Archive for 2021
May 27, 2021
DISPATCHES FROM UNIVERSAL EXPORTS: Amazon Buys MGM, Studio Behind James Bond, for $8.45 Billion. “For Amazon, snapping up MGM — which has more than 4,000 movies and 17,000 TV shows in its catalog — is a way to supercharge its Prime Video service with a slew of well-known entertainment titles. In addition, Amazon is anticipating being able to mine Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer properties like the Pink Panther, Rocky and, yes, the 007 franchises for new originals…The MGM deal is Amazon’s second-largest acquisition, behind its $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods in 2017. Amazon didn’t say when it expects to close the MGM acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other routine closing conditions; however, insiders believe the pact will be approved by the end of 2021. The purchase price includes the assumption of MGM’s debt. MGM will continue to operate as a label under the Amazon brand.”
I was about to ponder the fate of Gone With the Wind in today’s uber-woke era, but IndieWire notes: ‘Gone with the Wind’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Are Not Part of the Amazon-MGM Deal; Here’s Why. “It’s a huge library, but notably absent are some of MGM’s most iconic films, including ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ and ‘Gone With the Wind.’ Those titles — and all other MGM movies made before 1986 — belong to WarnerMedia.”
Flashback: Gone With the Wind Shoots To No. 1 On Amazon’s Bestseller List, Sells Out After Being Pulled By HBO Max.
(Classical reference in headline.)
PJ MEDIA VIP ROUNDUP: Don’t forget that VODKAPUNDIT promo code if you’ve been thinking of joining us.
Stacey Lennox: Biden’s Legacy Could Be Dooming Us to Relearn the 20th Century’s Ugliest Lessons in the 21st. “The fascists and communists had far more in common than either group would like to admit. Both are authoritarian, view people as collective groups rather than individuals, and excuse or encourage violence against those who reject their ideology. The minor differences in the economic systems do not overshadow the carnage and human suffering their ideology demands. Perhaps the most significant common ground between the two is pure hatred of the West. That is probably why some commentators are calling what we are witnessing now a red-green alliance.”
Bryan Preston: America’s Maoist Moment Comes to Texas. “The Maoist moment commands the heights with Joe Biden in the White House. The U.S. State Department, Department of Defense, the Veterans Administration — all have come under the sway of Maoist critical race theory. The damage being done to the American self-image may be permanent.”
Yours Truly: Facebook Is Circumventing Your Privacy Settings, But You Can Stop Them. “Requiring users to opt in for cross-app tracking might be the biggest privacy protection in the smartphone’s relatively brief history, but when it comes to sharing photos, even iOS 14.5 left a door wide open for Peeping Toms like Mark Zuckerberg.”
WAS A GLOBAL LOCKDOWN WARRANTED? Phil Magness says no.
FOR 2022, TRUMP RETURNS TO THE SECRET SAUCE THAT GAVE THE GOP CONGRESS IN A HISTORIC LANDSLIDE: Trump Resurrects Contract With America For 2022.
IMPRESSIVE: Falcon 9 completes its 100th successful flight in a row. “Under bright blue skies, the Falcon 9 rocket took off from Florida on Wednesday afternoon and promptly delivered its Starlink payload into orbit. This booster has truly become the workhorse of the global launch industry.”
Even more impressive: It took just under six years for SpaceX to make those 100 successful launches, and their op-tempo is only increasing.
Maybe it’s because SpaceX isn’t woke.
LAWS ARE FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE: Biden’s plan for a diplomatic mission to the Palestinians blatantly violates US law.
PROBABLY NOT, BUT WE CAN STILL HOPE: Is the End of Dr. Fauci’s Reign Coming Soon?
FROM KEN LIZZI: Blood and Jade.
When an ancient sorcerer pursues an enchanted blade at any cost, only one man stands in his way.Archaeologists uncovering a lost Mayan city unearth a magic artifact. An earthquake disturbs the operations of neighboring narcotraffickers. An ancient sorcerer and his mercenary henchmen arrive to claim the artifact.
When these three factions converge, Karl Thorson, ex-Special Forces, is thrust into action.
Dexicos Megistos, a nigh immortal sorcerer, wants to retrieve a mystical jade dagger. Alejandra Matamoros-Lopez wants to smuggle narcotics through the tunnels beneath the ruins, avoiding the notice of rival cartels. Professor May Chen wants to see if any sparks remain from her relationship with the head of the archaeological dig.
Karl Thorson just wants to do his job, and maybe have a cold beer.
Can he safeguard the archaeologists, especially the lovely Professor May Chen? Can he defeat a murderous band of narcotraffickers? And can he deprive the sorcerer Dexicos Megistos of the jade dagger?
Twitter is toxic garbage.
HE PUT HER IN THE FRIEND ZONE: Male panda opts for snacks over sex with mate in video.
Sometimes there’s a reason species are endangered…
ANYONE WHO CLAIMS THAT NEEDS ANTI-PSYCHOTICS: AOC In Therapy, Claims 1/6 Was Akin To War Service.
Listen, Occasional Cortex, dumb as rocks* as you are, you should have caught on no one is buying this bullsh*t. Oh, some “GOP” office holders pretend to buy it, but no one does, really.
*All apologies to the countless rocks who are smarter than this prize moron.
I AM WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN WHY IT’S VITAL THAT WE ALL BE VACCINATED AGAINST A DISEASE WITH A 99.9% CHANCE OF SURVIVAL: The CDC Inadvertently Outs the Mask Cult .
Look, I take the flu vaccine almost every year, not because I think I’ll die from it, (sure, I could, but it’s unlikely) but because I hate losing two weeks of work, because I’m feeling out of it. Could I see taking the Covid-19 vaccine under the same heading? Maybe. If I weren’t absolutely sure I had it Jan 2020. And if they stopped treating it like the black plague. Do you know how often I’ve been asked to prove I have a flu vaccine before flying? Yep, never. Not even in bad flu years. And keep in mind that unlike Winnie the Flu, the flu-flu is fairly lethal to children.
So, until someone explains to me why the same establishment who lets people “object” to childhood vaccination to the point of creating chicken pox epidemics and pertussis deaths in some schools is so invested in vaccinating me against Chinese Lung Rot, they can go fly a kite. I’ll see them in Hades before I take it.
WHICH IS WHY WE HOPE TO BE IN A RED STATE BY YEAR’S END: Democrat Policies Have Created a Blue-State Exodus.
And of all my friends in blue states, the only ones remaining are those who absolutely must stay there.
Why, it’s almost like people don’t like being under house arrest!
LOOK, TELL THE JUNTA NO SALE. STOP ABETTING THE ENEMY AMID US: Energy States Fight Back Against Bank Threats To Cut Off Oil, Gas, and Coal Companies.
Precisely how stupid are these banks?
DON’T JEWISH LIVES MATTER? List of “Pro-Palestinian” Violent Attacks On Jews In The U.S. and Canada.
MOSTLY BECAUSE IT CAN NO LONGER BE HIDDEN: COVID19 mini-update, May 25, 2021: Yesterday’s “conspiracy theory” about lab origin now embraced by Fauci?!
WELL, THE JUNTA WOULD LOVE ABSOLUTE RULE: Biden and Parliament’s 1689 Declaration of Rights.
And they do think that the “arrow of history” and Marxist assurances they win is a sort of divine right of kings.
YOU KNOW, IF PALESTINIANS HADN’T FIRED 4000 ROCKETS AT ISRAEL THOSE ANIMALS WOULDN’T BE WOUNDED: Palestinians help wounded animals after ceasefire.
Just saying.
FACEBOOK HAS ALWAYS BEEN AT WAR WITH BAT EATING: Facebook reverses ban on posts claiming COVID-19 was man-made.
Are these people truly Non Player Characters, who move according to instruction from the top?
May 26, 2021
OPEN THREAD: You’re very well read, it’s well-known.
GIVEN THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING: I really want this book: Cane Fighting: The Authoritative Guide to Using the Cane or Walking Stick for Self-Defense. (Bumped)