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I foresee many pointless conversations in the Batcave

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  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    Neil DeGrasse Tyson now too.
  • moetownmoetown Posts: 3,276
    No way!
  • moetownmoetown Posts: 3,276
    I just finished volumes 1 & 2 of Kill or Be Killed What do you guys think of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' other stuff? I was quite pleased with these.
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    edited November 2017
    What is Neil DeGrasse Tyson being accused of, and by how many women? I don't wanna sound like an asshole, but the accusations agains, say, Louis CK were easy to believe: there were rumours and there were several women saying the same thing.
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    edited November 2017
    Oh, by the way, every year, remembrance day makes me nauseous. Instead of lamenting war, it commemorates it.

    And while everybody is thanking Canadian veterans, pinning red poppies to their clothes and shit, a large proportion of the poor fuckers who got messed up in Afghanistan for no good reason can't get decent care.

    Load of bullshit.
  • moetownmoetown Posts: 3,276
    I think it's one woman accusing Tyson.

    We don't want to believe that a person we don't know, but whom we admire for whatever reason, is actually a despicable human being. Why would someone make something like this up? I mean, I know people lie all the time, but generally I tend to assume the accusers are telling the truth.
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    edited November 2017
    I'm not saying she's lying. I'm saying "I don't know". And I also would like to point out that people lie all the time (this applies to both Tyson and the accuser), and to know who's telling the truth, a round of "my word against theirs" is not enough. And I really shouldn't have to point out that people should be presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

    Keep in mind that this, if true, won't much change my opinion of DeGrasse Tyson, mostly because I don't have one: I don't personally know him, I just know his public persona. And I tend to "separate the art from the artist", otherwise there wouldn't be much art (or science, or any other human endeavour) left to appreciate.
  • moetownmoetown Posts: 3,276
    And I really shouldn't have to point out that people should be presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
    That's only true in a courtroom.
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    edited November 2017
    Sure, but it shouldn't be, for obvious reasons.

    By the way, I'm using the word "proof" here in its largest sense. The Louis CK situation is a good example: persistent rumours plus several women saying the same thing. Since a conspiracy against Louis CK is unlikely, chances are that the allegations were true. And I'm saying this as a fan of Louis CK.
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    edited November 2017
    Just for shits and giggles, I found the original blog post were DeGrasse Tyson was accused of rape (it was 3 years ago):
    "Today is October 8, 2014. 30 years. Today there was an eclipse, during the Ra Aspolia Pi Cot Sahu (Full Moon and Portal of Djehuty (Sun in Sidereal Virgo, Moon in PIsces, Mercury Retrograde). Kinda intense when you really sit bak and take it all in. Tomorrow, Set (Mars, Ego) has an appointment with Master healer Imhotep (Mars enters Ophiuchus: tome for healing from sexual trauma, time for conquering lower nature, etc).

    All this to say that this posting is in alignment with the Divine Natural Right Order. Although I know this is the right decision, it has been difficult to take action, because I know this monster is loved by so many of you. However, in order to maintain my own well being, peace of mind, sanity, longevity, positivity, peaceful relationships, health, happiness, self love and self trust, in order to elimnate blocks to my own abundance and prosperity, it has become impossible to keep silent anymore. I continue to wonder if he is still hurting women, children or men. It is also important for me to speak out NOW because it is important for ALL people that have been sexually violated in any way to stand up and speak out if we want this type of cruelty to cease.
    END THE SILENCE, END THE VIOLENCE. THE BLUE LOTUS SPEAKS!"
    https://tchiya.wordpress.com/2014/10/08/end-the-silence-end-the-violence-chapter-6-austin-texas-1983-1984-the-blue-lotus-speaks/


    The story doesn't appear anywhere other than blogs and clickbait webpages. The lack of presence in mainstream media after three years gives me the impression that the story doesn't have legs.
  • moetownmoetown Posts: 3,276
    Someone is obviously trying to give it legs. I think it may be Jeff.
  • moetownmoetown Posts: 3,276
    I have no energy, but I have to make myself go to my mom's. I haven't seen her all week.

    A book I'd ordered through the library - Light Years - a book I've wanted to read for a while, finally arrived. I was really excited until I remembered it's a love story. I took it back today and got a few "guy" books - Ron Hansen, Tom Franklin, and someone I've never heard about, David Liss. I also got some more comic books.

    In the Blood Rogue by James Carlos Blake - I can't be bothered to do the whole link thing since I'm on an iPad - was a hell of a novel that I enthusiastically recommend.
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    edited November 2017
    I'm reading "Salt: A World History" by Mark Kurlansky. It's a book about the history of.. Salt. It's more interesting than it sounds! Then I'm probably going to read a french sci-fi book called "la Horde du Contrevent", by Alain Damasio.
  • matthewmatthew Posts: 419
    edited November 2017
    "Oh, by the way, every year, remembrance day makes me nauseous. Instead of lamenting war, it commemorates it.

    And while everybody is thanking Canadian veterans, pinning red poppies to their clothes and shit, a large proportion of the poor fuckers who got messed up in Afghanistan for no good reason can't get decent care. "
    I actually avoided saying anything this year. I think what upsets me most is the Canadian name for it. It's more of a display of collective ignorance than 'remembrance'. Those wearing poppies are the people least likely to be able to even ballpark the reasons for the war that the calendar date of November 11th commemorates.

    I really wanted to write something that opened like a stereotypically patriotic/jingoistic Remembrance/Veterans Day Facebook post that opened like "My great uncle died for..." but then instead of saying "for our freedom" I would launch into a sarcastically ornate description of the complex chain of alliance system triggers that lead to that meaningless war that claimed his life. His pointless death in some overnight exchange of gun fire in Bruay-la-Buissiere, some forgotten and insignificant battlefield in a war everyone wishes had never been fought (certainly the 70 million people who perished in WWII would have preferred if the Central Powers had won), depresses me more than it fills me with pride.

    ******

    The relative of mine I am referring to likely lied about his age to join the Canadian military. That he enlisted on February 14, 1916 suggests that he may have signed up to impress a girl. Who knows. But his legs got blown apart February 14, 1917 in Bruay and succumbed to his wounds the next day. He never got to grow old or have children or really experience life. Why? What great cause did he die for? Because the Austrians had a beef with Serbian nationalists? His mangled corpse was thrown into a hole in a scarred field in Europe that his parents would never be able to visit. In fact, no one in our entire family has ever visited his grave. His remains have been sitting in that lonely pack of mud in N. France for a century now. Again, he died because of...because of Serbian nationalism...? or the fact that the British needed to secure their relationship with Belgium to ensure port access? Or because the Kaiser miscalculated the Russian Empire's ability to mobilize? or...or...or... Jesus Christ, what a waste of life.

    Oddly enough, today, by total fluke, I found his photograph online. No one in our family had any photos of this kid. In fact, my mother has no photos of her mother's side, so this was kind of a revelation.

    56402402_1500941546.jpg
    1941 x 3921 - 2M
  • TrippTripp Posts: 676
    edited November 2017
    Evan, everything by Ed Brubaker and Sean Philips is good. Check out Criminal if you haven't already. Also COWARD, INCOGNITO, THE FADE OUT, and VELVET (which is a great twist on Bond mythology. In short, Miss Moneypenny is the hero).
  • TrippTripp Posts: 676
    I'm kinda loving seeing all these assholes get outed for being assholes. I was over Louis a long time ago, before I ever heard Jen Kirkman address it. His show got to be incredibly irritating to me. A bad combination of self-righteous and self-deprecating. In short, disingenuous.
  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    edited November 2017
    Yeah, I loved Louis CK for a while there, but the percentage of stuff he did that was over-the-line was going up, even as he hectored people more and more about morality. By the time the Kirkman stuff came out I was nearly done already and it wasn't hard for me to write him off. I think I've been off him for 3-4 years now maybe.

    I really hope the Tyson one isn't true. The Takei one almost certainly is. He told very nearly the same story as his accuser in the past on Howard Stern, but framed it as a humorous story about helping skittish guys get in the mood with a little groping.

    Maybe the most interesting thing about the CK response is that it's the best response ever made to these allegations, admitting wrongdoing, acknowledging abuse of power, and promising to listen... and it's still a piece of shit. It never says the words "sorry" or "apologize," addresses his power only in an abstract way about "being admired" (as opposed to "my agent helped me fucking end some careers") and tries to paint the whole thing as something he somehow accepted his wrongdoing on and tried to improve from years ago as well as something he only realized the impact of a day or so before the letter.

    It really says a lot about where we're at that this is the best response ever and it still sucks.

    And it wouldn't have made a fucking thing better even if it were better than this.
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    This made me laugh:

    image
  • TrippTripp Posts: 676
    We had a small debate over whether or not his career will recover. I said it will not but others made a compelling case as to why it would.
  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    edited November 2017
    I think it's entirely possible he could still make a solid living doing standup on the road and then sell his own specials on his site again. And if he made enough at that, he'd almost certainly put some of the profits into more tv or movies.

    Thing is, his willingness to bet his own money on his projects is going to make his downfall that much more pronounced. He spent millions of his own life savings making "I Love You, Daddy" and it does not seem likely to even be released any time soon.

    So he's going away for a while, you'd have to think/hope.
  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    Simon and I are working our way through the X-Men movies, as he's now decided he likes the X-Men. (Although we haven't dived into the current comic runs. I like Astonishing X-Men alright, but it's not a great jumping off point for him.)

    It's fun to have something to watch with him that's not a cartoon, but it's a bummer that 5 out of 6 of these are directed by sexual predators.
  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    I thought Star Trek Discovery's fall finale was pretty good. I'm definitely into the show and I've never really been a Trek person before.
  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    Not sure if I mentioned, but Matilda got two good job offers about a week ago. She took one of them and starts her new gig today.
  • captqitncaptqitn Posts: 3,624
    Yay Matty!
  • LefunesteLefuneste Posts: 7,989
    Huzzah for Tilda!
  • TrippTripp Posts: 676
    What's she doing?
  • TrippTripp Posts: 676
    edited November 2017
    I'd say the best place to start reading X-Men comics is Giant-Size X-men #1 then into the Claremont-Cockrum run. There's a collection of it. From X-Men #94 to the end of the Dark Phoenix saga (#136?) is one of the best runs of a comic ever.

    https://www.amazon.com/Essential-X-Men-Vol-Chris-Claremont/dp/0785102566/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510608837&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=Essential+X-Men+trade
  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    I've got a ton of those those and love 'em. Thing is, SImon is eight. He's not going to be willing to read "old" stuff just yet. I am trying to find a more recent jumping in point.
  • Jurf_WurburJurf_Wurbur Posts: 5,475
    edited November 2017
    Tilda now has a job a lot like mine, doing inside sales. In her case, she's contacting event planners and trying to get them on board with using her linen rental company for tablecloths, chair covers, etc. She starts off low, but should be doing pretty good within 6 months and fantastic within 2 years.
  • TrippTripp Posts: 676
    Cool
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