Friday, June 12, 2015

Kit's Friday Thoughts: Rubio's Speedboat & Jurassic World

By Kit

Sorry I'm a bit late. I fell asleep last night before I could write it.

Marco Rubio’s Speedboat

The New York Times decided to devote a considerable amount of ink and dead trees to uncovering what they claim are disturbing skeletons in Marco Rubio’s closet. Oral sex from an intern? Nope. Do he and his spouse have a charity foundation that might have been involved in some shady deals? No, not that, either.

Did he drunkenly drive a car into a creek killing a young woman he was having an affair with and then, instead of calling emergency services contact his lawyer who immediately did everything he could to cover it up?

Of course not.

No, what they uncovered was (1) he got 17 tickets over the course of twenty years, (2) he had some financial difficulties in his twenties, and (3) he bought a “luxury speedboat” after his made a bunch of money off his book deal.

Now, let’s take this apart.

(1) I’ve been driving for about 9 years or so and in that time I have received a few warnings, a ticket for an outdated license plate and a ticket failing to stop in. . That’s two. I’ve also gotten probably 3-5 warnings but I can’t remember.. Now, I’ve heard Florida cops are a bit more ticket friendly (with claims of cops being put under massive ticket quotas), so, if you do the math and turn those warnings to tickets then if I lived in Florida I would probably have as many as Rubio.

(2) Rubio’s financial difficulties. When I was somewhere between 3 and 5 my parents, who were about 33-35, hit some financial difficulties. Many people in their twenties and thirties have financial issues. Many have mortgages, student loan debts, etc. Most people have some kind of debt. So, why is this a shock.

(3) As for the “luxury speedboat”, let’s do some comparisons.

Here is a photo of the kind of boat he owns: LINK

Here is a photo of the kind of boat my parents own (and neither of them is not US senators with a book): LINK

And, lastly, here is a photo of the yacht John Kerry owns: LINK

And the interior of John Kerry’s yacht: LINK

Jurassic World

I saw Jurassic World last night. Was it silly? Yes. Did it over-use CGI? Definitely. Did I have fun. Of course!

As long as you don’t expect it to come anywhere near the first one, you’ll have fun. It was better than three and not as pretentious as Lost World. Yes, the dinosaurs are made smart to almost ridiculous levels. I think I had to hold back a small chuckle

As for the characters, they are ok. The two kids are not Tim and Lex and our two leads are not Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler by any stretch. Mosrani is not Hammond. But, on the other hand, you won’t spend the movie hating all of the characters and groaning at their idiotic decisions like you did with Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 (Why take the baby T-Rex back to your juiced-up winnebago? Why not tell Dr. Grant you are looking for your kid? And why build a ^%$#ing Dino park in San Diego?!?! At least on an island its isolated!).

Part of this is because when the characters do make some rather stupid decisions, and this being a Jurassic Park movie you know at least a few will, those decisions are for the most part explained and handled well enough that we believe it —even if we know it won’t end well.

The only glaring exception is Vincent D’Onofrio’s gloriously over-the-top head of security.

So the characters, while not particularly interesting or memorable, are tolerable enough for a two hour movie.

Another thing I liked was that its nods to the original are handled with just enough cleverness that they work on their own while at the same time giving a treat to fans of the original. Unlike, say, J.J. Abrams’ nods to Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness.

Of course, some might argue that saying “this movie handles its nods to the original better than Star Trek: Into Darkness” is damning with faint praise.

In short, I enjoyed it.

The movie is largely geared to the late-Gen Xers and Millennials who grew up with the movie. We all wanted to visit a real Jurassic Park as kids. We wished for it to be real, despite the obvious dangers present in the movie. Because dinosaurs = awesome.

Case in point; I was about 3 and watched it, as well as the Land Before Time movies, on a near-endless loop. Now, I had no real burning desire to see it until about a week ago when I was walking through Target buying groceries and happened to walk past the toy section, with its cardboard display of two velociraptors jumping out. I took just one look, reversed to my inner 5 year old, and realized “Dammit, now I have to see it.”

In fact, I just might see it again…

Links and Sundry

On Jurassic World, a writer at the Daily Beast attacked the movie for being “Sexist” because the main female lead becomes less corporate obsessed and more maternal towards the two kids in her care or something.
LINK

This, along with the people who attacked Avengers 2 was sexist because she was upset over being sterilized as part of the Black Widow program shows a rather disturbing anti-motherhood trend among certain feminist circles.

LINK

That or they just want an excuse to be offended at something in Western culture. Beats having to discuss the gentile mutilation, stoning, and sexual slavery going on in the Muslim world.

Which might actually be true given that at Vox a writer has decide that saying “You guys” is sexist and compared it to your grand-parent that uses the word “Negro”. I’m not kidding.
LINK

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post where he called for catastrophic climate change skeptics to be charged under RICO. And he’s not the only person to call for this, read the outright glee in the comments at the prospect of people being arrested for holding differing views. If the science is so settled then why is it so many climate change activists would rather bring criminal charges against critics than debate them.*
LINK
I wonder if soon an environmentalist will start claiming that “denying climate change” is traumatic and should be censored on those grounds.

LA cop Jack Dunphy (a pseudonym) has a lot of questions for McKinney police officer Eric Casebolt. It is worth noting that, according to Dunphy, the action that makes the most sense is the decision by Casebolt to pull out his gun. Worth a read.
LINK

Dirty Jobs’s Mike Rowe was attacked by someone for doing “right-wing propaganda.” He replied. LINK

I made a decision today; I’m never having kids. Why? This Reason story on actions taken by the CPS. LINK

People complain a lot about helicopter parenting but it seems if you want to avoid getting put in handcuffs, then it’s the safest route.

Any other thoughts? Anything else you want to discuss?

*For the record; I do think the Earth is getting warmer and that human activity has had some role in that. What I “deny” is that the consequences will be catastrophic; New York City under water, massive extinctions, dogs and cats living together, etcetera.

27 comments:

ScottDS said...

I'll see Jurassic World eventually. I remember seeing the first one. I was 10 and it was my first PG-13 movie in a theater.. and it was LOUD! I believe it was the first film presented in DTS Surround. I like how the movie's become a genuine piece of nostalgia for our generation.

I saw the second film maybe five years ago and, yeah... not good.

Kit said...

Scott,

I had fun. Far better than 2 & 3. Of course, I know that's not setting a high bar.

There is also an interesting sequel hook.

AndrewPrice said...

Hold on! Rubio gave Hillary Clinton a motorboat? Ug. Need... brain... bleach!! Wait, that's actually kind of funny. ;)

Kit said...

Price,

Why would you post something like that! Why! Now I need to bleach my brain.

AndrewPrice said...

I can't help myself. I'm a sick man. :( I blame society. :)

BTW, "you guys" is definitely sexist. When I say it, I really mean: "To those assembled with penises, who are the only worthy humans and should be given better jobs than sans-penisers just on the presence of a penis..." I only say "you guys" because it's shorter.

AndrewPrice said...

P.S. Kit, If you think about, the Senate would be a lot more fun if my version of reality was true! :D

Kit said...

Andrew,

"P.S. Kit, If you think about, the Senate would be a lot more fun if my version of reality was true! :D"

No, it wouldn't. (Shudder)

AndrewPrice said...

Oh, come on, my friend! Don't tell me you don't think Motorboat Monday, Clownsuit Wednesday or bobbing for contributor checks on Friday wouldn't make the Senate a more interesting place?

We should demand that they read all bills in the style of the line up from The Usual Suspects. "Hand me $500 million for an appropriation my home state, you c__sucker." "Hand me $500 million for an appropriation my home state, you c__sucker." The winner gets the money!

And if they can't override a veto, then one Senator from each side needs to go all Bruce Jenner! :D

Can you tell, I don't think much of our political masters?

Kit said...

"Can you tell, I don't think much of our political masters?"

It might have crossed my mind.

BevfromNYC said...

"you guys" is definitely sexist.
Ah, Andrew at first I thought you CAN learn! But then you wrote "sans penises" and blew it. When will you learn to write "with va-jay-jays"?? If you continue with your micro-aggressive, misogynist patriarchal man-splaining, I will once again have to turn you in the SJWs. I believe that is 3 times this week! GAAAAHHH!

Unknown said...

Kit.....Kinder, gentler velociraptors? Velociraptor Whisperer? Jurassic Parks and Recreation? "We can make T-Rex bigger and better. We have the technology!"

Oh....and for the SJW's out there....Wasn't the T-Rex a FEMALE? But since she was defending her baby t-rexes, she's not a real feminist T-Rex. Can you imagine what a female SJW T-Rex could do to a modern civilization? Almost as much as Mattress Girl!

I'm done. I'm here all day...try the BBQ

Bob

BevfromNYC said...

Bob - how do we know velociraptors weren't kind and gentle? Have you ever seen them be mean in the wild? Are there any videos that support your assumption? Maybe they are being misrepresented in this so called "movie".

Anonymous said...

Andrew; (and everybody, for that matter) In my version of reality dueling is legal. And in that version of reality my friends, the Senate is a hellova lot more fun.
GypsyTyger

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Kit, actually, Rubio only had four citations, his wife had the other thirteen. The NYSlimes tried to make it look like Rubio was responsible for all seventeen in the headline.

Yeah, that boat Rubio bought looks exactly like the Love Boat, lol.
But kerry's yacht looks even better than the Love Boat on the inside.
And we all know Hillary is just barely getting by. It's not her fault Rubio's luxury cruise liner can easily fit in the swimming pool of one of her mansions, I mean modest cottages...just like most Americans have.


USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

It should be a crime, what nanny state bureauRats can do to decent parents today for allowing their kids to be kids, and for not keeping them under constant supervision like prisoners.

And preparing young adults to deal with reality when they become adults? Child abuse!
When the truth is, not preparing young adults for reality is child abuse.
Those CPS workers in that case you linked, and their superiors should be fired and locked up.

Kit said...

"Kit, actually, Rubio only had four citations, his wife had the other thirteen."

Ah. Well, that makes the NYTimes even worse.

Kit said...

Sadly, given how the case is going, the CPS workers will most definitely not be fired —though they should be.

AndrewPrice said...

GypsyTyger, I can go for that :D

AndrewPrice said...

Kit, If it's all true, then the CPS worker should be fired and sued. But I've also learned not to believe anything I read in the outrage media. They usually omit the key facts that are actually driving events.

AndrewPrice said...

OT So Hillary's "do over" launch on her flailing campaign attracted only 5,000 people in NYC. By comparison, Bernie Sanders drew 5,400 people in Vermont. Her campaign really is in trouble.

Kit said...

Jonah Goldberg pointed out the only good news she's had since the original campaign launch was her eating at Denny's or something.

BevfromNYC said...

Her strategists miscalculated by having her officially official campaign launch Part 2 The Second Coming the same weekend as Netflix's release of the new season of "Orange Is The New Black"

Anthony said...

Clinton has come out against the trade deal. Doubt it will hurt her even in the general election since antipathy towards trade is widespread in both parties nowadays.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

IRT the report about CPS overreacting about that kid being alone for a brief period of time, and his parents getting charged with felony child neglect, I did a bit of research, and it does appear to be above board, although Because the oarents have (wisely) chosen to remain anonymous (for good reason, since the case is still pending), there's not 100% proof, yet.

However, this has happened before:
http://thedailyshow.cc.com/news-team/jordan-klepper/je7nm9/the-kid-stays-in-the-enclosures

And for once, The Daily Show actually does a good job reporting about this nonsense of overbearing, fascist nannies doing their best to jail parents for giving their kids more freedom.

These nannies, sometimes backed by local and state authorities, wanna lock up all kids because there is some crimes that still happen, although kids are safer in America than at any time in our history.
It's a manner of perspective, because the media really hypes any crimes and makes it seem like there are child molesters, rapists and murderers hiding behind every tree and bush, just waiting for the opportunity to grab your kid if you leavethem alone for a brief amount of time.

Since most kids that are molested are done do by family members, one could easily make a good point that keeping them lockedup at hime all the time actually endangers them more.

Regardless, all the nannynazis out there think they know better than any parents about how best to raise your kids, and we shouldn't allow them to have any power over us or our kids, because we see how bureaucrats ruin everything they touch, and these nannynazis are far more prevalent than criminals, nowadays.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Sorry about the spelling errors. Ugh.

AndrewPrice said...

Ben, That's true about the media over-reporting crime... sensationalizing actually. Our town has a negligible crime rate except for a few poor neighborhoods where they deal with drugs and theft. There are anywhere fro 6-20 murders a year total out of 750,000 people. Yet, all the old people I know think the city is in the midst of a murderous crime wave because that's all they hear on the radio and in the paper. They will literally tell you that people are being killed all over town every day. It's sad.

AndrewPrice said...

Anthony, That won't hurt her with the public, but the trade debacle has killed her AGAIN with the left. The moment she wavered, they saw that as confirmation of their fears about her.

Post a Comment