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Post by Kapitan on Dec 17, 2021 16:02:45 GMT
Also, we keep working because, despite the constant fear mongering by the media at large, none of these things is as bad as it appears. Right. As I said, the world isn't ending, it's just the world as we know it that is ending ... and that's literally always ending. If we all stopped working because of Problem X, I hate to tell you, but it won't be long before Problem X is the least of our worries... Lack of food, heat, electricity, police, fire departments, phone and internet service, public transportation, various maintenance and repair crews, etc., would be far bigger worries.
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Post by kds on Dec 17, 2021 16:19:57 GMT
Also, we keep working because, despite the constant fear mongering by the media at large, none of these things is as bad as it appears. Right. As I said, the world isn't ending, it's just the world as we know it that is ending ... and that's literally always ending. If we all stopped working because of Problem X, I hate to tell you, but it won't be long before Problem X is the least of our worries... Lack of food, heat, electricity, police, fire departments, phone and internet service, public transportation, various maintenance and repair crews, etc., would be far bigger worries. It amazes me how people run with it though. it's kind of frightening.
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Post by Kapitan on Dec 17, 2021 16:24:51 GMT
Right. As I said, the world isn't ending, it's just the world as we know it that is ending ... and that's literally always ending. If we all stopped working because of Problem X, I hate to tell you, but it won't be long before Problem X is the least of our worries... Lack of food, heat, electricity, police, fire departments, phone and internet service, public transportation, various maintenance and repair crews, etc., would be far bigger worries. It amazes me how people run with it though. it's kind of frightening. But we could all just be self-sufficient, right? Because surely we're all capable of building and maintaining our own shelter, growing and processing our own food, protecting ourselves and our families, have no need for transportation, etc., right? And that life would be so much better than the modern one...
lol. Ask anyone who has lived through an unexpected power outage and turned-off water that lasts, say, a couple days. We're dependent. And not just on "them," because "they" are "us." We have to work. Sorry. However dumb everyone's office job seems, in the grand scheme of things, this all is related.
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Post by kds on Dec 17, 2021 16:39:45 GMT
It amazes me how people run with it though. it's kind of frightening. But we could all just be self-sufficient, right? Because surely we're all capable of building and maintaining our own shelter, growing and processing our own food, protecting ourselves and our families, have no need for transportation, etc., right? And that life would be so much better than the modern one...
lol. Ask anyone who has lived through an unexpected power outage and turned-off water that lasts, say, a couple days. We're dependent. And not just on "them," because "they" are "us." We have to work. Sorry. However dumb everyone's office job seems, in the grand scheme of things, this all is related.
Hell, I was almost in a panic last March and April when I had a hard time locating diapers in my son's size.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 25, 2022 13:10:40 GMT
Is anyone following the Russian buildup around Ukraine? Obviously it's not something of urgent concern to most of us in the West, not an imminent risk for us. But I find it fascinating, and scary in terms of potentially upsetting the European security order that has more or less lasted at least since the fall of the Soviet Union, if not since the end of WWII.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 28, 2022 16:29:44 GMT
Not really politics, but societal/cultural in a similar (and maybe divisive) way, so I thought I'd respond to this here rather than in a music section of the board. I'm fine if an artist has a viewpoint, but I'm sick and tired of these people being so pompous that they assume that their viewpoint is the only viewpoint. Funny think is, I think Joe Rogan is an asshat. I always have. The guy ruined The Man Show. Hosting that show should've been the easiest gig in TV after Kimmel and Corolla stepped down. But, he (and Doug Stanhope) fucked it up. Why anyone in their right mind would take anything that the guy who ruined The Man Show to heart is beyond me, but these are strange days. I was afraid this would happen. I generally agree with you. But I wanted to comment a bit more on Rogan. I actually can't speak to his Man Show performance--and didn't even know he was ever on it. (I was never a regular viewer of it, though I was vaguely aware of the Kimmel/Carolla version and remember they had a novelty beer, of which a friend of mine got a shit-ton on clearance at one point.) I didn't watch Fear Factor. I don't remember him from News Radio at all, having never been a fan of it. (I do keep meaning to go back and check it out, though. Not for him, just generally.) I can't stomach MMA fights. And I don't even like his comedy.
But all that said, I appreciate his show. I like the long-form discussions that he was among the pioneers of, going beyond what was once considered "long," e.g., 45-60 minutes, into REALLY long discussions. I like the wide-ranging guests, with David Lee Roth one day and Bernie Sanders the next, Ben Shapiro the next, and Edward Snowden the next.
He clearly likes (and has admitted to, and hell, once hosted a show about) conspiracy theories. Though if you actually listen to him, he also often says things like "pretty much every popular conspiracy theory I've looked into seems fake." But they're interesting, so what's wrong with that?
I do cringe sometimes when I listen, sometimes because I know he's wrong and other times because I just worry he's giving a bad impression to people about something. But I also like how often he says "I was wrong about that," or fact-checks in real time and changes positions on the spot. I like how it's about the journey of investigation and thinking as opposed to regurgitating The Party Line of Truth (whichever community one might belong to).
In the end, everyone is wrong sometimes, including so-called authorities and official sources. It's not possible to stamp out misinformation, and it's not unusual for today's misinformation to be tomorrow's consensus. The reality is, it's our own responsibility to, well, be responsible. Don't take what sounds like a crazy idea as gospel without looking into it, thinking about it. In the end, you will. So will I. That's just the sad reality. But trying to control for it makes things worse, in my opinion. I'd rather have someone like Rogan having those conversations with diverse--and yes, sometimes fringe, and sometimes (in my opinion) idiotic or abhorrent--people, all the while saying "don't take my word for it, I'm a fucking dummy" (as he says ALL THE TIME) as opposed to the almost totally step-in-line media duopoly we have in this country, each network married to its political-cultural team, spouting the same party-line consensus.
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Post by carllove on Jan 28, 2022 22:34:41 GMT
Well I’ve never really agreed with Neil Young’s politics, but he did write two of my all time favorite songs “Expecting to Fly” and “Broken Arrow”, so I’ve never considered “cancelling” him. I don’t have Spotify and I have “Buffalo Springfield Again” on vinyl, so this doesn’t effect me, other than now, as the board resident conservative, I am intrigued by Rogan’s podcast, where I was not really before. Now, it looks like Kapitan has sealed the deal! Is his podcast available on other platforms?
I do have to say, the government has really messed up the science with COVID. As a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, I feel that I have a great deal more knowledge about viruses, than the average troll on Facebook. So I find myself very much in the middle of what seems to be two extremes. It is unfortunate that the pandemic had to be so politically polarizing. Instead of bringing us together, it seems to have torn us apart.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 28, 2022 23:52:36 GMT
Well I’ve never really agreed with Neil Young’s politics, but he did write two of my all time favorite songs “Expecting to Fly” and “Broken Arrow”, so I’ve never considered “cancelling” him. I don’t have Spotify and I have “Buffalo Springfield Again” on vinyl, so this doesn’t effect me, other than now, as the board resident conservative, I am intrigued by Rogan’s podcast, where I was not really before. Now, it looks like Kapitan has sealed the deal! Is his podcast available on other platforms? I do have to say, the government has really messed up the science with COVID. As a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, I feel that I have a great deal more knowledge about viruses, than the average troll on Facebook. So I find myself very much in the middle of what seems to be two extremes. It is unfortunate that the pandemic had to be so politically polarizing. Instead of bringing us together, it seems to have torn us apart. I think kds considers himself conservative, too. So I don't think you're alone. But even if you WERE the only conservative on the board, I'd say you're not alone, because we're a community regardless!
I know what you mean about feeling in the middle between two extremes. That's exactly how I feel about COVID reactions, too. Not that I'm an expert, by any means. I have nothing but literacy, common sense and curiosity on my side. But like the NYT summary I posted in the COVID thread a few days ago, it just feels sometimes like I'm surrounded by lunatics on this side and that!
As for Rogan, he moved at some point within the past year to Spotify, but you can listen without a paid membership. I don't have one, just a free account. I suspect old episodes are still on YouTube, though I haven't checked. There are many, many, many...some great, some OK, some dumb. But I'm sure you could find some guest you like.
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Post by B.E. on Jan 29, 2022 0:46:29 GMT
Apologies in advance, as I'm commenting after only skimming the conversation here and in the Music News thread, but here are some thoughts: First, I'm a Neil Young fan. So, I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt. Rogan? I've never listened to his show, but my gut feeling is to dislike the guy. Right or wrong, that's where I'm coming from. I don't have a problem with Neil calling out Spotify and/or Joe Rogan. While I'm not exactly cheering him on, I'm by no means offended. Amused is probably more accurate. What I would have preferred, is just to do that - call them out, if you believe so strongly about it, but don't remove your music from Spotify. That said, I'm sure a lot of artists dislike Spotify and the other streaming giants. I'm sure that's a factor (both for financial reasons and sound quality concerns). I believe he had his music removed from Tidal in the past. He also attempted to create his own high-resolution audio player (Pono). He's an eccentric guy, too. Certainly part-hippie/anti-war/anti-establishment. And far from subtle. All I'm saying is, this is just Neil being Neil. I've always enjoyed his music, and I will continue to. I don't always agree with everything he does or says, but I'm cool with that. I'm also not sure how "political" this even is. From what I've read this isn't Neil railing against Spotify for collaborating with a right wing "extremist" (i.e. it's not a general Left vs Right thing), it's specifically about COVID and the irresponsibleness of hosting (potential) misinformation. So, yeah, I don't think the ultimatum is a good look, but I don't necessarily disagree with him either. I also don't really care. (What I was probably most interested in getting to the bottom of, is, didn't he sell 50% interest in his music recently? I believe the answer is yes. So, I hope he didn't blindside the other owner and record label. To that end, I have no reason to believe he did.)
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Post by carllove on Jan 29, 2022 2:16:20 GMT
Well I’ve never really agreed with Neil Young’s politics, but he did write two of my all time favorite songs “Expecting to Fly” and “Broken Arrow”, so I’ve never considered “cancelling” him. I don’t have Spotify and I have “Buffalo Springfield Again” on vinyl, so this doesn’t effect me, other than now, as the board resident conservative, I am intrigued by Rogan’s podcast, where I was not really before. Now, it looks like Kapitan has sealed the deal! Is his podcast available on other platforms? I do have to say, the government has really messed up the science with COVID. As a Clinical Laboratory Scientist, I feel that I have a great deal more knowledge about viruses, than the average troll on Facebook. So I find myself very much in the middle of what seems to be two extremes. It is unfortunate that the pandemic had to be so politically polarizing. Instead of bringing us together, it seems to have torn us apart. I think kds considers himself conservative, too. So I don't think you're alone. But even if you WERE the only conservative on the board, I'd say you're not alone, because we're a community regardless!
I know what you mean about feeling in the middle between two extremes. That's exactly how I feel about COVID reactions, too. Not that I'm an expert, by any means. I have nothing but literacy, common sense and curiosity on my side. But like the NYT summary I posted in the COVID thread a few days ago, it just feels sometimes like I'm surrounded by lunatics on this side and that!
As for Rogan, he moved at some point within the past year to Spotify, but you can listen without a paid membership. I don't have one, just a free account. I suspect old episodes are still on YouTube, though I haven't checked. There are many, many, many...some great, some OK, some dumb. But I'm sure you could find some guest you like.
Well if you have any guest recommendations, let me know. Yeah - the lunatics abound on the internet and I just want the truth as well. I guess I will check out free Spotify. One good thing on this board is that we all seem to be closer to the middle, than to the extremes. I think most of the country is that way. It’s just the extremists that seem to have the loudest voices. My husband’s boss still calls my husband a “super spreader”, because my husband has been double vaxxed. The funny thing is that my husband’s boss and wife were diagnosed with Covid a month ago, three days after my husband traveled in a truck with him. My husband never got Covid from him. I doubt my husband gave it to him. That vaccine might have actually worked. Strange logic. The thing I don’t get, is that the employees in my health system who had been diagnosed with Covid and had a positive test, were forced to get the vaccine to continue employment, some within one month of their diagnosis. One of the nurses was crying, because she had just gotten over it, and then had to expect additional symptoms from the vaccine. It was heartbreaking. Just so unnecessary, given that natural immunity is so much better.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 31, 2022 22:14:40 GMT
The Students Religious Belief Protection Act would band public schools from "employ[ing] or contract[ing] with a person that promotes positions in the classroom or at any function of the public school that is in opposition to closely held religious beliefs of the students." (The link above is to the bill as it currently reads. That's what it says.)
Think about that for about three or four seconds, by which time it should be painfully obvious why this would make public schooling impossible in a country that has freedom of religion. It's sheer nonsense.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 2, 2022 23:34:35 GMT
Happy Trails, Jeff Zucker.
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Post by B.E. on Feb 3, 2022 1:50:57 GMT
I had to look him up.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 3, 2022 13:23:56 GMT
Can't say I care much one way or the other re Mr. Zucker. I watch CNN as much as I watch FoxNews as much as I watch MSNBC, which is to say zero for all. I think CNN is partly partisan, partly tabloid garbage, and I think the others are, too. It's hard to take them seriously (and funny watching them all get worked up about what's wrong with Americans in general for not being faithful, trusting viewers). I have no doubt plenty of very good, diligent journalists work for each, but let's be serious: they're corporate-driven, celebrity-led entertainment.
In actual news, U.S. special force killed the leader of ISIS in northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border and about 20 miles inland from the Mediterranean. The AP says it is the biggest raid in Syria since 2019, when special forces killed the previous ISIS leader. They also report first responders claiming 13 deaths, including six children and four women. (Different sources apparently report slightly different counts.)
Having heard very little about ISIS or the Syrian civil war in recent months (years), I was a little surprised and wondered about the timing. But the AP also says ISIS has been increasingly active again, including last month attacking a prison that held at least 3,000 ISIS detainees, apparently in an effort to free them. A major battle erupted, lasting 10 days and resulting in 120 US-backed Kurdish forces and 374 ISIS militants being killed.
Think about that! Something that was once a major story and still should be has gone virtually unreported because our journalists have been obsessed mostly with celebrity nonsense. I'd really like to see both more broad, and more serious, news reporting by major outlets. Especially those listed in the first part of this post, the ones with 24/7 crawlers that maybe--just maybe!--could be used on more important things. Entertainment is fine. Analysis is good. Sports, movies, celeb gossip, all fine. But it seems the proportionality is out of whack.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 3, 2022 17:49:38 GMT
In actual news, U.S. special force killed the leader of ISIS in northwestern Syria, near the Turkish border and about 20 miles inland from the Mediterranean. The AP says it is the biggest raid in Syria since 2019, when special forces killed the previous ISIS leader. They also report first responders claiming 13 deaths, including six children and four women. (Different sources apparently report slightly different counts.)
The AP is reporting that the White House says the ISIS leader actually killed himself, his wife, and several children by suicide bomb as the mission encroached on him. So it seems that, if that's true, the US is not responsible for all of those deaths of women and children.
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