Recent posts

#91

Off the Record / Re: World Cup 2026

Last post by HVC - Today at 11:45:39 AM

Also never seen a seen a someone defending in basketball take a a charge and then get up and tell the ref it was just a light push and shouldn't be a foul, but then again I don't watch much basketball

*edit* closest analogy I could think of the the Haaland foul as both sports are a semi-contact sport.

#92

Off the Record / Re: World Cup 2026

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 11:45:10 AM

You're missing my point entirely shelf. I'm not suggesting that the players turned to the raft until the ref he got it wrong. I'm suggesting that when the players saw the ball hit the wire the players ought to have just stopped playing because it was clear to everybody that the ball was dead.

1. they may not have seen it.....it all goes so fast.
2. Rule number one in any sport (except, cricket, I hear): keep playing until the ref blows the whistle. What would happen if the English player stopped, only for a Norwegian, who didn't see the ball hit the camera (as did most people) picked the ball up and scored.

Sorry, CC, you're wrong about this. It's not just soccer...but any sport. In hockey, if a goalkeeper catches the puck behind the red line and with his glove brings it back into play, and the ref doesn't call it...the goalkeeper doesn't say "Hey ref...that should be a goal, you missed it." NEVER.

Also, even so, it's not cheating, where for example, you punch the ball in the net deliberately in the hope for the ref not to see it. The ball allegedly hitting the camera was not pre planned by the English team. No where in the dressing room did coach say "Ok...so hopefully the Norwegian goalkeeper will kick the ball, and if it hits the camera, pretend not to see it, and carry on."

It's not cheating, it's taking advantage of a bad call. Happens all the time, in every sport (except cricket apparently).

I don't think it's possible that English player didn't see it. He was tracking it and he moved toward it as the trajectory of the ball changed.  This wasn't just something that landed by surprise in his lap.

The thing that struck me about all of this is that soccer seem to be one of the sports that had a higher degree of sportsmanship, and this episode was jarring to me for that reason.

The other sports you mentioned are sports where athletes are trained to play to the whistle. And it's not surprising that some of those sports come out of North America where that is the cultural norm.

If you see my post just before our exchange today, I think the person I had coffee with this morning had a very good explanation for why it's happening and so I withdraw my accusations.  I now think the better explanation is the impact that the technology is having on the way of the game is played.

#93

Off the Record / Re: Iran War

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 11:44:57 AM

From my understanding - insurers will not cover traversing the straits while Iran has them closed.

This was one of Trump's earlier attempts - which never amounted to anything. The US government basically proposed underwriting the insurers to try and break the Iranian closure. None of them bit.

It was a completely half-assed effort - classic case of someone says something to Trump, then Trump waves his hands and says he's going to do it, and then nothing happens because no one has a clue how to do it. Asking the Trump administration to understand the workings of the commercial marine insurance and reinsurance markets, then devise a proper facility that provides the required assurances, and then find funding for it: it's a hopeless enterprise.  You'd have better luck ordering a pack of land snails to build a suspension bridge.

#94

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by HVC - Today at 11:42:31 AM

The odyssey is a weird halfway point, it's fantasy but also kind of set in reality. Or at least a cultural "reality". That being said I think the film will fail because it will suck. Blind casting won't help that. Probably lose more audience than it will gain by it.

I think it'll suck too. But when we have people melting down over a black Helen of Troy, I say let's do that more often.

I mean sure, if you want to rage bait certain people , but at this point it just seems like a cynical defence to yell out bigotry when your film sucks and people don't want to watch it. I mean Jordan peele makes great diverse films, his best being a film where white people are the evil villans , they make money and win awards.

#95

Off the Record / Re: World Cup 2026

Last post by Josephus - Today at 11:41:19 AM

You're missing my point entirely shelf. I'm not suggesting that the players turned to the raft until the ref he got it wrong. I'm suggesting that when the players saw the ball hit the wire the players ought to have just stopped playing because it was clear to everybody that the ball was dead.

1. they may not have seen it.....it all goes so fast.
2. Rule number one in any sport (except, cricket, I hear): keep playing until the ref blows the whistle. What would happen if the English player stopped, only for a Norwegian, who didn't see the ball hit the camera (as did most people) picked the ball up and scored.

Sorry, CC, you're wrong about this. It's not just soccer...but any sport. In hockey, if a goalkeeper catches the puck behind the red line and with his glove brings it back into play, and the ref doesn't call it...the goalkeeper doesn't say "Hey ref...that should be a goal, you missed it." NEVER.

Also, even so, it's not cheating, where for example, you punch the ball in the net deliberately in the hope for the ref not to see it. The ball allegedly hitting the camera was not pre planned by the English team. No where in the dressing room did coach say "Ok...so hopefully the Norwegian goalkeeper will kick the ball, and if it hits the camera, pretend not to see it, and carry on."

It's not cheating, it's taking advantage of a bad call. Happens all the time, in every sport (except cricket apparently).

#96

Off the Record / Re: Quo Vadis, Democrats?

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 11:40:15 AM

OK, let me rephrase to those who would downplay the intentional killing of civilians by a military funded by the United States.

[A all asian or all black village wouldn't raise my eyebrow.]

#97

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by garbon - Today at 11:11:11 AM

I rarely have problems in a fantasy setting. Black Velaryon's in game of thrones, whatever. I get thrown off by a multicultural tiny little village in the middle of nowhere ( hello wheel of time) but it's not show destroying or anything. A all asian or all black village wouldn't raise my eyebrow. And I understand it doesn't make sense that I can ignore magic in a world but not that

It wouldn't raise an eyebrow as it wouldn't ever be made here in the West. Or well maybe it would be some sort of Tyler Perry production that we wouldn't watch.

Historical settings annoy me more. Mainly because I like history and then dumb people misrepresent races of people not understanding the difference between history and entertainment. The whole stupid cleopatra was black Jada Pickett documentary thing. It especially brother me with Egypt because it was the first ancient culture to really get me interested in history and mythology. It's also often the most misrepresented one. I think I got into an argument with garbon over it once

But then you are also bringing modern conceptualisations of race back onto a historical time period with that stance. And an inconsistent one at that if we say look at how Jesus is oftent depicted.

The odyssey is a weird halfway point, it's fantasy but also kind of set in reality. Or at least a cultural "reality". That being said I think the film will fail because it will suck. Blind casting won't help that. Probably lose more audience than it will gain by it.

I think it'll suck too. But when we have people melting down over a black Helen of Troy, I say let's do that more often.

#98

Off the Record / Re: Quo Vadis, Democrats?

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 11:08:39 AM

Nobody is denying civilians are being killed.   I think it is quite evil to deny the wide spread use of human shields, to refuse to engage with information that a fascist organization fabricates data.

#99

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by The Brain - Today at 10:54:22 AM

Apparently the movie industry can't find any actors from the Mediterranean region. Even in the 1960s Omar Sharif got major roles.

#100

Off the Record / Re: TV/Movies Megathread

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 10:42:41 AM

Not sure it's accurate to say the Odyssey is fantasy in the same way The Lord of the rings is fantasy.

I think the criticism about the armor, the boats and other wardrobe and set design decisions are justified since they don't reflect at all the historical setting in which of the Odyssey took place.


I don't really care about the colour of the actor's skin in this historical setting.  Particularly when one reads the classics and understands the respect the classical authors had for people with darker skin.  I can well imagine a dark skinned person being perceived as much more attractive.

But I find the most jarring in the trailers is the American accent being used.  That's just wrong.

Also, Lily White actors playing Mycenians?  I mean, I suppose colourblind casting is important, but isn't that a bit ridiculous?