​As readers of these pages know, I have great affection for the summer camp I went to -- Camp Nebagamon in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin.  In fairness, it's not the case of going away for a few summers.  Rather, I began going as a pre-school kid to family camp. Then, when my dad was camp doctor for four years as Doctor's Son (the official title), and later a camper and eventually counselor.  A very long time.  So, it's not just some fond summer memories, but a major part of my life.  But then, the camp has been around a long time itself -- 91 years.  

(I have a friend who will bring up his own summer camp in Wisconsin, so relentlessly and glowingly that it makes me look mute.  Every once in a while, when he gets to the point where you sense he's about to insist that no other summer camp in the world worth noting exists or has ever existed since time began or will exist into eternity, I politely mention to him that the fellow who ran the camp he loves so much actually went to...Camp Nebagamon.)

Over the near-century, they've had a lot of famous people who went there, most notably the Broadway composer John Kander (Cabaret, Chicago), Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride and All the President's Men) and his brother also Oscar-winner James Goldman (The Lion in Winter, the musical Follies with Stephen Sondheim.)  Lots of others, though I'll just add Jason Kander (great-nephew of...) who was Secretary of State of Missouri, and who I've referenced here periodically as a growing voice in the young wing of the Democratic Party. 

Fun, too, is that the camp song, "Thanks for the Pines" was written the husband-and-wife couple Gus and Grace Kahn, both professional songwriters, and among his credits are "It Had to Be You," "Dream a Little Dream of Me," "Makin' Whoopee," "Carolina in the Morning, "I'll See You in My Dreams," "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby,"...and a LOT more.  (The 1951 movie, I'll See You in My Dreams was a biopic about the Kahns, starring Danny Thomas and Doris Day.)  For those who care about such things, I wrote here the fun story how the camp song came about, and how decades later I got to sing the song to then 90+ year-old Grace.

I mention all this as backdrop about another Camp Nebagamon alum I just found out about.  No, not at that level, though fairly popular these days, TV host Andy Cohen.  And this came about because of a video I found where he's a guest on Stephen Colbert's show and reads from a bunch of letters he wrote him when he was going to Camp Nebagamon -- all of which his mother saved.  It's pretty darn funny.

And as a bonus, here is a photo of an alumni reunion a few years ago, and there he is, returning to the North Woods as an adult -- clearly not hating the camp, as he notes in one of the letters -- sitting in the front row, all the way on the far right, in a green shirt.

It's been much too longer since we've gone Out and About with Jiminy Glick, and thought now was a good time to go back and visit the fellow.  Here. Steve Martin is the interview guest, and the fun is knowing that he and Martin Short are actually such good friends, having made movies together and in more recent years touring together in a sort of stand-up concert with a bit of overlap.  And even knowing each other so well, there still are moments when he unsuccessful fights to keep from laughing.
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I love the work of Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri. Her latest is one of her best, titled -- "I see no choice but to resign from this Death Star as it begins to explode." And it's even funnier and more insightful than its title.

Here's just the opening --

"It is with a heavy heart and a deep sense of responsibility that I must submit my resignation, effective immediately, from my post on this Death Star. However, I see no other choice.

"Now is the time for all of us to stand up from our posts and do what is right.

"It’s been an honor to work on this Death Star. I love the aesthetic. I love how I’ve been able to pursue my greatest passion: destroying planets and pressing buttons..." 

And what is so funny, too, when reading it (beyond the politics underneath it all) is that it’s clear what a huge fan she is of the Star Wars saga and knows its details intimately.

I hope you can read it without a subscription.  The link to it is here.

Sometimes when you fancy yourself the greatest counter-puncher, you forget that the other side may punch back  and even harder.

So, this week, first, the GOP under Trump's crack leadership loses control of the Senate. Then, Trump officially loses the White House.  And now, Twitter permanently bans Trump and he loses Twitter -- which might hurt him the most.

All of which reminded me that it's been SO long since with had a Comedy Against Trumpism video for a very long time.  So, lets help bid him adieu with one more -- this time from Australia.  I'm leaving the opening couple of minutes in because they do a very good job recapping what this is all about. 

​G'day.

This new song parody from Randy Rainbow has enjoyable lyrics, though not among my favorite, though some of the words are particularly good parody overlaps with the original But -- the production and lead-in are quite wonderful and make this a total joy

For those who may have tried to watch the Kennedy Center Honors video I posted the other day of the tribute to Johnny Carson, there was a glitch.  But rather than post that partial video, I've ended up posting three videos of the full tribute.  You can find it here.

The Kennedy Center Honors are usually broadcast around this time, but they've been delayed until the Spring because this year they...oh, you can figure it out.

So, to fill in the gap at least part of the way, here is the 1993 tribute to Johnny Carson.  It's fairly low-key compared to most, but pretty funny.  Here it is, in three parts.  (The first video begins with the start of the broadcast.  The tribute itself begins around the 5:20 mark.)

The other day, I posted the following on social media -- 

"Unlike some, I'm *NOT* "pleased" that Trump finally signed the COVID-19 emergency relief bill. I'm livid that it took him this long -- and until after Christmas putting truly desperate Americans through hell -- to do what any sane, normal human would have done immediately."

I got a reply from an old friend who later became a rabbi.  (For the record, no, this is not my friend Jack Moline who I've often referred to here, and who is on our Board of Directors at Elisberg Industries.)  I only mention that my friend is a rabbi, since he addresses some spiritual issues.  He wrote --

"I don't know what the cutoff point is for how and when someone can be redeemed, but DJT roared past it years ago. There is absolutely nothing he can or could do to be or become a hero at this point. NOTHING."

My reply was that "This is never good when coming from a rabbi..."  To which I added -- "Somewhat similarly, I almost sent a tweet yesterday about how Marley's Ghost was trying to get three ghosts to contact Trump to help redeem him, but no one wanted to do it because there was no point. But I decided not to do so because -- well, there was no point. But maybe I will, now that I've typed it here..."

Alan clarified his earlier comment, not wanting to be misunderstood --

"I should probably add that redemption at the level we're talking about here would not be offered by humankind. This, as I said and as I believe, is beyond our human capacity to achieve. Redemption, in such a case, would have to be between DJT and his Creator. And I would not want to be 'in the room where it happened.'"

Which in the end brings us to --

"Donald, have a seat. So, you know that, like, when I went to create a llama, the first one came out a giraffe.  I just got the neck waaay wrong.  And the first version of a mouse was the elephant.  The whole size-and-nose ratio didn't work out AT ALL.  Well, when it got around to mankind, I was trying to make luggage, and what happened got all messed up -- long story -- and you were the result.  Now, much as I'm sure you'd like to be 'redeemed,' I know that even you can see that that's just not going to happen. It's just totally screwed up behind fixing.  There's no place for a zipper, for starters. And you don't come close to meeting TSA standards.  But don't worry, you're not getting sent 'downstairs,' if you know what I mean.  It's not that you don't belong there, but I just don't want to make Hell even worse.  So, instead, you get to go to Angola.  At first, I was thinking Puerto Rico, but they've been through enough.  And I figured that there was a nice symmetry having you live in what you consider a sh*thole country, though it's really quite nice.  In some ways.  And to show you that I *am* benevolent and loving, you get to go with a relative.  That's  your second cousin, they Samsonite Solyte Expandable Carry-on with Spinner Wheels.  Bon voyage!"

Okay, so that part of Oscar Wilde's famous phrase which people quote is only half of what he says.  He goes on a bit longer than that and it's actually a put down.  The full line is 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."  But given that this is Tom Hanks who is doing the impersonating, I think we can accept it here and just go with the "known part" of the quote.

It turns out that when Tom Hanks tells stories on talk shows, he likes to dive into character and bring the tales to life.  (Not all of these are celebrity impersonations, and some aren’t even impersonations, but he certainly does go all-in all the time.  As he does here, for 17 minutes.)  I was hoping this collection would include his joyful impersonation of Ron Howard, who he has worked with a lot – and, oh, yes, it does!

Some people put together a website for a Trump Library and, without an ounce of hyperbole, it’s utterly magnificent for the detail and work that went into it. The meticulous craft is stunning – mainly the sections on Exhibits, the Hall of Enablers, and Grift Shop – but even down to throwaway links at the bottom of the page for normal things like “Info/Press” and “FAQ” and “Hotel/Dining” as well as the related venues of the “Covid Memorial” and “Alt-Right Auditorium.”

It’s not just that there’s a page for each of these things, but the whole thing is designed like a real museum.  And beautifully designed.  And extensive, almost too much to make your way through.  The Donations page, which I thought would be very funny, is actually the only serious thing I found with links for donating to liberal causes, including Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

But it’s the details that are so remarkable.  And sometimes to subtle that you occasionally need a closer look to spot the joke.  For instead, my eyes skirted past the Admissions section initially, but itt's only when I crossed by it a third time that I noticed –
 
Adults (Citizens): $25
Adults (Seniors): $10
Adults (Immigrants): $50
Children & Students: free

​For the longest time I had no idea who made this.  I still don't exactly, but I burrowed around and found some clues in the FAQ, and it turns out that the people behind it are an architectural firm in New York City.  But they don't give their name.  However, if one is interested in doing business with them, there is a link to follow-up with them.  Beyond their scathing sense of humor, they clearly know how to design...

There's much too much here to go through it all at one sitting.  But at least do yourself a favor to check it out and see that they put together and spend at least a couple minutes wandering through and admiring the craft.  Even if you just go to the home page and do nothing but let the screen shots change, it will be worth it.
 
You can find the "Trump Library" here.
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