Friday, April 26, 2024

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.





Friday, April 19, 2024

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!!!






Friday, April 12, 2024

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!




Thursday, April 11, 2024

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, April 5, 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.