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Culture Tag

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, like the rest of the entertainment industry, is no friend of the Trump administration or Press Secretary Sean Spicer. But sometimes the entertainment industry, in its desire to mock Trump, ends up mocking itself or other Trump haters. We saw that with the Saturday Night Live skit about a Trump-loving dog. And Noah did the same thing portraying Spicer as a kindergarten teacher dealing with unruly press children.

Comedian Don Rickles, who was well known for going after his audiences as well as his fellow entertainers, has passed away. He was 90 years old. The Hollywood Reporter has the story:
Don Rickles, Legendary Comic With a Gift for the Insult, Dies at 90 Don Rickles, the rapid-fire insult machine who for six decades earned quite a living making fun of people of all creeds and colors and everyone from poor slobs to Frank Sinatra, has died. He was 90.

On April 6, 1917, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to enter World War I, 373-50, almost three years after the war began. President Woodrow Wilson vowed American neutrality, but that all changed due to Germany's submarine warfare. Wilson admitted America's tactic did not work:
"With a profound sense of the solemn and even tragical character of the step I am taking and of the grave responsibilities which it involves, but in unhesitating obedience to what I deem my constitutional duty," he said.

Controversial advertising is one of the best ways to earn media. Which seems to be what Pepsi was thinking when it released an ad with model Kendall Jenner, featuring police and protesters, intentionally reminiscent of Black Life Matters protests. Wednesday, Pepsi pulled the ad after immense backlash from all ends of the political spectrum. The left complained the ad made light of the Black Lives Matters protests while conservatives whined it placed cops in a bad light.

What's the fastest way to ruin anything? Inject politics into it. This well-known, but unwritten rule of the Universe seems to have escaped ESPN, who's now doubling down on their political banter. The once great sports broadcasting network recently revised their discussion rules so as to accommodate for increased political commentary germane to the sporting event being covered.

Last week, the Washington Post published a profile on Vice President Pence's wife, Karen. As WaPo reported, Mrs. Pence "never weighs in on or attempts to influence policy" nor does she wish to speak on her husband's behalf. Though if you'd like to learn more about her work in art therapy, she'll gladly speak about her passions there.

The latest big bold anti-Trump move from the resistance is going to be a worldwide screening of the 1984 film "1984" based on the George Orwell novel of the same name. The Hill reports:
Theaters to play ‘1984’ in global Trump protest Nearly 200 movie theaters worldwide reportedly plan to screen the film version of “1984” simultaneously Tuesday in protest against President Trump. The demonstration, called "National Screening Day," primarily involves cinemas in the U.S. but also includes venues in Canada, Croatia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, according to Monday reports.

The election of President Donald Trump continues to have a profound influence on this country in nearly every area of government. The upcoming census of the American people is a good example of a Trump-era change that is going mostly unnoticed. In 2012, Legal Insurrection reported that the Obama administration was proposing sexual orientation/gender identity questions for the 2020 census.  Such questions have never been included in any U. S. Census.

Just how badly did the GOP's first attempt at repealing Obamacare fail, and what are your thoughts on buttercream frosting? Sunday I joined the Matthias Shapiro (one of my very first politifriends) and Jordan Ecarma of CRC Media on their Paradox podcast where we tackled terrible opinions, the AHCA flop, and talked more about fondant vs. buttercream than you'll probably want to hear.

Who doesn't love Mike Rowe?! The Dirty Jobs star has become well known for his videos that encourage people to learn a trade and get to work. For the fourth year in a row, he has launched a scholarship for those who want to learn a certain trade:
“Every year, we do a work ethic scholarship,” explained the 55-year-old on “Fox & Friends" Tuesday. “It’s not huge, but we set aside five or six hundred grand and we put it in a pile and we invite people who want to learn a skill that’s actually in demand to make a case for themselves [such as] an essay, video, references.”