sent Michael Kosta to Eagle Pass, Texas to talk with the locals about the real invasion that is breaking them, the invasion of right-wing ideologues that have tormented their community.

Side note:  In this video, the Chair of the local Republican Party repeatedly uses a derogatory slur about immigrants.  This should be VERY newsworthy, but this just seems to be the Republican Party today.  Twenty years ago, this Chair would be run out of the Party.  My guess is she got a commendation for her open racism.

Please make sure to stay up to date on your vaccines and be safe!

Have a great weekend everyone!