There’s a new Apple TV series we came across a few weeks ago called Pluribus. Very briefly, something (presumably from an extraterrestrial source) has caused all but a handful of Earth’s human population to be calmly happy. They all share their knowledge and experiences with everyone else. We don’t know yet what happened and certainly not what any plans may be, but it is an intriguing tale, definitely not a cookie-cutter show.
The story is built around a woman in Albuquerque who is one of about a dozen people worldwide who did not “join” everyone else and she’s trying to figure out what’s going on and how she can reverse things.
For our purposes here, all of this to get to one point: She has learned the “others” cannot lie to her and she’s trying to use that to her advantage.
Imagine what things would be like if nobody lied to others or themselves while drafting resolutions for the new year.
Several readers pitched in to help draw up a list of resolutions that might not ever see the light of day if people were brutally honest:
I resolve to not make my siblings cry.
I resolve to start cooking more and eating out less.
I resolve to stay away from sugar.
I resolve to treat clerks, cashiers, sackers, janitors, etc. with the respect and dignity they deserve.
I resolve to stop worrying about things I can’t control.
I resolve to spend less time at home on the computer and more time with my family.
I resolve not to yell, provoke, cuss or gesture towards irresponsible drivers who tick me off.
I resolve to totally quit texting and driving.
I resolve to quit smoking.
I resolve to finally get that extra closet cleaned out and organized.
I resolve to keep leaves out of the gutters next fall.
I resolve to not pass up an opportunity to help a friend in need.
I resolve to write in my journal every day.
I resolve to keep my house clean.
I resolve to stay away from heroin and cocaine.
I resolve to cut back on coffee.
I resolve to stop snacking while watching movies.
I resolve to not buy any new fabric or yarn until I finish the project I’m working on.
Good luck to those of you trying to improve yourself in the new year and thanks to contributions from Dan, Hayder, JD, Cyndy, Leah, Connie and Judy.
One more thing
Speaking of lies … everyone knows Donald Trump lies all the time. All. Of. The. Time. The Washington Post kept count during his first administration and tallied more than 30,000 false or misleading claims in those four years.
I’m sure there are fact-checkers diligently keeping count again, but Daniel Dale, a senior reporter for CNN, has taken a different approach. Perhaps you can say he’s been measuring instead of counting. He has compiled what he judged “Trump’s top 25 lies of 2025.”
From falling prices that were instead rising, to cities rotting from crime when they were really relatively safe, to claiming the people of Canada liked his idea of it becoming our 51st state when Canadians are against him more than even Americans are.
But I’m not going through the blow-by-blow … that’s why CNN put the story online for you to read.
Happy New Year!
Steve Martaindale 