On the lighter side-Movies-Robin Hood (2018)-Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx

Umpteenth remake of the Robin Hood saga as a crusader with the help of this trusted side kick subverts the plans of the corrupt English crown. Some good action sequences but enough of these remakes. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-The White Butterfly Killer (1973-Taiwan)

There is nothing white in this martial arts thriller as girl who witnessed her grandfather death devises a scheme and hunt their killers one by one. Only for Martial arts fans. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-Widows (2018)-Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez

Four women with nothing in common except for the debt their late husband has left them, conspire to rob in order to clear their debt and live a comfortable life. Again a slow moving drama with nothing going for it except its actors. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-The Highwaymen (2019)-Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson

Two former Lawmen help in the hunt for the depression era robbers, Bonnie and Clyde. Slow moving drama saved by the acting of the Costner and Harrelson. Available on Netflix. Recommended with caution.

On the lighter side-Movies-Johnny English Strikes again (2018)-Rowan Atkinson

Passable comedy movie, in which English is pressed into government spy service when a hacker exposes the names of all British spies. A good joke here and there and if you want to continue with the series, watch it, otherwise skip it. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018)-Jack Black

A boy helps his uncle find a clock that has the ability to bring an end to this world. Some magic and some fun but not as great comedy as it would have been. Recommended with caution

On the lighter side-Movies-The Silence (2019)-Stanley Tucci. Kiernan Shipka

A cheap knockoff of the blockbuster movie, A Quiet Place, this movie tells a similar story with creatures hunting with the voice of sound and how a family whose daughter is deaf, due to an accident tries to survive by communicating in sign language. Skip this one even if you see it on Netflix. Not worth your time. Not Recommended

The Mosque massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand

A shocking massacre in the peaceful island nation of New Zealand just shattered what would have been a place where the world wide violence of massacres perpetuated against helpless people praying peacefully in an island would never occur in one’s mind. But it did happen and 50 people killed and on top of this the massacre was streamed live on the internet which makes it all the more disgusting. It was done by a white supremacist Australian guy who had an anti immigrant agenda, the irony of it being he was also an immigrant which shows he was against Muslim immigrant in particular. This kind of massacre would have been more suited to the United States where the guns are easily available and the right to bear arms is constitutionally protected but not in a place which ranks constantly in the top countries of the world where the crimes are rare and a sort of massacre on this scale unheard of and unprecedented.

Now this plague of white supremacy turning into a killing spree is entering some of the most peaceful areas of the world and again access to guns have become an issue with semi automatic guns getting the most criticism and banning its access to all civilians gaining much voice even in the countries where this massacre phenomena all started. But for all this hatred, the island nation has come together to start the healing process and show that people of all different backgrounds can stand together and defeat this hateful agenda of racism, nationalism and bigotry.

The College admission scandal

It never seizes to amaze me how creative can dumb people become when it comes to their kids who may or may not be interested in pursuing a college education. The recent college admission scandal where almost 50 people were charged including some high profile celebrities is a case in point. These people made sure their kids get into some of the prestigious colleges through hook or by crook (mainly crook) , paying enormous sums of bribes (disguised as donations)  to make sure their kids get admission to this great colleges. The changing of test scores on college admission tests and the recruitment of athletic departments to make their kids sports kids are some of the allegations. Is America trying to raise dumb kids or are the parents really to blame for pushing their reluctant kids to enter college when their kids are truly not in favor of it is the real question and the amount of bribes given makes me think that if they would have truly invested in some sort of company for their kids future, it would have been much better.

And some of the accused people have been so upstanding in their communities that they were consider honest to God people who would do no wrong and the accused people themselves thought that given these kind of money would not be considered against their moral judgments and against the law. The delusion of these uptight people and the scandal that they have created has really exposed the admission process of some of these colleges. I do hope that something good comes out of this scandal and people start to trust their kids and not push them in fields and in areas where they feel uncomfortable and out of place.

Retail stores still needed

Despite the growth of the internet shopping craze with their 24 hours availability, the retail stores are not dead yet and they will not probably be as the internet craze led by Amazon.com giant plans to open bookstores after decimating or plainly saying outsmarted the books business and other business. For example the growth of home delivery of groceries may be increasing but I still go to the grocery store to buy my stuff as I cannot be at home by a certain time to receive my deliveries. The same can be said about buying Ice creams and pizza stores and pickup food from restaurants. Another example I can give you is buying your personal items, I have no hesitation in placing an order of dress shirts and socks and underwear and under vest for I have known their sizes for long and am comfortable with the orders that I place but for pants and shoes I really need to go to a retail store to trying them out. It is just me and I am sure some people may have perfected this art too so as to avoid going to retail store altogether.

My point is there are certain things that you are comfortable to order online and certain things which you cannot and for me buy a house, test driving a car before buying, pants and shoes and groceries still need my trips to them. Maybe some people feel different but I don’t see whole bunch of stores closing anytime soon although sometimes it seems that way with the headlines screaming one store or chain of stores closing. But despite this some of the retail stores are also enhancing their online presence and for once you cannot order your hot coffee and ice cream on line because for that you will have to get your ass up and either walk or drive to that store to enjoy fresh stuff.

On the lighter side-Movies-Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)-Johnny Depp, Eddie Redmayne

In this second installment, the Young wizard join forces with another wizard to battle his enemy who is hell bent on raising wizards to lord over non magical beings. Too much special effects and not much story ruins this second installment for me. Not Recommended