Posts by James Anderson5

They’d definitely bring more fun to the game, making everything feel a bit more natural 👍
...

Morgan Williams said:Look, let’s be real: those things you've been chasing for years? They just don't hit the same anymore. The rush is gone.

Are you talking about line dancing or our usual way of scoring points?

Eric Fox7 said:Come on, let's play 🎉

🙏

What’s the VB16 reaction to Real Madrid dropping points in the first round?

Regarding that discussion about refugees, I was scrolling through some troll site and saw Tina claiming she could take in three more 🤣
...

Maybe after this, we'll see some of those guys from the Florida coast finally step up too...

Larry Sanchez7 said:It’s just basic mob psychology☕

Yeah, it’s messed up seeing kids do that stuff, but whatever. Like that kid on the news clip doing the Nazi salute...🤣

Good grief...🙏

So I’m leaving a comment on some news site about the recent border conflicts, and some idiot hits my inbox with a threat🤣
Then they end it by saying "long live the opposition" and "go team," so I decided to troll them back by telling them I'm rooting for the rival team instead.

🤣

Larry Sanchez7 said:🙏 🙏

If you ask me, this year's parade is totally blowing that local celebration out of the water...

It certainly felt more civilized than those rallies where kids and adults alike—encouraged by the local GOP leadership—are out there shouting hateful slogans against certain groups...

Kevin Cox said:Treating God as a person or some kind of interventionist entity is just childish. It’s like how kids get scared when there's thunder because they think God is angry.
Taking the Bible literally is wrong, foolish, and frankly dangerous. The US isn't 6,000 years old, and the things written in the Old Testament shouldn't be taken as literal fact. On the contrary.
Then we get to what Casey White13 wrote about original sin. It didn't originate with Adam and Eve, so it isn't something passed down through generations. The whole thing is likely symbolic, which is true for about 99% of religion. That logic even extends to why priests practice celibacy...

Priests in robes; confession; blood and wine; "peace be with you"... It’s all symbolism.

If God is truly good, like the catechism preaches, He’ll be looking at whether someone is a good person, not whether they pay their annual dues to their parish.
If your own mother and father are willing to forgive the biggest mistakes you make in life, then God—if He exists—as the pinnacle of love and nature, would be ready to forgive much more. And doubt? Doubt is just part of being human. It’s a part of our intelligence, and that's exactly why it manifests in our most intelligent beings.

The reason it’s actually worth sticking to Christianity and Catholicism is the tradition. That’s how America (and its various regions) developed throughout history, and it's why it stands apart from the rest of the world. The modern era is a strange one because by distancing itself from not just Christianity, but the customs that come with it, America risks losing its identity to the growing influence of other cultures in certain areas. That’s the core of it. So, even if you don't believe, at least respect the tradition.

Historically speaking, I think the greatest value of Christianity lies in the concept of love and forgiveness. Before that, religions in the ancient Western world were focused on different values, mostly centered around war, and the gods themselves acted more like powerful humans than morally superior beings.

And I'm primarily thinking of the New Testament here, because the God of the Old Testament is nothing like the one in the New. Back then, we dealt with an angry, vengeful, strict, violent, and ego-driven God. Interestingly, there are actually similarities between Buddhism and New Testament Christianity, which others have pointed out as well...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhi...n_Christianity

Larry Fox5 said:It's all subjective. Mozart is brilliant, sure, but he's just not my vibe. It’s not like I won’t listen to him, but if I have the choice, I’d much rather dive into Bach, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, or even something like Copland.

Verdi is an absolute legend too, followed closely by Bellini, Rossini, and Puccini.

On the subject of religion, I actually caught a documentary on the History Channel yesterday about these topics, so I was brushing up on some things. For the first four centuries, there were huge debates over whether Jesus was God, a prophet, a man, or a being with both divine and human natures mixed together...

Those arguments still pop up today, even without getting into the fundamental flaws of theism that people talk about. Maybe Taoism describes it best by calling the Divine "The Great Unknown"...

Jessica Gonzalez said:I think that's the guy playing "Ze Germans" Tommy from "Get Hard and Go."

I immediately thought of that old role too, once I saw him playing Al Capone...

Here’s a bit more detail on that abandoned hospital out in the suburbs

Anyway, obviously Dylan and Mozart don't belong in the same conversation. It’s like when I hear those hardcore rockers praising Jimmy Hendrix and Led Zeppelin to the heavens. Don't get me wrong, they're great to listen to, but comparing them to Mozart is like comparing junk food to a gourmet sundae...

Also, I’ve been watching Boardwalk Empire by Scorsese 👍. Has anyone else checked it out yet? Honestly, if Atlantic City during Prohibition and downtown Chicago don't run on the exact same principles...

Matthew Anderson4 said:And Dylan’s sitting there on some all-time greats list right up there with Mozart and Beethoven. Modern music just lacks that scale and complexity, so you can't really count him out for that. I feel for anyone who doesn't get it.

I agree with you regarding modern music; Dylan is definitely at the top. But honestly, I think anyone with even a basic understanding of classical music would pity you for not seeing how Mozart and Beethoven operate on an entirely different level. It’s just like how fine art stands above photography, even if both are valuable ways to express ourselves...

If we were sending a space probe out with humanity's greatest achievements or things that truly represent us as a species, do you really think someone would pack Bach and Mozart versus Bob Dylan?

Rock and pop belong to different categories; they have value, but they are inherently secondary to peak classical music. Besides, Beethoven has been performed in concert halls for 250 years, and I seriously doubt anyone will still be playing Dylan in those same venues centuries from now, regardless of what people think today. Even looking back at the music from the '20s, '30s, or '40s, so much of it is already forgotten. Very little survives the test of time, whether it's books or music...

Larry Fox5 said:Look, I just can't get behind that. Music isn't just some "tool"—it’s at least as important as the lyrics, if you ask me... actually, it's more important. What about all the instrumental symphonies? Classical, jazz, folk, rock...

By your "formula," guys like Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Beethoven & stuff wouldn't even count as great artists—even though people were writing full symphonies for orchestras and scores for fifty different instruments. You basically can't even compose that stuff unless you have perfect pitch...

Not to mention, as much as I love listening to Bob Dylan and guys like him, they all pale in comparison to the greats like Mozart and Bach that you mentioned...

Sam Thomas3 said:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Honestly, this one is fantastic—definitely a must-see! ☕

Speaking of great American cinema...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119472/?ref_=nm_knf_i2

Larry Fox5 said:Trying to rank these things is just impossible—and honestly, trying to even agree on what the criteria should be? Forget about it...

It’s one thing if we're talking hard metrics like viewership numbers or actual box office revenue........., but it's a whole different story when you assemble some "panel of five experts" who sit in their ivory towers making subjective judgments about whether a movie is "good." Even people in their own industry call out those critiques for being nothing more than personal opinions.

Movies like Rain Man, Papillon, Sin City, or Fargo......... they're all absolute classics that should have been on that list for a dozen different reasons, yet they aren't.

The movies are good, but honestly, none of them belonged on this list to begin with.

Speaking of those classics on the list though...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065214/

🙏

brightpilot6 said:Does anyone happen to have any recommendations for some solid independent films worth watching?

Apparently, Tina has another unreleased film out there

As for everything else, I noticed someone shared a link with several movies, including this one

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0861739/

Both the first and second parts are excellent...

From what I understand, about 60% of what you pay at the pump goes straight to the government, with a huge chunk being road fees and excise taxes

http://www.nytimes.com/gas-prices-and-taxes-explained/884780/

Just from those highway user fees alone, drivers end up paying billions, and that's strictly for road maintenance

When you consider that agencies like the Department of Transportation have three or four times more employees than they actually need, the math starts to add up—it ends up reflected in those sky-high tolls. Honestly, part of the problem is also just the massive overspending and corruption during those big interstate construction projects

It’s the same story with big cities like New York; utility costs stay inflated because there are tens of thousands of people working for the municipal conglomerates and city hall, and in my experience, at least a third of them aren't even doing much work

But regardless, traffic is going to be a mess no matter how you organize the system. It's just that time of year, and it happens everywhere across the US...

Eric Fox7 said:Honestly, I think we wouldn't be dealing with these massive traffic jams if we just switched to windshield vignettes instead of those overpriced toll plazas.

But then where would all those political appointees get their jobs?

http://www.nytimes.com/news/highway-authority-employment.../1063949/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/us/news/highway-authority-...workers-956057

ruggedjackal46 said:If someone had actually told me I’d find myself on a sports forum debating whether Eco, Borges, Kubrick, or Nolan is the superior choice, I would have assumed we were reenacting some classic Saturday Night Live sketch 😁.

🤣🤣🤣

Anyway, season two of TD is honestly such a letdown compared to the first one. I'm officially calling it quits on the rest of the series...

brightpilot6 said:Their debut, Imprimatur, is essentially a carbon copy of The Name of the Rose.

To suggest any comparison with Dan Brown is an insult in its own right.

What they actually share with Brown is the tendency to scavenge through existing non-fiction works—those pieces that lament over controversial historical truths—and simply repackage them into fiction. This isn't the result of their own original research, nor do they spend time scouring historical archives. And when it comes to actual knowledge of the Middle Ages, is it not likely that Eco forgot more than M&S will ever know? ☕

The prose quality, the rhythm, and the depth of characterization all fall significantly short of Eco's standard. The scope is narrower, and the humor lacks his wit. Furthermore, for Eco, a specific historical event or setting serves as a subtle backdrop for the narrative rather than its entire backbone. A novel can certainly stand on its own without relying on a bombastic, global conspiracy to drive the plot.

That isn't to say it isn't enjoyable, educational, or intriguing to read some of the theories M&S wrap inside a historical novel. Personally, I found Mysterium to be exceptional; that was the one moment where I truly felt Eco's influence, whereas everything else felt a step below. It isn't bad, per se, but it hardly reaches greatness.

I don't think you've actually read their interviews, and it feels like you're just being stubborn, kind of like how you were about Interstellar. You seem to be writing about things without looking into them enough before forming an opinion, though I still enjoy reading your posts. Actually, M&S definitely did dive into the archives. Here's a quote from the website of their US publisher: "Imprimatur is a novel based on true archival material that was often inaccessible to the public, which Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti spent over ten years collecting."

And here's a snippet from one of their interviews: "In the spring, we finished 'Mysterium,' the fourth title in the saga started with 'Imprimatur.' We spent three years researching in Vienna, Rome, and Paris, even employing a ten-person team to work for us, but it was still incredibly exhausting and time-consuming archival work."

Yet you're still insisting they don't use archives and that they're mostly just recycling non-fiction. They literally hired a whole team for a single book. There are plenty of quotes out there proving my point if you bother to look online...

And please, what exactly makes Imprimatur a copy of The Name of the Rose? I haven't heard a comparison like that in ages. The only similarity is that the Church is central to the plot, but The Name of the Rose is set in the late Middle Ages and focuses on murders in a monastery, while Imprimatur is set during the Baroque era and deals with European espionage and Pope Innocent XI. Saying it's a copy is like saying Interstellar is a copy of the Odyssey just because it takes place in space...