PicoBlog

I. The Jed Harris Curse When casting about for something to watch, my habits are pretty haphazard. At home I am not usually someone who works her way steadily through a filmography. That’s something I do when attending film series and festivals, if possible. When I stumbled across The Saxon Charm from 1948, my thought process … ncG1vNJzZmirlaGztMDYpZydq5mnsq960q6ZrKyRmLhvr86mZqlnpJ2ybrTAq6miq12YwrO%2FxGaYp5xdqbWmedKar6imXZi1or7M

Directed by Lucrecia Martel Argentina, 2008 For me, a film is not just storytelling but an attempt to share some perceptions with the viewer – Lucrecia Martel This week’s film, The Headless Woman, is a puzzle. A film in which something dramatic happens, or perhaps a film in which nothing happens at all. One thing is certain though: this Argentinian film from 2008 drew conflicting responses from ReidsonFilm. One of us thought it a great film, two considered it a very good film although a difficult watch, and the last?

Most people never heard of W. Edwards Deming. It’s a shame because his wisdom holds the keys to leading people and managing systems in a way that puts people and profit front and center. He also made gigantic contributions not only to winning a World War (wish there never was such a need…) and then to rebuild one of the defeated countries—to the point of obliterating the victor’s automotive industry shortly thereafter.

The Heartbreakers (l-r: Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, Billy Rath, and Walter Lure chowing down on his daly apple) in another outtake from Roberta Bayley’s classic L.A.M.F. sleeve shoot, New York City, 1977.Hello, world. I tap these syllables out still in a sick bed, as I did in my last post. I am finding that COVID-19 doesn’t give a good goddamn about whatever agenda you might have. You may be through with it, but it will be through with you whenever it’s damned well good and ready.

In the 2021 movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune, the call to adventure arrives in the form of an imperial dignitary, the so-called Herald of the Change (an amazing scene and score, I get goosebumps every time). The imperial delegation descends from its spaceship and the Herald delivers the Emperor’s proclamation to House Atreides. By the grace of Shaddam IV of House Corrino, ascendant to the Golden Lion Throne of Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, I stand before you as Herald of the Change.

Subterranean warfare has consistently served as a critical, though often underappreciated, domain of military operations. The strategic use of underground spaces for military advantage is a practice as ancient as warfare itself, evolving significantly over the centuries to adapt to new technologies and tactics. From undermining castle walls to American Tunnel Rats clearing dangerous underground mazes in Vietnam, subterranean warfare has remained a fixture of warfare. As the current conflict in Gaza is showing, this important tool remains relevant, useful for belligerents, and will likely grow in sophistication and use.

Thanks for checking out Nuclear Meltdown. If you enjoy this blog, I’d be eternally grateful if you subscribed. A few weeks ago I wrote about kinkeepers, which is a term researchers use to describe the people who work to keep their families together. They’re the people who plan events, preserve and share lore, maintain family history, smooth over relationships and generally make sure that a collection of individuals continues to think of themselves as a group.

Strategies and Techniques for Change Agents, Strategists, and InnovatorsIf you set out to be liked, you would be prepared to compromise on anything at any time, and you would achieve nothing. — Margaret Thatcher I’m giving you an AMAZING gift for the holidays. Since time is money, wrapped in this short newsletter, is thousands of dollars — it depends upon your hourly billing rate. You are welcome! You might have heard that Lex Fridman had a 2:20 hour interview with Jeff Bezos.

Served all over the world, tiramisù might be the most ubiquitous Italian dessert. A simple yet delicious combination of ladyfingers soaked in espresso, layered with mascarpone folded into eggs beaten with sugar, and topped with a dusting of cacao, it shows up on menus all over Italy and beyond. No one knows for sure when or where it originated—both Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia claim to be the region where it was invented.