Recent posts

#1

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 08:11:21 PM

So Hamas has come back out of their hidey holes and back to executing dissidents, I guess things are going back to normal.  https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/12/middleeast/gaza-hamas-security-war-intl

Yes of course.  Between Hamas and Israel, any possible expression of Palestinian civil society in Gaza has been utterly destroyed.  Hamas is all there is left to fill the vacuum. Which of course serves the Likudniks just fine because it ensures Gaza will remain weak and isolated and destitute, as well as feed their hard-line security narrative.  It's a symbiotic relationship.

If Hamas was all that was left they wouldn't have to kill anyone.  They are murdering people because their grip on power is weakened.  But rest assured, they will win, and we will discover that the certain Palestinian lives, the ones taken by "The Resistance", do not, in fact, matter.

#2

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by viper37 - Today at 08:08:39 PM

'The Goodfather II' - seen for the first time, Al Pacino rules, no meaningful artistic comments from me.

Is the third one worth a viewing?

Yes, because it's the last one in the series and it brings closure to the series, but it's not as good as the other 2.

There is apparently a final cut of the movie, as seen by Coppola, recently released.  I have not read the reviews.

#3

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 07:59:06 PM

So Hamas has come back out of their hidey holes and back to executing dissidents, I guess things are going back to normal.  https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/12/middleeast/gaza-hamas-security-war-intl

Yes of course.  Between Hamas and Israel, any possible expression of Palestinian civil society in Gaza has been utterly destroyed.  Hamas is all there is left to fill the vacuum. Which of course serves the Likudniks just fine because it ensures Gaza will remain weak and isolated and destitute, as well as feed their hard-line security narrative.  It's a symbiotic relationship.

#4

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by viper37 - Today at 07:39:06 PM

I really don't get who Mr Terrific is or why the Green Lantern is weird. Or the elemental guy or other guys in prison. Or a lot. This messes with my head.

I've seen with my nephew.
8 years old.

Didn't really think about the plot.  He liked it.  I didn't think about anything else for a while, I was pleased at the time.

It's exactly as you said, it's like most Marvels.  Don't overthink it.  I'm not really familiar with DC universe anyway, outside of the main characters, Batman, Aquaman, Superman, Wonderwoman.

#5

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 07:17:36 PM

Do you think that is conceiveable?!

Seriously what kind of a comment is that, if we are only allowed to comment on speculate on things that we have the most detailed understanding of of anyone on the planet, there won't be much left to discuss.

You said you hoped they have data to reach the same conclusion. 

#6

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by Admiral Yi - Today at 05:42:47 PM

Didn't she actually sail there are get arrested or something? Seems bizarre to have such sneering contempt for somebody who actually put their ass on the line.

Also what exactly is your criticism here? Is there some concrete action one individual person can do that would instantly solve all these problems? I mean if US Presidents have flailed importently for decades it seems insane to direct your ire at some random powerless private person. Seems like the people who actually have power, money, and resources and still miserably fail at everything would be more worthy of your contempt.

My criticism is that Squeeze gets what he wants, which is a cease fire and the IDF "fucks off" from at least parts of Gaza, Hamas starts shooting Palestinians, and he can't accept that's a result of exactly what he was asking for.

#7

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Tonitrus - Today at 05:40:55 PM

Again, that is a very American centric view if the world. A parliamentary system does have competing branches of government.  The flaw in the US system is it did create competing branches and hoped each branch would be a check on the others. 

The Parliament system encourages cooperation.  For a third time (because you keep ignoring this point) a non confidence vote, like a budget vote, means there is a new general election.  That tends to focus the mind on what compromises are possible.

It also gives a lot of power to back benchers if someone like Trump (or Vance) were to arise.

I still think you are very much wrong, or coming from a similarly Canadian-centric parliamentarian view.  The "non-confidence vote" only works if the members/backbenchers of the party in power think it is to their advantage/ambition to scuttle the current leader.  You would be hard-pressed to convince me that if we translated Trump/MAGA/GOP into a parliamentary system, that Trump would be under any kind of threat.  Sure, he might be more vulnerable in theory, but only marginally so. 

And even then...what stops a Prime Minister, with a loyal cabinet and administrative control of the police/security services from doing anything different than Trump is doing now?  What happens if a PM says "fuck your vote of no-confidence, I am not leaving power...try and stop me"...or "nope, no new general election is necessary just because we didn't pass a budget...we'll just keep going as we were"?  And has enough support, or I suppose, apathy, in the cabinet or other gears of power to stop it? 

There are no really superior, real safeguards in a parliamentary system than in ours...other than the theoretical hope that the administration, security services/military, or other pillars of power (including the willingness of the people/society to engage in mass protest), will do the right thing and stop the wannabe-dictator at the top.

These are the flaws of any democratic/republican system...and ours was always as subject to failure, just as Hungary was, or others.  They can all sink when those involved lose their ethics to ambition, nationalism, or some other anti-democratic drive.  Ultimately, "my system is better" doesn't get one very far if the other more important factors are crumbling around us.

#8

Off the Record / Re: Israel-Hamas War 2023

Last post by Valmy - Today at 05:14:44 PM

Clearly Greta Thunberg needs to chant from the river to the sea some more.
Like the previous dozen times.
They obviously have to do it again.  Next time it'll definitely work and Hamas will stop killing Palestinians by sheer moral force.

Didn't she actually sail there are get arrested or something? Seems bizarre to have such sneering contempt for somebody who actually put their ass on the line.

Also what exactly is your criticism here? Is there some concrete action one individual person can do that would instantly solve all these problems? I mean if US Presidents have flailed importently for decades it seems insane to direct your ire at some random powerless private person. Seems like the people who actually have power, money, and resources and still miserably fail at everything would be more worthy of your contempt.

#9

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Tamas - Today at 04:00:51 PM

just seems like Presidential systems have authoritarianism much more baked into them

I agree

#10

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Valmy - Today at 03:45:28 PM

A parlamentiary as opposed to presidential democracy is better no argument there, but just from my limited knowledge I can raise Hungary as a parlamentiary democracy that has failed. It even had a very modern two-rounds election system which was far superior to something like the British first past the post nonsense but once an actor like Orban got a constitutional majority it all went to hell.

You got me there.

My point here is that in the Parliamentary system the Parliament just matters. In Presidential Systems it always seems like eventually the President just ends up in charge of everything. The prestige of Head of State just dwarfs everything and the people just blame everything on the President, and so logically the President is very motivated to control the things he is held accountable for and our House and Senate seem delighted to not take the blame or responsbility for anything.

But of course any system can become corrupted. It just seems like Presidential systems have authoritarianism much more baked into them and it wasn't like people weren't warning us about this back in the 1780s when we wrote our current Constitution. If anything it is impressive it took a few centuries for this to come to pass.

Naturally any system is just a piece of paper at the end of the day.