Metaverse

What Zuckerberg calls the Metaverse, I call a bunch of obese people laying on the couch with goggles on eating cheetos. 

Think I'll be living out my time in the physical world. Thanks, though.

State Funded Pre-K

Let's be honest here: this is for the parents, not the kids. 

America

In the 20th century, we saved the world. In the 21st, I expect the world to return the favor. 

NBA Vaccinations

I'm not heavily invested in the NBA vaccination debate, but it strikes me there is a stronger argument for mandatory vaccinations in an NBA setting (vs normal workplaces) due to physical proximity, etc.

A bit inegalitarian to force refs, team employees, etc to get vaccinated while not also mandating the same for players. Not that I'm an egalitarian. 

Unintended Consequences

Thousands of NYC teachers may be suspended on Tuesday.

Underdiscussed

78% of those hospitalized with COVID are overweight or obese. 

Given how much we discuss masks and vaccines, there's been relatively little discussion how we could've avoided the huge COVID death toll by being generally in better shape. Why isn't this part of our national discussion?

Indicators

I know you can't fully know a person's character by the mere presence of a face tattoo, but as a simple heuristic, I would probably avoid hiring them for say...childcare or many other jobs that require good judgement. 

Similarly, if a person in power spends a lot of other's people time and/or money on "anti-racism" or CRT, I'd be willing to bet they are attempting to distract you from some form of thievery on the other end.

Like, he opts to give his employees CRT training and pay Kendi versus giving them a matching 401k contribution. Which would you rather have?

Defund The Police

Someone needs to study the policy implications of defunding the police. Do they lead to more crime and murders of black and brown people? Are those policies therefore racist?

Do You Have An Allergy to Lies Or Not?

Kendi claims POC don't have access to vaccines. 

Are they unable to get to CVS?

Polio Vaccine    

Apparently, people were skeptical of the polio vaccine when it came out and Elvis himself got vaccinated on the Ed Sullivan show to help encourage people. Huh. 

Makes one wonder if anyone in the public health establishment was even thinking about vaccinate hesitancy and how one might get the message out. Did they decide upon name calling and nagging as their marketing policy?

No one thought to get in touch with Nicki Minaj's swollen balled cousin?

Thought

Joe Pesci is the American Bob Hoskins. 

The Big Lie: 1619

I understand the Nicole Hannah Jones's of the world. They got a hustle. The sickness is with the people who won't call it what is. In other words, many of us.

It required no advanced knowledge of American history to understand the perversity of The 1619 Project’s lead essay’s treatment of the Revolution. If it were a high school history paper, that discussion alone would have been grounds for failure. It’s rare, after all, to read a student get every single stated fact perfectly wrong, in support of a proposition for which there is no other evidence cited, on two of the most important topics in all of U.S. history, indeed, all of modern history, the causes of the American Revolution and the origins of antislavery. But this wasn’t a high school paper, it was the New York Times Magazine, and the author was, according to her contributor’s biography, a highly acclaimed journalist. The essay may have been historically fallacious, but it was also inflammatory and attention-getting.

It's a gigantic, deliberate lie. In a real society, NHJ would be an unemployable laughing stock who hangs at Starbucks all day to use the bathrooms. Instead, she's a leading intellectual in our fractured joke of a society. 

Ouch

More on the idiocy of public health officials. 

Also, one of the No votes on boosters said that he feared approval would effectively turn boosters into a mandate and change the definition of fully vaccinated. So, it appears that the overzealousness to demand vaccine mandates has actually contributed to fewer people getting access to (booster) vaccines, thus paradoxically contributing to spread. A vivid illustration of the problem with, “That which is not mandatory should be prohibited.”

and

 (2) leading them to “shade” their interpretation of data to promote their preferred behavioral outcome rather than answering positive (non-normative) questions with positive scientific statements, (3) thus undermining the credibility of public health institutions (FDA, CDC) and leading to things like vaccine hesitancy.

Sums it up well. 

I Wasn't There

But the lawyers from the Texan ladies who attacked the NYC hostess over covid vaccination cards claim she called them the n word and accused them of having fake vac cards. The plausibility of a 24 year old female hostess 2 weeks on the job calling a group of tourists the n word in NYC seems pretty implausible to me. But still, lawyer gotta lawyer, right? 

And just for my own knowledge, are we legally allowed to attack people if they make racial slurs? Asking for friends.

So Is There A Mask Mandate Or Not?

A bit of a weird take here by SF Mayor London Breed.

I basically agree with her that we ought to be loose with mask wearing, but when we wonder why Americans basically don't listen to politicians -- this is why. She's saying: don't follow my rules when it suits you -- use your judgement. So what happens when people disagree about which rules to follow?

Political Activists 

People do understand these people are basically conwoman and crooks, don't they?

Incoherence

We don't need vaccine boosters but the vaccinated do need to keep masking and social distancing and testing. So which is it? Is Delta dangerous or not? 

We need to prioritize vaccines for the 3rd world, but had we done so, we would be "testing" the vaccines on the poor.

You need vaccine proof to enter a bar in LA, but we won't stop unvaccinated illegal immigrants from streaming into the US along the Texas border.

We need to threaten jobs to ensure the hesitant get vaccinated to have a simple, consistent policy. However, if and when a Republican were and was President, you should definitely not trust the vaccine.  

Everyone needs to wear a mask, except everyone also knows we don't really need to wear masks which is why they don't at events like Obama's birthday party and the Met gala.

Science should not be political if your politics are wrong, but if your politics are right, they should be taken into account.

$

I would pay $25 to watch a pay per view debate between Fauci and Nicki Minaj.

I would pay $50 if it includes Fauci examining her cousin's swollen testicles.

Sick

Facebook knows Instagram increases suicidal ideation and eat disorders amongst teen girls. And Zuckerberg's response? You don't even need me to tell you.

Is it really any mystery why suicide, depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphia, etc has exploded over the past 8-9 years? I find it about as mysterious as whether COVID was created by a lab leak.

Logging

Film: Mona Lisa

Bob Hoskins, Neil Jordan film from 1986. First time I saw this, I was a bit underwhelmed. Not enough violence or action for my younger self. Now...one of the best character studies in the neo noir genre and top 10 or 20 films made in the 1980s.

To Get This Outta The Way

The new Matrix trailer looks incredible. What a moment for a movie reboot... low expectations from the debacles of the other Matrix sequels plus well, the past 22 years, where the Matrix themes have only become more relevant (sadly). Plus... with COVID winding down, we are ready to go out to the theaters again, plus Carrie Ann Moss and Keanu really rediscovering themselves as middle aged actors, with a good number of small to medium-sized creative wins of late. Yes, it's a good time. 

Reflections Upon A Trip to France

1) The various rules and bureaucracy related to COVID in different countries, airlines, etc makes travel considerably more stressful and annoying

2) Coach seats for international travel feel a lot less comfortable than they used to.

3) American Pickle is an excellent movie. Full stop.

4) The Paris subway is not a very pleasant place to be these days.

5) The last time I was in France 20+ years ago, it was pretty common to feel an anti-American vibe out on the streets. This time, there was none of that. Perhaps because I spent most my time in Normandy versus Paris. Perhaps because I was there for an American film festival. But I think the true reason is that European anti-Americanism was always a bit petty and in the wake of COVID, the oppressive nature of social media, and all the political and social tensions in the Western world, the French have bigger things to concern themselves with than old fashioned anti-Americanism.

6) Do not order steak in Normandy near the coast, but rather the seafood.

7) Eat the butter and bread at every opportunity. 

8) Seeing a film you helped create on the second biggest screen in France with an adventurous film festival audience is a unique experience I will always be grateful for. 

9) Pig is a pretty good movie. Maybe a very good one.

10) When on the beach in Normandy in the AM, sunbathers face away from the water, which is surreal for someone from California. Do they do this to face the sun? I don't totally understand.

11) On casual observation, there were a lot of mother-daughters hanging out together in Normandy. I have no idea why.

12) Paris feels incredibly multi-cultural whereas Normandy feels very "French."

13) The French seem to adore Johnny Depp.

14) They still smoke in France.

15) You get COVID tested in pharmacies

16) The best casual food to try is salami from a deli where they slice it for you. Ask them what to try. They do something different with the cured meats in France and Europe in general and it is much better than even the best stuff you get in America. 

17) In contrast, the coffee you can now get in the US rather easily (Philz, Equator, etc) is better than the espresso (cafe) you get in France.

18) I did not have the urge to turn on the TV the entire time I was there. I watched films on the plane and in the cinema.

19) City of Lies was not a good film.

20) One of the best lines someone said to me was "even the decent looking women in France are hot."

21) Train service from Paris to Deauville is comfortable and pleasant.

22) In St. Germain at night, you cannot tell there is a pandemic from the street other than showing your vaccine card to eat/drink.

23) The hosts and hostesses aren't looking very hard when they check your vaccine card. A piece of cardboard with two dates written on lines would probably pass.

24) On the air flight home, one passenger refused to wear a mask and caused a lot stress for the flight attendants. 

25) Overheard at LAX shuttle to Uber: "it used to be easier to just hail a taxi." I agree.