Newmark's Door

"New Sensation"

INXS at the peak of their form, live from Wembley, 1991.

"Randy Bachman's guitar was stolen 45 years ago in Toronto. He just found it in Tokyo"

One heck of a story if you don't--as I didn't--know anything about the Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins model in western orange.

"How To Tell A Prison From A Public School"

The Babylon Bee, uncomfortably close to the truth.

"Blue Zones Diet: Speculation Based on Misinformation"

I had thought the "Blue Zones" research was questionable. Now I'm sure it is.

"Pumpkin breaks record at NC State Fair at nearly 2,000 pounds"

Folks, that is one big pumpkin.

So is this 2520-pound one in Wisconsin even though it was disqualified. Said the grower: "It happens. There’s no crying in pumpkin growing."

"'Marlon Was as Dead as Could Be': How Brando Beat the Odds and Became the Godfather"

One of the interesting stories about the making of The Godfather.

More high rankings for Raleigh, NC

"Raleigh, Durham rank among best cities for housing affordability even as prices soar".

"This North Carolina city was named one of the nation’s best places for families".

"Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte rank in top 10 US cities to start a business".

"What If the Universe Had No Beginning?"

I note once again that some of modern cosmology is . . . weird.

See also "Why simplicity works":

In my latest book, I propose a radical, if speculative, solution for why the Universe might in fact be as simple as it’s possible to be. Its starting point is the remarkable theory of cosmological natural selection (CNS) proposed by the physicist Lee Smolin. CNS proposes that, just like living creatures, universes have evolved through a cosmological process, analogous to natural selection.

And also very much related: "Was Our Universe Created in a Laboratory?"

"Why this ETF of ‘sin’ stocks is likely to reward investors with saintly results"

I don't like the gambling stocks--they seem too risky to me--but I've done well with other "sin" stocks.. 

"Charlie Munger: Tricks to Achieve Financial Success"

7.5 minutes of some of how Charlie Munger does what he does.

See also his "This Habit Helped Me Enormously In Life".

"The Triumph and Terror of Wang Huning"

It's a little difficult to believe that one person could exert so much influence, but it's the CCP, so I suppose almost anything is possible.

"It’s Time to Face the Facts on School Closings"

"The prevalence of remote learning in schools educating our most vulnerable students was no accident."

"Mark Zuckerberg spent $419M on nonprofits ahead of 2020 election — and got out the Dem vote"

I've got just one question: where the heck are all the conservative billionaires? Maybe they should decrease funding to think tanks and devote more money to winning elections.

Related: "Who is George Soros and Why He Hates America".

"'Death by a Thousand Cuts': Professor Files Lawsuit Against NC State University"

Sad to see my former employer get caught up in the current goofiness.

"Havana Syndrome Hysteria and the Great Wild Goose Chase"

Article argues it may well be another "psychogenic" illness. (Which, note, does not mean it is all in their heads. The symptoms are very much real. But psychogenic refers to the origin of the symptoms.)

"Alzheimer's: The heretical and hopeful role of infection"

They've pissed around just about long enough: how about some serious progress on a cure?

"Unshackling American Infrastructure"

Sounds like a good target for reform:

Fifty years since NEPA was signed into law, the process has become a bureaucratic nightmare. The latest data show that completing an EIS takes four and a half years, on average. One-quarter of the statements take upward of six years. Some projects drag on even longer: the approval process for a 12-mile expansion of Interstate 70 in Denver took 13 years to complete, with a final impact statement running 8,951 pages (not including an additional 7,307 pages of appendices).

"The California Version of The Green New Deal and an October 16, 2020, EPA Settlement With Transportation is What’s Creating The Container Shipping Backlog"

Consistent with Newmark's Third Law: if something screwy is happening, ask if government is involved.

"Scandals from top to bottom in Joe Biden’s cabinet of horrors"

Impressive when you see them listed all together like this.

"The Prosperity Paradox"

6.5 minute video making the secondary point that as a society we are really, really rich. I used the anecdote about Nathan Rothschild in one  of my classes. I think it is dramatic as hell.

(But I object to the interpretation of the Pew poll. The video assumes the question pertains just to economic well being. It could well have been interpreted by respondents much more broadly to include such things as the current awful cultural conflict.)

"We have no theory of inflation"

Unsurprising: macroeconomics is difficult.

"CBO Blows Up Democrats’ Spin on Taxes"

Not that it was difficult to do.

"How NOT to greet a dog"

Seems to be the same as babies: be careful intruding on their space, at least in the beginning.

"5 of the Most Underrated Movies Ever"

I like that Save the Tiger is on the list. Great movie and despite Lemmon's Oscar, underrated.

"100 Best Movie Moments"

When Andy Dufresne's escape from Shawshank in only #96, you have a heck of a list.

"The Ted Lasso of the Offensive Line Has Arkansas Winning in the SEC"

The Tide ripped him his team up, but Coach Pittman is a guy I could root for. (Wall Street Journal, gated.)