Last week right about now I was
watching the Academy Awards. This year I came away with quite a few
interesting movies that I would like to see. Last night I watched my first
selection, Darkest Hour. This is the story of Winston Churchill's
first days in office and the momentous decisions that he was forced
to make. No one can know how they will react to the circumstances
they find themselves faced with. Winston Churchill turned out to be
a man who was the right choice for the time, despite some people's
misgivings.
While I knew of the plight of the men at Dunkirk I was not aware of the sacrifice made to save so many lives. The decision that Churchill made that day had to have been the most haunting of his career.
While I knew of the plight of the men at Dunkirk I was not aware of the sacrifice made to save so many lives. The decision that Churchill made that day had to have been the most haunting of his career.
If you haven't seen this movie, I
highly recommend it.
135 comments:
I can't watch movie portrayals of Churchill as the naff attempts to do those Churchillian mannerisms are always too distracting. And I didn't watch the Oscars as I knew they'd be unbearable, which was borne out by the clips I saw. However, Frances McDormand's sexist and exclusionary appeal for project finance for women didn't turn me off wanting to see Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. It's a fabulous movie.
Oh, and I came across this timeless classic which should have been on the list of great pop songs ;-)
Oops. I meant this timeless classic :) :) :)
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
That was my second choice, and yes, it is a fabulous movie. I watched that one last night. Towards the end it was reminding me of Crash with its wacky interaction between characters.
Oh, it's too bad you can't get past the Churchill mannerism portrayals. Darkest Hour was a very good movie with some fine acting. Also, while I was aware of the massive undertaking to get the troops evacuated at Dunkirk, before I saw that movie that is, I wasn't aware of the sacrifice of the garrison at Calais. A horrible devil's bargain to have to make.
It seems there has been explosive packages left on people's doorsteps in Austin, TX. Two people have been killed.
One has to wonder if all of the crazies are now crawling out of the woodwork.
The House Intelligence Committee has voted (along strictly partisan lines) to shut down their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections. They specifically disagreed with the intelligence community's unanimous conclusion that the Russians had been attempting to help elect Trump, and they found ‛no evidence’ of collusion between the Russians and Team Trump.
It would appear to me that they don't really expect these findings to be taken seriously; they just want to give their people some bullshit to sling during the next elections. It doesn't matter that damn near everybody knows it's bullshit, ‛cause the dedicated Trumpkins already know it's bullshit and they don't care. It's a line they can use to shrug off the ‛damned liberals’, and that's all they require.
No Trump collusion with the Russkis? I'm shocked. SHOCKED! (not really)
[Lynnette]: "One has to wonder if all of the crazies are now crawling out of the woodwork."
That's pretty horrible stuff alright.
"I'm shocked. SHOCKED!"
Are we to presume that you're not equally shocked to discover that the Congressional Republicans deny the consensus intelligence services opinion that the ‛Russkies’ were working to get Trump elected? (You managed to slide past that one.)
It would appear that Larry Kudlow (a long-time conservative socio-historical-economic pundit of sorts--BS in History I think from the University of Rochester, New York and thus a genius in economics according to Republican economic theory), Kudlow is supposedly set to become Trump's next Director of the National Economics Council and Trump's chief economics advisor.
The best and the brightest as Trump promised us.
Yeah, right.
Looks like Trump doesn't wanna upset the NRA after all ... seems to be rowing back on raising the gun buying age from 18 to 21. I notice he has a slight problem with consistency.
In a move certain to increase his impact on ‛the international stage’, Trump has summarily fired Rex Tillerson this morning.
I notice he has a slight problem with consistency.
lol!
Trump has summarily fired Rex Tillerson this morning.
Despite his gutting of State I had actually come to think of Rex as a sane voice. Shows you how low the bar has been set.
Trump is picking Mike Pompeo as his next vict...er Secretary of State.
"I had actually come to think of Rex as a sane voice."
Sanity does not imply competence. Yeah, bar's been driven pretty low.
On the other hand…. It would seem even Petes isn't available to argue against the conclusion that the ‛Russkies’ were actively supporting Trump, trying to get him elected. And, on that note, I notice new charges out today that members of Team Trump (Roger Stone, specifically) were in contact with Julian Assange himself, in proper person, during the 2016 presidential campaign.
And, the porn star has supposedly given an interview to CBS, to be aired soon on 60 Minutes. Perhaps we'll learn soon whether those old wives' tales about short hands are true.
It looks like the FBI tried to visit the "sex coaches" in the Thai jail, but were denied access, since they weren't relatives or their legal council.
Meanwhile, in the UK they are up in arms about the poisoning of a Russian spy and his daughter. Putin is claiming to know nothing and Trump is saying that of course if the Russians are guilty he would condemn the attack. Yeah, right.
Polls close in Pennsylvania at 8:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time.
It's beginning to look like the British Prime Minister just may back Trump into a corner on this Russian poisoning thing. I think she's going to the House of Commons tomorrow with an official British government declaration that Russia (Putin) was behind a chemical weapons attack directed against British soil, and she's maybe even gonna call it a casus belli and call for retaliation against Russia.
Trump will then have to decide whether he's going to support the Brits or keep Putin happy.
We can reasonably assume Petes will keep his head down on this one and hope it goes away. But, given how Theresa May's been handling this so far, that's likely not gonna happen.
At the moment the race in Pennsylvania is neck and neck. With Washington Co. in the Democratic candidate (Lamb) leads by 95 votes. It appears that the absentee ballots will be the deciding factor.
Don't ever let anyone tell you that your vote doesn't count.
This is a district that Trump won by double digits (around 20% I believe). Is there hope that the country has woken up?
Looks like the Democrat won, by fewer than 700 votes. There's no automatic recount because it's a district election, and Pennsylvania laws on automatic recounts only apply to state-wide races. The Republicans can petition for a recount, but they probably won't. (Not so much because of the expense and hassle involved, but because it's a nine-month term in a district that will disappear in the next elections because of re-districting.)
Pete: "I can't watch movie portrayals of Churchill as the naff attempts to do those Churchillian mannerisms are always too distracting."
That too. Also that Churchill wasn't really such a nice guy. Staunch with that stiff upper lip, sure. But also very ruthless.
In WW1 he said that he held great faith because the blockade was "starving every German, every man woman and child" into submission.
Later on in the 1920's he advocated machine guns from airplanes and toxin gas to deal with the then uppity Iraqis.
The victor writes history, as we all know, and Churchill was on the victorious side in every conflict up until his last election. If he hadn't been his legacy would be that of a maniac war criminal instead.
Lynnette: "It looks like the FBI tried to visit the "sex coaches" in the Thai jail, but were denied access, since they weren't relatives or their legal council."
What? I must have missed that completely. Do elaborate.
Lynnette, check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNctnK1LUwQ
... it's a nine-month term in a district that will disappear in the next elections because of re-districting.)
All I would like to see is a little sanity coming back into government. If this is a sign that might be happening then I'll take it.
What? I must have missed that completely. Do elaborate.
Russian sex coaches
Perhaps it's "fake news"?
MSSA
"I would like to see is a little sanity coming back into government."
I may have jumped to a premature conclusion. The Republicans are threatening to file a petition for a recount.
However, this election was a sign of sanity returning to the process, if only because the prior holder of the seat was obliged to resign when it came out that he (as a dedicated ‛right-to-life’ type Republican), had been trying to get his mistress to undergo an abortion so's to keep the affair quiet; turned out she wasn't pregnant after all, but he'd already sent her e-mails urging the abortion. Trump would have survived it, of course, but he wasn't Trump.
And, more importantly, the re-districting was ordered by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which held that the Republican gerrymandered districts then in existence were illegal for being blatantly political in design, and illegal under the Pennsylvania State Constitution (thus bypassing the newest federal Trump Courts and almost certainly fixing it so's that even the new Trump Supreme Court will be reluctant to interfere)
Lynnette:
"Perhaps it's "fake news"?"
Probably it is yeah. Almost certainly it is fake fucking "news".
Russian whore-runners caught in Thailand and facing thai justice; they would say anything to get out of there for sure. Imagining up a scenario involving Trump at least gets them some attention, or so they thought at least.
That Trump wuld be involved in a sex-ring in Thailand with russians connected to an anti-Putin Oligarch in the sleaziest town in the world- Pattaya... well think for yourself, is that even remotely credible?
I find this whole "Trump fucked pornstar" thingy much more credible. At least I can see that taking place. I'm not sure he did screw that pornstar, but I wouldn't be all that surprised if he did.
But Trump going to Pattaya, the locale where 60 YO european plummers and truck-drivers go to fuck young asian girls, and somehow ending up with hookers connected to an anti-Putin Oligarc... I mean come on! Even YOU can't believe that bullshit.
... almost certainly fixing it so's that even the new Trump Supreme Court will be reluctant to interfere)
Yes, probably more important than the current election when considering the long term ramifications.
Russian whore-runners caught in Thailand and facing thai justice; they would say anything to get out of there for sure.
...so as not to be sent back to Russia. You are probably right.
As for who Trump has sex with I really couldn't care less. That is Melania's problem.
Of more concern are things like making up facts to suite him, such as our trade deficit with Canada, which doesn't seem to exist except in Trump's imagination.
[Marcus]: "But Trump going to Pattaya, the locale where 60 YO european plummers and truck-drivers go to fuck young asian girls, and somehow ending up with hookers connected to an anti-Putin Oligarc... I mean come on! Even YOU can't believe that bullshit."
It's probably no more bizarre than some of the stuff that was floating around about Obama. Unfortunately many Americans take leave of their critical faculties when it comes to dissing the political opposition.
[Lynnette]: "Despite his gutting of State I had actually come to think of Rex as a sane voice. Shows you how low the bar has been set."
It's true, he wasn't the worst of a pretty bad lot. Probably didn't deserve to get fired by Tweet at any rate. Seems like a new low for Trump -- he didn't even do that on The Apprentice.
Trump also seems weirdly low key on the Russian poisoning in Salisbury. A nerve toxin attack on NATO soil is not exactly small beans. Russia under Putin has become one of the most despotic countries on the planet, and it's not like there isn't lots of competition. If you wanna see proper fake news in action, the Russian media reaction to Britain is a sight to behold. Between spy-killer Putin and newly crowned lifetime Dictator Xi, Little Rocket Man might turn out to be the least of America's problems in Asia.
It would appear that neither of our two genius Europeans have figured out that Russian whores don't just pop up full grown out of the ground in Thailand. I'd expect that most often they're Russian whores before they show up in Thailand.
Oh, and to help our geniuses out a touch further…. Trump has made it clear that pronouncements by his diplomatic corps, right up to the cabinet level members, are not to be taken as definitive. He's said it clearly and plainly, the only thing that matters is what Trump actually says, what his minions say means nothing. So far Trump has said only that ‛it appears’ that Russia may have been behind the chemical weapons attack in Britain--that's a ‛maybe’; that's all that is.
The Federal Election Commission is now investigating allegations that the National Rifle Association received contributions from Russia which were then ‘laundered’ into the Trump campaign. Politico.com
An investigation doesn't mean it's true, but it does indicate that somebody's seen somethin’ that warrants lookin’ at a little closer.
Andy McCabe is the next victim to fall in Trump's battle against the Russia investigation. Sessions just fired him two days before his retirement, stripping him of his pension.
The general rule is that FBI agents have very little recourse if fired (different from most other federal employees). However, Trump's obvious personal interest in seeing to it that McCabe was stripped of his pension may make a difference here. Could be that McCabe gets his pension after all. I think we can be sure it's gonna get litigated. Could be another situation where Trump's twitter account gets dragged into court.
Speculation is running that McCabe will soon be writing a book. Yup, I can so see that happening. Something Trump & Co. may come to regret. Because he is now pretty much free to speak his mind.
Comey's written a book too. It's in the editing process right now, and being looked at by the publisher's legal department as well as being gone over by the FBI, which has a right to block some information on national security grounds. They've kept a lid on what's in it, but Comey's got stuff to say too.
Russia under Putin has become one of the most despotic countries on the planet, and it's not like there isn't lots of competition.
Yes, and that is a very serious concern, especially as there is evidence of Russian cyber snooping into our infrastructure. Putin is not our friend.
Trump is the perfect distraction. Something we need to be aware of.
...Comey's got stuff to say too.
That's probably an understatement.
Needless to say I will probably buy that book.
Pete: "It's probably no more bizarre than some of the stuff that was floating around about Obama. Unfortunately many Americans take leave of their critical faculties when it comes to dissing the political opposition."
I honestly can't remember any such stuff about Obama except for that birth certificate thingy, which I paid no mind to really. But perhaps you're right and there were rumors about Obama paying to get pissed on by hookers in a bed that... I guess it must have been in a bed where George W Bush had previously slept.
Lee seems to actually believe that Trump paid russian whores to piss on him in a hotel-bed in Moscow he chose because Obama had previously slept there, and that he then liasioned with those, or other, russian whores in Pattaya, the world's sleaze capital, no doubt for even worse kinky stuff. But that's just Lee. And we all know where we have our 'ol Lee, don't we Pete?
Lynnette: "As for who Trump has sex with I really couldn't care less. That is Melania's problem."
Maybe she just won't pee on him though, and maybe he really needs that to get hard or whatnot. I'm not sayin' that's the case but if it is you could maybe sorta see how he would need to travel to Moscow, find a room where Obama had previously slept and pay russian whores to piss on him on that bed?
I mean, if it's between two, or three, or four consenting adults and fair payment was made I really don't see why we sould seek to blame someone here. The russian hookers got paid a fair wage and Trump got pissed on and could finally get hard. Win win.
Kinda reminds me of this Bill Hicks (great comedian) shtick about Rush Limbaugh not ever being able to get hard unless he laid in a tub and Reagan peed on him. Fucking funny. Hilarious. Yall should check his stuff out, some is on Youtube. I mean he's a leftie and all, but he's real talented.
"Speaking of Satan, ah... I was watching Rush Limbaugh the other day. Doesn´t Rush Limbaugh remind you of one of those gay guys who likes to lay in a tub while other men pee on him? Am I the only one one? Can´t you just see his fat body in a tub with Reagan, Quayle and Bush just chhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Just standing around pissing on him, and he can´t - his little piggly-wiggly dick can´t get hard.
- Aargh, aargh, I can´t get hard. Reagan, pee in my mouth!
- Well, how´s that, Rush?"
From: Rant in E minor.
"Lee seems to actually believe that Trump paid russian whores
to piss on him…"
That version of the story seems to be unique to Sweden.
Oh, I gone done broke yall's rules on civil speach at this here fine and upstanding blog. Sorry about that. Or as a chinaman would say: me so solly! Velly, velly solly!" Or as an African woul.... no, better not go there.
Sorry. I do apologize.
Lee: "That version of the story seems to be unique to Sweden."
So you're saying that you do NOT believe the pissgate dossier that Crooked Hillary and the DMC tried to push to get Trump in trouble?
Perhaps then you'd be on board with actually prosecuting the people behind that dossier who were tryin' to hoax this stuff?
I mean, it went all the way to the top. Top feds were looking into pissgate after all.
Isn't it some sort of crime to try to hoax such a thing against an elected President?
"Isn't it some sort of crime to try to hoax such a thing against an
elected President?"
You appear to have forgotten Trump's eight-year campaign in promotion of the story that Obama was actually born in Kenya.
Mueller seems to have McCabe's notes on his meeting with Trump. I am not sure how much that will affect the investigation as it would appear to be "he said/he said" type of evidence. Now a recording of the meetings...
Perhaps what may be more damaging to Trump and his Republican colleagues is simply the not so slow drip drip of drama that spills out of Trump's White House. At least for those down ballot.
I have read that the Koch brothers and their allies are going to start a media campaign next week in support of the tax "reform" law. Sure it is...for them.
What time is it in Sweden?
I love this quote:
"When the full extent of your venality, moral turpitude, and political corruption becomes known, you will take your rightful place as a disgraced demagogue in the dustbin of history," Brennan wrote, warning the President: "You will not destroy America ... America will triumph over you."
This one isn't bad either:
"Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not," Comey tweeted.
Interesting that for once the CIA and the FBI, at least former members, are on the same page for once.
Australian Minister of Interior suggests Australia might "fast track" immigration cases from white South African farmers, since they're being hounded by the black government and torture-killed by black gangs:
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/14/dutton-considers-fast-track-visas-for-white-south-african-farmers
The black government in South Africa is up in arms over this and demand Australia does no such thing.
For some reason the black government seems less inclined to let whitey escape... (funny, I thought gettin' rid of whitey was their goal) or they realize they do need whitey after all, to keep things running.
Their motives of trying to keep whitey in place while also hounding whitey at the same time are less than clear at this point in time.
Lynnette, Sweden is 6 hours before Minnesota. GYIF here. You shouldn't really have to ask about stuff like that.
Lee: "You appear to have forgotten Trump's eight-year campaign in promotion of the story that Obama was actually born in Kenya."
A valid question though. I was never a believer in that theory but IF it had been true it would have meant Obama was not fit to serve as President. I think that's settled by now but it was a valid question to ask at the time. Or is it settled? Has the birth certificate ever really been made public? If not, why not?
[Lynnette]: "What time is it in Sweden?"
[Marcus]: "Lynnette, Sweden is 6 hours before Minnesota. GYIF here. You shouldn't really have to ask about stuff like that."
LOL. Actually, Sweden is 6 hours after Minnesota (assuming you're talking about the clock time and not the sunrise). Next week it'll go back to the normal seven hours.
Oh, and Lynnette, I suspect you guessed same as me ... it's bender o'clock in Sweden :) :) :)
"…it was a valid question to ask at the time."
Obama's birth at a local hospital was reported in the local (Honolulu) newspaper in real time in August of 1961. Those archives were available at the local public library. Hard copy and microfiche.
"……it was a valid question to ask at the time."
And, there is no evidence that Obama's mother ever visited Kenya. So, other than Obama's skin color, what made that a valid question at what time?
Gaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! I did a post several hours back which definitely "took" ... but now it's gone! I had taken the trouble to paste about ten links to the breaking story about Cambridge Analytica (probably the real culprit behind the Trump-Russia leftie conspiracies). You'll have to follow the links from the article above.
[Marcus]: " I think that's settled by now but it was a valid question to ask at the time."
Yes, just as valid a question as whether he was the antichrist, or a member of the reptilian elite, or that Michelle was secretly a man. :-/
"…probably the real culprit behind the Trump-Russia leftie conspiracies…"
Apparently you can't tell the players without a program. Cambridge Analytics is a conservative outfit allied with the Mercer family and with Team Trump. They're not involved in any ‛leftie’ organizations, conspiratorially inclined nor otherwise.
Friday was the fiftieth anniversary of the Ma Lai massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians. I just watched an old BBC HardTalk interview with Hugh Thompson Jr., recorded in 2004. Thompson was the soldier who eventually halted the massacre by getting his helicoper crew to train their guns on members of 2nd Platoon, Company C and threatening to kill them if they didn't call off the operation. Nobody was ever properly called to account for the massacre, and Thompson received death threats and dead animals on his porch for his intervention. He was eventually decorated, but not until thirty years after the event. He died of cancer two years after the BBC interview.
.. it's bender o'clock in Sweden :) :) :)
;)
I just finished watching a movie I would not recommend, Lady Bird. *sigh*
Thompson was the soldier who eventually halted the massacre by getting his helicoper crew to train their guns on members of 2nd Platoon, Company C and threatening to kill them if they didn't call off the operation.
I have heard about what he did. He acted with valor, deserving the commendation, no matter how late it might have been.
Trump is making noises like he wants to fire Mueller. I suppose there is more than one way to end his Presidency.
I don't think that a Republican House would coöperate in forcing an ‛end’ to his Presidency over the firing of Robert Mueller. I don't think they'd go for that.
It seems that Putin has come up with a long list of possible countries that could have been behind the poisoning of the Russian spy and his daughter, none of which are Russia. However, oddly enough Sweden made the list. Hmmm...
CBSNews reports that the famously cheap Trump claims to have paid $6 million for data and voter analysis illegally scooped up from Facebook by Cambridge Analytica which he now claims Team Trump never actually used.
Yeah, right…. Question now is whether or not Mueller can prove otherwise.
Here is an another article from the same source as Petes was linking above (Petes @ Sun Mar 18, 09:10:00 pm ↑↑) which makes it clear that this was no ‘leftie conspiracy’ as Petes claims, but rather was the work of the Mercer family who are substantial Trump backers.
(I'm beginning to wonder if Mueller might perhaps be charging Trump with espionage before this is all over.)
(I'm beginning to wonder if Mueller might perhaps be charging Trump with espionage before this is all over.)
Something along those lines had occurred to me. However, most of the analysts in the press that have looked at Trump's behavior are still likening it to the mafia or a drug cartel's reaction when cornered by the FBI. That is, the slandering of a law enforcement officer's character and metaphorically killing him off, in the case of McCabe. So still thinking along the lines of criminal activity pertaining to his business operations.
But I wouldn't put it past Putin to attempt to get a high placed mole in the White House. A coup for him if it happens to be the president.
...the slandering of a law enforcement officer's character...
He appears to be doing that now with Mueller, perhaps in attempt to forestall whatever is coming.
[Lynnette]: "But I wouldn't put it past Putin to attempt to get a high placed mole in the White House. A coup for him if it happens to be the president."
If Trump is a Russian mole then Michelle Obama is a man who married the reptilian antichrist. :)
(assuming they were married, which might have been a problem without a birth cert ;-)
[Lynnette]: "I just finished watching a movie I would not recommend, Lady Bird."
Really! I quite like Saoirse Ronan -- she did some good offbeat sci fi in her younger years (yes, I know she's still young). But the trailers for Lady Bird looked absolutely rubbish and I was wondering what all the fuss was about. I even heard critics claiming that women particularly loved the film. What turned you off it?
Speaking of women liking movies, I see even the feminist treatment of Mary Magdalene isn't enough to get any kudos from the critics. It looks dire. For a start, Joaquin Phoenix is too old to play Jesus, and he looks it. I laughed when I heard one critic refer to it as "The Most Boring Story Ever Told". It looks it.
Marcus -- would you pay extra for lunch? ;-)
(Trigger warning: don't read this after 5pm on Friday or Saturday night :)
Oh, forgot to mention I watched Valerian (and the City of a Thousand Planets) the other night. It's an already forgotten flop from last year, written and directed by Luc Besson (who did another movie I quite liked with Milla Jovovich as a slightly crazy Jeanne D'Arc). I can see why critics panned Valerian. The dialogue isn't the greatest and there's a distinct lack of chemistry between the hero and heroine. That's probably why I loved it :)
I watch movies for escapism. And Valerian is an escapist fantasy, with probably the best visual effects I've ever seen even when not on a giant screen in 3D. It's genuinely good sci-fi with highly inventive settings and has a passable plot. Even the dialogue can be given the benefit of the doubt for a droll sense of humour, if you picture the main characters as a pair of Han Solos, rather than a Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia :)
I suppose you couldn't relly fault anyone for falling to their knees for this ;-)
The U.S. Supreme Court declined today to review the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision throwing out the Republican gerrymandered district map for Pennsylvania. Politico.Com This is the first court order based on partisan political inspired gerrymandering (as opposed to racially motivated gerrymandering). This is a big win for those of us who'd like to see our political system cleaned up.
(Throwing out the Citizens United decision is about the only that that'd be bigger.)
Today is the Illinois primaary.
This might be interesting to watch to get a feel for who is leading in the fight for the soul of the Democratic Party.
I saw that about the Supreme Court decision on the Pennsylvania gerrymandering case. Very good news, indeed.
I don't know that ‛the soul of the Democratic Party’ resides in Illinois, but it should be an interesting day there nonetheless.
If Trump is a Russian mole then Michelle Obama is a man who married the reptilian antichrist. :)
If Trump is a Russian mole than Vladimir Putin isn't as smart as everyone seems to think he is!
However, I can see him being used by the Russians to try to disrupt our political system (even more than it already is, that is) and encourage division within our country. A distraction from events happening around the world.
What turned you off it?
Almost everything. The plot revolved around the relationship between a mother and her daughter, who wants to go to college out of state. Predictably her mother wants her to go to a college in state, which is cheaper and closer to home. The acting was good, but the plot I felt was rather thin. There were scenes that were dark, literally I mean, where the lighting made it difficult to see what was happening. And I can't blame my TV, since I just got it last year. The whole movie seemed predictable, in fact. Unlike Three Billboards which had so many interesting twists and turns, with fascinating characters.
The best scene was used in the trailer, where they are riding in the car and the daughter jumps out. When that happens you know it's not that great.
I guess I should have opted for the fish movie. But I have to be in just the right mood.
I watch movies for escapism.
Ready Player One is out this month in theaters.
Pete: "LOL. Actually, Sweden is 6 hours after Minnesota (assuming you're talking about the clock time and not the sunrise). Next week it'll go back to the normal seven hours."
Well, that's kinda like when you ask for wind directions. Does western wind mean the wind is coming from the west or blowing westwards? Easy to confuse the two. We are currently 6 hours BEFORE Minnesota as I said, since a given time, say 17:32 as it is now here, happens here 6 hours before it happens in Minnesota. Perhaps that's not the way it's decided time differences should be told in Ireland, or even Internationally, IDK. In my country it is.
In any case I guess it would be enough to say there's a 6 hour time difference and let Lynette work it out herself.
Pete: "Oh, and Lynnette, I suspect you guessed same as me ... it's bender o'clock in Sweden :) :) :)"
And you suspected I never suspected the same from that otherwise irrational question?
Growing a tad bit tired over here 'bout the "you're just drunk again" counter argument. Yeah I get tanked sometimes, what of it?
But often the stuff I type with a great degree of sarcasm, like making fun of the insane but quite real pissgate dossier, is not the ramblings of a drunkard, it's just a sane person making fun of abject insanity some of ya'll seem to be completely blinkered to.
Pete:
"Marcus -- would you pay extra for lunch? ;-)
(Trigger warning: don't read this after 5pm on Friday or Saturday night :)"
I actually read that more than a week ago and just shrugged it off. It's ONE eating place way across the world and they will pull this stunt, get a boon in the short term maybe, and then lose in the long run and have to shut down. Why should I really care?
I truly think they will lose more than they temporarily gain from this stunt. Me, myself, I would never eat there. Not even eat there and not pay extra, I would of course stop eating there at all even if I lkiked their food.
Also in every such case we should contemplate the reactions of putting front the now quite tiring but still quite effective "what if roles were reversed"-argument.
Me putting up a food-stand in Malmö and putting up a sign saying "white Swedes - half price!"
Then justifying it with whites in general contributing more to the tax base and if they are forced to pay more taxes they should get my streetfood cheaper.
Can you imagine the reactions? You think I could have stayed in business even for a few days?
Pete: "I watch movies for escapism."
Me too for the most part. Which is why I like TV-series better than movies in general. Great TV series lets you get to know the characters in a way a 2 hour movie just won't let you.
I'm on Netflix now, late I know - I am slow to adapt to new things, but before that I usually bought TV-series on DVD:s. In Ideal cases the whole series in a DVD box, but I have run out of them at this point.
Of course "Game of Thrones" is GREAT, and I can't imagine anyone saying otherwise. But there are less known gems out there. "Carnivále" is one, two seasons and you really want more. "Boardwalk Empire", takes some 4-5 episodes to get into but is then addictive. "The Wire" - a completely decent Cop series with social commenting in each series and the one downside that the mainest character is often drunk but vcannot play drunk (drink for real, whydontcha?).
"Mad Men" is also good. And "Lost" was bretty gud the first 3-4 seasons at least, then it sorta got too weird. Oh, and "Deadwood" is AWESOME and "Rome" is AWESOME too and actually, for the cartoonish violence "Banshee" aint half bad either. Actually "Justified" ain't that bad either, but you gotta give it 5-6 episodes because it's kinda goofy at the outset.
And maybe for you Pete, "Firefly" might be an option. It scores among the highest on IMBD for TV series and it's a sci-fi.
Myself I have tried two times but never got past the first episode. Just couldn't get into it.
Team Trump is desperately trying to create some distance from Cambridge Analytica. The current claim is that Team Trump barely even knew them. (Like Trump didn't know but barely know General Flynn, Paul Manafort, or any of a half dozen other Team Trump folks who've gotten themselves dirtied up with the Russians in public.)
However, the CEO of Cambridge Analytics has been on television in Great Britain saying just the opposite, that they were heavily involved in Trump's campaign and instrumental to his win. Politico.EU
It is worth noting that the CEO has been suspended for this revelation.
Brief review of the headlines scrolling across the news feeds today seems to indicate a fairly widespread refutation of the claims made by some that Cambridge Analytica's activities and involvement with right-winger Republican causes, (especially the Mercers and Team Trump) are the result of ‛leftie conspiracies’.
By the way, I notice that FoxNews' mentions of Cambridge Analytica concentrate almost solely on how Facebook suffered a data breach. Not making mention of Trump in the same headlines.
[Lynnette]: "The whole movie seemed predictable, in fact. Unlike Three Billboards which had so many interesting twists and turns, with fascinating characters."
My assessment based on trailers of Lady Bird seems to be borne out then. And yes, Three Billboards is quirky for sure. Hard to believe it's not a Coen Brothers movie.
"I guess I should have opted for the fish movie. But I have to be in just the right mood."
I presume you mean The Shape of Water, not Sharknado IV ;-)
"Ready Player One is out this month in theaters."
Oh no! Another gamer movie. I'll almost certainly hate it. (Actually, I almost certainly won't see it. I only watch any kind of fiction when the mood takes me, and that's not very often).
[Marcus]: "Great TV series lets you get to know the characters in a way a 2 hour movie just won't let you."
Unfortunately they're also very often designed-by-committee schlock. Have seen very little that captured my interest. But I'm just not that interested in TV anyway, and even the little I watch is rarely interesting after a couple of episodes. I've seen almost none of the popular TV series my friends tell me about. I was forced to watch one series of Suits, one series of Homeland, and one series of American Odyssey, but I didn't think much of them ;-)
Must look up that Firefly thing, though I'm pretty fussy about my sci-fi too.
Also, at the moment my eyes are going square from watching endless hours of astrophysics video lectures and lots of project work on the computer.
Seems there people having second thoughts about Fox News and jumping ship.
A longtime Fox News analyst sharply criticized the network on Tuesday, denouncing the outlet as a "propaganda machine" devoted to President Trump, and saying that it was "wittingly harming our system of government for profit," in a stunning internal email announcing his exit from the company.
But often the stuff I type with a great degree of sarcasm, like making fun of the insane but quite real pissgate dossier, is not the ramblings of a drunkard, it's just a sane person making fun of abject insanity some of ya'll seem to be completely blinkered to.
But, Marcus, I don't recall ever making a comment about that allegation. That was apparently someone's idea of giving a motive to Trump's seeming infatuation with Putin, that he was open to being blackmailed because of some kind of sexual weirdness. Personally I have always believed he was open to coercion by Russia because of previous business dealings that may not have been aboveboard.
"Game of Thrones" is GREAT, and I can't imagine anyone saying otherwise.
I have avoided watching that because I have the book. Usually I have found that the book is better. I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, though.
I have never heard of anyone who has disliked that.
I agree about Lost. It was a fresh and unusual series in the beginning but then took off into some really odd paths. I watched it until the end and didn't like the ending at all.
Marcus also appears to be enamored of a peculiar variation of the story that has the whores peeing on Trump. As far as I can tell he's the only person in the world who's pushing that version of the story; although I've kinda come to suspect that maybe that's the way they tell it among the Swedish fascist community and perhaps there are more like him--but that's just a suspicion.
Oh no! Another gamer movie.
Possibly, I haven't seen the movie, just read the book. On the surface that is the genre, I guess you'd say, of the book, but I think it had some other things to say that were buried within, if you were to look closer.
I'll almost certainly hate it. (Actually, I almost certainly won't see it.
Here's the thing, I normally would not have picked up that kind of book, but sometimes there are times when you feel the need to get outside your comfort zone and try something different. That was one of those times. While I am not a gamer and some of the references were to things I was not familiar with the book was one I enjoyed and I felt did a credible job of getting across multiple messages in a format that would appeal to those who are into virtual realty.
Pete:
"Unfortunately they're also very often designed-by-committee schlock. Have seen very little that captured my interest. But I'm just not that interested in TV anyway, and even the little I watch is rarely interesting after a couple of episodes."
Probably you watch it wrong. As in watching it on TV with commercials and all and having to wait a whole week for the next episode. I could never do that. IMO TV series are way better than movies.
What you do is buy the whole season on DVD (or have them available on Netflix), or better yet the whole series, and then binge-watch at your leisure.
Pete: "I've seen almost none of the popular TV series my friends tell me about. I was forced to watch one series of Suits, one series of Homeland, and one series of American Odyssey, but I didn't think much of them ;-)"
Homeland is pretty decent but not really great (OK season 4 was really good) and the other two I call crap. Go by my list above and you'll find real entertainment that'll set you up for a while.
Pete: "Must look up that Firefly thing, though I'm pretty fussy about my sci-fi too."
Also there's a new series based on a sci-fi book called "Altered Carbon" that I have not seen but seems great and is getting great rewiews. It's about a future where you can place your entire memory and personality on a "stack" and then transfer it into a new body (clone) when you physically die - meaning you never really die.
I have yet to see it but it gets great rewievs. Could very well be for you.
Also Pete, I thought "The Fall" from your neck of the woods, taking place in Belfast, was a completetely decent series thriller trilogy. With that chick Gillian Anderson from Archive-X playing a strong and belieavble main character.
Lynnette:
"I have avoided watching that because I have the book. Usually I have found that the book is better. I haven't gotten around to reading it yet, though."
Several books. I have not read any of them and I feel kinda like you on this, you either start with the books or you start with the movie/series.
Kinda like Lord Of The Rings. I had read all Tolkien's books (except Silmarillon which I couldn't finish cause it sucks ass) before LOTR became a movie series. And while some diversions from the books disturbed me I still think Jackson did one helluva job in bringing the story to the silver screen.
Lee:
"Marcus also appears to be enamored of a peculiar variation of the story that has the whores peeing on Trump. As far as I can tell he's the only person in the world who's pushing that version of the story; although [blahblah]"
The reason it was shut down was it was proven to be a lie quite early. But it was still a dossier that (persons in/connetced to) the DMC forewarded to the FBI in order to shut Trump down. It was an attempt to oust an elected president with a hoax, an attempt at a coup détat.
"It was an attempt to oust an elected president…"
Only in the Swedish fascist version of the story.
In the real world, Steele contacted a friend at the FBI about his research into Trump whilst Trump was still one candidate among many for the Republican nomination. (Also, the real world version didn't have the whores pissing on Trump; that seems to be unique to the Swedish fascist revision of the tale.)
[Marcus]: "Probably you watch it wrong. As in watching it on TV with commercials and all and having to wait a whole week for the next episode. I could never do that. IMO TV series are way better than movies."
You gotta be kidding. I never watch TV commercials. And the few bits of TV series I watch are on ... uh ... mumble mumble ... legally pirated on Kodi ;-)
"Also there's a new series based on a sci-fi book called "Altered Carbon" that I have not seen but seems great and is getting great rewiews. It's about a future where you can place your entire memory and personality on a "stack" and then transfer it into a new body (clone) when you physically die - meaning you never really die."
Funny you should mention it. I just watched two episodes. It's a bit raunchy and violent but it's passably good. Decent story line.
Speaking of TV series, remember Mork and Mindy? Apparently a bit of consensual groping is fine if it's a liberal Hollywood hero instead of a preznit.
I see the Texas bomber is no more, though that'll be small consolation to his victims and their families. Sounds like they got something approximating to a video confession, and that he was some kind of nutcase. Seems he was a resident of Pflugerville, north of Austin.
New York Times' editorial calling for Trump to ‘prove’ that he's not in Putin's pocket.
That seems a little aggressive to me. I do believe there's more than enough reason to be suspicious, but demanding proof to the contrary is a step further than is warranted just yet.
Nevertheless, they're there.
Trump's lead defense lawyer, John Dowd, has resigned from Trump's defense.
I believe this signals a more aggressive publicity campaign by the defense team (probably including FoxNews).
Several books.
Yes, and all long. I only have the first in the series, though. I just used the first book in the series to name it.
. I had read all Tolkien's books...
I have only read three series of books all the way to the end, the series, the Clan of the Cave Bear series and the Shogun series. These all have more than three books in them. Although, come to think of it, the first two have one more book I haven't read yet. Eventually I will finish them.
I see the Texas bomber is no more...
Yes, they did a good job finding him before he could do more harm.
Trump's lead defense lawyer, John Dowd, has resigned from Trump's defense.
I saw that. I also saw that various other lawyers that he has asked to join his legal team have refused.
Yes there may be a more aggressive stance to his position regarding the Russia investigation. I suspect that Mueller is prepared.
New York Times' editorial calling for Trump to ‘prove’ that he's not in Putin's pocket.
Like you I don't think that is very productive. American voters may require that, but certainly not the New York Times.
Pete: "I see the Texas bomber is no more..."
Still no motive though. Strange. Seemed like kind of a "manifesto-like" culprit. I actually thought there might be a right-wing extremist motive given the victims, which it may yet turn out to be I guess.
Lynnette: "Yes, they did a good job finding him before he could do more harm."
They did. But I was not surprised they found the bomber quick after such a barrage of attacks in a short period of time. Anyway, good job from law enforcement on this one.
Pete: "Speaking of TV series, remember Mork and Mindy? Apparently a bit of consensual groping is fine if it's a liberal Hollywood hero instead of a preznit."
That shit's been going on all through history and probably especially in the "entertainment business".
Also, some major actress, can't remember who, said that back in the day aspiring acresses in Hollywood turned in their portfolios and on the seductive pictures of themselves scribbled "director friendly" as a code for "I will have sex for a role in your film".
It's been going on for as long as there's been movies made. And before that too.
What's REALLY sickening is stuff like Jimmy Savile and the rest of the peadofiles. Like why Corey Haim offed himself. The real dark stuff. That a grown woman is patted on her ass is a minor inconvenience when compared to the real dirt.
It appears that they did not manage a soft landing for H.R. McMaster. He's resigning as National Security Advisor and resigning from the Army; severance date to be 9 April.
I think I just accidentally watched the worst film of all time.
I was searching on Kodi for "Let There Be Light", a 2017 documentary about nuclear fusion research. Instead it found the 2017 Christian drama of the same name. A guy whose son has died of cancer becomes a famous atheist author and polemicist. After going on a bender at a book launch he crashes his car and meets the deceased son in a near-death experience. The son tells him "let there be light", a coded message to evangelise the world and combat the darkness brought by ISIS.
The guy shocks his atheist audience when he tells them he's no longer sure about his atheism. He is rebaptised by an Italian ex-con-turned-pastor (who himself converted when locked up in solitary confinement for three years with a Sony Walkman and a bible). Now our hero gets back with his estranged wife but just before they remarry she is diagnosed with stage four terminal brain cancer. Nevertheless they hatch a plan to convert the world by getting millions of people to point their phone flashlights toward heaven, and they contact NASA to televise it from space. (It's not clear what the point of all this is).
Next is the wedding scene, which for some inexplicable reason seems to be officiated by Dionne Warwick (yes, the real one) who sings a soppy song. The main character's publicist is at the wedding and her phone goes off mid-ceremony. Instead of shutting it off, she takes the call while the guests (who look like a shiny hired crowd at an infomercial) look on. The publicist tells the couple their honeymoon is cancelled because she's just spoken to ... SEAN HANNITY! (It turns out he's an executive producer of the movie).
Later we see the couple being interviewed by Hannity about their amazing story, while over Hannity's shoulder we see the all the camera phone lights gradually encircle the world. (I notice only Dublin lit up in Ireland, which means the Protestant Evangelicals must thankfully be still confined to the east coast. Or maybe we just don't have multi-megawatt batteries on our phone like the Yanks apparently have ;-). Hannity also manages to get in some more barbs about ISIS. I was surprised the NRA didn't make an appearance somewhere along the way, maybe in a cordon-of-honour at the wedding.
Finally, with all this environmentally unfriendly proselytising done, the missus slinks off to die of brain cancer, telling her children that she'll be "just in the next room".
Apart from being an evangelical rightwinger fantasy, with a plot less credible than Sharknado IV, the script is the worst and the acting the hammiest I've seen in a long day. So hammy,in fact, that I had to watch it, although I did fast forward through a lot of it :)
Hmmm...I think I'll skip that one.
Well, it looks like the first salvos in a trade war have just been fired. Now that Trump has poked China they have decided to respond in kind with their own shots across our bow. The market, being the market, has reacted predictably with a large drop on the DOW of over 700 points. Nice. Now we will never retire. Yup, it's MAGA for sure.
Lynnette:
"I have only read three series of books all the way to the end, the series, the Clan of the Cave Bear series and the Shogun series. These all have more than three books in them."
Well perhaps I can offer you a reading tip then. The trilogy (with a successant fourth book) "The Emigrants" by Vilhelm Moberg:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emigrants_(novel_series)
It's about swedes leaving poverty Sweden in mid 19'th century for the dream of a better life in the USA, and ending upp settling in Minnesota. That might be something you might enjoy reading.
I haven't read those books myself, and admitting that I ask myself why not, so I can't give you a review, I just got a feeling it might be for you.
Lynnette: "The market, being the market, has reacted predictably with a large drop on the DOW of over 700 points. Nice. Now we will never retire. Yup, it's MAGA for sure."
Oh, c'mon! A drop in the Dow a single day is not evidence of anything at all. Do you seriously think that your own retirement is hinging on China being able to forever run huge trade surplusses against the US, and a US need of infinite cheap chinese steel? Get real.
BTW remember the drop in the DOW in late 2008 after Obama had just been elected? Was that too a sign that Obama fucked your pensions over forever? Because that market drop was of a whole other magnitude and I don't seem to recall that was blamed on the incoming Preznit at all.
"a large drop on the DOW of over 700 points. Nice. Now we will never retire."
I moved my (meagre) pension into cash a month ago and am not regretting it yet. I think it's going to be a volatile year.
The trilogy (with a successant fourth book) "The Emigrants" by Vilhelm Moberg:
That does sound good, Marcus, I will have to look that up.
The DOW fell again today, so it has corrected by over 1,100 points in two days, making it a "correction".
I moved my (meagre) pension into cash a month ago and am not regretting it yet. I think it's going to be a volatile year.
I can't really do that. But I have pulled back a little from stocks.
I think I will have to go and get some total "escapism". Yup, I'm going for the fish movie tonight.
How that movie can end well, I'm not sure...
Let us know how the fish get on.
I've been reading some stuff from the Economic Policy Institute. They've been funded by unions and are concerned with low- middle-income workers, so not exactly right wing nutcases. Plus this article is from Obama's term.
It's a frightening picture -- the number of US manufacturing jobs hit its zenith in 1979, but the real collapse started only in 2000. Between 2000 and 2007, over half a million manufacturing jobs were lost every year. Then in the financial crisis from 2007 to 2009 another 2.3 million were lost, rebounding only by 0.9 million since then. So the US is still down 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000. And the EPI says it is down to the US manufacturing trade deficit, not poor US productivity.
The deficit with China is enormous. The only major manufactured goods the US sells to China is aeroplanes (unless you count scrap and rubbish). China is not playing fair -- it has spent inordinate amounts on currency manipulation to foster the US trade deficit. And the massive Chinese steel industry is owned in large part by state and local government enterprises, a situation that would be illegal (or at least actionable) for other countries under WTO rules. China does it with aluminium and solar panels too.
Trump is dead right about the unbalanced situation. I don't know if his trade wars can solve anything -- in a war the other side tends to fight back. At least he's trying something, which Hillary would never have done.
It may all be a moot point anyway, if John Bolton starts WWIII ;-)
"At least he's trying something…."
Yeah, let's all cheer for doin’ somethin’ stupid on the grounds that it's better than not doin’ stupid.
Or, maybe not. I think I'll go with not.
Let us know how the fish get on.
It was actually a pretty good movie overall. There is one line that sticks in my mind that I would say sums up the message of the movie. I won't say, just in case anyone here reading this wants to watch it. I don't want to spoil anything. Of course, for some it may just be too out there to make a connection with, but I don't think it any more so than, say, Avatar was.
Trump is dead right about the unbalanced situation. I don't know if his trade wars can solve anything -- in a war the other side tends to fight back.
I agree with you on this. China has been getting away with murder on trade. I don't think a real trade war is good for anyone, though. I have no idea what Hillary might have done, but I have no faith that Trump has the intelligence to play the game for us to come out on top. His business acumen is not what he cracks it up to be.
Here's a couple of vids from Cambridge Analytica talking at conferences about the Cruz and Trump campaigns. The first is the now-fired CEO Andrew Nix being his sleazeball self, talking in buzzwords about his "psychographics". The second is Molly Schweickert, CA's "head of digital" talking about the nitty gritty of the Trump campaign. It's more informative but less polished, and pretty long. It's still not fully informative, but there are a few hints about specific data matching efforts. For instance, the campaign could find out when an early voter voted, and match the real world person up to a facebook id, then check which online ads they had been targeted with. This presumably provided feedback on the effectiveness of the advertising. It wasn't just voters -- campaign donors and potential donors were analysed to see how effective personal contact would be, and Trump's meet and greet time was scheduled accordingly. One interesting claim is that the campaign did not use any data sources not freely accessible to all and sundry. And it had far fewer resources than the Hillary campaign, with just twelve people working on the data side for CA.
And here's a response from Alexander Nix, and a response from Steve Bannon. Bannon's point is probably the most salient -- the Russian investigation isn't going to well for the lefties, so the Cambridge Analytica story has been dredged up in spite of the Trump campaign doing nothing more than the Hillary campaign, and the Obama campaign before her. He's right: Trump's greatest sin is that he won, and some people can't countenance the fact that he won fair and square with policies that appealed to the American people.
Bannon doesn't know how the Russian investigation is going ‘for lefties’. Neither do you. Mueller's not been leaking. This is just a Trumpkin wishing in public. (Couple of Trumpkins, counting you.)
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