The China Syndrome (1979)

Kimberly Wells (Jane Fonda) is a reporter for KXLA.  She primarily does the feel-good stories, not hard journalism.  With camera man Richard (Michael Douglas) and sound engineer Hector (Daniel Valdez), Kimberly arrives at the Ventana nuclear plant to do a puff piece about energy.  Bill Gibson (James Hampton) offers a brief presentation about how a nuclear powerplant generates electricity and then shows them around the non-restricted areas of the power station.  The tour ends in a viewing gallery where they can see the control room.  Then there is an incident.  Though told not to film, Richard surreptitiously recorded the events.  Kimberly wants to show the film immediately upon returning to the TV station.  Having no sound and no expertise to determine if this was a mundane or serious incident, the management declines.  Meanwhile, Jack Godell (Jack Lemmon) knows there is something serious wrong.  Though they handled the incident effectively, there was a tremor that concerned him.  As he investigates, he discovers that some of the construction reports that were submitted are duplicates.  Further, he finds a radioactive puddle near the turbine.  Though he reports this, everyone above him wants to restart the station.  His efforts to expose the problem through contacts with Kimberly and Richard are thwarted by hired goons.

This movie, released in March 1979, coincided with the Three Mile Island nuclear accident and crippled nuclear power in the US since.  Though described by the nuclear industry as fiction and character assassination, there had been problems prior to Three Mile Island.  The Brown's Ferry Nuclear Plant in Alabama had a fire in 1975 that was much more dangerous than Three Mile Island.  That there were issues with nuclear energy is entirely true, but the portrayal of the executives was cartoonish in their villainy.  Despite the incident and being shown that construction guidelines were not followed, the executives choose to silence those trying to prevent a meltdown.

Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011 have further added to concerns about nuclear power.  However, in the history of US nuclear power, there have been 7 deaths (3 in Idaho in 1961 and 4 in Virginia in 1986).  By contrast, 5,788 coal miners have died in accidents since 1961.  Then there are other energy sources to consider.  In June 1984, a Union Oil refinery explosion in Illinois killed 19.  In May 1988, a Shell Oil refinery explosion killed 7.  In June 1999, a pipeline explosion in Washington killed 3.  In March 2005, the Texas City Refinery explosion killed 15.  In 2010, an explosion at a Connecticut plant killed 5.  In April 2013, a gas well blowout in Texas killed 2.  To be fair, one should also compare how much of our energy is provided by these sources and determine how many deaths per megawatt, but that would take more time than I want to commit.  The point is that all sources of energy have dangers, but we are cavalier in our attitude toward deaths from coal and oil production.

In any case, the movie is entertaining and certainly worth watching.

Confess, Fletch (2022)

Fletch (Jon Hamm) is exploring the house he rented in Boston when he discovers a dead woman.  Soon, detectives Monroe (Roy Wood Jr.) and "Griz" (Ayden Mayeri) are on scene to investigate.  Monroe says it will be much easier if Fletch just confesses.  Fletch counters by offering to assist since he was a somewhat famous investigative reporter.  When asked why he is in Boston, he claims it is to research a book.  In fact, Count Clementi Arbogastes De Grassi (Robert Picardo) hired him to locate several stolen paintings, two of which were resold by Mr. Horan (Kyle MacLachlan), a Boston art dealer.  To further complicate matters, Countess De Grassi (Marcia Gay Hardin) arrives in Boston to demand a progress report on 'her' paintings.  Additionally, Fletch is having an affair with the Count's daughter, Angela (Lorenza Izzo).

Though a surprisingly faithful adaptation of the novel, the most noteworthy change is the lack of Inspector Flynn.  Flynn's appearance in the novel launched a series of Flynn mysteries and those rights were not available.  Thus, Detective Monroe is his replacement.  However, Monroe is overshadowed by his partner, Griz.  Whereas Flynn's sidekick was mostly a mute notetaker, Monroe's is the brains of the operation while Monroe is literally asleep in many scenes.  Though I was skeptical of Jon Hamm as Fletch, he is quite good in the role.  In fact, he is much closer to the literary Fletch than Chevy Chase.  He doesn't do goofy disguises and slapstick silliness.  He's got the smart aleck comments and the clever social engineering to convince strangers to talk to him.

The movie ends with talk of Walter March, a character from Fletch's Fortune; clearly, there is a path to a sequel.  Sadly, that looks unlikely.  It only opened a week ago and yet is only playing in one theater here.  The box office is unimpressive, and I've seen no ad campaign for it.

Good popcorn fun!

"The Pandemic is over"

Tonight, President Biden declared the pandemic over.  Normalcy may now resume in those jurisdictions that haven't already done so.  The curve is flat enough, the spread is slow-ish, and Dr. Fauci submitted his 4-month notice.  Overall, it was poorly handled.  Thanks to our advanced communication technology, we were able to do treat this pandemic in a way that would never have been contemplated.  The continuing advance of technology and likely rise in robots will allow even more stringent lockdowns in the future.  Life has risks.  Those who are at threat should 'voluntarily' self-isolate.  People should be free to weigh the odds.  If I had been in my 20s, I would have been frustrated that a disease likely to be mild and non-fatal had put my life on hold.  One of the annoying things from this pandemic is the new definition of vaccine.  I get a flu shot most years, not a flu vaccine.  However, vaccine sounds so much better and gives the impression of immunity.  Really, we've been doing Polio vaccines for decades and there have been virtually no cases.  Covid vaccine and multiple boosters didn't prevent infections, though reportedly reduced the severity.  Yeah, that's what the flu shot does.  This redefinition of terms is how the CDC has sown distrust.  Once lost, trust is very hard to restore.

Let's not do this again.

Musings: 2010 to 2013

I've published another book.  This is the first four years of this blog.  It will make a great addition to your collection and brighten any shelf.

Bill Maher on Presentism

Bill Maher had a terrific monologue recently in which he talked about presentism.

Presentism: an attitude toward the past dominated by present-day attitudes and experiences.

It is ludicrous to hold people who lived centuries ago to the standards of today and declare that "they should have known better."  He offers a reality check on that view, which happens to be hilarious.  The tearing down of statues and the denouncing of historical figures has ravaged the country since the rise of presentism.  As one who earned a degree in history, this trend has been particularly irksome.  Everyone was bad and we must universally condemn them.

Martha's Vineyard Immigration Policy

I have discovered an immigration policy that I like.  Martha's Vineyard recently had an influx of 'undocumented' immigrants.  Within 48 hours, those immigrants were deported from the island.  Yes!  There we go.  The self-proclaimed sanctuary had a different view once those asylum seekers landed on their tony shores.  Much like windfarms, the wealthy elite are heartily in favor, as long as it doesn't ruin their picturesque views or property values.  When it was the border states absorbing the floods of migrants, it was immoral to oppose the migrants.  No human is illegal!  That formulation changes a bit when they are expected to carry their "fair share" of immigrants.  Apparently, 50 was too many.  In any case, all jurisdictions should have the same deportation authority as Martha's Vineyard.

Journal of Francis Collins: An Artillery Officer in the Mexican War

Francis Collins (1820-1882) graduated West Point in 1845 and was assigned to the 4th Regiment of Artillery.  In 1846, war was declared.  Second Lieutenant Collins was assigned recruiting duty in North Carolina before eventually being deployed to the theater.  Not until November did he find himself in a camp on the Texas-side of the Rio Grande.  This did not last long.  The navy reported that Mexican forces had withdrawn from Tampico; on the 23rd of November, Collins found himself as part of an occupying force.  For three months, Collins remained in Tampico, which became the collection site for Major General Winfield Scott's invasion force.  At the end of February, the army embarked on transports and sailed to Vera Cruz.  He participated in the siege and capture of Vera Cruz.  As soon as the city was captured, he was part of the vanguard under Brigadier General David Twiggs, marching inland.  The battles of Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and Mexico City followed.  Though a war journal, much of it deals with waiting.  After Cerro Gordo, he spent two months in Xalapa before advancing to Puebla where he spent another month.  He spent two months in Mexico City, and almost five months posted at Toluca.  In May of 1848, the US Army withdrew from Toluca and began the long march back to Vera Cruz.  It was not until mid-July that the 4th Artillery was embarked and sailing for home.

Though similar to the journal of Albert Brackett, Collins was a professional soldier with different attitudes.  Where Brackett viewed it as a grand adventure, Collins sees bad logistics and poor command, especially among the volunteers.  He complains of training volunteers while idling at Perote Castle.  He often found himself assigned as an adjutant general - like a chief of staff - to volunteer generals who had little idea what they were supposed to do.  Many of the volunteer officers "play gentlemen" but could not effectively command.  He also made note of the numerous fortifications that had been erected by the Mexicans but then abandoned.  Several choke points along the main road from Vera Cruz to Mexico City had been prepared for a defensive line and then left.  He frequently is surprised that the Mexican Army did not oppose the American advance, especially the landings on the beach near Vera Cruz.  His strongest complaints are reserved for the withdrawal of troops at the end of the war.  Many soldiers were left standing on the beaches of Vera Cruz where yellow fever was rife.  Indeed, 40% of the men on his transport had yellow fever during the voyage home and he himself nearly died of it upon return to Virginia.  If the transports were not ready to receive men, then the troops should have been left to wait in the safe zone of Xalapa.

Brackett had followed Collin's inland march and, interestingly, observed many of the same things.  Both were fascinated by the pyramid at Cholula, remarked on the snow-capped mountains and the lush valleys, and how the local people appreciated the law & order that American occupation brought.  This last is unusual, as it has been reported in many accounts.  Is this a case of locals stating what they think the conquerors want to hear or their true opinion?  Did multiple American memoirs falsely proclaim that they had brought order to a lawless land?  Though American soldiers surely plundered, the policy of General Scott was to pay full price for goods from the local population; he had enough trouble facing the Mexican Army that he didn't need a hostile populace as well.

Most of the entries are brief recaps of the events for the day and only occasionally extend to commentary or description.  Not for everyone, but rewarding for those interested in the Mexican-American War.