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The rate of c-section births in the U.S. tripled over the last three decades. Doctors blame obesity, saying that obese birth mothers give them more delivery complications, like finding the baby.

A man acting as ‘Jay-Z’ in the Philadelphia Mummers Parade had come under fire for wearing blackface. His Mummers club then clarified that the man was actually black, at which point he came under fire for actually being in the Mummers Parade.

President Trump shot down a compromise budget proposal that includes $2.5 billion in border security funding, saying he needs $5.6 billion. He then shut himself in his room and refused to come out, but lawmakers weren’t worried, since that’s how he spends all of his mornings anyway.

A drunk Wisconsin man mistakenly walked in to the home of a female neighbor early Tuesday and passed out on a bed next to the woman’s 150-pound mastiff. The woman is now jealous of the dog since it was the only one in the house to sleep with a guy on New Year’s.

Presley Gerber, model/son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and husband Randy Gerber, was arrested for DUI in Beverly Hills.  Police said Gerber smelled of alcohol, and fell off the runway during his field-sobriety catwalk.

A Philadelphia man climbed atop a monument of George Washington on New Year’s Day, then fell off and impaled himself on the antlers of an elk statue at its base. The man was eventually hospitalized, after failing to convince EMTs to wait until the antlers fall off in spring.

Chipotle is introducing a new menu item, ‘Lifestyle Bowls’. The bowls help customers match ingredients with their different lifestyles, like Paleo, Keto, Whole 30, or Gay.

The Pennsylvania State Police reported that drunk driving was up on New Year’s Eve, but crashes were down. The State Police credit their educational efforts in teaching people how to drive better while drunk.

Netflix issued a warning about the viral Bird Box Challenge – recording yourself doing everyday tasks while blindfolded. They then issued a follow-up warning, clarifying that blind people are free to do whatever they want.

McDonald’s is introducing new items in order to increase early morning revenue. These include Triple Stack McMuffins, Donut Sticks, and paid tickets to use the restroom while it’s still clean.

China landed a lunar rover on the far side of the moon. Four other, faster, lunar rovers are lined up behind it honking their horns trying to pass it.

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Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts commented that federal judges must end sexual abuse & harassment. “You said it, boss!” remarked Clarence Thomas & Brett Kavanaugh.

Jeanne Calment, – record-holder for world’s oldest person – who died in 1997 at the age of 122 may have lied about her age. A mathematician alleges Calment took the identity of her dead mother. Calment now holds the record for dumbest woman ever to lie about her age by making it older.

YouTube celebrity Cameron Dallas was arrested after allegedly bloodying the face of a fellow guest at his Aspen hotel. Dallas was charged with assault, the victim got a bunch of hits.

Massachusetts raised the legal age for smoking tobacco cigarettes from 19 to 21. The legal age for smoking Juul and other vaping devices remains “anyone old enough to have thirty bucks.”

The state of Illinois approved bright pink as second safety color for outdoor hunters, giving them an additional option to traditional bright orange. Hunters wearing pink and orange together will be ticketed for poor taste.

Vermont will pay remote workers employed by out-of-state companies up to $10,000 to move to the state. President Trump is moving 500,000 federal government workers to Vermont to pay for his $5 billion border wall.

The state of Ohio will require public school students to be capable of reading & writing printed letters by the end of third grade, and cursive before completing the fifth grade – unless, of course, they’ve been given football scholarships to Ohio State before then.

A Chipotle customer in Malden, Massachusetts bit into a chicken burrito and chipped his tooth on a half-inch metal nail. Chipotle apologized, and said they’ll try a different way to keep burritos from unfolding.

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Researchers at Carnegie-Mellon developed a wearable wristband that can detect when the user is experiencing an opiate overdose. The problem is that addicts keep selling their wristbands to get money for heroin.

Iggy Azalea is being criticized for finishing her song during a concert while one of her backup dancers had a seizure. “Well, seizures won’t work, you guys got any other ideas to get her to stop?” said the other dancers.

Scarlett Johansson told the Washington Post that trying to stop the use of her image in “deepfake porn” – digital placement of her face on women in sexually explicit videos – is a “lost cause”.  Producers of deepfake porn videos say they’ve tried working with Johansson, but she won’t budge on her $10 million/movie fee.

Producers of the first annual Television Sexpun Awards released their nominees, with Netflix earning two Best Picture nods for Bird Box and Bandersnatch.

An opposition leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo has complained of voting irregularities following Sunday’s Presidential Elections. Martin Fayulu claims that voting machines are rigged, and that his opponent used an extensive misinformation campaign targeted toward the four voters in the Congo with internet service.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren announced she’ll seek the Democratic nomination for President in 2020, as verified by both those on her email list, and those close enough to see the smoke signals sent from her yard.

The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins & New York Jets all fired their head coaches after Sunday’s games, ruining plans for the teams’ human resources workers who didn’t want to work the weekend.

Fox News Channel rings in 2019 with its ‘All American New Year’ show, featuring an exclusive interview with President Trump. Trump is expected to share his New Year’s resolutions: improved fitness, diet, truth-telling and quality time with family.

Police in Minnesota who pulled over a Jimmy John’s delivery driver arrested him after finding pot inside of a wrapped sandwich. A replacement sandwich was sent, but the customer rejected it, claiming the pot was the only thing that could make him hungry enough to eat a Jimmy John’s sandwich.

Author Jordan Shapiro’s new book: ‘The New Childhood – Raising Kids to Thrive In A Connected World’, presents the viewpoint that video games, social media and smartphones are good for children. The publisher, Little/Brown, points out that Shapiro is eight years old.

 

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Thanks to a new Federal rule going into effect January 1st, hospitals will be required to list the cost of their standard medical procedures online. Although many hospitals are skirting the rule, posting “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.”

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau gave $35,000 so the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall – closed due to the government shutdown – could remain open, thus ensuring that hundreds of children will be properly bored.

With 2018 homicides up 11% in the City of Philadelphia, the police department has reassigned the Captain that runs the homicide unit. A department spokesperson told the media that he fell well below the targeted 20% goal.

The remnants of a wrecked 19th century wooden ship washed ashore over the weekend in Stone Harbor, New jersey. Historians believe it may be the wreck of the D.H. Ingraham, a schooner that caught fire off the New Jersey coast, remembered by many as the first floating meth lab.

Instagram users freaked out when the company tested horizontal scrolling of photos/stories versus the traditional vertical-scrolling user interface. Paramedics were called to the home of Kim Kardashian, who spent several hours spinning her iPhone trying to fix it.

Michelle Obama was named Most Admired Woman in an annual Gallup poll, ousting Hillary Clinton, who had held the title for 17 years.  Oprah finished second, and Stormy Daniels did not make the Top 5, despite her videos being admired thousands of times a day.

Stefany Miley, 48, a district judge in Clark County, Nevada was arrested on suspicion of battery for an incident involving her 18-year-old son. She allegedly threw the book at him. And also a laptop & a vase.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management offered furloughed federal employees a survival guide during the shutdown. One suggestion was to exchange painting or carpentry work for reductions in their rent. Furloughed workers said thanks, but the reason they chose government employment was to avoid any actual work.

Patti Stanger, star of Bravo’s ‘Millionaire Matchmaker’, is going on a live tour to help singles and couples. Although every guy who buys a ticket through Groupon won’t be matched up with any gold diggers in the audience.

Actor Forest Whitaker filed for divorce from his wife of 22 years, citing irreconcilable differences. He’s reportedly keeping his good eye out for a new romance.

Science journal Proceedings of the Royal Society reviewed sexual activity of mammals with a baculum, or penis bone, meant to keep males erect and inside of females. Raccoons have, on average, a full hour of sexual intercourse – during which time they exchange tips on where to find the best garbage.

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President & First Lady Donald and Melania Trump made a surprise day-after-Christmas trip to Iraq, the couple’s first visit to an active combat zone outside of their bedroom.

The President spent three hours on the ground in Iraq, shooting a 110 that he carded as a 72-stroke par.

Pennsylvania is toughening penalties for repeat drunk drivers. Second-time offenders caught driving while intoxicated will be now be required to both say – and sing – the alphabet backwards.

Lightning strikes in the Dallas area forced the cancellation of the Boise State/Boston College First Responder Bowl after just ten minutes. Organizers were worried that if someone was struck by lightning, there wouldn’t be any first responders there.

More than 3,000 patients may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis at the HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook, New Jersey. Although when contacted, most of them said they already had HIV or hepatitis from stepping on needles at the Jersey shore.

A father booked six flights on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so he could spend the holiday with his daughter, who was working as a flight attendant on all of them. He was upgraded to first class on one flight, dragged off another overbooked one and still hasn’t gotten his luggage.

An Oregon man became the first person to traverse Antarctica alone on foot with no assistance. “NO assistance?!” said a female penguin recalling several passionate nights.

A Michigan petting zoo is asking for residents to drop off their discarded Christmas trees so the goats can eat them.  Zookeepers said you can even leave ornaments on them that you don’t want because, screw it, they’re goats.

Police are reportedly in possession of a 2016 Snapchat video showing actor Kevin Spacey groping a busboy who’s accused the actor of sexual assault. Although Spacey is reportedly more embarrassed about 2016 video, ‘Nine Lives’ where he starred as a talking cat.

The top health question searched on Google in 2018 was “What is the keto diet?”. The second-most googled question was “What is ALS?” And the third most searched question was “If I have ALS, should I do the keto diet?”

 

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Italy’s Mount Etna – Europe’s tallest and most active volcano – erupted, forcing the closure of nearby Catania Airport. The volcano spewed ash and hot lava – although obnoxious Italians insist that you call it ‘gravy’.

President Trump took a phone call from a 7-year-old and asked him if ‘he was still a believer in Santa, because at 7, it’s marginal’.  The 7-year-old then asked Trump what “marginal” means, and the President replied that he didn’t know.

Melania Trump also took a phone call from a 7-year-old girl, who asked how you marry a rich slob. The First Lady told the girl if she didn’t already have her plan in place, she’s late getting started.

Regal the beagle, a canine working for U.S. Customs & Border patrol at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport, sniffed out a six-inch giant millipede in the luggage of a couple arriving from South Africa. The millipede was arrested for cocaine trafficking after a cavity search was conducted with a microscope.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released its list of the safest 2019 vehicles. Subaru topped the list with multiple vehicles, to the relief of lesbians who like to text and drive.

UFC 232’s light-heavyweight bout between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson was abruptly moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles after officials found “abnormalities” in Jones’ pre-fight drug test. The abnormality was that he actually passed it.

As of December 31st, the minimum wage in New York City for fast-food workers and businesses with 11 or more employees will increase; they’ll now receive $15/hour for spitting in tourists’ burgers.

A Kentucky man was arrested for assault after throwing a Christmas ham at a woman during an argument over when to have the family holiday dinner. The man was taken in  to custody, and several pigs living in his backyard are once again worried that one of them will need to replace the main course.

A 32-year-old Florida man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl. The suspect was arrested at a convenience store when meeting the girl, who turned out to be undercover law enforcement. “Since when are there 14-year-old girl cops?” he asked, still not quite getting it.

The NFL’s Oakland Raiders may need a temporary home in 2019, since their new Las Vegas stadium won’t be ready until 2020. Among the single-season options is Mexico City; imprisoned drug kingpin El Chapo Guzman said he’ll even let the team run on to the field from one of his tunnels.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, 41, reaffirmed his plan to continue playing in the NFL beyond the 2019 season. Brady said he has goals set for at least two more seasons, and he believes that he can achieve them with teammates’ help and referees protecting him.

 

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2018 was a very fun year doing comedy. I’d like to thank the people & places who gave me a chance to perform or who helped in doing so…

  • Cindy & Lance Asher at Worcester Golf Club, for letting us put our two 2018 Subourbon Comedy shows in your room — and to Michael Brooks, Andy Nolan, Abby Rosenquist & Pat House for being a part of them
  • Michael Lancer, for naming Subourbon Comedy, running it, hosting, featuring and keeping it fun. And for being a great friend
  • Greg Lynn of Graphics by Greg for doing such great work on signage & online visuals
  • Kelly ‘Bunny’ Miller for print work, busting my balls about Sabres hockey & Bills football, and cat chat
  • Ben Maher at Helium Comedy Club – it’s a privilege to do shows & mics there and I always have a great time
  • Vince Valentine [& Joe Roccia] of Vince Valentine Comedy Collective – for showing me how comedy nights run, for putting me on yours, and for your guidance as we started Subourbon Comedy shows.
  • James DeBenedetto of Comedy Shoppe & JJComedy – for putting me on some of the coolest stages with the best people
  • Fenris! Shitshows, but the best shitshows you could ever ask to be a part of.
  • Marc Riccadonna – for vouching for my jokes and being a supporter
  • Mike DiAlto at John & Peters in New Hope..such a great spot with so much history, and where I can honestly say I feel like a ‘regular’
  • Latice Klapa for putting me on a cool, fun show that was the 2nd-closest to my home
  • Joey Callahan for putting me on the show closest to my home!
  • Chris Coccia for the terrific slots at PJ Ryan’s, and for the low-key, do-what-you-wanna-do vibe there that’s like no other. Brick Michael Sturner, you’ll always be a guy I remember for great pics and camaraderie
  • Jon Koppel whose Forest & Main showcases are true gems
  • Rachel Sherts at Punch Line Philly, for the spots on All-Pro Showcases, despite my paid amateur comic status
  • Ed O’Hanlon at EJO Comedy on the Road — another super guy running great shows here in the burbs
  • Matt Beck & Crooked Eye Brewery – a great microbrewery where appreciative crowds actually shut up and laugh
  • Mike Dougherty – a true Irishman who appreciates a good time, a good show, good drinks and all the hokey jokes that I do
  • Kevin McGowan – Comedy King of the Poconos & Northeast Pennsylvania!
  • Missy Grynkiewicz Hall & Jeremy Hall – the first couple of Delaware comedy!
  • Bill Chiang for your support and telling people you think I’m funny
  • Michael Kelly & the Sucker Punch…I reallllly wish I did better..
  • Sarah Bell at Fergie’s….thanks for making me feel welcome
  • Denise at Bananas…who returned my thanks for the spot by thanking me for not being booked [and thereby available for a short-notice weekend]
  • Jon Hoffman a.k.a Trulove. You never forgot to remember me. haha. See you nye.

..Or Who Run Fun Open Mics:

  • Sylis/Jess/Dan/Megan/Seamus/Ryan & staff at the Grape Room in Manayunk. There’s only one Launching Pad
  • The High Note Humor Team at the Tap Room in Haddonfield. Sure the 90 minute drive blows, but the trip and the laughs are worth it.
  • Ed McGonigal, Darren Martinez & Michael O’Connell at the Northeast Cabaret & Neighbors Bar…there’s something to be said for a place where I laugh more about the experience than the audience will ever laugh at me
  • Erin Moreland & Chris Hayes at Marty McGees…I need to get there more often
  • Chris, who plays guitar at Liberty Union in Phoenixville. You like comedy even if your music audience seems like it kinda doesn’t.

.. Or Who Used To..

  • Ben Fidler I still miss Puck. Your kids are adorable

..And People Who Just Make Me Laugh and Make Telling Jokes Fun and Who Are Just Cool

  • John Kensil. If you’re not following him on Twitter, you need to. [ @johnkensil ]
  • Lance Henik …. you are too kind
  • JOOOOOOOKES
  • Jeff Ost … sound man, comedy producer, Santa, Scarecrow, rich guy extra, golfer…extraordinaire
  • Brandon Mitchell. Keep killing it.
  • Nick Kupsey. Accomplished author and online confidante
  • Jake Mattera. You’re just the best and I can’t thank you enough.
  • Erin. Who asks “what comedy do you have this week?” and who is always cool with how much, or how little, it is. XOXOXOUUU

If I forgot anyone, I apologize. Thanks for a terrific year. If you didn’t book me, that’s okay. You can do it in 2019 and get choked up seeing your name in this next December.

Love,

Chris D.

 

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A letter mailed by Abraham Lincoln just days before Christmas, 1863, sold at auction for $60k – by the family who just received it this past Friday.

Japan experienced its greatest natural population decline ever in 2018, with just 951.000 births. The slowdown was attributed to the devastating National Headache of 2017.

Madonna changed public relations firms, signing with Kelly Bush Novak. Novak is tasked with getting the world to remember that Madonna exists.

Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber paid off all of the layaways at two Compton, California Walmart locations. They did so after hearing about Tyler Perry & Kid Rock’s generosity doing the same, and followed through when they realized they didn’t have to actually set foot in a Compton, California Walmart.

Page Six reports that ‘Bull’ actor Michael Weatherly – a recent target of sexual harassment allegations by co-star Eliza Dushku – was the first person to have sexual intercourse with a teenage Jessica Alba. Weatherly offered no comment, but it’s been speculated that his harassment is a sign that it’s been all downhill since then.

The FDA is warning that unwashed avocado skins could lead to listeria poisoning, after seeing a rise in listeria poisoning among raccoons eating avocado skins out of Chipotle dumpsters.

A Reuters article claims that Amazon’s Alexa is occasionally offering up terrifying bits of advice via it’s “let’s chat” feature – telling one person to “kill your foster parents.” The person getting the device was upset a) because they didn’t know they were adopted; and b) Alexa didn’t tell them how to do the murder.

Comedian Pete Davidson was spotted watching Machine Gun Kelly perform at Cleveland State University, just a week after police made a wellness check following his Instagram post about not wanting to live. Friends think Davidson is showing renewed strength with his ability to endure an hour of terrible white-guy rap.

Wendy Williams apologized for slurring her words during an interview on her daytime talk show, attributing the behavior to painkillers she’d been taking for a shoulder injury. Her viewers have been especially understanding, since so many of them take drugs to enable them to sit through the Wendy Williams Show.

‘Flip or Flop’ co-star Christina El Moussa had an intimate secret, wedding to new husband Ant Anstead in Newport Beach, California. On their wedding night, they saw each other naked and budgeted $75,000 for renovations.

 

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President Trump issued government shutdown threats via Twitter, saying his $5 billion border wall is effective, and that he “knows tech better than anyone.” Trump then set down his unsecured smartphone and asked Barron how the thing he’s holding makes Mario’s go-kart move on the tv.

A GoFundMe for the border wall is now one of the site’s Top 5 biggest money-raisers ever. The campaign was started by a Purple Heart recipient and triple-amputee, who echoes Trump’s sentiment that wall-climbing is hard.

Valeri Spiridonov, a Russian man in Florida suffering from a muscle-wasting disease, canceled plans to undergo the world’s first head transplant after his wife gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Spiridonov said that at this magical time of year, it’s better to give head than receive it. [ h/t to SES ! ]

  • Meanwhile, nobody is more relieved at the transplant being called off than the donor.

Svetlana Zhakarova, a former mistress of one-time New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, claims that while his wife was away, he snuck her into his NYC apartment in a suitcase. She called the experience humiliating, but added that she swears by the quality and storage capacity of Samsonite luggage.

Amazon announced that Prime Now members who order by 9p.m. on Christmas Eve will get packages delivered before Midnight. In tandem, Amazon Prime Now Dirtbags guarantee that they’ll steal it off of your porch by 1a.m. Christmas morning.

Wawa, Sheetz & 7-Eleven all announced that they’ll be open all, or part, of Christmas Day. They invite families to stop in to grab a hot drink, or just sit in the parking lot to watch customers and gain a better understanding of Seasonal Depression.

WhatsApp chat groups are spreading illegal child porn. Parent company Facebook claimed they’re doing all they can, with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg clicking the Wow! emoji on the story after she read it.

Pope Francis urged sexual predator priests and bishops to turn themselves in. As for cardinals, he said they should hold off because he needs some help moving furniture when he gets a new apartment on January 1st.

A former chemistry major at Lehigh University admitted to poisoning his roommate’s food & drink with toxic metal thallium. The chemistry major fell just short of getting an automatic 4.0 because his roommate lived.

Samsung is reportedly working on its own version of Google Pixel’s popular low-light photography feature ‘Night Sight’, to be called Bright Night. Samsung said Galaxy phone owners feel left out because they can’t take flashless naked selfies in the dark without awaking their spouses.

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Porn actress Jenna Jameson shared three photos of her buttocks on Instagram, to display the progress of her appearance over the course of an eight-month, 80-pound weight loss. “Oh, NOW I recognize you!” said 50 different male porn stars when they saw the third picture.

A GoFundMe campaign seeks to raise a billion dollars to help fund the controversial wall along the U.S./Mexico border, and has already raised $3.3 million dollars. It was started by The Trump Foundation.

Customer service agents at DNA testing services like Ancestry and 23andMe are reporting fielding panic calls from customers getting results that reveal they’re adopted, or that children aren’t really theirs. They say the hard part is telling callers that speaking to a supervisor won’t change that their wife had an affair.

Kim, Khloe & Kourtney Kardashian and sister Kylie Jenner all said they’ll no longer update their personal apps and websites — abandoning fans who will only be able to see & read about them on their tv show..gossip sites..other tv shows.. Facebook.. Instagram.. Snapchat..TikTok…

Anheuser-Busch is investing $50 million toward development of cannabis-infused beverages. So around July 4th, when they put America on Budweiser cans, it will read Stoned America instead.

Following Alfonso Ribeiro’s lawsuit against Epic Games ‘Fortnite’ for stealing his Carlton Dance, ‘Backpack Kid’, inventor of the Floss, is also suing Epic for stealing his dance. Lawyers for Chubby Checker are ready just in case Fortnite characters do The Twist while standing in front of a walker.

Walgreens announced a plan designed to save the company more than $1 billion annually. It pretty much boils down to firing everyone who’s been stealing oxycontin.

The U.S. Justice Department accused China of systemic hacking into the systems of American tech & industry giants. Comcast said that the Chinese had stolen their Customer Satisfaction Playbook – but the Justice Department said they’re more worried about useful information that was stolen.

In the U.K., a dying man enamored of his two-year-old neighbor girl bought her 19 years of Xmas presents and had them delivered to her parents before he passed away.  The parents cried, then promptly opened the Year 19 gift and got wasted on it.

Saudi Arabia announced the creation of three new government bodies aimed at improving their intelligence operations after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The three bodies are: strategy & development; legal affairs; and a new & improved secret murder department.