The article Oil Tanker Seized by Liz Wolfe (Reason) writes in such a weak way about piracy. This is neither surprising for the author nor the publication.

“Over the weekend, the Trump administration seized two oil tankers. […] U.S. forces boarded a Panamanian-flagged commercial vessel, owned by Hong Kong’s Centuries Shipping, off the coast of Venezuela. They had no seizure warrant, which doesn’t appear to have gotten in their way.”

This is why Liz Wolfe and Reason can’t be taken seriously as a news organization,... [More]

Tucker Carlson : War, Peace, Trump, and the Constitution. by Judge Napolitano − Judging Freedom (YouTube)

This is a good interview. The Pareto Principle is quite strong, though. I can agree wholeheartedly with at least 80% of what both of them said. I can find little with which to disagree in their discussion of Israel, Russia, China, Venezuela, Iran, Syria. They are both staunch supporters of freedom of speech, due process, no collective punishment, judge the individual, not the group. These are all good things.

The remaining 20% is, however, very important and requires a bunch of follow-up... [More]

The weekly newsletter Roaming Charges: Kill, Kill Again, Kill Them All by Jeffrey St. Clair (CounterPunch) writes,

“The double-tap strikes are appalling and illegal, but Hegseth is merely following the bloody path Barack Obama blazed. Obama’s drone assassination team even had a name for wounded survivors they would target for a second kill strike: squirters. According to David Shedd, Obama’s former acting director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.”

“We used double-taps all the time. You would get the initial signature off of a... [More]”

If you’ll recall, just 2½ weeks before the kidnapping, Trump Declares Closure of Venezuela’s Airspace by Dave DeCamp (Scheer Post),

““To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

“It’s unclear if the declaration means that the US will impose a no-fly zone on Venezuela, which would be an act of war. Such a step or any military strikes on Venezuela would be illegal... [More]”

I queued this article in November of 2025 but never published it. The context has suddenly become much more relevant, so I’m clearing my queue of anything related to Venezuela.

At first, I thought it was kind of hilarious that the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize had been awarded to a Venezuelan. You know, because Trump wants one of the damned things so desperately, and he hates Venezuela, so it really seemed like a stick in his eye.

Hoo-boy was I wrong. The Nobel Peace Prize in 2025 was awarded to... [More]

I queued this article in October of 2024 but never published it. Since Israel and the U.S. are gearing up to attack Iran again, it’s time to clear out the backlog.

The article Biden escalates toward disastrous war against Iran by Andre Damon (WSWS) writes,

“Iran surrounded by US basesUsing Iran’s attack on Israeli military infrastructure Tuesday as a pretext, the White House has effectively given Israel carte blanche to carry out an illegal attack against the most populous country in the region.

““We’ll be discussing with the Israelis... [More]”

I queued this article in September of 2024 but never published it. It’s still quite topical as, 15 months later, Venezuela’s president has been kidnapped, Israel’s genocide against Gaza continues, and Israel is gearing up for another run at Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Iran.

Vijay Prashad offers an in-depth analysis of the history of Hezbollah, as well as the more recent history in the region. He particularly emphasizes that Israel is, by all reasonable definitions, the terrorist state, as... [More]

I queued this article in September of 2024 but never published it. The linked video is no longer available on YouTube nor can any trace be found of anything with that name on either DuckDuckGo (Bing) or Google because search engines apparently don’t index Rumble.[1] I’ll leave the link to YouTube, though, so we can all enjoy the big black hole provided by Google.

What Interest Does the U.S. Have in Who Governs Venezuela? by Glenn Greenwald (YouTube)

In the video, Greenwald discusses how the U.S. is... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Born Poor (2025) — 8/10
2. Rückkehr des Königs (Return of the King) (2003) — 8/10
3. The Whiskey Bandit (2017) — 8/10
4. Palestine Is Still the Issue (2002) — 9/10
5. House of Gucci (2021) — 6/10
6. Heat (1995) — 6/10
7. Miami Vice S01 (1984) — 7/10
8. Knight Rider S01 (1982) — 6/10
9. Antarctica S01 (2011) — 6/10
10. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (2023) — 6/10

Born Poor (2025) — 8/10

This is a tragic film about generational poverty in... [More]

Below are links to articles, highlighted passages[1], and occasional annotations[2] for the week ending on the date in the title, enriching the raw data from Instapaper Likes and Twitter. They are intentionally succinct, else they’d be articles and probably end up in the gigantic backlog of unpublished drafts. YMMV.

Table of Contents

• Public Policy & Politics
• Journalism & Media
• Economy... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Blood Diamond (2006) — 9/10
2. Cape Fear (1991) — 9/10
3. Das Netz (1991) — 9/10
4. Donnie Brasco (1997) — 8/10
5. Sandman S02 (2025) — 4/10
6. Road to Perdition (2002) — 7/10
7. Jump Cut (2024) — 8/10
8. Die drei Musketiere (1948) — 7/10
9. The Grudge (2019) — 6/10
10. U-571 (2000) — 6/10

Blood Diamond (2006) — 9/10

Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a diamond smuggler in Liberia and Sierra Leone. He’s incredible, seemingly using a... [More]

They: Maduro was a dictator.

Me: Fuck off.

They: What?!? Don’t you care that Maduro wasn’t a nice guy?

Me: No. Nothing you think you know about Venezuela is true. Nothing you think you know about Maduro is true.

They: But the Venezuelans…

Me: You don’t care about the Venezuelans. You care about low gas prices.

They: But Venezuelans are celebrating…

Me: The only people greeting the U.S. as liberators are oligarchs, plunderers, and assholes. Or the clinically deluded. Like you.

They:... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Robocop (2014) — 6/10
2. Stirb Langsam 2 (Die Hard 2) (1990) — 8/10
3. Punisher: War Zone (2008) — 5/10
4. Brian Simpson: Live from the Mothership (2024) — 8/10
5. Fatal Attraction (1987) — 8/10
6. The 6th Day (2000) — 6/10
7. October Sky (1999) — 8/10
8. Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs (2023) — 7/10
9. Flyboys (2006) — 8/10
10. Schtonk (1992) — 8/10

Robocop (2014) — 6/10

Omnicorp has robot warriors. They use them all over the world to mop up... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Over the Top (1987) — 6/10
2. Happy Gilmore (1996) — 7/10
3. The Interview (2014) — 7/10
4. Last Man Standing (1996) — 8/10
5. Havoc (2025) — 5/10
6. Snatch (2000) — 8/10
7. Adú (2020) — 9/10
8. Elysium (2013) — 8/10
9. Violent Night (2022) — 7/10
10. North Country (2005) — 9/10

Over the Top (1987) — 6/10

Lincoln Hawk is a truck driver who makes extra money with arm-wrestling. He’s quite well-known on the trucker circuit. He’s divorced from... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Pollock (2000) — 7/10
2. Equalizer (2014) — 9/10
3. Rush Hour 3 (2007) — 7/10
4. Murder Sheets (2024) — 8/10
5. Emotionally Exhausting (2015) — 8/10
6. Self Help Me (2020) — 8/10
7. Ronny Chieng: Love to Hate It (2024) — 8/10
8. No Country for Old Men (2007) — 9/10
9. Fatherhood (2023) — 6/10
10. Abgang mit Stil (Going in Style) (2017) — 7/10

Pollock (2000) — 7/10

Jackson Pollack died as he lived: a miserable, self-pitying, drunken asshole.
... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) — 6/10
2. Letterkenny S04–S11 (2017–2023) — 7/10
3. High Plains Drifter (1973) — 6/10
4. Hercules (2014) — 5/10
5. The Lost Prince (Il Principe Dimenticato / Le Prince oublié) (2020) — 7/10
6. Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) — 7/10
7. Mystic River (2003) — 8/10
8. The Red Shoes (1948) — 8/10
9. A Winter’s Tale (2014) — 6/10
10. Space Between Stars (2018) — 8/10

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) — 6/10

I watched... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Fist Fight (2017) — 4/10
2. Pacific Rim (2013) — 9/10
3. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) — 6/10
4. Equalizer 3 (2023) — 6/10
5. Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow (1994) — 3/10
6. Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) — 8/10
7. A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) — 6/10
8. Talk to Me (2022) — 5/10
9. Equalizer 2 (2018) — 6/10
10. Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020) — 5/10

Fist Fight (2017) — 4/10

I really like Charlie Day, whom I know... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Dante’s Peak (1997) — 9/10
2. Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) — 7/10
3. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) — 8/10
4. Jane Goodall: The Hope (2020) — 7/10
5. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) — 8/10
6. South Park S27 (2025) — 9/10
7. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) — 10/10
8. Woman at War / La Donna Elettrica (2018) — 8/10
9. Richard Jewell (2019) — 8/10
10. Prigione 77 (2022) — 8/10

Dante’s Peak (1997) — 9/10

Volcanologist Harry Dalton (Pierce Brosnan)... [More]

Below are links to articles, highlighted passages[1], and occasional annotations[2] for the week ending on the date in the title, enriching the raw data from Instapaper Likes and Twitter. They are intentionally succinct, else they’d be articles and probably end up in the gigantic backlog of unpublished drafts. YMMV.

Table of Contents

• Public Policy & Politics
• Journalism & Media
• Art,... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. The Walk (2015) — 7/10
2. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) — 6/10
3. Das Lehrerzimmer (The Teacher’s Lounge) (2023) — 7/10
4. Arcane S01–S02 (2022–2024) — 7/10
5. Jurassic World Dominion (2022) — 7/10
6. Black Adam (2022) — 5/10
7. Time Bandits (1981) — 7/10
8. The Phantom of the Open (2021) — 7/10
9. Asterix & Obelix im Reich der Mitte (2023) — 4/10
10. Dinner with Skinner (2025) — 8/10

The Walk (2015) — 7/10

I wasn’t quite sure about... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) — 6/10
2. Death Becomes Her (1992) — 8/10
3. Superman (2025) — 4/10
4. Plane (2023) — 6/10
5. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) — 6/10
6. Secret Headquarters (2022) — 5/10
7. Outbreak (1995) — 8/10
8. John Rambo (Rambo) (2008) — 7/10
9. The Running Man (1987) — 6/10
10. Invelle (Nowhere) (2023) — 8/10

Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) — 6/10

I can’t tell whether this movie is just cheesy or whether it’s the motion... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Big Mouth S08 (2025) — 8/10
2. The Outside Man (“Brutale Schatten”) (1973) — 7/10
3. Toy Story 4 (“Alles hört auf kein Kommando”) (2019) — 7/10
4. Pirates of the Carribean − Fremde Gezeiten (“On Stranger Tides”) (2011) — 6/10
5. Love, Death, and Robots S04 (2025) — 7/10
6. Chief of War S01 (2025) — 8/10
7. Fack ju Göhte (2013) — 5/10
8. La dégustation (2022) — 6/10
9. Warlord (2025) — 4/10
10. Two Tickets to Paradise (2022) — 6/10

Big Mouth... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Constantine (2005) — 10/10
2. Romancing the Stone (1984) — 8/10
3. Mr. McMahon (2024) — 7/10
4. Fast X (2023) — 7/10
5. Kung Fu Panda (2008) — 9/10
6. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) — 7/10
7. Das Krokodil und sein Nilpferd (1979) — 4/10
8. Gaza Doctors Under Attack (2025) — 8/10
9. Bad Words (2013) — 8/10
10. Mythic Quest S01-S04 (2020-2025) — 8/10

Constantine (2005) — 10/10

I watched and reviewed this in 2013. The rating stands.

Romancing... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Biking Borders (2021) — 8/10
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) — 7/10
3. The Age of Innocence (1993) — 8/10
4. Oppenheimer (2023) — 8/10
5. Star Trek: First Contact (1996) — 8/10
6. Madame (2017) — 6/10
7. Habemus Papam (2011) — 7/10
8. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince (2009) — 7/10
9. The Staircase (2004–2018) — 4/10
10. Louis Theroux: The Settlers (2025) — 9/10

Biking Borders (2021) — 8/10

This is a film about two... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Godzilla (1998) — 7/10
2. Our Friend (2019) — 5/10
3. Hulk (2003) — 7/10
4. Black Mirror S07 (2025) — 9/10
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) — 8/10
6. Morbius (2022) — 7/10
7. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006) — 9/10
8. T2 Trainspotting (2017) — 8/10
9. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) — 4/10
10. L’immensità (2022) — 7/10

Godzilla (1998) — 7/10

The introductory credits play over atom-bomb explosions interleaved with... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Bill Burr: I’m Sorry You Feel That Way (2014) — 10/10
2. Stewart Lee, Basic Lee: Live at the Lowry (2024) — 9/10
3. Mank (2020) — 9/10
4. Bobby Yeah (2011) — 8/10
5. Midnight Express (1978) — 8/10
6. The Infernal Machine (2022) — 7/10
7. Shrek the Third (2022) — 5/10
8. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) — 4/10
9. Everest (2015) — 7/10
10. Die Another Day (2002) — 6/10

Bill Burr: I’m Sorry You Feel That Way (2014) — 10/10... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. Rocky III: (2017) — 6/10
2. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar: (2017) — 9/10
3. Happy S02 (2017) — 7/10
4. No Other Land (2024) — 8/10
5. Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment (1985) — 4/10
6. Plane (Absturz im Dschungel) (2023) — 4/10
7. The Holdovers (2023) — 9/10
8. Bastille Day (The Take) (2016) — 7/10
9. Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen (2001) — 7/10
10. Masters of the Universe: Revelation (2021) — 5/10

Rocky III: (2017) — 6/10... [More]

Read the explanation of method, madness, and spoilers.[1]

1. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) — 7/10
2. Boss Level (2020) — 7/10
3. Better Call Saul S06 (2022) — 9/10
4. Footloose (1984) — 7/10
5. The Creator (2023) — 6/10
6. Police Academy (1984) — 6/10
7. Papillon (2017) — 9/10
8. Divergent (2014) — 5/10
9. Severance S02 (2024) — 6/10
10. Terminator Renaissance (2010) — 6/10

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) — 7/10

This is a film that is tediously trying to convince us that Anne Hathaway is a mousy doormat... [More]

I have some time off and I’ve been working through a backlog of writing that I’ve wanted to copy-edit and finish for a long time. I have hundreds of pages of book citations, half-written book reviews, nearly draft movie reviews, and hundreds of articles in varied fields all “mostly” ready to publish but lacking what I consider to be a final polish.

About five years ago, I partly addressed this by inaugurating my weekly notes, a place where the flurry of writing, notes, thoughts, responses, and... [More]

The article Prompt caching: 10x cheaper LLM tokens, but how? by Sam Rose (ngrok) included the following hypothesis,

“[…] what if we had a problem where we didn’t know the formula? What if we just had this mysterious table of inputs and outputs below?”

Table of inputs and outputs

The author wrote,

“I will say that ChatGPT figures it out straight away if you paste a screenshot into the app.”

Holy shit! Really?

I opened up https://chatgpt.com for probably the first time in my life and pasted the screenshot and asked, “What function produces... [More]”