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One of the greatest ever. Anton's zither is worth the price of admission--even if you pay. This movie resulted in my childhood crush on Joseph Cotten. While doomed to be unrequited, to took me to Citizen Kane and beyond. So...tragic but worth it.

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Ta, ziggywiggy. We weren't around at all yesterday; we weren't on the radio either.

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Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

I'm really late to this party, but I gotta note that Gen Z has recently turned a "Vienna" a deep track from Billy Joel's The Stranger into a zombie hit. And yes, it very much fits this movie. Vienna as as much a state of being as it is a place.

https://youtu.be/3jL4S4X97sQ?si=o9JfOEYMmzmdeZe9

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Subtle things that got by me as a youth...

I was watching Red/Sox/Yankees from August 11, 1985 yesterday and the NY announcers were Spencer Ross and former big league second baseman Bill White, who went on to become the president of the National League. They were talking about Red Sox pitcher (not playing that day) Oil Can Boyd who was pretty good in his early career, known for his demonstrative and intense demeanor on the mound.

They were talking about how good he was and his unique disposition on the field. White, a Black man, stated that Boyd's antics were a lot like Mark "the Bird" Fydrich from a few years earlier, who would talk to the ball, pat the mound, and do other unusual things. But Fyrdrich (who's career was over at this point) was considered a "character" while Boyd was a "hotdog".

Fidrych was white and Boyd was Black. This was just part of the conversation between the announcers but I picked up on what White said and the point he was getting across. Had I seen that live in 1985, I don't think 17 year old me would understood the context. It was very matter of fact the way it was stated by White and I didn't detect a defensive tone, but it was important to get that out there.

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founding

I loved watching Oil Can pitch. Not an overwhelming fastball but it was effective because he mixed in a lot of breaking balls.

Yes, he was a flake. After a game was postponed in Cleveland due to fog the Can said, “That’s what happens when you build the ballpark too close to the ocean.”

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I didn't know about his other problems until I was just looking up about him. I was aware somewhat, but didn't know all the details. White also mentioned that Satchel Paige had told Boyd to throw "peas at the knees and high riders at the chin". I looked at both the '85 lineups of the Sox and Yanks and wondered why they didn't win. Blue Jays had better pitching that year. The old AL East was tough in that decade. The game I referred to was Clemens vs Guidry, and Guidry already had 13 complete games at that point.

They don't make 'em like they used to.

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Subtle things that get by these youths...

Subtlety.

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The Onion

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗩𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗢𝗳 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘀

Published July 23, 2024

GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Addressing supporters at his latest rally, former President Donald Trump vowed over the weekend to unite the nation against the common enemy of other Americans. “We must come together to defeat the scourge that is our fellow Americans,” said the Republican presidential nominee, who reportedly spoke from the heart as he called upon every member of the U.S. populace to stand together against one another. “Look to your right. Now look to your left. Every man, woman, and child you see? We will fight them all. With your support, the American people will be defeated once and for all.” At press time, Trump promised that by the end of his second term, there wouldn’t be a single American remaining.

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Poe's Law is a cruel mistress.

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WHAT!! Oh, it's The Onion. It seemed so plausible!

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Nah, they left out the part where Trump tells everyone to send him all their money to fund this important battle.

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founding

And if they send their money in before midnight, they'll get a complimentory set of Ginsu knives, at no extra cost!

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More likely Trump Brand (TM) knives, which are Ginsu knockoffs. Absolutely free, only $19.95 shipping and handling. Not returnable.

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"It slices! It dices!

Look at that tomato!

You can even cut a tin can with it!

But you wouldn't want to!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFHqTzeIuKE

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The problem is that at this point he's damned near demented enough to do just that.

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Read the first two words again :-)

Edit: Yes. He is already doing it, but he is too addle-brained to express it as succinctly as The Onion.

* Laugh/cry *

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Spot on, though a bit more coherent, maybe, than the Orange Pustule.

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Once again, The Onion reports straight news.

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Like... that's not even satire anymore.

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Aug 4·edited Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

Random thing I saw somewhere that gave me a bit of a larf:

People were talking about the misogynist/racist dismissal of MVP Harris’s political ascendance as merely a result of being a “DEI” hire, rather than admit the possibility that she is extremely qualified. Someone quipped that if “DEI” refers to people who have no business being where they are, but got there due to systematic unfairness, then it follows that the letters stand for Don Jr, Eric, and Ivanka.

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Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

Everybody talking about John Denver as if Rocky Mountain High isn't his best song, or something...

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annie's song makes me cry.

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Same.

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I hear it on the regular at karaoke.

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Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

John Denver is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more. "Country Roads" is apparently a big hit during NFL games in Munich during timeouts. Here it is from 2023 with 50,000 belting it out. There is another rendition from 2022 (not posted) that was the equal of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou3iyrtXByM

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The Toots & The Maytals cover is real good!

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see: a scene in miyazaki's 'whispers of the heart'. one analysis of the song said the japanese version had an alternative, with the chorus saying how 'we can't wait to get out of this place'

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Everyone is secretly a West Virginian at heart.

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Topic-adjacent: twenty-something years ago, I had a part-time gig working the luxury boxes at the Erwin Center for basketball games and concerts and such. One of the cool things about working country shows is that the fans know all the words to the songs and will sing along. A 10,000 voice choir is pretty amazing.

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Also great in Fallout 76

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Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

I am so damned grateful that I just might burst into tears.

It has finally RAINED here. The grass is damp and the air smells of clean, cool rain.

It has been SO hot for so long that I find myself a bit overwhelmed.

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I hope it rained around Stehekin, too. A good friend of mine has made her life and home there for over 40 years now. She evacuated with the dogs, her husband stayed behind. I haven't heard from them since Wednesday.

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It’s been hot this summer here on the East coast. When I go for my morning stupid human tricks I get so gross and sweaty I seek out lawn sprinklers to run through. The other morning it rained overnight and I was smacking low hanging street tree branches in order to get a cool shower.

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Oh that lovely, earthy, rainy smell. Enjoy, and I hope the land/all creatures enjoy, as well.

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I can't even begin to imagine the relief of the wildlife in this area, as well as every outside pet in this county.

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When SF was having a serious drought one year, people put out tubs of water for the local wildlife. I worry so much about their chances.

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What a wonderful community; thank you for caring.

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Back at you, sister. (BTW, I’m not giving up on my plan to get you down here some time so we can be a bit wicked together).

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That simply HAS to happen.

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Go ahead and cry! It has to be such a relief!

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Let it flow!! May your tears pour like the rain you so richly deserve.

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"DEI hire" and "woke" are used, almost exclusively, as pejoratives, by mediocre white males, to excuse their mediocrity.

"Witness me!"

.

I think had another point I wanted to add, but I forgot it.

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heh"Witness me!!" "Mediocre"

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founding

Also speaking of John Denver, here's Toots & The Maytals singing "Country Roads":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQFKMar4x-w

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author

Very nice, works well as a reggae song.

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founding

Saw them open for The Who back when this was their hit. Quality entertainment!

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Janel Comeau @VeryBadLlama

"childless woman" is such an 19th-century- ass insult. what else you got. do I render inferior tallow? do my cabbages grow pale and blemished? does the quality of my sock-darning bring shame upon my father's name?

...

From Twitter (x)

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I also hate the word "unwed". It is always applied to women and never in a good way.

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It also puts wed as the default status.

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Excellent point.

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Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

That's the century they want to go back to, so why not commit to the bit?

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I'm of the opinion that they want to go a bit further back to the 17th century with their talk of spirits, demons and witches.

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Their Golden Age consists of the worst parts of the last 20 centuries all mushed together.

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The first century, when everybody expected Jesus to come back tomorrow.

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I simply want them to GO.

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The trick is convincing them to stop trying to take all of us with them.

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There is no FAR far enough

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Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

One of the reasons the "weird" label is still working so well is the GOP rando numb nuts don't think beyond the talking point. One of the best examples is the GOP saying 'Democrats should ahve to hold another primary" by which you can reply with "Why should the GOP determine how we select candidates?"

And they absolutely do not have a response to that. It's just a talking point, and they did no thinking beyond that sentence.

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Everything is gotcha, not actual words. It's why you can't have an actual discussion because as soon as you start making a point, they switch to some random big word bullshit they pulled off the internet and refuse to listen to you until you can give a graduate level class in genetics to disprove their point. at which point they'll switch again.

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Gish Gallop

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That's the term I forgot.

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Fuck you is why, also too.

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Okay Djokovic is an antivax jerk but he’s literally sobbing because he won a medal for Serbia. I’ll give him a little grace.

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Aug 4Liked by ziggywiggy

Tries to be relevant, turns it into a self-own. Oopsie!

https://substack.com/@craignixon/note/c-64347932

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That’s what I call a silver platter

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Open mouth; insert foot firmly, Kev.

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The only reason most of these idiots open their mouths is to change feet.

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lol rich him saying casting couch when their own dude very famously said that he only wanted people out of central casting XD

I mean

Do they even listen to their own orange dipshit?

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They prolly got tired of listening to him before we did.

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