MORNING THOUGHTS. Previously posted on my Facebook Page.

Again, I reiterate my utter disgust of today’s movies and TV series with dark lighting. Irritating. Filmmakers rationale: Movies today are often shot in darker lighting due to the switch to digital cameras, which perform better in darker settings. They say it helps “preserve highlights and skin tones.” Really? I disagree. Including in scenes that are supposedly lit, such as a dinner moment and in the bathroom while brushing teeth. Dark? Simply uncalled for. 🎥😾📽

NY Times: “We need mission-driven, imaginative news leaders who are not bound by the models of the past.” Not bound by models of the past? Past journalism is The Journalism. Four Ws and 1 H. Inverted pyramid. No opinion. No influencing. A spade is a spade. Triple-checked facts. And we spent hours in the field, embedded right where news happened. Not “imaginative” but factual. That, to me, is mission-driven journalism. Not today’s so-called journalism. 📜✍️📰

News: “2 visitors captured on video destroying ancient rock formations at Lake Mead.” Are people bored, deranged, or stupid? All of the above? To think that these hooligans and nincompoops are adults, not your uncontrollable 7 year old. Many in the guise of Leftist activism also ruin classic art in galleries. Yet others who couldn’t devise a more result-oriented protest mode, glue themselves in stadium bleachers or tie their ass to a basketball goal. Have a life! 😏😒👎

Food donations to war. Admirable, noble, humane. But food donations, as the war continues on or airstrikes of civilians go unabated, serve band-aid purposes. What the war needs is a cease-fire that leads to the negotiating table–towards lasting peace. Meanwhile, foods are a-plenty. For example, the U.S. wastes between 30-40 percent of its food supply, which is about 133 billion pounds or $161 billion worth. Most of Africa is starving. ☮️🍲☮️

News: “Jontay Porter receives lifetime ban from NBA for violating gambling rules.” Literally, Mr Porter gambled his million$ NBA salary away. Of course, he lost. I guess, the stupidity of youth? I mean, a 6-year college diploma will not even assure you a $1+ million (rookie) pay on your first real job. In fact, not even a PhD. So these young pro basketball players are so fortunate for an NBA contract. For sure, Jontay had some serious ass-whipping from mom! 🏀🎲👎

News: “Nike's U.S. track suit for Paris Olympics slammed: 'Everything's showing'.” Not so content with skimpy outfits, mostly by women in track and field events? Recently, the “transparent” pants of the L.A. Dodgers were also in the news. More palatable news seems to upstage sports games per se these days. Why is that? Corporate sponsorships. Uniforms don’t simply show numbers and colors. Company logos as well. Gotta buy the skin-tight sexy running shorts! 🎽🏋️‍♀️🎽

Unlike many, including my older brother Alberto and my son Duane, I am not into “extreme sports” or contact sports. Nothing’s wrong with them. Skydiving, motocross, kayaking, skis, climbing cliffs, or mixed martial arts and wrestling. As kids, dad taught us karate and judo. But I was never into those. But it doesn’t mean I am “scared” of danger. As a young journalist, I covered countryside wars, coup d’etats, narcos stake-outs, and violent street protests. 🏂🥋✍️

The object of U.S. and China competition is microchips or supply of the pertinent “ingredient,” silicon. Not “security.” But economics. America has recently invested $6.6 billion to Taiwan’s TSMC to build a factory in Phoenix. But TSMC is dependent on Chinese silicon. China produces 60+ percent of the chemical. Hence Treasury chief Janet Yellen went to China to negotiate. So Joe’s aggro actuations vs. Beijing is baffling. But that’s how he rolls. 🇺🇸☮️🇨🇳

Many would rather date someone with the same partisan stance. Left or Right. Conservative to a conservative; liberal to a liberal. But it doesn’t apply to me. I am a traditional Leftist activist. But most that I dated were either Conservative or apolitical. My current BFFs are typical Conservatives. Why do I blend with either polar extremes? I focus on the positive over the negative though we will never be the same. Yet there’s always something good to share. 👈🤝👉

On serious issues pertaining to (partisan) politics, cultural diversity and religion, I respond to or comment in relatively longer but complete sentences. No silly laughing emoji, nope. I fully express myself though, I reckon. I usually don’t respond or even read responses to my response since I believe I already said what I needed to. Also, the usual response/s or replies to responses are nasty, which I avoid. So I just scoot away and let others speak their mind as well. 🗣📱📲