You Don't Hate the Media/Liberal World Enough 

LA Times reports on this Bay Area story about Chinese in-laws shooting the "husband" of their daughter in a custody battle.

Because the "husband" is trans, the children are only biologically related to one of these parents. Yet, the article makes it seem as though both parents are parents. They aren't. And they don't mention which parent is the biological parent or if the kids are adopted, for example. Totally preposterous.

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Film: 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later Bone Temple

I suppose it's interesting that they're shooting these films on iPhones and treating them like a Marvel Universe, but very little of the character stuff makes any sense to me. In Bone Temple they do this new move I can't stand, the "sympathy for the monster" - as seen in Frankenstein, Predator, King Kong...  The moral imagination of Hollywood today is pretty slim. If someone had the balls, they'd just get it over with and make a sympathetic Nazi movie.

Plane Hijacking

If any country in the world had to deal with what Israel deals with, it would react similarly.

Only country in the world where, for 75+ years, you've had about a billion folks and their governments lining up to voluntarily kill you. 

You'll notice a big "no comment" all day with the folks who only want to talk about Israel, Palestine, genocide, and Netanyahu. Fascinating. 

I Stand By Klobuchar  

I supported Klobuchar in 2016 and stand by my endorsement!

It's very hard for a Democrat to keep their head these days and she seems like she's managed to do so.

"Genocide" 

If Israel were perpetrating a genocide, why would Hamas use civilians as human shields? They wouldn't need to. They use human shields to win a propaganda war against Israel.

Eminem on German TV 2009

Try to beat this AI.

Thing I Learned Today

France went deep in debt for the American War of Independence, which in turn led to the French Revolution because they couldn't feed the people.

Women's Right to Vote

This is so much more fun than reading the same content on Twitter. 

NY Times top 100 TV shows of the 2000s

Here's the list. Not terrible and nobody cares about my take, but I'm gonna give it anyway!

1. Breaking Bad

Fair.

2. The Wire

Fair.

3. Mad Man

Nope. 

4. Succession

A little high.

5. Fleabag

No complaint.

6. Game of Thrones

Fair.

7. Veep

Too high.

8. 30 Rock

Fair, deserves credit for injecting life into a moribund form (sitcom)

9. Curb

Fair, deserves a boost for enduring relevance and singularity of vision and production process.

10. Atlanta

DEI, but I like the show.

11. The Office US

Tough one...I give nod to Office UK for originality but an argument can be made for Office US. Deserves bonus for talent identification -- what others went on to do post-Office.

12. Arrested Development

Fair

13. Girls

DEI

14. Friday Night Lights

Fair.

15. Six Feet Under

No context for having an opinion.

16. The Office UK

See above

17. The Americans

Seems a bit high

18. I May Destroy You

DEI

19. Chernobyl

Nope

20. The Crown

No context for having an opinion.

21. The White Lotus

Fair.

AI Worries

I'm more worried about Russia invading NATO and China building a huge nuclear arsenal than AI. 

US-China Relations

You know, it might be interesting if the MSM actually reported in detail about the Trump-Xi meetings as enthusiastically as they report about Cambridge professors or child murderers -- you know, about the things that impact the entire structure of global governance. 

Interesting Hot Take

About the possible reindustrialization around AI.

Maybe AI will build new iPhones right at the corner store.

I Believe It

US military using Xbox controllers to shoot down Iranian drones. 

McDonalds

Doing poorly. 

I can't remember why, but I recently downloaded the app and it gives me a free medium french fries every week if I purchase something for $1. I traditionally don't go to McDonalds very much, but find myself grabbing this free french fry most weeks since. I don't see how they can do this. 

Logging

TV: The Pitt S1 E1-12

A watchable cliche of every liberal platitude under the sun with inexplicable hospital gore. Is there a raging white racist? Of course there is. But in case it wasn't clear he's a bad guy, he sucker punches an old woman later in the season. Is there a gay couple having a baby with a surrogate? Of course there is. Is there a heroic black man who saved a woman from a subway train? You bet. Are there autistic characters? Many, in fact. Is there a reference to Thanksgiving being really bad for the Native Americans? Uh huh. Is there a female doctor doing IVF? Yeppers. Is there an incel who does a mass shooting? Looks like it. Does Noah Wylie give a speech about how young men are alienated because they're not in touch with their emotions? You betcha. 

Reality

We can safely assume Trump didn't want this Iran war, so the question becomes why he did it. Two options:

1) He was persuaded by hawks and Israel

2) He looked at intel that suggested they were close to a bomb and a ballistic missile combo that would be game-changing

My guess is the latter. 

Palestinians

Could "win" with one simple strategy: demand voting rights. No one in the West would oppose it. But it tells you something important: they choose to name their children Yahya instead.

Drugs and Hormones

Those who claim Lindsey Clancy went insane from taking too many weird pharmaceuticals and had a strange hormonal situation also advocate using hormones and pharmaceuticals. Make of that what you will.

My Favorite Meme

Is this one...the fake video game sunglasses indicating badassery. 

"So a chad is like...a normie dude."

My favorite version of course are the old Stannis the Mannis memes.

I'm Not Single...

But if I were, my only non-negotiable criterion would be that she doesn't post about it online.

That's One Angle

DSA political candidate interview.

News person: What do you say to the public about being a thief and a criminal?

Candidate: It's a good thing, actually. 

All this started with the tattoos. Mainstream LARPing being a prisoner. I blame Allen Iverson.

Nicole Hannah-Jones Article

I'll applaud one aspect: it was truthful. She almost puts it together. But we should stop there. For someone in her position to be so lacking in common sense for much of her adult life is truly astonishing.  She denigrated and called racist all the people who got to where she is now intellectually. Her own daughter, at age 10 or so, figured out what everyone knows - certain schools suck and can't be fixed in a timely enough manner for it to matter to the current student population.

But the truly most ridiculous thing she writes is being totally in the dark about how her daughter thought she knew math, but actually didn't. One of the reasons Asian kids seem to do well in school is that no Asian-American parent would ever let this happen. And truth be told, very few just above-average, college-educated folks of any color would either. Personally, I don't trust the schools, so I'm quite on top of various subjects, including math. But even if you were the type of parent who wasn't too on top of it, math comes up in daily life and in basic things like board games and discussions. Even things like long division, which her daughter didn't know. I find it almost hard to understand how a parent could be so blind. She interacts with her daughter, doesn't she? Did she not notice her multiplying and dividing up things wrong all the time? I just find it very confusing.

I Take Back

Anything negative I've ever said about AI videos. 

The Replies

Just reading the replies - solid comedy.

Interesting Take 

On JD Vance.  

My gut instinct is that he's not Presidential material. Rubio and DeSantis both fit the bill better.

Question: why isn't DeSantis more popular nationally? Is it simply his height? Guy gets elected in Florida and seems to govern well there...whereas Newsom governs terribly and is somehow a leading candidate? Is it really just height?

AI Doom

I thought we could always just unplug it, but what do I know? The main problem seems to be bad human actors using it for evil ends, but the same processes of crime and deterrence would work, right?

Also, what happened to global warming?

I Don't Know

Who is Macklemore?

Exaggeration

Mamdani hires an advisor who was a former editor for a gay communist magazine. I always thought the term was a funny exaggeration for a liberal, but I guess it turns out to be a real thing!

And Leverage

DHS has come up with an insane proposal to deport legal immigrants immediately if they lose their job - eliminating a 60 day grace period.

Can you imagine the power now held over these folks by some shithead boss?

Google

When you Google "Sydney Sweeney controversial new ad," you can't actually watch the ad, but instead only get reactions to the ad. Modifying search parameters doesn't help. Tells you something.

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Film: My Big Fat Greek Wedding

A shockingly racist, anti-white film that reinforces the Great Replacement Theory paranoia. 10x worse than Get Out.

Also, not very good.

Film: Miss Congeniality 

On the other hand, a delightful star vehicle for one of our national treasures, Sandra Bullock. All-around characterization is much better than you would think for this sort of film - up there with Clueless and Devil Wears Prada as one of the best fem-comedies Hollywood has produced in the past 50 years. Hilarious depiction of male workplace dynamics. Actually pulled off the frumpy/violent/gross ugly duckling-into-swan transition. Hard to do. Perfect role for Ben Bratt. Michael Caine is excellent. Candy Bergman has the best line of the film: "I've been dealing with women like you my entire life...feminists, intellectuals...you know, ugly women."

The Crazy Plan

It seems to me that Lindsay Clancy's defense went with what I'll call "the crazy plan": find crazy jurors who'll sympathize with his crazy client. Crazy plans, however, have a way of backfiring because crazy goes both ways.

Europe's 2-State Solution

Hate to break it to them, but Bill Clinton tried this in the 90s, and the Palestinians rejected it. Instead opted to up the ante on suicide attacks.

But good luck this time.

Vote No On Everything

LA steals money earmarked for fire victims to pay families impacted by ICE raids. I don't see how this is legal.

Okay...

"Phoebe Bridgers Praised by Fans for Showing Leg Hair and Pit Stains at Glamorous Venice Film Festival."

This makes the applause for "Free Palestine" make more sense.

Data Centers

I've got no POV on the issue, but pretty obvious the "concerns" about water and power generation costs are wildly blown out of proportion because folks don't like the vibes.

Logging

Film: The Drama

Couldn't finish. I am not a millennial and struggle to relate to their worldview. The big first act "twist" was such a boner killer. No, I don't buy that her character did what she said she did. And even if she had...maybe so what? I don't know. Millennials want to give Mao and Stalin and communism a big "pass" for murdering millions of people, but this one character "plans" a school shooting, doesn't even do it, and this is some sort of unforgivable transgression? Then the filmmaking takes a turn with flashbacks, unclear POV, and inserting the actor at a different age playing Zendaya alongside the wedding planning. Nah. Sorry, just not into this at all...

So I watched The Last Samurai instead...

Film: The Last Samurai

Man, I miss these mid tier historical melodramas...not great movies or cinematic masterpieces, but just the scale and commitment and attention to certain values and representation at the movies - there's a quality to these kind of films absent today. On some level, it's a more satisfying and impressive "movie" than even The Odyssey. Easier to watch, following, take something from, and even maybe learn something about the world (dare I say). And here's the thing: it's not even that good. But it's competent. And the older I get, the. more I can appreciate it.

PS - Tom Cruise here getting some reps for his Top Gun Maverick role

Things To Know

The Russians wanted to nuke the Chinese in the 1969 Sino-Russian war, but the US told them not to.

Is it possible the Chinese are encouraging Russia to fight in Ukraine, not to deplete the West but rather to deplete Russia? If you're a smart Chinese strategist, do you fear the US - a country that buys all your shit and basically makes you rich? Or do you fear a nuclear-armed neighbor who sits on some of your stolen land and also happens to possess two things you need - a lot of water and a lot of oil?

If I were a Chinese grand strategist, I would rather peel back the parts of Russia they stole from me and get access to cheap oil and water rather than get bogged down in a civil war against Taiwan. 

Jobs

Being an adult, homeowner, and parent means you are taking on several additional jobs, including estate planner, gardener, housekeeper, cook, nurse, driver, financial advisor, bike repair technician, sports coach. I'm sure I'm missing some...

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TV: Seinfeld episodes 

The Smelly Car...watching it this time around and having some experience now with BMW...I think what everyone thought was BO in the episode was actually a funk coming from the A/C condenser that gets moisture and is very difficult to get rid of.  

If Not One Thing, Another

To get a lawn and backyard working...huge expense -  designing, grading, planting, caring...get the water schedule right, adjust for weather, mow correctly, replace dry patches, figure out the fertilizer needs. And then: raccoons come and dig up the sod looking for grubs.

No rest. 

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Film: Onslaught

Not great. Or even good. 

Conservative Move

Honestly, one of the best moves conservatives could do would be to get The Fountainhead on public school reading lists.  

Not South Park

Hasan Piker gifted a hat from Satan's school of gay communism. 

Umm kay.

As Good As It Gets

I never loved the film and, in particular, didn't like the line, "I think of a man, but I take away reason and accountability," because I didn't find it true. But now...looking mighty prescient. 

I'll Stop

Can't tell why this Lindsay Clancy thing keeps grabbing my attention, but I'm beginning to understand why they did the Salem Witch Trials. 

What Is This?

Somebody made a video map of NYC with AI.

It just looks like Minecraft. 

I'm definitely missing something because I see this and immediately think what a waste of time.

Careful

Climbers plan trip using AI, get stuck. 

AI do not understand physical reality, people.

Sad, It's True...

Matt Walsh on Lindsay Clancy and the psych drugs. 

Of course the great irony is that like 95 percent of the women blaming psych drugs for Lindsay Clancy murdering her children are also on psych drugs themselves. They supposedly believe that these drugs can cause you to annihilate your family and yet that hasn’t stopped them from taking the drugs. And they certainly aren’t calling for the drugs to be banned. In conclusion, they’re totally full of shit.

My suggestion for all our problems: exercise and read more. It would work! 

That's a Take, I Suppose...

Why don't all these white women showing up for Clancy support black women?

Also

I hate thinking about all this, but if Lindsay Clancy was experiencing so many troublesome thoughts and needed help, why couldn't she just isolate herself from her family and kids? Like, just go run off somewhere. 

Logging

Film: Wayne's World

Excellent and a bit innovative. Mike Myers = Gen X genius. 

Goals Get Smaller

As you get older...I am now highly focused on keeping my grass green and healthy. 

American Women

If one of the goals was to see a female president-elect, this outpouring of support for Lindsay Clancy isn't helping the cause.

The Straits

Months ago, I theorized Iran closing the Straits would backfire because, once used, threats lose power. First, it would force all their adversaries to find workarounds. Second, the unknown ramifications suddenly become known and get priced in. 

It now appears the US dredged a channel in Oman to bypass the strait.

Apparently, this channel cannot be seen from Iran and thus allows Persian Gulf oil through, while Iranian oil gets stuck in port due to the US Navy blockade. 

Wow. 

That was quick. I figured pipelines across the desert to the Red Sea would be the solution. But they found an even better one.

I just learned yesterday, there was a similar instance in history when this occurred: during the Suez Crisis in the late 50s and early 60s. Egypt took control of the canal and closed the shipping lanes to the Persian Gulf, thus flexing their territorial muscles for political and foreign policy objectives like Iran of today. What happened? Global ships found an alternative route around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, but to make this route economically viable, they started building "supertankers," enormous oil ships. And guess what they found? It became cheaper to transport larger distances with supertankers than with smaller ships through Suez. Woops! Egypt ended up screwing themselves over in the long run.

So be careful how you play your cards.