The world of crypto currency is so complicated, I suspect that even people involved in it don’t understand it. That would explain how one of its top moguls, former billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the now-collapsed cryptocurrency exchange company FTX, managed to lose $16 billion in one week.

If you aren’t one of the investors who’s been devastated by this, then I’m sure for most of my readers, the only facts of interest (and amusement) are that Bankman-Fried was second only to George Soros in funding far-left Democrats’ elections, that he was described as being in the "bosom of the left" and "indulging in all sorts of woke causes," and now he’s lost almost all of his money. I’m tempted to say that for a businessman to fund the election of socialists is an even riskier gamble than investing in crypto currency.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/what-alleged-connection-sam-bankman-fried-ftx-democrats-ukraine  

But for those who at least want to know the answer to the basic question, “How does a company with billions of dollars in assets go completely bankrupt overnight,” this primer on crypto and the FTX collapse from Business Insider does a pretty good job of explaining it to laymen:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/billions-of-dollars-seem-to-have-disappeared-with-the-collapse-of-ftx-how-does-that-even-happen/ar-AA146nF2

Bottom line takeaways: You can’t have a fire sale of imaginary assets. And never trust your money to a socialist.  

Sounding the alarm

We’ve already covered the story of all the FBI informants who knew what was coming on January 6^th, and yet the FBI did nothing to prevent it. But it’s worth repeating, both to sound the alarm bell for the incoming House Republican investigators and because it’s always fun to read Bonchie’s take on any issue at Redstate.com.

https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/11/14/in-shocking-unexpected-twist-january-6th-conspiracy-theory-turns-out-to-be-true-n659068

I love the headline: “In Completely Unforeseeable Twist, January 6^th ‘Conspiracy Theory” Turns Out to be True.”

And They Keep Voting For More Of This

The Mexican government produced an anti-drug ad aimed at youth that uses video footage from a neighborhood in Philadelphia. It's filled with homeless people, tent camps and open-air drug users shaking, contorting and leaning against walls, images meant to scare Mexican kids away from drugs.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/streets-of-philadelphia-mexico-using-us-city-for-anti-drug-campaign/ar-AA140UB8

The crew on “Gutfield” jokingly asked how bad Democrat-run cities must be when a narco-republic full of cartels is warning people to avoid them because of all the drugs and crime. 

Personally, I think Mexico is on to something. Republican border states should take video of every American city that’s run by Democrats (L.A., Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Portland, Baltimore, Oakland, etc.) and air it on TV throughout Central and South America. That would be much more effective than a border wall in convincing migrants that they don’t want to come to America after all.  

Next time, keep it to yourself

If you'd like a prime example of just how insulated from reality people in Silicon Valley are, especially Twitter’s pampered employees, try this. A Twitter tech worker declared that Elon Musk was wrong about a problem with the Twitter app. Instead of writing a respectful memo or expressing his concerns in private, he decided that the best place to lecture his boss about how wrong he is was in front of the entire world on Twitter.

https://www.westernjournal.com/twitter-engineer-publicly-fired-trying-one-boss-elon-musk/

It’s another testament to just how thick a bubble of clueless privilege these people live in that his supporters were shocked that Musk fired him. They’re defending him by claiming he was right about the tech issue. Maybe so, but here’s how employment works in real life: you may be 100% correct that your CEO has bad breath and looks like a catfish. But try telling him that on stage at your company’s national convention and see how well things go for you.

A way to cool this idiotic and destructive behavior

Eco-protesters in Europe, who obviously grew up being told what special little snowflakes they are, have been staging protests lately that would make a two-year-old’s tantrums look like Winston Churchill speeches in comparison. They’re gluing themselves to things, wasting milk by pouring it on supermarket floors for people with jobs to clean up, and throwing paint on priceless works of art.

Fortunately, so far, all the artworks have been protected by glass and weren’t harmed. But a couple of these overgrown toddlers threw a bucket of black dye on Gustave Klimpt’s 1915 painting “Death and Life” at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, and art restorers said that despite the protective glass, they might have damaged the painting. Other reports said it’s unharmed, and I hope they're correct.

https://notthebee.com/article/climate-terrorists-in-austria-pour-a-black-liquid-over-painting-at-leopold-museum-in-vienna/

So far, just as they have throughout their spoiled lives, these brats have escaped the consequences of their actions with no more than a tap on the wrist. But how much longer will these childish assaults on irreplaceable cultural treasures be tolerated? Until they finally manage to destroy one?

There’s no way to assess the market value of that particular Klimpt painting, but here’s a list of auction sale prices of some of his other works:

https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/the-most-expensive-gustav-klimt-paintings/portrait-of-adele-bloch-bauer-ii-1912-2

I wonder if it might not cool this idiotic and destructive behavior if these two protesters were prosecuted for attempted destruction of property with an estimated value of up to $78.5 million?  

 JAY LENO HOSPITALIZED, “IMPROV” FOUNDER RIP

By “Huckabee” pop culture guru Pat Reeder (http://www.hollywoodhifi.com)

Some very unfunny news from the world of comedy: Jay Leno suffered serious burns to the side of his face when a steam car in his famous, gigantic “Jay’s Garage” sprayed gas on him that suddenly ignited.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jay-leno-sprayed-with-gas-steam-car-ignited-burbank-garage-fire-officials-responded-emergency

At last word, he was in stable condition with burns on his face and hands that luckily didn’t affect his eye or ear. A spokeswoman for the hospital said, "He is in good humor and is touched by all the inquiries into his condition and well wishes.  He wants to let everyone know he is doing well and is in ‘the best burn center in the United States.'" Leno released a statement reading, “I am OK. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet." I know we’ll all pray for his full and swift recovery. Many of us think of him nostalgically as the last late night “comedian” who gave us laughter instead of political rants.

https://pjmedia.com/culture/stephen-kruiser/2022/11/14/some-personal-reflections-on-the-death-of-world-famous-improv-founder-budd-friedman-n1645683

Also, we’re sad to report that Budd Friedman has died at 90.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/11/14/comedy-impresario-budd-friedman-dead/

The founder of the “World Famous Improv,” Friedman and rival Mitzi Shore of The Comedy Store created the comedy club model that swept America and gave starts to generations of top stand-up comedians -- although Friedman actually started his club as “The Improvisation” in New York with musical shows by young future stars like Liza Minnelli and Bette Midler before opening a branch in L.A. and turning to stand-up in 1964.

PJ Media writer and stand-up comic Steven Kruiser wrote an account of his personal memories of Friedman, the host of the club and TV’s “Evening at the Improv” that’s a must-read for comedy fans.  

https://pjmedia.com/culture/stephen-kruiser/2022/11/14/some-personal-reflections-on-the-death-of-world-famous-improv-founder-budd-friedman-n1645683

I JUST WANTED TO SAY: