2020-06-29
Victor Davis Hanson: Anger, not Trump vs. Biden, now driving 2020 election
Much of the country believes that America is racist, cruel and incapable of self-correction of its so-called original sins — without a radical erasure of much of its past history, traditions and customs.
It sees occasional violence as a necessary stimulant of long-overdue change. It argues that the American founding focus on liberty and freedom as increasingly selfish and incompatible with social justice and equality.
Racism, the protesting left says, is in the American DNA. It finally requires massive cutting, chemotherapy and radiation — treatment that deservedly will sicken and may even kill the host.
The other half of the country will vote to preserve what is under attack. They feel that the dreamy world of the demonstrators and rioters is an Orwellian vision far worse than the present reality that they are protesting.
America in their view is the world's only large, successful multiracial democracy. It is the dream destination of the world's immigrants — precisely because its ancient institutions adapt and change for the better, but only if they are preserved and allowed to work.
The angry and the demonstrating are loud and visible; their opponents are angry and quiet.
The election will reveal not just who is more numerous — but sadly also who is the angriest.
It sees occasional violence as a necessary stimulant of long-overdue change. It argues that the American founding focus on liberty and freedom as increasingly selfish and incompatible with social justice and equality.
Racism, the protesting left says, is in the American DNA. It finally requires massive cutting, chemotherapy and radiation — treatment that deservedly will sicken and may even kill the host.
The other half of the country will vote to preserve what is under attack. They feel that the dreamy world of the demonstrators and rioters is an Orwellian vision far worse than the present reality that they are protesting.
America in their view is the world's only large, successful multiracial democracy. It is the dream destination of the world's immigrants — precisely because its ancient institutions adapt and change for the better, but only if they are preserved and allowed to work.
The angry and the demonstrating are loud and visible; their opponents are angry and quiet.
The election will reveal not just who is more numerous — but sadly also who is the angriest.
2020-06-27
Movie theaters, AMC and streaming.
A large number of movies were supposed to be out by now or were going to come out soon, but have been postponed. This makes sense.
My problem is that I don't want to go back to the movie theater any time soon, if ever. AMC, the nation's largest movie chain, is reopening on July 15th, and by all accounts, they are on the brink of bankruptcy. How many people are going to rush back to the movie theaters on July 15th?
This crisis has made me think that movie theaters are now redundant. They were in trouble before the pandemic. They should give as a way to stream all movies at home.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
My problem is that I don't want to go back to the movie theater any time soon, if ever. AMC, the nation's largest movie chain, is reopening on July 15th, and by all accounts, they are on the brink of bankruptcy. How many people are going to rush back to the movie theaters on July 15th?
This crisis has made me think that movie theaters are now redundant. They were in trouble before the pandemic. They should give as a way to stream all movies at home.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
2020-06-26
A coronavirus vaccine is still months away, but an antibody treatment could be closer - CNN
Currently there are at least 102 Covid-19 antibody treatments in various stages of development, according to David Thomas, vice president of Industry Research at BIO, the trade association representing the biotechnology industry. Thomas does the research that goes into his organization's Covid-19 therapeutic development tracker. He said there are so many treatments under development, it's hard to keep up.
"I never looked at it to grow this big, this fast, and I've worked on all different therapeutic areas from Alzheimer's to cancer, and to see a pipeline of this size and this breadth is amazing," Thomas said.
"I never looked at it to grow this big, this fast, and I've worked on all different therapeutic areas from Alzheimer's to cancer, and to see a pipeline of this size and this breadth is amazing," Thomas said.
2020-06-25
Cell phone use while driving becomes illegal in a week
Before the law goes into effect, drivers have been allowed to operate their GPS applications on their phone while driving. Moving forward, drivers will have to utilize Bluetooth capabilities in their vehicles or find another means of driving hands-free. For people without Bluetooth in their vehicle, a pair of headphones with a microphone will do, as long as only one ear of the headset is used while driving.
Man Tracks Down People He Photographed in the Street 40 Years Ago to Recreate Their Pictures
These are interesting. Forty years ago I was taking my first college class during the summer.
2020-06-24
2020-06-23
2020-06-22
2020-06-20
2020-06-19
COVID-19 in Indiana
I started keeping track on March 21st when we had 126 cases in Indiana. This is when I first started to shelter in place. I was worried even then. It appeared that the virus was increasing exponentially.
Now we have 41,746 cases, which is up 3,400 cases from 9 days ago.
Summer starts tomorrow. All this increase has been in one season.
Why Apple Is Selling $700 Wheels
I thought that this was a parody, but it turns out to be true...
On the Vital Necessity of Free Speech
I saw this almost two years ago. I think that this is Jordan Peterson's best speech.
2020-06-17
2020-06-16
Imagine
Imagine a science fiction novel written 20 years ago, where every person infected with a deadly virus infects two other people, and the carriers are asymptomatic, and up to 5% of the known cases die. Imagine a story where people can't interact with each other. People can't visit their parents. Movie theaters and other public events are canceled. The economy shuts down. And people get so agitated that there are riots in the streets.
It certainly would have seemed like science fiction.
Actually, the 2011 movie Contagion had every detail spot on except for the deadliness of the disease.
2020-06-15
2020-06-14
insanity
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Larry
Led by a media that is at once delusional and cynical—an eye-rolling combination—America is in the throes of a national madness.
Few are able to tell the truth—and when they do, they are attacked by the mob, not only in the street, but also in the board room.
Just the other day, talk show host Tucker Carlson opened his mouth about the well-documented dishonest origins (the lie about Michael Brown) of Black Lives Matter and sent advertisers skittering like so many scared rabbits.
You have the sensation that people across the country are hiding what they really think for fear of repercussions—retribution that will destroy their lives and livelihood.
And they're not being stupid. It could—and has.
If Nathaniel Hawthorne were alive today, he could write a new masterpiece with faux racism as the offense warranting the scarlet letter, but no one would publish it, certainly not one of our mainstream publishers who would rather flunk their Wasserman tests.
Is this the way to run a democracy?
Of course not, but that's where we are in America 2020, when putative "autonomous zones" are being set up across the land by groups espousing the overthrow of the U.S. government, violently or otherwise, under the guise of a brainless anarchism that Peter Kropotkin would never recognize.
2020-06-13
2020-06-12
2020-06-11
2020-06-09
2020-06-07
This Robot Vacuum Has a GPU?!
When vacuum cleaners are smarter than a cheap budget laptop...
2020-06-06
2020-06-03
Pandemic
Amidst all the chaos, I think that people need to remember that we still have a pandemic out there. Even if some experts are saying it is not as deadly as we once thought, we still have 109,000 deaths in the U.S.
2020-06-02
Media Falsely Claimed Violent Riots Were Peaceful And That Tear Gas Was Used Against Rioters
Every single major media outlet falsely reported that Park Police were unprovoked when they used "tear gas" to clear the area. If any of that were true, it might mark the first time in history that cops without gas masks launched tear gas in an area that the president of the United States easily walked through minutes later.
After thousands of false tweets, print stories, and broadcast stories to the contrary, local journalist Neal Augenstein of WTOP reported that a Park Police source said "tear gas was never used — instead smoke canisters were deployed, which don't have an uncomfortable irritant in them." Further, the source said the crowd was dispersed because of projectiles being thrown by the "peaceful protesters" at the Park Police and because "peaceful protesters" had climbed on top of a structure in Lafayette Park that had been burned the prior night.
Sgt. Eduardo Delgado, the public information officer for the Park Police, confirmed the agency did not use tear gas. And later this afternoon, United States Park Police acting Chief Gregory T. Monahan exploded the entire false narrative:
On Monday, June 1, the USPP worked with the United States Secret Service to have temporary fencing installed inside Lafayette Park. At approximately 6:33 pm, violent protestors on H Street NW began throwing projectiles including bricks, frozen water bottles and caustic liquids. The protestors also climbed onto a historic building at the north end of Lafayette Park that was destroyed by arson days prior. Intelligence had revealed calls for violence against the police, and officers found caches of glass bottles, baseball bats and metal poles hidden along the street.
After thousands of false tweets, print stories, and broadcast stories to the contrary, local journalist Neal Augenstein of WTOP reported that a Park Police source said "tear gas was never used — instead smoke canisters were deployed, which don't have an uncomfortable irritant in them." Further, the source said the crowd was dispersed because of projectiles being thrown by the "peaceful protesters" at the Park Police and because "peaceful protesters" had climbed on top of a structure in Lafayette Park that had been burned the prior night.
Sgt. Eduardo Delgado, the public information officer for the Park Police, confirmed the agency did not use tear gas. And later this afternoon, United States Park Police acting Chief Gregory T. Monahan exploded the entire false narrative:
On Monday, June 1, the USPP worked with the United States Secret Service to have temporary fencing installed inside Lafayette Park. At approximately 6:33 pm, violent protestors on H Street NW began throwing projectiles including bricks, frozen water bottles and caustic liquids. The protestors also climbed onto a historic building at the north end of Lafayette Park that was destroyed by arson days prior. Intelligence had revealed calls for violence against the police, and officers found caches of glass bottles, baseball bats and metal poles hidden along the street.
Riots and race
When I drove by the Columbus, Indiana Best Buy, I saw a hand-drawn message on the side of the building that said, "We are with you in this!" First of all, rioters have targeted Best Buy and Target stores. Second, who isn't for justice and racial equality? I'm tired of people saying that there is systemic racism, accusing a large group of people or an entire segment of society of being racist. In the year 2020, I don't know a single person who is racist. I'm sure that there are a few bad apples, but they don't represent the rest of us.
I'm sorry that you have drunk the liberal socialist Kool-Aid. The old socialism failed both economically and to catch the imagination of the public. The new socialism only had one resource remaining to promote its agenda, which was to divide people by ethnicity and to convince them that they are victims. As long as you think that you are a victim then you lose at least some control of your life because you think that others are responsible for what happens to you. Consequently, you will look to politicians, mostly radicals, to save you from your grievances.
The tools of the radicals are violence or the threat of violence. On the surface, they want to burn it all down. They sponsor thugs to go from city to city and from state to state to incite the mobs and to commit acts of violence. This is why shop owners, men and women, are being beaten. This is why Molotov cocktails are being thrown. This is why buildings are being burned. This is why police cars are being overturned and burned.
The socialist left is not about helping people. It never has been because the results of socialism have always been the opposite of its goals. The socialist left is about Power and making sure that they are in control. Although they claim to give power to the people, it never turns out that way. The purpose of Power is to secure it for a small group of people.
The United States is one of the most diverse and racially harmonious places on the planet. Try going to Japan, Korea, or China, and see how racially tolerant they are.
The most prosperous and stable societies are the ones where people respect each other and the rule of law. The more we diverge from that then the more we degrade society and our common interests.
What we are seeing can bring down a society and lead to radical extremists rising up. I don't think that it will happen here, but the violence hurts the cause of the peaceful protestors who have legitimate grievances. And almost everyone wants to see justice done. We are with you in this!
I'm sorry that you have drunk the liberal socialist Kool-Aid. The old socialism failed both economically and to catch the imagination of the public. The new socialism only had one resource remaining to promote its agenda, which was to divide people by ethnicity and to convince them that they are victims. As long as you think that you are a victim then you lose at least some control of your life because you think that others are responsible for what happens to you. Consequently, you will look to politicians, mostly radicals, to save you from your grievances.
The tools of the radicals are violence or the threat of violence. On the surface, they want to burn it all down. They sponsor thugs to go from city to city and from state to state to incite the mobs and to commit acts of violence. This is why shop owners, men and women, are being beaten. This is why Molotov cocktails are being thrown. This is why buildings are being burned. This is why police cars are being overturned and burned.
The socialist left is not about helping people. It never has been because the results of socialism have always been the opposite of its goals. The socialist left is about Power and making sure that they are in control. Although they claim to give power to the people, it never turns out that way. The purpose of Power is to secure it for a small group of people.
The United States is one of the most diverse and racially harmonious places on the planet. Try going to Japan, Korea, or China, and see how racially tolerant they are.
The most prosperous and stable societies are the ones where people respect each other and the rule of law. The more we diverge from that then the more we degrade society and our common interests.
What we are seeing can bring down a society and lead to radical extremists rising up. I don't think that it will happen here, but the violence hurts the cause of the peaceful protestors who have legitimate grievances. And almost everyone wants to see justice done. We are with you in this!
Best wishes,
John Coffey
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