David > Recent Status Updates

I love this book. I really feel like I understand what was on his mind when he wrote his songs, and what his influences and interests were.

I don’t know if I’ll finish it. It’s idiotic. If you strip away the verbiage you get something like — have a desire to get rich, an idea of how to do it, and pursue it with unshakable determination. Yep, that ought to help 🤷‍♂️. Other lessons might be latch on to a successful person (an Edison) and see what you can get out of the relationship. That’s actually kind of a practical suggestion.

"There is something strangely inconsistent about a nation and a press that will praise you when you say be nonviolent toward Jim Clark, but will curse you and damn you when you say be nonviolent toward little brown Vietnamese children!" The congregation broke into applause, "There is something wrong with that!"

What a story. Trevor Noah’s mother is an extraordinary person.

At last we get to the music. I can’t believe how quickly and brilliantly Goldsmith scores the film.

“We killed two-month-old Indian babies to take this country,” one white voter explained succinctly to the press, “and now they want us to give it away to the niggers.”

The FBI's persecution of MLK was indefensible. The wiretaps were illegal -- and they captured, for the sake of history rather of justice, poignant moments.

"The playing field may be level, but certain kids get to spend nights and weekends practicing on it in advance of the competition."

"How do I live free in this black body?"

Interesting point: home ownership has been encouraged and supported by federal programs but when people own homes there can be greater economic economic costs that make relocating for a better job extra difficult.

How convenient to have a forger who is also a notary public.

"Deponents couldn't define the terms 'affidavit,' 'promissory note,' or even 'mortgage,' which might have been fine if that wasn't what they worked on for a living."

"On the date in October 2008 when he allegedly witnessed the mortgage assignment, Korrell Harp was in state prison in Oklahoma."

"Bank of America employees later testified they were given Target and Best Buy gift cards as bonuses for lying to homeowners, denying HAMP modifications, and pushing people into foreclosure."

"Foreclosure fraud was necessary to stay one step ahead of the origination and securitization fraud."

Negative amortization: damn, what a piece of genius.

"The Eichmann trial taught the world the banality of evil. Nixon is teaching the world the evil of banality."

Attorney General Brownell argued that suspected Communist teachers were guilty of "spreading ideas in the classroom, ideas too subtle to be detected." The fucking Attorney General, for crying out loud!

It's almost funny. The FBI spies on Stone for decades and ends up noting how much he loves the United States.

"Stone's [FBI] file reflects the futility of hounding a man so publicly opinionated.... 'What was McCarthy going to do to me? Expose me? It would be like exposing Gypsy Rose Lee. I was exposing myself every week anyway.'"

Oddly enough, Keynes' sex life -- busy as it is -- is not particularly interesting. Contrasted to his role in shaping economics and the destiny of nations it doesn't seem to matter which and how many guys he was fooling around with.

"The springs of action lie deep in ignorance and madness."

"It's not surprising that American audiences accepted the plot of Being There, in which an idiot becomes a national hero, for after all, they elected Ronald Reagan to the presidency the following year."

What a mess. Take a talented but neurotic person and add celebrity and drugs and you're not going to get something good. Still, she managed to do some great work, almost despite herself.

For someone so miserable she had a lot of fun. Yet even at the height of her phenomenal success, not much peace or contentment.

Crossing paths with Charlie Chaplin at a performance of Major Barbara, on your first day in Hollywood -- and Chaplin even gives an impromptu pantomime -- that's an auspicious beginning!

"Normal disposal is by inhumement, entombment, inurnment or immurement, but many people just lately prefer insarcophagusment. That is _very_ individual."

How about that Betty Ford? At the time, when she expressed her support for the ERA, Roe v Wade, etc., I don't recall that it was all that controversial. But what a backlash! The GOP was quickly possessed by religious extremism, hopping on a veritable Talibandwagon of oppression, repression and hypocrisy.

Republicans Are People Too! Can you believe it? They did that campaign 40 years ago as well.