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Ugly Sweater Party
It would suck if you got invited to an ugly sweater party and it turned out it was only for people who are ugly and sweat a lot.
The 25 Best Baseball Movies of All Time
Will Leitch wrote his definitive list of the 25 best baseball movies of all time for the official World Series program. He said he’s happy with his choices. I might quibble with the order (The Natural and The Sandlot deserve to be higher), but I like his top ten. Plus, you can’t really argue with his top pick.
What Happened Today?
Kevin Drum is finding it hard to keep up. Isn’t everyone not a member of either Mueller’s or the Southern District of New York’s team?
I can barely keep up with the news anymore. Here is just today:
Donald Trump’s inauguration committee is under investigation. Apparently they managed to spend twice as much as any other recent president for an inaugural celebration that was half the size of any other recent president.
Maria Butina pleaded guilty to infiltrating the NRA on behalf of Russia.
Trump is now on his fourth (fifth?) version of events surrounding hush money paid to his mistresses.
But wait. Trump was present at meetings where hush money was discussed (though note the source).
Republicans who eagerly impeached Bill Clinton and called for the prosecution of John Edwards are now busily taking to the airwaves to insist that extramarital sex is no big deal, payoffs don’t count as campaign contributions, and lying about trivial sex stuff is just something everyone does.
Before big events, Trump crushes up Adderall and snorts it.
Wait. What? I can’t tell if that one is a joke or not.
Both Newt Gingrich and Jared Kushner are rumored to be candidates for Trump’s chief of staff. Wouldn’t it be awesome if they were co-chiefs?
Trump has decided he doesn’t want to shut down the government after all.
The Senate voted to end US support for the war in Yemen.
Red Angel Redemption
So, the latest trailer for the upcoming second season of Star Trek: Discovery has hit the internet. Apparently, the big bad this season is something called the Red Angel which could end all sentient live in the universe. I have to admit, this feels a bit like the old DC maxiseries, Crisis on Infinite Earths, which is not a bad analogy.
The casting this season is just phenomenal and it feels like this whole season will be closer to the Star Trek most fans want. I also feel this season will definitely answer the question on whether or not this show is actually in continuity (SPOILER: It’s not). My feeling is the Red Angel will be some sort of force destroying parallel universes. It might also tie in with the Picard show.
The Choice
The Choice is a three-minute video from Project Better Self.
Small choices become actions, actions become habits, and habits become our way of life.
It is devastatingly simple, the choices we make determine how we live our life. Watching this is a great reminder.
The Game’s Afoot
Ken White, writing for The Atlantic sums up your weekend read:
The president said on Twitter that Friday’s news “totally clears the President. Thank you!” It does not. Manafort and Cohen are in trouble, and so is Trump. The special counsel’s confidence in his ability to prove Manafort a liar appears justified, which leaves Manafort facing what amounts to a life sentence without any cooperation credit. The Southern District’s brief suggests that Cohen’s dreams of probation are not likely to come true. All three briefs show the special counsel and the Southern District closing in on President Trump and his administration. They’re looking into campaign contact with Russia, campaign-finance fraud in connection with paying off an adult actress, and participation in lying to Congress. A Democratic House of Representatives, just days away, strains at the leash to help. The game’s afoot.
Rudy Giuliani Should Delete His Account
Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing tells the story of fatfingered Rudy Giuliani:
Rudy Giuliani fatfingered a tweet last week and inadvertently referenced a nonexistent URL (G-20.in); some clever wag registered the URL and stood up a static landing page that reads “Donald J. Trump is a traitor to our country.”
Now, Giuliani has taken to the intertubes again to upbraid Twitter (and Time Magazine!) for his stupid mistake, tweeting “Twitter allowed someone to invade my text with a disgusting anti-President message. The same thing-period no space-occurred later and it didn’t happen. Don’t tell me they are not committed cardcarrying anti-Trumpers. Time Magazine also may fit that description. FAIRNESS PLEASE.”
He’s wrong, of course.
Look, not everyone understands how the internet works. However, someone should have told Rudy how incredibly moronic he sounds here. Remember everyone, this is the personal lawyer of the President of the United States.
President George H. W. Bush Dies at 94
The first President Bush has passed away at age 94. Adam Nagourney has the story for The New York Times.
I wish I had a few more positive things to say about President Bush 41 other than he was an obviously devoted husband and father, avid baseball fan, war hero, frequent letter writer, and dedicated public servant.
Maybe that’s enough.
Three Kinds of Corporate Mediocrity
Seth Godin does a deep dive into corporate culture and the scourge of mediocracy.
Uncaring mediocrity, in which employees have given up trying to make things better
Focused mediocrity, in which the organization is intentionally average
Accidental mediocrity, in which people don’t even realize that they’re not delivering excellence
There’s a lot more detail in his piece. It made me wonder where my company or department falls.
Why Illinois Gave Lovie Smith a Two-Year Extension
Matt Fortuna, writing at The Athletic, explains why a head coach who has gone 9-27 in three years is getting a contract extension.
It is foolish to think that a program of Illinois’ recent caliber can just hire and fire head coaches until landing on the right guy. The Illini are in this place to begin with because of the cumulative effect of misses, as Smith was hired after signing day in 2016 and became the program’s third head coach in as many seasons that fall. Two seasons later, he still fielded one of the youngest rosters in the country because of all the attrition that comes from those regime changes, and that youth reared its ugly head on the field.
Lovie Smith isn’t going anywhere. However, I sure hope the team next year hits six wins and goes to a bowl game.
Share Your Gifts
Apple has made a sweet holiday commercial this season. It looks like a Pixar short and, I think, captures what many creative do all day, every day.
It’s just beautiful with minimum product placement. Brilliant.
Black Friday
Black Friday - where people will literally fight others for materialistic items just one day after they’ve given thanks for what they already have.
Politifact’s 2018 Thanksgiving Dinner Guide
While talking about politics is usually considered bad form at Thanksgiving, you know and I know that it’s going to happen. Why not come prepared?
The PolitiFact 2018 Thanksgiving Dinner Guide has your covered. Here are all the less-than-true talking points that might also get served up at dinner along with the turkey and stuffing and the proper answers.
There’s nothing like debunking your racsist uncle over cranberry sauce is there?
New John Williams Music
It doesn’t quite sound like Star Wars without John Williams. So, I was pleased to hear new music from Williams in preparation for the opening of Disney’s new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in Disneyland in Anaheim next summer and in the Fall at Walt Disney World in Orlando. It’s been a while since I’ve been to any of the Disney parks and this new addition certainly adds to the desire to head back.
Collaborating with William Goldman
With the passing of the amazingly talented writer William Goldman, there have been many collaborators sharing their stories of working on projects of his from movies and stage productions.
My favorite so far is this one from Will Frears in Vulture.
The Value of Bryce Harper
Ben Godar of Viva El Birdos outlines the immense value “off the field” of Bryce Harper joining the St. Louis Cardinals. It’s an excellent angle that I haven’t seen in regards to other free agents. Harper is, of course, a unique snowflake in this off season.
I hope the Cardinals go all out to get him.