Material World

Snippet from an article at foxnews.com by Adam Shaw: “…the Biden administration has paid border wall contractors at least $2 billion and counting to not build the border wall.”

From an FN article by Ann Schmidt: “San Francisco’s Department of Public Works is considering spending $20K a piece on 15 prototype garbage cans in three designs.” Once the city decides on which it prefers the cost will be between $3000 and $4000 a piece. An official described the cans as “durable, hard to tamper with, easy to service and aesthetically pleasing.” I’d argue about the latter. I wonder if the winner will attract thieves.

This FN headline sounds like fodder for sci-fi and horror writers: “Iron Age-era mummy preserved in bog still has undigested last meal.”

This week’s movie fix courtesy of Netflix was an oddity, a sort of throw back to the wildly popular chop-socky flicks of the ‘70’s, IP Man (2008). It also has the feel of propaganda, national pride. Set in 1935 during the Japanese invasion, it is the story of a grandmaster of the martial arts who eventually enters a tournament he hopes will bolster and unite the oppressed citizenry. The action, fast and furious, ignores credulity. Fans of the genre won’t care. It is beautifully shot and choreographed. I recognized no one in the cast. Wilson Yip directed. He has 27 titles under his name at IMDb, including the three sequels to Ip Man. 215,000+ users have rated it, forging to a consensus of eight on a scale of ten. It fared well at the box office. Made on a budget of less than $12 million, it returned more than $22 million worldwide and, I’d bet, a whole lot more on DVD sales and rentals and streaming. I’d be surprised if its appeal extended beyond fans of the genre. There is plenty of violence but not much blood flow. It runs about 90 minutes. It is based on an actual person, mentor of Bruce Lee. I was unable to track down any meaning to the title term. For the second consecutive week I’m singing the praises of a Chinese film, this despite the fact that I believe the government is evil. Anyone interested in the Japanese occupation of China, the atrocities committed, should look to other works on the subject. Here is the real life Ip Man:

It was a great day to sell books curbside, a nice breeze blowing along Bay Parkway as I stood under a tree waiting for customers. My thanks to the lady and gentleman who each bought a thriller in Russian, and to the young woman who purchased five YA titles.

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