Categories: "Entertainments"

olympic boondoggle redux

July 28th, 2013
I wrote earlier of my skepticism concerning attempts by some in the Seattle community to promote the local area as the site for a future Olympics games. Here is an article from the Guardian, written on the anniversary of the 2012 London games, describing some doubt as to the vaunted hopes claimed to justify the public expense on those Olympics. A few extracts that might give further pause before taking at face value such claims regarding any similar venture around Seattle. more »

rant on Michael Moore on Capitalism

July 10th, 2013
twenty five years of bailouts can't be wrong.    oh, wait, maybe the can be after all. more »

my two cents on a couple from Planet Money

May 16th, 2013
This note covers three recent episodes: The Lollipop War, the one that returns to their tee-shirt project, and the reprise of the cotton wars. more »

olympic sized boondoggle

March 22nd, 2013
billions coming from everyone in this country end up being spent for the benefit of a small number of people who might have the opportunity to capitalize on two weeks of huge crowds pouring into the region. more »

some history

March 10th, 2013
Roosevelt's Secret War, The Tycoons, Shattered Sword more »

a lentil soup

March 9th, 2013
While I consider necessary expansion and clarifications on other matters, I recount below the complementary factors of production that contribute to making a lentil soup of certain note... more »

metrics run amok

March 4th, 2013
... in the fervor surrounding the French revolution they introduced such changes [to clocks] at the same time as arriving at the length for the original meter and mass of the original gram, and the grad measure of angles more »

Artificial Intelligence (2001)

February 19th, 2013
While the film opens some interesting questions, the second half leaves so many loose ends it looks like the producers failed to consider some of the most basic ramifications of the premise. more »

Message to Love

February 16th, 2013
It's 1970, the Isle of Wight festival, and everyone is there:  Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull, the Who, Tiny Tim, and 600,000 fans.  more »

Das Boot, Directors Cut

February 13th, 2013
I've never before seen a three+ hour movie go by so quickly, all the more significant by the film being in German and subtitled.  Suspense, action, and drama -- a war film that looked as harrowing and awful as I can imagine submarine operations to be. more »