Much More Please

Columbia threatens to expel students occupying a building. 

This is classic bad parenting. Make the consequence severe and stick to it from the get go. Columbia keeps threatening to punish the trespassers with consequences and then hems and haws and so the trespassers just keep upping the ante like a child who throws fits to get his/her way.

The trespassers and their parents should be held financially liable for the costs to the University and other students for their trespass. Sic the bill collectors on them. Plus expulsion. Plus criminal charges. They'll move. 

Imagine if the Palestinians Didn't Focus on the "Right of Return"

Instead of a destroyed land and people who are controlled by terrorists, they'd have leaders like Nayib Bukele.  They'd have thinkers like Nassim Taleb (who I know is not Palestinian). They'd thrive.

Are These Protests?

Nothing wrong with protesting, but these folks aren't doing it. They're trespassing. 

It's all attention seeking behavior. You can't unsee it.

Logging

TV: Shogun

Best show on TV right now.

Film: Godzilla x Kong

I feel like there's a filmmaking mistake made during this film - we spent quite a few moments with Kong by himself and he's shot at angles that make him seem roughly human sized. We lose track of scale. Then we'll have a scene where he's getting a tooth removed by a man and his tooth is man-sized and we're like - oh yeah, he's like supposed to be 50 ft tall. In the original King Kong, he was carrying around the girl most of the time or there was a human character in the foreground so we never forgot Kong's size. 

Maybe...

Part of the reason college kids root for Hamas are they spent their youth watching remake films like Godzilla x Kong and Planet of the Apes where the heroes are the monsters.

Why Are The Palestine Protests and Advocates Bullshit?

Because if they got literally everything they wanted, they still wouldn't in 1,000 years move to the country they "support." Because they know what it would be like. 

Theory

Pro Hamas protests can only survive on the goofy, permissive, over coddled college environments. Could you imagine such encampments/protests occurring anywhere else in American society? They would be ridiculed out of existence in hours. 

Can We Deduct This From the Reparations Bill?

Ava Duvernay's film Origin:

Budget: 38 mil

Box office: 3.9 mil 

Why pick on this film, you say? Many films fail at the box office. The difference would be: this film never intended to succeed, but only to flatter a small, backwards group of thinkers.

A Peek Behind the Curtain

Here's how the deep state controls the narrative. 

Behind the scenes, they contact tik tockers/celebrities/influencers to voice their narrative (and offer to pay them!). Then, they will turn this information (that they planted) to force the hands of politicians to put into place "popular" policies that the blob themselves created. In this case DEI shit. The only problem in this case: young people don't care so much about money yet.

Hilarious

A professor screams profanities at officers arresting a trespasser, touches one of the officers and gets arrested herself. At the end, she is groveling and apologizing. Meanwhile, the internet interprets this as the officers overreacting?!?

If I were at one of these colleges, I'd seriously consider dropping out and joining campus security. 

So What You're Saying Is

The Palestinians are more rational than American college students. 

“There is no doubt support for Hamas is declining in Gaza because more and more people feel it has some responsibility for the pain they are enduring,” said Shikaki.

This sounds like winning: 

Analysts say the absence of Hamas’s powerful internal security force — which has been lying low to avoid Israeli attacks — has opened an unprecedented space for those willing to vent their frustration at the militant group and its leadership. 

The Middle East operates on the principle of the strong horse.

All Non-Progressives Organize

I wonder why a political movement of non-progressives isn't growing/taking action and borrowing a play from the radicals playbook. Imagine if even 5-10% of Columbia and/or NYU students just dropped out and requested tuition refunds? Imagine if it got up to 15-20%? It would be an unmitigated disaster for the Universities. They would overnight turn into Evergreen College - basically a mental institution. Or imagine if it were just Jewish students and professors? Why not take such a principled stance? To say: this is intolerable. Because it is. 

These Student Protests

Are they trying to get Trump elected? To ruin the Ivy League? Because they will succeed at both if they continue.

Unlikely To Hear Anything Positive Here

Caitlin Clark signs 28m dollar deal with Nike. But folks are still gonna complain about her WNBA salary.  

The Best Thing About Israel

From a non-Jew from California...it's like one of those ultraviolet flashlights cops use on crime scenes to see things the normal eyes cannot...If you find a person, group, or country who hates Israel or codes their hate with something like the "Palestinian right of return" you know that person is unreasonable and potentially nuts. And at the very least, cannot be trusted. How? Well, let's try this - when has such a "right of return" been tried? Are there any practical models that demonstrate it working? Forget how poorly behaved the Palestinians are and their use of terrorism. Even if you imagined the best version of a Palestinian state and the right of return - what would that look like?

Here's the point of the "right of return." By design, it's completely unworkable. That's precisely why it attracts the people it attracts. That's the aspect they like about it. And the Palestinians have chosen this as part of their identity: the perpetual victim that justifies any sort of mad, chaotic behavior. And you see what it's gotten them.

Antisemitism

Is a good canary in the coal mine. It's the surest sign someone is nuts and spends their psychological energy in a really scary and weird place. Nothing good will follow. 

Logging

Film: Pride and Glory

Colin Farrell threatens to a baby with a hot iron in this film.

Film: Kong vs Godzilla

Highly forgettable, but my 6 year old likes. Coach Taylor deserves better. I wish I could bottle his reaction to Matt Sereson arriving to pick up his daughter wearing a Member's Only jacket. 

TV: The Curious Case of Natalia Grace

Sometimes you gotta watch what she wants.

Had You Told Me That Was Looked Down Upon Here...

Google employees fired for protesting their employer and saying something along the lines of Google being responsible for genocide.  

Funny, you can't collect a salary for that...

In seriousness, read some of these articles - a lot of these "protestors" actually don't work for Google. It seems like these protest groups try to recruit people within institutions to open their doors and then use the institutional profile to gain attention for their cause. 

I Can Think Of Two Reasons

Carol Baum on Sydney Sweeney. 

“I said to my class, ‘Explain this girl to me. She’s not pretty, she can’t act. Why is she so hot?'” she recalled. “Nobody had an answer.”

Polycule

Well...I thought Hamas were the worst people on the planet, but I'll confess I'd rather be a kidnapped hostage of Hamas that have to endure living in a polycule like this: 

Last night I was at a party that was full of poly people, and at the end of the night we wound up in this big cuddle pile. There were eight of us fit together like puzzle pieces, snuggling. It felt so cozy, so much oxytocin flowing. We were all envisioning living together, not having to worry about individual mortgages, just having some big house. Can’t we just do that? Why can’t we do that? An adult sleepover camp, that’s the vibe. It is my mission to make that happen for me and whoever wants to join me.

There is a ton of laughable stuff in the article but also some disturbing, straight up child abuse. This is directly endorsed by the NY Times who offers no critique of this "lifestyle." This is a cult, people! And supports the right wing pedo taunts...

Here is a funny bit:

Poly-saturation is different for different people. For me, the maximum seems to be three partners at once, especially because I gravitate toward long-term committed in-depth relationships. I mean romantic partners. We have play parties that are intended to be a sexual space but more of a casual connection, and I’m not only with my partners there.

Here is a disturbing bit: 

I have one partner now with three kids. He is transmasc, and he’s radical about the way he raises them. They’re radically home-schooled. They’re 17 and nonbinary, 6 and 5. They know everything in age-appropriate ways. They’ve seen their mommy undergo the transmasc experience, seen their mom become who they really are. I was up late last night with him in a hotel room, and the 17-year-old was in the room snoozing, so we just sat on the bathroom floor chatting about our relationship all night, and while that was happening my husband was texting to say, Oh, I got a last-minute match, so I’m going to meet this girl for a date. And then I get a text while we were still on the bathroom floor vibing, it was 4 in the morning, and he said, We had a great date, a great connection, she’s looking for friends with benefits, we had sex. And I was smiling. You know you’re really poly when you’re with one of your partners talking about how much you love each other and you’re so happy your husband had this awesome night. Of course, I experience pangs of jealousy, but there are these moments, these gems, of being so happy for someone else’s happiness.

 There's a word of these feelings: madness.

This Doesn't Work When You Talk About It

US proposed fake Israeli strike on Iran for Israel to save face. 

I worry that most elites in America spend the majority of their time in the realm of perception and are losing track of the thing known as reality.

Lock Her Up and Throw Away The Key

Activist threatens to murder Bakersfield City Council members for not passing a ceasefire resolution. I know this sounds absurd and is almost laughable but unfortunately this is what the kids are now doing. They've lost their minds. We need to punish them to full extent of the law. They'll get the message. Or the won't. Either way, the rest of us will be better off. 

Muted Response

Does anyone else think Iran's muted, fake response to the killing of some of their top military commanders suggests Israel's destruction of Gaza is having a deterrent effect? 

War as Theater

So Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel and gave a heads up to the US so we could shoot them all down. Iran gets to look like it responded. The West gets to look like we're competent. 

Interesting equilibrium.

Settlers

The difference between Israel and Palestinians - when settlers commit acts of terror, the IDF and Israeli society attempts to reign them in. When Palestinians do the same, their society cheers. 

At Least a Semi-Reasonable Position

This is what I would call a pro-Palestinian position that is at least not bat shit crazy. 

Although, hidden beneath this is a suggestion of a one-state, UN formed secular democracy that would essentially eliminate the State of Israel. Which strikes me as a bit of a non-starter. What other country in the world would voluntarily say: sure, we'll peacefully dismantle our country and allow outsiders to dictate our political future?

Honest Discussion About Race

How come people are always saying "we need to have an honest discussion about race." All we ever seem to talk about is race. What's lacking in honesty about the discussion? What they mean is: we need everyone to agree with ME about how I feel about racism. Which by the way...would accomplish what?

Nature

Yale students demand divestment from Israel or they'll go on hunger strike. 

They'll balk after a few hours, but I hope they go through it!

Clinton on Hamas

They're smart.  A better word for it is evil. The Arabs and Israelis are the only ones who seem to know it, though.

Eclipse Thought

I can notice a tiny bit of darker light temperature and a slight cooling. If we ever really needed to do something radical about global warming, could we create a giant balloon, semi-permanent eclipse?

Israel Strategy Part 2

If I were Israel, and this is true that Biden forced them to pull back, I'd take a new strategy: wait and double down. We all know Hamas doesn't recognize any ceasefire, so I would hardly wait for Hamas to constitute itself so they can attack. I'd wait and strike first. Take out the leadership and make them as operationally useless as possible. 

Good Post

On Israel and Hamas. 

In late 2021, Hamas held a conference on what they would do after conquering Israel. They discussed water, sewage, currency, and making a directory of property to confiscate. They plan not to let talented Jews leave and make them work for the state. 

The ceasefire crowd doesn't get it. Israel has an actual enemy. It's not the enemy you wish they had. It's not people who can be reasoned into living in peace with a Jewish state. Hamas is actually serious about slaughtering the Jews and taking all their land.

I read on Twitter the other day - reposted by Nassim Taleb - that Hamas is a tiny organization that alone is causing the collapse of Israel and the West in general. Ha! A tiny organization?!? They were the political power in Gaza - that's hardly a tiny or inconsequential group. In any case, Hamas and supporters are the dregs of the world - the lower 25%. My beef is not that they exist, but that anyone with any iota of power listens to them at all.

Logging

Film: Zoolander and Get Shorty

Zoolander holds up better. This movie works so well because the big joke is that Ben Stiller is "really, really, really good looking." This would not have worked with a handsome actor or even a semi-handsome actor. Ben Stiller looks like an ape man, so it plays.

Get Shorty was a lot worse than I remember it. I remember it being cool. It's more like a cartoon. Compared to Pulp Fiction or Out of Sight, similar films from the era, it comes out quite far below.

Film: Reptile

I enjoy mediocre procedurals. What can I say? Still, it feels like something was forgotten or left out in this film...the bite mark? What happened with that? The final scene was confusing. I guess Benicio (who co-wrote the script) loves Pat Garret and Billy the Kid, but the scene was completely misplayed. The Knocking on Heaven's Door sequence was between two people who loved each other - and Pat needing to witness that. Here...it doesn't make any sense at all. 

Film: The Little Things

See above. I haven't finished yet, but why have they revealed the killer so soon and so easily? I'm confused where this movie intends to go.

Film: The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Awesome 70s flick...Mitchum incredible. Some great dialog scenes, but I imagine for most people the plotting is a bit difficult to follow. I can, but I've seen the film, read the books, and know the world. Perhaps I just love certain scenes and the vibes of the film -- and perhaps the way it (and other films) capture a place and time. Like a thing I noticed was how shitty Mitchum's kitchen was...and it made me think - man, it would've sucked to be a small time gangster in the 70s. The guy had 3 kids! 

Film: Malcolm X

Need a longer space to write about it, but my contention is that it strives to be a masterpiece but does not quite achieve it. I'm still thinking about why... one of my theories is that Lee tries too hard to connect it to the "present" - meaning the 90s - with Rodney King and Mandela. Those parts felt the least relevant upon rewatch. I wish he strove for a timelessness. My other theory is that Malcolm X lived an incredible life but did not accomplish incredible things. What I mean by this: ultimately the Nation of Islam is basically a small minded cult with very little to say. It vaguely speaks to a black tradition of self-reliance and empowerment, so on one level it is connected with US History - Marcus Garvey, etc and you still see a thread of it in Charlamagne tha God and other public figures/ideas. But when is the last time NOI accomplished anything? I mean, it seems about as relevant (and maybe even less) than Alcoholic Anonymous for the work they do in rehabilitation. No one is making an AA movie, I hope.

AI Function

I quite enjoy podcasts, but overall find about 15% of the information useful or interesting. Part of me wonders if I could program an AI to find that 15% and just listen to that. PS - I do not find the same to be true of movies, tv shows, or books. Although perhaps non-fiction...I almost wonder if most non-fiction books could be summarized into long articles...especially those non-fiction books which aren't really well written and typically address faddish ideas.

Extreme Wokeness Theory

I strongly suspect the reason we have all this extreme wokeness is that really idle rich kids inherited a bunch of wealth and needed to do something to feel useful but were incapable of thinking or working very hard. Case study here.

Microeconomics

The cappuccino at my favorite local coffee spot used to cost $4. During the pandemic, I started tipping $1. Then as inflation went up, the price went to $4.50. I lowered my tip to $0.50. Yesterday, CA instated a $20 minimum wage law for fast food. I noticed the price of my cappuccino went up to $5.25. I'm going to start cutting back. I can substitute my own great cup of coffee for $0.25 or so with the best beans you can buy on the West Coast. I might start looking into buying one of those nice cappuccino makers...

Girl, You Are Something Else...Never Seen Anything Like It

The highest level of greatness--when your opponent in awe.