The Friday Link for 12/29/23

Hi all!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe New Year's.  Plan ahead and PLEASE do not drink and drive.  It has been a long year for me, recovering from being hit by a drunk driver. The pain, stress, and awfulness of the last 12 months should not be thrust upon anyone. 

Plain and simple this week.  The Honest Trailers folks have put together their trailers for some of the worst movies ever made. Some of these are brutal, but Honest Trailers always does a good job. Enjoy! 

Remember to get vaccinated and stay safe!

Happy 2024 everyone!

The Friday Link for 12/22/23

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  I hope everyone has a great next few weeks!

First off this week I have to right a wrong.  Earlier this year I posted the "Lost Episode" of Last Week Tonight, the extra episode they decided to do for viewers under 35 who they insisted would never be able to own a home, hence their actual story that week on Homeowners associations was worthless to them. For the 35 and younger viewers, John Oliver did a deep dive into Chuck E. Cheese, which was a freaking riot.

I posted a link to a You Tube clip but I was informed this week that the original link was pulled down not more than 24 hours after I posted it.  It seems Last Week Tonight, with solid justification, wanted to make sure this special episode was only to be viewed on their special webpage they made for the Chuck E. Cheese episode, Last Squeak Tonight. 

You have to click on the link, so enjoy!  https://www.lastsqueaktonight.com

Also tonight, since we are on classics, here are 12 minutes of Jon Stewart absolutely obliterating Fox News. We forget how good he was at peering through their veil and exposing the ugliness of who they really were.

And what would the Christmas post be without Colbert's Holiday animated classic, 'The Indict-Mare Before Christmas!' Enjoy! 

No matter how you celebrate, if you even celebrate at all, I hope nothing but the best for you and everyone in your family this season.  

And please remember to get vaccinated for the flu and for COVID.

The Friday Link for 12/15/23

I hope everyone had a nice week and has a wonderful weekend.

Since Saturday Night Live aired the classic Schweddy Balls sketch, they've tried replicating it with other sketches. Most of them fail, but this latest one with Adam Driver proves he's one of the better hosts.  It's not as good, but a lot of laughs on ShopTV Christmas.  By the way, the throw-away joke about the patriotic nativity scene is a riot. 

Warning a lot of innuendo! "Without becoming a meme.."  Hilarious!

And since I brought it up, possibly the greatest payoff line in any sketch they ever did on Saturday Night Live. 

And why not an informative nature video from ZeFrank, True Facts: The Rise of the Kitten Snake! 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Stay safe and keep your family safe.  Get vaccinated for the flu and for COVID! 

Dear Twitter, It's Not Me, It's You!

I'm officially calling it.  Although I won't kill my Twitter page, I'm mostly done posting there. 

(What Twitter thinks it is)

(What Twitter actually is)

Yes, it's Elon Musk. I'm not sure if he bought this site because his petty small ego couldn't handle criticism, if he was actually part of a plan to try to manipulate public sentiment to welcome fascism to America, or a little of both, but his latest decisions make me staying on Twitter feel more like watching that friend or family member spiraling out of control. While you hope they pull out of their tailspin, you finally come to the realization they are beyond saving.

There was a nice stretch of Twitter post-Trump, a reminder of what it was like before Trump and the trolls took over in 2016. I was able to have discussions again, my timeline and DM's were relatively civil and I didn't feel icky after spending 10-15 minutes scrolling posts. That all immediately changed after Elon took over. 

I have 5 other social pages: Facebook, BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, and Instagram. Of the six total sites, the vast overwhelming amount of threats, insults, and stupidity/bigotry/racism trying to disguise itself as viable political opinions I'm exposed to on any given day are on Twitter. 

Since Thanksgiving, I've blocked a total of 487 people on social media, 460 on Twitter.  If I remove the Facebook scams where they are trying to convince me my page is about to be shut down, it's 460 out of 462.  

The stunning level of racism and bigotry spewed on Twitter today is unbelievable. It's like you're at a convention in a hotel and the hotel is also hosting a KKK/Nazi convention at the same time.  It's not just the exposure to racism and bigotry you see coming and going in the hotel halls, but it's also that when you're supposedly in the safety of your own conference room, there's not only the occasional emboldened racist or bigot co-worker who comes by, but it's also a feeling of dread which permeates your existence in the hotel itself.  You know it's only a matter of time before you have someone screaming horrible things at you. That's Twitter, and I'm really tired of it.

There is one metric that causes many people to hesitate to quit Twitter, followers.  I was at nearly 4000 on Thursday (more on that in a second) and walking away from a following you've cultivated over time is not easy.  That's what initially kept me on the site. 

When Elon endorsed an anti-Semitic post, and then doubled down on his intolerance, that's when I knew the convention was pretty much over for me.  I made the decision that if my newer, lesser three social media pages (Threads, BlueSky, and Mastodon) got to 1000 followers, I'd stop posting regularly on Twitter.  

Then came the bizarre interview where he started to swear at the leaders of other major corporations for daring to not advertise with him due to his endorsement of anti-Semitism. That was not a mentally well man. I realized I might need to speed up my decision.

But now we have two things that show me Elon's buying of Twitter might indeed be more about trying to sweeten the appeal of fascism in America. The first was his decision to reinstate Alex Jones, a man who is human feces.  This is the guy who insisted the Newtown massacre never happened and encouraged his followers to harass and torment the families of the young victims, something he is already been found guilty of, and now is desperately trying to prevent from paying for.  No decent human being would ever think this guy has anything to add to the betterment of humanity.

Then there is this..."event" Elon hosted on Twitter, the one where Vivek Ramaswamy went to the bathroom live.  Out of decency, I won't post the audio, but rather a screenshot:

Look at the lineup of this clown brigade.  It's Alpha Bros' self-gratification event.  What respectful individual would even bring together this insecure pathetic man version of the Legion of Doom?

Now I know I will get Far Rightos screaming "You're against free speech." Absolutely not. Alex Jones is more than welcome to go to the town square and scream his thoughts into the air.  Twitter is NOT a town square.  It is a privately held corporation that already restricts a lot of comments from opinions Elon doesn't like (but far Rightos have NO PROBLEM with that censorship). That aside, Freedom of Speech doesn't mean anyone HAS TO listen to it. That's the Right's fantasy; forcing people to have to listen to and respect their brainless grunting.  I've often said the modern Republican thinks 'debate' is them kicking in your front door, going to the bathroom on the floor in your living room, pointing at it with a smile on their face, and screaming "YOU HAVE TO LIKE IT!"  No, no I don't.  You can't force people to stand in the town square and agree with insanity, nor does anyone have to stay on a social media site and listen to/sponsor this craziness.

These clowns think 'Freedom of Speech' means 'Freedom from Criticism' (unless it's something they don't like!). Rightos, stop screaming your Freedom of Speech is being infringed from the biggest megaphone you can find, and stop expecting others to live by a code you yourselves are nowhere even close to following. 

Since Alex Jones was reinstated by Elon on Twitter, my follower count has dropped significantly.  I presume this is the people fleeing the site.  I have currently 570 followers on the other three sites so that is good enough. I highly encourage anyone to follow me on those sites or on Facebook:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/TMGImNotIdiot/

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mattmcneilshow.bsky.social

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@matthewmcneil1

Mastodon: https://mstdn.party/@MattMcNeilShow

Instagram (but I don't use it that much): https://www.instagram.com/matthewmcneil1/

I will keep Twitter open, but I just won't be posting there with any regularity, mainly retweets of other people's posts or the occasional post where I know a person mentioned is mainly on Twitter.  I would hope someday that I might revisit this page when someone else finally buys it at a steeply discounted rate from Elon, but I think Elon would rather turn the site off than admit how bad he is at running it. 

And Elon, Stop trying to make 'X' happen. It's not going to happen.

The Friday Link for 12/8/23

Howdy all! 

I have featured Joe Scott and his YouTube channel 'Answers With Joe' a few times in the Friday link.  One time was the fascinating question 'Who the heck is using all the glitter?' Another time I focused on his piece about the actual oldest human-recorded voice, from the year 1860.

This week, I give Joe his due, because his videos are really addictive. Three for you tonight starting with a look at the countdown of the worst years in human history.  I featured some videos about 536, which even Joe agrees (with evidence) was the all-time worst, but some of the other years mentioned were pretty horrific too.  And Joe's arguments on including them are spot on.

Next up is the most popular video on Joe's page.  Was there actually a time traveler?  There is a story of a guy in Ukraine who seems to have traveled through time, but as Joe points out later, while it's a great story, it's pretty darn light on the facts. 

And finally, tonight is a fantastic look at the Victorian Era and how it was just amazing; both horrible and incredible at the same time. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Get vaccinated for both the flu and for COVID. I don't want you to get sick.

The Friday Link for 12/1/23

Guess what everyone?  I'm actually going to post the Friday Link on a Friday this week!  YEA!

Sorry, I was MIA last week.  It was Thanksgiving and time with the kids overrode everything else.

This week we start with a video that seems to size up the feelings a lot of people had at the news of the passing of Henry Kissinger.  Don't get me wrong, I think the former Secretary of State is going to have some serious explaining to do in the afterlife, but some people were ecstatic.  He had a pretty horrific track record, something that showed with the jubilation and celebration embraced by many by the news.

I don't take joy in people dying.  There are always those who did love him and will miss them. You can cheer someone's death as loudly as you want, but the only people who will hear it will be the ones who are mourning. 

The last time I saw this many people happy at someone's death would be...this little musical number. 

I know I featured it before, but it is a good song and one of the best 'A Christmas Carol' versions you can find. 

Two more videos this week.  First up is the likely chance there might be two more undiscovered planets in your solar system.  Gravitational data points to a likelihood of at least one more ice giant (like Uranus and Neptune). SciShow has the latest on the search.  #PlutoNeverForget! 

Finally tonight, ZeFrank is back with another top-notch video, this time pointing out the superpower features some of the animals of the planet have evolved! Enjoy!

With COVID and flu numbers rapidly increasing, get your vaccinations today! I want you all safe! 

Have a great weekend! 

The Friday Link for 11/24/23...on a Monday

Okay, I know it's late, guilty as charged, but I had all the kids home for Thanksgiving, and I have priorities.  Plus I made a kick caboose soup!

The late Link starts off with 30 minutes of deleted scenes from The Godfather.  It's good they did delete some of these scenes, as that movie is already long, but there is also a lot of context that gets added with these short clips.

One other note.  There is a deleted scene from The Godfather Part II which is a continuation of Michael's desire to catch Fabrizio, the man who blew up his car in Italy. 

 

Fabrizio got what he deserved!

And finally tonight John Oliver.  There are a lot of passionate feelings when it comes to Israel and Palestine, but my post isn't about sharing my opinion. What is important is to form a complete picture for those of us not directly impacted by the events from the last two months, giving us needed knowledge and background. 

John Oliver laid out an exceptional modern history breakdown, as well as a look at the prospective sides of the conflict.  This is not posted to try to convince anyone one way or the other.  This is about making sure everyone has the background to make their own informed opinions. 

I'll be back on Friday of this week! 

Make sure to keep up to date on your vaccinations!

The Friday Link for 11/17/23

Good Friday all!

As we set sail for Thanksgiving next Thursday, let me first get to the 60th Anniversary that comes up on Wednesday.  That's the day Doctor Who first debuted.  This is not to take away from the more important anniversary from that same exact day, the Assassination of JFK, but it is remarkable that one TV show has been on the air for that long (fine, with a few breaks). 

On Saturday we are going to get the revisiting of David Tennant as the Doctor, but not the same version of the 10th Doctor he played until 13 years ago.  Nope, David Tennant is officially the 14th Doctor, after regenerating from the 13th Doctor (an underrated Jodie Whittaker) into the same form he had before, only this time he is different from his original run, hence a NEW Doctor. 

The good news is you do not have to wait for Saturday to see the 14th Doctor's (short) run begin (he is only doing a series of specials before handing over the reins to the 15th Doctor Ncuti Gatwa). Children in Need is a charitable event they have every year in England, and in the past Doctor Who has created special videos for the event.  This five-minute clip is pure gold as the 14th Doctor crashes into a classic moment from Doctor Who, the 4th Doctor's Genesis Of The Daleks story.  Although we don't see the 4th Doctor Tom Baker, fans of the show will love it.  And Tennant was made to play the character. 

Also this week, we look at Thanksgiving and revisit the Anti-Chef who attempts to make an entire Julia Child Thanksgiving meal in a day.  And he succeeds, although with a lot of challenges.

And finally tonight another Thanksgiving cooking video, this time from Max Miller at Tasting History. Maybe it's because I just came back from New Orleans where I visited the WWII Museum, but I really enjoyed his video where he makes some of the side dishes that were served on the USS Iowa in 1943 as part of their fairly large feast. 

By the way, I love oyster stuffing but it is not something you see much in central US Minnesota. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and I hope everyone travels safely if they are headed someplace for Thanksgiving.

Make sure you have your flu and COVID vaccines before you get together with the family or a large group. 

The Friday Link for 11/10/23

Hi all.  To all those who served, at home and abroad, and their families who served on the homefront, all my best on Veteran's Day tomorrow.

With it Veteran's Day tomorrow, you know exactly where I'm going.  The 1st Minnesota's brave stand that saved the Union toward the end of the day on the 2nd day at Gettysburg in 1863. 

The American Battlefield Trust has a great perspective video that gets you the lay of the land at Gettysburg, and where the 1st Minnesota actually charged. 

Also here is a very cool video with a diagram of what happened in their great stand. How about Company I taking on the entirety of the 9th Alabama.  Gen. Hancock told them to go take the Confederate's colors, and by God, they did, although at a staggering cost.

I know I posted one of the videos before, but it's worth remembering.  No Minnesotan should EVER fly the Confederate flag.

And finally tonight something completely different.  Martin Short absolutely roasts Conan O'Brien over and over and over again.  Martin Short is so freaking funny, and quick! 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Remember the Veterans on Veteran's Day! 

Get vaccinated, both for the flu and for COVID. 

The Friday Link for 11/3/23

Howdy all! I hope you had a good week.

Three completely unrelated clips for you this Friday! 

'Saturday Night Live' had their first great skit of the season. Comedian Nate Bargatze plays George Washington and he tries to explain his vision for America. Barbatze's delivery is a little rough, but frankly, the fact he didn't break up laughing is amazing. 

Next is a great musical number from the movie 'Chicago.'  Renée Zellweger and Richard Gere got way too much grief when they were announced as Roxie Hart and Billy Flynn in this (checks watch) 21 year old movie! They both absolutely crushed it. 

This clip is described as the one that won the move the Oscar. I have a hard time disagreeing with that sentiment. 

Finally tonight, what if Earth had rings? At one point the planet probably did have some rings, but if we were to have them today, what would that mean.  It never crossed my mind but since the Earth is at a tilt, the rings would occasionally partially block the sun.  At those times, the planet under the shadow would be FAR colder than it is today. 

Joe Scott has the breakdown, some great visuals, and a longer discussion on the impacts to man that would've happened under a planet with rings. 

Are you not entertained?

Have a great weekend.  Make sure to get that flu and COVID shot when you can! 

Be safe, please.

The Friday Link for 10/27/23

I hope everyone has a nice Halloween on Tuesday and a lot of fun this weekend.

I remember the first time someone sent a VHS tape of an episode of the first Comedy Channel's season of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Compared to how polished the show would become it still seemed somewhat amateurish, but Robot Holocaust was so funny. 

I didn't see much of the show in Germany, and it was only when I returned to MSP in 1992 did I finally see an episode on the now-branded Comedy Central, realizing it had become a cultural phenomenon. Long-time readers of Progressive Citizen X know I love the show.

But I have not seen too many of the original KTMA episodes. The early shows were very different from what would become the beloved later show, but this episode 'SST: Death Flight' was the episode where it all started to come together in regards to riffing.  I had a few other fans suggest it as a good place to start the KTMA season and it does not disappoint.  It does help that this pathetically bad 'Airport' rip-off has an easy-to-mock cast of celebrities. 

And how about Trace Beaulieu looking like Dan Gladden!

Enjoy!

Speaking of Dan Gladden, with the World Series starting let's revisit the greatest World Series of all time, the one the Twins won in 1991.  My roommate and I were the only Twins fans on the Army base in Nuremberg and we ended up making a lot of enemies with the Braves fans.  We celebrated the win at our morning PT where we had to do a lot of extra push-ups.  I made a lot of money on bets on that series.

Jolly Olive has this review.

Have a great weekend everyone.  Stay safe and watch for kiddos on Halloween night.

And remember to get your COVID vaccination and flu shots! 

The Friday Link for 10/20/23

Hi all! It is the spooky season and tonight I have a scare that has stayed with me from the first time I watched it, the short 'The Raft,' from Creepshow 2. 

The characters in this are fairly predictable, although the order in which they go is a little unique (at least it was for the time). What 'The Raft' does is prove you can get great horror and scares from a very simple concept and very simple effects. The creature in this is pretty much a garbage bag in the water, but it sure scared the crud out of me nearly 40 years ago and still does to a point today.

I remember being very freaked out about going in lakes for a year after watching this.

How about a more modern scare? The bloater outbreak scene in Kansas City from The Last Of Us is just fantastic. If you didn't watch that show, I highly encourage you to do so.  An amazingly well-done new take on the zombie genre. 

Finally tonight, a laugh. If you've never watched the original cinematic trailer for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it is a freaking riot. Sweet Lord is Michael Palin funny. This one is updated for the rerelease, but the first half of this is the same as the original was presented on the extended Blue Ray. 

Have a wonderful weekend.  Remember the flu vaccines and the COVID shots. I don't want you to get sick, go to the hospital, be saddled with a lifetime of medical debt, or die. I really don't.

The Friday Link for 10/13/23

Happy Friday the 13th everyone.  This week I have something REALLY scary for you! ME!

I have spent my day dealing with the installation of a new water heater and now I have a ceiling fan dripping in my bathroom.  I am officially tapping out.

For you tonight are two of my better AM 950 radio rants from the last few years. First up is why you should have never named Lake Calhoun after John C Calhoun.

Afterwards was me exploding at Trump for his treatment of the four soldiers who were killed in Niger, and their families. 

Enjoy!

Have a great weekend everyone!   Make sure to get your flu and COVID shots!

The Friday Link for 10/6/23

Howdy all! 

This week we start off with a true American hero, General Mark Milley.  Thanks to him (and a few others) we still have a functioning Democracy.  When the bloated traitor that is Donald Trump took office, I made a few posts where I pointed out I could never see the military sacrificing this country for one egotistical narcissistic man.  I was right.  As the General says, the military serves the Constitution, not any one individual. Although Trump CLEARLY pressured to military to support him over the country, General Milley and the rest of the armed forces did not waiver. 

Thank you for all you did for our country, sir.  I salute you.  And General, if anyone does come after you, they'll have to go through me, and a heck of a lot of us too! God bless you! Go Army! 

Also tonight is John Oliver and the return of Last Week Tonight.

I wasn't planning on posting this video, as it seemed kind of contrived to post his segment from the week his show returned from the Writer's Strike, and it was a pretty heavy topic, the failure of prison medical care. 

But then we had the story emerge this week of a case in Minnesota where a man serving a sentence for vehicle and alcohol violations was so mistreated by the prison healthcare system the man lost portions of both of his arms (Story here: https://www.startribune.com/12-2-million-settlement-for-man-who-lost-limbs-after-deliberate-indifference-by-scott-county-jail/600309852/).  Once again John Oliver takes what seems like a fringe issue and shows us the ugly truth; it's happening everywhere.

I've had multiple fake Christian Rightos insist the guy got what he deserved and how we should stop concerning ourselves with this case and instead free the poor January 6th insurrectionists.  First off, no. Second, you are truly heartless, making me wonder if indeed you are digressing into a lesser form of human. Shame on you.  

I got vaccinated for both the COVID virus and for the flu on Thursday! 

Get your shots scheduled as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend. 

The Friday Link for 9/29/23

Howdy all!

Minneapolis/St. Paul and Minnesota are AMAZING!  I love living here and I love exploring the city.  Lately, the metro area and the state have been featured repeatedly on many different top ten lists for livability, quality of life, happiness, and other categories. Many times we hit #1.  I think that's great, but this seems to pain some people, and that's sad.

If you really hate this city, why are you here? You have ONE TRIP on this spinning rock and here you are wasting it. Will you say "My job is too good"?  Well, then the city can't be that bad if you are willing to stay for that reason, considering jobs are everywhere.  Will you say "I have a family member I need to stay by"?  That's also a fake crutch.  You could move with them to another state, or at the very least you could move out of the city entirely and commute to them in the metro, yet you don't. 

If you really hate the city, then leave.  Go be happy.  I'm staying.  I love it here. 

For some reason the YouTube page had the CityNerd account pop up in my suggested viewing.  The page looks at cities from a transportation, quality of life, and practicality perspective.  Ray Delahanty is the host and he decided to pay Minneapolis a visit. There are a lot of things about this evaluation I find spot on.  I love how he was told to avoid the Lake Street station, yet he goes the and doesn't find it any worse than most other cities.  He praises us for our bike paths, park system, and lakes.  He is critical of our wide streets and the obstacles we have a tendency to put into crosswalks. Also, he is not a fan of the winters.

Give the video a watch. I agree with him more than I disagree. 

Also this week a fun video for Science Fiction nerds like me.  Have you ever wondered where most of the Science fiction locations from franchises like Star Trek and Dune take place?  Most of them have very specific locations on our neighboring star maps.

The Overview Effect has a breakdown.

Have a great weekend.  

Get your Flu and COVID shots! 

The Friday Link for 9/22/23

Hey all! I hope you had a nice week.

I have recently been fascinated by something I never really thought about before. After the 13 colonies won their freedom, how exactly did they get to the point of electing the first President, George Washington? Sure, it's easy to say "Well duh, he was the obvious choice to lead the country, but it's not like the fledgling country even had a concept of what the President would be, or even how the President would be picked.

Heck, my guess is most people are somewhat ill-informed about how Presidential elections work today (even though we have gotten a bit of a history lesson from Trump's attempts to overthrow the government).  On Election Day every four years we do not elect a President, but rather your state's electors, who then themselves go and vote for the President in December.  For the most part the electors back up the will of their state's voters...for the most part.

Tonight for you, two videos from a YouTube historian The Premodernist.  First, he talks about the long weird path to the first-ever Presidential Election in the US.

Next up is another longer video but a thorough one, where The Premodernist talks about how they had to convince Washington to run for a second term.  A lot of that has to do with the new leaders of the country squabbling amongst themselves on what path should the country take forward. 

Have a great weekend everyone!  Make sure to get your COVID shots and your flu shots! 

The Friday Link for 9/15/23

Hi all!  I hope you had a good week.

Let's start off with food! I love a good Italian sandwich. Although I was born in MSP, I spent most of my youth in Rhode Island, with its large Italian population. A grossly underrated food state.

This sandwich is genius. I can not figure out why I never thought of doing this before.  Ladies and Gentlemen, the Italian Chopped Sub, courtesy of Sam the Cooking Guy: 

Also, tonight is revisiting an old friend, Jelle's Marble Runs!

Fans of the Friday Link might remember when I featured them back in 2020.  Back then, when COVID first hit, everything shut down, including all sports. It was a weird vacuum. As sports guys lamented missing their favorite teams, Jelle's came to the rescue with their marble-rific approach to sports.

Even though our sports have come back, Jelle's is still around, and they are as fun as ever.  Here are a few of their videos.  I'll be darned if I don't start rooting for specific teams/marbles every time! 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Get your COVID booster, and your flu shot! I want everyone to stay healthy! 

The Friday Link for 9/8/23

Hi all! To start off this week let me encourage you to go watch 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.' When that movie came out, nerd celebrities bashed on it.  I am guessing because they were upset they didn't get to kiss the girl in the end or the production company dared to NOT make the movie in their head.  I was skeptical so I passed.

The other night I saw it was on streaming, so I decided to watch it.  It's a freaking hoot! It is a lot of fun. Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez are fantastic.  Even Hugh Grant is enjoyable! 

To prove it, here is a great scene where they have to reanimate a dead person to find out the location of a certain helmet.  They can only ask each dead person 5 questions. This is played out nearly perfectly. 

Two words for you - Fat Dragon. Go watch the movie.  

Next up, there is a tree that is definitely trying to kill you. Meet the Dynamite tree.  This video is from Animalogic, but the host does come off as a touch...overacting. The tree is fascinating.

Last up, how exactly did Death Valley get its name? You would not be surprised to find out that it is named because of idiots. National Park Diaries has more. 

Make sure you get the new COVID vaccine when it becomes available and it is time to get those flu shots too. 

Stay healthy.  Stay safe. 

The Minnesota State Fair Fine Art, 2023

With the Minnesota State Fair finishing on Monday, here is an extended look at the Fine Arts entries.  

The competition this year was unbelievable. For 12 days the Fine Arts building became one of the top 10 art museums in the upper Midwest. There were so many great entries, but this first one was my favorite.  What a wonderful vibrant piece that would be a generational centerpiece in anyone's house. Just perfect.

The next 5 pieces were the best of the rest. These are the ones I really loved. Fun side note; the retro lady colorful woman painting ended up being the work of the son of a friend of mine.  

Here are the rest of the images/pieces which caught my eye.  

The Fine Arts competition is so good.  It's one of the things that elevates the Minnesota State Fair past many of the other state fairs in the county.

See you next year. 

 

The Minnesota State Fair Crop Art, 2023

Hey all!  The State Fair wrapped up on Monday and here are the extended photo set from the crop art competition. That competition has evolved so much over the last ten years.

We'll start off with my top three entries.

And here are the rest, featuring entries from my friend Laura (Sponge Bob!). Also featured are two entries from State Auditor Julie Blah and an entry from MN House Representative Athena Hollins.

Enjoy!

Apparently, next year mustard seeds are now forbidden. The competition just got REAL! 

See you next year!  

 

The Friday Link for 9/1/23

I just got back from the Minnesota State Fair.  I know people will say I'm biased, but a fact is a fact. It is the best State Fair. 

Other state fairs are fine and can be a lot of fun, but the Minnesota State Fair is its own beast. Sure we have the Ag requirement.  Plenty of livestock, judging competitions, expositions, and farm equipment to sustain even the most Ag-hungry fairgoer, but it has the quirkiness of the Twin Cities metro permeating it to its core.  A llama costume contest, crop art, midway rides, major concerts, a fine arts competition that could be its own museum, live stages of music everywhere, and of course the food.  The food a the Minnesota State Fair is insane and it's unsurpassed.

People supporting their local state fairs (mainly Iowa and Texas) will insist they have the fun too.  Well, kind of.  If you want a REALLY heavy Ag-centric state fair, Iowa is great, but there isn't a ton to do for the non-Ag fairgoer. A few things, but nothing even close to on par with the Minnesota State Fair.  Texas, besides being very restrictive of individual rights and being gun crazy, only has a more visited State Fair because of its length.  Texas basically has a full month to get to their 2.5 million visitors. Minnesota gets to their 2 million plus in 12 days. TWELVE DAYS!

And while each State Fair has a great food item or two, Minnesota's food options are nuts! Today alone I enjoyed:

Fried Green Tomatoes sandwich (exceptional!)

Hmong sausage with spicy sauce, cool rice noodles and pickled veggies

A sweet corn Danish

A Chocolate/Raspberry milkshake

Deep Fried pickles 

Sweet Martha's cookies

The best gyro this side of the Atlantic

A frozen Chocolate covered Key Lime pie

A Vietnamese steamed pork bun

And a pronto-pup (MN State Fair equivalent of a corn dog, only better)

And I didn't even try 95% of the new food items.  Heck, there was a two-block line for their newest Amish donut ALONE!

Check and Mate. 

The Friday Link this week goes first to last night's Gopher football game.  The home squad did not play well at all, until about the last five minutes, where then they looked like a superstar team on certain plays. WEIRD.  We were down 10-3 late, but watch this late comeback, as we see Nebraska once again find a way to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. 

The next two videos are from a guy named Joe Scott. He runs a YouTube page that talks about quirky history and topics, and he presents them in a very entertaining manner.  Last week I featured his segment on the worst scientist who ever lived, and this week it gets even weirder. 

First up is a mystery that seems to have its own following; who is using all of the glitter? Seriously, there's a secret user of glitter who's industrial identity is a mystery, and no it's not strippers in Tampa. Someone is using a lot of the stuff and Joe Scott tries to break down who exactly might be the culprit (I think his updated addition might be the bullseye).

Next up is something truly crazy. What if I were to tell you the oldest sound recording of a human voice was actually made before the Civil War?  Seriously!  In 1860, a sound recording of a human voice was made...kind of. It wasn't made like later sound recordings were made, and it is only heard because of modern technology, but at the end of the day, they have a sound recording of a human voice (hum-singing to be fair) from 1860. 

COVID is coming back.  On the way to and from the fair, I wore a face mask on the crowded bus and in the crowded buildings at the Fair. A lot of people were coughing. Be careful.

Stay vaccinated and stay safe.

Happy Labor Day everyone.

The Friday Link for 8/25/23

Hope everyone had a great week and is going to have a great weekend. Can't wait to try the Fried Green Tomato Sandwich at the Minnesota State Fair, but that will be next week.

We start with the super cool news another country got to the moon!  Congratulations India!

Neil deGrasse Tyson has more information on the landing.  They landed in a VERY cool place. 

From good scientists, let's go to the worst scientist ever.  Imagine a scientist so bad at his work that his science ended up killing 70 million people. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Trofim Lysenko. undoubtedly the worst scientist ever, and also one of the worst people ever. 

The great YouTube channel Joe Scott has more: 

Freaking YIKES!

COVID is coming back and coming back hard.  Illnesses are up, hospitalizations are up, and deaths are tragically rising too. PLEASE be careful.  Get vaccinated and stay safe.  

Have a great weekend. 

The Friday Link for 8/18/23

Good mid-August to you! I am spending part of my weekend moving my 2nd oldest into college.  I shall be a weeping mess by Monday.

I love Fred Armisen.  He has an insane level of talent, the ability to completely change who he is and mold it to whatever comedy he is doing, while at the same time still being Fred Armisen. It reminds me of Tom Hanks.  Hanks is very different in all his roles but he's always Tom Hanks at the same time. 

Portlandia is a fantastic series, one worth revisiting over and over again. Here is one of my favorite all-time bits from that show, the B-52's Box Set.  What makes this particularly hilarious to me is the number of people I know who are EXACTLY like this. 

And the B-52's showing top is a nice touch.

Also tonight an interesting history of the Grand Teton National Park, and how it came into existence even though the people of Wyoming fought hard to stop it...until one day they just didn't anymore. National Parks Diaries has the story.  

And last tonight is another great clip from ZeFrank and True Facts - Fish That Suck! 

COVID Is not done, and it is starting to come back with force. BE CAREFUL! Make sure you are masked in really crowded places and at airports, and make sure you are vaccinated.

I want you safe.

Have a great weekend everyone!