Executive order issued July 24, 1976:

RESTORING TRUST IN THE CENTENNIEL EXPOSITION

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Policy. On March 27, 1875, I issued an Executive Order. Pursuant to that order, the esteemed gentlemen of the Centennial Commission recently completed a months-long review of the Philadelphian 1876 Centennial International Exhibition (Centennial Exposition) and its Women's Pavilion (Pavilion) and issued its findings in the report entitled Saving America's Story: How Ideological Capture at the Centennial Exposition's Women's Pavilion Erases Our Heritage (Report).

The Report demonstrates that the Women's Pavilion leadership does not present American history as a shared national inheritance to be taught and celebrated, but instead views American history as a "prime tool" to advance ideas of social justice and the radical transformation of our society. The Report also overwhelmingly demonstrates that current leadership of both the Centennial Exposition and the Pavilion cannot be trusted to tell America's story with honesty and gratitude.

It is therefore the policy of my Administration to take all available steps to ensure that the issues identified in the Report are addressed and to restore trust in the Centennial Exposition.

Sec. 2. Restoring Trust in the Centennial Exposition. The Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the Administrator of General Services, and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall identify and utilize any and all available authorities to promote the policy of this order and to restore trust in the Centennial Exposition, including any mechanisms available to encourage correction of the issues identified in the Report (including but not limited to the nonsensical promotion of woman's "right" to self-governance, universal suffrage, and equal representation under the law) and compliance with any applicable statutes, regulations, executive actions, and funding or contract conditions.

Sec. 3. Warning Visitors About the Ideological Capture at the Women's Pavilion. (a) The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the War Department and in coordination with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, shall install temporary signage along the Centennial Commission-maintained sidewalks and walkways used by the public to access the Pavilion, informing visitors of the findings of the Report and of the policy set forth in section 1 of this order. Such signage shall notify visitors that the Pavilion exhibits should be renovated consistent with the findings in the Report (e.g. "a woman's place is in the home") and direct visitors to locations and resources for accurate information regarding America's history.

(b) Because the Women's Pavilion has failed to appropriately honor the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence (The Founding Fathers) during this 250th anniversary year of the founding of our country, the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the War Department and in coordination with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, shall install temporary exhibits or signage on Centennial Commission-maintained sidewalks, walkways, and land used by the public that corrects inaccurate information presented in the Pavilion.

Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the (male) head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person (because women aren't even really people).

(d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of the Interior.

ULYSSES S. GRANT

THE WHITE HOUSE,

July 24, 1876.

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Before I was really cognizant of R.E.M. (The Band), I remember seeing posters and graffiti promoting their work around Atlanta. The song that broke through my dense skull to get my attention was this:

Stand

Turns out they were a pretty good band.

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Thanks to the growing prevalence of artificial "intelligence," malicious impersonations are becoming commonplace. We all need to be prepared for unexpectedly dubious interactions with people we have previously trusted.

For future reference, I cannot roll my tongue, which geneticists who study such things insist more people can do than cannot. So if you are approached by someone who claims to be me, demand that they roll their tongue. If that Walter can do it, run away.

However, just because that Walter claims he can't doesn't mean he's telling the truth. There's only one Walter but plenty of liars, so if you're playing the odds, you should probably run away anyway. That's really the only way you can be sure he's not trying to take advantage of you.

Only a trustworthy guy such as myself would suggest such a course of action as would result in ensuring I don't get whatever it is I might have wanted, so you can be sure my advice is good. Unless I'm really an impersonator trying to make you think it's a good guy, in which case you would be best advised to ignore this message.

To be perfectly safe, I encourage you to avoid all Walters altogether. It's what the AI would do.

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Sunsets and rainbows!

What's at the end of the rainbow? Henry!

Footnote: back in 2010, I posted a picture of a rainbow ending at Pitts Toyota in Dublin, Georgia. I am recycling the concept of that post because recycling is good for the environment.

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85/2655. The Street Fighter's Last Revenge (1974)

I watched the English language dub of this 1974 Sonny Chiba martial arts film released in America by New Line Cinema in 1979. The dub has terrible line reading and worse editing. The plot summary on Wikipedia wasn't helping me make sense of what was going on, so I took the following notes. Read at your own risk.

In Tokyo "one of the largest chemical manufacturing plants in the East" is embroiled in a workers' revolt. The riot squad is called in, and a "known syndicate Boss" calls an answering service for Terry Sugury (pronounced soo-goo-ree), offering to pay 50,000 in exchange for Sugury helping his brother, Owada, escape the plant with an attache case holding two cassette tapes.

Owada is seen shooting through a window at police. The riot squad enters the plant, and one Officer arrests Owada and secures the case. Instead of delivering Owada to the jail with the other rioters, Officer swaps cars. He removes his mask and reveals he is Sugury. ("Some people call me… The Street Fighter.")

Sugury drives Owada to a meeting with the syndicate. Sugury swaps cases with the syndicate representative only to find they have paid him with cut-up newspaper. Sugury grabs Owada by the neck and demands they give him back the tapes. An Enforcer wearing sunglasses and a fedora attacks Sugury while everyone else escapes with the tapes. Sugury wins the fight and reveals the Enforcer to be a woman he recognizes as employed by the District Attorney. (She: "Fool! What I'd like to do right now is cut your goddamn balls off and then send them to you for a birthday present!") He lets her go.

Some days later, Sugury confronts DA about his "girly spy with Owada." DA warns Sugury away from the syndicate. (DA: "I think that they're going to try to kill you." Sugury: "Sure is scary." DA: "Sure is.")

At a private meeting, a Buyer offers Boss a check for ¥1,000,000 for "the tape and the formula." Boss plays Tape A which explains that the two tapes (A and B) must be played together to reveal a formula for the manufacturing of synthetic heroin (for $200/pound).

Sugury runs down a staircase to his car, where he is confronted by the Enforcer. He tells her she isn't going to stop him from getting the tape. She offers to help, but Sugury refuses and leaves. She insults him again.

Back at the meeting, Buyer complains to Boss that he needs Tape B or his money back. Before Boss can produce either, Sugury crashes through a wall, seizes Tape A, tells the syndicate this is their own fault for trying to pay him with newspaper, and flees.

At a different location, Boss and Owada (now wearing a neck brace) discuss how to respond. Their sister, Aya, suggests assassinating Sugury. The siblings watch a televised demonstration of Mr. Black, a Mexican who can cut steel with his "inner power."

An answering service Operator relays to Sugury that Aya wants to meet at a dance club. He is instructed to come in disguise and agrees. ("I don't have a very good costume wardrobe, but I'll try to trick her.") The Operator also goes to the club, and Sugury rescues her from a pushy date. She begs Sugury for one dance before Sugury scares her away with his disguise: a set of vampire teeth.

DA watches as Sugury meets and dances with Aya, who seduces him. They go back to Sugury's apartment for sex and are interrupted when DA calls and threatens to kill the Operator if Sugury doesn't bring Tape A to an immediate meeting at the fair grounds. While Aya tries to get Sugury to stay, Black and his crew attack, revealing his "inner power" to be a laser attached to his belt. Aya tries to steal Tape A, but Sugury grabs it and meets DA, who exchanges the Operator for the tape. The two men fight; DA wins and escapes.

Sugury visits the busy dojo of Matsuoka, a karate master, to learn DA's fighting style. ("That's an old form from Korea named Cosmic Wave.") They fight, Sugury loses, and Matsuoka encourages Sugury to build his spiritual strength. Sugury has a flashback to his traitor father's execution by firing squad. ("Be a number one man!")

Meanwhile, DA tells his Superiors that for three weeks he has made no progress toward recovering the formula. They threaten his job.

Outside an apartment building at night, a Little Boy finds Sugury standing by himself and offers to play, but Sugury leaves to ambush DA in an elevator, knocking him out before carrying him to his apartment and forcing his Mother to turn over Tape A. ("Your son has been playing both sides of the coin. Now he is in trouble with the police. And me.") Sugury calls the police to tell them he has the tape.

Later, DA instigates a meeting with Boss to reveal that the Enforcer has acquired Tape B from Aya. DA wants to form an alliance to get Tape A back from Sugury. ("We can call our partnership Good and Evil Incorporated.")

Aya takes her Mercedes to a car wash. Sugury forces her inside the car where he explains that he heard "from the other girl" what Aya did with Tape B. Sugury claims to have real feelings for Aya and volunteers to sell Tape A back to Boss.

Sugury meets with the syndicate at their compound and sells Tape A for a gym bag of cash. As he leaves, the Enforcer argues that acquiring the tape was supposed to be her job. Despite being told she can keep it, she returns her fee. ("So it doesn't count what I say. You go around doing whatever you please and I get the shaft.") She follows Sugury to warn him that the syndicate is going to try and kill him. Their car is ambushed in a tunnel by syndicate gunmen and Black. The Enforcer charges Black, who shoots her and his own crew. She watches them blow up Sugury's car before dying.

The syndicate collects two large, heavy aluminum suitcases filled with money. A Motorcycle Cop intercepts their car and leads it to an auto wrecking yard where he removes his rubber mask and reveals he is really Sugury in disguise. Sugury proceeds to beat up the couriers while Aya watches from a distance.

Aya arrives to a meeting with Boss and DA just in time for one mortally injured syndicate Bodyguard to deliver the news that Sugury is alive and has stolen the money. DA warns that Sugury might next steal back the tapes, and Boss tasks Aya with recovering the cash.

Aya and Black confront Sugury at a mortuary. Black and Sugury fight. Sugury wins and incinerates Black in the crematorium. Aya begs Sugury for forgiveness, claiming not to know that Black was going to try and kill him. They take the money to a bedroom where Aya and Sugury have sex. The syndicate surreptitiously steals back the suitcases before Aya opens the door to Odawa who ambushes Sugury with a machine gun. Sugury steps on his neck brace, decapitating him. Aya and Boss escape by car, where Boss warns her not to double cross him. ("Why would I do anything to you?")

Boss plans to flee the country immediately by boat with all the money, cutting out the DA. But bad weather prevents departure, and DA arrives and fights the syndicate guards in the rain, ultimately killing Boss. He spares Aya. ("You're really a bitch. I'll give you one more chance.")

Sugury finds the boat and fights its crew. Then he puts something in Boss's car. Inside the mansion, DA and Aya have sex.

The next morning, Aya tries to poison DA but he is wise to her scheme. Just as he tries to make her drink the poison, Sugury breaks in and demands a rematch. They fight outside, down a cliff, across a field, under an airplane, through a wharf, to a pier. Sugury is knocked down, but when DA jumps for the kill, Sugury kills him with fingers to the gut.

Aya shoots Sugury in the shoulder, and he falls into the water. Aya tells him she never loved him. She loads the suitcases inro Boss's car. Sugury swims to shore and yells at her to stop, there's a bomb in the car. She starts the engine and the car blows up. Bits of money fly through the air, and Sugury watches it burn.

The end.

I have to admit that makes more sense than I was expecting.

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