Jefferson Knight

If Pratt loses, L.A. is officially done and I don’t think it can recover. Here’s what’s really happening in L.A. -Crime & homelessness have skyrocketed. The official crime stats is misleading because lot of crime is now unreported. I have never seen more homelessness & disorder in all my time here -The city will build low income housing in Palisades, Santa Monica, in the name of “equity,” thus resulting in higher crime & lower quality of life -The purpose of the new transit lines is to bring in low income people, drive down housing prices, and expel affluent residents -The city has deliberately promoted anti growth policies that drove out Hollywood jobs, hurting workers in the industry -The city has refused to use its significant natural advantages to bring in tech, finance, & other lucrative businesses or investments -The economic malaise has crushed businesses. The once lively Third Street promenade in Santa Monica is a ghost town. Many of my favorite bars & restaurants have shut down Decline is a choice, the result of failed liberal policies. This isn’t about Dem vs GOP or MAGA. It’s about restoring a city we love and seeing it reach its full potential. Pratt 2026

Miami is the most interesting city in the world. Most people have no idea. There’s what most people (especially outsiders) see and then there are layers most people don’t see. I’m constantly fascinated.

One of the benefits of having a sub-rational brain means you don't have to worry about cognitive dissonance.

Current mood on Bluesky is a combination of rooting for a successful assassination attempt, while similtaneously arguing that it's a false flag being staged to justify building the new White House ballroom.

⚪️ Büyük yük gemisinde çalışan kişi, denizdeki tehlikeyi suya attığı mısır parçasıyla gösterdi;

an interesting question is why Takaichi has become one of the most irritating and notable figures in Xi Jinping’s eyes. Under Xi Jinping, diplomacy is not just about negotiations or national interests. It is also about “face” - political prestige, authority, and psychological dominance. And that is precisely why Sanae Takaichi has become such a hated figure for CCP. For years, most major Western leaders carefully avoided publicly offending Xi Jinping. Even when tensions existed over Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, or the South China Sea, disagreements were usually wrapped in diplomatic language behind closed doors. Publicly, leaders still emphasized “cooperation,” “mutual respect,” and “partnership.” Takaichi broke that formula completely. Since taking office, she has openly stated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could become an existential crisis for Japan. She has supported major increases in Japan’s defense budget, accelerated military normalization, and openly embraced Shinzo Abe’s doctrine that “a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency.” More importantly, she says these things publicly and unapologetically. That matters because CCP’s diplomacy increasingly depends on projecting inevitability and psychological intimidation. The CCP wants both domestic and international audiences to believe China’s rise is unstoppable and that foreign leaders ultimately defer to Xi Jinping’s authority. Takaichi refuses to play along. From Beijing’s perspective, this is not just a policy disagreement. It is a direct challenge to Xi’s carefully cultivated image as a globally respected strongman. Japan increasingly appears to have correctly concluded that accommodating China only invites more pressure, not less. Many Japanese policymakers now realize that strategic ambiguity and endless concessions no longer work. As a result, the future of China-Japan relations will increasingly shift toward open strategic confrontation rather than cautious diplomatic balancing.

What exactly is China’s info-warfare even trying to convince people of? That 9 dash line is real? That reefs 1000s of KMS from China are somehow historically theirs? That everyone is provoking China by existing in their own EEZ? Lines so absurd anyone can tell they’re lies

I’d avoided this bc I assumed it would be a tired recitation of cold culture war takes but it is funny& a pleasure to read (also check out my fresh mani)