Strange Interlude

Have you ever noticed someone behaving strangely? Either they’re brusque when you speak to them or they don’t want to speak to you at all. Chances are they're having problems at home or work that have nothing to do with you. Anecdotally it’s been surmised that only 1/10th of the cold shoulders a human being receives in their lifetime have to do with something they have done to deserve being snubbed. The only reason why 9/10s of people take the blame is that the notion of their  eliciting only indifference is even more painful. In fact, modern sociopathy has even coined a term for these types of events: "pre-snuptual bliss." So the next time your cell doesn't vibrate in your pocket, don't assume you're responsible. The person you're worrying about probably doesn't care.

read "Pornosophy: Full Stop at the Intersection of Sexuality and Ambition" by Francis Levy, HuffPost

and listen to "Respect" by Aretha Franklin

Will Lucy Become a Conehead?

If human kind is around 3.2 million years from now, what will hominids look like? Lucy, the famous Australopithecus fossil, would not exactly “fit” in, if she were to roam her original habitat today. Her ancestors, despite their prehensility would find themselves in a similar predicament, if they traveled back in time. However, would these "space cadets" be that much taller than their forbears. If Lucy was 3.5 feet tall and one estimates an average height of 5’5” for women to 5’10” for men in another 3.2 million years hominid women would be about 7’5." It would be a stretch for a hominid male from the present age to reach up to embrace his counterpart 3.2 million years in the future for a slow dance or even just a peck on the cheek. Lucy had a small brain, estimated to be the size of a chimp, but since present day humans have a relatively large brain, one could assume that 3.2 million years hence, a male of the species will be about 7’10” with a brain so large that it would be a heavy weight to bear on such a gangly body. The psychological expression about carrying baggage would applying to your hominid in 3,202,023 AD or 6.4 million years from the Pliocene era. Hominids of the future will undoubtedly be beyond neurotic and self-conscious; they will be a race of belly button gazers simply because of the direction in which their skulls will be naturally pointed. Still the Lucy of the future or her male counterpart are both likely to be a chips off the old block, particularly because the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

read "The Wormhole Society" by Francis Levy, The East Hampton Star

and listen to "Funky Broadway" by Wilson Pickett

Deadhead Becomes Anonymous

Sonny Barger

Tucker Carlson is a deadhead literally and metaphorically. He's on his way fromTV to TV Dinner. Well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He went back to where he came from, as his step-mother was the heir to Swanson’s. He’s also toast. Now he joins the Fox hall of fame which includes Bill O’Reilly and Roger Ailes. Will Carlson go to one of the even more MAGA networks like NewsMax or OAN? He hasn’t had a drink since 2002 which is laudable and significant, though he acts like a “dry drunk,” ie someone who has given up booze but not inebriation. To this point he spoke at the funeral of Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger. The old Tolstoy saw comes to mind. In this case it's "All happy television personalities are alike but all unhappy ones are unhappy in their own way."

read "MAGA and the Coronavirus" by Francis Levy, The East Hampton Star 

and listen to "Make America Great Again" by Pussy Riot

Intellectual Thugs

Laura Kipnis (photo Will2037)

You may have grown up fearful of thugs. Bullies terrorized you in the schoolyard. Political bullies are ubiquitous in a divided nation with the Alt Right claiming more than its fair share. Margerie Taylor Greene famously stalked Parkland survivor David Hogg on the Capitol steps, but then there are intellectual thugs. “Thug” is usually a pejorative term, but in the context of political correctness, when freedom of speech is under fire, and the “thought police” ticket sentences that don’t pass muster, such "tough" guys are not afraid to cut to the chase. Remember the Salamander in Fahrenheit 451, the fire trucks that carried kerosene rather than water. You have to be streetwise to open the fire hydrants, when the latest generation of censors grow trigger happy and begin to ban the canon of Greek myths, whose Gods exercise droit de seigneur. An intellectual thug isn’t afraid to mince his or her words. The administration of the University of Chicago is one of the biggest and most dangerous intellectual thugs around since they won’t allow small groups of students to tell others what to do. Bill Maher, another intellectual thug, brandishes his bullshit barometer. Laura Kipnis, the author of  Unwanted Advances: Sexual Paranoia Comes to Campus is one of the most dangerous intellectual thugs in town, arguing in a New York Review of Books piece ("Kick Against the Pricks, December 21, 2017") that “There’s a built-in weirdness to possessing a sexuality, whatever your gender. It reminds us that we’re animals; it’s bendable into perverse configurations, which is maybe what we also like about it. We’re afflicted with bizarre amoral dreams on a nightly basis." Watch out for Kipnis! She's armed with ideas and dangerous!

read "More Pricks Than Kicks" by Francis Levy, HuffPost

and listen to "Sympathy For the Devil" by The Rolling Stones

The Flying Wallendas of CNN

Bernard Shaw (photo: Ann Thomas)

News anchors once had a gravitas. Huntley and Brinkley Walter Cronkite, John Chancellor, Dan Rather—Edward R. Morrow famously smoking. You saw  less of them but it was a little like Samizdat. Scarcity increased value. The 7 o’clock news was a clarion call. Now not only do you have the inundation and repetition of the 24 hour news cycle, but lately, at least, a carnival-like atmosphere has replaced the simple desk behind which the anchor sat. CNN's recent changed format is like "Six Newcasters in Search of a Story." As Kate Bolduan enters stage left one is reminded of James Tyrone's "Enter Ophelia: the mad scene" from Long Day's Journey. In addition you have the feeling the teleprompter rather than the messenger is responsible for the message. Sure there's been legendary reporting at CNN by Bernard Shaw and others, but with the new set design, the network recently unveiled news, which was always entertainment, has evolved--literally--into a three ring circus. The early morning slot with Poppy Harlow, Don Lemon and Caitlin Collins seems to be competing with celebrity shows like Oprah or sometimes even "Weekend Update" on SNL. News has always been entertainment, but now these "light" rather than "left" new virtuosos display a glitter that’s pure show biz. 

read "The Final Solution: All in the Family" by Francis Levy, HuffPost

and listen to "Car Wash" by Rose Royce

Dear Ethicist: What's Appropriate Behavior If the World is Coming to An End?

Dear Ethicist: What if everyone knew it was their last day on earth and there would be no consequences for any action? Is it a no brainer that most people would behave like there was no tomorrow-literally.  Can you be moral when there’s no future? Or are there people who would still act appropriately, obeying the Ten Commandments and especially the one that states “thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife?” Is it unrealistic to maintain the notion that two people would not act on long simmering desires? Am I going to spring out of bed and go for blow even if it means eating the whole Subway Series of heroes they have been advertising and risk getting a stomach ache? Even if it isn’t until llPM that I get it on with my neighbor's wife, won't my neighbor still feel the pain of rejection for an hour? Won't this give me pause? Is morality best viewed as an universal concept that should be applied when even when your boat is capsizing? Or do you have to choose your battles, even when you know the end is nigh?

read "Pornosophy: The Pleasure Principle" by Francis Levy, HuffPost

and listen to "Love Machine" by The Miracles

How Large Was the Fox Dominion Settlement?

photo: George HH

How much is 787. 5 million dollars? For instance, Fox’s net worth is calculated at 16.44 billion as of April 18^th.  My Pillow makes 300 million a year. Dominion ,which is privately held, approximately 17.5 million. The GNP of the US is 23. 39 trillion, while for El Salvador its 59.46 billion. China is 26.06 trillion, Russia, 4.678 trillion. Tesla’s gross profit for 2022 was 20.853 billion. Kepler 452-B is 1402 light years from earth. That’s 1402x186,000x365x60x60. 1.408 billion is the population of India. The population of Europe (as of 2018) is 764.4 million which is close to that Dominion settlement figure. So if every member of the EU contributed a dollar, they’d be able to pony up enough to pay Dominion. 232.9 billion is the figure for the project NYS budget in 2023 while project budget of NYC is 104 billion. The Dallas Cowboys, valued at 5.7 billion, is the most expensive sports team in the world. Bernard Arnault of LVMF is the richest man in the world with assets of approximately 226 billion. The tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, is 2717 feet. Human Brain supercomputer has a million microprocessors—which doesn’t seem much compared to the Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase who as the highest paid banker earned 28,313,787. Mars is 155 million miles away.

Read "A War of the Worlds" by Francis Levy, HuffPost

and listen to "Every Little Bit Hurts" by Brenda Holloway