Times Ahead

I expect mega-depression. I think that has about a 60% probability now. (Two weeks ago, I would’ve said 30%.) By “mega-depression,” I mean GDP decrease by ~30%, sustained long-term, and 30-40% U3 unemployment (and ~50% U6). The “liberals” and “progressives” have done and are doing absolutely nothing to counter this and seem to have no interest in this at all.

The conservatives and plutes saw their opportunity and are taking it. Now we return to feudal world for a few centuries. This has long been their dream and now they can fulfill it. Most of them would rather be at the top of the heap of a garbage dump than just doing ok in a utopia, and they are about to get their fondest wish.

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I don’t endorse with all of this, but it is pretty good satire. Though I agree with social distancing and stay-at-home restrictions, like many things this pandemic has become a great excuse for absurd and disgusting “liberal” virtue signaling. So, have a laugh:

Art Of

I do think liberals think the Republicans accidentally win, somehow, despite being stupid. Libs conceive of themselves as the “smart, educated” ones and they literally cannot imagine that the Repubs have a very well-coordinated and well-orchestrated program of attack, concrete plans, and make great use of strategic and tactical opportunities.

Meanwhile, liberals police pronouns and cancel one another.

Pandemage

Just wait till you get a load of how many people the loss of an economy will kill. Will make the pandemic look mild by comparison.

Cine of the Times

30 Underrated Films to Revisit in Quarantine.

Great list. Someone who really knows and cares about movies.

Like Sims, I also loved Soderbergh’s Solaris and Richard Kelly’s The Box. The latter film is just indescribably weird, but in a great way. I understand why it bounced off of people — it’s very philosophical, does not coddle the viewer, and just is a torrent of odd ideas and surrealist imaginings.

Constantine also was quite good. The bathtub near-drowning scene…damn. Intimate, visceral, desperate, and so well-acted by Rachel Weisz.

Any actor could learn a lot from that scene.

Leaving On Any Means of Transpo

The US is totally fucked. If we could easily immigrate to another country, we’d have done it already.

There are only two classes of politicians now in the US: the impolite looting class (Republicans) and the polite ones (Democrats). No other substantive differences between them.