Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Hannibal]

I just watched The Phantom Menace for the first time in almost a decade. It's remarkable how much better that movie looks now that they Disney sequels have come out. It has its flaws but it's a better movie in every way except for the Disney movies having more advanced technology available for the visuals. The Disney movies are also more faithful to the visual style in the originals, whereas the prequels look a little too clean in places. Other than that though, whether it's acting, writing, story, soundtrack, character development, action, choreography -- Lucas's films are leaps and bounds ahead of the Disney shit.

Even relatively minor stuff like sound effects are ten times better in the Lucas films. The audio in the Disney movies sucks (do a head-to-head comparison of the audio in the lighsaber fights in Lucas's films versus the Disney sequels and you will see what I mean).

It speaks volumes about how shitty movies have gotten just in the past decade (not just Star Wars). I'll be re-watching Attack of the Clones this week to see if I still think that movie sucks ass or if it looks better too.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Dunno much about the reliability of the AP-NORC poll but this is pretty terrible for Trump all around. Questions asked on 8/17 through 8/19

35% approval. 75% say the country is going in the wrong direction. Slightly underwater on the economy (47-52) but only 31% approve of his handling of covid and 36% approve of his handling of healthcare overall. 66% say the govt hasn't done enough to help small businesses or individuals.

https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/August-Topline-trump-1.pdf

[Dr. Strangelove]

I just watched The Phantom Menace for the first time in almost a decade. It's remarkable how much better that movie looks now that they Disney sequels have come out. It has its flaws but it's a better movie in every way except for the Disney movies having more advanced technology available for the visuals. Even relatively minor stuff like sound effects are ten times better in the Lucas films. The audio in the Disney movies sucks (do a head-to-head comparison of the audio in the lighsaber fights in Lucas's films versus the Disney sequels.

It speaks volumes about how shitty movies have gotten just in the past decade. I'll be re-watching Attack of the Clones this week to see if I still think that movie sucks ass or if it looks better too.

You must be joking. Jar-Jar. Jake Lloyd. Midichlorians.

[Ghengis Jon]

If there was any doubt that conservatives have utterly abandoned their beliefs and morphed into the Cult of Trump, its all clear now. The GOP will have no platform and have dedicated their efforts to unifying behind Dear Leader.


https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020...orm-trump.html

[iam416]

This whole thing reminds me of the quote from Walter Sobchak -- "Say what you want about the tenets of national socialism, at least it's an ethos."

The Rs may not have any sort of unifying ideology at the moment, as Hannibal noted. But good fucking god, the Ds sure do. Despite the fact that the D platform is almost entirely vapid aphorims and other vague, meaningless statements. We all know what that is hiding.

The question is whether "at least it's an ethos" matters if it's utter fucking garbage.

At the end of the day, I'm going to have to put my faith, again, in the Founders and the Constitution and hope that those intentional constraints again keep things in check. I'm not terribly optimistic.

[Dr. Strangelove]

This morning Trump is howling that CNN and MSNBC aren't showing live the roll call of the states at the RNC. And Fox is showing it but having anchors talk over it to cover other stories (like the two tropical systems about to hit Louisiana). The President is so furious because he knows getting to watch this is a big kitchen table issue for ordinary Americans. Which is why they chose to do it at 11AM

[Hannibal]

You must be joking. Jar-Jar. Jake Lloyd. Midichlorians.

Flaws for sure, but each of those has a similar one in the sequels that eclipses it in severity.

Take Jake Lloyd, for example. Yes, he couldn't act and his character is not well written. I thought it was bad. Then I watched Daisy Ridley do this for a couple of hours.

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u-3Ex7pFuZCwB6VGhRlyevTdJ4NHuDkalHdTs6sFw9HFdVgL74n54VZ7S0I35ykistC1mE1J4pn4yhXkR9othX6k44qFFvIwNbMo3v8SLniWnnzdrYhe5l5MdGwJUlanHXTAJA.jpg

Slack-jawed with wide eyes = Daisy Ridley's "acting".

And in Phantom Menace the flaws are offset by some strengths that the movie has (awesome soundtrack and sound effects, great lead characters with good acting performances from Neeson and McGregor, Great action with good choreography, especially with lighsabers, expansion of lore that doesn't take a shit all over the original trilogy, etc).

The sequel trilogy has no strengths. There are one or two good scenes, at most in the entire set. About 50% of it is unwatchable cringe.

[Jeff Buchanan]

You've all probably seen this today but an announcement was made featuring the president claiming that his efforts to thwart the FDA in trying to wreck his reelection chances in some deep state plot won FDA approval for "expanded use" of convalescent plasma. What this means is that the EUA has been modified to make it easier for clinics/hospitals to use it without a lot of paper-work.

First, this therapy is nothing new. Theoretically as the president claimed, it could reduce death rates by 35% - also nothing new. The problem was then and is now two fold: It doesn't always work and can produce a cytokine storm and two not enough people agree to either give or receive the stuff for any number of reasons - some of which they obtained from the vast amount of C-19 related misinformation on the web.

Medically, this doesn't change C-19 patient management much ..... it sure is an example of Trump clinging to any news, meaningless as it is, that he can tout to extricate himself from the shit-sandwich he has appropriately built for himself wrt the C-19 pandemic. It was no big deal or abrogation by the FDA of it's drug safety clearance role to find a pacifier for a whiney Trump.

IOW, nothing has changed on the get better from COVID front.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Random stories:

UAE backs out of a meeting with Israel after Netanyahu publicly raises objections to the Emiratis getting the same F-35 technology the US sells to Israel.

https://www.axios.com/uae-f-35-arms-deal-israel-meeting-united-nations-896c572c-0488-4b4a-b3c6-61d0103a4556.html

If you were wondering what that statement Jerry Falwell released last night was all about, here's your answer

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-falwell-relationship/

[Dr. Strangelove]

You've all probably seen this today but an announcement was made featuring the president claiming that his efforts to thwart the FDA in trying to wreck his reelection chances in some deep state plot won FDA approval for "expanded use" of convalescent plasma. What this means is that the EUA has been modified to make it easier for clinics/hospitals to use it without a lot of paper-work.

First, this therapy is nothing new. Theoretically as the president claimed, it could reduce death rates by 35% - also nothing new. The problem was then and is now two fold: It doesn't always work and can produce a cytokine storm and two not enough people agree to either give or receive the stuff for any number of reasons - some of which they obtained from the vast amount of C-19 related misinformation on the web.

Medically, this doesn't change C-19 patient management much ..... it sure is an example of Trump clinging to any news, meaningless as it is, that he can tout to extricate himself from the shit-sandwich he has appropriately built for himself wrt the C-19 pandemic. It was no big deal or abrogation by the FDA of it's drug safety clearance role to find a pacifier for a whiney Trump.

IOW, nothing has changed on the get better from COVID front.

The true tell that even Trump knew this wasn't the huge breakthrough he's been promising is that he only took 3 questions (two from OANN and Fox) before running out of the room. If this was really something to crow about he would've stayed for hours.

[lineygoblue]

Jemele Hill today says that America is just like Nazi Germany.

Oh yes. She's absolutely right.

The one thing that America and Nazi Germany had/have in common is that black women can go to college, get a degree, sign a big money contract with ESPN, and appear on national television to give their opinions on sports and politics.

Hill is also an accomplished author, and has had a regular sports column in the Detroit News.

Yeppers, .. just like Nazi Germany.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Jemele Hill today says that America is just like Nazi Germany.

Oh yes. She's absolutely right.

The one thing that America and Nazi Germany had/have in common is that black women can go to college, get a degree, sign a big money contract with ESPN, and appear on national television to give their opinions on sports and politics.

Hill is also an accomplished author, and has had a regular sports column in the Detroit News.

Yeppers, .. just like Nazi Germany.

Yeah, that was a moronic comment

[lineygoblue]

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Aw, darn.. I was about to put up a pro-BLM sign in my yard ...

[Hannibal]

Seeing as how Hill was only on ESPN because of her skin color (and not in spite of it), you would hope that she would have a little more appreciation for the society that has given her some golden opportunities, despite her being another just talentless media hack.

[Hannibal]

118401836_3955665984460027_988005764113076537_o.jpg?_nc_cat=1&_nc_sid=8024bb&_nc_ohc=TU9ieE1JJoEAX8MX8gI&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&tp=7&oh=acd4d0eda9d8ff996e4d7d5f342dfd14&oe=5F6A303D.jpg

Aw, darn.. I was about to put up a pro-BLM sign in my yard ...

Those pictures are fantastic.