Mar 15Member-onlyJanuary 6th exposes two competing propaganda regimes?By Kent R. Kroeger (March 15, 2023) “The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.” …January 6 20218 min readJanuary 6 20218 min read
Mar 2Member-onlyAnalytics is the difference maker in today’s Major League BaseballBy Kent R. Kroeger (March 2, 2023) My favorite scene in the movie Moneyball is the one where Oakland A’s general manager, Billy Beane (played by wonderfully Brad Pitt), having just been upbraided by the team’s head scout (played brilliantly by Ken Medlock) for relying too heavily on analytics when…Baseball8 min readBaseball8 min read
Feb 28Member-onlyThe ‘lab leak’ hypothesis clouds the real question that needs to be answeredBy Kent R. Kroeger (February 28, 2023) “People don’t deem you controversial because you are wrong, they deem you controversial because they wish you were wrong.” — Chris Frank “Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot.” — Charlie Chaplin “Trust by verify.” …Covid-196 min readCovid-196 min read
Feb 4Member-onlyHas the U.S. been experiencing a high number of excess deaths lately?By Kent R. Kroeger (February 3, 2023) Disclaimer: The following essay uses weekly mortality data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the European Mortality Monitoring Project (EUROMOMO). However, all interpretations, conclusions and opinions expressed herein are mine alone and do not reflect the views of…Covid-1913 min readCovid-1913 min read
Jan 21Member-onlyTo conjecture is to be human: Reactions to the Damar Hamlin dramaBy Kent R. Kroeger (January 21, 2023) Disclaimer: I am NOT an anti-vaxxer. Quite the opposite, at the earliest opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, I scheduled Pfizer/Moderna vaccinations for myself, my wife, my teenage son and my in-laws. I did the same for the first and second boosters. Nonetheless, I…Covid-1912 min readCovid-1912 min read
Nov 12, 2022Member-onlyRanked-Choice Voting could have corrected one great electoral wrong, but would reinforce anotherBy Kent R. Kroeger (November 12, 2022) Politicians and media pundits love shaming election deniers like myself. But no bother, I wear the badge of electoral discontent without guilt or embarrassment. …Ranked Choice Voting16 min readRanked Choice Voting16 min read
Nov 10, 2022Member-onlyAre She-Hulk and The Rings of Power ‘runaway’ hits?By Kent R. Kroeger (November 10, 2022) “Shows like The Rings of Power and She-Hulk have been runaway successes — why can’t keyboard warriors admit it?” Marc Burrows of The New Stateman asked his readers? Perhaps because it is not clear that they are ‘runaway’ hits? According to Nielsen Media…She Hulk9 min readShe Hulk9 min read
Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyWhy does Hollywood hate internet ‘trolls’ so much?By Kent R. Kroeger (October 26, 2022) Disclaimer: In the following essay, I use the pejorative term ‘trolls’ to represent a group online podcasters (primarily on YouTube) who are persistent critics of the content produced by mainstream Hollywood studios — particularly movies with overt social justice agendas. The term like…Disney9 min readDisney9 min read
Oct 16, 2022Member-onlyGeorgia’s U.S. Senate race says a lot about today’s politicsBy Kent R. Kroeger (October 16, 2022) There are two constants in how the U.S. news media and pundit class cover elections: (1) They love scandals, and (2) they are convinced that political campaigns matter. But reality is different. Most elections are predictable months before the general election (and often…Herschel Walker4 min readHerschel Walker4 min read
Oct 15, 2022Member-onlyHBO’s “House of the Dragon” versus Amazon’s “The Rings of Power”By Kent R. Kroeger (October 15, 2022) “The canons of narrative art in any medium cannot be wholly different; and the failure of poor films is often precisely in exaggeration, and in the intrusion of unwarranted matter owing to not perceiving where the core of the original lies.” — J.R.R…House Of The Dragon11 min readHouse Of The Dragon11 min read