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This paragraph:

"I’ve said before that our belief that nature is red in tooth and claw—and that all evolution is driven by fierce and ruthless competition—is more a tenet of the capitalist religion than the reality, but it is a hard habit for many of us to break. Like the man who can’t change his beliefs because his income depends on it, we have been told that humans are singular in deserving life, and ascribing emotions to any other living thing is “anthropomorphism,” and must be disdained if we are to be taken seriously, even if it means ignoring what we have seen with our own eyes since the beginning of human existence. The people who benefit from ruthless competition do not want it judged; it must be accepted as the one true way, lest they be made to make do with a little less than nearly all the wealth on Earth. "

... is almost, ALMOST, as good as the header photo on this post.

Get well, friend.

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Happy New Year, sorry it started off with a case of Covid. If death & taxes are inescapable, COVID may very well be too.

I was in a media slump at the end of 2022 as well, but things are looking a bit up with the purchase of Desert Oasis in Joshua Tree -- a very quirky little book that I’ll probably end up writing about -- and I appreciate the nod towards Nope. I don’t generally do resolutions but I *was* hoping to kind of look around to try to get myself out of the slump & this helps a lot -- hope you and your MIL are out of your COVID slumps!

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Jan 7, 2023·edited Jan 8, 2023Liked by Thomas Pluck

Just got around to reading your newsletter, enjoyed every word. Thanks

Oops! except for the covid part.

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Jan 5, 2023Liked by Thomas Pluck

I loved Nope (also Get Out), and yours is one of the best commentaries I've read about it. The next time someone tells me they just don't get this movie I'll direct them to your substack. And I was so happy to see Keith David in this! I first saw him in The Thing (one of my favorite horror movies) in a little movie theater in Santa Fe when I was a teenager. It was so nice to see him all these (many) years later in Nope.

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Glad I had a chance to read this tonight, since this time tomorrow I'll be "en roux(t)" to The Crescent City myself.

I will visit the Vieux Carée -- in fact, I'll be staying there. Shall I tell Ignatius you said "Hey"?

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Congratulations on surviving the rona relatively unscathed! I've been wanting to check out "The Banshees." Might have to schedule a trip the movies.

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Happy new year!

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