Kosta, Colbert, and Kimmel mock Trump for blaming crash on DEI and his Cabinet picks

I'm returning to topical posts today with the late-night talk-show hosts ridiculing the horse loose in the hospital's response to the first fatal commercial airline crash in the U.S. for 12 years (16 years for a fatal crash involving a U.S. carrier), beginning with Trump Blames D.C. Plane Crash on DEI and Dwarfism | The Daily Show.

Michael Kosta on the tragic Washington D.C. plane crash and Trump's baseless blame of DEI for the catastrophe. Plus, the Best F**kin' News team breaks down which of Trump's nominees was least qualified at their Senate hearings.

Paraphrasing what I wrote in Pete Davidson hosts as 'Saturday Night Live' returns, the crash is not funny, but the reactions to it can be, and Hoover Cleveland's qualifies as worthy of mockery and scorn. It also came right on schedule, as I posted the following on Bluesky yesterday.

Also able-bodied.

[image or embed]

— Vince Lamb (@vincelamb.bsky.social) January 30, 2025 at 11:36 AM

Mrs. Betty Bowers missed "National Disability Employment Awareness Month" in her post, but I caught it. I wasn't watching C-SPAN at the time, but I posted that within minutes of Hoover Cleveland making his ableist remarks, so I'm not surprised — appalled, but not surprised.

I'm repeating what I wrote in Randy Rainbow sings 'I Think I'm Gonna Hate It Here' for Hoover Cleveland's remaining terrible nominees.

Seriously, that supposed ideological diversity probably comes from former Democrats Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr., who I called cases of failing upwards. I thought I was done with both of them when they dropped out of the 2020 and 2024 Presidential contests, respectively. Instead, I could be writing about them for the next four years. Ugh. At least my readers and I have Randy and others to keep us sane. May they be like Ben Carson AKA Doctor Pyramid, about whom I ended up writing "At least you were too boring to write about for the past four [years]" after Carson's service as HUD Secretary. May we be so lucky with Gabbard and RFK Jr.

May we be even luckier and have them not be confirmed. The same is true of Kash Patel, who I've only written about once before.

I also think that the announcement of Kash Patel's nomination for a position that isn't open yet — Christopher Wray's term doesn't expire for another three years — and Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter are more closely connected than he lets on. Patel might just have gone after Hunter even after he had gone to prison just to please convicted criminal Donald Trump.

Marcy "Emptywheel" Wheeler has more to say about him in A Summary of Kash Patel’s Disqualifications to Lead FBI. Only the best people.

Follow over the jump for reactions to Hoover Cleveland blaming the crash on DEI, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, and Barack Obama and unqualified Cabinet nominees from Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel plus a bonus closer look from Seth Meyers.

Doomsday Clock now at 89 seconds to midnight

After celebrating Lunar New Year, I told my readers to "Stay tuned for the Doomsday Clock." Watch Inside Edition report Doomsday Clock Says We Are Closer to Disaster.

Humans may be one step closer to destroying the world, or at least that's what scientists behind the Doomsday Clock think. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to tracking human-made threats to the environment. Scientists predicted we were at a metaphorical 7 minutes to midnight in 1947. The Doomsday Clock's minute hand has been reset 26 times since then. In 2025, scientists predict we are 89 seconds from midnight.

For my reaction, I'm repeating what I wrote in Company Man asks 'The Decline of Red Lobster...What Happened?' A tale of the Retail Apocalypse.

I often write that Inside Edition is not the hardest news source, but the flip side of that is that it humanizes its stories and presents them in accessible and entertaining ways. This report served as a good example of all that.

This is probably the grimmest video from Inside Edition I've ever embedded here and it still served as a good example of my assessment of the program.

TIME presented the core of the announcement essentially uncut in The Doomsday Clock Just Moved Closer to Midnight.

The Doomsday Clock was set to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest to midnight ever in its 78-year history. It’s the duty of the United States, China, and Russia to lead the world back from the brink. Humanity’s continuing existence depends on immediate action from the world’s leaders.

I agree with the assessment, but good luck getting the horse loose in the hospital to do something useful about any of it. He thinks climate change is a hoax, renewable energy is a fraud, misinformation is the real news, and AI should be encouraged, not regulated. Good leadership on those issues will have to come from someone else.

I close with A history of the Doomsday Clock in 4 minutes from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

“It seemed the right time on the page ... it suited my eye.” That’s how Martyl Langsdorf responded when asked why the hands of the Doomsday Clock were placed at seven minutes to midnight back in 1947. Martyl, an artist married to a Manhattan Project engineer, was hired to design the Bulletin’s first magazine cover, which needed to convey scientists’ increasing concern about the management of nuclear weapons. Ultimately, she settled on a clock ticking toward midnight, intended as a metaphor for humanity’s proximity to nuclear apocalypse.

It would later become one of the world’s most recognizable symbols, observed closely by policymakers, scientists, and artists alike.

It’s fitting that in a male-dominated nuclear industry filled with the 20th century’s greatest minds, a female artist created the symbol that would elegantly communicate their concerns clearly to the public. Over its more than 75-year history, the clock continues to inspire films, books, musicians, and beyond.

In all, the clock has moved 25 times. In more recent years, the clock has moved in response to a variety of diplomatic and political events, negotiations over nuclear weapons, inaction on climate change, technological advancements, and biological weapon experimentation. In 2023, the clock was moved to 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to disaster it has ever been, reflecting increased concern over humanity’s response to its greatest threats.

And it's now one second closer.

Stay tuned for the final post of January 2025.

Happy Year of the Wood Snake!

Happy Lunar New Year! So long, Year of the Wood Dragon! Welcome to the Year of the Wood Snake! I begin today's celebration with Lunar New Year 2025: The Year of the Snake explained | ABC NEWS (Australia).

We are saying goodbye to the Year of the Dragon and welcoming the Year of the Snake! What do you know about the Year of the Snake? What is the significance of the snake in Chinese culture and history and how do people in Asian countries celebrate the festival?

This is a return to form for me after last year's drum corps holiday. That written, the host's remarking that snakes are "dangerous and scary animals" that make him "run away screaming" inspires me to put a science spin on this entry with PBS Eons explaining How Snake Venom Sparked An Evolutionary Arms Race.

For some, the rise and spread of venomous elapids was just another challenge to adapt to. For others, it was a catastrophe of almost apocalyptic proportions. And we humans are no exception, because it seems that when elapids slithered onto the ecological scene, not even our ancestors were safe…

Fassscinating. Sssorry, couldn't resssissst.

I also couldn't resist revisiting how Disney celebrates the holiday. Watch Mulan's Lunar New Year Procession Returns to Disney California Adventure for the Year of the Snake from WDW News Today.


I observed "Eleven years ago, they had Kaa as their character for Year of the Snake" then asked "Anyone care to wager that Kaa repeats?" While Mushu repeated in the parade, Kaa still showed in the merchandise available in Shanghai Disneyland.


Disney's California Adventure opted for a snake coiled to form Mickey Mouse's head.

So, yes and no, but if anyone had taken me up on the bet, they'd have won. After all, I didn't ssspecify which park!

Enough of this year's fessstivities. It's time to conclude this post with the generic greetings I've recycled many times over.

Mandarin: Gong Xi Fa Cai/Xin Nian Kuai Le

Cantonese: Kung Hei Fat Choi
 
Hokkien (Fujian/Taiwanese): Kiong Hee Huat Tsai/Sin Ni khòai lok

Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财 新年快乐

Traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財 新年快樂

Stay tuned for the Doomsday Clock.

CNBC asks 'Why Did Volkswagen Kill The Beetle?' A driving update

My wife and I traded in Snow Bear yesterday, so it's time for a farewell post for her like the one I wrote for her predecessor, Dez. Since we got another Volkswagen, my wife's fourth and her third Tiguan, I'm opening with CNBC asking Why Did Volkswagen Kill The Beetle?

Volkswagen is one of the world’s largest automakers. It houses brands such as Audi, Porsche, and Bentley. But perhaps its best-known vehicle is the Volkswagen Beetle. Over its entire lifespan, Volkswagen sold over 22.5 million of all three versions of the Beetle. But in July of 2019, production one of the most iconic and important cars of all time came to an end.

That was a cool history of an iconic car, the New Beetle version of which my middle sister drove and my ex-girlfriend's daughter tried to convince me to buy. I didn't because I lived in the country and required a higher ground clearance just to get into my own driveway. My son got farther with his suggestion I buy an Aztek. I didn't, but my wife's vehicles have been sporty SUVs, so we went along with the trend anyway.

Speaking of the trend, watch MotorWeek from PBS preview 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan | MotorWeek First Look.

Ahead of the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen has unveiled the 2025 Tiguan. This utility is their best-selling model in the U.S., and it has been redesigned in a bid to retain that status and better compete in such a hot segment. Jessica Ray has the details.

I had no idea the Tiguan was so popular, but then again, the new car, which my wife hasn't named yet, is our third, so I shouldn't be surprised.

Follow over the jump for the numbers.

CNBC describes 'How Bluesky Grew From A Twitter Side Project To An X Competitor'

Today's content worth sharing next month is CNBC describing How Bluesky Grew From A Twitter Side Project To An X Competitor.

Not many people had heard of Bluesky when the Twitter side project made its debut as a separate company in 2021. The decentralized social media platform initially flew under the radar, but user numbers skyrocketed after the U.S. election in November. This was largely because many of X’s users fled to Bluesky, as they were unhappy with some of the changes that Elon Musk made to Twitter after he acquired it in 2022 and later renamed it X. Bluesky now has over 27 million users, but whether it can continue its rapid growth and compete with the likes of Musk’s X and Meta and Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads remains to be seen.

I'm one of Bluesky's new users since the election, although Katharine Hayhoe recommended that I join her on the service when it no longer required an invite code. That happened when my wife created an account on November 16, 2024 and I created mine later that same day. The first person I followed was my wife. The second was Dr. Hayhoe, who followed me back, which I don't think she ever did on Twitter/X.

Speaking of following me back, I've grown my followers faster on Bluesky than I ever did on any other platform. It took me 13 years to get to 1,000 followers on Twitter/X. It took me one month on Bluesky. I now have nearly 3,000 followers two-and-one-half months after I joined. That's almost triple the 1,075 friends and 174 followers I have on Facebook, the next largest audience I have on social media, and that took 17 years to achieve. I'm also getting more engagement in the form of likes, reposts, and replies on Bluesky than X, although Facebook still beats both, but not enough link clicks from Bluesky to register, while X ranks in the top five. I'm not deactivating my X account for just that reason; it's still useful.

That's it for today's post worth sharing in February. Stay tuned for another evergreen entry tomorrow.

'SNL' recaps the first week of Trump's second term plus Timothée Chalamet

I know I wrote that I would "switch from topical posts to evergreen and holiday entries until the end of the month," but I can't resist the highlights of last night's Saturday Night Live, which will still be good to share this coming Saturday. Like the show, I begin with Founding Fathers Cold Open.

The Founding Fathers (Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Sarah Sherman, Michael Longfellow, Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim) get interrupted by President Trump (James Austin Johnson) while signing the Declaration of Independence.

Just the remark about Lin-Manuel Miranda being within "sniffing distance of an EGOT" qualifies this as the Sunday entertainment feature, and so does the guest host, Oscar-nominated Timothée Chalamet. I'll get to him over the jump, but first Weekend Update: Trump Defends January 6 Pardons, Musk Criticized for Nazi Salute.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Trump signing many executive orders on his first day in office.

Yes, Michael Che, it's a dark update. As I wrote in The horse is loose in the hospital again, "laughing hurts a lot less than crying, so laugh I will."

Weekend Update continued with Emilia Pérez Leads Oscar Nominations, JetBlue Accepts Venmo Payments.

Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Ryan Seacrest getting tackled by a Wheel of Fortune contestant.

See, I told you I'd blog about the Oscar nominees, although Emilia Pérez deserves more than a joke equating its nominations with its viewership. I'll get to them in a future Sunday entertainment feature.

The interview segments began with a return to the horse loose in the hospital with Giselle, A Concerned Businesswoman on Trump's Executive Orders.

Giselle, a concerned businesswoman (Ego Nwodim), stops by Weekend Update to discuss Trump signing executive orders and [en]acting tariffs on imports.

It hadn't occurred to me, but Ego as Giselle is right; tariffs will make hair extensions more expensive. I'm treating this as a corollary to what I wrote most recently in 'You're Not Alone' and 'Now What?' Closer looks at Trump's re-election from Colbert, Meyers, 'The Daily Show,' and Kimmel, "the surest way to get Americans to act is to mess with their entertainm­ent. As I first wrote in 2011, 'America is quite clear about its screwed up priorities­.'" Appearance is one of them.

Follow over the jump for more of last night's episode.

'Disney's Biggest Lie' about lemmings for a late Norther

I know I told my readers "stay tuned to see if I start covering Oscar nominees next" to close 'Joker: Folie a Deux' leads Razzies with seven nominations as the Golden Raspberry Awards' poor math skills strike again! Since yesterday, I realized that I had forgotten to celebrate something Sunday: "The next day inspired by Wester is Norther, which will occur on Sunday, January 19, 2025." Instead, I composed Celebrating diversity in acting winners at the 2025 Golden Globes for MLK Day weekend. Oops.

So how do I blog about both Norther, the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Winter Solstice, and the Oscars? Blog about an Oscar winner that features lemmings, the mascot for Norther! Watch Disney's Biggest Lie by Odd Animal Specimens about White Wilderness, which won Best Documentary Feature in 1959.

Let's talk about White Wilderness, one of Disney's award-winning nature documentaries from the series "True Life Adventures". There's a specific story in the doc about lemmings. It is entirely fake. In this video, we explain the truth.

This is the same story debunked in the SciShow video I embedded in Facts and fancy about feisty lemmings for the first Norther of 2017! It's also the subject of two notes in the film's IMDB page.

Trivia
This picture was filmed in Alberta, Canada, which is not a native habitat for lemmings. They were imported from Manitoba for use in the film, and were purchased from Inuit children by the filmmakers. The Arctic rodents were placed on a snow-covered turntable and filmed from various angles to produce a "migration" sequence; afterwords, the helpless creatures were transported to a cliff overlooking a river and herded into the water. The entire sequence was faked using a handful of lemmings deceptively photographed to create the illusion of a large herd of migrating creatures. It was this film that perpetuated the myth in popular culture of lemming suicide, something that's never been reported to have occurred in real life.

Goofs
Contrary to popular belief repeated in this film, lemmings do not commit suicide en masse by jumping off cliffs into the sea. However cyclical population explosions do induce lemmings to migrate to unfamiliar territory where they are crowded and prone to accidents such as falling off cliffs or drowning but these are not considered suicide in any sense.

While I already knew that lemmings don't intentionally jump off cliffs and drown themselves, I did learn more details about how the photographers filmed the sequence, so that counts as learning something new, making today a good day. I hope my readers learned something new, too.

This concludes today's late celebration of a fake holiday created by Archdruid John Michael Greer. Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment feature to see if I blog about this year's Oscar nominees.

'Joker: Folie a Deux' leads Razzies with seven nominations as the Golden Raspberry Awards' poor math skills strike again!

I concluded Retail Archaeology asks 'What Is Going On At Party City?' A tale of the Retail Apocalypsewith a preview of coming attractions: "In the meantime, stay tuned for this year's Razzie nominations. The Golden Raspberry Awards' poor math skills strike again!" Watch The 45th Razzie® Nominations.

In this new and uncharted world where bad is good, dumb is smart and criticism is absolutely forbidden, the Razzies® stand ready to rumble. Just don't ask us to kneel! Here are our top three categories' nominees for 2024. Visit razzies.com for the rest!!

Wow, even the Razzies have made a political statement with their gallows humor about the horse loose in the hospital again. I'm actually impressed.

On the other hand, their math skills and attention to detail still stink. The Razzies press release reports a five-way tie for most nominations among Borderlands, Joker: Folie a Deux, Madame Web, Megalopolis, and Reagan at six nominations each. That's incorrect. Fortunately, 11 Alive in Atlanta checked the math and accurately reported 'Joker 2' leads Razzie nominations.

The sequel scored seven nominations, including Worst Picture.

Congratulations on getting it right. That's better than The Hollywood Reporter, which uncritically reproduced the numbers on the press release last year!

That written, Borderlands, Madame Web, Megalopolis, and Reagan actually are tied for second with six nominations each, followed by Unfrosted with four, which the press release reported. It skipped over Kraven the Hunter with three nominations and Argylle with two to list The Crow with two nominations. Sloppy, but I expect no better, which is why I know to check. That's four consecutive years I've found errors and omissions and a fifth going back to 2019.*

Enough of that. As I wrote the past two years, "I pay attention to the Razzies because they usually recognize the worst big-budget genre films and sniff out bad political films. They didn't disappoint me this year, as they recognized some poorly done genre films." None of the bad genre films surprised me, as I predicted last year, "'here's to hoping Madame Web doesn't earn at least one Razzie Award nomination next year and Johnson doesn't earn one as well for her role.' I'm afraid Madame Web will earn multiple Razzie nominations and might even win some of them. I just hope Sweeney escapes being nominated." Madame Web earned six, including Worst Actress for Dakota Johnson. At least Sydney Sweeney avoided a nomination.

Follow over the jump for more.

Retail Archaeology asks 'What Is Going On At Party City?' A tale of the Retail Apocalypse

For today's post I hope will be worth sharing next month, I'm embedding Retail Archaeology asking What Is Going On At Party City?

In this episode of Retail Archaeology we take a look at Party City for probably the last time.

Erik's observations about private equity remind me of what I wrote in Company Man asks 'The Decline of Party City...What Happened?' A tale of the Retail Apocalypse.

I've mentioned the role of private equity in the failure of retail chains many times before, most recently in 'Bankrupt - 99 Cents Only Stores' by Bright Sun Films, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse. It took more than a decade, but the debt from the leveraged buyout finally caught up with Party City.

Erik also mentioned "the helium shortage increasing the prices of balloons and decreasing their sales." That reminds me of the footnote from earlier this month: "As I wrote about the helium shortage two years ago, 'That's something I haven't blogged about but should.'"

By the way, Erik's remark about American Smarties confusing his Canadian viewers refers to Canadian Smarties being different from American Smarties. In Canada, the candies called Smarties in the U.S. are called Rockets, while Canadian Smarties have no exact analog in the U.S.


I think I may have learned this while I was dating my ex-girlfriend when she was living in Canada, but it's been nearly 20 years since then and I have forgotten it. Speaking of which, I'm glad to hear that Canada's Party City stores are owned by Canadian Tire, one of the chains we shopped at, and will remain open.

This may be the last time I blog about Party City until I run into reports of its last company-owned closing next month (the ones owned by franchisees will keep their doors open — for now) or Bright Sun Films uploads a video about the chain as part of his Bankrupt series. That may take a while, especially since he's Canadian and his country's Party City stores will remain open.

In the meantime, stay tuned for this year's Razzie nominations. The Golden Raspberry Awards' poor math skills strike again!

OK Go - A Stone Only Rolls Downhill

Today, I present a song that expresses my feelings, OK Go - A Stone Only Rolls Downhill (Official Video).

I wish I could say it would all be all right
(It’ll all be all right)
I wish I could tell you it would all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

But a stone only rolls downhill
and these things,
they’ll be what they will
what they will
v Someday soon you’ll look out from your hilltop perch
your heart worn out from trying to make sense of the arc
which only bends one way
and you rightly afraid
it don’t seem to be the way that we thought

And I wish I could say it would all be all right
(It’ll all be all right)
I wish I could tell you it would all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

But a stone only rolls downhill
and these things
they’ll be what they will
what they will

And oh the inertia
of our ravenous brand of avarice
of our selfishness
It was just too much
to overcome
Now we’re overrun

And I wish I could say it would all be all right
(It’ll all be all right)
I wish I could tell you it would all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

Oh how I wish that I could tell you it would be all right
could tell you it’ll all be fine, it’ll work out
Oh how I wish I could tell you it’ll all be fine
(It’ll all be just fine)

"I wish I could tell you it’ll all be fine" — I do, too.

The horse is loose in the hospital again

My response to the event I was pointedly ignoring yesterday like I did in 2017 is to flash back to a sentence from 'SNL' told funny but scary stories about the election on Halloween, "I was half expecting Mulaney to mention Trump being a horse loose in a hospital, but after Trump actually being admitted and then leaving Walter Reed Medical Center, I think that joke has left the barn." Well, the horse has returned, so it's once again time for There's a Horse In The Hospital | John Mulaney | Netflix Is A Joke.

Follow John Mulaney, or the news, to see what the President, hippo, and bird do next.

Watch John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City, only on Netflix...

Breaking News: The President Is A Horse | John Mulaney | Netflix Is A Joke

This video cut off the routine a little over halfway through, so here is the complete audio for There’s a Horse In The Hospital.


I can hear why Netflix cut the end of the routine off, although it's still darkly funny.* Also, we now know what the horse can do and he's learned to do more and turned it into campaign "promises" (more like threats that he intends to carry out and some of which he already has). YIKES!

I conclude with a video from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, John Mulaney: Trump Is 'A Horse Loose In A Hospital'.

'Oh Hello' star John Mulaney has a metaphor for Trump's presidency that you probably haven't heard before.

My comment on this video four years ago was "Now the horse actually is in a hospital, although I don't know if that's funny." Maybe not, and he's only in a metaphorical hospital now, not a real one, but laughing hurts a lot less than crying, so laugh I will.

*By the way, John Mulaney's wife then isn't his wife now. In 2018, he was married to Anna Marie Tendler, who actually is Jewish. They got divorced in 2022. He's now married to Olivia Munn, who is Asian-American, so that part of the routine no longer applies.

JSU's 'Sonic Boom of the South' at the Rose Parade for MLK Day

A happy and contemplative MLK Day! I've been planning for today all month.

Stay tuned as I follow through with my promise in Some of my favorite bands at the 2025 Rose Parade for New Year's Day.

I will be showcasing JSU on MLK Day for The Norfolk State University Spartan Legion at the Rose Parade for MLK Day two years ago. There is something else happening that day that I'm pointedly ignoring, much as I did in 2017.

That's my plan and I'm sticking to it.

I begin with the clip I would have used on New Year's Day, Jackson State University "Sonic Boom of the South" - 2025 Pasadena Bandfest by Luis of Music213.

From Jackson, Mississippi, The Jackson State University (JSU) "Sonic Boom of the South", performing their program at the 44th Annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Bandfest on Sunday, December 29, 2024

I'll let Luis's reaction stand in for mine.

Only TWO out of the 20 bands that performed over the two days at Bandfest received a FULL standing ovation: JSU and Kyoto Tachibana. I would love to see a future Rose Parade showcasing nothing but HBCU bands. They are exceptional and always a hit with the crowds. Congratulations JSU!

Another commenter wrote "Watch their performance at Disneyland," so here is Disneyland Performance | Jackson State University | Disneyland (Anaheim California).


That was a great suggestion! The video was worth watching for the ground level perspective of the drum majors and Prancing JSettes as the band marched through Main Street and Fantasyland alone, along with the closeup energy of the band.

I return to Luis of Music213 for Jackson State University "Sonic Boom of the South" - 2025 Pasadena Rose Parade.

From Jackson, Mississippi, The Jackson State University (JSU) "Sonic Boom of the South" performing at the 136th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

I couldn't resist being a smart aleck, writing "6:40 Since no one else mentioned it, I will: The Sonic Boom Rickrolled the Rose Parade!" That got 18 likes and an appreciative comment. By the way, they also Rickrolled Disneyland, and people loved it.

That's it for today's holiday entry. Stay tuned for another evergreen entry tomorrow.

Celebrating diversity in acting winners at the 2025 Golden Globes for MLK Day weekend

As I promised yesterday, I'm switching from evergreen to holiday entries with this year's edition of Celebrating diversity in acting winners at the Golden Globes for MLK Day weekend. I begin with WISH-TV reporting Multicultural Spotlight Latin America represented at 2025 Golden Globe Awards.

The 82nd Golden Globe Awards, held earlier this month at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, saw a notable but contentious moment for Latina talent. While only two Latina stars took home trophies, their success on Jan. 6 marked an important step forward for representation in Hollywood.

Now for the winners, starting with Viola Davis Presents Best Female Actor – Motion Picture – Drama | 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

Viola Davis presents the Best Female Actor – Motion Picture – Drama award at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

As Davis herself mentioned, she earned an award as well. I'll return to it at the end of the post. In the meantime, watch Fernanda Torres Wins Best Female Actor – Motion Picture – Drama | 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

Fernanda Torres wins the Best Female Actor – Motion Picture – Drama award for I'm Still Here at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

Apparently, Torres is the first Latin American actress to win this category. Congratulations!


Torres has a chance to be nominated at the Oscars later this week and I'm Still Here made the shortlist for International Feature Film (it's among every Gold Derby editor's picks to be nominated), so she may have more honors coming. While The Critics Choice Association didn't nominate her for next month's ceremony, she has already won their Actress Award for International Film at the Critics Choice Awards Celebration of Cinema & Television. That's quite the celebration of diversity itself!

Speaking of celebrating diversity, watch Dwayne Johnson & Auli'i Cravalho Present Supporting Female Actor–Motion Picture|82nd Golden Globes.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Auli'I Cravalho present the Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture award at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

I'm sure Disney was thrilled with this pair of presenters from Moana 2.

Now watch Zoe Saldaña Wins Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture | 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

Zoe Saldaña accepts the Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture award for Emilia Pérez at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

That was a moving acceptance speech and probably the longest I'll embed today other than Davis's, which was meant to be long. It was worth every second. Congratulations!


Saldaña earned nominations at the Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and BAFTA Awards and is the number one pick of every Gold Derby editor for an Oscar nomination, so she'll have plenty of opportunities to accept more awards. I hope the last of those will be another Saturn Award in 2026, should she be nominated. I'm one of their voters, and I never know with them.

Those were the movie awards recognizing diverse performers. Follow over the jump for the television winners, which celebrated Shogun.

'Conclave' beat 'Anora' for Best Screenplay, Motion Picture at the Golden Globes

I promised I would revisit Gold Derby's predictions in Golden Globes and Critics Choice screenplay nominees for National Screenwriters Day. Since then, the Critics Choice Awards were postponed until February 7 because of fires in and around Los Angeles, so only the Golden Globes, which took place before the fires broke out, have been awarded. I begin with Gold Derby's prediction for Best Screenplay, Motion Picture at the Golden Globes.

Eight of Gold Derby's editors, including Joyce Eng and Christopher Rosen, picked Anora, while one each chose A Real Pain, The Brutalist, and Conclave. Gold Derby's experts generally agree, with 18 of the 32 judging Anora the best, followed by eight choosing Conclave, five picking A Real Pain, and one standing out for The Substance. Seventeen of the site's top 24 users agree with Anora, followed by four for Conclave and three voting for The Substance. The users apparently don't like A Real Pain.

Those were the predictions, now the reality, as Conclave Wins Best Screenplay – Motion Picture | 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

Conclave accepts the Best Screenplay – Motion Picture award at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes.

Congratulations to Peter Straughan on defying the odds and to the one editor, eight experts, and eight users for choosing Conclave to win.


Follow over the jump to see how Conclave's win has affected the odds at the Critics Choice Awards.

PBS NewsHour reports 'Saltwater from rising sea levels threatens future of farming along Chesapeake Bay'

I came across another video worth sharing while composing The Wall Street Journal explains 'Why America’s Groundwater Is Disappearing', PBS NewsHour's Saltwater from rising sea levels threatens future of farming along Chesapeake Bay.

Near the Chesapeake Bay, farms have flourished for hundreds of years on the rich, fertile soil of coastal Maryland. But as sea levels rise, driven in part by climate change, encroaching saltwater is disrupting the livelihoods of many farmers. It's a preview of what other areas near saltwater may soon confront. William Brangham reports for our series on climate change and water, Tipping Point.

As I wrote on my DreamWidth account, "I shared and linked to videos I show my students in The Wall Street Journal explains 'Why America’s Groundwater Is Disappearing'. I don't have one about groundwater contamination, so I might show this one, too." The slide about saltwater contamination of groundwater focuses on overdrafting bringing saltwater closer to the surface and contaminating wells for drinking water, but adding the effects of climate change, rising sea levels, and agriculture contribute new dimensions and connections to the issue, ones I hadn't thought of before. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

PBS Terra asks 'When Will We Stop Moving to the Riskiest Regions?'

The Cascadia Megaquake and Tsunami isn't the only topic PBS Terra likes to re-examine periodically. Another is THE RISKIEST Places to Live in the US as Our Climate Changes'. Watch as PBS Terra asks When Will We Stop Moving to the Riskiest Regions?

For the last 50 years, Americans have flocked to the warm, sunny South. But, as climate change makes extreme heat, hurricanes, wildfire and flooding worse, will that trend ever STOP? Well, some regions might just be showing signs of a reversal, and they hold lessons for what other areas might expect as the world continues to warm.

I wrote "I just wish that the economics were such that people would move here instead of into harm's way. That would make a great subject for another post" two years ago in PBS Terra asks 'What is the RISKIEST Region in the US as the Climate Changes?' In the case of Louisiana, which 'Weathered: Earth's Extremes' asks 'What Happens When the Land Runs Out?' covered, the answer is a combination of low income and high cost. As long as people are making money, they will continue moving into and living in high-risk states like Florida and Texas, although Miami-Dade County is starting to lose population. That looks like a good story for another day. Instead, I'm shifting to the other coast for Maiya May explaining The Real Reason California Is Burning.

The Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, and Kenneth fires in the greater Los Angeles area have already caused catastrophic damage and loss of life. They also figure to be the most expensive in terms of property damage in California, and even US history.

What caused these fires? Why are they happening during what's typically the wettest time of year in Southern California? Is climate change to blame? And how will this affect the insurance industry moving forward? Weathered's Maiya May explains.

The disaster in my former home state connects back to two more entries, PBS Terra asks 'Is This Type of Fire IMPOSSIBLE to Stop?' and PBS Terra asks 'Will Climate Change Pop the Housing Bubble?' I'm recycling what I wrote about fire in the first entry.

Fires with high winds were always the most dangerous. They've become even more so since I moved to Michigan 35 years ago, as I wrote in California's Camp and Woolsey fires air pollution seen from space and felt on ground.

I found out last week that the home where I grew up was in a mandatory evacuation zone. In the 25 years I lived there, that never happened. In addition, I don't recall my family ever telling me that had happened during the three decades I've lived in Michigan until this past week.*
...
*I[n] case anyone is wondering, the house is O.K. It was more than a mile from the edge of the fire at its greatest extent.

My old house was under mandatory evacuation orders during these fires as well, but survived again. Whew!

PBS Terra retitled the video in the second post "The Insurance Industry Can't Weather Another Wildfire Season Like This UNLESS..." which I think is more accurate. As the second video points out, the fires have caused between $135 billion and $150 billion in damages so far. Yikes!

That's about as topical as I care to get today. Stay tuned for more evergreen and holiday entries until the end of the month.

The Wall Street Journal explains 'Why America’s Groundwater Is Disappearing'

I left a note to myself at the end of 'Weathered' on PBS Terra asks 'Has Earth Already Crossed MAJOR Tipping Points?' that I repeated in 'Weathered: Earth's Extremes' asks 'What Happens When the Land Runs Out?'

The description mentioned groundwater, but the video itself didn't include anything about the subject. Just the same, reading it reminded me that I show a Wall Street Journal video about groundwater depletion to my students and I should embed it here.

Without any further ado, I'm sharing Why America’s Groundwater Is Disappearing.

Unchecked groundwater use is draining aquifers across the U.S., threatening drinking water supplies and the nation’s status as a food superpower. For example, the Ogallala Aquifer beneath the Great Plains supports about 30% of all U.S. crop and animal production, but in 2022, parts of the water table reached their lowest levels since NASA started measuring two decades ago.

WSJ explains why this crisis is posing an “existential threat” to many communities and looks at how the critical natural resources could be saved.

That gets the point across about groundwater depletion, especially in the Ogallala Aquifer, and sets the stage for the next slide, which is about subsidence and sinkholes. I've been showing those videos to my students for a decade already. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

I don't show the next video, PBS NewsHour's Depletion of major groundwater source threatens Great Plains farming, but if anything happens to The Wall Street Journal's video or I decide not to support the paper (it is a NewsCorp property, after all), it's available as a backup.

In the heart of the country, Great Plains farmers and ranchers produce a quarter of all U.S. crops and 40 percent of its beef. But they rely on a resource that has been slowly drying up, water. Stephanie Sy reports from Kansas for our series on the impact of climate change, Tipping Point.

It's the same basic story with all new characters except for Brownie Wilson, who appears in both videos. PBS also emphasizes the effects of climate change more and makes even clearer two of Commoner's Laws: "Everything Is Connected to Everything Else" — the economy and society of western Kansas is connected to agriculture, and local agriculture is dependent on groundwater — and "There Is No Free Lunch — over-reliance and overuse of groundwater is already incurring costs. Brant Peterson switching from corn to sorghum could also serve as an example of a third law, "Nature Knows Best," although corn, originally from Mexico and cultivated by Native Americans, comes closer to a native plant than sorghum, which is originally from Africa.

The Wall Street Journal video also mentioned cracks forming in Arizona because of groundwater depletion. PBS Terra's Maiya May addresses this phenomenon in Why Are These Huge Cracks Appearing in the Desert?

In Arizona, fissures are becoming an increasingly common phenomenon due to lack of rain and groundwater depletion. Weathered's Maiya May explains.

Yikes! That might scare my students should I care to replace one of my subsidence videos with it.

Stay tuned as I track down more of my promises for future posts and share them as evergreen entries through the end of the month.

The Daily Show asks 'How Do New Yorkers Really Feel About Congestion Pricing?'

I have a tradition of alternating serious and silly takes on an issue, so after CityNerd explains 'Why Traffic Is Worse Than Ever (and can NYC fix it?)', it's time to embed The Daily Show asking How Do New Yorkers Really Feel About Congestion Pricing? Josh Johnson Investigates.

Desi Lydic tackles New York's controversial new congestion pricing toll, while Josh Johnson hits the street to hear from real New Yorkers.

Despite all the complaining and attempted evasion, it looks like congestion pricing is working so far, at least in terms of traffic entering the city. It's also reducing traffic within the city, as Eyewitness News ABC7NY reported in MTA preiminary data shows decrease in traffic since congestion pricing start.

Lindsay Tuchman has the latest on congestion pricing and its impact on traffic.

Two of Commoner's Laws are "Everything Is Connected to Everything Else" — changes in one part of the transportation system affect the rest of the transportation system — and "Everything Must Go Somewhere" — all those personal vehicle trips have to go somewhere — where are those commuters not driving going? Eyewitness News ABC7NY has a partial answer in Subway ridership continues to tick up amid congestion pricing toll.

Anthony Carlo reports from Herald Square.

Seems to be working as intended. Good.

Vox asks 'Should fluoride be in our water?'

I'm resuming my evergreen posts with Vox asking Should fluoride be in our water?

The science isn’t so straightforward.
...
RFK, Jr. has put the decades-old debate over water fluoridation back on the table. As Donald Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary, he might be the most powerful public health figure in the US who believes we should take fluoride out of our water.

The US has been fluoridating public water systems since 1945, when the children of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and three other cities became the first to experience how fluoridated water can fight tooth decay. Ever since, other municipalities have followed suit. Today, 63 percent of Americans drink fluoridated water from their taps. The US is one of 11 countries worldwide where more than half the population has fluoridated water. Some countries opt for fluoridating salt or milk instead.

Fluoride is essential for our oral health. But there is a growing debate about whether water fluoridation is still necessary now that most toothpaste has fluoride in it. Right now, epidemiologists are looking into whether US water fluoridation doses are safe for developing brains — and how some levels of fluoride in the water may affect child IQ.

Producer and host Laura Bult added the following in the video's pinned comment.

Hello! Something I didn't get into in the video is that part of the difficulty of the science on fluoride is that when it comes to studying its risks, there has never been a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study — the gold standard in science for proving causation. All of the studies we mention in the video are observational. Observational studies are typical in epidemiology when researching something that could be harmful in some doses. But surprisingly, there’s never been this kind of trial on the benefits of water fluoridation, either. The Undark podcast alerted me to the first study of this kind — studying water fluoridation’s benefits — currently underway at the University of North Carolina.

Vox isn't alone in reporting concern about fluoridation. ABC News uploaded Study on fluoride and kids’ IQ levels raises concerns overseas about the study that was published just as Vox was producing its video.

Medical experts warn that the study’s results shouldn’t be a major concern for parents in the U.S.

As both Vox and ABC News pointed out, the levels of fluoride in the study were double that in U.S. drinking water, so the findings don't necessarily apply to Americans. Arizona's Family (3TV/CBS 5) provided more opportunity for dentists to push back in Arizona experts call latest study on fluoride misleading.

A recent study reportedly found a link between high doses of fluoride and lower IQ scores among children, but experts say that's not the whole story.

Concern about fluoridation has historically been the province of cranks and conspiracy theorists, and RFK Jr. is no exception. That written, a stuck clock is still right twice a day, and RFK Jr. is a stuck clock. Those of us who accept science might have to be prepared that this is one of those times, as unlikely as it is. We also have to be prepared that this will encourage him and his anti-science supporters about vaccines, where science and history have repeatedly shown him to be wrong. I don't want this fight, but I'm willing to wage it against RFK Jr. and his supporters, including and especially the ones I needled in I ask The Archdruid and his readers 'Can you show us on the doll exactly where the educated professionals hurt you?' A Festivus airing of grievances. Yes, them, too.

Speaking of science and history, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has compared RFK Jr. to Soviet agronomist Trofim Lysenko, which The Bulwark has picked up. I think that's an apt comparison and one I plan on using in the future. Stay tuned.

HBO declines to renew contract with 'Sesame Street'

It's Sunday, so it's time for an entertainment feature. I know I wrote that I would stay away from topical posts for the rest of January, but seeing "Defund PBS" trend on X reminded me that HBO has decided not to renew its deal with Sesame Workshop, formerly Children's Television Workshop, to fund new episodes of Sesame Street and show them first on HBO and now Max before moving to PBS. Take it away CNBC!



HBO ends deal with Sesame Street: Here's why
I embedded that because it's CNBC and has an informative preview image, but it didn't have an informative description. For that, I'm turning to USA Today reporting HBO says goodbye to 'Sesame Street'.

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit behind "Sesame Street," is looking for a new distributor after HBO decided against renewing the series.

CNBC's video wasn't as informative, as it was mostly anchor banter that devolved into Joe Kernan sniping at Becky Quick's husband, making me wonder if he is a bit jealous/envious of him. I don't have to wonder if he's a bit of a jerk; he is. Add this to his views having annoyed me twice before and that's three strikes against him.

However, this isn't the immediate end of Sesame Street. Collider reported that "Max's license for episodes continues through 2027, and this month you can still see new episodes from Season 55 on Max." There is still hope beyond then, as Collider also reported "it is expected that major streamers like Netflix, Prime Video, and Apple TV+ will all want it." I'll do my best to follow through on the eventual distributor.

On the other hand, it does portend the end of the relationship I first described in CNN defends Big Bird after Ted Cruz calls one of the character's tweets 'Propaganda,' a pandemic update: "It's not just news value that's driving it." I expect CNN will no longer be defending Sesame Street after 2027. That will be up to us, along with its new distributor.

CityNerd explains 'Why Traffic Is Worse Than Ever (and can NYC fix it?)'

I promised "evergreen and holiday entries until the end of the month" yesterday and I'm following through with an idea I proposed in last June's Colbert, Klepper, and Kimmel come to comedic terms with Hunter Biden's conviction.

Klepper and Kosta are covering Governor Hochul's stopping congestion pricing. That's a subject that deserves another post. Maybe if or when CityNerd uploads a video about it.

Ray "CityNerd" Delahanty uploaded that video this week, Why Traffic Is Worse Than Ever (and can NYC fix it?).

I was told traffic is worse than it's ever been, especially in New York City. So I went on a research expeditions to find out if it's actually true, and if so — given how many people are working from home and how much vacant office space there is these days — WHY?

This entire video is an exercise in three of Commoner's Laws: "Everything Is Connected to Everything Else" — changes in one part of the transportation system, in this case people moving from transit for commuting to private vehicles for non-work trips, affect the rest of the transportation system, which leads to "Everything Must Go Somewhere" and "There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch" — all those personal vehicle trips have to go somewhere, causing more traffic congestion, and working from home has unforeseen costs, like more non-work trips and longer trips to work when people do commute because of moving away from work. Where's "Nature Knows Best?" Sorry, walking doesn't seem to enter into the equation, although horse-drawn carriages merit a mention for historical comparisons and bicycling barely makes a mark on the pie charts.

The pandemic also appears in the story, serving as another instance of "Everything Is Connected to Everything Else" and "There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch." Fear of infection seems to be a big driver, pun intended, of shifting people in general and New Yorkers in particular from transit ridership to work from home, with personal car use for non-commuting trips. This connects back to "perceived safety" near the beginning of the video; people working from home don't seem to be factoring in the risks of driving. As I wrote in CityNerd explains 'All the Ways Car Dependency Is Wrecking Us', 46,980 Americans died in traffic accidents during 2021 and one million died worldwide.

Seeing that CityNerd has joined the Ground News sponsorship bandwagon reminds me of what I wrote in Randy Rainbow sings 'I Think I'm Gonna Hate It Here'.

Randy's plug of Ground News reminds me of what I wrote in Future Proof examines 'The RISE and FALL of Malls in America,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse, "the paid promotion by Ground News reminds me that I promised a comparison and contrast between AllSides and the Media Bias Chart three years ago." I still haven't done that, but it really is time. Maybe when I make my monthly page view goal and write evergreen entries near the end of the month.

That would make a good post to share next month. Stay tuned to see if I actually write it.

I have a work project due by the end of this month. Maybe after I get that done. Otherwise, I have in penciled in for the last week of February, when I'm off from work. In the meantime, stay tuned for more evergreen entries worth sharing next month through the end of January.

A meme and a song for Trump's sentencing

I wrote, "Unfortunately, Hoover Cleveland is more likely to receive an unconditional release. Sigh." That happened. Watch MSNBC's report BREAKING: Judge sentences Trump to an unconditional discharge in hush money case.

Judge Juan Merchan sentences President-elect Trump to an unconditional discharge in the New York hush money case. Trump remains a convicted felon but faces no other punishment. Former Manhattan prosecutor Jeremy Saland, civil rights attorney Kristen Gibbons Feden and former New York Assistant Attorney General Adam Pollock join Ana Cabrera and José Díaz-Balart to discuss. Also, NBC News' Vaughn Hillyard reports from outside the courthouse.

While my prediction that he would not be sentenced to prison for these crimes came true, I can keep calling him a convicted criminal, now convicted felon, and I feel a bit better after watching the MSNBC report, that's cold comfort. This entire exercise demonstrates the truth of this meme.


It worked. Like Donald Trump's whitewashing and inversion of the attack on the Capitol, the new Big Lie, enough people bought it that Trump got re-elected and he avoided any actual punishment. That jammed "the wheels of justice," dashing my hope that I repeated most recently in Colbert and Kimmel examine Jack Smith's filing: "'The wheels of justice are grinding slowly in this case, but I expect they will indeed grind exceedingly fine.' May they also grind exceedingly fine for Trump and his seditious supporters, if not as slowly." Trump escaped before the wheels finished their work. Sigh.

This is enough for me to conclude by recycling the song I used in The law is an ass with music by Leonard Cohen, By request, 'Everybody Knows', and I saw the impeachment verdict coming, but I still don't like it, so here's a cover of 'Everybody Knows', Leonard Cohen - Everybody Knows (Live in London), the song I embed when I'm most disappointed by the legal system (or its political equivalent, impeachment).


It was time to give the original artist his say.

This blog passed its monthly page view goals today, so I'm going to switch from topical posts to evergreen and holiday entries until the end of the month. Stay tuned.

Company Man asks 'The Decline of Big Lots...What Happened? ' A tale of the Retail Apocalypse

I've been expecting a video from Company Man Mike on Big Lots! filing for bankruptcy and he finally uploaded one yesterday, The Decline of Big Lots...What Happened?

One of the country's biggest closeout retailers has filed for bankruptcy and nearly shut down entirely. This video tries to identify the biggest reasons behind the struggles of Big Lots.

Here is Company Man Mike's four reasons for the failure of Big Lots!


What struck me most about this list is how much Big Lots! thrived during the pandemic because of the chain's shift to selling more furniture. As I wrote in 2020, "If one has to shelter in place, then one might [as well] find a better place to find shelter." That, or make one's existing shelter a better place through new furniture. Unfortunately, furniture is a durable good, so once the demand was met, sales collapsed once the public health emergency ended, leaving Big Lots! holding the bag. It makes me wonder how well Zoom is doing. Better than Big Lots! I'm sure.

The chain's boom and bust contributed to stock buybacks being Company Man Mike's final item. I've only seen that as a cause for a company's failure three times, GNC, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Ruby Tuesday. It's much more common to see private equity being a cause, as I documented most recently in Company Man asks 'The Decline of Party City...What Happened?' A tale of the Retail Apocalypse. In this case, private equity looks like it will save the company, at least for now.

No bankrupt company's story seems to be complete without videos from both Company Man and Bright Sun Films. I'm awaiting Jake Williams' contribution to this tale. In the meantime, he just uploaded a documentary about Payless Shoesource, which would be a good subject for a Wayback Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, or Flashback Friday. Stay tuned.