The (Daily) Vent 2

(These Things Never End Well) Famed Science Fiction author Arthur C. Clark once commented on artificial intelligence. He would more than most. The HAL 9000 was his creation and was an early indication of the dangers of computers that get that "smart." There have been other examples where humanity gets subsumed by thinking machines. The Terminator series ? The Matrix ? Forbin ' s Colossus Project ?  9 ?. One can be sure that there other examples but the point is readily made. Embracing an unfettered drive in the pursuit of artificial intelligence could be holding risks that are yet to be recognized, So, some are advising "restraint" Tesla/Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Stephen Wozniak has suggested six months, which would allow for any "bugs" to identified and eliminated. That being said, AI is going beyond smart. The TV is 70" and it is "smart." One does not know what effect an AI addition will have. The objective truth is

(Sun Tsu Say. . .) A word about Nashville. Now, people can be any sort of "consenting adults" as one wishes until one neglects biology. People who define themselves as so-called "trans" might feel they are in the body that is not what one thinks is preferred. Now, gender re-assignment surgery has been available for some time. However, this state of affairs comes to an end when one such trans individual, who had been named Audey Hale, came to the Covenant School, a Christiam establishment, and killed six people, including three children/ Hale's atrocity was bad enough but it was the reaction of the media was more disturbing. As mentioned, Covenant is a Christian school and the media has been known to have an extreme bias in that regard. Six people can die at the hands of one individual who at best was confused and at worst was malevolent. In any event, to the business at hand. Sun Tsu was a Chinese military theorist whose seminal work, The Art of War , composed d

(Leadership Changes) The Roman Emperor Claudius was proclaimed by members of the Praetorian Guard after they had orchestrated the murder of Caligula. Claudius walked with a limp and had a speech impediment and thought he was the Guard's next victim. In any event, Claudius proved not the buffoon as one might have originally expect. Claudius was able to do what even Caesar could not, conquer Brittania. Under Claudius, the Roman Empire enjoyed a period of stability. It was only at the end when Claudius adopted Nero to be his successor, rather than his own son. And history described that result. While it lasted, the Roman Empire was the world order. Today, with this new China-Russia Alliance, the order has been shifted again. The West, largely through policy decisions of the leadership, the excesses of environmental policy, the determination to end fossil fuel exploitation has passed the ability to decide events to the Chinese. They are the authors of their own international system tha

( Cases Suitable For Treatment) There comes a point when a pathology is readily apparent. Behaviors that seem odd and out of step with normal reasoning that common sense becomes a non-quality with these people. Things get complicated, however, when the those infected with this pathology find themselves in charge. In that position, certain directives are being "issued" that confirms everything people think about them. And get annoyed at the things people are being told to do. A large colony exists in New York, City and State. The latest is the proposed ban on gas stoves. the latest in runaway environmentalism. That gets added to the switch to low flow toilets. less efficient washers and dryers and all sorts of other proposed adjustments and eliminations that will make life less convenient for people. It can be said that New York is blue as it comes so it is no real surprise that such lunacy could emerge here. That being said, however, it would seem that neither Albany nor Grac

(First  Chair In The Red Orchestra ?) The Red Orchestra . such as it was called, meant different things to different people. In Nazi Germany, it was identified by the German intelligence service, Abwehr , the term represented a collection of anti-regime groups. The Red Orchestra was also known as a series of operators with Soviet secret services, like the NKVD (Peoples' Commissariat for Internal Affairs) as an example. They were able to run agents in Western Europe and were known as Stalin's spy-ring. For most people, Tik Tok, especially for Generation Z, is a social media is a platform where people get to "express "themselves. Tik Tok challenges are disbursed and the results, good or bad, are broadcast. Depending on the intelligence of the mark, or indeed the stupidity, whatever these broadcasts are Tik Tok has become a significant portion of young peoples' existence. But the service is owned by the Peoples' Republic of China, and by extension, the Chinese C

(Good As Gold. . .) On March, 24th. 1945, the Western Allies began to cross the Rhine and into Germany proper. Two operations, PLUNDER that breached the river proper and VARSITY , a massive airborne effort that was larger than OVERLORD and MARKET GARDEN combined. This is not a history lesson, however. Sure, one could discuss how the U.S and Iran traded pot-shots in Syria, with Tehran becoming the junior partner in the new Beijing-Moscow relationship. How there was no Democrat support in the GOP-sponsored "Parents Bill of Rights." Or that the banking crisis that has yet to fully resolve itself, with European institutions now feeling the effect and Janet Yellin making up her mind on whether banks are getting a full bailout or not. And the Administration now wanting to re-make air conditioners go the way of the gas stove. Then there is the Fed who seems just as confused as the erstwhile Treasury Secretary. To paraphrase Genesis , everybody is in :"The Land of Confusion.&

(Closing The OPEN DOOR) John Hay was Secretary of State first under President McKinley and after his assassination. for President Roosevelt. Hay is known for the so-called "Open Door" Note. China in the late 19th Century was being carved up by European nations and in an attempt to make the process less chaotic, Secretary Hay in September 1899, proposed the "Open Door" where the various powers would equalize trade and commerce and the integrity of the Qing Dynasty would be respected. Well, the Qing were deposed in a few years, replaced by the Chinese Communist Party. The newly named Peoples' Republic has offered the world cheap labor and when such chains like Wal Mart or Target need their products produced as cheaply as possible. But China has proven a double-edged sword. Beijing has chronically stolen information technology and so on. But in recent years, China has also begun to assert itself geo-politically. It is no accident that Beijing is asserting itself no

( Someone Blink ?) There was supposed to be much fanfare. Former President Donald Trump was supposed to be indicted today and hauled before a Grand Jury to be processed. Cuffs. fingerprints, mug-shots, Trump sent to Rikers in an orange jumpsuit. It would have been interesting to see Secret Service when Trump gets dropped into General Population. Apparently , there was a big dissent in Grand Jury as to whether the whole episode should be continued. Any objective assessment would determine that Trump is facing weak charges and would fail on appeal. However, as has been the point all along, whatever charges that get leveled at the ex-President are not relevant. So, why was President Trump not arrested ? Clearly, someone blinked. Some people are disappointed. Radical supporters of D.A. Bragg have been ready for Trump's final prosecution for years. However, perhaps the one most let down that the Gtand Jury is not proceeding would be the former President himself. Trump is determined to m

(Everything, Everywhere, All At Once) This was a film that had been honored at the last Academy Awards. No, it has not been viewed and Best Actor used to be "Encino Man." That being said, the aforementioned title capsulates nicely all that crap that is going on in the world all at the same time . The banking crisis, the new Sino-Russian Alliance, the President's recent veto, the border crisis beyond critical mass, And former President Trump is still set to be indicted, if not today than probably in the near future and Christ knows what else. With everything that is going down, however, the Biden Administration is singularly ill-equipped to deal with things. Take the banking crisis. One is familiar with all the financial services that get advertised on business shows and the viewer gets admonished that there is risk with any investment. That has traditionally been the case. Then Silicon Valley et al went under. As has been previously discussed, the bank was heavily invest

(Follow The Money. . .) It is a good thing that U.N. Resolution are not necessarily binding. That piece pf low end real-estate on the East River known as the United Nations has just released its own climate warnings and is insisting on the total cessation of all fossil fuels activity in order to avoid a so-called "climate bomb." The U.N. is Davos in New York and draws the same conclusions namely there should be no further investment in the petroleum industry. These statements, from the U.N. are arbitrary and do not reflect reality, Doing as is wished would induce incredible hard ship for billions, based on a theory that is being dis-credited. President Biden is probably in sympathy with the United Nations. His long range plans are calling for the exact same outcome now being recommended by the U.N. After his re-election, Biden will be able to discard all new development projects, like the WiIlow field. That is for later consideration, And, as of today, the President just issu

(DER FALL FELDENSTEIN (The Feldenstein Case) It has been useful, over the years to reference the Stanley Kramer classic, Judgement at Nuremburg . Central to the plot was the trial of a Jewish merchant and building owner, who might have had an affair with someone non-Jewish (Judy Garland in the movie) in violation of the so-called Nuremburg Laws. The Judge in the case was Hans Yanning (Burt Lancaster). The trial was a mockery, evidence of exoneration was not presented, and witnesses were bullied. Feldenstein was found guilty and sentenced to death. What was revealed at the end of the film was that the Jews' fate had already been sealed. The old story that the trial was less a trial and more a sacrificial ritual. Former President Donald Trump could be indicted tomorrow. The New York D.A. Alvin Brag is bringing a case that most legal experts say is weak. That is irrelevant. Like Feldenstein's Trump's verdict has already been decided. It is true that Brag has ready access to se

(Checking Fire. . .) This time of year, in March, 1942, the Japanese seemed in-vincible. After the attack on Pearl Harbor from the previous December, Hong Kong also fell that month. Then came Wake, Guam, and Singapore the following February. Like an octopus extending its tentacles, the East Indies. Sumatra. Java and Malaya were on their way to Japanese occupation. The first attempt at a unified Allied Command, ABDACOM (American, British. Dutch, Australian) command had been all but dissolved in March, 1942, with massive naval losses (the USS Houston , he most significant unit of the US Asiatic Fleet was sunk March 1st). The Philippines were also about to fall with Corregidor holding out to the first part of May. The Japanese forced the Americans and British from the Western Pacific. Each would have to re-constitute their forces, build new ships, develop new doctrines and strategies to take back that massive ocean and it was done island by island and by putting most of the Imperial Japan

(Til' Tuesday. . .) Til ' Tuesday was a band from the 1980's that had one charting hit, "Voices Carry." Next Tuesday is the day where former President Donald Trump will be arrested and put through a perp-walk. Cuffed. finger prints, all in front of the cameras of what is sure to be a gleeful media. After years of effort, the anti-Trump movement, across all areas, is now on the verge of prevailing. Or, is it ? Trump lost the last Election but he is still seen as a continued threat to the Establishment, for a lack of a better term. Trump is like a re-curing fungus that has yet to be cured. He could have been discarded earlier and finally be relegated to an "also ran." Even when he announced he was running for President, again, his chances of prevailing were nil. That would be until he is paraded like a criminal, and while there are those who think he is, if Trump gets hauled out of Mar A Lago in hand cuffs, at that instance, he would be made a martyr. Te

(That Bad Shade Of Green) Happy St. Patrick's Day ! Kermit the Frog had once said "that it's not easy being green." These days, however, the term being "green" has developed a whole new set of connotations. This is climate hysteria and global elites have coerced the rest of the planet into policies that make no sense. Case in point would be President Biden's grudgingly authorization if Willow, Alaska, A more extreme case, of one were possible, was the decision by the Dutch Government, with its own extreme climate policy, wanted to buy out Dutch farms and livestock, eliminating the livelihoods for thousands of Hollanders. As with most other things these days, there was a backlash. A new Dutch political party, the Farmer Citizen Movement Party, just gained the most seats in the Dutch Senate. Now, runners up in this election are more to the left, but with fewer numbers. Any coalition in Amsterdam formed will need to re-assess climate policy and Farmers and

(BUZZED. . .) The Pentagon has released video of the "drone incident," where a Russian Su-27 ( Flanker ) made close approach to the American aircraft and was seen, apparently dumping fuel. The interaction was sufficient to force the operators to crash the unit into the Black Sea. The engagement was probably deliberate on the part of the Russians who are committed to harassing operations to these American surveillance flights.  Interactions such as these are dangerous and could lead to an escalation. Those in charge of events at that point, Biden, Putin, and Zelenski, do not inspire confidence in their abilities as statesmen.  Where were all the "statesmen" when Silicon Valley and the other banks failed ? The "failure," such as it is, was not confined to the banks' managers but across the entire spectrum and that would include all the regulators as well. The ones that will have to decide on a bail-out. But before that, the banking and regulatory policie

Beware The Ides Of March Julius Caesar had it easy. Twenty-three stab wounds and lying on the floor of the Curia (Roman Senate building) on March 15th, 44 BCE. However, March 15th, AD 2023, seems just as chaotic as the same period as Caesar's assassination signaled the end of the Roman Republic and the transition to Empire. So, today there is economic "crisis" namely the banking sector.  It an can be said that the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank the other day is more than a financial institution having its liabilities exceed its assets. If one had taken a closer look, however, there were structural deficiencies that had been ignored. The situation could have been managed, in a zero-interest rate environment. That being said, the excessive spending from the Administration and Congress could not help but cause the rise in inflation. Silicon Valley and Signature, the other bank failure in as many days. Now, Credit Suisse has announced its own difficulties. Now, these ba

(Elephants In The Room. . .) A new "Batman" themed character debuts tomorrow in an episode of Gotham Knights . The new role is that of "Two-Face" where former Gotham District Attorney, Harvey Dent gets disfigured in an acid attack that scars half his face, hence the new moniker. Such a description can be applied to President Biden. Yesterday. Biden's announced decision to authorize a limited production of Alaska's Willow project. He probably had his fingers crossed. Let's put the decision in context. And for all the activists that are panicking now, they can rest assured that no new oil will be flowing out of Willow or anywhere else for that matter. bringing Willow on-line will still take years, after the next President will be elected. As that is probably the incumbent at this point, once back in Office, he can cancel Willow the first day in his second term. Just like Keystone was cancelled Day One last time, It was supposed some months ago that Biden w

(Willow. . .Ran) A few days ago, the Willow Run plant in Michigan was mentioned. This facility had been one of the prime production sites for the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber. "Willow," is also a proposed drilling site in Alaska. At the time of the entry here, it was not anticipated that President Biden, in concert with climate activists, would deny the permit for the site and if that were the case, then the benefits that could be accrued, to Alaska and indeed the rest of the country as the Willow product, estimated at 187,000 barrels of oil daily , some 630 million over the 30 year lifetime of the field, would create thousands of jobs initially, and three hundred full-time, and all Biden would have to is say yes. And, apparently, he did. Against expectation, the President has approved three of the five drilling sites. Three sites, make the project by Conoco Phillips, financially viable and green lights a production proceeding. Now, to be sure, Biden has had no epiphany. He i

( Mattress Money ?) Whenever one convenes a game of Monopoly., there is usually the player that acts as the "banker." He or she would be the one to disburse cash to the other players in the proper amounts. The game is played, properties are bought or sold, money changes hands and when one gets a "monopoly" or the one with the most assets, cash and property, wins the game. Now, Monopoly is a board game. However, there are real banks whose combined assets are only worth Monopoly money, worthless in other words. Banks in general can be subject to market fluctuations and when a rumor that this bank or that might be in difficulty, customers who might have deposits at that institution, could move to withdraw those funds and move them somewhere safe. Like the mattress. A bank failure has been in the news in recent days. The Silicon Valley Bank, the one that operates in Silicon Valley and as such, would be "tech" dependent. The recent rise in interest rates has n

(Battle for the Alamo) The Alamo is a well-known tourist attraction in the heart of Downtown San Antonio. It is also the most visible symbol for Texas' struggle for its independence. In a defense reminiscent of the last stand of Leonides and his 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, some 185 Texians defended what had originally been a Spanish mission against a Mexican army under the command of Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana and 2100 Mexican troops. In a battle that lasted from February 23rd to March 6th, 1836, when the final assault came and wiped out the Texian garrison. The Mexican Army did suffer about 500 of its own casualties during the battle and after a further Texian massacre at Goliad, Santa Ana and his army was trapped and all but destroyed the following April by Texian General Sam Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto, with the battle cry "Remember the Alamo !" As was mentioned, the Alamo today is a tourist attraction in Downtown San Antonio. Alamo Plaza, as shops, the Menge

( The Night Fuji Glowed) Everybody knows that Fuji is a camera film. Not that people still have those old-fashioned shuttle shots, or a Polaroid for that matter. Anyhow Fuji film is named after the Fuji volcano that rises to its prominence behind Tokyo. On the night of March 9-10, the Japanese Capitol was burning. Some 334 B-29 bombers carpeted the city with incendiaries, and, as Tokyo was built mostly of wood and paper, the resulting conflagration was one of the most intense of the War, killing some 100,000 people. Only the subsequent atomic bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki compared to this Tokyo mission, codenamed MEETINGPLACE . President Biden just released his budget today but it might as well have been one of those clusters of napalm that had been released over Tokyo. In recent memory, no budget submitted by a President of one Party to a Congress of the other is never not declared "dead on arrival." Biden had the whole government for the first two years but now that Re

(Right Then. Right Now ?) There has been a saying that Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, without firing a shot. That is a nice rhetorical flourish, and it is false. The Soviet Union did nor necessarily need the American President to foster its demise. By the time Mihail Gorbachev was named General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the structural weaknesses of the State  began to manifest themselves more by 1985. The new General Secretary was aware that reform was needed, and two initiatives were announced. Glasnost , meaning "openness," and Perestroika , translating into "restructuring." It was hoped that these reforms would stabilize the U.S.S.R. As people know, however, Gorbachev's tenure had been preceded by the Soviet leadership going back to the October Revolution. Lenin, Stalin, Khruschev, Brezhnev, Andropov and Chernenko, were all old men but what they all had in common was the use of "Terror." By the time of Gorbachev, the C

(Eyes Of The Beholder) January 6th, 2021 was the date when out-going President Trump, insisting to this day that he had really won in 2020, fomented a riot that marched on the Capitol Building, breached and had a demonstration that had assaulted Capitol police officers and civilians were accidentally killed. Fortunately, this Trump-inspired insurrection was at an end by that afternoon. Democracy was saved on January 6th and former President Donald Trump the "Insurrectionist in Chief," had been thwarted by defenders of national institutions. Such events had to be investigated, thoroughly, And they were. In the proud traditions of the Watergate and 9=11 Committees, the 1-6 Committee was convened soon after. The Panel was composed of Majority Democrats and two never Trump Republicans. The Committee had been described at length at various points in these pages and the conclusion reached early on is that it was a kangaroo court, quite reminiscent of the show trials of Nazi Germany

( Clear & Present Dangers) Author Tom Clancy was the father of the "Technothriller." The Hunt for Red October , Red Storm Rising , and Patriot Games were all examples of his work where he was able to meld real life military and intelligence into a concise narrative that sold millions of copies. His best seller, indeed the best seller of the entire 1980's was his anti-narcotics Clear & Present Danger , where the CIA had sent four special operations teams to engage Columbian cartels. However, in an attack on a drug lord residence, civilians were unfortunately killed. The Administration at the time panicked and, wishing to avoid an international incident, abandoned those teams in the field but that was when the Director of Central Intelligence and the Director of Operations came to their senses and sent Clancy hero Jack Ryan into Columbia and attempt to retrieve those personnel. Because of Biden's open border policy, the lack of security in the region, four Ame

(Tennis Is Less A Racket  !) Some things in life are irritating beyond measure. As some might have heard, Dilbert creator, Scott Adams, made what some have considered in-artful comments and, as a consequence, his strip has been cancelled. There had been the original hope that the San Antonio EXPRESS would buck convention and keep running the comic. As of today's edition, Dilbert has been removed. No panic though as the online version is still readily available. Dilbert , that pokes fun at corporate culture and its often this absurd operations and the evil (Cat Bert, the director of human resources) as well as the incompetent, with the title character an engineer who has to navigate through this nonsense. Anyhow, if the EXPRESS thinks it is producing a better product by taking Dilbert out of the funny pages, then all the power to it. American media, print and video, is a sorry state of affairs and would seem to have the sense to not cancel what is perhaps the funniest strip acros

( What If ?) Of all the "what if" scenarios that have played themselves out, one of the more profound would be what if Alexander the Great had lived beyond the age 32 ? The Macedonian King marched his armies from Greece and conquered the Near East, campaigning as far as India. At this point, Alexander's soldiers, homesick As they were, rebelled against their commander, Grudgingly, the conqueror of Asis Minor, Egypt and then Persis, turned his armies West, Alexander made it back to Babylon when he had succumbed to some affliction in 323BCE. He was just 32 years old. What would have happened had Alexander at perished at Babylon ? Suppose he and his troops had made it back to Macedon with the spoils of what had been a very profitable campaign. Alexander, soon to be called "Great," was restless. Invariably, he would have turned West. Carthage, Rome, far shadows of what they would eventually become, could have fallen in any new Alexandrian march. Were that to happen,

(All Sales Final. . .) In the Stanly Kramer classic, Inherit the Wind , Spencer Tracy (Henry Drummond) was on the porch with his learned opponent, Fredrick March (Matthew Harrison Brady), the latter asking why Drummond was opposed to a fundamental interpretation of the Bible. Tracy/Drumond described a rocking horse Golden Dancer that he had wanted as a child. The horse was obtained at considerable expense but it turned out that it was of such shoddy construction that it fell to pieces when it Drummond first got on. Now, had Henry Drummond known about the true quality of Golden Dancer, the acquisition would have not gone through. If the picture had been complete about now Pennsylvania Senator Jon Fetterman. Now, the junior Senator from the Keystone State is in office because of a fluke. Fetterman had had a stroke and was not always cognitively viable. All things being equal, that would tend to discourage election. For Pennsylvania Democrats, however, Fetterman's state of mind was no

(Broken Machinery) As Mayors of Chicago go, no one could compare to William J Daley who was in Office as the 48th city executive from 1955-1976. Daley was one of the most powerful Democrat politicians in the country. Daley controlled the Windy City with a hand of iron. In a story that might be  apocryphal, Daley arranged for John F. Kennedy to carry Illinois by the eight thousand votes by dumping dozens of voting machines into Lake Michigan. In 1968 and the Democrat Convention that year, with Robert Kennedy assassinated and President Lyndon Johnson dropping out of condensation, that had left George McGovern and Hubert Humphries. Daley, as Chicago Mayor, eventually threw support behind Humphries who went on to lose to Richard M. Nixon. Now, Lori Lightweight, was no Richard J. Daley. Chicago under Mayor Daley was one of the safest cities one could have seen. Lori Lightweight by contrast presided over the demise of this once great Metropolis. Lightweight was one more of those politicians

( See Willow Run. . .) The U.S. flew three heavy bombers during World War II, the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress , the Boeing B-29 Superfortress , and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator . The Liberator was the most-produced bomber in history, over eighteen thousand. Of that, Ford at its Willow Run facility, produced well over eight thousand. The Liberator , along with its cousins from Boeing, be it Flying Fortress out of Seattle or Burbank, or the Superfortress out of Kansas City, along with British Bomber Command were the only Allied forces in combat at all times with the Combined Bomber Offensive, 1942-1945. In retrospect, strategic bombing, the Eighth Air Force bombing by day and Bomber Command at night fell short of rendering the Third Reich prostrate. Bombing was not that accurate and before the introduction of long-range fighters like the P-51 Mustang , losses were prohibitive. But before Noth Africa, before Sicily, before France, and regardless of how effective the strategic bombing

(How Green Was The Valley ?) John Ford was a prolific Hollywood director, was made a Commander in the U.S. Navy, took a round in his arm during the Japanese attack on Midway. Ford worked with John Wayne many times. John Ford was an Oscar recipient on several occasions, one film that had received the honor was Ford's classic, How Green was My Valley starring Walter Pidgeon among others. The movie was about a Welsh mining family that was witness to the spoiling of the land that coal extraction invariably causes. American companies have been eager to do business in China. At almost a billion and a half consumers, that would be the bottom line for any U.S. corporate concern, For Premier Xi Jinping, however, those billion and a half need to be fed and be provided with power.  China has just announced the construction of several more coal-fired power plants. If there was needed confirmation that the Peoples' Republic has no interest in the climate policies of the West, that would be