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Marvel's Inhumans - Official Trailer 1

Rick and Morty Season 3 Trailer

Marvel's Inhumans - Official Trailer 1

Never turn your back on the ocean

Diogenes says...

heh heh, this guy's having a laugh...

how could it be unexpected?? the sets come in at pretty well-timed intervals, the backwash for such a wave would be pulling backwards (hard) on his waist and thighs, and he'd have heard it

i grew up about a five-minute drive from sandy beach on oahu, and had my dad throwing me into the shorebreak from about the age of seven...laughing his ass off, while i'd stagger out of the surf half-drowned and with my sand-filled trunks around my ankles

here are some cool photos of the place by an old college buddy of mine:

http://www.beachboyphotography.com/Surf/My-Smug-Mug/i-gHjVj6T

Lawyer Refuses to answer questions, gets arrested

Diogenes says...

AFAIK, New Jersey doesn't have a "Stop and Identify" law, so this was a Terry stop no-no (Terry v. Ohio). She was under no obligation to answer their questions. As long as she provided her license, registration and proof of insurance, it looked like they had no reasonable basis for the arrest. I'd guess those cops were "rookies" since, as reported, they only had a year-and-change of experience on the force. Supervisor was right to let her go and release her car from impound, but I don't think she'll get any kind of monetary settlement from her suit.

What Die-Hard Fans Don't Even Know About The Big Bang Theory

Diogenes says...

I haven't watched any of them. Sorry for the confusion. I have no intention of watching them...I was being facetious mentioning a queue. Breaking Bad...well, it broke me...badly.

I don't really like pop music, at all. Zepp and Floyd, on the other hand, are among my all-time favorites...except, ironically, In Through the Out Door. It was too poppish. Zepp 2 and Dark Side are their best, imho, in case you're wondering.

ChaosEngine said:

There's a pretty big gap between dumb as a sack of hammers nonsense like Big Bang and 2.5 men (both created by the same guy, I think) and something like It's Always Sunny or Breaking Bad.

I'm not saying you're wrong to dislike Breading Bad or It's Always Sunny (I thought BB was great, but It's Always Sunny never really grabbed me), just that they're not really in the same category.

It's just kinda like saying "I don't really like pop music. I don't like Lady Gaga; she's like Katy Perry or Pink Floyd. And I tried to get into Led Zeppelin, but the first album sucked".

What Die-Hard Fans Don't Even Know About The Big Bang Theory

Diogenes says...

I've never watched it, and find it really surprising that it's been on for over 10 years now. Over that time period, I've had a good number of friends and acquaintances ask me, "Do you know The Big Bang Theory?" I've always answered, "Yes, I'm aware of it," usually followed by my wondering if they're some kind of "Young Earther." With this sift I've now realized it's a sitcom. And it's just going into a long queue of "must-see" TV shows, like Two-and-a-Half Men, Always Sunny in BlaBla, etc. Somebody pushed me to watch Breaking Bad, but after just a few episodes...and Jesse the Idiot not dead yet...I had to quit. What a Gilligan! I guess I'll just go back to reading, and wait for Rick and Morty...and maybe, just maybe, they'll finally make a movie of Deadwood.

Is There an Alternative to Political Correctness?

Diogenes says...

I'm out the door in just a few minutes, but I've read what you've written. I'll read it again more carefully once I return.

Would you mind reading that PDF I linked to, please? I think a bigger truth is somewhere to be found between the opinions expressed here and that rather insightful piece of writing.

SDGundamX said:

@Diogenes

Thank you for your detailed answer. I do agree with you that context matters and that words are neither inherently good or bad by themselves. However, I think you’re looking at the situation from a more microscopic point of view as a simple joke between two people. I prefer to take a more macroscopic view of the situation. Allow me to explain.

Is There an Alternative to Political Correctness?

Is There an Alternative to Political Correctness?

Diogenes says...

I look at it in a simple way: words having meanings; people have motivations. A conversation has a context, and in your example the passerby isn't aware of that context. If she chooses to eavesdrop and feels offended, well, while I do feel sorry for her...it's really not any of her business what you and your brother are conversing about. You might as well turn to her, give her a once-over and criticize her choice of pantsuit. She doesn't know you; she didn't ask for your opinion; and your retort probably made her upset.

Should people try to be aware of their surroundings and try not to say inappropriate things? Of course, but that's just common courtesy...like not commenting on a funky smell at a funeral visitation. Political correctness is fine if we all agree, but we usually don't. And therefore we get people who virtue signal over others because they refuse to kowtow to the newest linguistic fashion.

Now, I'm a fairly polite guy. I hold open doors, give up my seat, offer to carry heavy packages, smile, wave and nod greetings to many strangers, etc. Yet I still occasionally get someone who disagrees with my legitimate use of a term (as I understand its meaning). Generally, I still apologize...but I don't then re-evaluate my language ability. I'm not willing to let the connotations of words take on new, questionable-yet-popular meanings.

I've had a Native American friend laugh at me for asking what he preferred I say: redskin, indian, aboriginal, first people, etc. I've also asked a "retarded" person if they preferred if I said "intellectually challenged." He preferred retarded because...wait for it...he had a lot of trouble saying the other one. Now that's irony.

I think my heart's in the right place. I was taught to be polite, and I try to be at all times. But it gets under my skin to have a total stranger "chastise" me when they know nothing about me. Frankly, I find it more offensive to interrupt and belittle a stranger than it is to overhear some stranger's questionable utterance.

SDGundamX said:

Now let's assume this happens in a parking lot as we're standing outside my brother's car and a woman passing by overhears my comment and chastises me for equating stupid actions with people who have mental disabilities.

Is There an Alternative to Political Correctness?

Diogenes says...

I think most everyone knows how to be polite. A lot of people just don't put much effort into its practice. PC speech doesn't have to be a bad thing, but unfortunately it's most often used by people--to which any "offending" language likely wasn't directed--as a way of virtue signalling over the "offender." This is what pisses most reasonable people off.

Welcome to the World's First Pro-Polyamory Country Song!

Senator McCain's Bizarre Questioning To James Comey

Comey Testifies Under Oath That Trump Lied Repeatedly

Diogenes says...

Fascinating. I can't help but feel a bit sad for the man. But there are some aspects of his testimony that leave me scratching my head:

"[T]he administration then chose to defame me and more importantly the FBI by saying that the organization was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple."

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/08/full-text-james-comey-trump-russia-testimony-239295

"Yet there is a growing consensus that Comey has wielded the powers of the directorship more aggressively than anyone since Hoover—to the consternation, and even anger, of some of his colleagues."

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/james-comey-fbi-accountability-214234

"Mr. Comey got so many calls from former agents and others after he decided this summer not to pursue charges that he had to change his phone number posted online. And at a recent meeting with retired agents, he was still fielding tough questions about the decision."

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/us/politics/fbi-clinton-emails-james-comey.html

I think it's fair to say that Comey helped to create a "turbulent" atmosphere at the FBI during the past year, one probably not matched since the firing of William Sessions in 1993.

I wish someone had thought to ask him what he'd imagine the results of the "hopes, loyalty and leaks" would have been if he hadn't been fired.

The Paris Accord: What is it? And What Does it All Mean?

Diogenes says...

I agree. Obama set a goal for the US by executive order, and since it wasn't voluntary, he never needed to ask the Senate for a two-thirds vote to ratify. Though, I highly doubt it would have passed even with a majority of Democrats...similar to Byrd-Hagel after Gore signed Kyoto. Oddly enough, a NYT/CBS poll in 2015 showed that two-thirds of the respondents supported an agreement...if it were legally binding.

I don't think there's any way to force China to do much of anything. Carbon tariffs? Sure, it'd hurt them, but it would damage us just as much. I guess what sticks in my craw is that China comes out of this looking "clever and cool."

vil said:

It was all voluntary so opting out just gives you the immediate ignominy of failure to comply with a goal you set for yourself.

How do you propose to force China to pick a more difficult assignment? By not doing yours? What?



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