SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

MAJOR FASHION NEWS – FROM LEGAL INSURRECTION:   Designer Sophie Theallet has announced on Twitter she will not design and dress Melania Trump with her brand:  Theallet has designed and dressed First Lady Michelle Obama during the past eight years, which she called “a highlight and an honor.” Obama’s “values, actions, and grace have always resonated deeply within” the designer. She added:  "As one who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect for all lifestyles. I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady. The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by.  I encourage my fellow designers to do the same."  Utterly tasteless.  Going after Melania.  I'm sure the new first lady will have no problem finding fine fashions.

MAJOR SENSITIVITY NEWS – FROM FOX:   The city of Bloomington, Indiana, has renamed Good Friday and Columbus Day because the names imply a cultural insensitivity, according to the Bloomington Herald-Times.  The new, more politically-correct names will help make the holidays more inclusive, the mayor said.  The change was made Friday by Mayor John Hamilton, who sent a memo to city employees.  "We are terrifically proud of our diverse workforce at the city," Hamilton wrote. "That diversity makes us stronger and more representative of the public we proudly serve. These updated names for two days of well-merited time off is another way we can demonstrate our commitment to inclusivity."  The Herald-Times reports that "all city employees receive paid time off for Columbus Day, a federal holiday ... and Good Friday, the Friday before Easter Sunday. In the future, the city will be calling these paid days off  'Fall Holiday' and 'Spring Holiday.'"  I'm so moved.  Look, Bloomington is the home of the University of Indiana, and, like most university towns, is a liberal, fantasy-world enclave.  Not to be taken seriously. 

MAJOR CONVENIENCE NEWS – FROM CBS LOS ANGELES:    LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Instead of a destination wedding, couples can now have a destination divorce.  To avoid what can be a drawn-out and contentious process, couples who want to officially split can make it quick and hopefully easy by checking into DivorceHotel, where they check in married and check out divorced, all in one weekend.  For the price of $8,000 to $12,000, mediators and lawyers can help soon-to-be divorcees cut the cord in just two days.  “The whole idea is to get away from outside influences,” Michele Martin, mediator at DivorceHotel said. “There are beautiful surroundings. The couples take breaks. They go on bike rides. It doesn’t need to be the worst experience of your entire life the way people think of divorce.”  First you decide who gets the children, then you go on a bike ride?  Does the hotel give reward points should you want to return with your next spouse?

November 19,  2016