An anthology of Downland characters and what they do between their epic adventures. Mostly written as birthday gifts to the players, these ...
I would prefer a bit more creativity in Trump's naming. Gulf of America vs. Gulf of Mexico made sense. Lake America? We weren't calling it Lake Canada. Ontario is a province. May Lake New York? If he does manage to acquire Greenland, will it get renamed to Americaland?
On X, someone noted that 127 children had died from the measles vaccine while only 2 have died from contracting measles. Proof that the vaccine is more dangerous than the disease! No, sorry, it does not prove any such thing.
The measles vaccine was introduced in 1963. Prior to vaccination, the annual death toll was 300 to 400 per year. The population was considerably lower then, but let's stick with that number and just compare. With the vaccine, we can have 2 measles deaths and 127 vaccine deaths, but without the vaccine with can have 300 to 400 measles deaths and no vaccine deaths. I'll let you choose.
As Thomas Sowell explained, there are no solutions, only tradeoffs. By only examining one side of the equation, it can appear that the status quo is obviously wrong. However, once you look at both sides, the tradeoff is apparent and the cost/benefit can be answered.
Though I have been writing this blog for 15 years, it is not a popular or widely read blog. However, there have been the occasional bursts of activity. In October 2018, I had over 5,000 views! Prior to that, I only saw a few hundred in a month. It flattened out to the regular few hundred until June 2019 when I broke 3,000. Cool. It then dipped to the usual few hundred for the next several years. In December 2023, I had over 4,000. In May 2024, there were more than 6,000. Wow! That was the high-water mark until July 2025 when I broke 42,000. What? How is that possible? It was so out of the blue. In the last few months, the real craziness occurred.
The last 4 months have seen 273,000 views, which constitutes more than 60% of all the views I've had since starting this blog. What could possible account for such skyrocketing views? Artificial Intelligence. Yes, the AI bots must be grabbing everything that can be found. I suspect all bloggers have seen a huge increase in views. How long will this last? In a few months, will I look back on this as the slow times?
For the rare human reader, thanks for stopping by.
In addition to changing both domestic and foreign policy, the DSA has idea on reforming how the government governs. Let's go back to the DSA website.
Working-Class Democracy
Democracy for All: Extend full voting rights to all permanent U.S. residents and restore the right to vote for incarcerated people and people with criminal convictions. Establish statehood for Washington D.C. and recognize the right to self-determination for all U.S. territories and colonies. Expand and protect voting rights and end voter suppression.
Death row inmates get to vote. Criminals are a reliable voting block for Democrats because Democrats are the soft-on-crime party. Of course, the DSA would seek to benefit its voters. Beyond criminals, what sort of expansion of voting rights are being considered? Recognizing a right to self-determination is just an invitation for secession and disintegration of the country. When combined with the instant amnesty proposed in the abolition of ICE, a lot of newly-minted permanent residents will join the voter rolls and they will mostly vote for the party offering the most freebies (psst, that would be the DSA).
A Real Democracy: For the working class to govern, we need a new political system. End political corruption and legalized bribery: get rid of lobbyists, dark money, and Citizens United, and publicly finance all elections. Abolish the Electoral College. Replace the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.
Repeal the Constitution. This requires a constitutional convention or several new amendments to the Constitution. By eliminating the president, the Congress would become more like the British Parliament where the Prime Minister is just one of the members of parliament who happens to exercise the executive. If we have eliminated the presidency, the Electoral College is irrelevant. However, if the Electoral College was eliminated before the presidency was folded into the Congress, it would greatly diminish the representation of smaller states. This is a call for the destruction of the US Republic.
A Democratic Congress: Replace the two-party system with a multi-party democracy. Expand the House of Representatives, implement proportional representation and ranked choice voting in all elections, and abolish the Senate.
By abolishing the Senate, the DSA would abolish the states. Wyoming would have one representative in the new unicameral legislature and would be pillaged by neighboring states with more say. Proportional representation means that parties have slates of candidates who are elected based on the proportion of the vote that the party gets. You aren't voting for your congressman but merely a party who will get so many seats in government. Furthermore, a multiparty system can lead to empowering minority parties, such as the DSA. A coalition party is likely to be both less stable and more extreme, allowing for wide swings in governing. Again, this is a repeal of the Constitution and a destruction of the Republic.
Economic Democracy: Establish public ownership of the largest corporations and essential industries to ensure democratic control and accountability to the people. Enact aggressive wealth taxes on the richest individuals and corporations to spend on public goods and infrastructure.
Communism. Yeah, we finally got there. There is public ownership of the means of production. There is from each according to his means (i.e., the rich) to each according to his needs (i.e., the public). The DSA has adopted communist policies, but made them sound like democracy and fairness. How long will the rich remain rich under such a system? This will lead to an equality of poverty though the governing elites will be a bit more equal than everyone else. Sounds familiar.
Democracy at Work: Empower workers to come together and fight the boss. Protect, expand, and enforce the rights of all workers to form, join, and strike with their unions, regardless of industry. Support union members who organize reform caucuses, democratize their unions, and take political action.
For those industries that have not been nationalized, the workers are to view the boss as an adversary. Rather than being unified in providing a good or service to the public, the boss-employee dynamic should be one of constant contention where the workers chip away at the boss and inevitably make the business less productive and profitable. This is sure to encourage more entrepreneurship and expand the economy, right? No, quite the opposite. There is a reason that Detroit has fallen so far as car manufacturing fled to less hostile locations.
It should be noted that the DSA does not need to achieve all of its policies to crash the US. Just defunding the military could end the US. Opening the borders like the Biden Administration for a more extended period with the amnesty policy could destroy the US. The only reason Europe has been able to enact so many of these policies is because the US has footed the bill for defense. The US has no one to cover that bill.
Vote against the communists in November!
Where Thriving Communities concerned itself with domestic policy, the DSA also has plans on how to handle international relations. Let's return to the DSA website.
Working-Class Foreign Policy
End the U.S. War Machine: Defund the Department of War. End all foreign wars and close overseas military bases. Support and fully employ veterans. End immunity for U.S. war criminals and support the International Criminal Court's mandate to prosecute war crimes.
This is a prescription for national suicide. How does the US defend itself without a military? Who will fill the vacuum left by a US withdrawal from all overseas bases and a dismantling of the US Navy? Who will determine which Americans are war criminals that need to be prosecuted in the ICC? A call for unilateral disarmament is an invitation for hostile nations to invade.
Free Palestine: Recognize the rights of the Palestinian people, including the right of return, the right to resist military occupation, and the right to self determination in a free Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. End all military and economic aid to Israel. Prosecute U.S. and Israeli leaders responsible for the genocide in Gaza.
Why doesn't anyone call for Free Tibet? Or how about Free Kurdistan? Free East Oregon? No, it is always about the Palestinians. Where Tibet is under the thumb of China, Kurdistan is dominated by Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, and East Oregon is oppressed by Salem, it is the Jews who are blamed for Palestine. Yes, those rascally Israelis are uniquely evil and require a statement in DSA foreign policy. Nevermind that the Palestinians always start the wars which result in the Israelis implementing defensive measures that further restrict the Palestinians. Basically, until Israel is eliminated, Palestine is not free. Understand that and you understand the whole Israel-Palestine conflict. DSA wants the destruction of Israel.
End Blockades, Embargoes, and Sanctions: People around the world deserve to live their lives without U.S. interference. End economic warfare against countries whose governments act independently of the United States, such as Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran.
Stop making life difficult for those who hate us and wish our destruction. Yes, what an obvious plan. Let's make nice with communist Cuba (clearly, DSA is sympathetic to communists), ease up on narco-state Venezuela, and let the Mullahs of Iran resume their title of leading state sponsor of terrorism. We've gotten rid of the military, so let's also get rid of our economic tools for fighting hostile powers. Can't wait for those Iranian missiles to get installed in Cuba. This time, there will be no missile crisis because we have ended blockading and defunded the navy that would implement the blockade. I'm sure it will be fine.
Abolish ICE: End ICE detention and deportations and punish federal agents' brutality. Legalize migration, grant amnesty for all immigrants regardless of status, provide a path to citizenship for all permanent residents, and end visa caps and quotas.
Throw open the borders! Let everyone in and grant them amnesty. A country without borders soon ceases to be a country. Combined with the policies outlined in Thriving Communities, the US - which is already under heavy financial strain - will be bankrupt in months. If it survives that long. With the borders open and the military defunded, what is to stop a flood of hostiles from sweeping into the country?
Are there people who are stupid enough to believe this? Apparently there are. This proposed DSA Utopia would quickly devolve into a hellscape. It must be remembered that Lenin spoke of useful idiots, people who believed the Utopian pap he spouted and supported his overthrow of Russia. After their usefulness was at an end, firing squads can eliminate them. The DSA playbook is an old one.
In much the same way that the Republican Party has suffered a hostile takeover by the MAGA crowd, the Democratic Party has been invaded by the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA). President Trump and others have accused the DSA of being communists. Is that the case? Let's check out the party's proposed policies on the DSA website.
Thriving Work Class Communities
Freedom to Flourish: Expand public resources to support recreation, learning, and social spaces accessible to all. Establish paid family leave for all workers, a 32 hour work week with full pay and benefits, and a living minimum wage. Provide free, quality public education from pre-K to college and cancel all student debt.
Here the DSA proposes increasing social service costs, diminishing work hours while increasing pay and benefits, and eliminating all educations costs. Where will they get the money to pay for this? Clearly, the pay and benefits will be assessed to the employer, who will have to make do with 20% less productivity (i.e., 32 hours instead of 40). Education and social services are funded by the state via taxation; the necessary tax increase is not mentioned here.
Healthcare for All: Guarantee universal healthcare at no cost to individuals, including complete access to reproductive and gender-affirming care. Expand healthcare access and quality by investing in new public hospitals and clinics. Make all medical education and training public and free.
Quality healthcare access to everyone, with a special note that both abortion and transgender care are included. Moreover, medical education will also be free. Last I checked, healthcare costs accounted for a sixth of the US economy. If it is free, the government will assume control of that part of the economy. There are models for how this works (e.g., Canada, the United Kingdom, etc.), which does not bode well for a government takeover here. Like the expanded services in Freedom to Flourish, this will expand government costs and thus require increased taxation.
Housing for All: Housing is a human right. Build new, publicly-owned social housing, strictly regulate investment properties, establish universal rent control, and guarantee right to counsel for all tenants.
Everyone gets free housing? Not exactly. There is talk of rent control and regulating investment properties, so some housing will still cost money. However, there will be an increase in publicly-owned housing. In any case, landlords are going to find it even less profitable to provide housing under these new rules. That is likely to drive many property owners out of the housing business and thus reduce the supply. Moreover, with housing as a right, the government will have to step in to cover costs or provide shelter. The UK is currently trying this and is paying a fortune to house immigrants in hotels.
Finish Reconstruction: End the legacies of slavery and colonialism. Reinforce anti-discrimination laws. Honor all treaties and tribal sovereignty. Enact reparations and massively invest in good jobs, quality housing and infrastructure in neglected minority communities.
Though it has been 60 years since the civil rights movement and more than 160 years since slavery was abolished, there is still more to do? Yes, the government needs to invest in good jobs (what are good jobs?) and enact reparations (what does that mean?). What is meant by tribal sovereignty? Do the various reservations become independent countries within the US? These actions will serve to further divide the country, which is the point.
End Mass Incarceration and Police Immunity: Demilitarize police departments, disempower police unions, and redirect funding to public services as steps towards fully abolishing the police and prison system which protects the rich and jails the poor. Treat drug addiction and mental illness as health issues, not crimes. End qualified immunity and empower civilian oversight bodies with real authority over the police.
How much incarceration are we allowed to have? What do you mean by 'fully abolishing the police and prison system?' The catch & release system is already being tested in many jurisdictions and has proved to be detrimental to the public. Repeat violent offenders have been released and offended again. These policies will lead to increased violence, which we've seen again and again through the decades. The infamous Willie Horton ad touched on this back in the 1988 presidential campaign. Irina Zarutska would be alive today if only a violent offender had been kept in prison. This is a recipe for chaos, which is likewise not accidental.
Feminism for All: Socialist feminism fights for queer liberation and the freedoms of all working class women. Stop gender violence and end policies that oppress bodily autonomy and intimate life, including patriarchal restrictions on abortion, childbirth and childraising, gender expression and transition, marriage, and divorce. Ban sex discrimination and ensure fair compensation and support for all forms of labor, including care work.
Just in case the message wasn't received under Healthcare for All, let's reiterate that DSA is pro-abortion. What is meant by 'including care work?' Is the government going to cut a check for stay at home moms? Why is marriage and divorce listed under Feminism for All? Don't men participate in these as well? Do the courts not favor women enough in these areas? Let's further divide the sexes.
Green New Deal: Workers must lead our democratic transition to a green future. Pass a federal jobs guarantee. Implement massive investment in sustainable, publicly owned energy and transit infrastructure. Phase out the use of fossil fuels. Reclaim and repair our earth's resources for all.
Bankrupt the country. As if all the other policies that will dramatically increase the federal budget were not enough, here is a plan to crush the economy. Unless the DSA plans to transition to nuclear power, phasing out fossil fuels will result in manufacturing fleeing the country, probably to China. What is a federal jobs guarantee? I would suppose that the government would employ the unemployed, which is going to be costly.
The policy prescriptions that propose to create thriving working class communities will not work. Anyone with a basic understanding of economics or human nature will see that the incentives are counter-productive and harmful. This is a way to destroy the country, not make it thrive. However, once it is destroyed, there will be an opportunity for new management, which is the actual end goal.
Milo Yiannopoulos, the British subject who once dominated right-wing punditry, has been arrested by ICE and is now in detention until he can be deported. The man who adoringly called Donald Trump "Daddy" overstayed his visa. It is amazing that Milo allowed his visa to lapse. It is even more amazing that he didn't immediately self-deport. However, this is a good object lesson. Trump supporter deported by the policies of Trump. Does he still support Trump? I haven't heard from Milo in years and things may have changed. Nope. I should have looked that up before I started. Turns out that Milo worked on Kanye West's presidential campaign as he felt Trump betrayed his loyal supporters.
In any case, deport him. Let's have no exceptions. Keep deporting until everyone still in the country is a citizen or has a valid visa. That's how the system is supposed to work.
Darlene Graham, sister of the recently deceased Lindsey Graham, debated Ralph Norman. During the debate, she was asked a question about Taiwan and the South China Sea. She was clueless and had no idea how to answer the question. Most embarrassing. The pundits had a field day. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton declared her answer to make her unqualified to be a senator. Of course, she is the sitting senator, having been appointed in her brother's place. Moreover, she has been endorsed by President Trump. Sean Hannity defended her, saying her brother just died. Oh, so that excuses it?
If I were a South Carolina voter, I would probably switch to Ralph Norman; this is a primary election, so he is a Republican too. However, if she secures the nomination, I can guarantee that Clay and Buck will change their tune on her qualifications. An 'unqualified' Republican will suddenly be vastly preferable to a highly-qualified Democrat. Do you want a reliable Republican vote or a reliable Democrat vote in the Senate? That is all this is about. If the general election were between a candidate with Henry Kissinger level knowledge of world affairs and a chihuahua, you vote for the one who will reliably toe the party line. That goes for both parties. Recall that Pennsylvania Democrats selected a recovering stroke victim over a medical doctor. Tragically, that is where we are.
Prior to the 17th Amendment, it is unlikely that a sibling would be chosen to fill a vacant senate seat. Name recognition is important for popular elections, but no so much in being selected by the state legislature. The legislature would seek someone who could effectively argue on the state's behalf, not someone who was broadly known and could get votes. Repeal the 17th and the qualifications of senators will rise.
Chance Buckman (John Wayne) was known internationally as the best oil rig firefighter in the business. When the call came in that his services were required, he turned his jet around and summoned his crew. There was Greg Parker (Jim Hutton), a playboy with a different woman in every city. There there was Joe Horn (Bruce Cabot), a reliable and able man. Lastly, he had George Harris (Edward Faulkner), who mostly served in an administrative capacity, but was eager to get in the thick of the action. The crew convened at the fire, which was being actively covered by NBC News. In fact, the news crew became a nuisance that resulted in a serious injury to Chance.
Chance's injury was serious enough that Greg contacted his estranged daughter, Tish (Katharine Ross). Of course, Greg is drawn to her and vice versa. By the time Chance awakens, Greg has become his son-in-law! What will his ex-wife, Madelyn (Vera Miles), think of this?
The story covers several fires, with particular interest on the anxiety of Madelyn and Tish. Madelyn had divorced Chance because she could not endure his dangerous profession. She was worried that Tish would have the same issue with Greg. Unsurprisingly, he nearly dies in every fire. Will he survive the movie?
The original script didn't have enough action for John Wayne's tastes, so he insisted more was added. Thus we have a barroom brawl in Southeast Asia, rebels attacking a series of wells in Venezuela, and even a strafing run by rebel planes that is countered by military anti-aircraft guns. Oil well fires just aren't sufficiently exciting. Intermingled with all this action are the love stories of Greg & Tish and Chance & Madelyn. These are very much by the numbers romances that feel tacked on.
The character of Chance Buckman was based on Red Adair, a famous oil rig firefighter. He was still active when Saddam Hussein ignited the oil wells in Kuwait during the Gulf War (1991).
Mediocre. John Wayne needed to stick to the Western or the World War II epic.
Konstantin Kisin of Triggernometry hosted a debate between Kellie-Jay Keen (aka Posie Parker) and Dr Helen Webberley on the topic of transgender. The sparks flew from the very start as it was clear that neither guest respected the views of the other. Keen has been one of the most visible anti-transgender personalities for nearly a decade. She holds that transgender is a mental disorder and that it is medical malpractice to treat them with hormone blockers or surgery. She is particularly opposed to such treatment being given to minors. By contrast, Webberley holds that transgender youth are able to decide their gender and that Keen was causing harm with her statements.
A good portion of the debate was Keen attempting to elicit exactly what age was appropriate for a child to decide on gender, how many encounters with a medical professional should be required before hormone blockers could be considered, whether gender dysphoria was a mental illness associated with other conditions (e.g., homosexuality, autism), and whether treatment resulted in permanent sexual disfunction. Webberley refused to pick a specific age for treatment, though she offered 15 as a reasonable age, but would not categorically rule out 11. She dismissed the idea of contributing conditions, even suggesting that the autism diagnosis might be in error. Gender dysphoria is not a mental disorder and saying that it was is hate speech, which is illegal under British law. Both ended the debate by declaring the other should be in jail, Keen for hate speech and Webberley for child abuse. Lively!
Keen's big weakness was that she would refer to studies and then not cite them. Which study? She mentioned a few examples, but that is all anecdotal. However, she was specific and clear in what her views were. There was nothing vague or gray in her answers. Webberley was hopelessly ambiguous and offered nothing specific except that the law stood on her side. At one point she said that sex cannot be changed and at another point, she said that a trans-woman is indeed a woman. Okay, which is it? She would then explain the issue in such a way that it was entirely confusing. She had a strategy of filibustering, denouncing interruptions and going on tangents. She denounced Kisin for platforming Keen.
Keen's argument was far superior. Webberley spent much of her time being offended and giving answers as clear as mud. Comments on the debate massively favored Keen. That said, it was not an hour well spent. Much of this was the same old stuff gone over again, with Keen offering the standard litany and Webberley mostly offering non-answers with accusations of bigotry on the side.
In response to the sudden influx of 'immigrants' into the Spanish town of Ceuta, the Spanish government has determined that the fault lies with... Israel! And the United States! Even Iran agrees with this assessment. Gee, it must be true.
No, it isn't a logical response to the incentives of recent Spanish laws and court rulings. Spain just legalized hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants and the Spanish courts have ruled that deporting those who arrive by water is near impossible. Look at those incentives. Spanish citizenship - with its sweet, sweet welfare checks - is just a short swim away. But no, that can't possibly explain the hordes of invaders.
Clearly, Israel is furious about Spain's stance on the Gaza issue. And the US is peeved that Spain barred US access to Spanish airbases during the dustup with Iran. Obviously, Israel and the US engineered this border breach to punish Spain.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez needed to shift blame from his disastrous policies that have set a reversal of the Reconquista into motion. He's a socialist so he isn't going to take responsibility for this. Better to blame those who are already unpopular with the Spanish people. Maybe they will buy it.
As for Iran, they have jumped on Sanchez's bandwagon since it drives a wedge between Western nations.
During the night of the great flood, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) placed an infant girl in the protection of the master of Jordan College (Clarke Peters). Twelve years later, Lyra Belacqua (Dafne Keen) eagerly awaits a visit from her Uncle Asriel. During his brief visit, Lyra learns about something called dust, which attached to adults but not children, whatever that meant. Moreover, the talk of dust is treated as the gravest sin, a topic that should never be discussed. Though she wanted to travel north with him on his further research, she was left behind. However, Marissa Coulter (Ruth Wilson) arrived at Jordan College soon after and enlisted Lyra as an assistant.
In this world, humans have an external soul that is called a daemon (pronounced demon). Though the daemon of a child can change shapes, it settles into one form after puberty. Lyra's daemon is named Pan. The religion of the world is an oppressive form of Christianity that is maintained by the Magisterium, a militant order that deploys armed airships and ground troops in the later episodes of the series. The world also has an underclass of folk called Gyptians, a gypsy-folk whose children have been targeted for abduction for unknown purposes. The abductors are called Gobblers. Then there are the armored bears, polar bears who live in the cold north, wear suits of armor, and maintain a kingdom. They look like normal polar bears who just happen to have the power of speech. Not particularly dexterous paws and yet they have buildings and skilled craftsmanship items. Interesting. Lastly, there are witches. Witches are long-lived - the only one who appears claims to be 300 years old - can fly without a broom and move like the Flash.
Before Lyra left Jordan College with Miss Coulter, she was given an alethiometer. It is a peculiar device that can answer any question, but few can deduce the meaning of the answers. Where most must spend years to learn how to decipher an alethiometer, Lyra has a natural ability. She is thus an unmatched augur, able to know the unknowable if only she can craft the right question.
The story follows Lyra as she traveled north, having different allies along the way. Initially, she is with the Gyptians, then she teamed with Iorek Byrnison (Joe Tandberg) the Armored Bear and Lee Scoresby (Lin-Manual Miranda) the Aeronaut.
Meanwhile, in our world, Will Parry (Amir Wilson) is the son of an explorer who went missing 13 years ago. He is a highschooler who boxes after school. His mother, Elaine, suffers from anxiety and Will is more her caretaker than vice versa. As it happens, Carlo Boreal (Ariyon Bakare) of the Magisterium has a doorway between worlds. He believes that Will's missing father, who was exploring in Alaska, may have found another path between worlds.
With how central dust is to the plot, it is not well explained. Is it the physical manifestation of sin, thus it sticks to adults but not children? Is it a byproduct of the clash of worlds, most easily investigated at the northern lights where cities in the sky can be viewed with the right lens? Why is the Magisterium ramping up to Def Con 1 over a couple of scientists investigating the northern lights? Even after 8 episodes, it is unclear why there is panic. Perhaps this adaptation missed something.
Dafne Keen is good as Lyra. In the previous adaptation, The Golden Compass, I developed an almost instant dislike of Lyra (Dakota Blue Richards) because she lied with glee from the moment we met her. This Lyra likewise proves to be a talented liar, but it is a tool rather than a personality trait. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a downgrade from Sam Elliot as Lee Scoresby. He's okay, but he doesn't pass as a Texan. As for the armored bears, there is no matching Ian McKellan and Ian McShane from the 2007 version, but the new actors are adequate.
Overall, pretty good. The longer format provides for more explanation of some characters and development of the world. The character development of Lyra, Lord Asriel, and Miss Coulter greatly benefit from a miniseries format. Good popcorn fun.
