How is everybody’s weekend going? Out enjoying this fantastic early fall weather?
I was in downtown Chicago Saturday night. Went and saw the new James Bond movie (worth the wait. Go see it). Reminded again of how less and less reliant we are these days on paper when we travel any distance.
From the time I left my house Saturday afternoon until the time I returned that evening, I had no physical record of my trip.
Parking? Spot Hero app.
Movie ticket/popcorn/soda (I indulged myself with a massive gut blaster of Mountain Dew. With popcorn, had to do it)? AMC app.
Drinks afterwards? Tab picked up.
I don’t know what this truly means when put in a larger cultural context.
I know this - I do like not having gas receipts stuck to the bottom of my floor boards.
Let’s proceed with the Six.
A Short History of the Great Barrington Declaration.
In October of last year, we were still in the infancy stages of the response to Covid. The vaccine was under production but still months away from distribution and use. Lockdowns from autocratic governors were commonplace. There had been minimal, if at all, public pushback from the medical community. All of that changed with the Great Barrington Declaration. This essay published by the Brownstone Institute is written by Jeffrey Tucker, one of the three doctors who wrote the document “that had a decisive effect in challenging the lockdown narrative and causing tens of millions to take a second look.”
Stanford Student Prefer Masks Over Bicycle Helmets.
The opening paragraph from this story says it all: “In April of this year, I witnessed something on the Stanford campus that will be seared into my memory forever: a student on a bicycle, wearing flip-flops, AirPods in ear, going the wrong way through a roundabout in an active construction zone, with no helmet. But like any good follower of science, the student was wearing a disposable blue face mask -- for safety, I guess.” Masks won’t protect the skull when it hits concrete. But helmets do.
The Decades Long Search For The Zodiac Killer Remains Open.
My two favorite serial killer films are “Seven” and “Zodiac.” What made the Zodiac Killer story so intriguing is the fact the case had never been solved. Until this week, or so criminal experts claimed. A group called the “Case Breakers” announced they had discovered the identity of the Zodiac Killer, responsible for multiple murders in the San Francisco area in the late 1960’s. But the FBI quickly rebuffed that theory and The Hill has the story.
On The Internet, We’re Always Famous.
For those that write online for a living, there is gratitude for how the internet allows them to reach so many readers without leaving the safety of their homes. That said, it also requires always being plugged in, always brand- building, always creating content to feed a never-satisfied beast. And that can be exhausting. As the article says, “Never before in history have so many people been under the gaze of so many strangers.” This deep dive from The New Yorker examines how we got here and attempts to answer the question of where we can possibly go from here.
A List Of the Most Anticipated Fall Movies.
Readers of the Six know how much we like our lists. This from The Daily Beast gives us a full montage of fall films to get off the couch and go see (Bond is one of them). What I like about this list is how it includes the trailers of each film as well. In case you missed the television commercials…Michael Myers returns. Again.
Gorilla Dies In The Arms Of Ranger Who Rescued Her.
A change of pace from all the insanely wild animal stories we like to publish on the Six. This is a heartwarming article about a gorilla that in 2007, was rescued in the Congo and a selfie taken by the rescuer became a viral sensation. Fourteen years later, that same ranger held the gorilla while she died of complications from an illness. Great photo at the top of this page.
Have a great rest of your weekend everybody. Thanks for reading as always.
Have a suggestion for the Sunday Six? Send email to jon@jonjkerr.com