Logging

Film: The Purge

Non-sensical trash after the first 30 minutes (which were good).

Reality Punctures the Matrix

Grabbing my popcorn - Bill Cosby's conviction overturned.

Huh

NYC board of election discovers major irregularities.

So in a few years are we gonna come to the following conclusions -

Election 2020 was indeed messed up?

Pandemic failure was due to CDC and other "deep state" paralysis and not because of Trump?

That the thing we should be discussing is defunding the CDC and not the police?

The Uber Theme Of Our Time

Mate selection the Western world. 

Women want and seek equality in the workplace (ie wages) but when it comes to mate selection, want a man who makes more money than them. Can anyone do the math and see the problem? (ps - men don't care if a their mate makes less than them and may even prefer it). Thusly,

Morgan Stanley forecasts that 45 percent of working women between the ages of 25 and 44 will be single and childless by 2030, the largest share in history. Single women are expected to grow by 1.2 percent annually from 2018–2030 compared with an 0.8 percent growth for the overall US population. By 2030, the percentage of single women will outpace that of married women.

Careful what you wish for because you might just get it.

But seriously, more and more, I'm noticing legal rules in our society creating unexpected cultural externalities. Could not the excesses of wokeness at least be partially explained by a whole lot of unhappy (and I'm guessing a disproportionate number of single) women? Should this not be at least considered?

On Cue

The matrix reveals it's intent. 

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden said on Thursday he is revisiting proposed legislation that would crack down on the giant tax-free retirement accounts amassed by the ultrawealthy after a ProPublica story exposed that billionaires were shielding fortunes inside them.

Told you. 

And for anyone who believes they will only crack down on the "ultrawealthy" I urge you to look up the rules and history of the Alternative Minimum Tax. 

Information warfare is being waged against us and the question remains: by who?

Updated Thoughts on Cruising and Rear Window

At the present moment, I regard a film where you need to check the internet to grasp the meaning of the ending as a form of storytelling failure. Cruising falls into this category. I might change my mind on this, however.

Rear Window rewatch - stunning film. The entire film, a meta-comment on voyeurism and fantasy. Upon first glance, Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly's relationship seems like a textbook case of preposterous male self regard and fantasy...but Hitchcock is entirely self aware of this deception and leans into it via casting, costume, and characterization. Grace Kelly is an illusion, an absurd, over-the-top depiction of the feminine ideal. And Jimmy is preoccupied with the nonsense next door. Hitchcock is making a joke about our perversions. It's brilliant. And no wonder he tried to coax Grace Kelly out of retirement to continue acting later in her career. 

Logging

Film: Rear Window 

Brilliant, prescient, more impressive in this moment than the vast majority of critically acclaimed films made after it. And yet still puts me to sleep.

Life Advice

Identify your own advantages. 

LA Child Raising Commentary

It appears during the pandemic a great number of indoor play spaces closed. Now, on hot days where can kids go? 

The "Right" Side of History

People who seem to think there's a "right" side of history tend to hide the assumption THEY and people LIKE THEM get to make that call. I rather doubt they are correct.

Logging

Film: Cruising

Long overdue watch. Must it be latent homophobia that I wasn't rushing to watch a 40 year old Friedkin thriller set in the gay S&M underground? 

The film makes a number of interesting choices, but does it all add up to anything? Does it need to?

Logging

Film: Trial of the Chicago 7 

Been a long time since I watched a courtroom drama... this suffers somewhat from being regurgitated liberal self regard that was charming in the West Wing nearly 20+ years ago.

America has since changed.

They're Coming

After your Roth IRAs. 

This is why they are planting the Peter Thiel story now.

The matrix reveals itself more and more each day.

Glitch in the Matrix

Per Norm Finklestein, the identity politics "people" are both a fashion statement and insurance policy for the powerful against working class power.

The deal is thus: we'll give you a great living (ie sell kendi and diangelo books, speaking tours, cocktail parties, etc) but when we need you to jump, you say "how high?" His example: when push came to shove, they threw Bernie under the bus in order to get Biden in power. 

The true purpose of the identity people are to distract the unwashed masses from the incompetence and corruption of the ruling class.

Maybe, you say. 

Here's further evidence: Gavin Newsom on his own recall:

"An RNC-backed Republican recall of White supremacists, anti-Semites and people who are opposed to immigration and immigrants is an accurate assessment of who's behind this recall."

Nothing to do with his own political choices, note. White supremacists...right. 

Every now and again, the matrix reveals itself.

Myocarditis Side Effect of Covid Vaccine

For healthy teenage boys, the expected value of vaccination might be negative.

If this proves to be true, my guess is the powers that be, ie our liberal central governments and local school and town officials will push to have teenage boys vaccinated for the "greater good," a position they would not take if applied to teenage girls or any minority group.

That's my prediction. 

Note: They will also rig the numbers with fuzzy math to make their argument.

Grey Hair

Is reversible by removing the stresses that caused it.

Good to know.

More of This Please

"Youth Protest Group Inspired By Greta Thunberg Disbands, Accuses Itself Of Racism"

Shouldn't all the school and corporate boards concerned with systemic racism ought to disband themselves, since they hold the power? They must be perps. If not them, who? The powerless masses?

Logging

Film: Carrie (1976)

The abuse, cruelty, and sex in 1970s American high school puts me more at ease than the neuroticism, anxiety, and safetyism of 2020s American high school.

Don't know what that says about me. I think I understand the former, whereas I don't the latter.

"No More Evidence For Lab Leak Theory"

Odd position to take: there is no more evidence for the lab leak theory today than last year. Yeah, because no one was allowed to collect any! And to ask to do so was met with the charge of racism!

To Vax or Not To Vax

I'm fine with people not wanting to vax (their body, their choice), but can we please send the unused doses to Taiwan, then? 

Local Corruption

There's a Chinatown in this story about California energy policy.

Logging

Film: Tombstone

Been awhile, for a reason. So many terrific actors in this one -- and one terrible, terrible actress.  

Racist or Genius

This is an incredible quote:

There’s some ridiculous candidates, I will tell you that. Andrew Yang is an absurd candidate for mayor of New York. He couldn’t get on my condo board, okay? I mean, this is someone who knows nothing about anything and has accomplished absolutely nothing. 

I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in school, but I can tell you that he would have been the most annoying boy in my high school. And he is still, in my opinion, the most annoying guy in my high school. So, he’s a ridiculous candidate.

Veep

Is it possible Selina Meyer is a better veep than Kamala Harris.

Unexpected Joy

When they send you the wholesale sized bag of your bi-weekly mail order coffee beans by accident.

Logging

Film: Big Jake

"I thought you were dead." 

"Not hardly."

A pleasurable watch. I prefer old John Wayne to young.