Will Smith has to Pay the Price

The Slapshot that "Rocked" the World!

Will Smith needs to learn a hard lesson from his stupid act. So far none has been administered.

People are now echoing the fact that the whole world saw it live. Replay the video but watch it from the beginning. The first thing we all heard was Chris Rock aiming jokes at individuals in the audience during a presentation. In the past there have been several cases of Oscar hosts being criticized for their poor taste. Because it is supposed to be funny, they often receive a "get out of jail" pass.

Sometimes the target of the misplaced humor grins and bears it - sometimes not. This was one of the "nots." We all saw the look on Jaga's face - she was not amused. There was an awkward moment as people made the connection with "G.I. Jane" and I for one, felt sorry for her just from the look on her face. I had no idea about her illness. In that same moment, Will Smith was laughing openly along with many other people. Then he saw the stunned look on his wife.

Not much has been said about this. Had he started expressing his disgust with Rock immediately without the laughter, he might have garnered more sympathy. His violent reaction would still be wrong but slightly more sincere. He could have dealt with Chris later, off camera. Instead once his wife gave him the stare, he did a 180 degree about face.

His next action was just grandstanding. Imagine someone during a televised session of the U.N. walking to the stage and mooning the world or slapping someone just like Smith. If you walk up to a very busy police station and throw a rock through the window, what do you think is going to happen? What if this happened in any public sporting event? 

Smith knew that world camera was on his back as he paced off the short distance to the stage and Chris Rock. He knew it would be a slap that "Rocked" the world, pun intended.

You might think "What do you expect? It's The Oscars." Lots of crazy things and political statements have been dramatized on this, the most infamous drama stage of all. It is still wrong. What next - a gun? Hopefully everyone is scanned for this including handbags upon entry - but I doubt it.

What message did this send to everyone, especially with Putin's slapping down Ukraine? If there is not severe punishment it means that violence is acceptable - if you are mad enough. You shoot someone and your excuse is "Yes but I was just mad - I lost my temper." Please. If you are thinking this, give yourselves a slap.

As for his tears during his own acceptance speech, if they were phony, he deserved the award. They were real but only because the gravity of his situation was starting to sink in. As for his ramblings about the Williams family, that was over the top - an attempt to deflect and somehow justify his actions.

His public persona is a jovial, likeable guy. It is now shattered in what should have been a rational moment that went horribly irrational.

Other celebrities have done and said things in their private lives that spoiled their Hollywood image and paid the price for a long time. Eventually they are forgiven. This was not during Smith's private life but during ours.

A slap on the wrist is not enough.

#thebrewsterblock

Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Mindset of a Dictator

You have to wonder what goes on inside the head of a person like Putin. I did not use "man" deliberately. Unfortunately, he is a person so I can't eliminate that particular noun which I share with him. That's about it on the sharing.

There have been many like him throughout history - some of them female. Before I share some other writings, one would have to be able to:

- be prepared to destroy decades or centuries of human achievement in the form of architecture, homes, land, necessities of life, culture, and above all human spirit.
- cause unimaginable pain and suffering to anyone or thing that lives, including babies, children, pregnant women, and helpless blameless animals.
- make such decisions instantly and totally independently.
- eliminate any dissenters among your ranks - permanently.
- feel zero regret for any of the above.
- prepare for your own cowardly escape should it all go wrong.

Here are some independent references:

- The first focuses on Power, Fear, and Anxiety The Psychology Of Dictators: Power, Fear, And Anxiety

- This one focuses on sadistic, antisocial, paranoid, narcissistic, schizoid, and schizotypal: The Psychology of Dictatorship: Kim Jong-Il - Scientific American Blog Network

- Here the focus is on Kim Il-sung (N. Korea); Hitler (Germany); Manuel Noriega (Panama): What Makes a Dictator? - How Dictators Work | HowStuffWorks

- For a spine chilling read try this: 10 most ruthless leaders of all time - 10 most ruthless leaders of all time | The Economic Times (indiatimes.com)

Here is another from this blog: The Brewster Block : Is Putin Copying Hitler?

My words above are not those of a Psychologist but they are not far off. Google some traits of your own. Also try "worst dictators".

The world has had to deal with such monsters forever. The heroes are those that didn't start anything but finally had to say "Enough is enough" and rally millions to fight possibly losing it all in the process. Churchill and Kennedy are two political leaders who come to mind.

One problem with these types, Putin included, is that they have already created their own hero worship of themselves through force, propaganda, control of the media, and severe punishment. The propaganda starts in elementary school if they are in power long enough.

If Japan had possessed the Bomb itself, you can bet that one or more major American cities would have disappeared. This time the other side(s) can respond in kind. Do we still have any Churchills or Kennedys?

#thebrewsterblock

Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) and others we Fear

Debilitating Diseases

Bad news seems to get more attention than good news. This topic will provide a change from World War 3, inflation, and COVID. 

Do a search for "Most Popular Google Searches". I found 2 interesting things: The first was the search itself. It will simply scroll in large text, words, names, etc. across your screen in various languages. I assume these are the most popular current search arguments. The second was that ALS was not far from the top.

Searched "debilitating diseases" - there were over 60 million hits! These are obviously not all diseases but items somehow related to a disease. The first was a definition which was depressing itself. "Debilitating diseases come in many shapes and forms – from those that attack the muscles in our body and affect our physical abilities to those that affect our brain function and impair our thought processes." See
Debilitating Diseases - 12 Diseases that change millions of lives - Dodge Park Residential Care. Do the author and yourself a favour and read them - each has only a short summary. 

How many of these can you pair with someone you know, close or otherwise? How many do you fear for yourself?

The article did not list criteria.

12. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). An autoimmune disease. Many of us have some form of arthritis - my fingers and knuckles show it most. I'm not sure what type I have but it can be painful and it is progressing. There is no cure that I am aware of for arthritis. See also Arthritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

11. Schizophrenia. This one is psychological. I know 3 people who have it. One died. It is suspected that he took his own life. There are drugs that suppress the worst effects but no known cause or cure. See also Schizophrenia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

10. Poliomyelitis. While pre-teen I knew of another kid who was totally paralyzed by Polio - not sure of the type. Her father had to wheel her around in a baby carriage well into her teens. She finally did walk, got married and had kids. She was the thinnest person I ever knew. She died prematurely. There is an effective vaccine for this virus. See also Polio - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

9. Muscular Dystrophy (MD). Don't know anyone personally with this. Apparently there are different types. It seems to be inherited. There is no cure. They can cause muscle loss and weakness over time and can lead to death. See also Muscular dystrophy - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

8. Cerebral Palsy. Know of one person with this and she became a successful lawyer and mother/wife. Cause is apparently brain injury to the fetus. There is no cure but difficulty in speaking and motion is common. See also Cerebral palsy - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

7. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). If you know a heavy smoker or someone who has to carry an oxygen bottle you probably know someone with this. It can eventually kill. Lifestyle change like tossing the smokes can help a lot. See also COPD - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

6. Cystic Fibrosis. Don't know anyone here but apparently it causes severe breathing and digestive problems. Average lifespan is 37 years (in the article). Cause is thought to be a defective gene. No cure is known. See also Cystic fibrosis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

5. Scleroderma. Don't know this one or anyone with it. It causes connective tissue disorders and autoimmune diseases affecting skin, blood vessels, internal organs and muscles. It is usually fatal with no known cause or cure. See also Scleroderma Clinic - Overview - Mayo Clinic

4. Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. You likely know someone with it if not celebrities like Annette Funicello. I knew someone who passed from it. Some live reasonable lives. Many loose total body control from the effect on nerves. See also Multiple Sclerosis MRI multiple sclerosis lesions - Mayo Clinic

3. Parkinson’s Disease. The list of celebrities with this one is long. It is a brain disorder causing tremors and lack of control. There is no cure and it is ultimately fatal. See also Parkinson's disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

2. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – Lou Gherig’s Disease. This famous disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This gradually worsens leading to total lack of control and death. There is no known cure. See also Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

1. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Again many of us know someone with the disease and some of us will be victims. My father died from it and it is my big fear. There is no known cause or cure. Survival can be short or long. The patient will no longer know reality or loved ones once they experience extreme dementia. See also Alzheimer's disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Not sure why cancer, COVID, and heart disease are missing. There are many others. So what is all this about? You will notice two common nouns in the list - cause and cure. Mostly both are unknown.

It makes you wonder about the priorities and selfishness of Homo Sapiens. Today we are all waking up in hope that Putin won't drop the bomb or chemicals to kill us all. What a waste of intelligence and collective willpower.

Modern man has developed the ability to:

• Send people to the moon and is planning for planets beyond.
• Demolish huge parts of the world with one bomb using particles so small we can't see them
• Manufacture and convince people to buy and drive cars so fast and powerful they make no sense driving to the supermarket
• Manufacture computer chips the size of your fingernail more powerful than huge computers decades ago.
• Develop robots and software to replace people and their livelihoods
• Put the power of all this technology to "use" producing toys for us all primarily to entertain ourselves.

Why can't all this power and resource be directed towards developing cures for the above diseases and many more? Surely we can do it. We could also use them to eliminate starvation for the millions of people around the globe who have zero hope and zero future?

The answer seems to be selfishness. The very ruthless see mass loss of life as population control - elimination of the weak. It leaves more for them.

Too bad there might not be anything left to enjoy for the strong.

#thebrewsterblock

Putin bombs Ukraine Hospitals

Will Putin resort to Chemical Weapons?

We have seen a lot in the news about Russia bombing civilian targets including hospitals. The latest were full of pregnant women and infants. 

If you Google this there are lots of media releases to back it up - none I suspect coming from Russia.

Here are a few. There are plenty more:

Ukraine war: Boris Johnson tells Sky News he fears Vladimir Putin may use chemical weapons as it is 'straight out of Russia's playbook' | World News | Sky News

Ukraine war: Three killed including girl, six, after Russians bomb maternity hospital | Daily Mail OnlineUkraine war: Three killed including girl, six, after Russians bomb maternity hospital | Daily Mail Online

Live updates: Russia invades Ukraine (cnn.com)

Now the speculation is Putin will use chemical weapons. OMG!

As the most recent horror unfolds, we ask ourselves who could be so brutal and cruel? Current affairs headlines from any decade will also answer that question. Here are a few notorious ones using the greatest fact checker of all - history:

1) The guy who murdered over six million Jews as a scapegoat for HIS similar atrocities. He also threw the remains - hopefully deceased - into mass graves like the ones we are seeing in Ukraine recently.

2) Rwandan genocide in 1994. Militia groups tortures and raped victims by the thousands. Check out Wikipedia Rwandan genocide - Wikipedia. The U.N refused to get involved - just like NATO is now.

3) The horrors of the Crusades where once again, inflicting brutal pain on victims was the objective.

4) Look at the guys who dropped napalm on Viet Nam knowing full well that people would be incinerated along with foliage. It went on for years. The same guys mass bombed the country and those living there indiscriminately - just like Putin's Russia is doing now. There were no smart bombs back then.

5) In the Americas, natives were tortured and massacred by the British, French, and anyone else who wanted their land.

The point is that it has been going on throughout recorded history and probably before.

Now it is happening again. The world is expressing all of the support and sympathy they can mouth to the battered victims but are not yet willing to go to war over it. School yard bullies don't have the option of pressing nuclear buttons or spraying you with deadly chemicals when you stand up to them. This bully does.

It makes you wonder if there is life beyond our own Sun, did they resort to the same tactics? If there were other ETs, did they go home to tell what they saw? If so no wonder we have not seen them again.

#thebrewsterblock

Will Putin start World War III?

Putin wants Russia to be Number 1

Most born and raised in Canada or United States other than indigenous people are mere infants when it comes to history. It is difficult to understand the pride and passion felt by other parts of the world whose histories go back thousands of years.

Such histories include the lesser known countries and islands of North America; Europe; Asia; South America; and Africa. Russia alone has known supreme rulers and forms of rule on both ends of the political spectrum. One thing seems to be common throughout all of history. The strongest rule the weakest and ultimately overpower them. This can be through brutality, cleverness, or an accepted divine right. In the end the riches of all of the kingdoms and dynasties go to the few at the top - Greece; Russia; Britain; India; even America; and let's not forget the Church - most of them. The spoils go to the most powerful.

So what is happening in Ukraine right now is something we can't really understand because we have not experienced it. Perhaps a better word might be "feel" - we have never felt it.

For many years after the Russian people finally overthrew the elite, Socialism has supposedly been a form of government that is best for the people. Wealth is supposed to belong to the state and everyone benefits. Have you seen pictures of that 280 foot Russian yacht seized by France? Have you seen the vacation resorts belonging to Russian leaders for years? What about the many years of empty shelves and starving people?

It was the same in Hitler's Germany at the other end of the scale. He and his dictator colleagues looted the wealth and relics of other countries for themselves while ordinary Germans fought the battles.

So why is Putin doing this? He says it is for the motherland and to restore Russian greatness. That is propaganda for the people. The yacht says it all. He wants the riches and resources of Ukraine. He wants to defeat democracy anywhere because it is much more difficult to gain and hold power in such a system. He is a man who has too much testosterone and is a bully by nature. He wants to save face in the East vs. West match.

Hitler was like this. So were Mussolini; Stalin; Saddam Hussein; Pol Pot; Mao; Marcos and more. In the end the common hard working citizen is the loser.

Here is the big irony: In my opinion Russia needs another revolution - probably China too. Some form of government by the people that works is overdue. America on the other hand, especially under Trump is showing signs of extremists leaning more towards a single person, single party type of system.

Behind it all for thousands of years, is greed, selfishness, racism, and usually - men. So here is a novel idea. If a man is to become a leader of a country, he has to take estrogen pills. If it is a woman - testosterone.

It can't be worse than the mess we have now.

#thebrewsterblock!