Birthdays
Sofia Coppola b. 1971
Cate Blanchett b. 1969
Danny Huston b. 1962
Tim Roth b. 1961
George Lucas b. 1944
I know your first question. Sofia Coppola in genre? Yes, the young woman who has become better known as a director than an actress had a role in that 1999 film That Must Never Be Named Again, directed by the oldest person on today's birthday list.
You need another hint? J-- J-- B----. More than this, I will not write.
The picture slot is given to Cate Blanchett... 'cos she's purdy. I mean, d'uh!
Prediction: Increasing mobility will disenfranchise a majority of the population. About 1990 a constitutional amendment will do away with state lines while retaining the semblance.
Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein, from a 1950 list of predictions about 2000
Reality: Umm... what?
"Oh, hi! You just moved so we are taking away your right to vote. Don't feel bad! We've done that to over half the population, so it's not like it's personal or anything."
And state governments will give up power just like that because they weren't really using it anyway.
For a guy who presented himself as a hard headed realist writing goofy fantasies, Heinlein kind of missed how the world worked. A lot.
Heinlein started out on the socialist side of things but became a reactionary later in life, which means almost his entire writing career. Like a lot of people on the right, he loves him some disenfranchisement.
Looking one day... INTO THE FUTURE!
John Elfreth Watkins foresees the future of energy... in the year 2000!
Join me then... IN THE FUTURE!
Hmmmm. That may not be as much of a stretch as you think. Here in New Hampshire we just got rid of (mostly) a group of Tea Baggers that tried mightily to take away the right to vote from college folks that "ain't from around here".
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a trend among the GOP, preventing those that disagree with them from making it to the ballot boxes. Classy!
I see what you mean about Heinlein. A lot of folks do that as they get older. I call them "Clutchers". As the world gets away from them they white knuckle the crap out of their bibles, guns and conspiracy theories. Someone much smarter than me once said "when fascism comes to America it will be carrying the bible and wrapped with the flag". Into the future indeed!
RAH got this one partly right, there's are conservative groups that actively try to push black voters who have moved house off the voter rolls, claiming the blacks don't live anywhere and are fake voters or out-of- state immigrants, or some such. that is a variation on the "They aren't real Americans" racism. It's of course NOT a coincidence this happens to be active in Ohio and Florida, the 2 biggest swing states.
ReplyDeleteThe black voters are REGISTERED, by the way and these groups are aggressively trying to get them UN-registered......