This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan review the predictions they made a year and a week ago for 2017. They covered politics, economics, technology, international issues, and a variety of other things for good measure. What did they get wrong? What did they get right? Did they do better or worse than in the year before? Which topics did they excel in? Where did they fail completely? This week, you'll find out!

• (0:01:13-0:22:21) Intro
• (0:23:29-1:05:38) Politics
• (1:06:18-1:15:05) Economics
• (1:15:50-1:24:08) Technology
• (1:25:51-1:43:58) International
• (1:45:14-1:53:09) Hodgepodge
• (1:55:11-2:03:37) Final Results

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Ivan and Sam talk about the aftermath of the Fire and Fury book, the possibilities for Oprah 2020, and the implications of the FusionGPS testimony. There is also a little bit about Sam going to the gym, and Ivan's travel plans. But wait you say, what about shithole countries, paid off porn stars, and false missile alerts? Yeah, this was recorded before all those hit. Maybe next week if nothing more exciting happens first. :-)

• (0:03:00-0:22:19) But first
• (0:23:28-0:53:58) Fire and Fury aftermath
• (0:54:37-1:19:40) Oprah 2020
• (1:20:25-1:56:11) FusionGPS testimony

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Jenn joins Sam as cohost and does the major rant on gender issues she didn't get to do last time she was on the show. She covers Aziz Ansari, different standards for men and women, what people are taught is "normal", the pitfalls of zero tolerance, and the built up anger that is exploding from women (and many other groups that aren't straight white males) these days. Being a straight white male, Sam mostly tries to keep his head down during this part. Then of course they hit some of last week's Trump craziness, from porn stars to girthers to shithole countries. Finally they wrap it up with a bit on the government shutdown (sorta), FusionGPS again, and the grand bargain Republicans are making with Trump.

• (0:00:15-0:10:48) But First
  • Agenda
  • Corrections and Updates
• (0:12:04-0:51:17) Gender
  • Aziz Ansari
  • Standards for men and women
  • Zero tolerance
  • Built up anger
• (0:52:26-1:19:16) Trump I
  • Stormy Daniels
  • Changing rules
  • Medical review
  • Ed's comment
  • Shithole countries
• (1:20:55-1:38:20) Trump II
  • Government Shutdown
  • FusionGPS House testimony
  • Grand bargain

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about the politics of the short government shutdown and what that means to the continuing immigration debate, then they move on to reviewing many of the latest developments related to the various scandals surrounding the Trump White House. Along the way, Ivan also reports on his recent trip to Thailand.

• (0:01:20-0:22:18) But First
  • Agenda
  • Ivan in Thailand
  • Ivan on a Zipline
  • Baby on a plane
  • Climate change migrations
• (0:24:21-0:54:17) Shutdown and Immigration
  • Should the Dems have forced this?
  • Should the Dems have agreed to end shutdown?
  • What next?
• (0:56:00-1:39:18) Trump and Mueller
  • Wendy Murdoch and Jared Kushner
  • Russia to NRA to Trump?
  • Mueller/Trump negotiations
  • Trump's prospects if he testifies
  • Discrediting Meuller
  • Release the Memo
  • Trump and McCabe
  • Are we near the end?
  • Trump Live

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about a number of developments in the Trump-Russia world, including Trump's attempt to fire Mueller last year, the Dutch hacking the Russians, McCabe's retirement, Trump not agreeing to an interview, Gates possibly flipping, and more. Then on the eve of Release The Memo Day, a discussion of the expectations for the memo, the objections being raised, and the possible implications. Oh, and it is Ivan's birthday. Happy birthday Ivan!

• (0:00:15-0:12:33) But First
  • Ivan birthday
  • Show length
  • Agenda
  • Show schedule
• (0:14:33-0:51:55)Trump Stuff
  • Things not getting attention
  • Trump tried to fire Mueller last year
  • Dutch hacking of Russian DNC hackers
  • McCabe retirement
  • Trump Russian sanctions announcement
  • Trump not agreeing to Mueller Interview
  • Gates flipping
  • Acceleration
• (0:52:32-1:25:59) Release the memo
  • Expectations on what is in the memo
  • Objections to the memo
  • Who is the audience, what are the goals?
  • Republicans Attacking Republicans
  • Predictions
  • Trump Affairs

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan go all "Lightning Round". They cover a wide variety of topics, including: State polls for 2020, talking policy vs talking scandal, the linked government shutdown and immigration debates, the Space X Falcon Heavy launch, Twitter's release of Russia data, Ivan's problems with his door, Rob Porter's resignation, the aftermath of releasing "the memo", welcoming a new patron, and much much more.

• (0:00:15-0:40:16) Lightning 1
  • Sam - Ivan birthday
  • Ivan - Ivan's door
  • Sam - 2020 polls
  • Ivan - Model 3 Tesla
  • Sam - Facebook news ranking
  • Ivan - Falcon Heavy
• (0:41:59-1:31:49) Lightning 2
  • Sam - Twitter Russia release
  • Ivan - Rob Porter
  • Sam - Shutdowns and immigration
  • Ivan - FBI agents affairs on text messages
  • Sam - New Patron
  • Ivan - The Memo
• (1:32:26-2:06:01) Lightning 3
  • Sam - Stock Market
  • Ivan - Polls and Special Elections
  • Sam - Policies vs Scandals
  • Ivan - Ben Carson corruption

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Ivan and Sam talk about the Parkland school shooting, the controversies around White House security clearances, and the budget and immigration debates, all rounded out with a little update on Stormy and Donald. They recorded about 14 hours before the newest Meuller indictments though, so discussion of that will have to wait... oh well!

• (0:01:40-0:11:58) Stormy Situation
• (0:13:07-0:39:43) Parkland School Shooting
• (0:40:23-1:08:25) White House Security Clearances
• (1:09:10-1:33:32) Budget and Immigration

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam is joined by guest hosts Ed and Alex. Sam and Ed discuss the ongoing gun debate in the wake of Parkland, as well as the latest developments in the Mueller probe. Alex is Sam's son. Alex is 8. Alex talks about video games. Alex also gives a few thoughts about the gun debate. And he is adamant that the podcast is too long, and we should have stopped at about the one hour mark. Was Alex right? Judge for yourself!

• (0:01:00-0:25:32) Video Games
• (0:26:48-1:17:40) Parkland and Guns
• (1:18:25-1:49:33) Mueller Advancements

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about the chaotic week that was. Donald Trump throwing grenades into the gun and trade policy debates, the mounting reports of corruption within the administration, and the usual, but seemingly intensifying, chaos within the White House staff itself. Oh, and Ivan caused some chaos himself by accidentally calling 911 from the airport. A fun filled show!

• (0:00:15-0:13:06) Phone Chaos
• (0:13:51-0:50:51) Issue Chaos
• (0:52:10-1:15:02) Corruption Chaos
• (1:16:25-1:42:16) Staffing Chaos

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Ivan and Sam cover all the big items from the last crazy week. They've got tariffs and North Korea, but also that Seychelles meeting, Russia maybe vetoing Romney, the Belarusian escort, Nunberg's meltdown, the poisoned spy in the UK... and there is still more! They didn't forget Kellyanne Conway, or Stormy, or Trump's hotel in Panama, or Zinke's door. A fun packed week for sure!

• (0:00:15-0:07:51) Intro Stuff
• (0:08:28-0:36:20) Policy Stuff
• (0:38:20-1:26:56) Russia Stuff
• (1:28:23-1:56:26) Other Stuff

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan get some feedback. It seems last week's show was their worst show ever. Too much Russia conspiracy theory stuff and Trump palace intrigue stuff. Not enough on "real" policy stuff. So they talk about that feedback and defend themselves a bit. Then they move on to talk about, well, uh, Trump palace intrigue stuff. They wrap it up with reaction to PA-18 and what it may mean for Election 2018, which is at least a little different, right?

• (0:01:00-0:10:36) Daylight Saving Time
• (0:11:15-0:46:01) Feedback
• (0:47:43-1:25:11) White House Staff
• (1:26:31-1:49:59) Election 2018

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam is joined by his wife Brandy. They spend the biggest part of the show discussing... or maybe arguing about... changing how you talk about things in order to avoid offending, insulting, or excluding people... or as it is most commonly called, politically correct speech. Then Cambridge Analytica gets its turn. Is it a big deal? Or not? Finally, Sam and Brandy's son Alex once again joins the show for some video game commentary, placed conveniently at the end of the show.

• (0:01:05-0:06:10) Agenda
• (0:06:49-0:57:37) Political Correctness
• (0:58:22-1:37:38) Cambridge Analytica
• (1:39:38-2:05:00) Video Games

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan discuss Ivan's impressions of attending the DC "March for Our Lives" event in person... including the implications for the wider gun debate. Then they talk about the online privacy issues that have been around for years, but are now getting more attention because of the recent headlines about how social media was manipulated during Election 2016. Oh, and Ivan recently returned from a trip to Singapore, so he shares his impression of that city too.

• (0:01:30-0:04:06) Agenda
• (0:05:14-0:15:28) Singapore
• (0:16:43-1:01:06) March for Our Lives
• (1:01:42-1:34:16) Online privacy

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan start out talking about getting vaccinations for travel, and how the crazy news of the last two years has resulted in Sam reading fewer books, and what he will do about it. But quickly enough, the conversation gravitates where it almost always does these days. Trump! First they try to stay focused very specifically on policy issues. Trump on Syria. Trump on tariffs. Trump on Mexico. Things like that. But for the last segment, they do once again concentrate on Trump's various scandals. The Mueller investigation. Stormy and McDougal. Pruitt. Sorry, it just can't be avoided!

• (0:01:00-0:19:41) Travel Vaccinations / Not Enough Books
• (0:21:23-1:05:50) Stupid Trump Policy Stuff
• (1:06:29-1:43:34) Stupid Trump Scandal Stuff

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner Sam and Ivan try to do an all lightning round show, but fail spectacularly. Their first segment is... movies!! Both Sam and Ivan talk about their thoughts on some movies they have seen recently. Then they do a segment on the Cohen raid and all the implications that arise from that. Then a mini-segment on Syria... recorded before the US/UK/France airstrikes... then FINALLY they do an actual lightning round to finish things up, including brief discussions on Scooter Libby, Zuckerberg's testimony, international corruption, an update on tariffs, and much much more!

• (0:01:05-0:26:11) Movies
  • Ivan: Darkest Hour (2017)
  • Ivan: Burn After Reading (2008)
  • Sam: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
  • Sam: Coco (2017)
  • Sam: Black Panther (2018)
  • Sam: The Luck of the Irish (2001)
• (0:27:32-0:52:17) Cohen Raid
  • The raid itself
  • Repercussions and reactions
  • Clarifications on predictions
  • Love child payoff
  • Lordy there are tapes!
  • Firings coming?
• (0:53:59-1:02:33) Syria
  • Chemical Weapons
  • What good will a strike do?
  • Americans killing Russians
• (1:04:33-1:43:06) Lightning Round
  • Ivan: Scooter Libby
  • Sam: Changing approach to Russia?
  • Ivan: Trump/Panama thing
  • Sam: UK/Russian spy recovering
  • Ivan: Zuckerberg testimony
  • Sam: Corruption around the world
  • Ivan: Paul Ryan decision
  • Sam: Boehner and marijuana
  • Ivan: CBO deficit estimates
  • Sam: Did China blink on tariffs?

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Ed and Darryl join Sam. Ivan was gallivanting in Brazil or something. Four main topics this time. Syria. North Korea. Comey. Cohen. Maybe a few other things around the edges, but that's the gist of it.

• (0:00:15-0:02:29) Intro
• (0:04:29-0:28:36) Syria
• (0:29:56-0:47:18) North Korea
• (0:49:00-1:05:01) Comey
• (1:05:40-1:24:47) Cohen
• (1:25:23-1:30:43) Outro

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan once again do an all lightning round show. They talk about allergies, the McCabe report, Hannity's real estate deals, the "incel" movement, Barbara Bush's passing, the Korean summit, and much much more! What is "more", do you ask? Well, the Bill Cosby verdict, a review of a book Sam read, the end of the Ronny Jackson nomination, the SESTA/FOSTA law, more on Cohen, the incident with the black men arrested in the Philadelphia Starbucks, and a bit about a nice video of Comet 67P. Is that enough? No? OK then... Sam's son Alex also gives his own, uh, unique, description of a shooting at a waffle house, just not the one that actually happened. So, all in all, a jam-packed show!

• (0:00:35-0:14:17) Intro
  • Allergies
  • Agenda
  • Alex: Waffle House Shooting
• (0:14:55-0:48:15) Lightning One
  • Ivan: Cosby and other MeToo
  • Sam: Book: The Man from Berlin (2013)
  • Ivan: Dr. Ronny Jackson
  • Sam: SESTA/FOSTA
• (0:49:00-1:11:40) Lightning Two
  • Ivan: Cohen taking the 5th
  • Sam: McCabe
  • Ivan: Hannity Real Estate
  • Sam: Starbucks black guy arrests
• (1:12:56-1:36:14) Lightning Three
  • Ivan: Incel
  • Sam: Barbara Bush
  • Ivan: Korean Summit
  • Sam: Comet 67P Video

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about the scandals with the various Trump-related doctors. More on Dr. Jackson. Some on Dr. Bornstein. And even a little on Dr. Pena. Then it is time for Rudy! Not quite Rudy all the time, but Rudy Giuliani did make quite a mess this week, and we talk about it. Finally, a bit about Judge Ellis' comments about the Mueller investigation, the efforts to impeach Rosenstein, and would it be wise for the Democrats to impeach Trump if they get the chance? To round things out, a bit on Cinco de Mayo and Wiki of the Day. Busy show! Enjoy!

• (0:01:50-0:17:41) Intro
  • Cinco de Mayo
  • Wiki of the Day anniversary
  • Agenda
• (0:18:49-0:50:36) Trump Doctors
  • Dr. Ronny Jackson
  • Dr. Harold Bornstein
  • Dr. Jennifer Pena
• (0:51:51-1:13:58) Rudy!
  • Reimbursement
  • Jared and Ivanka
  • Master plan?
  • Emmett Flood
• (1:15:18-1:46:30) Other Controversies
  • Judge TS Ellis
  • Impeaching Rosenstein?
  • Impeaching Trump?

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner with Sam and Ivan, three main themes: Schneiderman, Cohen, and international messes. On Schneiderman and Cohen, they hit all the developments in those scandals, as well as talking about the possible implications for the future. Internationally, they hit the developments in North Korea and with the Iran deal, as well as the newest blow up in the Israel/Iran/Syria conflict. To round things out, bits about sharpening knives, milkmen, fresh bread, and even a bonus rant about Skype. Enjoy!

• (0:03:06-0:14:02) Intro
  • Knife Sharpeners
  • Milkmen
  • Fresh Bread
  • Agenda
• (0:15:21-0:44:49) Schneiderman
  • The accusations
  • Information sourcing
  • Why didn't Trump use this?
  • How did this last so long?
  • Comparisons
• (0:46:05-1:17:34) Cohen
  • Kickbacks to Trump?
  • Normal in DC?
  • Follow the money
  • Speculations
  • Disqualifiers
• (1:18:42-1:54:12) International
  • North Korea
  • Iran Deal
  • Israel/Iran/Syria
  • Incompetence good?
  • Election 2018

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's first topic is about racist morons like Schlossberg, Cunningham, and others. Second up is all the latest on Trumpgate, including ZTE and China, Qatar and Kushner, Trump Tower Moscow, Ice Cube, and of course more Cohen. Finally, some thoughts on the latest developments in Israel and Gaza. Before all that, they also squeeze in a few thoughts on the Santa Fe shooting, and on Sam finally canceling services he has been wasting money on for years. Fun stuff!

• (0:00:45-0:16:52) Intro
  • Agenda
  • Santa Fe shooting
  • Unused services
• (0:18:35-0:49:53) Racist Morons
  • Schlossberg
  • Calling the Cops
  • Swatting
  • Cunningham
  • Trump
• (0:52:07-1:18:13) Trumpgate
  • ZTE and China
  • 666 5th Ave and Qatar
  • Scandal Fatigue
  • Trump Tower Moscow
  • Ice Cube Thing
  • Informant outed
  • Cohen SARs
• (1:18:49-1:36:34) Israel / Gaza
  • The incidents
  • Rosenberg's 13 truths
  • Longer view

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan start out talking about talking about politics at parties, and how news junkies are different from normal people. But the main topics are the mess surrounding the possible North Korean summit, and the shameful policy of separating kids from their parents at the border.

• (0:00:15-0:21:30) Intro
  • Agenda
  • Politics at Parties
  • Mueller finding crimes?
  • Normals vs News Junkies
• (0:24:07-0:52:32) North Korea
  • What happened?
  • Where are we now?
  • Impact on allies
  • Can the next president fix it?
• (0:53:52-1:16:26) Immigration Kids
  • New separation policy
  • Cruelty for nothing
  • Immigration history
  • Genealogical hypocrisy
  • Shame shame shame

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner podcast, the two big topics are Trump's pardons and the Economy. Specifically Sam and Ivan talk about the grand plan, or lack thereof, surrounding the pardons and what messages that sends. On the economy, the questions are how much credit Trump should get for good unemployment numbers, does it matter that he tweeted about those results before they came out, and what's up with the big trade war that seems to be getting started? Along the way, they also cover a health issue in Sam's family, the Puerto Rican death toll, a little on the Trump/Cohen investigations, and the general trend toward US isolation.

• (0:00:15-0:16:32) Into
  • Where is Ivan
  • Agenda
  • Sam's Family Medical Issue
  • Puerto Rican Death Toll
• (0:17:11-0:50:30) Pardons and Commutations and Stuff
  • Answering Machine Messages
  • Recent and Proposed Pardons
  • Eating the Pieces
  • Kardashian Summit
  • Pardoning Trump cronies?
  • Rudy's Strategy
  • Trump Tapes
  • Investigation Speed
• (0:51:06-1:16:52) Economic Stuff
  • Where is the Economic Collapse?
  • Should Trump get credit for good numbers?
  • Trump unemployment pre-announcement
  • Trade War!
  • US becoming isolated

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's three main topics are the USA's alliances and the strains Trump is putting on them, the upcoming North Korean summit, and a hodgepodge of legal related stuff like last week's SCOTUS cases, the Obamacare lawsuit, the new Manafort charges, and the Trump legal team's letter to Mueller. Before all that though, they mark an anniversary, discuss Ivan's recent trip to China, talk about the destruction of Sam's son's iPad, and more!

• (0:01:45-0:37:04) But First
  • Agenda
  • Anniversary
  • Ivan in China
  • Ivan book: Understanding Air France 447 (2013)
  • Alex iPad destruction
  • Macron handshake
• (0:37:43-1:01:30) Alliances
  • Anthony Bourdain suicide
  • G7 Summit
  • What is Trump's plan?
  • Are Canada and the EU really screwing the US?
  • Fed up allies, happy Putin
  • Rules are for suckers
• (1:02:15-1:19:19) North Korea
  • All about the attitude
  • Giving things for free?
  • Path to opening?
  • Predictions
  • Parkland again
• (1:21:01-1:59:09) Legal Stuff
  • Gay wedding cake case
  • Abortion case
  • Obamacare lawsuit
  • New Manafort charges
  • Trump letter to Mueller

Ed joins Sam on this week's Curmudgeon's Corner. Ed educates Sam on the new "Right to Try" law. They discuss if Trump actually has malicious motivations or actually believes he is doing positive things, specifically with regard to how he is handling relations with America's allies. And finally, they talk about how a complicated story like the Trump/Russia investigation just leaves people confused and tired, while constant repetition of "witch hunt!" is a simple clear message that penetrates to those who are inclined to believe it. Yet another full show!

• (0:00:15-0:06:52) Intro
• (0:08:35-0:34:32) Right to Try
• (0:35:51-1:00:00) Trump's Motives
• (1:00:45-1:26:20) Complex Crimes, Simple Distractions

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's main topic is the big immigration debate that has been dominating the headlines recently. They talk about the family separation policies and the larger debate about immigration, and also what watching this debate playing out tells us about our fellow citizens. Before that though, Sam gives his report from attending the Washington State Democratic Convention, and we hear a little bit about Sam's family's upcoming travel plans.

• (0:00:25-0:18:58) But First
• (0:20:58-0:48:34) Convention
• (0:49:54-1:47:34) Immigration

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's main topics are three recent Supreme Court cases, the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, the proper place of civility in our public discourse, and the latest developments in the ongoing trade wars. But first, they check in with Sam's family to get the latest developments on their cross country road trip!

• (0:00:15-0:18:10) Roadtrip
• (0:20:08-0:50:20) SCOTUS Rulings
• (0:52:03-1:27:51) SCOTUS Opening
• (1:29:11-1:48:19) Civility
• (1:48:55-2:06:45) Trade Wars

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Ed joins Sam to discuss North Korea, how SCOTUS deals with precedent, this week's story about immigrants in the military being discharged, and the latest in the trade wars and the economy. Before all that, they also do a quick update on the situation with the kids who have been separated from their parents at the border, and we find out if Sam's family made it to the destination of their big road trip.

• (0:00:15-0:07:32) But First
• (0:08:12-0:26:52) North Korea
• (0:27:29-0:49:42) SCOTUS and Precedent
• (0:50:26-1:03:27) Immigrants in the Military
• (1:04:47-1:25:52) Trade Wars

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's topics are the Supreme Court nomination and surrounding issues, Trump's path of destruction through Europe, and the latest developments in the Trump/Russia scandal, including the new indictments.

• (0:00:20-0:08:39) But First
• (0:10:21-0:50:50) SCOTUS
• (0:52:10-1:12:10) Trump in Europe
• (1:12:55-1:59:38) Trump/Russia

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about the chaos surrounding the Trump/Putin summit, the case of Maria Butina, and the reports on the detail given in the January 2017 briefing where Trump was told about Russian interference in the 2016 election. Oh, and before that, just a little about bugs. The flying kind, not the computer kind.

• (0:00:20-0:13:30) But first
• (0:15:12-0:51:35) The summit
• (0:52:55-1:12:53) Red Sparrow
• (1:13:30-1:38:00) What did the president know?

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, a break from politics and the news. Sam is joined by his wife Brandy and son Alex (with a cameo by daughter Amy) to discuss a few highlights of the start of their road trip from the Philadelphia area to the Seattle area. The hijinks include Sam donating their luggage to charity, Sam shop lifting, fleeing a really bad hotel, and more...

• (0:00:20-0:01:56) Intro
• (0:03:56-0:20:40) Day 1: Donated Bag, Stealing from Wawa
• (0:22:23-0:43:35) Day 2: Abandoned Turnpike, Bad Hotel
• (0:44:44-0:52:17) Day 3: Safari Park
• (0:52:56-0:58:17) Outro

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan do get into politics a bit, talking about the trade wars, 3D printing guns, attacks on Election 2018, and the separated kids at the border. But mostly the show is a lightning round show, so there are a lot of non-political things too. So you also get to hear about the rest of Sam's road-trip, some books and movies, Apple's milestone, and some feedback we received a while ago.

• (0:00:20-0:31:17) Sam: Road Trip Continued
  • Day 2 Revisited: Bad Hotels
  • Day 4: Things not done, Corn Palace
  • Day 5: Bighorn and Yellowstone
• (0:32:02-1:16:40) Lightning Round 1
  • Ivan: Trade War
  • Sam: Book: The Autobiography of Mark Twain Volume 3 (2015)
  • Ivan: 3D Printing Guns
  • Sam: Movie: Computer Chess (2013)
  • Ivan: Movie: Mission Impossible - Fallout (2018)
• (1:17:56-1:59:14) Lightning Round 2
  • Sam: Feedback on Ivan rant on Boomers
  • Ivan: Apple at One Trillion
  • Sam: Attacks on Election 2018?
  • Ivan: Separated Kids

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's main topics are Election 2018, Alex Jones getting kicked off various platforms, and all the corruption in and surrounding the Trump administration. Before all that, a few bits on kid accounts for online services, a book and a movie Sam watched, and some adventures with cars.

• (0:00:15-0:31:02) But First
  • Agenda
  • The real Importance of the Corn Palace
  • Kid accounts for online services
  • Book: The Eyre Affair (2001)
  • Movie: Space Jam (1996)
  • Ivan's car alarm rescue
  • Leaving keys in the car
• (0:32:17-1:05:47) Election 2018
  • OH-12 Special Election
  • People mad at Greens
  • Primary results
  • Democratic wave?
  • State races
  • Trump effect
  • Sam votes
• (1:06:56-1:30:02) Jones Removals
  • Platform or media?
  • Does presence of alternatives matter?
  • Private company rights
  • Human judgement and standards
  • Slippery slopes
  • Governmental vs corporate censorship
• (1:30:46-2:00:20) Corruption
  • Wilber Ross grifting
  • VA run out of Mar-a-Lago
  • Trump Cabinet
  • Trump and family
  • Grassroots grifting
  • Manafort

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's main topics are... Musky Stuff (Elon Musk's various companies and how he is handling them), Twittery Stuff (Twitters challenges in dealing with abuse, fake news, user experience, and 3rd party clients), and Trumpy stuff (Omarosa, Firing Strzok, Brennan's security clearance, NDAs, and the canceled parade). Before all that, they talk about Seattle Plane Guy a bit, and a couple more movies Sam watched recently.

• (0:00:25-0:21:29) But First
• (0:24:31-0:42:15) Musky Stuff
• (0:42:56-1:14:39) Twittery Stuff
• (1:15:16-1:57:50) Trumpy Stuff

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about... what else? The Manafort verdicts, the Cohen guilty plea, and the potential implications of both, and how things might go from here. But first, Ivan talks about airplanes, the podcast got another iTunes review worth noting, and Sam saw a couple more movies.

• (0:01:43-0:24:34) But First
• (0:25:13-0:48:22) Paul Manafort
• (0:49:42-1:20:34) Michael Cohen
• (1:21:49-2:02:14) What's Next?

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam is joined by guest host Bruce. Sam and Bruce go lightning round format and hit a lot of different topics including the "uberization" of all sorts of things, a couple movies Sam watched, preliminary thoughts on the 2020 Presidential election, whether Trump is being bashed for the wrong things, jury nullification... and more!

• (0:00:20-0:40:25) Lightning One
  • Bruce: Sam's shifting politics
  • Bruce: Bashing Trump for the wrong things?
  • Sam: Movie: The Incredibles (2004)
  • Sam: Movie: The Incredibles 2 (2018)
  • Bruce: Manafort trial and jury nullification
  • Sam: John McCain
• (0:41:04-1:27:19) Lightning Two
  • Bruce: Uberization of everything
  • Sam: Democratic superdelegate rules
  • Sam: Democratic caucus and primary rules
  • Bruce: Smoke detector batteries
  • Sam: Bruce and local politics
  • Sam: Election 2020

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam is joined by Bruce and Ed. The main topics are that anonymous op-ed in the New York times by a Senior Administration Official who has vowed to thwart Trump from the inside, and the circus surrounding the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings. But before any of that, the initial segment turned into a long lightning round, covering Hyperloop, Yemen, Manafort, Movies, TV... and more.

• (0:00:20-0:54:15) But First Some Lightning
  • Agenda
  • Hyperloop Update
  • Yemen
  • Manafort
  • Trump and the Allies
  • Movie: A Bug’s Life (1998)
  • TV: Sherlock (2010-2017)
  • Trump on Congressional Indictments
• (0:54:53-1:26:49) That Anonymous Op-Ed
• (1:28:05-2:11:42) Kavanaugh Hearings

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Ivan and Sam are all over the place. Topics include scandals in the Catholic Church, racists being unleashed by Trump, a new patron, some movies Sam watched, a look back at the financial crisis 10 years later, Ivan's new computer, an update on the kids separated at the border, and lots more!

• (0:01:24-0:44:56) But First
  • Agenda
  • New patron Bruce!
  • New iTunes reviews
  • Ivan's new computer
  • Movie: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
  • Movie: The Pink Panther (1963)
• (0:45:35-1:23:09) Lightning One
  • Ivan: Trillion dollar deficit
  • Sam: Pope scandal
  • Ivan: Financial crisis 10 years later
  • Sam: Status of NAFTA
• (1:23:48-2:04:47) Lightning 2
  • Hurricanes
  • Manafort plea?
  • Racists unleashed
  • Separated kids update

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's main topic is of course Judge Kavanaugh vs Dr. Ford and everything surrounding that controversy. In addition to that though, they cover new Apple stuff, a flashback to TV preacher scandals of the 80's, thoughts on the 1961 movie West Side Story, the 2013 book The End of the Suburbs, and more...

• (0:02:17-0:32:14) But First
  • No yawns
  • Jones, Swaggart, and Roberts
  • Agenda
  • Movie: West Side Story (1961)
  • Book: The End of the Suburbs (2013)
• (0:35:13-1:19:23) Kavanaugh and Ford
  • Allegations
  • The "if he did, so what?" defense
  • The "why did she wait so long?" defense
  • Other examples
  • Time pressure
  • The politics
  • Predictions
• (1:20:43-1:42:03) Mini Lightning
  • Ivan: Trump declassifications
  • Sam: New Apple Stuff

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's main topic is of course the Kavanaugh hearings. They cover the new allegations and other developments that came up before the hearings, Dr. Ford's testimony, Judge Kavanaugh's testimony, and Senator Flake blowing everything up to end the week. Before all that though, they talk about Sam's phone usage, Sam reviews a couple movies, and Ivan read a book!

• (0:02:41-0:37:47) But First
  • Yawning again
  • Agenda
  • Sam's Screen Time
  • Spanish Ninjago
  • Ivan Book: Twelve Years of Turbulence (2018)
  • Sam Movie: The Sandlot (1993)
  • Sam Movie: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
• (0:38:23-1:00:53) Before the Hearings
  • New allegations
  • Judge and other witnesses
  • The "mistaken identity" accusation
  • The calendar
  • Hearing negotiations
  • The Fox interview
• (1:01:37-1:16:03) Dr. Ford's Testimony
  • The opening statement
  • Mitchell's questioning
  • Reactions at midday
  • Was Mitchell a mistake?
• (1:17:18-1:39:44) Judge Kavanaugh's Testimony
  • The opening statement
  • Mitchell's questioning
  • Ranting Republicans
  • Democratic focus on FBI Investigation
  • Unnecessary lies
  • At the end of the day
• (1:40:24-2:09:06) Flakey Friday
  • The elevator
  • The Senator Coons connection
  • The Flake delay
  • FBI Investigation
  • What else happens in a week?
  • Flake saving the Republicans from themselves?
  • More to the deal?
  • Do they have the votes?
  • Who do we believe?
  • What does Avenatti have?

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk about the run up to the Kavanaugh confirmation, they game out the 2018 midterms, and discuss the New York Times story on Fred Trump's empire and the questionable ways it was used to help Donald and his siblings. But first, as usual, they discuss a few movies as well.

• (0:00:12-0:16:34) But First
  • Get well soon Ed
  • Agenda
  • Sam Movie: Neverending Story II (1991)
  • Sam Movie: Maleficent (2014)
  • Ivan Movies: The Twilight Saga (2008-2012)
• (0:17:14-0:49:36) Kavanaugh
  • Timing Disclaimer
  • FBI report
  • Things not in the report
  • Do lies matter?
  • Does being an asshole matter?
  • Why didn't Trump dump him?
  • Undecided Senators
• (0:52:17-1:15:53) Election 2018
  • Election Graphs update
  • House and Senate mirror images
  • Misinterpreting odds
  • Enthusiasm
  • Gaming out the Senate
  • Kavanaugh Impact
  • House generic ballot
  • Changes in the next month?
  • 2016 odds revisited
• (1:16:29-1:39:33) Fred Trump's Empire
  • Tax fraud schemes
  • Bailing out Donald
  • Are the Trumps in trouble now?
  • Are they still doing it?
  • Where is his money coming from now?
  • Investigations?
  • Other people doing this

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk the most about voter suppression and Jamal Khashoggi. But they also talk about movies, climate change, that Alpha Bank thing, TV, the space program, using airline miles, upgrading home broadband, and Rosenstein... You know, the usual hodgepodge. They kind of couldn't stop talking this week. Long show warning!

• (0:00:20-0:35:00) But First
  • Agenda
  • Miles and points
  • Broadband upgrade
  • TV: Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)
  • Sam Movie: The Blair Witch Project (1999)
  • Bad Movies
• (0:35:40-1:04:46) Voter Suppression
  • VRA Background
  • Georgia
  • Texas
  • North Dakota
  • Florida
• (1:07:21-1:28:35) Jamal Khashoggi
  • Background
  • Trump reaction
  • Financial connections?
  • Congressional reaction
  • Saudi reputation
  • MBS backlash?
• (1:29:14-2:26:07) Lightning Round
  • Ivan: Soyuz Emergency Landing
  • Sam: What the hell is going on with Rosenstein?
  • Ivan: Alpha Bank and Trump
  • Sam: IPCC Climate Report

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Ed joins Sam to talk about the many forms of disinformation, a congressional debate Ed attended, and they revisit the healthcare debate. Before that though, a welcome to a new patron, a movie review, a couple book reviews, and more!

• (0:00:20-0:42:39) But First
  • Agenda
  • New patron
  • New review
  • Sam Movie: A Shot in the Dark (1964)
  • Sam Book: The Brethren (1979)
  • Ed Book: One Person, No Vote (2018)
• (0:43:55-1:13:41) Disinformation
  • The new election meddling arrest
  • Trump strategy of provocation
  • Everybody doing it
  • Saudi Arabia and Turkey
  • Different types of attacks
  • Example WaPo error
  • Careful vs sloppy vs intention deceit
• (1:18:45-1:45:44) A Congressional Debate
  • Pennsylvania District 1 profile
  • The candidates in PA-1
  • In person experience
  • Local vs national issues
  • Trump influence on debate?
  • Wallace energy plan
  • Nothing on voting rights
• (1:46:24-2:06:44) Healthcare
  • Costs for Medicare for All
  • Gradualism
  • Impact on individuals
  • Types of costs and savings
  • Other countries
  • Mitch McConnell

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk MAGAbomber, the caravan, and Election 2018. But not before some shorter notes on credit cards, books, and movies. Enjoy!

• (0:00:30-0:31:19) But First
  • Agenda
  • Cutting Cards
  • Sam Book: A Study in Scarlet (1887)
  • Sam Movie: North by Northwest (1959)
  • Ivan Movie: Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
  • Correction
• (0:31:55-0:54:15) MAGAbomber
  • Background
  • False flag?
  • Intent to murder? Or just scare?
  • Equivalencies and responses
  • Motivations and responsibility
  • Stupid bomber
• (0:54:54-1:27:16) Caravan
  • Paid for by Dems?
  • Fear and Lies vs reality
  • Racism against immigrants
  • Melting pot
  • Port-truth persuasion
  • Root causes
• (1:28:32-1:59:45) Election 2018
  • Odds summary
  • Prognostications
  • Turnout and enthusiasm
  • Lies as campaign strategy
  • Dem strategy
  • Normalization

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Ivan and Sam's two big topics are the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh including all the surrounding issues relating to the climate that leads to such things, and their final pre-election thoughts on the 2018 midterms. But as usual, there are smaller topics to round things out, including thoughts on a movie, a book, a new iPhone, the economy, and even Gary Hart. Also, after you listen... go vote!

• (0:01:38-0:32:18) But First
  • Agenda
  • Local candidates, amendments and initiatives
  • Sam Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 (2017)
  • Sam Book: Arrow of God (1964)
  • Mistake from last year
  • Sam's new iPhone XS Max
• (0:34:18-1:04:24) Pittsburgh and Trump
  • Sam and Ivan Pittsburgh connections
  • Long term trends
  • Synagogue security
  • anti-Semitic motives
  • Presidential responsibility and response?
  • Trump and racists
• (1:05:09-1:45:53) Election 2018
  • Current Numbers
  • Early voting
  • Polling errors
  • Reactions if the Democrats win
  • Reactions if the Republicans win
  • Go vote... Democrat please.
• (1:47:09-2:06:17) Mini Lightning Round
  • Ivan: Economy update
  • Sam: Gary Hart's Monkey Business
  • Go vote. Really.

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's main topics are of course the mid-term election results, and the replacement of Sessions with Whitaker. Before that, a little on this year's new iPhones, and Sam finally catches up on the movies he's seen lately.

• (0:00:20-0:17:44) But First
  • iPhones
  • Agenda
  • Sam Movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
• (0:21:41-1:17:30) Election 2018
  • Quality predictions
  • No tsunami
  • Undecided Florida
  • Republican spin
  • Implications of the Governors, State Houses, House, and Senate results
  • Last minute moves?
• (1:18:09-1:52:52) Sessions and Whitaker
  • Trump's beef with Sessions
  • Legality of Whitaker appointment
  • Trump doesn't know him
  • Non-Mueller Whitaker issues
  • Mueller-related Whitaker issues
  • You ain't seen nothin' yet

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan do an all lightning round show. Twelve separate exciting subjects. These include... the newest Brexit developments, the Trump vs Acosta ruckus, the resistance to Pelosi as speaker, Trump's eventful visit to Europe, a book review by Sam, the Lion Air crash... and six more things. You didn't think they would all be in the summary did you? But they are all exciting. Really.

• (0:00:20-0:40:40) Lightning #1
  • Ivan: Border Troops
  • Sam: Book: Hands-On Data Science and Python Machine Learning (2017)
  • Ivan: Trump in Europe
  • Sam: Heading to DC
• (0:42:40-1:19:55) Lightning #2
  • Ivan: Assange
  • Sam: Puppy?
  • Ivan: Lion Air
  • Sam: Pelosi
• (1:20:30-2:02:18) Lightning #3
  • Ivan: Brexit
  • Sam: Brazil
  • Ivan: Acosta
  • Sam: Avenatti

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam is joined by Ed and Jon for another lightning round show. Twelve topics, including the stock market, an update on Sam's dad, Sam's thoughts on his new Apple Watch, Nancy Pelosi swatting down the attempt to challenge her for Speaker, that unfortunate encounter with the Sentinelese, some thoughts on spankings... and six more things.

• (0:00:20-0:26:39) Lightning #1
  • Sam: Dad update
  • Jon: Sentinelese encounter
  • Ed: Roberts vs Trump
• (0:28:22-1:06:35) Lightning #2
  • Sam: Apple Watch
  • Jon: Movie: Eighth Grade (2018)
  • Ed: Climate Report
• (1:07:50-1:43:38) Lightning #3
  • Sam: Nancy Pelosi
  • Jon: Stock Market
  • Ed: Comey Deposition
• (1:45:54-2:15:02) Lightning #4
  • Sam: Trump and Saudi Arabia
  • Jon: GoFundMe fraud
  • Ed: Spanking

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan talk for a bit about the incident that happened on the border between Tijuana and San Diego. Then they jump into the Trump/Russia scandal for the rest of the show, discussing both the end of Manafort's cooperation agreement, and Cohen's guilty plea on lying to Congress, and all the ramifications of both.

• (0:00:20-0:23:25) The thing at the border
• (0:24:05-0:49:43) Manafort
• (0:50:27-1:32:32) Cohen

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Ed joins Sam to talk about all of this weeks Trump troubles. They have all your Flynn, Manafort, and Cohen updates. But they also talk about Trump's housekeepers, a double jeopardy case at SCOTUS, the North Carolina election fraud investigation, and a milestone for the show.

• (0:00:20-0:35:02) Trump Troubles
  • Flynn
  • Manafort
  • Cohen
• (0:36:22-1:12:16) Sorta Lightning Round
  • Ed: Trump's housekeepers
  • Ed: Double jeopardy
  • Ed: North Carolina election fraud
  • Sam: Episode 600

On this week's Curmudgeon's Corner, Ivan and Sam do a quick show covering the latest court ruling on Obamacare, the 2020 Presidential field, Christmas at the White House, all the latest updates on Trump's many scandals, the Chuck and Nancy show, and Brexit. Short, but full!

• (0:00:56-0:02:31) Intro
• (0:02:31-0:09:53) ACA Unconstitutional?
• (0:09:53-0:20:26) 2020 Presidential field
• (0:20:26-0:21:34) Christmas Decorations at the White House
• (0:21:34-0:31:18) Flynn/Manafort/Cohen/Butina/AMI/Inauguration
• (0:31:18-0:37:12) Chuck and Nancy vs Trump
• (0:37:12-0:41:48) Brexit
• (0:41:48-0:43:30) Outro

This week on Curmudgeon's Corner, Sam and Ivan's biggest topic is the Michael Flynn case and everything surrounding that. Beyond that, they also hit the closure of the Trump Foundation, the mystery case going through the DC Federal Courts, Trump announcing a withdrawal from Syria, the current state of Obamacare, some movies Ivan watched, and lots more!

• (0:01:42-0:13:27) But First
  • Agenda
  • Ivan Movie: Adrift (2018)
  • Ivan Movie: A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
  • Ivan Movie: Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
  • Ivan Movie: The Children Act (2017)
  • Next week's predictions show
• (0:14:11-0:47:21) Mike Flynn
  • Recap
  • Trump reactions
  • Things Flynn touched
  • Things that don't add up
  • What is lurking?
  • Connecting the dots
• (0:49:03-1:16:59) First Lightning
  • Ivan: Syria withdrawal
  • Sam: Prison reform bill
  • Ivan: Obamacare signups
  • Sam: Trump Foundation
• (1:17:40-1:45:58) Second Lightning
  • Ivan: Fundraising for the wall
  • Sam: Mystery case going through the DC Federal Courts
  • Ivan: Stock Market
  • Sam: Republican power grabs in Wisconsin and Michigan

This week's Curmudgeon's Corner is the annual predictions show! Sam and Ivan give all their predictions for 2019 on the topics of domestic politics (both Trump and non-Trump), international politics, economy/business, technology, and other random things too. Tune in this week to hear the predictions, then listen every week in 2019 to see how they do!

• (0:01:09-0:05:47) Intro
• (0:07:47-0:48:17) Domestic Politics [non-Trump]
• (0:49:01-1:54:34) Domestic Politics [Trump]
• (1:55:14-2:10:25) International Politics
• (2:13:02-2:25:06) Economy / Business
• (2:25:44-2:39:55) Technology
• (2:40:34-2:53:30) Hodgepodge