Entertainment and life INTERTWINE.

www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/1...?wpisrc=nl_headlines

“It is very clear that Chinese attempts to compromise critical infrastructure are in part to pre-position themselves to be able to disrupt or destroy that critical infrastructure in the event of a conflict, to either prevent the United States from being able to project power into Asia or to cause societal chaos inside the United States — to affect our decision-making around a crisis,” said Brandon Wales, executive director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure

OH MY.....Netlflix has just premiered a Julie Roberts saga....THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT, (title something similar)...I just watched it yesterday and it vividly portrays this exact scenario....how chaos and confusion reigns over ruined major cities. Ending is purposely vague and unsettling.

That's good timing, HA, I just watched it last night. I thought it was done fairly well and probably didn't need to have a big budget because it was told outside of the city where the real fireworks would be. My wife couldn't watch the whole thing because she is also awake to the reality of our uninformed and misinformed population and wasn't in the mood to become depressed. After moving out of the city, I'd say I can most closely relate to the Kevin Bacon character who was one of the few who actually prepared for such an event. It didn't make as much sense for me to stockpile food and supplies when I lived in Lakewood, but now that I'm over an hour away from the nearest city, it's game on.

The movie plot was pretty much how I think our enemies would take us out... destroy our communication and energy grid and then let the panicked people do the rest of the work. It was a good reminder that I need to have a family meeting and discuss what my family members should do if the grid goes down and how to get up here where I have everything needed to survive and protect ourselves from desperate people.

If we have another 4 years of US weakness, that should make the scenario much more plausible, which really makes me feel sick for all the people who have fought and died for the people of this country.

And I closely resemble the M. O. of the girl who observed the deer and attempted to understand the message
that was being conveyed....leading her to a safe haven.

I had a different take on the deer and the flamingos. Both groups of animals moved from their wild habitats into human habitats. I saw it as them looking for safety and they assume people will be safe from what people have done. I thought that was a thought provoking part of the plot that really added to the hopeless situation.

I am somewhat confused on just HOW she found the "safe house".....she was in the woods (I assumed. looking for the deer)......

I’m assuming she just came across it randomly.

Speaking of the safe house, the only way someone could utilize something like that is if that person has the ability to get there when the poop hits the fan. It was empty so the owners were likely at work or elsewhere and once the panic hit, all modes of transportation became useless.

The challenge for my children would be getting from the metro area to my home 2.5 hours away in normal traffic. Thus the need for a disaster plan. There’s plenty of flat open ground on each side of I-25 all the way to Wyoming so maybe a blocked highway wouldn’t be a death sentence. Going west on 285 or I-70 would be a much different story no matter what vehicle someone is driving.

WALKING....for thousands of years man has migrated,putting one foot in front of the other till they have arrived at their destination. plotting a path to your location,using animal trails and worn paths,a compass to
guide the way , is basic and doable. ANY mobile transportation would be useless....stashing an ATV at a specific locale (well hidden) and meetng up with each other there could work.

OMG....ANOTHER scene from the movie....in the news today, thousands of AV'S,IF NOT ALL, r being recalled for catastrophic failures.....piles of cars in a two lanes,stretching for miles....no one in them....scene from the story......too eerie.....THREE MILE ISLAND comes to mind.....(I'm old, maybe no one remembers
this,it was life imitating "art")

One thing that bothered me a little was the Julia Roberts character that was portrayed as a racist and then the young black woman who said "don't trust white people". I thought it was unnecessary to once again bring in racism, but then I discovered the Obama's had helped to produce it and then it made sense.

"There's a painting that's hung up on the end of the hallway before Rose goes down into the basement that says, 'Hope begins in the dark'," he told Tudum.......a piece of story from the director's POV....I DID NOT
see that image....I have to revisit the story....I think in the end A;LL the characters learn that we r all the same...struggling under a burden of lack of trust and compassion....when shit hits the fan,you have to band together to make it thru.

The director also addressed the deer scenes.....he saw the "sweetness and innocence" of the creature
as a juxtaposition of ominous attention or warning.....

The book s ending was a return to the family...but the director purposely allowed the abrupt and unanswered
end to stand. Making it a conversational piece.