'Baby Reindeer' Viewing

 This week, I sat and watched the first episode of 'Baby Reindeer' on Netflix.  It's a UK production....total of 7 episodes.

To give the basic script (from a true story)....Brit start-up comedian has come to London....found no fame....ends up in a bar as a bartender, and bumps into this crazy (5-star) gal who turns out to be a stalker.

Comedy?  Well....there's a laugh or two about every ten minutes, but this is a fairly complex drama piece and you just start shaking your head.

The gal portraying the stalker?  Jessica Gunning, and she ought to get an Oscar for her part.

Yesterday, I finished up the 7th episode.  

Yeah, it's one I would recommend....but on the weird-level?  I just can't think of TV series that can rate with Baby Reindeer.   

Three Things I Haven't Figured Out

 1.  I watch a fair amount of the college student 'protest-action', and find it rather odd....they are camping out at the university instead of sleeping in their on-campus dorm, or off-campus apartment.  

But adding to this....all these tents are ultra-expensive North Face type tents ($700 type....not the $99 type that most of us would buy for a weekend camp-out).

It also appears odd.....no drugs or booze in the camping situation.  

Something ain't right.

2.  If you had 'real' money in a 401k or mutual fund situation....this chatter by President Biden on increasing the capital gains tax....ought to scare the crap out of you.  

If you tried to ask him how they came to this decision?  I don't think he can give you a single detail of the decision process.

3.  If you were unhappy, and changed genders.....finding a year later....that you were still unhappy....what's next?

I just look at this reality where people think their gender selection is the source of their unhappy nature, and wonder what solution number two....will be in this odd trend?

Law Story

 I sat and read through a regional piece this AM.....Oklahoma Senate has decided to draft up a law which would make illegal immigration a state crime and require them to exit the state permanently (yeah, you couldn't come back).

Legal?  Well....lets say Jose has been kicked out, and goes to NY....gets some type of Biden-blessing and is given a fed 'green-slip' to be legal.  Would the Oklahoma law still prevent them from entry?

This whole discussion?  If you had stood up in 1975 and said it'd be necessary to talk about this and draft up a law with such wording....people would have laughed.

To be challenged by the Biden Justice Department?  I would imagine a whole team will be brought in to fight this.

Future Reality

 Brit Sun newspaper came out with a piece and suggested that within ten years....humans will be sexing-up with robots.

Not a lot of facts....just suggestive.

What I do believe is that both men and women will relationship-up with virtual partners....having 3-hour conversations after they get home from work....feeling zero need for physical relationships.

By 2030....at least 10,000 people will be in this mind-set.  By 2040....probably 1-million will engaged in this new reality.

At some point, your virtual 'lady' ('Mandy') will monitor your meals, your refrigerator, grocery-shopping list (even ordering), monitoring your car repairs/budget/vacation travel, and arranging entertainment. 

'Mandy' will count your calorie....encourage weight loss....select your clothing style....act jealous on occasion...recite poetry....ask why you were late coming home....and be corrupted by evil Russian hackers.

The Large Groups Problem

Around my fourth year in the Air Force....I came to some conclusion one day....that probably a quarter of the people you rely upon (both enlisted, officers, and generals)....were not that capable in what you expect of their ability.

 Eventually, I came to this quote by George Carlin and it perfectly matched my attitude about managers, leaders and bosses.

In fact, I came to some point in my forties....where I realized that smart people figured out an exit-or-new-path plan....where they managed their own group of people.  They found success.

I watched a video piece this week....by a Australian police chief...warning people that if you spread fake news around, you'd get into police-trouble.  If you wanted factual data....you needed to just ask the police and they would be the 'owners' of truth.  I pondered this for a while....thinking that politicians in Australia are basically outdated at this point....you just need a full-time police presence to run everything.

It is a strange world that we live in presently.....thank goodness we have stupid people in charge.

College Degree Chatter

 

I worked with a guy (divorced) who was paying for his one and only daughter's college.  

Along about the middle  of the 2nd year,  she came over to Germany for the Christmas vacation and spent it with Dad.  

So this odd discussion came up.  She'd talked to two friends who'd finished up college and gone out with their degrees (this was about 2002), and found that whatever they'd majored in....was worthless on the pay-scale and finding employment.

My co-worker talked to someone who was a expert on this business, and they agreed to spend an hour talking to the daughter.  The daughter shifted her focus, and lined up a different degree path....adding an extra semester onto the situation.

I looked over this presentation by CNBC and readily agree....there's a fair number of disenchanted folks....who fall into this problem now.  The trouble for colleges?  Eventually, I think that a dozen degree paths are going to fall apart, with professors given a 'exit-door'.  

The Problem About The 'Send-Them-A-Message-Crowd'

 Back in the 2004-to-20010 era....I became aware of  a large segment of American society who wanted to send 'a-message'.  The receiver?  Banks, economists, politicians in DC, news journalists, state officials, social media, intellectuals, etc.

So when 2016 came up....I saw Hillary Clinton's entire theme and message in trouble.  Trump was to be this 'send-a-message' theme.  It didn't matter if half his positions were traditional Democratic positions.  His position on NAFTA being a failure and harming Americans?  Well....Hillary couldn't grasp how the mess had screwed over working-class Americans.

The 2020 election and Joe Biden?  The receiver-crowd thought that all the crap that they'd dump between 2017 and 2020....would have dissolved the 'send-a-message' crowd.  It didn't work.

Since 2021 with President Biden?  He's had 3-plus years to present a clear 'I-got-the-message' and generally failed.  Even on the migration business and potential to get illegals in to vote....all that did was trigger another five-odd-million generally-attracted-to-Biden voters (mostly blacks in big cities) to getting into a 'give-them-a-message' reality.

The mess with RFK Jr running?  Well....if you were disturbed with Biden and Trump....RFK is a natural at the 'send-them-a-message' theme.

The failure of the political folks to grasp how the 'send-them-a-message' business works?  This is odd part of the discussion.  You get the impression they believe the message business is a fad, and will eventually dissolve.  Nothing yet has shown that might happen.