Random Thoughts: House of Gucci

Tweets from December, 2021:

• 2021-12-02: House of Gucci (2021): More or less true story of business troubles of Gucci brand brought on by family infighting (and some tax evasion). Part satire, part camp. More than a little over-the-top acting. Jared Leto goes too far. Adam Driver not far enough. Lady Gaga is perfect. B+
• 2021-12-03: The Power of the Dog (2021): Set on a remote ranch in 1925 Montana owned by two brothers, one a bully, the other with a new wife and a bookish son. Like a kettle on a hot stove, the tension slowly builds to a climactic boil. The mystery at heart is what drives the characters. B+
• 2021-12-05: In the 1996 election campaign, Bob Dole expressed his frustration that his campaign's attempt to paint Bill Clinton as a randy snake gained no traction. Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign succeeded in painting Dole as an out-of-touch old man. In hindsight, the voters were stupid.
• 2021-12-06: The Curse of Von Dutch (TV 2021): Documentary of a clothing brand that became wildly popular in the early 2000s, then flamed out. The people behind it were an odd assortment of losers, crazies, double-crossers, and even a killer or two. All get to tell their side here. C-

After the jump, more random thoughts.

TIL: My Mistakes in Foreign Policy

I'm not in position to set foreign policy for the U.S. Government. More and more I'm thinking that's a good thing. Because a couple of my notions about wise foreign policy have proven to be, how do I put this, disasters for America and the world. Live and learn, amiright?

Anne Applebaum is a staff writer for "The Atlantic" and a Pulitzer-prize winning historian. In her recent cover story, "The Bad Guys are Winning", she explains why. "If the 20th century was the story of slow, uneven progress toward the victory of liberal democracy over other ideologies—communism, fascism, virulent nationalism—the 21st century is, so far, a story of the reverse."

POTD: Balloons Over the Valley of the Kings

From 2019 11 22 Valley of the Kings

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Luxor, Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile River. It was taken in the morning, looking west over the Nile and towards the Valley of the Kings.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: The Lock at Esna

From 2019 11 21 Kom Ombo and Edfu

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Esna, Egypt. It shows the lock that vessels have to navigate to pass the "Electricity Bridge" across the Nile River built there by the British.

Bonus photo after the jump.

POTD: Sunset on the Nile

From 2019 11 21 Kom Ombo and Edfu

Today's photo-of-the-day is from Edfu, Egypt. It shows a sunset on the Nile. That's all.

I think this is an appropriate image for "Dead Week", the best week of the year, the week between Christmas and New Years Eve.

I Have Seen Texas's Future

The anti-maskers, anti-vaxers, anti-diversity, anti-LGBTQ, anti-library, anti-education zealots in Texas just think they are the leaders in moving America ahead by taking it back. They aren't. Texans are followers. The real leaders of the "anti" movement are elsewhere. To see where trends in Texas are leading, look to Idaho.

Reader Feedback: "Go Help a Kid"

Recently, I posted "Why I Support DEI, In One Graph". Separately, I posted "Why I Support SEL, In One Parent's Story". Reader feedback prompts me to add some things.

1. I know this DEI graph isn't the whole story. It's just one graph.
2. I don't have the solution. Richardson ISD's DEI policy is forcing RISD to address the problem. Maybe the solution will come out of that.
3. Readers are smarter than I am. There was a lot of great feedback to my post.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Rotten Tomatoes

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004): Mock documentary that's part Jacques Costeau, part Moby Dick. Maybe in 2004 this would have seemed fresh, but there have been so many better Wes Anderson films since then. This one never takes off. Script and acting are lifeless. C-

#VeryTardyReview

Why I Support DEI, In One Graph

DEI (or EDI, as the Richardson ISD prefers) stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Simply, it means that "all people, regardless of race, gender, or other demographic attribute, should be able to succeed." Somehow, teaching that noble goal has been twisted into something members of the RISD community, in public comments at a recent school board meeting, called "racist indoctrination" and "hateful divisive ideology" and "brainwashing." Whoa.

Then I came across one simple graph that highlights the fact that something is wrong in RISD, and, yes, it has to do with race. It highlights a racial divide in school rankings. I'm willing to listen to suggestions for how to address it, but I won't be convinced by anything that doesn't start from a premise that race is at the root of a problem here in RISD.

Why I Support SEL, In One Parent's Story

When I grew up, bullying happened. It was frowned upon by teachers, but behind the teachers' backs, in the lunchroom, on the playground, bullying went on undiminished. Why? Because kids weren't taught how to deal with it themselves. Instead, kids were taught to take it without whining. Or, worse, to fight back and risk getting beaten up. Both methods were failures. Relying on teachers being the enforcers makes bullying worse ("Cut it out or I'll tell the teacher."). What was needed was teaching kids a better way to deal with bullies. And teaching bullies a better way to deal with the feelings that caused them to bully.