SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE FLICKS / SIX MAJOR REVIEWS OF WILD HORSE NINE

 By PillartoPost.org--John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell bring Martin McDonagh's dark comedy to the screen. Critics agree about the acting. Almost everything else is up for argument.

 Martin McDonagh, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, returns with Wild Horse Nine, a black comedy involving two veteran CIA operatives sent to Easter Island in 1973, shortly before the military coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende. 

John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell play the agents, with Steve Buscemi, Parker Posey and Tom Waits appearing in supporting roles. 

The film opened in American theaters November 6. Its early critical reception ranges from outright admiration to serious objections about its handling of political violence, guilt and redemption. 

Here is how six major review outlets see it. 

1. TIME OUT — FIVE STARS 

Review by Phil de Semlyen | September 3, 2026 

Time Out offers one of the film's most enthusiastic endorsements, awarding five stars and suggesting that McDonagh may have made his finest film yet. The reviewer considers Malkovich's performance a triumph, particularly his ability to transform a morally compromised intelligence officer into a figure of unexpected poignancy. The review admires the outrageous dialogue, the chemistry between the leads and the film's treatment of mortality. Beneath the comedy, it finds an aging man confronting the consequences of a life devoted to violence. 

Copy & paste for compete review: https://www.timeout.com/movies/wild-horse-nine-review-2026

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2. ROGEREBERT.COM — THREE & A HALF STARS 

By Matt Zoller Seitz | Venice Film Festival review 

RogerEbert.com sees something deeper than an eccentric buddy comedy. Its review examines how McDonagh uses friendship, Catholic notions of redemption and the approach of death to explore whether men responsible for terrible acts can recognize their moral failures. Malkovich and Rockwell receive particular praise, along with Buscemi. The reviewer acknowledges the film's leisurely pace and wandering conversations but argues that its apparently incidental exchanges gradually acquire emotional significance. 

Copy & paste for complete review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wild-horse-nine-martin-mcdonagh-sam-rockwell-john-malkovich-film-review-2026

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3. FINANCIAL TIMES — THREE STARS 

By Danny Leigh | November 5, 2026

The Financial Times finds much to admire in Malkovich's performance and McDonagh's sharply written exchanges, but questions whether the film successfully balances farce and tragedy. Its central reservation concerns redemption. Can a CIA veteran involved in supporting brutal political interventions be transformed into a sympathetic figure simply because he is dying and beginning to regret his past? 

The review finds moments of inspired comedy but suggests the screenplay makes reconciliation with its protagonist too convenient. 

Copy & paste for complete review: https://www.ft.com/content/52643872-ed99-4e6b-a893-0d248ad67c60

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4. THE GUARDIAN — THREE STARS 

By Peter Bradshaw | September 3, 2026 

The Guardian finds McDonagh returning to familiar territory: argumentative men, extravagant language, sudden violence and an uneasy relationship between affection and cruelty. Bradshaw enjoys the verbal sparring between Malkovich and Rockwell but considers the film less charming and less consistently amusing than the director's best work. The American political backdrop brings additional machismo and bloodshed without necessarily strengthening the comedy. The verdict is mixed: worthwhile performances, some entertaining passages, but hardly another In Bruges. 

Copy paste for complete review: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/sep/03/wild-horse-nine-review-sam-rockwell-john-malkovich-martin-mcdonagh

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5. EURONEWS — A STRONG ENDORSEMENT WITH RESERVATIONS 

By David Mouriquand | November 6, 2026 

Euronews sees the film as a satisfying collection of McDonagh's familiar strengths: ferocious language, eccentric characters, philosophical digressions and melancholy comedy. Malkovich dominates the assessment. The critic considers his performance among his best and suggests he will be a serious contender during the coming awards season. 

But the praise comes with reservations. The film introduces American interventionism as a substantial political subject without fully exploring it, while its female characters receive less development than the central male partnership. 

Copy & paste for complete review:

https://www.euronews.com/2026/11/06/euronews-cultures-film-of-the-week-wild-horse-nine-guns-coups-and-suicidal-birds

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6. THE NEW YORKER — THE DISSENTING VOICE 

By Justin Chang | October 30, 2026 

The New Yorker delivers one of the sharper objections to McDonagh's film. Chang admires the actors' abilities and the island cinematography but challenges the screenplay's moral perspective. For him, the historical suffering surrounding the Chilean coup becomes secondary to the emotional predicament of an American intelligence officer. 

The review also finds the film's shifts between political satire, sentimental friendship and mortality insufficiently convincing. Its central complaint is that McDonagh asks audiences to extend sympathy and forgiveness to a protagonist whose actions have contributed to enormous human suffering. 

It is an unusually pointed challenge to a film that many other critics find deeply moving. 

Copy & paste for complete review:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/11/09/wild-horse-nine-movie-review

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SUMMATION: THE CRITICAL DIVIDE 

By PillartoPost.org | Film Review Roundup | November 7, 2026 

Six critics, six perspectives, and one unmistakable point of agreement: John Malkovich is the chief attraction. Where they disagree is over what the film accomplishes beyond its performances. Some see a darkly funny meditation on death and friendship. Others see an entertaining screenplay struggling to reconcile its sympathy for aging CIA operatives with the deadly consequences of American foreign policy. Perhaps that is the question McDonagh wants moviegoers to argue about afterward: Can a man who has spent his life doing terrible things become sympathetic simply because he has finally begun to understand what he has done?

A film shouldn't be criticized simply because it offers a tilted view of a world event. That's like demanding a cross-country road trip or a barstool conversation in a Tribeca saloon explain the human condition. You can't take all the anguish that came out of Chile and expect to squeeze it between the doors of a crusty old sedan. Keep it in perspective. This is a barstool conversation turned into a movie. If the conversation doesn't work for you, finish your drink and move on to the next joint.

FRIDAY POLI-TIK CARTOONING

 

PillartoPost.org, above and below:

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AND FINALLY, ONCE & FOR ALL, FINGERS CROSSED, MAYBE SOONER, DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS AS YOU LEAVE PREDICTION:

THURSDAY TRAVEL / JUST ONE OF CALIFORNIA'S DRAMATIC NORTH BEACHES

Crescent City delivers a California coast of crashing surf, rocky headlands and towering redwo ods. Near the Oregon border, this working harbor town rewards travelers seeking salt air, forest trails and an unhurried escape. 

Founded in 1853 as a shipping and supply center for gold miners, Crescent City endured a devastating tsunami in 1964. Today, its downtown tsunami walking tour recounts the destruction and recovery. 

Follow Pebble Beach Drive for Pacific panoramas and offshore sea stacks. Battery Point Lighthouse, illuminated in 1856, welcomes visitors when tides permit access. Nearby Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park trades ocean thunder for the quiet grandeur of ancient trees. 

For lodging, Lighthouse Inn is a leading choice, earning strong traveler reviews for comfortable accommodations near the harbor. Breakfast is included. Dining standouts include Chart Room Restaurant for chowder, fish and chips, and sea lion watching; SeaQuake Brewing for craft beer, pizza and local fish; and Schmidt’s House of Jambalaya for Cajun flavors. 

Start mornings at Paragon Coffeehouse (above) or SeaFront Baking Company. Browse downtown around Third Street for boutiques, gifts and local finds, including Johnston’s Gift Garden Home and Tsunami Beach Company. Then return to the waterfront: Crescent City’s finest attraction remains the restless Pacific, providing an ever-changing finale to the day. 

Crescent Beach Overlook

AMERICANA / OLIGARCHISTS TAKE HEED; AMERICA'S REAL POWER HAS SPOKEN

Day before elections, 2026

An American Warning America woke up Wednesday morning with a political hangover. Not the ordinary kind that follows a bitter election, but one that raises an uncomfortable question: How long can a nation's governing class dismiss the frustrations of its citizens before those citizens decide they've had enough? 

 The French discovered one answer in 1789. America offered a different answer on November 3, 2026. Rather than storming a palace, voters went to the polls. Rather than overthrowing a monarchy, they changed the balance of power in Congress. 

 Yes, the circumstances were vastly different, but the historical comparison deserves consideration. France had its aristocracy, America its billionaires. France had a king and queen insulated by court privilege. America has elected leaders, powerful donors and political institutions increasingly scrutinized for their relationships with concentrated wealth. 

 The question is not whether another revolution is coming. It is whether those entrusted with power recognize the warning signs when voters deliver them. After all, the ballot box is one of democracy's greatest inventions. It allows a restless nation to make itself heard without overturning the furniture or chopping heads.

AMERICANA / AH, ELECTION DAY LIKE IT MIGHT BE AGAIN SOMEDAY

By PillartoPost.org in the style of the great Norman Rockwell

 

MEDIA MONDAY / CHANCES ARE GOOD FOR A DEMOCRATIC PARTY LANDSLIDE.

 

By PillertoPost.org daily online magazine staff--International media coverage sees Democrats favored to take the House, with a real—but less certain—chance of winning the Senate as well. As of today, October 19, a Democratic sweep is a credible possibility, not a settled forecast.

Three international outlets frame it this way:

• Reuters, October 19: Democrats are widely expected to capture the House; the Senate remains too close to call. reuters.com

• The Guardian, October 6: Republican difficulties have spread into normally safe states, creating additional Democratic opportunities. GOP campaign money remains an advantage. theguardian.com

• Al Jazeera, October 3: Democratic momentum has expanded the competitive map; Republicans are spending heavily on defense. Al Jazeera

The strongest fresh signal: Today’s Reuters/Ipsos poll gives Democrats a 47%–35% advantage among registered voters asked which party they would support for Congress. Trump’s approval is 31%. That national lead does not translate directly into Senate victories, which depend on individual state races. reuters.com

Democrats need a net gain of four Senate seats to reach 51. A 50–50 split leaves Republicans in control through Vice President Vance’s deciding vote. investing.com

Five likely early priorities if Democrats win both chambers: This is my synthesis of the reporting, rather than an announced five-point Democratic program.

1. Investigate administration conduct. Take control of committees, hold public hearings and subpoena records and testimony concerning alleged abuses. reuters.com

2. Challenge Trump’s appointments. Use Senate control to scrutinize or block judicial and senior administration nominees. reuters.com

3. Put household costs and healthcare first. Advance measures addressing insurance, housing and living expenses, putting Republicans’ responses on record. reuters.com

4. Confront tariffs and presidential war powers. Pursue legislation challenging those policies and restoring congressional oversight. reuters.com

5. Use budget negotiations to demand concessions. Both chambers would give Democrats greater leverage over spending and debt-limit agreements. reuters.com

Winning Congress would give Democrats substantial investigative and blocking power. Trump would still have his veto, and most Senate legislation would still face the 60-vote hurdle. reuters.com

What is the USA and international media saying about a blue wave; a real demo trouncing

Worked for 7s

Tom, yes—“blue wave” is now an explicit theme in American coverage, and international reporting describes conditions that could produce a substantial Republican defeat. A trouncing across both chambers remains a possibility, rather than the consensus prediction.

Here is what representative outlets are saying as of October 19:

Outlet	What it is reporting
CNN — United States, Oct. 18	Its average of recent national congressional polls puts Democrats nine points ahead—a serious warning for Republican candidates. Transcripts
The Washington Post — United States, Sept. 18	Its headline explicitly describes Democrats becoming bullish about a “midterm wave,” citing encouraging battleground polling, high prices and Trump’s unpopularity. washingtonpost.com
Cook Political Report — United States, Sept. 22	Charlie Cook calls it a “red undertow”: voters punishing Republicans, without necessarily embracing Democrats. He sees substantial GOP danger but says the scale remains uncertain. Cook Political Report
Reuters — international, Oct. 19	Today’s Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Democrats ahead 47% to 35%, their largest advantage this cycle, with Trump’s approval at 31%. reuters.com
Le Monde — France, Oct. 3 editorial	Sees Republican vulnerability in both chambers, linking it to Trump’s unpopularity, inflation and foreign-policy decisions. It also warns that electoral boundaries favor Republicans. lemonde.fr

How big a beating are analysts contemplating? A September Brookings commentary estimated 25–30 Democratic House gains, enough for a substantial rebuke of Trump, although its author stopped short of calling that a landslide. That is one analyst’s estimate, not an agreed forecast. Brookings

What could keep the wave smaller? Reuters’ October 12 analysis specifically examines why Democrats might fall short of a landslide: favorable national sentiment has fewer competitive House districts through which to produce gains. Its latest assessment still calls the Senate too close to call. MarketScreener

PILLARTOPOST.ORG says the coverage supports the possibility of a genuine Republican drubbing—especially in the House. It does not yet support confidently predicting a Democratic landslide in both chambers.

AMERICANA / WILL ELECTION DAY EVER ARRIVE?

 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL / MUSIC FOR THE EYES / INDIA

 

San Diegan Craig M., whose travel photography appears below, stands before the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. One of the world's most celebrated architectural landmarks, the white marble mausoleum was commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631. Construction began the following year and was completed in 1648 under the direction of court architect Ustad Ahmad Lahori. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the Taj Mahal remains a monument to enduring love and Mughal artistry. Scaffolding surrounding its minarets is part of ongoing restoration work by the Archaeological Survey of India to repair masonry cracks and preserve the historic marble.

Editor's note: Captions for Craig's photographs appear at the end of this article.

MORE ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER: CRAIG, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

Earlier this year, we introduced readers to Craig, a good friend of this publication and a retired professional pianist who makes his home in North Park, San Diego's historic Arts & Crafts neighborhood.

After a rewarding career in music, Craig now enjoys the freedom to travel the world, trading concert halls and piano keys for distant landscapes and the click of a camera shutter.

Recently, he generously opened his portfolio of travel photography to PillartoPost.org. Our first photographic journey with Craig took readers to the Netherlands on September 1, 2026. This time, his camera takes us to India.

For Craig, the transition from music to photography has been a happy discovery. As a professional musician, he learned that every performance demanded precision. A wrong note could not be retrieved once it reached the audience.

Photography, he discovered, is music for the eyes, with one welcome difference: It's considerably more forgiving. Nobody boos when you miss a picture.

Still, the two art forms have much in common. A piano and a camera are instruments that reward patience, discipline and an artistic eye—or ear. Both challenge the performer to capture something memorable.

Craig has found enormous pleasure in approaching each photographic outing as another artistic performance, this time with light, color and composition replacing melody, harmony and rhythm.

PillartoPost.org thanks Craig for sharing his travels and his remarkable photographic eye with our readers.

And where will his camera take us next? Craig has promised a surprise destination in Italy. Stay tuned.

INDIA PHOTO CAPTIONS: 

                                                                       1.

                                                                     2.

3,

                                                                    4.

                                                                    5.

                                                                       6.

                                                                    7.

                                                                    8.

                                                                        

9.

                                                                    

10.

11.

12.

CAPTIONS:

1. Boats at Sunset — Ganges River, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Golden-hour sunlight silhouettes traditional wooden rowboats on the Ganges River. The wide river, misty atmosphere and timeless boating activity capture a serene evening in India's ancient spiritual city. 

2. Market Boy — Northern India, Possibly Delhi or Uttar Pradesh A smiling young street vendor stands beside his weighing scale and fresh bananas at a bustling local bazaar. Devanagari writing on the background wall suggests a Hindi-speaking region of northern India. 

3. Cycling with Dad — Possibly New Delhi A father pedals his young daughter to school along a leafy, tree-lined roadway. Wearing her school uniform, she rides balanced on the crossbar of his classic black bicycle. 

4. Kedar Ghat — Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Young men perform synchronized exercises along the distinctive red-and-white striped steps of Kedar Ghat, overlooking the sacred Ganges River in Varanasi, northern India's spiritual capital. 

5. Dal Lake — Srinagar, Kashmir A vendor rows a wooden shikara boat loaded with colorful marigolds across the calm, glassy waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. 

6. Golden Temple — Amritsar, Punjab Seven young women pose beside the sacred reflecting pool of Amritsar's illuminated Golden Temple, Sikhism's holiest shrine, where pilgrims gather for prayer and religious observances. 

7. Historic Doorway — Possibly Ahmedabad, Gujarat An old bicycle rests against weathered wooden doors beneath a crumbling brick archway. Faded paint and remnants of a Calico Cloth sign suggest Ahmedabad, once famous for its textile mills. 

8. Qutb Minar — Delhi Framed by intricately carved sandstone ruins, Delhi's thirteenth-century Qutb Minar rises above its historic courtyard. The 72.5-meter victory tower represents one of India's most celebrated examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. 

9. Dal Lake — Srinagar, Kashmir Two boatmen navigate the tranquil waters of Dal Lake beneath dramatic white clouds and the majestic backdrop of the Zabarwan mountain range. 

10. Sadhu — Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh An ascetic Hindu holy man, known as a sadhu, dressed in traditional saffron robes and a turban, sits peacefully on the stone steps of a ghat in Varanasi. 

11. Traditional Tailor — Possibly Srinagar, Kashmir Wearing a patterned skullcap and warm cardigan, a smiling tailor guides white fabric through a vintage manual sewing machine inside his compact, fabric-lined workshop, possibly in Srinagar, Kashmir. 

12. Woman in red — Rajasthan An Indian woman dressed in a vibrant red traditional sari or ghagra choli smiles warmly while standing outside a village home in rural Rajasthan.

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RETRO FILES / WHITE HOUSE HALLOWEEN

 

On Halloween 2013, the Obamas greeted visitors on various days during the annual Halloween celebrations at the White House. 

FRIDAY FANS / WORLD SERIES BOO HOO

Halloween Hauntings from an Also-Ran Baseball City Congratulations, Milwaukee. The Brewers earned every damn minute of their remarkable season and postseason. 

The best team won. 

You deserve the champagne, the parade, the bragging rights and the hangovers. 

 But spare a thought for the rest of us poor bastards. 

 Especially San Diego, where another October has ended with the Padres watching somebody else celebrate. Another winter of wondering what went wrong. Another season of hearing that awful refrain, Wait'll next year. And this year we've got a ghost that won't go away. 

 Ty France. Remember that ninth-inning rocket in Milwaukee? The Padres trailing by a run, a man aboard, and France launching a baseball toward what looked like a miracle. A two-run homer would have put San Diego ahead. Instead, the damn thing hit a cable beneath the stadium roof, dropped into an outfielder's glove, and became an out. 

 An OUT! 

 Only in baseball can you hit a ball so hard and so high that the building gets credit for the putout. 

 Would it have cleared the fence? Nobody knows. But it had a chance, and for a few glorious seconds, so did San Diego. One lousy cable separated a possible victory from another kick in the teeth. And who knows where a Game 1 victory might have taken the Padres? That's the cruelty of baseball. 

The season ends, but the possibilities refuse to die. And one more thing, Milwaukee. Before you start claiming your city has never won a World Series, remember 1957. Hank Aaron and the Milwaukee Braves beat the New York Yankees in seven games. Different ownership, different franchise, same damn city. 

 World Series championships belong to cities. Ballplayers get pennants and paychecks. Cities get the glory, the parades and the memories passed from grandfathers to grandchildren. Milwaukee now has two World Series championships to remember. 

 San Diego? We're still waiting for our first. So are Seattle, Denver and Tampa Bay. Four cities, four empty trophy cases, and enough October finger pointing to fill a divorce court. 

 Happy Halloween, Milwaukee. 

Enjoy the bubbles and the bravado. The rest of us never-winners got another lump of coal. Yes, we're jealous, but wait'll next year. Damn it. 

And, when the stingy baseball gods deem the San Diego Padres worthy of a World Series title then all of baseball will see a celebration for the ages!

Until then: Nice going, Brewers!

OLD TIMES CAFE / ONLY READ THE GOOD NEWS

 

DESIGN / LONDON’S OXFORD STREET TO OPEN PEDESTRIAN MALL THIS WEEK

Designers look at a segment of London's Oxford Street when it becomes all pedestrian this week

A nearly one-kilometer (2/3 of a mile) stretch of Oxford Street will became a pedestrian mall October 26, removing buses, taxis, bicycles and other regular traffic from part of Britain’s best-known shopping street ahead of the Christmas shopping season. 

 The conversion will extend from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street, passing through Oxford Circus. Vehicles displaced by the change will be diverted onto nearby roads, where officials say traffic conditions will be monitored. 

 

The project is being driven by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who revived his campaign to pedestrianize Oxford Street in September 2024. His earlier effort failed in 2018 when Westminster City Council withdrew its support amid concerns about the effect on surrounding streets. 

 Proposals to change how people travel along Oxford Street have circulated for decades; the current conversion represents the delivery of Khan’s renewed initiative. City Hall presents the project as an effort to strengthen Oxford Street’s position as a shopping and visitor destination following years of pressure from online retailing, changing consumer habits and the pandemic. 

 

The intended benefits include more room for pedestrians, opportunities for outdoor events and dining, and a street where visitors can spend time beyond shopping.  

Responsibility for delivering the transformation rests with the Oxford Street Development Corporation, a public body established January 1, 2026. Its chief executive is Nabeel Khan (no relation), previously head of growth and environment at the London Borough of Lambeth. The corporation coordinates the regeneration programme with Transport for London, local councils, businesses and other partners. 

 Transport for London handles the highway and traffic changes that make the conversion possible. 

 The first phase’s design team is led by London practice East. Its collaborators include landscape firm J&L Gibbons, urban design consultancy Gehl, research and design practice Publica, Etude and Norman Rourke Pryme. 

East released initial images in October and says seating, new public spaces and trees will be introduced through the transitional stages, with improvements in place by spring 2027. 

 A separate team led by Hawkins/Brown is preparing a broader concept for Oxford Street’s full length, from Marble Arch to Tottenham Court Road. That wider assignment does not mean the entire street will close to vehicles October 26. 

 City Hall’s design brief provides for continued bus travel along the eastern section beyond the pedestrianization area. Former New York transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan (no relation) and Bloomberg Associates have also advised City Hall during development of the programme, bringing experience from the conversion of Times Square into pedestrian space. 

 Access arrangements will preserve some essential vehicle movements. Emergency vehicles and mobility scooters will retain access, while loading vehicles will be permitted between midnight and 7 a.m. 

Several north-south crossings, including Regent Street at Oxford Circus, will remain open except during temporary construction closures. These arrangements mean the new mall will still have vehicle crossings and controlled servicing access. 

 Public consultations helped shape the decision. In the 2025 consultation, 66 percent of respondents who expressed a view on pedestrianization supported it. A later consultation on detailed transport and highway changes received 2,716 responses. Questions about accessibility, diverted traffic, noise and air quality formed part of the assessment process. 

The consultation figures reflect participants’ responses, rather than a representative poll of all Londoners. October 26 marks the beginning of a phased conversion. The corporation plans limited initial construction to reduce disruption during the holiday shopping period, followed by seating, rest areas, trees and signage. 

Temporary arrangements will allow officials to gather feedback from residents, workers, businesses and accessibility groups before developing permanent improvements. A transitional scheme is expected to be in place by the end of spring 2027.  

LEST WE FORGET/ Oxford Street during WW2 Nazi bombing:

LOCAL / GIVE BLOOD, GET BURGERS: A HALLOWEEN TREAT IN CORONADO CORONADO, CA

There’s something deliciously vunderful brewing in Coronado, CA this Halloween week, and it involves a vampire, a blood drive and a free hamburger. Today Tuesday, October 27, Double Standard restaurant is teaming up with the San Diego Blood Bank for a community blood drive that promises to reward generosity with a hearty meal. From 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the San Diego Blood Bank’s Bloodmobile will be stationed outside the restaurant at 1202 Orange Avenue, ready to welcome donors willing to roll up their sleeves for a good cause. 

In return, everyone who donates blood will receive a free burger combo, including a single burger of their choice, fries and a soda. The complimentary meal must be redeemed the same day. 

The restaurant’s Halloween-themed promotion features a cartoon vampire enjoying a hamburger, a playful reminder that giving blood can be a treat for everyone involved. 

Of course, the real beneficiaries are patients throughout the San Diego region who depend on lifesaving blood donations. 

And unlike Count Dracula, the San Diego Blood Bank only accepts blood from willing donors. 

EVENT DETAILS: Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at Double Standard, 1202 Orange Avenue, Coronado. For restaurant information, visit doublestandard-sd.com. A Halloween-inspired vampire puts his appetite to work promoting Double Standard's October 27 blood drive in partnership with the San Diego Blood Bank. Blood donors receive a complimentary burger, fries and soda, redeemable that day.

MEDIA MONDAY / THE $25 BILLION PRICE OF BETRAYING AMERICA'S PRIVACY

How Cambridge Analytica transformed personal information into political intelligence—and why Meta's enormous court judgment matters to anyone who uses social media. 

 By the staff of PillartoPost.org daily online magazine--A New Mexico judge has put a $25 billion price tag on something millions of Americans have been giving away for years without realizing it: their personal privacy. 

The company being ordered to pay is Meta Platforms, parent of Facebook, one of the largest social media enterprises in the world. 

 The October 21, 2026, judgment follows a jury's finding that Meta repeatedly misled consumers about the privacy of their personal information. New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez pursued the case under the state's consumer protection laws. 

 Meta disputes the allegations and plans to appeal. 

Nevertheless, the extraordinary penalty returns public attention to one of the most troubling episodes in the history of social media: Cambridge Analytica saga. What did Cambridge Analytica want with information belonging to millions of unsuspecting Facebook users? 

The answer was political intelligence. The company wanted to learn how Americans thought, what concerned them, what interested them, and which messages might influence their political decisions. 

 To accomplish that, Cambridge Analytica turned ordinary details from people's online lives into psychological profiles designed to help political campaigns target potential voters. It was an extraordinary application of computer technology to politics, and it raised a question that remains unanswered for millions of Americans: 

Who gave anyone permission to do this? 

 THE PERSONALITY QUIZ THAT OPENED THE DOOR 

Cambridge Analytica's methods became public knowledge in March 2018, when investigations by The Guardian, The Observer, and The New York Times exposed the company's collection and exploitation of Facebook information. 

At the center of the operation was a personality-testing application developed by Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher affiliated with Cambridge University. 

 Facebook users were offered a modest payment to complete an online personality survey. What many did not realize was that the application could also obtain information concerning their Facebook friends. 

 The Federal Trade Commission later described how the application collected information about hundreds of thousands of participating Americans and tens of millions of their Facebook friends. 

 Many of those friends had never taken the quiz. 

They had not knowingly agreed to participate in Cambridge Analytica's research. Nevertheless, their information became part of an enormous database. The original participants were told that personally identifiable information would not be collected. 

Federal investigators subsequently found that this assurance was deceptive. The operation demonstrated how a relatively small number of participants could provide access to information about an astonishingly large population. 

WHAT CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA DID WITH THE INFORMATION 

Having obtained personal information, Cambridge Analytica set about answering a politically valuable question: What makes an individual voter respond to a particular message? 

 The company used computer algorithms to analyze Facebook activity, interests, demographic details, and other personal characteristics. That information was combined with voter records and commercial databases containing additional details about individuals. 

 The resulting profiles attempted to estimate personality traits, political concerns, and potential responsiveness to advertising. The company's approach was known as psychographic profiling. 

 One widely used psychological model, known by the acronym OCEAN, evaluates five broad personality characteristics: 

--openness, 

--conscientiousness, 

--extraversion, 

--agreeableness, and 

--neuroticism. 

Cambridge Analytica used personality assessments and behavioral information to divide individuals into groups that could receive different political messages. 

 For example, someone classified as particularly responsive to perceived threats might be shown advertising emphasizing danger or insecurity. Someone with a different psychological profile might receive an optimistic message about prosperity or opportunity. 

 The underlying political issue could be identical. The language, imagery, and emotional appeal could change according to the characteristics assigned to the intended audience. Instead of delivering one political advertisement to a broad population, campaign strategists could test different messages and direct them toward selected groups of voters. 

 That is the essential meaning of political microtargeting. The remarkable aspect was not that politicians were trying to persuade voters. Political persuasion is as old as democracy. The concern was that private information, sometimes obtained without meaningful consent, was being used to make that persuasion increasingly individualized. 

 THE GUN OWNERS WHO NEVER GAVE PERMISSION 

A particularly revealing investigation published by the nonprofit newsroom ProPublica in February 2025 demonstrated how extensively Cambridge Analytica's techniques could reach into ordinary American life. 

 Reporters Corey G. Johnson and Byard Duncan investigated the relationship between Cambridge Analytica and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms industry trade association. 

 The investigation documented how the gun industry had accumulated personal information about customers over many years, including information drawn from warranty cards and sporting goods purchases. 

 In 2016, Cambridge Analytica received information collected through this operation and combined it with additional information from commercial data brokers. 

 The resulting files contained details reaching far beyond firearms ownership. According to ProPublica, the information could include income, debts, religious affiliation, shopping preferences, charitable interests, and other personal characteristics. 

 Cambridge Analytica matched more than 1.3 million records and divided prospective voters into five behavioral groups. 

 These groups included people the company described as risk-takers, carers, go-getters, individualists, and supporters. 

 Different messages were developed for different groups. The company's work helped the firearms industry identify and contact voters it believed would respond favorably to its political objectives. 

 Among the most disturbing findings was the reaction of people whose personal details had been included in these databases. Some told ProPublica they had no idea their information had been collected for political purposes. 

One could buy fishing equipment, purchase a firearm, complete a warranty card, or shop at a sporting goods store without imagining that those transactions might eventually become part of a political intelligence operation. Yet that was precisely the sort of information Cambridge Analytica was using. 

 DID IT CHANGE THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION? 

Cambridge Analytica worked for Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016 and was associated with other political campaigns, including Senator Ted Cruz's Republican primary effort. Its executives promoted the company's ability to use psychological information to influence voters. The company certainly collected personal data and developed targeting methods intended to serve political campaigns. 

 But whether its psychological techniques actually changed the outcome of the presidential election remains unproven. 

 That distinction matters. 

 There is documented evidence of invasive data collection, personality profiling, and targeted political advertising. There is considerably less evidence establishing that these techniques persuaded enough individual voters to determine an election's outcome. The consequences for personal privacy, however, do not depend upon proving that Cambridge Analytica elected a president. The privacy violations stand on their own. 

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STEPS IN 

In 2019, the Federal Trade Commission brought proceedings against Cambridge Analytica and reached settlements with former company CEO Alexander Nix and application developer Aleksandr Kogan. 

The FTC found that Cambridge Analytica engaged in deceptive practices in collecting Facebook users' information for voter profiling and targeting. The company had already filed for bankruptcy in 2018. 

Facebook also agreed to a separate $5 billion FTC privacy settlement in 2019. The New Mexico judgment of October 2026 brings the controversy back into the headlines with a financial penalty five times that earlier federal settlement. 

The $25 billion award is subject to appeal, and Meta argues that its conduct and the calculation of penalties have been mischaracterized. Nevertheless, the judgment underscores the enormous legal and financial stakes involved when technology companies make representations to consumers about the protection of their information. 

THE PROBLEM IS LARGER THAN CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA 

Cambridge Analytica is gone, but the digital advertising economy that helped make its operations possible remains. Millions of Americans continue to supply personal information through social media, online shopping, mobile applications, loyalty programs, and countless other electronic transactions. 

Some information is supplied deliberately. Other details are inferred from browsing behavior, purchases, device activity, and online interactions. Data brokers can assemble information from numerous sources to construct profiles of individuals who may have little idea how extensively their behavior is being recorded or analyzed. 

Political campaigns are permitted to use many forms of commercial and voter information to reach potential supporters. Not every form of targeted advertising is unlawful, and political campaigns have long used voter records, polling, and demographic research. 

The central issue is whether consumers know what is being collected, understand how their information will be used, and have meaningful control over its distribution. In the Cambridge Analytica affair, federal regulators found that deception was part of the process. The public was deprived of the opportunity to make informed choices about information that belonged to them. 

WHO OWNS YOUR PRIVATE LIFE? 

There is an old expression that knowledge is power. In the digital age, personal knowledge about millions of people has become an extraordinarily valuable commercial and political commodity. 

 The Cambridge Analytica affair demonstrated how information collected for one apparent purpose could be redirected toward another. 

--A personality quiz became a source of voter intelligence. Customer transactions became political targeting tools. 

--Private interests became clues to the messages an individual might find persuasive. The fundamental question concerns the public's right to know who possesses its personal information and what is being done with it. 

The New Mexico court has attached a $25 billion penalty to Meta's conduct, although the appeals process may ultimately change that figure. But the larger question cannot be settled by a court judgment alone. 

When an American purchases a fishing rod, likes a Facebook photograph, or answers an innocent-looking online questionnaire, should that activity become raw material for a political operation without the individual's informed consent? 

Cambridge Analytica demonstrated that the technology exists to make such use of personal information possible. The New Mexico case is a reminder that the responsibility for protecting it remains a matter of considerable public importance. And $25 billion is a remarkable reminder of what can happen when that responsibility is challenged in court.  ###

EDITOR'S RESEARCH NOTES AND SOURCES 

--Associated Press, October 21, 2026: Report on the New Mexico judgment ordering Meta to pay $25 billion for violations of consumer protection laws.

https://apnews.com/article/b329f82c3d3db3758a159405acbd4d0e

--The Guardian, March 17, 2018: Original investigation into the harvesting of Facebook profiles and Cambridge Analytica's political activities.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/mar/17/cambridge-analytica-facebook-influence-us-election

--Federal Trade Commission, July 2019: Explanation of Cambridge Analytica's deceptive collection of Facebook information and its use for voter profiling.

https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/07/ftc-sues-cambridge-analytica-deceptive-claims-about-consumers-personal-information

--Federal Trade Commission, December 2019: Official findings and enforcement order against Cambridge Analytica.

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2019/12/ftc-issues-opinion-order-against-cambridge-analytica-deceiving-consumers-about-collection-facebook

--ProPublica, February 5, 2025: Corey G. Johnson and Byard Duncan's investigation into Cambridge Analytica, the firearms industry, and the political use of customer information.

https://www.propublica.org/article/guns-lobbying-cambridge-analytica-nssf-privacy-elections

--ProPublica, February 27, 2025: An illustrated investigation of the personality profiling system and targeted political advertisements developed for the gun industry's 2016 campaign.

https://projects.propublica.org/gun-owners-cambridge-analytica-data-psychological-profiles-privacy/ 

BLOOMBERG UNLEASHES WALLET / $80 MILLION TO DEMOCRATS

"That's all I got and better late than never, right guys?"

Bloomberg gives Democrats $80 million in an 11th-hour midterm push. . 

Shared from the New York Times:

Around this time every election year, Democrats begin to wonder: Where is Michael R. Bloomberg? And then, like clockwork, he makes his move — spending big money to help Democrats. 

 Mr. Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and Democratic megadonor, is again serving as a late-arriving white knight for the party, sending about $80 million in September and October to help Democrats in the midterms, his team told The New York Times. 

 The giving, some of which is still underway, will make him one of the largest known left-leaning donors in the midterms. His team provided details on the donations before most of them show up in new campaign finance filings on Tuesday and Thursday. “He believes in participation in our democracy,” Howard Wolfson, Mr. Bloomberg’s political adviser, said in an interview. “And obviously the scale of his participation, given his resources and his means, is greater than other people’s financially. But other people are participating in different ways.” 

 Will the money make a difference? After all, Mr. Bloomberg spent more than $1 billion on his own failed 2020 presidential campaign. “He is of the view that resources matter in campaigns,” Mr. Wolfson said. Still, Mr. Wolfson said that Mr. Bloomberg, 84, who exited elected office more than a decade ago, “expects a result.” 

 Mr. Bloomberg is particularly focused on ensuring a sizable Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, the chamber that Democrats are most hopeful of flipping and that he tends to focus on. Mr. Bloomberg’s autumn budget is similar to what he spent during the fall 2018 campaign, which his team sees as the gold standard for when he was able to make an impact politically. “Mayor Bloomberg played an incredibly instrumental role in the decisive midterm election in 2018,” Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the minority leader, said in a statement. “The extraordinary support from Mayor Bloomberg will once again help Democrats flip the House.” 

-- At least $50 million of Mr. Bloomberg’s latest spending is headed to House races, 

--including $24 million to Everytown for Gun Safety, a group he co-founded that is focused on the House this year. 

--Another $16 million is going to House Majority PAC, the super PAC aligned with Mr. Jeffries. 

The money makes Mr. Bloomberg the largest disclosed donor for both groups. Because Democrats are favored to win the House, big donors are sending more money to races for the Senate, which is seen as a tossup. Mr. Bloomberg wants Mr. Jeffries to have a governable majority — not just the 218 votes needed to become speaker. 

 “The difference between 221 and 230, in terms of the House majority, really matters,” Mr. Wolfson said, referring to how many seats Democrats could end up holding next year. Mr. Bloomberg’s infusion of cash will offer some relief to Democrats who have watched apprehensively as Elon Musk and President Trump’s super PAC have unleashed hundreds of millions of dollars to support Republicans. 

 Much of Mr. Bloomberg’s largess has gone toward helping Democrats keep up with Republican spending on television and digital advertising across the country. 

 Mr. Wolfson said that Mr. Bloomberg remained deeply concerned about what he sees as the leftward drift of the Democratic Party, particularly on issues like Israel. Mr. Bloomberg is not “directing” money to left-wing supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America, Mr. Wolfson said. Given his financial muscle and deeply held political views, Mr. Bloomberg is likely to play a role in helping to shape Democrats’ 2028 presidential primary race. 

 He has not made a decision on whom to support, Mr. Wolfson said, but one of Mr. Bloomberg’s donations this cycle backed Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a potential Democratic candidate for president. “He is a pragmatist. He is a centrist,” Mr. Wolfson said of Mr. Bloomberg. “I would be surprised if in the end he didn’t support someone who shared that orientation and was from that wing of the party.” 

 This year, around the time of Mr. Bloomberg’s donations, Everytown and House Majority PAC said they were working together on a roughly $10 million ad campaign for eight female House Democratic candidates who have worked on gun safety activism. Mr. Bloomberg’s funding of Everytown effectively freed up some of House Majority PAC’s money to be used elsewhere. 

 Mr. Bloomberg plans to soon spend an additional $10 million in House races, Mr. Wolfson said. During the spring, Mr. Bloomberg also spent $11 million to ensure that Assemblyman Micah Lasher emerged from a contentious primary to succeed Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York. 

 Since Sept. 1, Mr. Bloomberg has made other contributions, including $5 million to the super PAC allied with the League of Conservation Voters; $3.5 million total to a group focused on electing Democratic scientists and doctors; $2.5 million to a super PAC backing James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Texas; and $8 million to help Democratic candidates for governor in half a dozen battleground states. 

Mr. Wolfson said Mr. Bloomberg also donated $2.5 million in September and October to a super PAC backing the re-election bid of Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York. 

SATURDAY SILLIES / LIFE'S A GAS