OR ANY OTHER HOLIDAY:

DONT YOU DARE LET YOUR COUSIN WITH ONE INTRO TO SOCIOLOGY COURSE UNDER HER BELT TELL U HOW THE WORLD WORKS ON THANKSGIVING

— Wu-Tang Financial (@Wu_Tang_Finance) November 23, 2016

RELATED:

Thanksgiving Plan:

• Dinner table (Dining room)
• Kiddie table (Living room)
• Political table (Backyard somewhere, pray for rain)

— Stephen Green (@VodkaPundit) November 22, 2016

SPACE: A decommissioned NASA rover might have found evidence of past life on Mars.

THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE! Should ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ Be ‘Accurate?’ Apparently, Some ‘Experts’ Think So.

We could use experts whose expertise is in weeding out silly experts.

A METAPHOR FOR HILLARY AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Blood from Old Mice Makes Young Mice Decrepit.

Five days later, old mice did see some benefits from having young blood in their veins, including better muscle repair. But Conboy, who reported her findings in Nature Communications, says the really striking finding was just how bad old blood was for the younger animals. The aged blood inhibited the formation of brain cells in young mice and caused the animals to fall behind their peers in a strength test where they are hung upside down on a wire mesh. “The young mice became almost as decrepit as the old ones,” she says.

The research suggests that one day, instead of getting transfusions from young people, aged people will instead go to a medical facility to get their blood cleared of proteins that may build up and promote aging. Conboy says she and other scientists are working to identify what those molecules are.

Faster, please. Plus:

Given the swift and negative effects of old blood on younger mice—the results appeared immediately—this type of research could eventually raise questions about the age of blood-bank donors. A 2008 study in Blood found that the average age of blood donors in the U.S. was 35, but since repeat donors tend to be older, about 35 percent of blood came from people over 50, including many in their 60s.

Hmm.

THIS SEEMS LIKE A POOR WAY TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY: Black Lives Matter Activists Plan to Disrupt Black Friday Shopping in Major Cities.

KURT SCHLICHTER: This Year, Be That Obnoxious Conservative Uncle At Thanksgiving. “If he pops off about how Hillary allegedly won the popular vote, start laughing and inquire, ‘Then you mean Hillary was too dumb to win an election she won?’ Hoist your glass and call for a toast to the Electoral College.”

THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: What The Feds Have Done To Colleges And Schools.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: What Columbia needs to learn about free expression: The university’s punishment of college wrestlers went too far.

What’s funny is, Columbia’s president is Lee Bollinger, a famous First Amendment scholar whose biggest book, The Tolerant Society, stresses the civic importance of teaching people to put up with ideas they hate. It’s been a long time since I read that book, but to be fair, it seems like it’s been even longer since Bollinger has. . . .

ALWAYS LOW PRICES: An $18,000 Cartier Watch for Wal-Mart’s Black Friday Shoppers?

On Black Friday weekend Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is hoping some shoppers trade up from half-price pajamas and $1 DVDs. The retailer is also pitching $18,000 Cartier watches, Prada pumps and other high-price gifts on its website.

Walmart.com has jumped from offering about 8 million products earlier this year to over 20 million, in large part due to an aggressive pursuit of third-party sellers, outside companies able to sell products through Wal-Mart’s website. That has given Wal-Mart access to luxury items that can attract a long-elusive group: higher-income shoppers.

I went to Walmart.com, and while I didn’t find any $18,000 Cartier watches for sale, I did find a pair of Cartier sunglasses for a little more than $4,000.

THE INSTA-WIFE: Would You Uninvite Relatives to Thanksgiving Over Politics?

NEWS YOU CAN USE LATER THIS EVENING: Building a perfect turkey club sandwich.

TAXPROF ROUNDUP: The IRS Scandal, Day 1295. I love how after 8 years of Lois Lerner, Eric Holder, and Loretta Lynch, the folks at Politico are suddenly worried about the politicization of the civil service.

IS THERE ANYTHING TRUMP CAN’T DO? PART DEUX: Politico’s Michael Hirsh, then and now.

IS THERE ANYTHING TRUMP CAN’T DO? He’s got Dana Milbank appreciating adversary journalism all of a sudden, and he’s even introducing traditional Democratic constituencies to the joys of gun ownership. So much winning, I’m getting tired of all the winning!

WAPO: Trump turning away intelligence briefers since election win.

FLASHBACK: Obama Skips the Majority of His Intelligence Briefings.

JOHN SCHINDLER: Evidence-free left-wing claims that the Kremlin elected Trump are politically toxic and threaten to undermine our system. But that’s better than admitting that Hillary blew what should have been an easy lay-up.

Related: A reason US is confused on Russian espionage & subversion: For 30 years, academia & politicians marginalized experts who could educate them.

THE PROBLEM WITH LICENSING LAWS:

How might politicians address voter anger at vanishing economic opportunity for working people that helped push unexpected numbers of Americans to Donald Trump’s corner on election day? Immigration and trade have dominated the discussion thus far, but it’s important that policymakers don’t lose sight of more subtle ways the government has distorted the economy to favor the politically connected.

One example: Onerous occupational licensing laws that force people to undergo thousands of hours of often redundant and gratuitous training to perform jobs like auctioneering, tree trimming, and hair styling. . . .

Often, licensing laws are the result of higher-skilled professionals seeking to protect their market share at the consumers’ expense. For example, the New York Times reported over the summer on a state veterinary board that threatened an animal masseuse with a lawsuit unless she went to veterinary school. And Brookings has described the way that dentists lobbied to prevent qualified people from offering teeth-whitening services at a lower price.

Licensing regulations have grown steadily over the last few decades thanks to interest group pressure. This not just a minor concern for a few key industries; it is a weight dragging down the entire economy, raising prices while blocking access to less-skilled trades. The Obama administration has already recommended that states look at ways to loosen these requirements. If governors and legislators are interested in responding to voter anger over an economy tilted against ordinary people, this would be a good place to start.

I agree, and wrote this column a while back. And note that in Tennessee we’ve passed State Rep. Martin Daniel & State Sen. Mark Green’s “Right To Earn A Living Act,” which requires the various state boards and commissions to justify their rules. It’s a start.

DOESN’T ANYBODY HERE KNOW HOW TO PLAY THIS GAME? Hillary Clinton’s lead in popular vote nears 2 million.

But Donald Trump was just declared the winner in Michigan, putting him up over 300 electoral college votes.

Nevertheless, CNN continues to hype Clinton’s meaningless run-up of popular votes in Blue coastal enclaves.

LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: Glade’s Latest Ad Proves Candles Are Nose Porn For Women.

WHY WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW? Amazon Black Friday Deals Galore today!

Plus, save on Amazon Fashion for men and women.

And remember, InstaPundit is an Amazon affiliate. When you do your shopping through the Amazon links on this page, you support InstaPundit at no cost to yourself. Please do!

MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Men to America — Thanks for nothing: While Clinton and Obama were playing the woman card, men and boys were falling behind.

If we had a college gap that favored men as much as the existing one favors women, it would be treated as a national crisis. If our girls (instead of our boys) attended schools where teachers were overwhelmingly of the opposite sex, there’d be loud demands for government action. And if there were articles with titles such as The End of Women running in major national magazines, their tone would be alarmist, not smug.

Maybe it’s time for a Presidential Task Force on Men and Boys. Before things get worse.

It would be inexpensive, and help Trump with his base. And it would address a real problem.

NOT ONLY IS THE UNIVERSE STRANGER THAN WE IMAGINE, IT IS STRANGER THAN WE CAN IMAGINE: This space engine breaks a law of physics. But a NASA test says it works anyway.

I AGREE. DOUBLE DOWN ON THE “COALITION OF THE ASCENDANT” STRATEGY! Former Bernie Sanders Spokeswoman: “We Don’t Need White People Leading The Democratic Party.”