Dune a Must-See for Sci-Fi Fans

Just back from the new movie, "Dune," based on the Frank Herbert book. My God, I was blown away at how great it was. So was my show biz daughter, who's read the book a lot more recently than I have. It's rare to see a modern movie take its time, and this did, in perfect pace with the book. Faithful to the story, brilliantly directed and acted, some of the most unusual music you'll ever hear, because it's a different universe, and so incredibly effective at sustaining the story and mood. Hans Zimmer, the composer, is a genius. 

If you like the book you'll love the film. And also if so, you really need to see it now, while it's on the big screen. Some little phone, tablet, or even desktop image won't do it justice at all. This book presents one of the most difficult screen adaptations imaginable, and this movie is one of if not the best adaptations I've ever seen. The whole audience (ok, there were nine people in the theater) just sat there after it ended watching the credits roll for a good five minutes. That's how in awe everybody was.

Republican Party Becoming Overtly Fascist

The day they throw Liz Cheney out of the House leadership will be the signal that the old Republican Party has ended. It will still be called the Republican Party but will actually have become the American Fascist Party. Arch-conservative though she is, Cheney at least has the integrity to call a lie a lie and the truth the truth. Edmund Burke wrote that a political party without a platform is nothing but a conspiracy to seize power. That is what the Republican Party has become. 

All their efforts are directed to gain power without scruple at any cost. Lying, cheating, stacking the deck, Orwellian double-speak, welcoming foreign intervention, even armed insurrection have become simply tactical options for them. When the truth conflicts with the party line it is the truth that must be eliminated, as Ms. Cheney will be next week. Their intent is clear from their own statements and from the numerous voter suppression and election-rigging laws they are passing at the state and local levels with frantic haste. From where they are now it is but a short step to bribery, suppression of independent media, assassination and coup. 

When one major party in a republic abandons adherence to fair play and the rule of law and turns down the road to the pursuit of power at any cost, the endgame is invariably the same. We have seen it all before. Yes, it is happening here. Yes, it is happening now. And unless things drastically change, the next time the GOP gains control of the presidency and both houses of congress at the same time they will not be as undisciplined and disorganized as they were under Trump. Next time they will complete the job.

How Good Are the 2021 LA Dodgers?

A friend who is a Padres fan sent me an email saying he thinks the Dodgers of 2020-2021 are one of the truly great teams in baseball history, and asked for my evaluation of that statement, comparing today's LA team to the 1998 Yankees, the team he feels were the best team he ever saw since he started paying attention to baseball in the late 1950s. Today's blog shares with you my answer to him.

 

I do believe the current Dodgers are a great team. They were first in scoring and ERA, and by one of the biggest ratios ever. They're in a league with the 1936 Yankees in that regard.

A few things to keep in mind. The first thing is that the season will tell. They (LA) were on a 116 win pace last year, which would tie for best all time. But it was a very unusual year with the Covid situation. It's always tough to compare teams from different eras. The 1998 Yankees were first in runs and first in ERA in the league that year, so they were certainly great. They were also at the height of the steroid period, so their numbers have to be regarded as suspect.

Comparing rosters, C I think Will Smith can hit like Jorge Posada. 1B Max Muncy has more power than Tino Martinez, and walks like a madman, but Martinez hit for a higher average. Definitely at least comparable. 2B Chris Taylor is a better player than Chuck Knoblauch. SS Corey Seager can hit like Derek Jeter, and for more power. Seager is fine defensively but Jeter was better with the glove and stole bases too. They're both hall of fame caliber, but if I had to pick one it would be Jeter. 3B I'd take Justin Turner over Scott Brosius. LF Definitely AJ Pollock over Chad Curtis. CF Bernie Williams was a terrific player but I'll take the monstrous power and astounding defense Cody Bellinger brings. RF Again, Paul O'Neill was an excellent player but Mookie Betts is other-worldly. Like Jackie Robinson, he can (and regularly does) turn a game around all by himself. 

When you get to the pitching rotations, both are excellent. From most to least in innings pitched, the Yanks had Andy Pettitte 16-11 4.24, David Wells 18-4 3.49, David Cone 20-7 3.55, Hideki Irabu 13-9 4.06 and Orlando Hernandez 12-4 3.13.  I'll bet money that the quintet of Clayton Kershaw, Trevor Bauer, Walker Buehler, Julio Urias and Dustin May will beat the Yankee ERAs, and comparing across the board at least four of them will beat their Yankee counterparts head to head. 

As for the relief closers, the Kenley Jansen of 2017 (1.32 ERA, and earlier years) was as good as Rivera, but not any more. Mariano definitely gets the nod at closer.So, across the board, the 2021 LA Dodgers to me overall appear to be better than the 1998 Yankees. They are one of the most talented teams ever. Now they just have to keep proving that, on the field.

The DA Has Trump's Taxes

 The Manhattan District Attorney has received eight years of Donald Trump's tax returns pursuant to a Supreme Court order delivered to Trump's accountants, Mazars. It will take DA Cyrus Vance Jr.'s team awhile to go through the "millions of pages" of records. High on the list of objectives will be to see if the Trump Organization committed tax fraud by lowballing the value of his properties to the IRS while committing bank fraud by overvaluing them to banks for the purpose of securing loans. They will also try to establish whether Trump or the organization, under Trump's authority made illegal payments, such as the ones Trump's longtime "fixer" Michael Cohen made as hush money to buy the silence of women who claim to have had affairs with Trump. Cohen has served prison time for this offense, which he said Trump ordered and later reimbursed him.

For Trump, the clock is ticking.

Covid-19 Vaccination

I got my second covid-19 shot (Pfizer) yesterday about 1:30 pm. Starting late morning today I've begun to experience flu-like symptoms. My temperature is elevated to 99.5 and I have general achiness and fatigue. I understand this is good; it shows my immune system believes it is under assault by the virus and is implementing its countermeasures, part of which should entail manufacturing the appropriate t-cells to attack the virus and saving the templates so they can be rapidly produced should the real culprit ever show up. This is all good, but I'd recommend you not schedule anything strenuous the day after your second shot. I'll see if things improve or not tomorrow and give you another update.

Biden and Harris Inaugurated

January 20, 2021, what a marvelous, happy day: the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Over 180 years ago French visitor Alexis de Tocqueville wrote, "America is great because America is good." Over the past three months we have seen that that America still exists, that there is a chance for renewal, that honesty, decency, compassion, competence and inclusion are valued by most of us, and that there is reason for hope. Our better angels have indeed prevailed this day, and I am filled with gratitude.

Joint Chiefs Affirm Commitment to Constitution

Today the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the entire US military issued an extraordinary message to all members of the armed forces. It reminded all in uniform of that they took an oath to the Constitution and will obey only lawful orders. They stated that all citizens have the right to freedom of speech and assembly, but that the insurrectionary riot and invasion of the Capitol that took place on January 6 was a direct assault on the Constitution and democratic government. They affirmed our democratic processes and stated firmly that Joe Biden will be inaugurated on January 20. They closed with an admonition to all personnel to "stay ready" and "remain focused on the mission."

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