I HOPE EREBODY HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS Mine was far too short and I'm a little bitter about it. Nonetheless, here we are and there is a lot of stuff to talk about.
HERE IS THE MIKE ROSEN COLUMN ABOUT HEATHER MACDONALD I MENTIONED And it's a great example of what I was talking about when people want to blame the uptick in hate. This is it and the school sanctioned it and applauded it. Read it here.
TWO HORRIFIC ACTS OVER THE WEEKEND One at the home of a Rabbi where dozens of Orthodox Jews were in attendance to celebrate Hannukah. People threw furniture at the man wielding a machete to stop him before he wounded more than the five people he already hurt. The second involved a gunman in a church in Texas who opened fire with a shotgun only to be met by armed security guards and parishioners who dropped him six seconds into his rampage. They were very different events, and we can only guess bout motives currently, but they have one thing in common. People fought back. And I'm guessing more Jews will make sure they are trained to use a firearm the next time.
WHY IS ANTI-SEMITISM ON THE RISE IN NEW YORK? Because it most certainly is, with multiple murders and attacks in the last few weeks in the New York and New Jersey area. It's ridiculous to make the case that Donald Trump is the cause when his favorite daughter is Jewish. Especially when other political figures have actually tweeted or retweeted things about Jews that would indicate anti-Semitism may be a bigger problem in the Democratic party at this point. But I happen to think it is NOT necessarily politicians driving this trend because there are far better answers to why it's happening. This story in Tablet Magazine does a really good job of outlining a slew of potential reasons and I'm inclined to believe it's some sort of stew of all of them. But no one deserves to live in fear. This must stop.
EXPECT MORE PROPOSITIONS TO TAKE MORE OF YOUR MONEY As politicians can't seem to fathom that we don't have a revenue problem in Colorado but a spending problem, they are going to continue to ask us to give them more of our money than we already do. This column outlines some of the things that may be coming down the pike.
WE LOST QUITE A FEW GIANTS IN THE PAST DECADE. AND THAT'S JUST THE RETAIL STORES And holy cow, I didn't know most of these were gone because frankly, I had not shopped in them in many years. The only ones I miss are Blockbuster and Payless Shoes. Which may be why they aren't around anymore?
WE LOST QUITE A FEW THIS YEAR IN HOLLYWOOD And here's a relatively complete list of those stars who no longer shine. I remain saddened by the death of Tim Conway.
HAS THIS BEEN THE BEST DECADE EVER OR THE WORST? You can find either opinion if you look for two seconds. I did. In this column, the author makes the case for the former and does a lovely job explaining about how world poverty, famine and materials usage are all remarkably low after this century. However, this column says it's been the WORST decade ever because the government didn't spend enough of our money. You can guess which one I'm going with. This column is my favorite because it discusses why people like the dude in the last column has to say bad things in order to get attention. Which is true.
A LISTENER SENT ME A NOTE ABOUT THIS COMEDIAN And I'm glad about it, because she's super funny.
I JUST FOUND MY FAVORITE HEADLINE OF 2019 And it is simply this:'
Scientists Have Warned That We Absolutely Must Not Farm Octopuses
Doesn't that make you want to open this link and read it? I did and it's fascinating.
NOT SATISFIED WITH THAT HEADLINE? Here are bunch more from this past year and some of them are amazing.
IS TEACHING NOW A JOB THAT MOST AMERICANS WON'T DO? In rural areas, that is appearing to be true. This is a very cool story about a Filipino teacher in Julesburg, Colorado.
IT WAS A VERY GOOD DECADE FOR RICH PEOPLE. AND THE VERY, VERY POOR. This is very encouraging for people living in extreme poverty. Though the very, very rich got richer, the very, very poor did very well too and the rate of people living in extreme poverty PLUMMETED around the world in the last decade.
THE GUY WHO GAVE HIS FAKE WIFE A PELOTON GAVE HIS REAL GIRLFRIEND A PELOTON For Christmas. And though I just found the original commercial sort of creepy in a Stepford Wife kind of way, I have no issue with someone giving exercise equipment to someone who really wants it. That last part is key. Chuck and I bought a Hydrow for Christmas and I freaking LOVE that thing! It is sort of funny that he gave his also skinny girlfriend a bike though, since fake him caught so much grief about that stupid commercial.
AND NOW, SOME OF THE BEST EPIC FAILS OF 2019 FROM AMERICA'S HOME VIDEOS When I watch this stuff and laugh and laugh, I'm pretty sure I'm going to hell.