Economic M.A.D.

As one looks at the past to predict the future, I think one tends to misread the Chinese / USA relationship. It is nearly unique.

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In terms of debt, I think Chinese buying our debt did not start occurred deliberately to gain advantage. I think China purchased US debt originally to keep money flowing that went to Chinese imports. Then, dependent on those imports, they had to keep purchasing debt to lift the US dollar artificially high versus their currency.

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Now China owns TONS of our debt. There is a lot of talk about how China can drive up or down the price of the dollar, and how they may use this as a club if we do something they don't like.

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Well, yes it is true - technically, but it will ruin them as well. They have purchased too much debt and their economy is tied to the US dollar doing well. If they hoard and stop buying for any length of time, the US economy and the world's crashes too. China can't afford a world crash and the discontent that goes with it.

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If they decide to dump all their dollars, and the value plunges, well they have trillions of dollars in debt valued in US dollars that suddenly is essentially worthless. They still have to import energy and raw materials, so wiping out trillions of their own funds is illogical.

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Some people (and think tanks) think China is willing to do stupid things for national pride or to make a point. This may be true over a short period of time. But long term they have proven to be a very rational international player.

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No,they won't screw the pooch. I think we have stumbled into a Mutually Assured Destruction scenario with China out of pure dumb luck. If we actually go to war (economic or military and perhaps cyber) both economies and countries hit the toilet really quickly. And, unlike Nuclear MAD that we had with Russia, we can both see the effects of this as we begin to ramp up. It is a MAD that allows us to, hell will FORCE us, to stop and look at where we are going.

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It might be the best possible outcome someone could think of! We are going to be forced to work together over the long haul.

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This isn't to say one or the other of us might not do something asinine (we still have Congress and they still have internal politics) - but I think level headed leaders on both sides know that we have accidentally got in the boat together. We may yell at each other, but we are stuck with each other.

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(Actually there is one near parallel with the US and the UK pre-WWII. When UK was at war with Germany, the US had money, but not the debt, we agreed to take the UK's debt when we were going to enter the war - with the specific agreement that the US Dollar would be the basis of the world economy AFTER the war. But the US never precipitated the conflict with the UK.)

Boo De Hoo: Ed's Not So Much All Alone in Vancouver

Boo de hoo.. poor Eddie is alone in Vancouver. Scooter calls bullshit.

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My honey watched the Super Bowl at an NBC party sitting between you-know-how the NBC Reporter and Jeremy Bloom.

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Yeah... I'ld like to be lonely like that.

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In case you don't know... Jeremy Bloom is a professional Stud Muffin. He played football at Colorado and was a Professional Skier. He does commentary for downhil and might be in his late 20s by now.

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The reporter is still in his 30's and totally has a crush on my honey.

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Well I am showing up Tuesday and the fun stops!

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Wait... that didn't sound right...

-- ps Jeremy Bloom was the second Nincompoopery Mascot of the Month!

NY Times Sunday Did a Big Write Up on Wolfman Movies

In "honor" of the new Universal Wolfman movie from Universal, the New York Times did a big Wolfman movie write up. I gotta say, I thought I was mean to Ed about the movie ("Why did you make a movie where you are suppose to root FOR the monster?"), but I was nice compared to the NY Times (article).

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But I did think their capsule recap was funny...

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The Wolfman (2010)

Benicio Del Toro

ORIGIN STORY How proud is Universal Pictures of its remake of the 1941 great-granddaddy of lycanthropy films, starring Benicio Del Toro in the role of poor afflicted Larry Talbot? Proud enough that the studio wouldn’t screen any part of the movie or provide interviews with its cast members or director, Joe Johnston (“Jumanji”). Hoooowwwwl!

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STRENGTHS A starry lineup that also includes Emily Blunt and Anthony Hopkins; the distant possibility that the film is being reworked to include unused footage from “Avatar.”

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WEAKNESSES Numerous delays in the film’s planned release, from November 2008 to February 2009 to April 2009 to November 2009 to Friday; reports of reshoots and last-minute editing changes; the unlikelihood that adding layers of latex to Mr. Del Toro’s face and putting fang-filled dentures in his mouth will make him more intelligible.

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UNDOING “The Wolfman” faces tough openingweekend competition from another horror show: the date-bait ensemble comedy “Valentine’s Day,” with Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Jessica Biel and dozens more.

Eddie's Photography: Vancouver 01

Nice huh?

PS: I am blocked in China - Isn't that odd?

If you click on the stat counter on the lower left of this page, a big map pops up that shows where people reading this blog are located. It's kind of fun - and people wander in.

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But I just noticed, I get no hits from China. That is because Nincompoopery is actually an alias for scooterm.blogspot.com. And, that is blocked in China. I am on the wrong site of the Great (fire) Wall.

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Now in the 2008 map, there was plenty of action from China, because the hotel Eddie and I used didn't go through the Chinese Firewall. From the hotel, my site was accessible. But from China proper - nope.

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Which is funny because if you look at other countries, a ton are represented - including Korea and Japan.

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Anyway, just odd.

The Authoritarian Side of Technology

I have thought about this a lot. Why are Americans becoming sheep? We are allowing asasinations (murder) of US Citizens just because our government says they want are terrorists - no proof needed. We buy idiotic ideas and treat them as reality (Obama wasn't born in Hawaii, 9/11 was known about by the Bush Administration before it occurred, The Moon Landing was a fake, etc.).
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I think I know why now. It isn't that we are stupid or anything - but it is technology.
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Think about it. We use all kinds of things we don't understand. Cell phones work (could you build a cell phone?). Calculators work (how long would it take you to find the square root of 17 to 3 decimal places?). Giant Planes just work.
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We use a lot of stuff, most of which we don't really understand how it works, and almost none of which we could build even if you gave us all the materials and 100 friends. So we trust experts.
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And when people we think of experts say something crazy or asinine, we tend to believe it. Thinking that Obama was born in Kenya is actually easier than trying to figure out how a motherboard in a computer works. Hell, you can explain a fake birth certificate to your Great Aunt Betty. But talk all day and Great Aunt Betty isn't going to understand how you wave your hand over the iPhone and a map with directions from her house to Lubbock TX suddenly appears. It might as well be magic.
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Technology forces us to trust experts. Our (valid) belief and dependence on seemingly "unprovable" science fact, makes our belief in other unprovable facts more understandable. Not correct, mind you, but more understandable.

45! A Reporter listed me as 45!!!

OH MY GOD.
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I reprint the entire article here because the "45 year old man alone" is ME! She didn't get my name, but it is my quote and MY ANNIVERSARY! (I am at the bottom of the article in blue for reading enjoyment.)
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Cool article and she took nearly 6 years off my age by guessing!!
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All Love, No H8 at NYC Photoshoot: 500+ Pose For Gay Marriage
The NOH8 Campaign broke out of California this week, holding a 6-hour open shoot in New York City on February 1. Over 500 New Yorkers put on their best white T-shirt and struck a pose to signify their voices not being heard.
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You’ve certainly seen the photos — white backdrop with white t-shirts, mouths taped shut, glossy bright eyes and the standard “NOH8″ logo on the cheek. Since November 4, 2008 (the night Prop 8 passed in California), Adam Bouska (the photographer) and his partner, Jeff Parshley (the visionary), have been photographing thousands of individuals in California for the photo project and silent protest known as the NOH8 Campaign. The project has grown exponentially over the last year to include notable celebrities and politicians: Jane Lynch, Kathy Griffin, Cindy McCain, Meghan McCain, Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz, Marlee Matlin, and Isaiah Washington have all posed for the campaign.
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However, until this week only those in LA LA land had the opportunity to participate (shoots have also been held in San Diego and Palm Springs). On February 1, an open shoot was held at the Empire Hotel in New York City, inviting everyone and anyone to throw on their best white t-shirt and strike a pose. Over 500 New Yorkers lined up from 2 – 8pm (despite the cold) to have their photo taken by Bouska and during the time I was there, I saw a healthy mix of ages, races and gender.

While in line among strangers, I chatted with two adorable men living in Brooklyn, Steven and Abdul, ages 31 and 26, who had been following the campaign since the beginning: “I had been following them online and just waiting for them to come to New York, just stalking them til they got here. We stand and get photographed for tons of other things that aren’t important at all, so why not be photographed for something and make a statement? We support the idea of marriage quality.”
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Another woman, age 29, drove from Boston to be part of the shoot: “When I found out they would be in New York I figured that was the closest city they’d come to so I came down, visited from friends and this is the last stop. I want my face to be one of those faces up there… though I am afraid my grandfather might die if he sees it.”
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A new production company, Prop 8 Films, interviewed several people for an upcoming documentary on gay marriage which features a segment following the NOH8 Campaign.
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A young, bubbly girl, 16, got her inspiration from the E! crowd: “I’m actually a big fan of Khloe Kardashian and I saw it on her Facebook page so I got into the web site and saw everyone else on there, and I was like, oh my god, I gotta do this!”
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On my way out I randomly went up to a 45 year-old man standing alone waiting to get inside: “My husband and I got married in California, on September 25, 2008, when it was still legal and so it bugs me that it’s no longer legal for my other friends in LA. It doesn’t seem right.”
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I reprint the whole thing

It would take 37 hours to get to London, but I think it looks great

I love this idea. It is a new style airship to fly.
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It is zero carbon (uses solar power and hydrogen).


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It has a cool docking system, so Eddie doesn't have to be scared.
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It runs at 12,000 feet but can drop to a few hundred feet if it is interesting.
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I think they are missing the mark with transatlantic travel. I think you could make a TON more money flying over the Amazon or Sahara or Iceland or something. But it looks fun. LINK.

And See This Isn't Funny

Lone Republican Blocks All Obama Nominees
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Maybe it's time to revisit the Senate's arcane rules, which allow any individual senator to block any presidential appointee on a whim. With dozens of government posts still unfilled, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is reportedly throwing a historically unprecedented temper tantrum by placing a hold on at least 70 presidentially nominated jobs. Shelby's office will not talk to reporters about the reported move, which can be undertaken anonymously, but according to Congress Daily the lawmaker has clashed with the White House over a $40 billion military contract whose recipient is threatening to scrap a planned factory in Mobile, Alabama. Holds force the Senate to break a filibuster, which requires 60 votes and can slow Congressional business to a crawl even if the vote succeeds.
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Link

Now this is funny! It's too cold for California Windmills in Minnesota!

Really. From the NY Times.

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When Windmills Don’t Spin, People Expect Some Answers

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For those who suspect residents in places like Minnesota of embellishment when it comes to their tales of bitterly cold winter weather, consider this: even some wind turbines, it seems, cannot bear it.

Turbines, more than 100 feet tall, were installed last year in 11 Minnesota cities to provide power, and also to serve as educational symbols in a state that has mandated that a quarter of its electricity come from renewable resources by 2025.
One problem, though: The windmills, supposed to go online this winter, mostly just sat still, people in cities like North St. Paul and Chaska said, rarely if ever budging. Residents took note. Schoolchildren asked questions. Complaints accumulated.
“If people see a water tower, they expect it to stand still,” said Wally Wysopal, the city manager of North St. Paul. “If there’s a turbine, they want it to turn.”
No one knows for sure why these turbines do not. Officials believe there may be several reasons, but weather is the focus of much speculation. It is not as though turbines cannot function in cold places; thousands of them work perfectly well throughout Minnesota and the Midwest, the American Wind Energy Association is quick to note.
But the 12 turbines in question, each 20 years old, spent their earlier years twirling in California.
“If you were to move a car from California to Minnesota, say, you would need to change the fluids,” said Derick O. Dahlen, president of Avant Energy, which manages the windmills for the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.
Mr. Dahlen said workers were busy testing the turbines and, among other things, expected to add warming elements to gear boxes, oil and computers. In a month, he predicted, the turbines will be spinning smoothly.
A possible setback: Mark Tresidder, another Avant official, said the state’s latest forecast included talk of sinking temperatures, an ice storm, maybe snow.
“Given Minnesota weather,” Mr. Tresidder said, “there may be days when people can’t work out there.”

You All Know I Hate Michelle Lee, Right?

Sometimes I just want to share a lovely story. And sometimes I just want to share.

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This entry will clearly fall into the latter category.

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You all know I hate Michelle Lee, right? I bring this up because she is trying to squirming her bitchy ass way into the Broadway scene and every time I see her mug in the paper I seethe a little.

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Here is why I hate Michelle Lee.

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Once, a long long time ago kids, Uncle Scooter - who was then still a naive pup of a man - went to the Academy Theater for a special screening of a newly restored "A Star is Born" with Judy Garland.

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See boys and girls, this was before video tapes and DVDs, and you could really only catch famous movies at revival houses or on television. Well, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences did it's first work with UCLA in film restoration - finally seen as an art. And, through UCLA, I had been invited to see the newly restored "A Star Is Born" with 45 minutes of extra scenes that had been deleted YEARS AGO.

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And I saved my pennies from working full time and going to school full time, and I dressed up a little to go to the Academy Theater to watch it. And I was ENTHRALLED. I loved it, I loved the scene and I felt very "with it" for the first time in my life.

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And, as I was waiting for a drink during intermission, Miss Michelle Lee, minor TV Star then but a big deal to me, was waiting with her paramour for a drink or the bathroom or something.

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And her big ass honking goose voice filled the room as she said, "I can't believe how shitty Judy looks! How many drugs was she on?! Go-od what a horrible fucking fiasco! What are you looking at?"

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That last line was directed at me because I had turned, gob-smacked, to see who was making such as ass out of herself.

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I have never forgiven her.

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Next installment.... Sean Hayes.

I Like Them - They Probably Cause Cancer or Something

I love Clementine Oranges. They are silly expensive here compared to LA (or even Vancouver according to Eddie) - but they are great and worth the $6.99 a bag.

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How good?

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I'm pretty sure they will be linked to cancer or something soon.

Eddie is afriad of heights and this was just out of his window

Eddie doesn't like heights, and this guy washing windows scared the poop out of him.

A Thing of Beauty as the Republican Lies about the Christmas Bomber are exposed by Racheal Maddow and Andrea Mitchell

Someone has Screwed the Pooch at Toyota

Again!?

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Wow, someone has really screwed the pooch at Toyota. I don't know if you are getting this info in England, but there has been a recall of 6 models of recent Toyotas in the USA. The fact that it is a sub-supplier in China really doesn't matter. They have STOPPED SELLING cars in the US.

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This after building their entire reputation as a dull, but safe, automaker.

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First they recalled like 7 millions cars due to defective accelerators. Not just recalled, but anyone that has an e-mail account has gotten mail about how Hertz or Avis or whoever you have EVER rented with won't rent you one of these bad boys until it's fixed (no read date set on that yet).

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Above the fray was Prius - their green brand. A car that all other automakers are jealous of and trying like crazy to build (Honda is the closest). Well they just recalled Prius(es) (Priusi?) due to faulty brakes.

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And, apparently, although Mr Toyoda (spelling is different due to old pronunciation mistakes) has apologized, no one has gotten the axe for this yet.... Perhaps "the axe" is inappropriate where hari-kari is still remembered fondly - but you know what I mean.

Went to a reading from Trouble: The Musical last night

So, a friend of mine is the co-artistic director for a new theater group (NYLon), and they had a new musical run-through / reading last night.

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This is where, very early in the life of a show, they get actors to read the script and sing the songs to get feedback from a live audience.

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First of all, I was a teeny tiny bit late (10 minutes) and the place was packed - which I hadn't expected.

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The piece was really fun, despite the name. It is a teen-age angsty piece about 6 friends and I liked it. Some of the singing was a tad week and overwhelmed by a rather enthusiastic piano - but 3 of the singers were KICK ASS and it was really cool to watch.

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Anyway, this was a new thing for me, and I liked it a lot.

Soon grasshopper...

That big one in the middle is MINE!

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Yay!

I Saw Present Laughter Last Night For Fun

And So..
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With Eddie in Vancouver already, and myself lackadaisical about what to do... I decided to go see a big ass show for fun. I had a discount for Present Laughter with Victor Garber and went alone last night.
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I don't offer a review here. One of the reasons I went was not too review it, but enjoy it. And I did.

I LOVE Harriet Harris (above). She was Fraizer's secretary and has been in a tons of TV and Stage. I decided last night, she is like New York Theater's Eve Arden. You know she will have a sassy small role and hit it out of the park. And she did.
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Victor, a stage vet before doing TV, was also perfect in a flaming over the top actor kind of way. Flaming emotions, not gay. In fact the evening turns of the various couplings and sex - all of it hetro as befits a play written in the 1930s.
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Apparently the lead is an over-indulgent hypocondriate based at least partially on Noel Coward's on view of himself. And so, while he may be vain and self-obsessed, he is devastatingly funny.


The set was remarkable. There was an article in the New York Times this week about how shows are doing minimalist sets to recoup their money faster.
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They forgot to tell the people at the Roundabout.

It was charming and great and I want a smoking jacket or dressing gown now.

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Off to Bergdorf Goodman's (just joking honey).

post-modern angst is so much more interesting and more serene than modern angst

If you have ever looked at Dwell or other Post-Modern Home magazines, you will appreciate this site. It adds captions, with just the right amount of snarkiness.

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He couldn’t stand another night with that smug hookah.
(Photo: Hertha Hernaus; Dwell, June 2007)

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This site shows those too-clean post-modern houses (that I love - but could never live in). And they always have room room room and almost no furniture. No one could live there. They don't read (except for well placed magazines) nor fill closets to breaking points. Anyway, it is a funny diversion for a moment.