LA
In LA geography is infused with racial and class meaning. I can't speak for the rest of the country, but when I read 3rd and Fairfax, Santa Monica, and Downtown are the locus of the protests, I know where the soul of the mob comes from: college educated privilege.
Bastard children of the Manson family and Occupy Wall Street.
Hijacking the crime against George Floyd to get back at mommy and daddy.
Take a lot of pictures. Let these maniacs have to acknowledge and remember what they've done.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Progressive Left
Perhaps what we are seeing is the death throws of the progressive left. A last ditch attempt at relevance after the disappointment of Bernie's campaign and the fact that COVID made them irrelevant. Last night was their battle of the bulge. Maybe.
The "movement" is very confused:
1) They support the protest and "understand" the riots.
2) On the other hand, they think the riots are right wing fanatics infiltrating and hijacking the protests.
3) But the riots are also the fault of the police for being overbearing.
4) And the riots are also the fault of Trump for glorifying violence and white supremacy.
5) Yet the riots are attacking the police, who Trump supports too much and encourages to be too rough.
6) The riots are also attacking businesses because business is bad.
7) But the real underlying reason they are attacking businesses is because there are no jobs and American capitalism is failing. (Jobs are created by businesses).
8) COVID is a terrible thing and we should all be social distancing more and for a longer time.
9) But joining in mass protest is okay because racial injustice is happening.
10) But churches and schools should definitely remain closed.
I'm just going off what I'm reading in the news, on twitter, and seeing on TV.
Perhaps what we are seeing is the death throws of the progressive left. A last ditch attempt at relevance after the disappointment of Bernie's campaign and the fact that COVID made them irrelevant. Last night was their battle of the bulge. Maybe.
The "movement" is very confused:
1) They support the protest and "understand" the riots.
2) On the other hand, they think the riots are right wing fanatics infiltrating and hijacking the protests.
3) But the riots are also the fault of the police for being overbearing.
4) And the riots are also the fault of Trump for glorifying violence and white supremacy.
5) Yet the riots are attacking the police, who Trump supports too much and encourages to be too rough.
6) The riots are also attacking businesses because business is bad.
7) But the real underlying reason they are attacking businesses is because there are no jobs and American capitalism is failing. (Jobs are created by businesses).
8) COVID is a terrible thing and we should all be social distancing more and for a longer time.
9) But joining in mass protest is okay because racial injustice is happening.
10) But churches and schools should definitely remain closed.
I'm just going off what I'm reading in the news, on twitter, and seeing on TV.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Madness
Federal officer killed in Oakland.
This rioting dishonors George Floyd and the spirit of MLK. No excuse for it. None.
CNN story.
Federal officer killed in Oakland.
This rioting dishonors George Floyd and the spirit of MLK. No excuse for it. None.
CNN story.
"If you can tell me something better for me to do -- if you can tell me a way that we could change the world without trying to make noise like that, then I'll get out of the streets," Max Bailey, 22, said at the protests in Denver.Here's an idea: educate yourself. Get a job. Do the best you can at it. Fall in love. Have a family. Honor your ancestors. Find passions that don't hurt others. Raise the next generation. I say this without any irony or condescension because I believe it to be true. It's simple, but not easy.
Friday, May 29, 2020
Logging
TV: Dave, S1
Overall, I have to say excellent and the closest comp to me is actually Entourage in its best days. I somehow find it better, though.
Film: Casablanca
For work. Timeless. One of the few movies one can show from that era without any qualifications or irony or disclaimers to a sophisticated or unsophisticated audience and know they will derive pleasure. The worst part of the movie is the flashback sequence, but its a good screenwriting lesson because it allows Bogart's melancholy to feel earned and the entire rest of the movie plays because of it.
TV: Dave, S1
Overall, I have to say excellent and the closest comp to me is actually Entourage in its best days. I somehow find it better, though.
Film: Casablanca
For work. Timeless. One of the few movies one can show from that era without any qualifications or irony or disclaimers to a sophisticated or unsophisticated audience and know they will derive pleasure. The worst part of the movie is the flashback sequence, but its a good screenwriting lesson because it allows Bogart's melancholy to feel earned and the entire rest of the movie plays because of it.
George Floyd
There does not seem to be any nuance in the case, from what I can tell. The cop murdered the man and should go to jail for it. He has been arrested for murder.
So why the riots?
It has to be related to coronavirus and the losing of jobs and the sickness and helplessness that people are feeling. Does it not?
There does not seem to be any nuance in the case, from what I can tell. The cop murdered the man and should go to jail for it. He has been arrested for murder.
So why the riots?
It has to be related to coronavirus and the losing of jobs and the sickness and helplessness that people are feeling. Does it not?
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Monday, May 18, 2020
My 4 Year Old
"Are Black holes made of solid or gas?"
"I'm not sure, let me look on the internet."
Typing.
"Scientists think Black holes are probably a different type of matter than we can comprehend. The singularity would be incredibly dense and incredibly tiny - without the properties of matter we know."
"I think they're gas because stars are gas."
There's a decent chance he's proven right one day.
"Are Black holes made of solid or gas?"
"I'm not sure, let me look on the internet."
Typing.
"Scientists think Black holes are probably a different type of matter than we can comprehend. The singularity would be incredibly dense and incredibly tiny - without the properties of matter we know."
"I think they're gas because stars are gas."
There's a decent chance he's proven right one day.
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Design and Organization
One of my better moves as a parent was organizing out the little Legos by color.
Before, when all the little Legos were mixed together, my 4 year old - who can follow Lego instructions - would have a difficult time finding the pieces to build whatever design he was going for. I spent a great deal of time helping him look for pieces.
It took a bit of time, but we separated all the little Legos into colors. Now, he can practically build all the designs by himself and almost never need help "finding a piece." What's more: he sees the logic in organization and will put the Legos away by color.
I consider this an unqualified success and an example of win-wins all around.
Can we as a society find some similar win-wins with respect to this goddamn coronavirus?
I've been thinking about this mask thing and I'm wondering if the government hasn't totally screwed the pooch in both directions. Why are we mandating mask wearing? It's a stupid mandate because it can't really be enforced, can it? What we should have always been doing is encouraging mask wearing.
At first our government warned in the complete wrong direction by suggesting we don't wear masks. Perhaps this was the single stupidest thing the government did -- by undermining an easy, costless solution that people were already prone to do. Now, we're mandating masks in certain places - an unenforceable edict - that is building deserved resentment.
You don't get people to wear masks by force. You can't defeat this coronavirus by force. We need sensible, measure solutions that protect against the worst outcomes.
One of my better moves as a parent was organizing out the little Legos by color.
Before, when all the little Legos were mixed together, my 4 year old - who can follow Lego instructions - would have a difficult time finding the pieces to build whatever design he was going for. I spent a great deal of time helping him look for pieces.
It took a bit of time, but we separated all the little Legos into colors. Now, he can practically build all the designs by himself and almost never need help "finding a piece." What's more: he sees the logic in organization and will put the Legos away by color.
I consider this an unqualified success and an example of win-wins all around.
Can we as a society find some similar win-wins with respect to this goddamn coronavirus?
I've been thinking about this mask thing and I'm wondering if the government hasn't totally screwed the pooch in both directions. Why are we mandating mask wearing? It's a stupid mandate because it can't really be enforced, can it? What we should have always been doing is encouraging mask wearing.
At first our government warned in the complete wrong direction by suggesting we don't wear masks. Perhaps this was the single stupidest thing the government did -- by undermining an easy, costless solution that people were already prone to do. Now, we're mandating masks in certain places - an unenforceable edict - that is building deserved resentment.
You don't get people to wear masks by force. You can't defeat this coronavirus by force. We need sensible, measure solutions that protect against the worst outcomes.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Anti-fragility
An anti-fragile organization grows stronger under duress.
With all the negativity and uncertainty surrounding COVID, I thought it would be a good exercise to focus on how to individually respond to COVID in an anti-fragile manner. Goals:
1) Spend more time teaching my kids stuff -- most of all - how to be curious and learn they can teach themselves. Include important life basics.
2) Since I'm at home all the time, take better care of the house and yard.
3) Eat better. At first, I was eating worse. More snacking. I now see this as an opportunity to develop some more discipline -- that age has arrived where it matters.
4) Watch less sports and read more.
5) Become better prepared for future emergencies - treat this as a trial run.
6) Set higher standards for my writing product.
7) Practice more gratitude.
8) Get or maintain big picture adult life matters in order - insurances, savings, investments, housing, wills, debts, etc.
9) Keep job skills sharp - ethos of continual improvement and innovation and learning.
10) Find new ways to spend time outside.
11) Consider cosmic and spiritual questions more, ideological questions less.
12) Improve my support for my local community.
An anti-fragile organization grows stronger under duress.
With all the negativity and uncertainty surrounding COVID, I thought it would be a good exercise to focus on how to individually respond to COVID in an anti-fragile manner. Goals:
1) Spend more time teaching my kids stuff -- most of all - how to be curious and learn they can teach themselves. Include important life basics.
2) Since I'm at home all the time, take better care of the house and yard.
3) Eat better. At first, I was eating worse. More snacking. I now see this as an opportunity to develop some more discipline -- that age has arrived where it matters.
4) Watch less sports and read more.
5) Become better prepared for future emergencies - treat this as a trial run.
6) Set higher standards for my writing product.
7) Practice more gratitude.
8) Get or maintain big picture adult life matters in order - insurances, savings, investments, housing, wills, debts, etc.
9) Keep job skills sharp - ethos of continual improvement and innovation and learning.
10) Find new ways to spend time outside.
11) Consider cosmic and spiritual questions more, ideological questions less.
12) Improve my support for my local community.
Friday, May 08, 2020
Aliens
Oh, and there's aliens here too.
Aliens and a mysterious virus at the same time. Coincidence?
Oh, and there's aliens here too.
Aliens and a mysterious virus at the same time. Coincidence?
Wednesday, May 06, 2020
A Theory of Politics
Should politics be organized by the question: how am I being screwed?
A lot of the anger out there can be attributed to this, I think: people know they are being screwed, but can't exactly see how.
Heard this on a podcast this AM: our social security system favors the rich over the poor. How? The rich tend to be healthier and live longer and thus reap the social security benefits far over the poor. This is a perfect example about how a "fair" system built in the 1930s has been hijacked by real life developments. Think on this - the rich overly use Social Security as an "annuity," waiting until the oldest age possible to collect the largest benefit whereas the poor use Social Security as a way to eat. Not only that - the system itself is running out of money - and we are paying rich old people who don't need the money and who will live a long time for the rest of their lives at the expense of future generations who will certain either - take cuts or pay higher taxes. This systemitizes theft - rich from poor, present for future all under the guise of a fair system. The flip side is -- hey this is money people (rich or poor) put into the system. We can't take their benefit away. This was the game we agreed upon. But is it? Isn't this a game that accumulates and confers benefits to winners at the expense of losers? All under the guise of a social safety net? Something to me is fishy....
And this: older homeowners have rigged the housing market to transfer wealth from younger generations to themselves by manipulating local zoning laws to discourage building. This is why housing costs so much in certain regions.
Should politics be organized by the question: how am I being screwed?
A lot of the anger out there can be attributed to this, I think: people know they are being screwed, but can't exactly see how.
Heard this on a podcast this AM: our social security system favors the rich over the poor. How? The rich tend to be healthier and live longer and thus reap the social security benefits far over the poor. This is a perfect example about how a "fair" system built in the 1930s has been hijacked by real life developments. Think on this - the rich overly use Social Security as an "annuity," waiting until the oldest age possible to collect the largest benefit whereas the poor use Social Security as a way to eat. Not only that - the system itself is running out of money - and we are paying rich old people who don't need the money and who will live a long time for the rest of their lives at the expense of future generations who will certain either - take cuts or pay higher taxes. This systemitizes theft - rich from poor, present for future all under the guise of a fair system. The flip side is -- hey this is money people (rich or poor) put into the system. We can't take their benefit away. This was the game we agreed upon. But is it? Isn't this a game that accumulates and confers benefits to winners at the expense of losers? All under the guise of a social safety net? Something to me is fishy....
And this: older homeowners have rigged the housing market to transfer wealth from younger generations to themselves by manipulating local zoning laws to discourage building. This is why housing costs so much in certain regions.
Monday, May 04, 2020
Drugs
In 2018 there were 67,367 drug overdose deaths in the United States.
And that doesn't count all the other drug related deaths - violence, suicides, etc.
In 2018 there were 67,367 drug overdose deaths in the United States.
And that doesn't count all the other drug related deaths - violence, suicides, etc.
Unexpected
JCrew files bankruptcy.
I predict many more strange results of coronavirus. But this one is odd. So much of Jcrew is online orders, I imagine. And I thought it was a pretty robust brand. I buy a lot of their stuff.
JCrew files bankruptcy.
I predict many more strange results of coronavirus. But this one is odd. So much of Jcrew is online orders, I imagine. And I thought it was a pretty robust brand. I buy a lot of their stuff.
Sunday, May 03, 2020
Yep
People are going starve not because of this disease but because of the political response.
People are going starve not because of this disease but because of the political response.
Now as the pressure grows to resume normal life, many insist we wait for experts to give us a scientific “all-clear.” But as the world-wide disaster resulting from global shutdowns unfolds, it should be apparent that these experts have made a classic health care mistake: treating the disease instead of the patient.And this:
Proponents are so bought into shutdown that they seem to have forgotten its original rationale. Shutdown was designed to “flatten the curve,” spreading infections over a long enough time period to prevent surge demand at any time on the health care system. Shutdown was intended to defer some of the pain of the pandemic, not eliminate it. An alternative strategy of encouraging rapid herd immunity accepts the risks of worse short-term results in hopes of a quicker end to the pandemic. By definition, we’ll be unable to judge which was a wiser approach for years. Yet any country trying more limited social distancing in the aim of early herd immunity has been branded a failure by public health experts as soon as their numbers tick even slightly worse than a shutdown country’s. That’s dogma, not science.We live in an era of anxiety. Our decision making are driving by the anxious, or appeasing the anxious. Hallmarks of such decision making are doing anything to relieve temporary pain without any regard to the long term consequence. The pain in this case is: people will get sick from this disease and die. Luckily, a lot fewer than we initially thought. The long term consequence of shutting down the world economy for any more time: no one in their right mind knows, but I'm positive, it will be very, very bad.
American Childhood
One the best long form articles of the year. Almost too much to excerpt. But some good bits:
Anyhow, perhaps the lesson is: do less?
One the best long form articles of the year. Almost too much to excerpt. But some good bits:
Therapists who treat anxiety like to talk about how short-term pain leads to long-term gain—how enduring discomfort now can make you more resilient later. In recent decades, however, the opposite principle has guided many American parents, and not only when it comes to the parenting of anxious children: On everything from toilet training to eating and sleeping habits, many of our parenting strategies trade short-term gain (a few minutes saved here, a conflict averted there) for long-term pain.Consider this:
The split screen between the two things—learning to read and write, still in diapers—foreshadows the situation later on, when high-school kids shoulder intense academic pressure even as many are behind in developing life skills.)All this seems particularly present amongst what one might call the meritocracy. Much of it, I believe can be traced back to what the meritocrats over value and that is achievement. They seek the same for their children (this is unhealthy in and of itself), but even a more perverse outcome is that their children become tokens of their own achievement (someone else should write an essay on this).
Anyhow, perhaps the lesson is: do less?
Saturday, May 02, 2020
Cash
On home mortgages.
I'm not a financial expert, but to my mind the most robust holding is good old fashioned CASH.
On home mortgages.
The bank also has temporarily stopped offering cash-out refinance loans, as well as some “non-conforming” loans and most home equity loans higher than $250,000, according to Reuters.Just remember a lot of those things you think are there - jobs, stock holdings, insurance, mortgage lenders, etc. are often not when you need them.
I'm not a financial expert, but to my mind the most robust holding is good old fashioned CASH.
If I Were A Betting Man
I'd best this guy is right about COVID.
I'd best this guy is right about COVID.
He also observes that the total number of deaths we are seeing, in places as diverse as New York City, parts of England, parts of France and Northern Italy, all seem to level out at a very similar fraction of the total population. “Are they all practising equally good social distancing? I don’t think so.” He disagrees with Sir David Spiegelhalter’s calculations that the totem is around one additional year of excess deaths, while (by adjusting to match the effects seen on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship) he calculates that it is more like one month of excess death that is need before the virus peters out.
Such Weird Times
That in the past week or so, it seems we've found public evidence of UFOs and a black hole in our solar system and it barely registers.
Thought: could the two be connected?
That in the past week or so, it seems we've found public evidence of UFOs and a black hole in our solar system and it barely registers.
Thought: could the two be connected?
Friday, May 01, 2020
Drunk With Authority
Two things I'm amazed by in stage 2 of this coronavirus:
1) How drunk with authority our politicians are.
2) How much of coastal America seems to agree with it.
The other day Trump "ordered" meat processing plant workers back to work. Last time I checked, the Constitution doesn't grant the executive the power to force anyone to work. PERHAPS the states have some authority to make sure police, etc cannot strike, but no President of mine orders me to go to work.
And then his political polar opposite (but they are similar creatures of ambition and sycophantry) - Gavin Newsom - sees some pictures of beach goers on the news and drunk with his own authority, decides to close all state beaches! Under what power? He cites "science." Is there any shred of scientific evidence that going to the beach on 90 degree plus days causes coronavirus to spread? Is there a single hospital case of this? The entire exercise is completely absurd and so divorced from what we've actually learned about the coronavirus over the past four weeks. His move is petty, paternalistic, and stupid.
And cheered by liberals. Not because it's smart, but because it punishes those who disagree with them politically and ideologically.
This should be a separate post, but how does it feel to be a grocery worker, a plant worker, who is getting paid the same or less than their friends and family who are getting paid to sit on the couch and watch netflix? We should be doubling the pay of all these workers already AND charging more for the "essential" products at the stores. By upping the costs, people would buy less and we'd see less hoarding. Or at least make hoarding more expensive.
And I'm not against the extended unemployment or any of that - it was needed, but let's not pretend that it's sustainable for more than a couple months.
Two things I'm amazed by in stage 2 of this coronavirus:
1) How drunk with authority our politicians are.
2) How much of coastal America seems to agree with it.
The other day Trump "ordered" meat processing plant workers back to work. Last time I checked, the Constitution doesn't grant the executive the power to force anyone to work. PERHAPS the states have some authority to make sure police, etc cannot strike, but no President of mine orders me to go to work.
And then his political polar opposite (but they are similar creatures of ambition and sycophantry) - Gavin Newsom - sees some pictures of beach goers on the news and drunk with his own authority, decides to close all state beaches! Under what power? He cites "science." Is there any shred of scientific evidence that going to the beach on 90 degree plus days causes coronavirus to spread? Is there a single hospital case of this? The entire exercise is completely absurd and so divorced from what we've actually learned about the coronavirus over the past four weeks. His move is petty, paternalistic, and stupid.
And cheered by liberals. Not because it's smart, but because it punishes those who disagree with them politically and ideologically.
This should be a separate post, but how does it feel to be a grocery worker, a plant worker, who is getting paid the same or less than their friends and family who are getting paid to sit on the couch and watch netflix? We should be doubling the pay of all these workers already AND charging more for the "essential" products at the stores. By upping the costs, people would buy less and we'd see less hoarding. Or at least make hoarding more expensive.
And I'm not against the extended unemployment or any of that - it was needed, but let's not pretend that it's sustainable for more than a couple months.
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