Gotta protect against government taking over, right?

For years, the nra and others have espoused this notion that gun owners need to be prepared in case the government tries to take over. You know you gotta defend yourself *from* government.

So here we are, police brutality has hit a high. There's this notion that police are becoming a military force and we, the people, are being pushed by them. In many ways, this is the very kind of thing that the gun-toters were talking about.

...at one point, I used to listen to some of the G. Gordon Liddy radio show when I was on the road. He was interesting (his past operations, and his connection to watergate are notable), and he was at least a little witty. I didn't agree with everything (or most of what) he said, but in small doses, it wasn't too bad.

I do remember there was a police standoff somewhere. It may have been just after the Waco, Texas incident. He was urging listeners to be good patriots and to fight against the police in these situations because we're becoming a police state. Maybe not the exact words he used, but you get the idea.

And his callers were ready for "the next time"...that was 25 years ago. Surely there have been "next times" in between then and now. And now, is essentially the situation he described.

Heck it's the situation that we heard about time and again, when there were stories about how the 2nd amendment was there to protect us, and how "the Jews could have fought off the nazis in Germany if they hadn't given up their guns."

And yet, here we are. Those brave "patriots" showed up with their guns as a shit-show of "strength" and yelled at police because they were being asked to wear a mask a few weeks ago. But now that people are under assault by police? They are nowhere to be found.

I am NOT suggesting they should be out there to take on the police. I'm simply pointing out that their argument is fatally flawed, that the very notion of why they have guns, what they are espousing, is utter nonsense. So let's not fool ourselves. They have guns because they want to feel important, it makes them tough guys.

And, make no mistake, they haven't said anything about the black lives movement, because these gun toters are mostly white, and this is also about race.

So in effect, they are refuting every argument they make about guns. And I sincerely hope this leads to an honest conversation in the not-too-distant future about why we "need" guns.

Disneyland reopening

Disney announced that Disneyland will start a phased reopening on July 9th with downtown Disney, followed shortly (about a week later) by the parks.

I had said previously that I thought Disneyland was probably the one to watch to see how disney world might be handled. Turns out that DVC was a bigger issue and they had to announce first...but now it may come to pass that Disneyland will be a proving ground because it is smaller, and relies heavily on annual pass holders and other locals. They can try a lot there first, and see how it goes.

Anyway, the rules of the road will be the same as Disney world, and Shanghai, with masks, limited attractions, no large gatherings, and reservations required to get in.

Disneyland, not unlike Disney world, has had higher attendance over the last few years, and they have been looking at ways to keep the experience great, while limiting guest entrance and managing ticket prices. And so (again not unlike Disney world) here's their chance to play with some ideas for a while.

I did find it interesting that the Chairman of the Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Josh D'Amaro said:

While certain aspects of your visit may change, I assure you the quality of our storytelling, magic of our experiences and the caliber of our cast members has not. We recognize the trust that you have in the Disney brand, and we will continue to earn your trust every day.

He did not use the word temporarily. This is their moment to alter the experience from what we're used to seeing to a new version, kind of a FastPass 2.0

This is a giant experiment for the Disney company, and if they manage it smartly, they set a new standard for managing your visit to the parks.

Stay tuned.

Crowds

Damn straight

Trudeau was asked about Trump. See how long it took him to respond

This is what happens when’s real leader, who has real empathy, and understanding, answers a question that’s asked of him. Yes, the pause is deliberate, and illustrates that he took the time to formulate a coherent thought.

Another example of how business will evolve.

As I've talked about at length, there are many opportunities for business models to change in the wake of the pandemic. Some out of necessity, others out of opportunity. 

Here's one that is out of necessity. But with a hint of opportunity.  Coronavirus shuttered movies theaters. There's no telling when they will re-open, how many people will want to go and see a movie, and the larger question of what will get distributed to the theater. 

The movie business has long struggled to stay relevant and profitable. Against the backdrop of home theaters, direct-to-streaming, and other issues, the only truly profitable showings are for the "blockbuster new releases"....and now some of the studios are releasing some of these movies to streaming platforms to stay on top of that market. 

And that leads us to the story about AMC theaters. This article popped up today. They don't know how long they can hang on. 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/media/amc-theatres-business-coronavirus/index.html

But, as you may have guessed, there's more to the story. In May, they were in talks with Amazon to be acquired. 

Distribution gets easier. You have a larger array of on-demand movies that can air on the big screen. Operas. Plays. Heck even sports could be shown on the screens. 

The evolution could be quite the thing. Instead of these three movies playing at these 4 times, it could be an array of movies playing at *any* time. 

This is the next step in the evolution of the theater experience. 

https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/05/14/reasons-amazon-might-want-acquire-amc.aspx

Short. Sweet. To the point. That's the beauty Dave's iPhone. 

Silence kills



My name is Ben I am a 69 year old white American man. I can do, say, and be all of these things without fear (as can my family). I stand with my black brothers and sisters. I will not be killed. I can go jogging (#AmaudArbery). I can relax in the comfort of my own home (#BothemSean and #AtatianaJefferson). I can ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride). I can have a cellphone (#StephonClark). I can leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards). I can play loud music (#JordanDavis). I can sell CD's (#AltonSterling). I can sleep (#AiyanaJones) I can walk from the corner store (#MikeBrown). I can play cops and robbers (#TamirRice). I can go to church (#Charleston9). I can walk home with Skittles (#TrayvonMartin). I can hold a hair brush while leaving my own bachelor party (#SeanBell). I can party on New Years (#OscarGrant). I can get a normal traffic ticket (#SandraBland). I can lawfully carry a weapon (#PhilandoCastile). I can break down on a public road with car problems (#CoreyJones). I can shop at Walmart (#JohnCrawford) . I can have a disabled vehicle (#TerrenceCrutcher). I can read a book in my own car (#KeithScott). I can be a 10yr old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover). I can decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese). I can ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans). I can cash a check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood). I can take out my wallet (#AmadouDiallo). I can run (#WalterScott). I can breathe (#EricGarner). I can live (#FreddieGray). This is reality. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH Change the first two lines to your name and your identity and share with as many people as you can.    Silence kills. Ben Cohen (co-founder of Ben & Jerry's)

A funny thing happened....

Growing up, we ate almost everything.  I've tried many different foods in my life, and didn't mind being a little adventurous.  I took the Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods) idea "if it looks good, eat it."

Sometimes that worked out, and sometimes not.  But I enjoyed the thrill of being a little exotic.

Flash forward to maybe 10 years ago.  A couple of not-so-great experiences, and I am eating less of the interesting things I tried before.  Maybe it was me getting older, I don't know.

Then, about 5 years ago, I was at a family July 4th gathering and ate a lot of beef.  It was really good and I ate way too much....and I got some illness and wound up hurling for a couple of days - and all I could taste was beef. 

After that, I didn't want beef anymore.  I missed the mouth feel of a hamburger.  There's something about a grilled burger that always appealed to me, and I missed that .I found a couple of substitutes for burgers, and was happy with them. In particular, Beyond Meat makes an awesome burger that has an appealing mouth feel.

In the last year or so, I discovered that I didn't like chicken as much either. When its a fresh piece that's done nicely, then okay.  But in general, I could take it or leave it.

Anyway, in March, like many people around the world, we quarantined, and ate what we had on hand, or could get in a weekly trip to the store.  In our house, my wife is mostly vegetarian but will eat fish (pescatarian is the right word I think), one son is totally vegetarian, one son will eat some chicken and some fish but otherwise doesn't eat meat, and our daughter will eat anything, but is happy to be pescatarian most of the time.

It was easier to just make a switch and be mostly vegetarian, with some fish mixed in.  Suits pretty much everyone, and was efficient as meat supplies were in short supply for a while.

With my house the way it was, we were mostly cooking that way anyway.  I would eat some pork, turkey, or lamb when I was out, but at home I stuck to these things.

There are some terrific and amazing vegetarian dishes.  Its all about textures and spices.  You can do a lot, so I don't miss meat at all.  And now its been almost 14 weeks.  I can honestly say that I am not sure what I'm going to do when I do head back out and have an opportunity to eat other things.  Would I want an Italian sub?  Do I want smoked pork butt?  How about lamb shwarma?  I can't answer those questions yet...

As for how the vegetarian diet is treating me, there was an article that suggested these 7 points as part of vegetarian diets - lets see how I'm doing.

1. You'll feel happier.

This one is hard to judge with all that's happening in the world. But Ican say that my mood is generally better, and I'm less prone to staying upset/annoyed.  The meditation/relaxation techniques surely help here too.

2. You'll have more energy.

In general, I see this.  But given that we're mostly couped up and the world is on fire, its still easy to feel down and just run down and tired. But when I do get up and do things, I don't tire as quickly.

3. You'll protect your ticker.

I was generally particular about what I ate anyway, but I see that this is likely true because of the kinds of fats and nutrient intake.

4. Your digestion will improve

This is true.  I am feeling better about my "regularity" and almost never experience any issues that I sometimes had while eating meats

5. You'll feel fuller longer.

I don't feel hungry between meals, which is interesting. Not to say I couldn't eat, I just don't generally feel hungry.

6. Inflammation in your body will decrease.

I find that I don't have some of the aches and pains that I had before. Once in a while I had a back spasm, now they come and are gone quickly. When it comes to exercise, if I have some issue (like a sore muscle), that's gone quickly.

7. Your mood and mental cognition may be enhanced.

This one doesn't seem to be the case.  I could imagine it *could be* true, but with the world in this state, I feel sort of "deflated" and not engaged.  Its a malaise that I can't seem to get past for now.

Read More: 7 Ways You'll Feel Better After Going Plant-Based | https://thebeet.com/7-ways-youll-feel-better-after-going-plant-based-from-energy-to-mood/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral