Politics Plus

But today – NOT about sentences involving TFG and his gang.

And this will be a two-part post.

[Part 1]

For folks who enjoy the linguists out there who can craft a masterful sentence, NY Times writer Frank Bruni compiled a compendium of what he thinks were the best sentences of 2023.

To save room (and keep with the Fair Use guidelines) here are what I think are the best of the best – and just the punchlines.

But you can read the whole article here:

Opinion | The Best Sentences of 2023 – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/opinion/2023-journalism-writing-sentences.html

 

On Trump:

“… the putz knew his push for a putsch was dishonest.”

 

On republicans trying to out-Trump Trump:

“… makes no real sense to try to run as a more competent Donald Trump, for the simple reason that the entire question of competence is orthogonal to Trump’s appeal.”

 

On Growing Old Honestly If NOT Gracefully:

“… [Walter Matthau] reflects a life well lived in the company of gravity and pastrami.”

 

On the SCOTUS Ethical (If Not Legal) Lapses of Thomas & Alito:

“A #protip that will no doubt make those justices who have been lured away to elaborate bear hunts and deer hunts and rabbit hunts and salmon hunts by wealthy oligarchs feel a bit sad: If your close personal friends who only just met you after you came onto the courts are memorializing your time together for posterity, there’s a decent chance you are, in fact, the thing being hunted.”

 

On Becoming a Curmudgeon (Boy, can I relate):

“… looks like an Easter Island statue nursing a grudge.”

 

On Sarah Palin:

“I’d argue that Sarah Palin mattered in 2008, although she was less of a running mate than a running gag.”

 

On Jimmy Carter Facing His Final Days:

“Hospice care is not a matter of giving up. It’s a decision to shift our efforts from shoring up a body on the verge of the end to providing solace to a soul that’s on the cusp of forever.”

 

On Grocery Store Plastic Bags:

“Because they’re so light, they defy proper waste management, floating off trash cans and sanitation trucks like they’re being raptured by a garbage god.”

 

On Our Worship of Size (… Does It Really Matter?):

“… people have always liked really big stuff, particularly of the unnecessary variety. Stonehenge, pyramids, colossi, Costco.”

[Editor’s Note: But I LOVE Costco!]

 

On DeSantis’ TOTAL LACK of Compassion, Caring & Charisma:

DeSantis gives off the vibe “that he might unplug your life support to recharge his cellphone.”

 

And Bruni’s Final Selection – An Existential Note:

“Too many voters today are easily conned, deeply biased, impervious to fact and bereft of survival instincts. Contrary to myth, frogs leap out of heating pots. Stampeding cattle stop at a cliff edge. Lemmings don’t really commit mass suicide.

“We’ll find out about Americans in 2024.”

 

Personally, I think the best sentence of 2024 would be a really long one … given to Trump … without the possibility of parole!

 

[Part 2]

I’m well past the age of staying up to ring in the New Year.  But I do enjoy the efforts from those around the world to do it and do it right!

Sydney is aiming to be viewed as the “New Year’s Eve Capital of the World” – and they certainly have the credentials for it, the the Harbour Bridge and Opera House serving as the canvas.

But I was really impressed with London’s efforts this year with Big Ben and the London Eye Ferris wheel as backdrops.

I’m curious which one you would vote for to be the winner: