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The four months that have passed since America’s debacle in Afghanistan have made it increasingly clear that this was a model that was successful from commanders and managers’ perspectives. It is therefore highly likely that it will be repeated on other battlefields. (more…)
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Every Cretan is a liar. I am from Crete. — attributed to Epimenedes
Tell me lies.
Tell me sweet little lies.
— Fleetwood Mac (more…)
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Storytelling (2001) is the most politically incorrect movie I have ever seen. Indeed, it is so un-PC that it could never have been made today.
Director Todd Solondz is a really sick guy. His films Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness, Palindromes, and Life During Wartime can justly be accused of fixating on bullying, rape, pedophilia, abortion, suicide, and murder. (more…)
René Magritte, Golconda, 1953.
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The twofold crises of the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic are perfect opportunities for modern nihilists and culture-destroyers of every stripe to let off all the brakes. It is not often that world events align so cleanly with the rhetoric and goals of our enemies, which presents some troubling developments (more…)
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It has been commonplace for decades to hear words and phrases uttered casually in a wide range of settings that point to a deep collective discomfort with direct language, i.e. the conveyance of ideas and desires in unambiguous terms. (more…)
3,476 words
Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950) is commonly found on lists of the world’s greatest movies, and deservedly so. Rashomon features avant-garde narrative techniques (flashbacks, multiple points of view), dynamic black-and-white cinematography by Kazuo Miyagawa, compelling Ravel-like music by Fumio Hayasaka, subtle and intensely dramatic performances, and a complex but tightly edited script, all combined into a fast-paced 88-minute masterpiece with an emotionally devastating climax. (more…)
The current issue of the Medal of Honor, Navy version
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The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments regarding the so-called “Stolen Valor” law passed in 2006 which made it illegal for individuals to wear U. S. military awards that they had not legitimately earned. (more…)