Queen Elizabeth II’s annual New Year Honours list was released today. Of the nearly 1,200 people who will be rewarded for their contributions to British society, one classic rocker made the cut: Ray Davies of the Kinks. Davies had been named a CBE — Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire — by the Queen in 2004.

“Initially I felt a mixture of surprise, humility, joy and a bit embarrassed but after thinking about it,” he said. “I accept this for my family and fans as well as everyone who has inspired me to write.”

Davies joins Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Elton John, Van Morrison, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones and Rod Stewart, who received his knighthood this summer, as other rock musicians to be so honored by the House of Windsor. Knighthoods were also awarded this year to tennis star Andy Murray, opera singer Bryn Terfel and Academy Award-winning actor Mark Rylance. Victoria Beckham of the Spice Girls was awarded an OBE — Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire — albeit for her work as a fashion designer.


http://ultimateclassicrock.com/ray-davies-to-be-knighted/

Mar-a-Lago sold tickets to New Year’s Eve party with Trump
The private club owned by the president-elect sold hundreds of tickets to the party the Trump family will attend.
By MADELINE CONWAY and KENNETH P. VOGEL 12/30/16 03:46 PM EST Updated 12/30/16 06:14 PM EST

Spicer, on a Friday morning conference call with reporters, said the party is already “sold out” with more than 800 people scheduled to attend, including actor Sylvester Stallone and music producer Quincy Jones, in addition to Trump, his wife, incoming first lady Melania Trump, and their son Barron Trump.

A person who travels in Palm Beach society circles said that tickets to the party were being sold for $525 each for members and $575 each for guests.

Incoming White House Director of Strategic Communications Hope Hicks rejected criticisms that Mar-a-Lago was selling access to the president-elect.

“The transition is not concerned about the appearance of a conflict,” she said. “This is an annual celebratory event at the private club, like others that have continued to occur since the election. Additionally, the president cannot and does not have a conflict.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/mar-a-lago-donald-trump-new-years-eve-party-233070

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jeff-sessions-attorney-general_us_586680bce4b0eb58648909c8

Jeff Sessions Omits Decades Of Records For His AG Confirmation Hearing
He once argued that doing this is a felony.
12/30/2016 03:34 pm ET

WASHINGTON ― President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, is withholding decades’ worth of records from his career ahead of his Senate confirmation hearings early next month, according to an exhaustive report issued Friday by progressive advocacy groups.

The groups, which include Alliance for Justice and People for the American Way, reviewed the questionnaire that Sessions filled out for the Senate Judiciary Committee ― it requires complete documentation of employment history, published writings, interviews and speeches, among other things ― and found “astonishingly deficient” responses. He left out major details from his years as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, from 1981 to 1993; as attorney general of Alabama, from 1995 to 1997; and as a first-term U.S. senator, from 1997 to 2002.

The gaps encompass the time, for example, when Sessions was nominated to be a federal judge in 1986 ― and then rejected after being deemed too racist.

He also omitted dozens of recent interviews, some of which included controversial statements he made. An October interview in which Sessions gave Trump a pass for making sexist comments, because “everybody knows that Trump likes women” and “uses this kind of talk,” was not cited in his questionnaire. A December 2015 interview in which Sessions says “the predictions aren’t coming true” about climate change having disastrous effects is also not mentioned.

Hamfisted Bun Vendor
?@MetalOllie Hamfisted Bun Vendor Retweeted Donald J. Trump
Hilarious! Meanwhile, a ewok-wearing, baby-fingered, tangerine meatwad is playing the whole of America for fools. Treacherous pisswhistle.

https://twitter.com/MetalOllie/status/814959603880435713

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/814958820980039681

Donald J. Trump Verified account
?@realDonaldTrump
Russians are playing @CNN and @NBCNews for such fools - funny to watch, they don't have a clue! @FoxNews totally gets it!

http://crooksandliars.com/2016/12/it-turns-out-trump-voting-coal-miners-need

It is going to be harder for Donald Trump and our Republican overlords in Congress to repeal Obamacare than they think. It turns out lots of people rely upon it for their health care, and they don't want it to go away.

Including lots of Trump voters, like the coal miners who voted for him in droves because they heard him say he'd bring back their jobs, but missed the part where he said he'd repeal Obamacare.

Here's the problem. Black lung claims were part of the Affordable Care Act, thanks to deceased Robert Byrd. Under the ACA, the burden of proof for black lung claims shifted from the miners to the mine owners. Consequently, many more miners have qualified for disability benefits and health care related to black lung disease, according to Business Insider.

Now, however, many in coal country may have reason to worry. Trump and House and Senate GOP leaders have vowed to make the repeal of Obamacare one of their first acts in January. If the Republicans carry through, Byrd’s black lung provision would likely be washed away along with the provisions for subsidized health insurance plans and expanded Medicaid for low-income Americans.

Some Republican aides say they may pursue a replacement through a series of small bills as opposed to one big measure. Leading Republicans such as Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas have said they want Democratic buy-in on a replacement plan. Breaking a filibuster would require the support of at least eight Democrats.

Obamacare continues to be viewed unfavorably by Americans, but the politics of undoing the law are complicated. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll after the election showed 26 percent want to repeal it, while 17 percent want to scale it back. Nineteen percent want to move forward with implementation and 30 percent want to expand it.

Democrats have made clear they won’t go along with Republican attempts to repeal Obamacare. Some are taunting the GOP as it attempts to write a replacement.

“Bring it on,” incoming Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said this month. “They don’t know what to do. They’re like the dog that caught the bus.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-12-29/gop-readies-swift-obamacare-repeal-with-no-replacement-in-place

https://twitter.com/TomArnold/status/814659914119323648

Tom ArnoldVerified account
?@TomArnold
Gamers. One more challenge. Behind here is 14 years of Trump Apprentice footage. Gonna do this the hard way. For America.#unlocked

Bernie Sanders is seeking a creative Press Assistant

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/jobs

Jobs
Press Assistant

Sen. Bernie Sanders is seeking a creative Press Assistant with strong video, graphic design and writing skills. The Press Assistant will work closely with the communications and legislative teams to craft and execute a robust and creative social media strategy centered around video and graphic design content. He or she will also manage the senator’s website, draft press releases and organize press events. The ideal candidate is skilled in the pre-production, planning, logistics, shooting, and editing of video for social media and has strong graphic design skills. Applicants must have the ability to work under pressure and execute both long-term and rapid response campaigns. Please send resume and any samples/reels to sanderspressjob@gmail.com.

Bristol Palin goes on bonkers rant against ‘sissies’ who refuse to perform at Trump’s inauguration

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/12/bristol-palin-goes-on-bonkers-rant-against-sissies-who-refuse-to-perform-at-trumps-inauguration/

Writing on her blog, Palin exclaimed, “If Donald Trump were still just a regular old billionaire and threw a party at Trump Tower in New York City, celebrities would be lined up out the door, and the most famous artists would be pining for a chance to perform. But because he will be inaugurated as the next Republican president in January, these same mega-celebrities, who would normally drool over an invitation to sing for the president, want no part of it.”

According to Palin, who now lives in Wasilla with her new husband and is pregnant with her third child, “Isn’t it amazing how ‘not cool’ it is to be conservative in the public eye?”

“Either Hollywood is that far off – or we have so many sissies we have in the spot light too scared to stand for what they believe in!” she concludes before listing off the, “11 A-list artists” who are refusing.

She includes Celine Dion, KISS, Garth Brooks, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, and Elton John, of whom Palin writes: “The Pinball Wizard himself, Sir Elton John, quickly shot down any chance he would ever perform for President Trump. In his explanation to The Guardian, Elton delivered a jab at American country music, too, which is surprising considering he stole all their rhinestone outfits.”