Nelson Lowhim's Blog, page 80
August 10, 2019
Conspiracies.
Well, if you're like me, you probably thought Epstein would "die" in unusual circumstances a long time ago. So when I heard of his suicide this morning I thought, "right, a suicide." [1] But, of course, he was going to name some big names so we don't doubt that something extremely convenient just happened. And, like many of our billionaire class, this man would not be capable of enough shame to kill himself, right?
We'll see if the investigation brings anything worthwhile up.
Nevertheless, when someone like Trump uses conspiracy theories (only the ones he likes and we all know he can use two opposing ones, that they don't need a coherent worldview—which conspiracy-theorists usually try to have—[2] and that he throws them away as soon as he can) we know it's for convenience and it merely a jargon to distract and get him what he wants.
IOW it is in the interest those with power (and who are looking for less transparency into what they do) to obfuscate and use conspiracy theories to the point where all are discredited. Note those with out power will use them to (though not always) to make sense of a world to which they don't have access (and which they're cut off from).
[1] In that link you'll see that plenty of people are thinking along the conspiracy route.
[2] I sense that, nowadays, many people are simply not bothering with consistency or other marks of the normal conspiracy theory and merely there to get their story out for the moment and either muddy the waters or allow people that initial high of pretending to know something other people don't know. Or maybe, it's some ritual of intelligence/storytelling ability where people try to outdo each other with levels of ridiculousness. Fiction is life, now.
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We'll see if the investigation brings anything worthwhile up.
Nevertheless, when someone like Trump uses conspiracy theories (only the ones he likes and we all know he can use two opposing ones, that they don't need a coherent worldview—which conspiracy-theorists usually try to have—[2] and that he throws them away as soon as he can) we know it's for convenience and it merely a jargon to distract and get him what he wants.
IOW it is in the interest those with power (and who are looking for less transparency into what they do) to obfuscate and use conspiracy theories to the point where all are discredited. Note those with out power will use them to (though not always) to make sense of a world to which they don't have access (and which they're cut off from).
[1] In that link you'll see that plenty of people are thinking along the conspiracy route.
[2] I sense that, nowadays, many people are simply not bothering with consistency or other marks of the normal conspiracy theory and merely there to get their story out for the moment and either muddy the waters or allow people that initial high of pretending to know something other people don't know. Or maybe, it's some ritual of intelligence/storytelling ability where people try to outdo each other with levels of ridiculousness. Fiction is life, now.
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August 9, 2019
Lie First, Get Stuff. Worry About the Truth Later.
Actually I'm not entirely certain that Stephens over at the Times is actually lying. Could be he's not actually getting paid for this drivel and is just now knowledgeable. Thing is, there are plenty of odd statements and assertions in this piece. And yet, in the end, he seems to miss that we've set out to modernize our nukes (at the cost of a trillion dollars) and that a nuclear exchange would be devastating. as Brad Delong says, Why oh why can't we have a better press corps?
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Lie First, Worry About the Truth Later.
Actually I'm not entirely certain that Stephens over at the Times is actually lying. Could be he's not actually getting paid for this drivel and is just now knowledgeable. Thing is, there are plenty of odd statements and assertions in this piece. And yet, in the end, he seems to miss that we've set out to modernize our nukes (at the cost of a trillion dollars) and that a nuclear exchange would be devastating. as Brad Delong says, Why oh why can't we have a better press corps?
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Enjoyed it? Share it via email, facebook, twitter, or one of the buttons below (or through some other method you prefer). Thank you! As always, here's the tip jar. paypal.me/nlowhim Throw some change in there & help cover the costs of running this thing. You can use paypal or a credit card.
Movies you like that others hate
so XKCD has a challenge: what movies do you like that others hate (defined here as <50% on RT)? Well this century (adulthood for us older folks, I suppose) [1]. I think the first thing that comes to mind is Captive State. 44% on RT. Seriously I still can't believe this movie was so lowly rated and received (the audience at RT hated it even more than the critics... ). Check it out if you get a chance.
Still, I think the reason the movies we remember that everyone loves is because we expect our fellow people to be somewhat right and end up disappointed when they're wrong.
What would you add to this list?
[1] Because if we're including older movies, Bad Boys gets my vote, given that it's really hated by the critics (what the hell are they on?).
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Still, I think the reason the movies we remember that everyone loves is because we expect our fellow people to be somewhat right and end up disappointed when they're wrong.
What would you add to this list?
[1] Because if we're including older movies, Bad Boys gets my vote, given that it's really hated by the critics (what the hell are they on?).
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August 7, 2019
Best Villians ever.
There is, of course, the joker as done by Heath Ledger. Easily one of the best. I'd add Daniel Kaluuya in Widows. Pretty damn good. It's really hard for actors to play the villain well. Even Al Pacino (well maybe in Godfather?) in Devils Advocate isn't that great, IMO. And Javier Bardem doesn't seem that bad to me. Your thoughts?
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The Queen is Dead.
Toni Morrison passed yesterday. It was a sad day, indeed. I would also say that she's one of the best writers in the world, and certainly one of the best for the USA. She's also the only writer who won the Nobel Prize. It's something many of the "great" American writers have lamented, but, tell you the truth, she might be the only one to deserve it (of that older generation certainly, though I'm thinking about who might be worth the nomination in this generation... Whitehead is up there... well let's see, I suppose).
Lots of people talk about Bluest Eye but I recommend you try Paradise. It's worth your time. Of course, I haven't read enough and will be adding a lot of her books to my list (or rather, move them up in their places right now). Just a damn shame.
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Lots of people talk about Bluest Eye but I recommend you try Paradise. It's worth your time. Of course, I haven't read enough and will be adding a lot of her books to my list (or rather, move them up in their places right now). Just a damn shame.
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August 5, 2019
They hungry AND them belly full.
A child of empire asking it to stop eating. Destroying.
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August 4, 2019
Twas Always Thus
So I just read a bio on Toussaint Louverture. Really worthwhile book (though I don't agree with some of his points at the end, but I suppose I just need to read up on Haiti post-independence in general). That being said, it's good in showing his complex mind and how he navigated the perilous waters of being the only leader of a successful slave revolt.
His end, of course, is a sad one, but this is a worthwhile read.
I actually picked it up at random from my library's search function. I was trying to learn more about TL. Right now, though the past is never past, I'm not sure if it makes sense. Well, maybe it does. Reading some essays on Poland and how they had a bunch of different peasant uprisings in their time. Something that the nobles never wanted (the same went for the planters in Haiti) and they showed that with horrendous punishments.
To that end, the book fits in very well with the nightmare that is history. Best to use it so that one can wake up from it (rather than bathe in it as many seem to want to do these days).
Your thoughts on TL?
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His end, of course, is a sad one, but this is a worthwhile read.
I actually picked it up at random from my library's search function. I was trying to learn more about TL. Right now, though the past is never past, I'm not sure if it makes sense. Well, maybe it does. Reading some essays on Poland and how they had a bunch of different peasant uprisings in their time. Something that the nobles never wanted (the same went for the planters in Haiti) and they showed that with horrendous punishments.
To that end, the book fits in very well with the nightmare that is history. Best to use it so that one can wake up from it (rather than bathe in it as many seem to want to do these days).
Your thoughts on TL?
Enjoyed it? Share it via email, facebook, twitter, or one of the buttons below (or through some other method you prefer). Thank you! As always, here's the tip jar. paypal.me/nlowhim Throw some change in there & help cover the costs of running this thing. You can use paypal or a credit card.
July 31, 2019
Like the World has Gone Mad
With a level of stupid I had always known about but thought was on the fringes, or could be overcome in some fashion. [1]
With the HIIC, though, I know now this not to be true. But the kind of purges he is conducting in the EPA and other science-based institutions, is certainly an aspect of his authoritarianism that one cannot overlook easily and which will not be so easily overcome in the future (think of all the knowledge lost there).
But in many ways, the centrist position cannot stand. The Times, ostensibly is centrist (or center right, for those who aren't nuts) and though it had a great opinion piece there, look at the ad above. Chevron, a company helping destroy the world (through CC, nevermind geooplitical policies I'm sure its lobbyists are bribing politicians into) is allowed to present itself as some saviour looking for other forms of energy. I don't doubt they do something (probably as subsidized as oil is) but this kind of obfuscation must stop being presented. [3]
[1] Reading Orwell, I remember him saying that he can't understand the outrage over a murder, but hardly a murmur over the murder of many by a bomb. Yeah, apes, we are.
[2] Which is another issue I have with people who claim not to think Climate Change is man-made. Okay, then we still have to deal with the consequences of a warming world, don't we? Nothing is said on that account, of course. Like I've said before, it's a matter of just letting us think long enough so they can steal more (and destroy the country, essentially, since this is a national security issue more than anything).
[3] Note too that it could have been targeted at me, meaning I'm not sure if it's just trying to present itself in a good light to all who just read that article I linked above or if they have enough data on me to know me to care about the Climate.
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With the HIIC, though, I know now this not to be true. But the kind of purges he is conducting in the EPA and other science-based institutions, is certainly an aspect of his authoritarianism that one cannot overlook easily and which will not be so easily overcome in the future (think of all the knowledge lost there).
But in many ways, the centrist position cannot stand. The Times, ostensibly is centrist (or center right, for those who aren't nuts) and though it had a great opinion piece there, look at the ad above. Chevron, a company helping destroy the world (through CC, nevermind geooplitical policies I'm sure its lobbyists are bribing politicians into) is allowed to present itself as some saviour looking for other forms of energy. I don't doubt they do something (probably as subsidized as oil is) but this kind of obfuscation must stop being presented. [3][1] Reading Orwell, I remember him saying that he can't understand the outrage over a murder, but hardly a murmur over the murder of many by a bomb. Yeah, apes, we are.
[2] Which is another issue I have with people who claim not to think Climate Change is man-made. Okay, then we still have to deal with the consequences of a warming world, don't we? Nothing is said on that account, of course. Like I've said before, it's a matter of just letting us think long enough so they can steal more (and destroy the country, essentially, since this is a national security issue more than anything).
[3] Note too that it could have been targeted at me, meaning I'm not sure if it's just trying to present itself in a good light to all who just read that article I linked above or if they have enough data on me to know me to care about the Climate.
Enjoyed it? Share it via email, facebook, twitter, or one of the buttons below (or through some other method you prefer). Thank you! As always, here's the tip jar. paypal.me/nlowhim Throw some change in there & help cover the costs of running this thing. You can use paypal or a credit card.
Get a Moka Pot. Now.
Holy. So I read this article claiming the company that makes the Moka Pot is struggling and looking to go out of business. That's ridiculous. Seriously, if you like coffee, this should be the first thing you get. The only problem I see is that they last forever. Yeah, shame on them. But it beats Nespresso (less waste to deal with) and most certainly is equivalent/better to those small espresso machines you find in many homes these days. So go out and get one.
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