For Some Unknown Reason the World Now Has a Giant, Half Naked Statue of Jeff Goldblum

England would be a wonderful place if it weren't for the British who hang out there. I very much dislike all that King & Queen stuff, and Vice just gave me another reason to make sure I always vacation elsewhere...... 

"Jeff Goldblum is iconic in everything he touches, but there is no role quite so canon as his turn as Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, and no scene that captures his essence quite as well as that brief moment where he's sweaty as all hell and shirtless for some reason. It's been 25 years since that cinematic touchstone graced this world, and to commemorate it, London's NOW TV has constructed one of the greatest artistic achievements of our time: A 25-foot statue of a half-naked Jeff Goldblum. 

It was an audacious move on the artist's part to even try to recreate such an impeccable expression of the human form, but the risk paid off. No detail was spared: The stubble is perfectly rendered, so subtle you'd miss it if you didn't take a closer look. His hand hangs loose from the wrist in that quintessentially Goldblum-ian attitude of effortlessness, of ease with the self. And those eyes: They gleam with a confluence of fear and knowledge—a mirror image of the look Goldblum flashed the camera just after Dr. Malcolm nearly lost his life to a T. Rex. 

As hordes of admirers flock to the Mona Lisa daily or crowds jockey for a chance to glimpse the Sistine Chapel, already, a few fans have begun to express their devotion to Goldblum's massive, sweaty likeness. Those cultured enough to understand just how monumental this achievement is have made a pilgrimage to the statue, both to take in its full glory and to honor it the best way they know how. 

Sure, Goldblum isn't British, and no, Jurassic Park has nothing to do with England, but just look at that masterpiece: the fleshy bulb of the nipple, the furrows of the chest hair, the pinnacle of what a human face can be."

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According to the rules of chaos theory, there's a world out there in which this monument doesn't exist. Can someone please point me in that direction? Please.

Thank You MJA for the Linkage!

Fishnet Friday

The World Must Turn Without Me......

Today there will be no exposure to social media insanity. No over the top faux outrage of the day from the news media. No pundits in need of medication pontificating. No television, no radio.  The cellphones shall remain on the chargers. No laptop, no email, no creative decisions to be made, no directions to be issued. 

It will be morning of floating in the pool and an evening of a quiet dinner and entertaining friends, topped with a long awaited night of a warm touch on the small of my back and unencumbered, uninterrupted slumber, something that has become less and less frequent in my life and very much needed. 

See you tomorrow.... 

How DJT Withstands So Many Controversies...

The word 'treason' is now being thrown around to describe how President Trump seemed to take Russia’s side during his summit meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. But as with every major controversy that Mr. Trump has faced, it’s unclear if anything will happen as a result.

Under fire for contradicting United States intelligence reports of Russian interference in the presidential election, Trump asserted on Tuesday that he had misspoken at his news conference with Mr. Putin, and that he had meant to say, “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia,” rather than “would.” He added, “Could be other people, also.” Never in the modern era has the word “treason” become part of the national conversation in such a prominent way. Some who voted for Mr. Trump struggled to endorse his approach, but many are reaffirming their support.

On the subject of the prominence of the term "treason," here's a link to an article from the NYT's yesterday that says:

"John O. Brennan, the former C.I.A. director called Trump's performance “nothing short of treasonous.” The late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel also invoked treason on their shows. The front-page banner headline for The New York Daily News declared “OPEN TREASON.” 

Max Boot, the former Republican who has become one of Mr. Trump’s sharpest critics, noted in a column on Monday in The Washington Post that accusing him of treason was once unthinkable. No longer.... Mr. Trump returned to the White House on Monday night as protesters outside the gate shouted, “Welcome home, traitor.” 

Even Dictionary.com trolled the president, tweeting out a definition: “Traitor: A person who commits treason by betraying his or her country."

It later said that searches for “treason” had increased by 2,943 percent. By Tuesday afternoon, the word “traitor” had been used on Twitter 800,000 times and the word “treason” about 1.2 million times.

The word "treason" used in political discourse like that, brings us back to the book written in 1964 by John A. Stormer called "None Dare Call It Treason."

"The Communists have sworn to bury us. We are digging our own graves.... From where has the money come to build and finance the vast collectivist underground which reaches its tentacles into education, the churches, labor and the press?  Amazingly, the fortunes of America’s most successful tycoons, dedicated by them to the good of mankind, have been redirected to finance the socialization of the United States."

That was the deployment of the word "treason" that went big in the 60s. People who were not right-wing, of course, viewed it as anti-communist hysteria, a throwback to the McCarthy era, and that's the way I've seen the word "treason" all this time. But John Brennan threw it back into the American discourse and the hate blinded Trump antagonists have run with it.

But don't call them unhinged, that would be over the top or something....

Compliments of Ann Althouse.

Self Righteous Indignation: Media Throws Up in Their Mouths

But of course, no word of this: 

"Vladimir Putin made a bombshell claim during Monday's joint press conference with President Trump in Helsinki, Finland, when the Russian President said some $400 million in illegally earned profits was funneled to the Clinton campaign by associates of American-born British financier Bill Browder - at one time the largest foreign portfolio investors in Russia. The scheme involved members of the U.S. intelligence community, said Putin, who he said "accompanied and guided these transactions." 

Browder made billions in Russia during the 90's. In December, a Moscow court sentenced Browder in absentia to nine years in prison for tax fraud, while he was also found guilty of tax evasion in a separate 2013 case. Putin accused Browder's associates of illegally earning over than $1.5 billion without paying Russian taxes, before sending $400 million to Clinton...." - Read More

A Good Monday Morning

If You Believe Everyone Should Bow Before the Queen, Win The War Next Time

In today’s edition of “everything Trump does must prompt outrage” moment, DJT visited with Queen Lizzy 2, and together they inspected a contingent of handsome Royal Guardsmen on the lawn of Windsor Castle. Apparently, at one point, it looks like the President managed to briefly step in front of the Queen as they walked. This naturally, was enough to turn some formerly freedom loving people into loyalists demanding absolute subjugation to the throne.

The Trump hating ladies at The Huffington Post leapt to the defense of the nice lady with a crown, jumping right on this vitally important story..... 

"The royal family adheres to a strict code of etiquette and behavior. So when the ever-boisterous President Donald Trump met with Queen Elizabeth II for tea at Windsor Castle on Friday, many expected him to serve up some awkward interactions. Of course, Trump did not disappoint.

The president’s critics on Twitter were quick to call him out for briefly walking in front of the queen, which is reportedly a serious social faux pas, during a ceremonial inspection of the Guard of Honor. Reuters noted that Trump “halted abruptly” during the inspection, forcing Queen Elizabeth to walk around him."

The video clip is kinda funny. It looks to me like the Ol' Girl just lost traction and was monumentally headed for the weeds. There was also a great kerfuffle about the fact that DJT didn’t bow before the Queen when they met for tea, with many suggesting he’d gravely broken “royal” protocol. Contrary to a lot of the outrage purported in the literally dozens of articles breathlessly reporting these incidents, no actual protocol was broken. Per the guidelines, bowing is not required.

Personally, I think it’d be pretty damn ridiculous for a US President to bow before the monarchy America won their independence from, but that's just the dislike of monarchy in me. Oddly enough, there is actually no prohibition on walking ahead of the Queen either, but what fun would it be if the tweeter-verse observed that fact? In reality, it appears that the President was largely gracious for the visit. And at least he didn't look like a complete bumbling idiot talking over the British National Anthem like some people we know. 

While this is all much ado about nothing, it’s hilariously ironic to see people who’ve no doubt accused Trump of being authoritarian in some manner now losing their minds over him not showing absolute fealty to an actual monarch. But hey, if you are of the belief everyone should bow before the Queen, win the war next time.