Country Bans

So, this Venice art exhibition will ban artists from certain countries for doing bad things. That seems to only include Israel and Russia. Hmmm. 

Chinese Cars

I still know very little to nothing about Chinese cars other than the hype that "soon" they will be very good. But can someone explain why there's no similar hype to Korean cars, which are here and now totally awesome? But also, Japanese and German cars remain pretty damn awesome too. As are Teslas. The only thing that seems to make the Chinese cars interesting is that they are Chinese. What am I missing?

Netflix Shows Losing Viewers

Could it be because Netflix sucks and doesn't know how to make TV? 

AI

Am I the only one who finds AI kinda stupid at the things I would like it to do?

 

The Kimmel Joke

Reading all these things second hand, but Kimmel arguing the "joke" is about Trump and Melania's age gap is an obvious lie. The joke is an expression of the hidden desire of Kimmel and his fans for Trump to die. Put another way, would the joke be funny if made about Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones? Would it be funny about Beyoncé and Jay Z?  Of course not. Kimmel is not calling for his assassination, but he and his fans are indeed wishing for the result. In this respect, Melania is correct.

Trump Shooter

From what I read so far, the weirdest part about this latest Trump shooter is how un-weird and un-crazy he seems at first glance. Cal Tech grad. MS in Computer Science. Had a job. Had hobbies. Built stuff. Seems like a pretty average-to-above-average American nerd. What's going on here?

I hold that the right-wingers have a point on this - assassination chic is a real thing on the left these days. I was just waiting for a cappuccino yesterday, and had to listen to some goofy lady chatting with her friend about how men were all evil and how Trump started the Iran war to distract from his pedophile crimes involving foreign children. What is this nonsense people come up with? Where is this information coming from? This is just a normal public conversation that people have in public now? Lunatics. 

The SPLC

And for the record, even the SPLC's excuse for their payments to hate groups, that they are paying "informants," is completely bonkers. They aren't law enforcement! Why should they be undercover? It's freaking insane and corrupt.

Timelines are Dumb

Germany to build Europe's most powerful military by 2039. 

If I were an enemy of Germany, then I'd be incentivized to attack now. 

Lies and Propaganda

An article headline in the LA Times: "In Your Face Racism at Pomona College." 

In which the most egregious case of "racism" is a professor using the N word related to a discussion about a documentary film in class. Another incident seems to be a discussion of a student's hair amongst friends. Come on now...we're really stretching here guys...

It's Called Being Run

Turns out hate groups were being run by "anti-hate" groups. No surprise to me. 

Unleash The Disease, Sell the Cure

So SPLC was really funding the KKK and the Democratic Socialists? 

This makes a ton of sense. So much of the "chaos" we see in the US is just folks doing dumb shit to protect jobs and funding rackets. 

A Middle East Round Up No One Asked For

I wish all the critics of the Iran war would contend with the main issue - Trump clearly thought Iran was close to making a nuke. Why does no one address it in the discouse? Do they believe that Iran wasn't close to making a nuke? Or, it that it doesn't matter if Iran makes a nuke. Or, do they argue now Iran is now even closer to making a nuke? Since no one talks about it, I can't really assess their point.

Yes, Israel wants to undermine and destroy the societies that define themselves as in opposition to the Israeli state. A lot of folks like to rebrand this as genocide. Uh...no...they just want their enemies to be weaker. Anyone would. Plenty of countries like Saudi, Egypt, and Jordan shifted how they engage with Israel and Israel leaves them completely alone. That's called evidence! And don't give me the Palestinians were there before nonsense. 75 years ago, maybe. But these days? Come on... 

Good Work, If You Can Get It

Obamas part ways with Netflix, pocket 40 million. For what content exactly? 

Chimp Civil War

Has anyone looked into their iPhone usage as a potential cause? Systemic racism? Economic inequality? 

Truth

Mt. Rainer can rarely be seen, even from up close. She's a big giant mystery wrapped in a riddle.

The Problem With Communists

Is that every problem and question has the same solution: more communism. 

Agreed

War has risks. 

Why the elites favor war over the people is the possible benefits. If a political leader "wins" a war, they go down in history. Regular folks who pay for it, or fight it, generally do not.

American Politicians

Although Reagan was President when I was young, I have no memory of his impact as a politician. So in my lifetime, I rank Bill Clinton as the best "politician" I've ever seen. The guy could sell ice to an Eskimo. He was a sleazebag and yet, you could still feel like - there's more good than bad here. Now, I voted for Obama twice and "like" the guy, but he was more of a symbolic figure than an old-fashioned "politician." Nor did he seem to like the whole thing much or be very good at it. I still can't tell you a signature accomplishment of Obama other than Obamacare. He has signature "positions," but not accomplishments.

But I have to say...time will only tell...but Trump - as a politician - is getting up there with Clinton. This is the most peak Trump post I've ever read. 

China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz. I am doing it for them, also - And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran. President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to - far better than anyone else!!! President DJT

It completely embodies Trump. It's simultaneously nonsensical, grammatically incorrect, absurd, hopeful, pessimistic, and yet probably the best we can do given the constraints of the world at the moment. Also hilarious. 

The Chinese Knew

Pelosi and Schiff say they didn't know Swalwell was a poon hound, but Chinese intel did. Not a great sign. Are they liars or incompetents?

Logging

TV Show: DTF St. Louis S1

A show about middle aged manhood, feeling lonely, popping boners, and umpiring baseball. What's not to like?

Not Showering Himself in Glory

JD Vance failing on this Iran negotiation doesn't bode well for his Presidential ambitions. Rubio pulling ahead. Maybe JD can be VP for 12 years.

Forget Trump For A Minute

And just look at the issues. Iran is holding the world hostage over nuclear material. It's that simple. They want a bomb, and won't give up the quest. And to achieve it, they will hold the world economy hostage. Those are the sticking points. So the options are:

1) Allow Iran to develop the bomb. And BTW, every single far-leftist and anti-Israel commentator secretly really wants this outcome. Don't believe otherwise.

2) Do what Trump is doing: attempting to negotiate and not giving in.

3) Overthrow the IRGC, also called the Israel plan

What are the other options? 

If there was such a thing as a global order, we'd be all be working together to overthrow the IRGC so long as they threaten the straits. 

Every Intelligent Planner

Ought to be figuring out oil and fertilizer routes that bypass the Straits of Hormuz. I still think in the long run, Iran won't be better off. They've played the big card, and now it will become progressively less valuable.

Logging

TV Movie: Peaky Blinders

Better written than One Battle After Another.

Logging

TV: DTF St. Louis

Strange show. Richard Jenkins stealing it.

TV: The Rooster

Don't like it, am watching it.

TV: Imperfect Women

Don't like, stopped watching it.

Main characters who run a lot...enough to qualify as a genre?

This Will Sound Crazy

But Trump deserves some credit for backing down. 

Everyone says this is a win for Iran. I don't think most of these people have any clue whatsoever, but are paid to talk out loud and thus must say something. I would not overestimate their takes. Like with most things, time will tell...

Trump's Statement/Tweet

My best hopeful explanation of the tweet is that he doesn't know what he's saying. Not a good place to be.

Wait...What?

Gavin Newsom's wife killed her own sister with a golf cart? And thinks prisoners in San Quentin are in jail for accidents? What the hell is going on here?

Avoiding War

We are re-learning the lessons of earlier generations about why it's smart to avoid war.

Civilizations

I don't think we ought to be threatening them. 

Low Pressure

Part of me wonders if we can flip the script on the Iran situation and keep a low-level pressure on the Iranian regime until they begin to crack or need to negotiate. They think they can keep the low-level on pressure on the US until we cut and run. Why can't we flip it around? I don't understand why we always do this timetable thing with our adversaries - it basically signals to them: just hold out for 2 weeks. Which is easy to do. But if the timeline becomes uncertain for them, I feel the calculus changes. 

The Liberal Worldview

Has no sense of duty or obligation or limits. It's all feelings all the time. Not making you feel good, you oppose. Make you feel good = support.

Logging

Film: Sentimental Value

Impressive degree of difficulty points for pulling this film off. No real plot other than the "making of the movie" to hang their hat on. Just relied on powerful scene and character work. Everything a European film ought to be. 

Loon

Taleb says Israelis can't fight. 

Then explain how they took on an enemy Arab and Persian population about 10x their number for 50 years and seem to be winning.

I Demand Proof

That talk therapy works better on men than sports bars with fairly priced beer. 

Comfort Level

Maybe the real debate boils down to this: Europeans are willing to bow at the feet of Iranian fanatics and have no real issue with them developing a bomb, but Americans and Israelis cannot. 

Gavin Newsom's Wife

Changes the protagonist of male stories to women when reading to her kids. This is one of the most psychotic admissions I've ever heard uttered. Why? 

a) A more sensible approach would be to read books with female protagonists (of which there are many!).

b) Total arrogance and zero respect for the author who made a deliberate choice 

c) And we wonder why children are illiterate?

Rahm

Is 100% right here. 

But the problem with the Emanual bros is that they are careerists first and foremost. So he's right at the wrong time and when it no longer matters. If you think about it, the ascendency of these guys more or less coincides with the downfall of the institutions they mastered. Rahm for the Democratic party and Chicago politics, and Ari for Hollywood. That tells me something...their true skillset is scavenging the carcasses of dying giants.  

Birthright Citizenship

Do I really need to develop an opinion on this matter? Please say no.