The Refuge of the Toads

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Brive1987
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10381

Post by Brive1987 »

Is CNN pro democrat?

comhcinc
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10382

Post by comhcinc »

Here is a picture mocking the diversity of Fox News host. While the person who put this together decided on adding the three dudes at the end I don't know other than at least one of them cries like a bitch.

http://i.imgur.com/Qu6VOsT.jpg

HunnyBunny
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10383

Post by HunnyBunny »

MarcusAu wrote:
HunnyBunny wrote:
MarcusAu wrote:
Enough with your anti-kiwi racism. I don't care how hairy your feet are - it's still cultural appropriation.

As a kiwi I loath Peter Jackson and all his shitty movies. That bastard was responsible for turning my hometown into a movie set of hobbit worship. Cunt.
It's still pronounced Orc-land though.
I think you'll find it's pronounced Matamata. Despite the shitty sign saying Hobbiton on the way in. But we know you Orclanders can't pronounce anything south of the Bombay hills ;)

Kirbmarc
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10384

Post by Kirbmarc »

screwtape wrote:
Skep tickle wrote:
rayshul wrote:Thinking about it I feel like it's kind of, you know, what they've done to PZ. He's an idiot with fame and those four have fucked him up and eaten off what fame they can get from his endorsement. I would have never heard of a single one of them without PZ (and I didn't hear about any them until Elevatorgate). So this feels like that's where the guy is - these people have taught him how to think, made him promote them, and while he still manages to pull traffic they're going to continue to siphon off as much as they can.

They'll pick his bones clean. And he'll let them.

And I think that's rather sad, although the sadness element is, as Phil has pointed out, somewhat tempered by the fact that he's done some really awful things.
I had the sudden image of someone, maybe a few years from now, analyzing symbolism in 'Pit shoops for their master's thesis.
Strange things happen when you have people attending universities who don't really belong there:
...the objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the evidence-based movement
in the health sciences is outrageously exclusionary and dangerously normative with regards
to scientific knowledge. As such, we assert that the evidence-based movement in health
sciences constitutes a good example of microfascism at play in the contemporary scientific arena.
I really hope this is a joke.

But they're quoting the two biggest deliberately obscure philosophical frauds (and I don't use this word lightly) to have ever existed, Deleuze and Guattari, so it's probably not.

This postmodernism at its worst. This pure woo framed in pseudo-intellectual language.
We can already hear the objections. The term fascism represents an emotionally charged concept in both the political and religious arenas; it is the ugliest expression of life in the 20th century.

Although it is associated with specific political systems, this fascism of the masses, as was practised by Hitler and Mussolini, has today been replaced by a system of microfascisms – polymorphous intolerances that are revealed in more subtle ways. Consequently, although the majority of the current manifestations of fascism are less brutal, they are nevertheless more pernicious.
Microfascisms. Seriously. MICROFASCISMS.
Drawing on the work of the late French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, deconstruction is notoriously difficult to define because it is a practice, and not a fixed concept based on abstract ‘facts’ or ‘evidence’
And Derrida comes in to complete the triad of po-mo gurus. Derrida is only marginally less of a fraud. As we see it here, though, he really loves to dismiss facts and evidence in favor of "processes" (i.e. his brain farts).
They fondly point to ‘facts’, while they are forced to dismiss ‘values’ as somehow unscientific. For them, this reality (an ensemble of facts) corresponds to an objectively real and mechanical world. But this form of empiricism, we would argue, fetishises the object at the expense of the human subject, for whom this world has a vital significance and meaning in the first place
"Muh feelings! Muh feelings! Reality is hurting muh feelings!"
Again, Foucault sums up this position in his critique of modern medicine: ‘Medicine, as a general technique of health even more than as a service to the sick or an art of cures, assumes an increasingly important place in the administrative system and the machinery of power’ (p. 176).21 Here, in such an ‘administrative system’ and a ‘machinery of power’, we find a classic allusion to what Hannah Arendt defines as totalitarianism or fascism, as we defined it earlier
What a complete load of stupidity.

Then they talk about 1984 and completely misunderstand it (of course). Orwell was warning against the dangers of an ideology which denies evidence and facts (see the chapter on the destruction of evidence in the ministry of Truth) and substitute it with "doublethought", with meaningless buzzwords and formulas.
George Orwell wrote:Nazi theory indeed specifically denies that such a thing as "the truth" exists. ... The implied objective of this line of thought is a nightmare world in which the Leader, or some ruling clique, controls not only the future but the past. If the Leader says of such and such an event, "It never happened" – well, it never happened. If he says that two and two are five – well, two and two are five. This prospect frightens me much more than bombs.
This is EXACTLY what postmodernism is about, beyond the layer of "encouraging pluralism" (which is only useful to the various leftist-SJWs ideologies anyway).
George Orwel in 1984 wrote:In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality, was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense. And what was terrifying was not that they would kill you for thinking otherwise, but that they might be right. For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then?
The point of Orwell is that freedom cannot exist without the ability of saying that 2 plus 2 equals 4, that reality exists. Focault, Derrida, Deleuze, Guattari and all the other post-modernists are doing exactly what Orwell feared. They replace reality, facts and evidence with "processes" which are only a better refined version of doublespeak. Sure, they claim to be in favor of "freedom" and "pluralism" (like the authors of this incredibly stupid paper), but what are they actually doing? How are they actually operating?

Po-mo love to toss accusations of fascism around, but in reality they're the ones who are acting like Socing.

comhcinc
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10385

Post by comhcinc »

Brive1987 wrote:Is CNN pro democrat?
CNN attempts to be neutral. Always has.

A lot of people don't believe that due to years of very good Fox News marketing claiming all other news sources other than themselves were liberal (while themselves were balanced). The meme took and CNN never really fought against it until it was too late.

Keating
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10386

Post by Keating »

What happens when any of them are bleeding out of their whatever? Particularly the second last one. That person make me want to buy gold.

BarnOwl
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10387

Post by BarnOwl »

MarcusAu wrote:Christopher Lee seemed to think the LOR movies were OK - so I'm prepared to live and let live.


Of course nothing is above criticism - so if that's what you want- check out China Mieville's thoughts on Tolkien's ideas:

http://socialistreview.org.uk/259/tolki ... le-england
I agree with much of what Mieville writes in that review, but nevertheless I loathed the Peter Jackson movies.

Mieville's an excellent and inventive fantasy writer - I've enjoyed most of his books. The City and the City is among my top 10 favorite novels.

AndrewV69
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10388

Post by AndrewV69 »

BarnOwl wrote:
Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Did I mention we're probably going to Tokyo in October? No?

We're probably going to Tokyo in October, then.
Ooooohhh, you'll have a great time, enjoy it! Get the Tokyo Metro app (free) and a PASMO card - actually maybe I can send you mine, and you can just recharge it once you're in Japan. Also, visit the cats in Yanaka cemetery and nearby temples!
Might not be cold enough in October for this:
[youtube]txDR1y1drl0[/youtube]

But there is this:
[youtube]rHLLDOyZepY[/youtube]

And this:
[youtube]pY-GncsZ-UE[/youtube]

Phil_Giordana_FCD
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10389

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Still a Jackson LOTR and TH fan. Especially the last TH movie, were the Battle of the the Five Armies had a strong wiff of Second Age battles.

Mitigating factor: Aidan Turner as Kili. I'd turn gay just for him.

paddybrown
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10390

Post by paddybrown »

comhcinc wrote:
paddybrown wrote:Okay, appeal for advice. Anybody know of any group messaging apps for a smartphone that can run from the SD card, or at least save messages and photos to the SD card? Currently using WhatsApp, but even modest conversations clog up the internal memory.

https://telegram.org/
Cheers Com, I'll check that out.

Hunt
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10391

Post by Hunt »

rayshul wrote:Thinking about it I feel like it's kind of, you know, what they've done to PZ. He's an idiot with fame and those four have fucked him up and eaten off what fame they can get from his endorsement. I would have never heard of a single one of them without PZ (and I didn't hear about any them until Elevatorgate). So this feels like that's where the guy is - these people have taught him how to think, made him promote them, and while he still manages to pull traffic they're going to continue to siphon off as much as they can.

They'll pick his bones clean. And he'll let them.

And I think that's rather sad, although the sadness element is, as Phil has pointed out, somewhat tempered by the fact that he's done some really awful things.
SJWs eat their own. Myers was never going to be another horseman. The fact that the SJW mind virus infected him was a symptom of something else, that fact that he's always been a prick. Young pricks become old pricks. It's as simple as that.

Ericb
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10392

Post by Ericb »

George Orwel in 1984 wrote:
In the end the Party would announce that two and two made five, and you would have to believe it. It was inevitable that they should make that claim sooner or later: the logic of their position demanded it. Not merely the validity of experience, but the very existence of external reality, was tacitly denied by their philosophy. The heresy of heresies was common sense. And what was terrifying was not that they would kill you for thinking otherwise, but that they might be right. For, after all, how do we know that two and two make four? Or that the force of gravity works? Or that the past is unchangeable? If both the past and the external world exist only in the mind, and if the mind itself is controllable – what then?

http://i.imgur.com/DWi88.jpg

Kirbmarc
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Posts: 10577
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10393

Post by Kirbmarc »

BarnOwl wrote:
MarcusAu wrote:Christopher Lee seemed to think the LOR movies were OK - so I'm prepared to live and let live.


Of course nothing is above criticism - so if that's what you want- check out China Mieville's thoughts on Tolkien's ideas:

http://socialistreview.org.uk/259/tolki ... le-england
I agree with much of what Mieville writes in that review, but nevertheless I loathed the Peter Jackson movies.

Mieville's an excellent and inventive fantasy writer - I've enjoyed most of his books. The City and the City is among my top 10 favorite novels.
I like Mieville's review as well, except of course the parts where he argues from his ideologically point of view, which I understand but I don't agree with. I agree that Tolkien's book is a nostalgic conservative fantasy, and that it's not very meaningful politically, but I don't think that this is necessarily bad.

Unlike many leftists I don't think that fiction books necessarily need to educate or motivate or be analyzed from a sociological/political point of view or to be discussed politically. People aren't only interested in politics and work, and they can't be only interested in politics and work. Sometimes you need to kick back and relax and enjoy some peace of mind. Escapism is fun and has its place. Good escapism is worth reading.

Tolkien's books are pleasant, well-written fiction. Nothing more than that, but nothing less than that, too. People need entertainment every once in a while. When you're tired it's not a bad thing to relax and retreat from the problems of the world and enjoy a simpler land where good triumphs over evil, magic exists and everything is well at the end. The important thing is to remember that fiction is fiction and don't take it seriously.

Phil_Giordana_FCD
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10394

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Like the bible or the quran?

feathers
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10395

Post by feathers »

BarnOwl wrote:
Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Did I mention we're probably going to Tokyo in October? No?

We're probably going to Tokyo in October, then.
Ooooohhh, you'll have a great time, enjoy it! Get the Tokyo Metro app (free) and a PASMO card - actually maybe I can send you mine, and you can just recharge it once you're in Japan. Also, visit the cats in Yanaka cemetery and nearby temples!
The idea of ghost cats somehow spooks me a bit.

feathers
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10396

Post by feathers »

screwtape wrote:Strange things happen when you have people attending universities who don't really belong there:
...the objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the evidence-based movement
in the health sciences is outrageously exclusionary and dangerously normative with regards
to scientific knowledge. As such, we assert that the evidence-based movement in health
sciences constitutes a good example of microfascism at play in the contemporary scientific arena.
Noooo make it stop!
The philosophical work of Deleuze and Guattari proves to be useful (...)
No. It. Doesn't.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10397

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

Mostly, I'll be going there to see my BFF. By October, he'll be quite acquainted to the culture, hopefully. I just want to see him and visit that weird place in Tokyo where they sell anime stuff.

BarnOwl
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10398

Post by BarnOwl »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Mostly, I'll be going there to see my BFF. By October, he'll be quite acquainted to the culture, hopefully. I just want to see him and visit that weird place in Tokyo where they sell anime stuff.
Where in Japan is anime stuff NOT sold?

Outed1TimeAsGrey!
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10399

Post by Outed1TimeAsGrey! »

Gumby wrote:
Outed1TimeAsGrey! wrote: My faith in the American system was shaken when ...etc
Speaking from a moderator perspective, I am uncomfortable with the legal line this post approaches. I know you're trying to be funny here (and failing) but back off of posts like this please.
Yes, of course it was a joke. I wouldn't want anyone thinking it had any evil intention, and if it seems ambiguous I would suggest that it be deleted.

Kirbmarc
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10400

Post by Kirbmarc »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Like the bible or the quran?
Precisely! We don't take the Greek myths seriously (well, most of us don't). We shouldn't take the Hebrew myths or the Arab myths seriously, either. Too bad many people do.

When you examine the Bible or the Quran as a non-religious person they're actually entertaining in parts. The Bible is more boring than the Quran in this respect. Jawheh is a fun deranged bastard when he slaughters the people he hates, much like old Zeus, although unlike him he only got laid once (that we know of) and that's why he's more anal-retentive and less laid back. However much of the Bible are boring lists of kings and proverbs that nobody cares about. And Jawheh is an utter bastard to Job just to win a bet (again, like Zeus and other Gods).

Oh, and Samson kills 2,000 dudes with a donkey's jawbone, then quips "with the jaw of an ass I've turned you all into asses", Arnie-style. That's rather fun.

The sequel about the Son of Jawheh (the product of Jawheh's first time) is more entertaining (less lists of kings and proverbs to start with), although there's not enough action because he's more of a peace and love hippie type. Still, he turns water into wine, walks on water, argues with Satan, and get a nice gruesome and dramatic ending.

The Quran, on the other hand, is full of action and crazy shit on every page (Jews are literally turned into apes and pigs!). Mohammed is also a hardcore fighter, although he's also a perv.

Overall though the Greek myths are far more entertaining and inventive. And their fandoms are much smaller and less obnoxious.

deLurch
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10401

Post by deLurch »

For anyone feeling super sorry for the Missouri U faculty & staff who have had their salaries frozen, keep in mind that 100 of them signed a letter in support of Melissa Click.


MarcusAu
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10402

Post by MarcusAu »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Like the bible or the quran?
Not much, no.

Dave
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10403

Post by Dave »

comhcinc wrote:
Dave wrote:I thought it visually impressive, and was glad to have seen it for that reason. I thought the story was crap, and so had no desire to see either of the sequels.

I wasn't impressed with the special effects and the story is shit and the acting is bad. I knew one other person that also didn't like this movie when it came out.
Dude, it starred Keanu Reeves. I assumed that was deliberate.

ERV
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10404

Post by ERV »

comhcinc wrote:[youtube]h8Lt02D6xno[/youtube]

Oh look this is much better :twatson:
I'm going to love this movie.

I'm not joking. I love stupid movies. I've seen 'Spy' like a dozen times. And laughed really hard every time.

deLurch
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10405

Post by deLurch »

comhcinc wrote:[youtube]h8Lt02D6xno[/youtube]
Oh look this is much better :twatson:
Reboots always like to throw in a twist to make it "different." Originally I was thinking that Slimer would turn out to be the super bad guy. But after watching that international trailer, Kevin, the hunky receptionist/sexist will turn out to be the surprise bad guy.

deLurch
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10406

Post by deLurch »

You can tell he is really a bad guy because he drew boobs on the ghost logo & asked if they wanted him to draw them bigger.

MarcusAu
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10407

Post by MarcusAu »

Long Live the New Weird

Outed1TimeAsGrey!
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10408

Post by Outed1TimeAsGrey! »

Spike13 wrote:
Outed1TimeAsGrey! wrote:
Are you saying that there is a working class in America? All I hear about is the middle class. There's a 'working' class too?

(I have heard of 'working stiffs' but I took it as a sexual innuendo)

What do these terms mean in America?

Good question. It's totally understandable that it could be a bit confusing.

Traditionally the middle class would be professionals and businessmen ( usually almost always white collar type jobs.) Diring the post WW2 economic boom manual laborers( who were traditionally lower to lower middle income classes) earned enough to purchase houses, multiple auromobiles, even vacation homes. They could also afford to send their children to college. Based on income these people had solidly entered the middle to upper middle class.

During this change and subsequent generations more and more people went to college and pursued less manual labor careers.somwewhere along the last fifty years or so the term working class fell out of common use to be replaced by middle class.( in some circles it almost seemed to be used as an insult)

Where in say 1970 the average worker was seen as a factory or construction laborer, today the average worker is more pictured as an office or sales worker.

In the US you have an "income" class bias as well as an "education" class bias. This isn't universal, but it's effects are felt.

Ex. A plumber who earns 120 k a year may be considered of a lower class than a masters degree holder who earns 80k a year.( I know Union plumbers who make this)

A working stiff is a slang term for someone who has to work everyday. A regular average working person.

I hope this was more enlightening than confusing.
Thanks for the explanation. Perfectly clear.

katamari Damassi
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10409

Post by katamari Damassi »

ERV wrote:
comhcinc wrote:[youtube]h8Lt02D6xno[/youtube]

Oh look this is much better :twatson:
I'm going to love this movie.

I'm not joking. I love stupid movies. I've seen 'Spy' like a dozen times. And laughed really hard every time.
BANNED!

John D
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10410

Post by John D »

Kirbmarc wrote:
BarnOwl wrote:
MarcusAu wrote:Christopher Lee seemed to think the LOR movies were OK - so I'm prepared to live and let live.


Of course nothing is above criticism - so if that's what you want- check out China Mieville's thoughts on Tolkien's ideas:

http://socialistreview.org.uk/259/tolki ... le-england
I agree with much of what Mieville writes in that review, but nevertheless I loathed the Peter Jackson movies.

Mieville's an excellent and inventive fantasy writer - I've enjoyed most of his books. The City and the City is among my top 10 favorite novels.
I like Mieville's review as well, except of course the parts where he argues from his ideologically point of view, which I understand but I don't agree with. I agree that Tolkien's book is a nostalgic conservative fantasy, and that it's not very meaningful politically, but I don't think that this is necessarily bad.

Unlike many leftists I don't think that fiction books necessarily need to educate or motivate or be analyzed from a sociological/political point of view or to be discussed politically. People aren't only interested in politics and work, and they can't be only interested in politics and work. Sometimes you need to kick back and relax and enjoy some peace of mind. Escapism is fun and has its place. Good escapism is worth reading.

Tolkien's books are pleasant, well-written fiction. Nothing more than that, but nothing less than that, too. People need entertainment every once in a while. When you're tired it's not a bad thing to relax and retreat from the problems of the world and enjoy a simpler land where good triumphs over evil, magic exists and everything is well at the end. The important thing is to remember that fiction is fiction and don't take it seriously.
I love how Mieville claims that Tolkien's influence is "controversial". Really? haha. It's a fucking fantasy book. Give me a break.

I also love the Hobbit and LOTR books. I have read them all three times. My wife and I read LOTR before bed every night for weeks and finished all three. I highly recommend reading out loud with your spouse/SO. It is a great way to share and bond and have conversation.

Jackson's treatment of LOTR was really wonderful IMHO. It was just a movie and it is pretty hard to do the book justice. He certainly switched up a bunch of stuff, but the themes and characters felt pretty authentic. I watch the LOTR movies over and over and never tire of them. The Hobbit movies are very disappointing to me and I only watch them when they come on TV. Sorry to hear the movies screwed things up in Kiwi-land.... this sounds awful... like Disney taking over a real town.

I was an early LOTR reader, finishing the books in the late 1970s. It kind of changed my life. I got into miniatures gaming, and D&D, etc. Very few books have had this much influence on my life. I am smart enough to realize that this is all JUST ENTERTAINMENT! It is an epic story and a fiction.

I will say however, that one on the great appeals of the books and movies is the idea that there really is a true "good" and a true "evil". Of course, this is not realistic, but Tolkien does a great job of understanding the themes behind western morality. This is why the books are so good. They create a universe where true good and evil can be a reality. They take the moral models and themes of western moral thought and play them out in a purely fictional universe.

Lsuoma
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10411

Post by Lsuoma »

paddybrown wrote:
Brive1987 wrote:Wasn't there an outrageous post or something once about cannibals eating PZ. Or PZ eating cannibals.

Or something?
Obligatory terrible song from the 80s:

[foutube]YqCTGoWMZcQ[/foutube]
[youtube]bGW-qnlrMjs[/youtube]

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10412

Post by paddybrown »

Kirbmarc wrote: When you examine the Bible or the Quran as a non-religious person they're actually entertaining in parts.
I've often said, not beleiving in it liberates the Old Testament. The book of Judges is full of people doing really the sickest and most horrendous things to each other, and if you read it looking for religious insight it's revolting - but if you read it in the same spirit you read the Iliad or Gilgamesh, it's brilliant fun. The story of Ehud goes from yet another lecture about how things go well when you obey God and turn to shit when you don't into a really funny story of a sneaky guy assassinating an incredibly fat enemy king as he sits on the toilet.

The two books of Samuel are even better. Ignore the tedious godbotherer Samuel himself, as he's completely extraneous and probably retconned in by later editors dismayed by the lack of religion in the story, and it's a fantastic primitive dynastic power struggle between Saul, paranoid and with good reason, and David, a devious gangster who switches sides at will and benefits from all sorts of murders and betrayals, but somehow none of it sticks to him. David is the most vividly drawn bastard in the whole of ancient literature.

InfraRedBucket
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10413

Post by InfraRedBucket »

Actually , cannibalism is an apt metaphor for what the SJWs often end up doing, turning on themselves and eating their own.


http://i.imgur.com/qA2Jr0B.jpg

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10414

Post by Kirbmarc »

paddybrown wrote:
Kirbmarc wrote: When you examine the Bible or the Quran as a non-religious person they're actually entertaining in parts.
I've often said, not beleiving in it liberates the Old Testament. The book of Judges is full of people doing really the sickest and most horrendous things to each other, and if you read it looking for religious insight it's revolting - but if you read it in the same spirit you read the Iliad or Gilgamesh, it's brilliant fun. The story of Ehud goes from yet another lecture about how things go well when you obey God and turn to shit when you don't into a really funny story of a sneaky guy assassinating an incredibly fat enemy king as he sits on the toilet.

The two books of Samuel are even better. Ignore the tedious godbotherer Samuel himself, as he's completely extraneous and probably retconned in by later editors dismayed by the lack of religion in the story, and it's a fantastic primitive dynastic power struggle between Saul, paranoid and with good reason, and David, a devious gangster who switches sides at will and benefits from all sorts of murders and betrayals, but somehow none of it sticks to him. David is the most vividly drawn bastard in the whole of ancient literature.
Yeah, when you take the religious beliefs out of it that shit is as entertaining as Game of Thrones.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10415

Post by d4m10n »

deLurch wrote:For anyone feeling super sorry for the Missouri U faculty & staff who have had their salaries frozen, keep in mind that 100 of them signed a letter in support of Melissa Click.
I found the breakdown of her supporters by academic department somewhat instructive.

http://www.skepticink.com/backgroundpro ... es-mizzou/

/shameless plug :mrgreen:

German StrutBoatsman
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10416

Post by German StrutBoatsman »

paddybrown wrote:The two books of Samuel are even better. Ignore the tedious godbotherer Samuel himself, as he's completely extraneous and probably retconned in by later editors dismayed by the lack of religion in the story, and it's a fantastic primitive dynastic power struggle between Saul, paranoid and with good reason, and David, a devious gangster who switches sides at will and benefits from all sorts of murders and betrayals, but somehow none of it sticks to him. David is the most vividly drawn bastard in the whole of ancient literature.
I liked what they tried to do with Kings to the David/Saul/Samuel story back in 2009.

Got cancelled after the first season and the budget wasn't too high, so I wouldn't necessarily advise too watch.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10417

Post by paddybrown »

German StrutBoatsman wrote:
paddybrown wrote:The two books of Samuel are even better. Ignore the tedious godbotherer Samuel himself, as he's completely extraneous and probably retconned in by later editors dismayed by the lack of religion in the story, and it's a fantastic primitive dynastic power struggle between Saul, paranoid and with good reason, and David, a devious gangster who switches sides at will and benefits from all sorts of murders and betrayals, but somehow none of it sticks to him. David is the most vividly drawn bastard in the whole of ancient literature.
I liked what they tried to do with Kings to the David/Saul/Samuel story back in 2009.

Got cancelled after the first season and the budget wasn't too high, so I wouldn't necessarily advise too watch.
I've just read the Wikipedia summary. Sounds like they made the David character too nice.

Billie from Ockham
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10418

Post by Billie from Ockham »

d4m10n wrote:
deLurch wrote:For anyone feeling super sorry for the Missouri U faculty & staff who have had their salaries frozen, keep in mind that 100 of them signed a letter in support of Melissa Click.
I found the breakdown of her supporters by academic department somewhat instructive.

http://www.skepticink.com/backgroundpro ... es-mizzou/

/shameless plug :mrgreen:
If you want your graph to be truly useful, don't (just) provide a count of her supporters by dept; provide the proportions of the faculty in each dept that expressed support. The depts are not all the same size.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10419

Post by acathode »

BarnOwl wrote:
Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Mostly, I'll be going there to see my BFF. By October, he'll be quite acquainted to the culture, hopefully. I just want to see him and visit that weird place in Tokyo where they sell anime stuff.
Where in Japan is anime stuff NOT sold?
Depends what you mean with "anime stuff", but... kinda, unless you're after stuff from super popular kids shows (think Disneyish stuff etc) - actually not at that many places.

This might sound a bit strange at first, but actually, anime isn't all that "accepted" in Japan - or more accurately, it's not really sociably acceptable for people that aren't children to watch anime. Those who still do are considered nerds - and not in the "good" way, but more in the "you're a disgusting slob and probably some kind of pervert" kind of way...

So, just as here in the west, to buy the geek stuff, you gotta go to the geek stores - and in Tokyo the absolute center for that is Akihabara.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10420

Post by Gumby »

Outed1TimeAsGrey! wrote:
Gumby wrote:
Outed1TimeAsGrey! wrote: My faith in the American system was shaken when ...etc
Speaking from a moderator perspective, I am uncomfortable with the legal line this post approaches. I know you're trying to be funny here (and failing) but back off of posts like this please.
Yes, of course it was a joke. I wouldn't want anyone thinking it had any evil intention, and if it seems ambiguous I would suggest that it be deleted.
Nah, just remember it doesn't take much for the feds to go into investigative mode, even over jokes; I've seen it happen a couple of times before on other sites. Guy makes a joke, goes silent for a couple of days, and sheepishly returns with a story about being interviewed by nice gentlemen in black suits. Lsuoma's butthole is fragile enough right now, ya know? :D

tl;dr better safe than sorry.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10421

Post by Tigzy »

I preferred the LotR films to the books, which I found ponderous. I got very irritated by the way the characters would rarely just call someone, say, 'Dave' - no, it had to be 'David son of Glomin throne-steward of the Hallowed Ward of the Five Wank Oaks.' Tedious. And Tolkien completely undermined the central evil - the one ring's evil and overpowering influece - by introducing a completely superfluous character, Tom Bombadil, who was like 'lol this ring be my bitch'. Given that this happened almost at the outset, the so-called power of the one ring seemed pretty pedestrian after that. Which is apt, considering that infamous scene from Clerks 2.

I'm not saying the LotR films are without their faults, but Jackson made good choices in what he left out from the books. Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure that if you cut out all that 'Glombo son of Glompin chief ward of the dick bollock bollocks something throne of the bollocks whatevers', you could trim those three tomes down to a reasonably well paced novella.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10422

Post by paddybrown »

Likewise, if you took all the close-ups of Elijah Wood looking at the camera with big sad eyes while sad music plays and cut them all by half, you'd have one normal-length film.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10423

Post by Tigzy »

paddybrown wrote:Likewise, if you took all the close-ups of Elijah Wood looking at the camera with big sad eyes while sad music plays and cut them all by half, you'd have one normal-length film.
Or indeed the Lady A'rrrl'wen looking at the camera with big sad eyes while wispy choral music plays.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10424

Post by Shatterface »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Colour of magic/Light Fantastic was a puke-inducing shit fest.
You talking about the Sky TV adaptation with David Jason?

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10425

Post by Shatterface »

I've read very little fantasy. I'm much more of a science fiction guy. It's so much a question of getting the science right as accepting that scientific thinking trumps magical thinking.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10426

Post by d4m10n »

Billie from Ockham wrote:
d4m10n wrote:
deLurch wrote:For anyone feeling super sorry for the Missouri U faculty & staff who have had their salaries frozen, keep in mind that 100 of them signed a letter in support of Melissa Click.
I found the breakdown of her supporters by academic department somewhat instructive.

http://www.skepticink.com/backgroundpro ... es-mizzou/

/shameless plug :mrgreen:
If you want your graph to be truly useful, don't (just) provide a count of her supporters by dept; provide the proportions of the faculty in each dept that expressed support. The depts are not all the same size.
I seem to recall mentioning this problem in the post itself. Alas, MU isn't making it obvious how many profs they have in every category.

Matt Cavanaugh
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10427

Post by Matt Cavanaugh »

Phil_Giordana_FCD wrote:Did I mention we're probably going to Tokyo in October? No?

We're probably going to Tokyo in October, then.
Did I ever mention my woman from Tokyo? She's so good to me.

Outed1TimeAsGrey!
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10428

Post by Outed1TimeAsGrey! »

New interview with Gregory Allen Elliott of the Canadian Crown vs court case.
[youtube]Jye2EuyqAnY[/youtube]

Billie from Ockham
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10429

Post by Billie from Ockham »

d4m10n wrote:I seem to recall mentioning this problem in the post itself. Alas, MU isn't making it obvious how many profs they have in every category.
For all I know, you did. But I always look at the data before reading the text and then often skip the latter step, as I did here, because the data couldn't be used to make any useful points. With that said, I probably wouldn't have invested the time to count the faculty in reach dept, either, even if it cost me a few asshole readers, such as myself.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10430

Post by Ape+lust »


d4m10n
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10431

Post by d4m10n »

If you're into digital dudes with firm buttocks.



[youtube]UB_hf7WOgaA[/youtube]

Service Dog
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10432

Post by Service Dog »

Stev don wan na be a peen haid no mor
Nevr met a nurse he cudun go for
D-U-m-B
Evry onez uhQzin Stev

[youtube]GT_2K4ddG7g[/youtube]

acathode
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10433

Post by acathode »

Tigzy wrote:I preferred the LotR films to the books, which I found ponderous. I got very irritated by the way the characters would rarely just call someone, say, 'Dave' - no, it had to be 'David son of Glomin throne-steward of the Hallowed Ward of the Five Wank Oaks.' Tedious. And Tolkien completely undermined the central evil - the one ring's evil and overpowering influece - by introducing a completely superfluous character, Tom Bombadil, who was like 'lol this ring be my bitch'. Given that this happened almost at the outset, the so-called power of the one ring seemed pretty pedestrian after that. Which is apt, considering that infamous scene from Clerks 2.

I'm not saying the LotR films are without their faults, but Jackson made good choices in what he left out from the books. Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure that if you cut out all that 'Glombo son of Glompin chief ward of the dick bollock bollocks something throne of the bollocks whatevers', you could trim those three tomes down to a reasonably well paced novella.
I agree. I've been a fantasy/sci-fi book nerd since I was around 8-9 (I got hooked on Lewis and Asimov) - and I just never could get myself to like the LOTR books - no matter how hard I tried I just found them to damn boring, eventually finding myself skipping pages after pages and then losing interest. Yes, the world-crafting Tolkien did was impressive - but as a storyteller, he's... "lacking", to express myself diplomatically.

The movies on the other hand... very enjoyable. They cut all of the lengthy bullshit out and instead just show the world (instead of 5+ pages describing every miniscule, boring detail of it), while keeping the story well-paced and interesting.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10434

Post by Søren Lilholt »

Soapy Stevens wrote:
Søren Lilholt wrote:FWIW, the main concept is ripped off of 'the Matrix' from Doctor Who - a piece of blatant plagiarism that, as far as I know, was never acknowledged. (If you don't believe me, check out 'The Deadly Assassin' episode 3...)
I don't see how it was plagiarism off that - the protagonists in that ep were aware they were in a simulation. The only similarity is that they both involve VR simulations – but those ideas were hardly new in SF even with Dr Who at that point. Lem's Phantomology might be the first to explore the idea in the 1960s but I wouldn't be surprised to see it go further back.

The Matrix had the neat idea, I thought, of making contemporary reality the only fake reality humanity would accept. Plus there was plenty of scenery chewing by Hugo Weaving - which might have been deliberate direction - his automaton was the only character that seemed to have strong emotions about anything.
You don't see how "The Matrix" might possibly have plagiarised from a show which featured a similar concept also called "the Matrix"?

Not sure what else there is to say, really... :confusion-shrug:

Sulman
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10435

Post by Sulman »

Søren Lilholt wrote:
Soapy Stevens wrote:
Søren Lilholt wrote:FWIW, the main concept is ripped off of 'the Matrix' from Doctor Who - a piece of blatant plagiarism that, as far as I know, was never acknowledged. (If you don't believe me, check out 'The Deadly Assassin' episode 3...)
I don't see how it was plagiarism off that - the protagonists in that ep were aware they were in a simulation. The only similarity is that they both involve VR simulations – but those ideas were hardly new in SF even with Dr Who at that point. Lem's Phantomology might be the first to explore the idea in the 1960s but I wouldn't be surprised to see it go further back.

The Matrix had the neat idea, I thought, of making contemporary reality the only fake reality humanity would accept. Plus there was plenty of scenery chewing by Hugo Weaving - which might have been deliberate direction - his automaton was the only character that seemed to have strong emotions about anything.
You don't see how "The Matrix" might possibly have plagiarised from a show which featured a similar concept also called "the Matrix"?

Not sure what else there is to say, really... :confusion-shrug:
If you watch Reckless Kelly, you will see where Weaving first did Agent Smith.

[youtube]QIZ5xAXo-Y0[/youtube]

Pro-tip: Get high before watching.

John Greg
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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10436

Post by John Greg »

Tigzy said:
... Jackson made good choices in what he left out from the books.


I think I am pretty much in agreement with you about what Jackson left out of the movies.

On the other hand, the unnecessary, time wasting, story deluting, charcater assassinating shit that he put in is egregious and unforgiveable.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10437

Post by Søren Lilholt »

Shatterface wrote:Robert Holmes, who wrote The Deadly Assassin, was one of the most underrated writers in television. The Talons of Weng-Chiang from that same season was a forerunner to Steampunk.
I agree - an amazing talent. Doctor Who was spoilt rotten during his time as script editor. Gifted ideas man, wonderful characters, actually knew some science, and with a rich literary knowledge.

Fast forward thirty years, and we get "timey-wimey" and quotes from Disney films. For fuck's sake. :doh:

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10438

Post by John Greg »

charcater = character

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10439

Post by Shatterface »

Søren Lilholt wrote:
Soapy Stevens wrote:
Søren Lilholt wrote:FWIW, the main concept is ripped off of 'the Matrix' from Doctor Who - a piece of blatant plagiarism that, as far as I know, was never acknowledged. (If you don't believe me, check out 'The Deadly Assassin' episode 3...)
I don't see how it was plagiarism off that - the protagonists in that ep were aware they were in a simulation. The only similarity is that they both involve VR simulations – but those ideas were hardly new in SF even with Dr Who at that point. Lem's Phantomology might be the first to explore the idea in the 1960s but I wouldn't be surprised to see it go further back.

The Matrix had the neat idea, I thought, of making contemporary reality the only fake reality humanity would accept. Plus there was plenty of scenery chewing by Hugo Weaving - which might have been deliberate direction - his automaton was the only character that seemed to have strong emotions about anything.
You don't see how "The Matrix" might possibly have plagiarised from a show which featured a similar concept also called "the Matrix"?

Not sure what else there is to say, really... :confusion-shrug:
They both featured virtual realities called The Matrix but that's about it. You could make a stronger case that The Deadly Assassin 'plagiarised' The Manchurian Candidate since Robert Holmes was clear about his own inspiration for that story, which was about mind control and the the assassination of a (Time Lord) President.

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Re: The Refuge of the Toads

#10440

Post by Phil_Giordana_FCD »

German StrutBoatsman wrote:
paddybrown wrote:The two books of Samuel are even better. Ignore the tedious godbotherer Samuel himself, as he's completely extraneous and probably retconned in by later editors dismayed by the lack of religion in the story, and it's a fantastic primitive dynastic power struggle between Saul, paranoid and with good reason, and David, a devious gangster who switches sides at will and benefits from all sorts of murders and betrayals, but somehow none of it sticks to him. David is the most vividly drawn bastard in the whole of ancient literature.
I liked what they tried to do with Kings to the David/Saul/Samuel story back in 2009.

Got cancelled after the first season and the budget wasn't too high, so I wouldn't necessarily advise too watch.
I credit the appeal of the show on McShane's performance as Saul (Silas). And I really enjoyed the David/Goliath twist. It could have been great.

Locked