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TD Ryan2

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Posts posted by TD Ryan2

  5. Posted

    Wow. You pretty much nailed every point.

     

    Any stock tips or gambling picks?

     

    Trump was America's Angry Hay-maker thrown at the establishment.

    However, there's no doubt that his inability to avoid the cesspool of celebrity bickering and tweeting will be his downfall - the middle is tired of it and many Trump diehards acknowledge that it's too much.

     

    Will it be a Dem that knocks him off? Not likely, America still hates them too.. a fresh outsider that's a bit more Presidential and a Dem in name only (like Trump was an R in name only) can beat him. Without that fresh outsider though, it's another 4 years of President Trump... and who knows, maybe the Republicans think a true "R" can emerge.

     

    What's more interesting to me is life after Trump - he won't ever stop tweeting and in his own way, he'll be another version of checks and balances on our elected officials - he'll tweet more about actual government issues and have more credibility after being POTUS. With Trump scrutinizing every move, we may actually be a more informed electorate.

    • Like 1

  8. Posted

     

    Good post. Tolkien wrote about how a fantasy reader engages in a "willing suspension of disbelief," and that while an author can create a fantasy setting, he has an obligation to the reader to stay within the rules of the setting he has established. As a simple example, you cannot have a story with no magic where a hero appears out of nowhere and kills the bad guy; the reader would be all WTF?!

     

    I feel like a little of this is happening with this series. It is still very interesting, but I wonder (1) did they have this all planned out or are they winging it, and (2) can they possibly provide adequate closure to something becoming very large?

     

    exactly Jerry... the REALISM is what makes it so good... so as a story teller, you can't all of a sudden rely on unrealistic things to close plot lines and solve problems for the writers.

    And you nailed it with your last 2 points:

    1. Are they winging it? Exactly - the minute an audience starts to ask that question, it's bad... it's why Star Wars and Jar Jar Binks was so bad, it's why Tony Soparno's dream sequence season was so bad, and it's why Breaking Bad was so good, you knew the BB writers had an endgame planned.

     

    2. Can they provide closure to something becoming very large- this is THE PRIMARY job for them IMO, they've made is so real, so believable on such a large scale - NYC all Swasticka'd out, San Fran with Rising Sun flags... exploring the impact this would have on things and the domino effect on all things large and small is what this show should be about.

    So if they run away from this aspect of it and rely on goofy, supernatural, non-realistic explanations - it will completely suxor because as you stated - those are not the rules of the world we signed up for with this story - this isn't "What if Rob Stark" lived, it's what if German won.

    • Like 1

  9. Posted

    MITHC is The Best Ever "What if We Lost WW2" concept movie/show. Jaw dropping and stunning realism - exploring their alternate-history world is fascinating and they've done a great job with all the little details that bring it to life.

     

    However... once the novelty ended, the show got a little weak into season 2 and started reaching with hints of dream-worlds, time travel, and/or alternate worlds... and that's just disappointing b/c the reality of what Nazi Germany was and could have done if history was different is enough to explore and build stories and characters around without getting all weird and out-there.

    Bottom line: I'll wait for others to watch/review bc there's a very real chance this ends up just being a bad, alternate-history X-files.

  10. Posted

     

    FYI, "traditional values" was always BS. The times are getting better not worse.

     

    For some it was BS - for some it wasn't.

     

    And the "times" are getting better in a lot of ways... but worse too... as "NORMAL" goes away, the breadth of everything is expanding - in part bc of technology... the range of things both wonderful and terrible is expanding.

     

    And this ties into WHY I'm not a fan of our shock-jock, sensationalized, negative, media culture... there is no record exec anymore, there is no TV exec, and there is no news editor anymore that are curating the content... nobody is filtering anything... and that means it's up to the public to be the curators... that's both good and bad... we will become EXACTLY what we allow ourselves to become with every click, share, and second of attention we give to the Kardashian garbage that surrounds us.

     

    We have freedom of speech more than ever, anyone/everyone can self publish and be heard - but it is now up to the public more than ever to truly decide what will be consumed and and what media will be spread and allowed to shape who and what we are. Are you tuned into a one-sided news outlet that's continually arguing? If so, you're part of the problem and you're part of the reason your kids won't grow up knowing how to be anything besides an argumentative, self important, self centered, know it all.

  11. Posted

    Volty - you used a word that is becoming more and more difficult to define... NORMAL.

     

    It's hard to get you head around this but NORMAL is dead... there is no normal anymore... NORMAL is what we had when there were only 3 TV channels... and only 10 or so books were read an on the best sellers list.... and the same 50 songs got played over and over by the record execs who decided what "Normal" was for the masses in the middle of the bell curve.

     

    NORMAL... is, in many cases - AVERAGE. And Average stores, with average products, for average people do not win anymore... Average companies, that hire average people, who remain perfectly average and predictable for 40 years - do not exist anymore.

     

    You have to let your kids find their own NORMAL - whatever they are truly good, passionate, and talented at... you have to guide them towards it. Don't shackle them with YOUR rigid expectations - let them figure it out on their own with your morals and values quietly baked into their decision making process.

     

    I understand the point of your original post. Of course you want them to have good morals and values - traditions are a good thing and being traditional helps keep you grounded... you want them to understand hard work, commitment, and fairness and right from wrong... and to have all that built in while being successful, safe, and happy. But you don't have to force them to hang out with the fake-happy Ozzie and Harriets of today to get there.

    • Like 1

  12. Posted

    it's a focking mockery and disgrace... Trump, Omarosa... kardashian-level dysfunction running America... not a statesman to be found... Richard Hatch for Supreme Court anyone? Maybe Ozzy can guard the tomb of the Unknown soldier? Kid Rock Secretary of Defense? or Rodman... Dennis Rodman understands defense.

     

    pathetic.

    • Like 1

  18. Posted

    the TV/Cable series is an art form that is constantly progressing and evolving - to this point, Breaking Bad did it better than anyone - and they certainly learned a lot from other great shows but they nailed EVERYTHING.

     

    • Plot/Story Line - no loose ends, believable story arc ISopranos failed to close plot lines)
    • Writing/Dialogue - perfect, authentic, believable, and even poetic (The Wire, Deadwood a bit overdone)
    • Acting - top notch, on par with the best
    • Film/Cinematography - great camera work, great visual story telling

     

    A case can certainly be made for liking other shows just as much - but technically, BB was pristine. Game of Thrones had the added advantage of BUDGET - and that's probably the only thing BB may have lacked, and it's what an HBO or SHOWTIME could have provided.

     

    The TV/Cable Series is the new, dominant entertainment vehicle - movies, sitcoms, etc are all falling behind. And that's good for us all, BB/Sopranos/Wire/PeakyBlinders... Brady/Manning - doesn't focking matter, it's all pretty focking great stuff and we, the viewers benefit.

  19. Posted

    "I dated a girl that could touch her elbows behind her back"

    (watch and smile as she tries to accomplish this and sticks the perkies out for a good show)

     

    "Hate to see you leave, love to watch you go" (great recovery if she walks away after the elbow joke)

     

    "Do you like boats? I have 7" (owning a boat implies affluence - owning 7 is a dream come true)

     

    "Over 20k posts at the Geek Club" (no explanation needed)

  23. Posted

    Oh, I live in Asia. Theres not much I dont know about crowds of people.

     

    typically, it is the foreigners that are completely ignorant about space, lines, etc - and you never know whether it's intentional and malicious or just cultural ignorance from people whose definition of personal space is far different than any american's.

  24. Posted

    Im not a fan of Disney personally. But then, Im not supposed to be, not having kids and all.

     

    Yeah - I wasn't either until I had kids and went with them.

    The thing about Disney World is that it's not just a "thrill rides" place - the entire culture of Disney World is beyond any other "amusement park". The richness and detail in everything they do is unmatched.

     

    Is Universal better? Sure, in some ways - it's more action-packed and thrill-rides - but even Universal's "best rides" are not just "rides" but "immersive attractions" - and that's what Disney has been doing for decades with all the Disney characters/stories/brands that are build into the fabric of American childhood.

     

    Disney isn't a "vacation" any more than rock climbing is - but if you're informed and prepared, you'll get to do/see some really cool things at even better/higher levels than the masses.

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