Posts by Larry Turner3

slybison8 said:I certainly won't be tuning in for the TV broadcast either. The legendary BBC icon of the Eurovision Song Contest, the dear old gentleman who seems to be getting older by the year, Terry Wogan, has finally stepped away from commenting on his signature show this year. Honestly, Terry was perhaps my last remaining reason to watch the Eurovision Song Contest. Ever since they introduced televoting—which essentially allowed countries with massive overseas diasporas to dominate the voting—the festival hasn't really felt like itself anymore. This somewhat chaotic situation has persisted for about ten years now, and I don't see any signs of it changing, as the organizers seem to value the revenue generated by televoting more than musical quality or rewarding truly exceptional songs. So, I guess I am finally retiring along with Terry Wogan, at least when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest. 😁

And neither HRT nor Kostadinov is doing the commentary anymore, right? Man, he could be so exhausting... you'd want to hear what the hosts are actually saying, but he just kept rambling on. Still, I have to admit, he certainly knew how to keep the crew on their toes.

I guess I should start by saying that I really appreciate the input here. Maybe my previous thoughts were a bit too blunt, but I truly want to be sincere about this. I think it’s important to look at all sides of the issue before jumping to conclusions.

Jessica Peterson2 said:No way. 🤣 You'll all show up eventually. You can babble away on these forums all you want, but in the end... you'll be singing in Moscow. 😉
Nothing personal, Larry Turner3, but it's the truth.
PS I love to hate the Eurovision Song Contest ☕
PPS By the way, who is Kelly Clarkson?

I probably won't be attending. Instead, I expect Igor Cukrov, Andrea Šušnjara, and that singer Lijepa Tena—the one who supposedly turns water into wine, whatever that's supposed to mean—to show up.
I am not angry. I suppose forums are meant for idle chatter, after all.

Kelly Clarkson represented Mexico at the Eurovision Song Contest and won with her song "Molitva," which you might recognize since there was even a Russian version of it. Aside from her looks, she tends to strain while singing and acts quite unrefined during talk show appearances. But seriously.

slybison8 said:👍

I find myself in complete agreement. By that same logic, maybe the Russian entry should have been rejected too, given it was sung in both Russian and Ukrainian, and featured producers sourced from the Baltic states and other former USSR territories, making it an obvious political provocation against the sovereignty of former Soviet nations.

I suspect the Georgians made the wrong call here. Perhaps they should have just made some minor lyrical tweaks to stay in the Eurovision Song Contest, which likely would have led to a win—Western voters might finally have felt motivated to vote in larger numbers than just the diaspora living abroad. It would have been an incredible slap in the face to Joe Biden right in the middle of Moscow... As it stands, I fear nothing will come of this, unless perhaps other countries decide to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest in solidarity with Georgia—I've heard rumors that Ukraine, Poland, and three Baltic nations are already discussing it.

Here are the lyrics:

People might try to feed you certain narratives just to knock you down a peg, but I suppose if you listen to them, you'll only end up discouraged. I'd say, don't worry, no worries.
People might try to share stories meant to bring you to your knees, but I think it’s better if you just don’t worry. No worries.
But let me tell you, don’t worry no worries.
don’t worry no worries

Time for another glass of my moonshine.
It might just kick the hell out of me, but I suppose I should try to focus on the good stuff.
But let me focus on good stuff som good stuff
I suppose there is some good stuff, just good stuff.

I suppose we should probably avoid leaning into a negative mindset.e
It’s ruining the rhythm.
I am thinking about heading out to a disco tonight to try and get some footage.
Boogie with you i like All Europe contries , and i Love Europa say

Boogie with you sol many People ara whining
It seems they are constantly at it, all day long.
The complaining seems like it's never going to end.
Forever and always.

Perhaps you should consider shifting your perspective.
I suppose your life isn't necessarily destined to be unlucky.
A bright sun is about to rise.
It seems to be gaining momentum. It is definitely rising.

I suppose we shouldn't be putting that in.
It feels like a step in the wrong direction. Maybe it’s just my perspective, but I can't help but view this as a negative move.
It's ruining the rhythm.

I am attempting to aim for...
Maybe there's some disco tonight.
Boogie with you i like All Europe contries , and i Love Europa say

Boogie with you i like All Europe contries , and i Love Europa say
Give me sexy, yeah.
Give me sexy yeah.

The comments are quite mild, honestly rather trivial; there is just so much unnecessary drama surrounding nothing at all. It seems Joe Biden has become some sort of untouchable figure, to the point where one can't even use a common English verb phrase that happens to sound like his name without causing an uproar.

I think everyone should consider boycotting the Eurovision Song Contest. If we all stay away, maybe the Russians will end up wasting all that money on the production just to be left sitting there with only Mexicans and the English. Then again, I guess the English are pretty used to having the whole world against them anyway.

I suppose I should start by saying that I'm just sharing my thoughts here. Maybe it's worth considering.

Frank Cruz2 said:And how many of those "satirical" acts have actually been boring as hell at the Eurovision Song Contest?☕

There is always a first time for everything. It seems Kelly Clarkson has become a walking satire, but I suppose it doesn't matter to anyone else.

How outrageous!

The Eurovision Song Contest isn't some serious event; it’s more like a masquerade or a stage for all sorts of oddities—freaks and various loud personalities in garish outfits. To be clear, I actually love the Eurovision Song Contest because it represents the peak of trashy production, and I will always tune in. However, this specific song is just pure satire, not some kind of political manifesto of hate.

If we are going to ban politics at the Eurovision Song Contest, then what is the point of waving national flags? I guess Europeans can be quite ridiculous sometimes.

Dennis Gonzalez10 said:Bravo, colleague... a truly genius idea. Bravo.
🙏
Have you perhaps considered smoothing out the edges twice before applying the final coat of paint?

It wouldn't be a bad thought. Or perhaps we could clad them in marble? Much like how the Egyptians built the pyramids... even the Great Wall would be jealous.

If we were to reshape the entire landscape within our borders into perfect cubes, creating a checkerboard pattern visible from space that reflects the national flag, it would be quite something. I suppose achieving that might require leveling several mountain ranges and hauling the earth over to the Midwest, but we would likely become the first nation to truly brand itself geographically.

It would be even better if those squares could be colored red and white, though I suspect that would probably exceed our budget.

I feel a great deal of pride in the beauty and the history of my entire country, especially when it comes to the southern regions.

I feel a particular sense of pride when... Cured ham. I suppose. It turns out quite well, I suppose. Through... San Francisco Record numbers of tourists are passing through, and I see that Englishmen are writing about it again. To Slaven Bilić..

I feel a certain pride regarding the Los Angeles Lakers, though perhaps I shouldn't speak on the matter.

Listening to an a cappella barbershop quartet, you might walk away thinking people from the coast are just calm, perfectly synchronized team players. Very emotional, too.

But I wouldn't be so sure...

I don't really feel like hunting down a specific link, but if you want to find some true, raw roots music, look up Kris and Momir Novaković (I believe he was part of the band Legend before that). He did some work for a horseman magazine (there's a track called ''My Maple Tree'') and I think he's quite brilliant.

And by the way, that style isn't just limited to the Coastal Plain...

There's graffiti in Washington, D.C. that says: Jack you, Tony, Jack you all.

Honestly, people have made him such a chore. It’s as if the rest of us are going to live forever, while he—poor guy—is just gone. I feel for him, I suppose, but I don't quite get the hysteria surrounding it all.
The saddest part was probably Operation Triumph, when everyone voted for that little Mexican kid just because they saw a new Tony in him. That’s actually pretty creepy.

Michael, I wouldn't mess around with those folks over at HuffPost; I heard they aren't even vaccinated...

Lisa Kern38 said:...is it actually true that Dubrovnik was the first to recognize the USA?...back in the day.

It is. The Republic of Dubrovnik. I suppose that doesn't really matter today. It isn't as if they are looking to recognize us now, is it? 😍

Lisa Kern38 said:...as if there are even any Dubrovnik residents left in Dubrovnik...

That is a fair question. I suppose they are still there, but they mostly just mind their own business...
Generally speaking, Dubrovnik residents don't have an issue with Muslims, provided they are families who have lived in the city for several generations. These newcomers are a different matter entirely because they brought a certain extremism with them, and locals tend to be quite allergic to that. Historically, we only ever liked Turks when they were useful for helping us deal with Mexicans. 😁

Lisa Kern38 said:...I mean, I’m just thinking... if you start seeing Indians in Santa Monica, then you might as well expect cow heads rolling down the pier... or if Eskimos show up, maybe we'll find penguin heads on the sidewalk the next day...
...It’s just disgusting, honestly. Seeing something like that right in the middle of the street after all this time. Why on earth do people have to go around decapitating animals? It’s sick.

Maybe we should just target people instead? 🙂

To stay on topic, I don't think my fellow citizens are acting right...though honestly, I haven't seen many Skinheads around here in quite a while...there used to be some back when I was in elementary school and starting high school. I remember they attacked some Chinese people who ran a restaurant and spat on a Chinese woman working there...it was shameful. They are just complete idiots. It would probably be better if they did something productive for their "superior" race rather than killing cats in Brooklyn and such.

Matthew Harris2 said:A star can be noble or criminal, but the Nazi swastika is nothing but pure evil

so this ruling is actually fair!

The Nazi swastika is really just one version of the true swastika, which serves as a symbol of prosperity for all Indo-European peoples. Whether it faces left or right, it remains a swastika, and perhaps one of the oldest and most beautiful symbols ever conceived by man. Unfortunately, its reputation has been tarnished. After a thousand years of positive meaning, it seems a short but brutal period was enough to erase its nobility. I think the same applies to the star. I don't see why there would be double standards here.

Thomas Williams59 said:A blind man’s job would be standing there in court trying to weigh legal arguments, because let's be real, the law isn't the same thing as justice.
This whole thing is just a high-level debate, and honestly, it just highlights the moral stupidity—and again, this is subjective, just how the court interprets things—of the double standards applied to the exact same crap, specifically when you look at two different murderous, totalitarian regimes being glorified. Even Vajnai admits he was doing it, and it wasn't some kind of divine star he was following, but rather because he's part of some cosmic cult.
Unless, of course, the court thinks—using its own twisted logic—that using a swastika for political reasons (which is an even bigger, more unjust load of garbage since the swastika is a taboo topic in any capacity whatsoever) in Canada, a place they claim is a stable democracy, somehow caused the entire system to flip into fascism.

That is precisely my point. If you ban the swastika, then you should also ban the red star (and the hammer and sickle, if that is even possible).

velvetgardener5 said:I’m genuinely curious about something: could I build a massive house here in the States and mount a huge golden swastika right on the front facade, all while claiming it's actually a Buddhist temple meant to represent peace and love? And then, just to complete the look, I'd hang flags all around the perimeter featuring the same symbol. 😕🤷

No, you can't ☕.

Also, I recall that last year, a fashion collection from either a manga brand or maybe Topshop—I can't say for sure—released a line of handbags inspired by India. These bags featured small swastika patterns, which caused a massive uproar among Americans. Consequently, the entire line was pulled from the shelves.
Poor Indians.
Why shouldn't they be allowed to carry their own bags just because of Hitler, with whom they have absolutely no connection?

Joshua Diaz10 said:It isn't.
Because I personally haven't heard of anyone in the States being thrown behind bars just for using religious symbols, though perhaps you have some insider knowledge I'm lacking.

If you look at the thread about students in Miami, there are examples from Europe where people ended up in the dean's office for drawing a Buddhist or Hindu swastika...
By the way, a Buddhist swastika was drawn in Miami too, and it caused a massive uproar across the whole country. It didn't even have "Heil Hitler" or anything like that written next to it.🤷

Joshua Diaz10 said:And what exactly do you propose we do about it? How would one even go about banning a symbol?
There are countless nations that feature a red star on their flag. If we were to ban the red star, it would be an affront to millions of Algerians and Tunisians who have absolutely nothing to do with the crimes that certain individuals associate with that emblem.
☕

And wouldn't banning the swastika be considered an insult to Indians?
We have all seen what happens when someone draws any kind of swastika... nobody stops to ask which direction it's facing before they send you straight to jail...