Watchful Waiting

"If "Watchful Waiting" were new expensive treatment, everyone would be raving about its wonderful benefit/risk.ratio."

Doing nothing can often be a surprisingly good way to handle problems.

Logging

Film: Unhinged

I'm only halfway through but the film is a considerably more unhinged than I imagined...

UPDATE: Upon finishing, I have nothing more to add other than a question: why does the kid always ride in the backseat of the car - he's like 12-14 isn't he?

True In Life

Was watching a bit of Detroit-Indiana hoops last night and one of the commentators said Bickerstaff decided Detroit needed to build around something and that something was a defensive identity. 

When I was a kid, there was this idea of being a well-rounded person and I still believe in that. But when you're trying to build something, it helps to become more narrow and find someplace to start. And I actually don't think it totally matters what that thing is, so long as it's something. It's just a place to start.

Ceasefire with Hezbollah

That came in a hurry. Wonder the behind the scenes...

Taleb claims Israel is a terrorist state. No, Lebanon does not control its territory. Taleb's antifragile theory when applied to societies might be indistinguishable from anarchy.

Perk of Getting Older

Is being able to see through the lazy narcissism (or solipsism) of many 20-something college grads who you used to be.

Logging

Film: Gladiator 2 

I suppose a satisfying film in 2024 - although can anyone explain why they needed suped-up CGI monkeys and great white sharks swimming around the Coliseum? Felt like a different franchise...

As compared to the first film, several things stood out-

a) Tightness of the main story in the first film - despite being a historical epic, the original film has a lean story contained to one major POV whereas this film sprawls out into numerous tendrils, none of which totally lands on its own. Some major character changes and developments are just hustled through as if saying blah-blah-blah now he forgives his mom and blah-blah-blah now he hates his brother -- as if the filmmakers are saying to the audience - you get it, right? As opposed to walking us through the nuance of the emotions. I'm sure there was a 3.5 hour version that attempted to do all this, but it ended up just being plot.

b) Charisma of the star - this guy Mescal is pretty good in the film but cannot match the movie star charisma of peak Russell Crowe. This is more a reflection of Hollywood in '24 where the studios and streamers are completely incapable of generating sustainable stardom.

c) All said, some good performances all around - enjoy Denzel as bad guy and twin emperors start well (but have nowhere to go)

What American Parents Are Dealing With

Institutions and bureaucrats actively making it harder for children to succeed. 

For The Record

With Sinwar dead, I'm becoming more sympathetic to the what is Israel doing now crowd? I've lost sense of their goals at this point. Are they still saying: return hostages? Does anyone believe that is their actual goal?

Articles

Feels like every substantial news I find perusing the internet is twinged with the same sense of foreboding -- hinting at an apocalyptic fear of whatever the subject of the article happens to be. Does anyone else notice this? Find it odd? It's like the same tonal treatment of literally every. single. subject. Trump elected - doom. Israel-Palestine - doom. AI - doom. Environment - doom. Guns - doom. Literally every subject somehow translates to existential dread.

Almost seems to me the subject is actually dread and the content merely an excuse to find it.

Bay Area

If you want a clue as to why Dems lost. Small example, but Newsom promises to build 1,200 homes for homeless people by fall. Spends $750 million. There are no homes yet. But we get a spokesman saying there is "progress," meaning they passed legislation and got some approvals. But again...there are no homes. Where is all this money going?

Interesting

Is polarization a good thing even if it feels bad? Like physical therapy. 

Percentage of the losing side who say the presidential election was illegitimate. 

2016: 56% of Dems 

2020: 70% of GOP 

2024: 10% of Dems

Something In This

"we live in a world where we don't so much own things, in many ways our things own us. Hot rodding is a form of radical ownership where you KNOW the thing, down to every nut, bolt, and wire."

That Jaguar Ad...

Is "copy nothing" except every single woke HR departments inclusion mandate.  

Argument Against Democracy

And especially in terms of bringing it to foreign countries. The number of folks who believe the US government was involved in 9/11. 

20% of people in the US? Do they even require 2nd order thoughts on the matter - like - what does the government stand to gain by being involved in such a thing?

A Generally Safe Prediction

If you elect a progressive DA or hire progressive prosecutors crime will go up. 

Logging

Film: Daddio

I believe we have a subgenre here - the taxi movie. Taxi Driver, Collateral, and Daddio... Features of this genre: primary location: a taxi. The taxi driver is a loner and a little weird. Some type of romance story as a subplot. Urban location, some reflection or perspective upon the nature of the city/environment. 

Feckless

If this is true, Biden will be remembered as one of the worst Presidents of my lifetime.

Time

Is time on Ukraine or Russia's side? 

Some argue any ceasefire or other actions to freeze the conflict benefits Russia because they can simply regroup and invade later.

On the other hand, Russia keeps descending into a lower geopolitical situation year after year vis-a-vis China and the US. Whereas Poland and other Eastern European countries are now hip to the game and will plan accordingly. Not obvious to me Russia will be in a better position in say, 10 years. Also, Putin might die. 

Then again, Ukraine might depopulate. Would you want to live next to a nuclear armed neighbor with designs on your land? Perhaps not. But if you want a free country, you are going to need to be willing to fight and fight for it. Not like the US was created overnight. We had to fight the War of 1812...

ChatGPT

Are we really that close to AGI? 

Checking to see if my students are cheating - "what are the visual symbols used in the sopranos pilot"

The Sopranos pilot, directed by David Chase, uses a variety of visual symbols to establish the world of the show and underscore its themes. These symbols often carry deeper meanings, connecting to the psychological states of the characters, the nature of their world, and the central conflict of the series. 

Here are some of the key visual symbols used in the pilot: 

1. The Squirrel Symbolism: The squirrel that appears early in the pilot, when Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is sitting outside, is an important visual motif. The squirrel is symbolic of Tony’s life in a state of confusion or tension. Its frantic, erratic behavior mirrors Tony's own inner turmoil and the unpredictable nature of his life in organized crime. The squirrel's ultimate death — being killed by Tony’s shot in the head — reflects the sense of violence that permeates Tony's world. 

Theme: This moment foreshadows the randomness of violence in the criminal underworld and the fragility of life in Tony’s world. It also suggests Tony’s emotional instability, as he is unable to stop the violence or chaos around him.

Hmmm kay.

 

 

The Process

Replace the word sex with gender. 

Define the word gender as something different from sex.

Apply the new word gender to all structures and institutions build upon the reality of sex differences.

Bring down civilization.

America

Matt Gaetz Attorney General

America:

My Wife's Theory 

On the election: median wages dropped significantly during the Biden administration. AKA-

It's the economy, stupid.

Weird

I just noticed today three huge apartment complexes are for sale in town. What is this a signal of?

The Biggest AI Use Case

For now, anyway, the biggest use case seems to be students cheating. 

Another Example Why People Voted For Trump

A psychologist argues you don't need to spend time with family members who voted for Trump because "family is not entitled to your time." 

Just...WOW. 

These people are psychotic - just making their own lives as miserable as possible. Then I read about 35-year old women who are giving up any type of interactions with men because of Trump -- joining the South Korean 4b movement.

Nutty.

I'm tempted to make a joke about the difference between fasting and starving, but I won't.

Wondering Why Trump Won?

Just another small example: CA trying to do something to address maternal health issues, but advocacy groups argue to suspend the suggested implementation because -- you guessed it -- "plan to reduce maternal mortality fails to address systemic racism and puts an undue burden on individuals."

Here's a part:

Sherrod said that even when accounting for other factors, “Black women still have worse outcomes.” For instance, one analysis of maternal deaths in California found that Black mothers with the highest incomes had worse rates of pregnancy-related mortality than white mothers with the lowest incomes.

Anyone want to bet black mothers with highest incomes are older than white women with the lowest incomes? Could that be impacting maternal health? Just a thought...

Campaign Spending

A clue. 

Campaign Spending; Trump Raised $381.54 Million

Trump spent $345.42 Million 

Only $10.4 Million was spent on Staff. 

Kamala raised $1.003 Billion 

Kamala Spent $1.37 Billion

Kamala Spent $582.53 Million on Staff.

I've often wondered why Democrats embrace such retarded policy positions. If you followed the 582 million, I bet it would explain some of it.  

The Clinton's invented this political access-->career pyramid scheme, but Obama hijacked it from them. The scam is now out in the open - but it remains to be seen whether Trump will take it down or use it himself. Probably a bit of both.

Why Trans Issues

Why is the trans issue such a big deal. It doesn't directly impact a ton of people in a meaningful way - this is true. But people are not dumb. They know if Democrats are willing to lie and obscure reality in this absurd a manner, it makes them think: what else are they lying about? And they realize - wait a sec - how about everything? Do you know the story about a shop owner who catches an employee stealing a small thing and fires her. Naive son says - why did you fire her? That's the first time she stole something. And he says, "no, it was the first time she got caught." This is the trans issue. It's a canary in the coal mine. It reveals everything about the mindset of progressives and far left liberals. 

Election Explanation #2

Is it possible the Democrats lost because when given the opportunity, they governed poorly? 

Adios

Qatar tells Hamas they are no longer welcome. 

Hmmm.

Logging

Film: Last Man Standing (Bruce Willis movie, not Tim Allen tv show) 

Dull and nonsensical from the moment the film starts. Cannot believe this film cost 60 plus million to make in the late 90s. Felt like almost no point to making the film, like a pure exercise. A lesson in here somewhere. 

Film: Jackie Brown

Odd feature of prime video - during credits of Last Man Standing it just flowed right into Jackie Brown. Music caught me. I ended up watching an hour, then fast forwarding to certain parts. DeNiro's character - Louis Gara struck me this time around. I could not help but associate him with with his Neil McCauley character from Heat. These films were made close together - Heat in 95, Jackie Brown in 97. So DeNiro more or less looks the same. In Jackie Brown, DeNiro spends most of the movie in Bridget Fonda's Hermosa Beach apartment looking at the Pacific Ocean. In Heat, McCauley has a famously post modern, unfurnished Malibu beach house that also looks out upon the Pacific Ocean. They are both ex-cons released from prison for bank robbery. DeNiro in Heat dresses very well, in Jackie Brown, DeNiro is most happy when Sam Jackson buys him some new duds and cleans himself up. On the surface, their characterizations couldn't be more different. Louis is a loser. A pothead. A space cadet. He can't even hang up a phone at one point. In fact, Louis is basically stoned out of his mind most of the movie and not paying much attention to anything at all. Methinks he's fantasizing. And what's he fantasizing about? Being Neil McCauley. Heat is Louis's fantasy version of himself - a version of what he should be, a coping mechanism for what he is. He should have discipline. He should have a code. He should be the best bank robber in Southern California. This is what Louis is thinking about as he watches dumbass TV shows with Bridget Fonda and smokes weed. He's powerless and what do powerless men do? They fantasize. 

The final moment of the Louis's journey suggests it as well. Sam Jackson says to him "you used to be beautiful." Really? There was no suggestion of this side of his character throughout the film. But Sam Jackson doesn't say this to anyone else. He lies only about things to advantage himself. He has no reason to lie in this moment. So what he says is true. Louis was something once. So maybe he could've been Neil McCauley. Because the best fantasies possess at least a possibility of truth. Maybe his fantasy version of himself wasn't so far off the mark. If only he had turned down that weed and that crazy pussy... 

My Theory on the US Election

Donald Trump had policy positions more aligned with American public opinion than Kamala Harris. 

Housing

The best solution to housing prices is to just build more. Every rule or complication after that including rent controls damage the big picture.

Matt Ygelsias

Spells out a 9 point plan to become reasonable liberals again. I can agree with it all. It also happens to be quite similar to all of Donald Trumps positions. And almost none of Kamala Harris's positions. Makes you think.

"Mental Strength Expert"

How does one become a mental strength expert I wonder? Is there a licensing board?

As Predictable As The Sun Rising

Trump's victory attributed to white supremacy... with the added bit of Latinos are racist too. The jig for this BS is up. 

The Positive Case For Trump

He can and did say this last night:

We're the party of common sense. 

We want to have borders. 

We want to have security. 

We want to have things be good, safe. 

We want great education. 

We want a strong and powerful military. And ideally, we don't have to use it.

Democrats cannot utter any of these words because they cannot think or speak without a thousand disclaimers and caveats that are full of internal contradictions. 

To A Hammer...

Everything is a nail. MSNBC now calling Black and Hispanic men misogynistic and racist for their voting patterns. 

This is not the way.

Logging

Film: Porky's

I doubt anyone spent election night 2024 in a more productive way that me - watching Porky's for the first time with a few friends.

God Bless America.

 

Reaction

The market sure likes Fascist dictatorships. 

Lessons That Won't Be Learned

1) Progressives are fucking nuts and 75% of Americans loathe them and every idea they stand for. And for good reason - they want to get rid of cops, gifted education, support Hamas, and make girls into boys.

2) Kamala was a terrible candidate from Day 1.

3) The Democratic party machine is giant group of liars subordinate to a collection of interests (including most of all, careers) and has no center or soul. Beyond irresponsible. They had four years to set up a candidate. Couldn't find one. Why? DEI.

Yep

The most "important" election of our lifetime. So says the people who said the same thing about the last 6 elections. 

Remember: the entire future of our nation, nay planet, depends on you selecting the least horrifying imbecile we decided to offer you

 

Vote This Woman

For President. 

What's noticeably absent from this Asian American immigrant - the total lack of what I'd like to call NPR-voice. NPR voice is symptomatic of the neurotic, emotional, incompetent elites we have running this country. The voice that equates inner feelings with goodness. The voice that thinks that words matter more than actions. Or results. The type of people who break systems like the border, public education, or the international order but since they - in their hearts - "want to do good" feel they are absolved of any guilt or responsibility. They should have the decency to take their inheritances and go live comfortable lives where they have no responsibility or power. But no, they want zero responsibility, zero accountability, and zero cost to their personal lives AND they want the POWER. That's what's disgusting about these people. 

Logging

TV: The English Teacher S1

A really good show, proud of its transgressive worldview. The version of the show that would be really pushing boundaries, however, would be a very similarly low stakes show about a straight, white male English teacher.

Still, I shouldn't complain.