Two spaces available for our March trip to the Galapagos!
A couple that had booked the Galapagos trip had something come up and they had to cancel so their spaces are now available. Consider it as a Christmas or Hanukkah gift to yourself! These trips are always so much fun, so interesting, with lots of great people (other listeners to the show) who will become your new friends. And no KOA host has ever done a Galapagos trip...it's really a bucket list adventure.
By the way, while scuba diving isn't included, a friend and I will take one of the days out of the excursions to the various islands in order to dive and if you're a certified diver you're welcome to join us. It will be an additional cost to add this because it's not part of the tour. Get in touch with me if you're interested.
Discover the Galapagos Islands with Ross Kaminsky - Cruise & Tour
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Just One Thing: Security Clearances
I don’t know if this is really going to be a problem or if it’s just something Democrats hope might be a problem but so far it seems that the Trump transition team is not taking proper steps for his nominees, especially the ones for highly sensitive positions, like Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, and Director of National Intelligence, to go through background checks to get required security clearances. If the Senate is pushed to vote on them without those clearances, that’s a huge problem. Part of the issue seems to be that if there’s a red flag found in a background check, the FBI will tell the current White House and Trump doesn’t trust either of them. Theoretically, Trump could simply grant a security clearance once he’s president. But he absolutely shouldn’t.
I wouldn't be surprised if Gaetz can't get a security clearance. Less certain about Hegseth. And it sure is hard to tell about Gabbard because she sure has some odd views that seem sympathetic to America's enemies and has had some contact with the Assad regime in Syria...BUT she's a lieutenant colonel in the Army reserves.
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Today's Guests
Sarah Brightman is arguably the most successful female soprano singer in history. Sarah starred in some of the biggest London and Broadway shows such as Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. And is a UNESCO Artist for Peace Ambassador. A truly remarkable career. A few examples in videos below.
Her ongoing tour entitled "A Christmas Symphony" is coming to Denver on December 4th and you can get tickets here: TOUR/EVENTS - Sarah Brightman : Sarah Brightman
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We have two comedians joining the show today.
First, joining me in studio the irrepressible JP Sears, whose skit about veganism remains one of my favorite comedy bits of all time. JP is playing at Comedy Works tonight, Friday night, and Saturday night at Comedy Works South at the Landmark.
In recent years, JP has gotten a lot more into commentary on politics and current events, with a distinct pro-Trump, anti-Democrat, "anti-idiot" (per his hat) approach:
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Modi Rosenfeld was born in Israel and moved to the US with his family when he was seven years old. He was actually an investment banker for a while until he found a calling in comedy. His debut special is called "Know Your Audience" and it's available on YouTube. (See below)
Modi brings his "Pause for Laughter" tour to the Paramount Theater in Denver on Thursday, December 5th.
Tickets: MODI: Pause For Laughter Tour Tickets Dec 05, 2024 Denver, CO | Ticketmaster
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Other Stuff
One of the bigger failures in Denver-area business history, the 1stBank Center's demolition began this week: Demolition begins on 1stBank Center | 9news.com
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Some great Colorado sports memories: Inductees for Colorado Sports Hall of Fame announced | 9news.com
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Isn’t this a fancy so-called natural brand that Whole Foods sells for silly prices? Tom's of Maine toothpaste facility violations: FDA finds mold, bacteria at Maine facility
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I barely care whether he committed a crime, if it involved use of a substance or a voluntary agreement between adults. (I know he’s accused of having sex with a 17-yr old but multiple people have testified that Gaetz likely thought she was at least 18.) But I do care about his being compromised, potentially subject to blackmail, and lying to the world. He must not become AG.
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A hearing in federal court in Denver this morning about the participation of a biological male (who now identifies as female) on the San Jose State University women's volleyball team:
New Congresswoman (I know some people will bristle at the term) Sarah McBride (who was born Tim McBride) isn't taking the bait: Mike Johnson announces trans women are banned from Capitol bathrooms
Republican to introduce transgender bathroom ban at the US Capitol - ABC News
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Why is ANYBODY responsible for these policies still in office? Exclusive | Venezuelan migrant with links to Tren de Aragua arrested in robbery of Manhattan prosecutor
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Do you want a $200,000 bottle of cognac? Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr : Delamain L'Édition Rare du Bicentenaire
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This guy has WAY too much money (and now the artist has a bunch of it): "Comedian," banana art taped to wall, sells for $6.24 million
It’s not the original banana, and the buyer intends to eat it. Banana taped to wall sells for $6.2 million at art auction – DW – 11/21/2024
Deep thoughts about the banana on the wall: A Banana Duct-Taped To A Wall Sold For $5.2 Million At Auction—Why?
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Republicans win another House seat but due to losses in New York (the state, not the city), will likely still end up with one fewer seat than they had to start the 2023 session of Congress. Trump-district House Democrat loses Alaska seat to political scion
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I kinda hope this is true just for the nerdiness of it, though I've also read that coins have a slightly higher chance of coming up heads (but I have no idea where I read it or if it was a credible source) and I don't know if that's true either but it's unlikely that this story and the heads thing can both be true: The Way You Flip a Coin Could Mean It's Not as Random as You'd Expect : ScienceAlert
Also, it could be that spinning a penny has a significant likelihood of tails being the result: Gamblers Take Note: The Odds in a Coin Flip Aren't Quite 50/50 | Smithsonian
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Some stuff I didn't get to yesterday:
Infuriating. This kind of thing is less pervasive than it used to be but it shouldn't happen at all: Georgia mom Brittany Patterson fights child endangerment charges after son found less than mile from home
I wonder if this will turn into anything significant or if the app underperforms expectations, much as Meta's "Threads" app has: The website tracks how fast Bluesky is growing in near real time - Fast Company
Bluesky tops 20M users, narrowing gap with Instagram Threads | TechCrunch
A difficult lawsuit following a terrible event: Club Q victims sue officials for not using red flag law to protect them
I said at the time that the Club Q shooter was the poster child for the Red Flag law. However, if the process played out in a way where the judge could not get any evidence of the risk posed by the shooter because family members refused to be served in order to testify, it's unclear that there is someone other than those family members at fault. I suppose answer that type of question will be the purpose of a trial, unless somehow it gets settled before trial (and I hope it doesn't.) I also don't like the idea of suing the club.
Two interesting questions of law: Colo. justices to examine anti-SLAPP law's constitutionality | Courts | coloradopolitics.com
Speaking of lawsuits: Why Is There a Class Action Lawsuit Against Kraft Mac & Cheese?
Seems to me the question in the case comes down to this: "Can a chemical that occurs in nature be considered 'artificial' if it is made in a lab and an industrial process rather than collected through whatever process creates it in nature?"
Kraft Heinz lawsuit not dismissed, food company will got to court: Judge
We talked the other day about how this might be coming: Exclusive | Comcast Greenlights $7 Billion Spinoff of NBCUniversal Cable Channels - WSJ
I wonder if future owners of MSNBC will keep it a far-left network. I'm not sure that network has a good alternative because they'd probably lose most of their viewers if they became more moderate.
Today's Silly Videos
Because we could all use a chuckle
This is goofy but fun