#MAN WAS 22 IN 1985 HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE CLUB!!!!!!

[cranberrybanjo]

wild that salim was married with a newborn at 22… definition of he should have been at the club

[uss-kittyhawk]

repost for everybody else + fixed grammar/mistakes

V.1 of my "Top Gun" fun facts ramble

The original Top Gun was what inspired me to be a Navy fighter pilot  at the age of 10 (I later realized my body and brain are too f*cked up to achieve it). I have a little toy F-14, 2 shirts, a book explaining the background of the realities, the DVD, and my favorite, and old piece of filmstrip with the scene where Iceman bites at Mav in the Locker-room. I would have more but my hyper fixations change often so I have been limited to what I can buy for each interest. In place of physical objects, I have learned every piece of info I could possibly find. I’ve never had anybody to share it with, as up until “Top Gun: Maverick” came out, I was bullied for liking the original. So thank you Paramount/Tom Cruise for starting a brand new community. Anyway, here is what I know.

Sources:

Original rendition of the script 

Final Edition

Random military uniform photos

My own JROTC experience

And some random tiktok I found (and lost)

The aircraft carrier that was used for filming was the “USS_Kittyhawk” (inspo for my user) sadly, unlike some other carriers, the kittyhawk was scrapped. (However, you can still go find top gun stuff at the USS Midway in San Diego.)

The plane they use is an F-14 (while the one they used near the end of TG:M was an F-14A)

Maverick’s Top Gun F-14 Tomcat Currently Features VF-84 Jolly Rogers Paint Scheme And Is On Display Aboard USS Lexington

 Mav and Cougar switch RIO’s in the first scene. Goose belonging to Cougar, and WIzard belonging to Mav, with Mav being cougar’s replacement in the office scene

The song used in the club scene is "Lead Me On" by Teena Marie 

There was supposed to be a pilot named “Sundown” drinking a “Flaming Hooker” and catching his hair on fire

There was also going to be no “Mav romancing Charlie with “Lost that loving feeling”” scene

Goose 

The original script has wayyy more Hollywood screen time (shame they got rid of it, I love him)

Goose was supposed to get flirty with two girls despite being married

And Charlie was supposed to be way more cunty than she was

In the original movie, it was briefly mentioned that Mav had an affair with an admiral’s daughter (Penny) but instead went after Charlie, but in TG:M, Charlie is nowhere to be seen, instead bringing back Penny. The reason for this is that Charlie's actor came out as Lesbian.

Val Kilmer didn't want to do the movie on account of it being military propaganda, but was tricked into it (he tanked his audition on purpose, but still got the role)

Before this, Tom Cruise had never done an action movie in his life, and was on the fence about it, 

to convince him to do it. The Navy sent out the Blue Angels to take him on a ride. The pilots had the idea to make Tom so sick that he would never touch a plane ever again 

They failed, he loved it, making him Tom Cruise: Professional mad man

It should also be noted that Tom had shown up to be flown by the Blue Angels fresh off the set of LEGEND (1985 dir. Ridley Scott) where he played a wood sprite (?), had long hair, looked even twinkier than he did in Top Gun, and had spent the whole movie covered in glitter. So when the Reagon era pilots who were tasked with flying the pretty boy actor to convince him to represent  them in a movie, all immediately decided that the twink needed to be obliterated.

It’s also important to know that they were looking homophobically at a long haired, glittery, 22 year old twink…who we later found out that likes to be obliterated

So say thank you to the homophobic Blue Angels pilots for being the reason your gay fanfiction and sexual photos even exist

Mav’s name was supposed to be Evan….(who tf came up with evan???)

In the script, Maverick's first name was Evan. It was changed to Pete in the final film as a tip of the hat to technical advisor Pete "Viper" Pettigrew, seen in the film as the man Charlie is meeting at the bar in her first appearance in the film.

Having been in the Navy since the 1980s, Maverick, at the time of the sequel, has been in the Navy for more than 30 years. Unless you achieve the rank of rear admiral or above, normally after 30 years of service, there is mandatory retirement that is extremely difficult to prevent, without intervention from the secretary of the Navy, the defense secretary, the president, or an act from Congress.

There is a discrepancy in his awards from the first movie to the second. In the second movie, Maverick does not wear the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal, which he wears in the first.

There is also a discrepancy in the order of precedence of his awards in the second movie. Maverick wears the ribbon for Global War on Terrorism Service Medal in the seventh row (second row from the bottom), first position. The ribbon is actually supposed to worn after the National Defense Service Medal in the fifth row, second position (middle). All of his other awards are in the correct order of precedence in the movie.

I know that because I was JROTC before I dropped out…. No I was not one of those kids…I only did it because I wanted to advance my Navy career…which I didn't even get

Nick “Goose” Bradshaw is based very heavily on the real life person, Luis Claudio Jaramillo. He was also a RIO at TOPGUN and flew a decade or so before Top Gun was "set". He died in similar circumstances to how Goose does in Top Gun when he had to eject from his plane after an engine fault. His pilot, Lt. Daniel "Ace" Oxley was investigated for the incident but ultimately found not guilty.

According to his Iceman’s medal record, he had participated in the Liberation of Kuwait during the Gulf War and the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars during the Global War on Terrorism.

In his portrait as an 4-star admiral, there are several errors in the order of precedence for his medal ribbons

The Meritorious Service Medal is used twice. For two of the same ribbon to be displayed side-by-side, it would need to be his fifteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-third, twenty-fourth, or twenty-fifth award. Based on one 5⁄16 inch star device (silver), it's only his sixth award. A seventh award is denoted as a single ribbon with one 5⁄16 inch star device (silver) and one 5⁄16 inch star device (gold); not one ribbon with one 5⁄16 inch star device (silver) to denote sixth award and an extra blank ribbon to denote seventh award.

The Sea Service Deployment Ribbon is used twice. It is seen erroneously in the middle of the fourth row down, and again appropriately on the right side of the second row from the bottom.

On the very bottom row from left to right is: Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), and United Nations Medal. The United Nations Medal should be worn before the other two; meaning it should be in the bottom left corner, not the bottom right corner.

The Meritorious Unit Commendation, Navy "E" Ribbon, Navy Expeditionary Medal, and Humanitarian Service Medal present in Top Gun are absent in Top Gun: Maverick.

Again…this was my autistic hyperfixation for 6 years, and being in JROTC gives you some good info

Now to the stuff I do know about Top Gun: Maverick

According to Hangman, Bradley's callsign 'Rooster' comes from his tendency of waiting during the fight for the right moment, just like a rooster that waits for the sun to rise.

In real life, Maverick "pulling" Bradley's papers would not necessarily have set him back four years, if he attended a civilian university and enrolled in Navy ROTC, or graduated and then attended OCS. He would enter as an officer, thus making it possible for him to compete for selection as an aviator.

According to Bradley's military file he graduated from The University of Virginia in 2009. It also shows four years of prior enlisted service, rising to the rate of HT2. There is, however, a contradiction in that the start of his active enlisted service is listed as 2006.

Bradley majored and got his Bachelor's degree in Political Science.

Bradley also took Spanish 1010 (SPAN 1010 and 1020 are courses reserved exclusively for true beginners, students who have never studied Spanish before entering UVA. SPAN 1010 and SPAN 1020 are offered during Summer Session only.)

Actor, Glen Powell would later portray another Naval aviator named Tom Hudner in the upcoming 2022 film "Devotion", which was based on the book and set in the Korean War.

Glen Powell is the only actor from Top Gun: Maverick to portray another U.S. Navy pilot in the same year.

After Top Gun: Maverick, actor Glen Powell worked as a producer alongside J.J. Abrams to develop the 2024 documentary film The Blue Angels; using the same type of advanced camera technology that was specifically created and used to film Top Gun: Maverick.

I suggest you go watch both of those movies if you haven’t…I saw the BA documentary in theaters, it was dope…idk if they are putting it on streaming services tho

If you are a fanfic writer and go watch Devotion…. PLEASE write some Tom Hudner x reader shit…. there is quite literally nothing and that man is so hot its not funny

Prior to the special mission detachment, Phoenix was assigned/attached to strike fighter squadron VFA-41 Black Aces.

When meeting Bob, Phoenix mentions he is from Lemoore. The VFA-41 Black Aces also have a homeport in Lemoore.

Payback and Fanboy's fighter jet as part of the mission training group is an F/A-18F model #501.

(as viv mentioned) During the beach football scene, Bob is the only character to wear a shirt. His actor, Lewis Pullman, revealed that he felt Bob wouldn't be the type of person to take his shirt off.

Initially, the scene was supposed to be a 'shirts vs skins' scenario, however some of the cast who were selected to be a 'shirt' wanted to show off all of the hard work and effort they put into getting physically fit for their role and switched to be a 'skin' instead. This inspired others to switch, eventually leaving Bob the only remainder.

However I should also note, a similarity with the 1986 Volleyball scene, Goose is the only one to have a shirt on (and I think that might be the reason Lewis did it, but i could be very wrong)

The font on Fanboy's helmet alludes to him being a "Star Trek" fanboy.

[howaminotinthestrokesyet]

Road Dogs: Metallica on Tour

Metallica‘s first ever gig took place at Radio City in Anaheim, California in March 1982. Their set list included primarily covers with only two original songs, “Hit the Lights” and “Fight Fire with Fire.” They did Savage’s ‘Let It Loose,’ Blitzkrieg’s ‘Blitzkrieg,’ Sweet Savage’s ‘Killing Time’ and four Diamond Head tracks. For diehard fans, this original lineup did not include Cliff Burton as of yet, but instead Ron McGovney. They eventually asked him to leave the group because the guitarist did not contribute anything of value. Another good reason came in the fact that Dave Mustaine fought with him repeatedly. James Hetfield would later say this about that show. “There were a lot of people there, maybe 200, because we had all my school friends and all Lars’ and Ron’s and Dave’s buddies. I was really nervous and a little uncomfortable without a guitar, and then during the first song Dave broke a string. It seemed to take him an eternity to change it and I was standing there really embarrassed. We were really disappointed afterwards. But there were never as many people at the following shows as there were at that first one.”

Metallica’s second and third show took place at the Whiskey a Gogo in Los Angeles. This venue would be where Hetfield and Lars Ulrich first heard future bassist Cliff Burton and his band Trauma. More recently, Ulrich revealed diary entries related to Metallica’s appearances there. "No sound check. Sound was awful. Played great myself, but the band as a whole sucked. Went down OK." The group opened for Saxon, who the drummer had met six months prior after sneaking backstage during one of their shows. After the concert, the monitor engineer asked Ulrich if he had ever heard of Diamondhead. “Of course, we have, we just played a bunch of their songs!" As it turned out, the crew member was only joking about Diamond Head. He would later go on to work for Metallica in the same position for 22 years.

On April 16, 1983 Metallica played its first show with new guitarist Kirk Hammett at the Showplace in Dover, New Jersey. They had begun recording their debut album Kill ‘Em All in Rochester, New York at that time. The set list included all original material that would land on that first album making up nine songs. Hammett had replaced Dave Mustaine, who held quite a bit of ill will towards him for years claiming in 1985 that Kirk ripped off all his guitar riffs, which got him noticed in the metal community. In defense of Hammett, he was simply trying not to make waves in his new group as Ulrich and Hetfield had definitely decided not to cut any contributions from Mustaine.

On March 5, 1983 Metallica played its first show with Cliff Burton at The Stone in San Francisco, who had replaced Ron McGovney. In 2018, a recording of the show came to light online, which you can listen to on YouTube. The lineup still included Dave Mustain as well taking place a month before the other band members would fire him. They performed 12 songs that night essentially previewing everything to be included on their debut album. At that time, James Hetfield was still struggling over whether he should sing lead. On the recording, you can tell why this became the case as his voice sounds incredibly scratchy with absolutely no technique whatsoever. The show also became memorable as a Cliff Burton debuted the future track, “Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth).”

Cliff Burton played his last show was Metallica in Stockholm, Sweden in September 1986 before his tragic passing. A few years ago, Metallica released a boxed set of rarities for their album, Master of Puppets, which included a recording of that final show. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lars Ulrich and Kirk Hammett talked about their memories of that last concert with Cliff. Ulrich noted, “We played the show in Stockholm, and it went incredibly well. I think it may have been a rare case where we actually played an additional song that wasn’t on the set list, because the show was so good. That’s not something we did a lot then or now. So there was a good vibe.” Hammett would say this in the same interview, “It was significant because it was the first show where James played guitar again (Wrist Injury). He strapped on a guitar and was able to play the encore; I think it was “Blitzkrieg” or something. But I remember the five of us, including John Marshall, being really stoked James was back and playing and looking like was gonna make a pretty healthy recovery. I distinctly remember that show being good, and the feeling when we got offstage was really great and positive and forward-looking. Like, “Great, James is back in and it won’t be long ’til we’re back to our old selves again.”

In November 1986, Jason Newsted would play his first show with Metallica at the Country Club in Reseda, California. He did so in front of a sparse crowd because it had been a secret show for the group Metal Church. Newsted had played with the band for only a short time during rehearsals for the next album. James Hetfield introduced Newsted for the very first time in this way. “Welcome to the very, very secret Metallica gig that every fucker knows about! Here’s the new fucker right over here man, this is the guy… Jason Newsted, we fucking love him, man, so make him feel at home, alright? I want to have some fun tonight.” Their set list would consist of 14 songs from their first three album releases.

In the summer of 1992, Metallica decided to perform a few dates with Guns ‘N Roses. The hype for these shows represented the tour of the year, but the show in Montreal turned into a tragic affair. A pyrotechnic accident occurred as they performed “Fade To Black” causing second and third degree burns on half of singer James Hetfield's body. He recalled the incident, “I'm burnt – all my arm, my hand completely, down to the bone. The side of my face, hair's gone. Part of my back. ... I watched the skin just rising, things going wrong." Jason Newsted would remember that Hetfield looked like the Toxic Avenger from his vantage point. The group immediately cut the show short, so the singer could receive medical attention. He would later say that during the trip to the hospital a road crew member bumped his burnt hand leading him to punch the guy in his “nuts.” For fans still at the show, things only got worse as Guns ‘N Roses delayed getting on stage for two hours. Axl Rose probably only sang for 20 minutes before cutting his night short. GNR Had known what had happened to Hetfield, but they still phoned it in anyway. After that, 2000 people rioted in protest followed by several arrests. This night would lead to great animosity between the two groups for years continuing to this day, but it should be noted that Metallica acted professionally completing the tour with an injured Hetfield. Slash of Guns N’ Roses would later talk about the tour being a financial disaster for them. “Metallica was earning the exact same paycheck as we were every night but while they pocketed the whole thing, we were blowing 80 percent both on union dues for all of the overtime we cost ourselves going on late and on these stupid theme parties. It was just bad." Axl had spent extravagantly on backstage parties in an effort to impress members of Metallica.

In April 1999, Metallica recorded two performances on successive nights with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra led by Michael Kamen. The idea for such a concert had first come up when they worked with the composer on the Black Album song, “Nothing Else Matters.” He had approached them about such a collaboration, but never heard anything until years later receiving a phone call from Lars Ulrich. They filmed the live show at Berkeley Community Theater in San Francisco as Kamen had written additional material to supplement Metallica’s arrangements. The band also released two new songs specifically for the show, “No Leaf Clover” and “Human.” According to James Hetfield, This idea of combining heavy metal and classical music was originally an idea brought up by Cliff Burton, who had a strong background in both. One can see this throughout Metallica’s songwriting in their early years as the bassist relied on melody and instrumental qualities found in classical compositions like his favorite one, Johan Sebastian Bach. S&M would be released as a concert film and an album, with the latter reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 1991, Metallica would play a concert in Russia that has become the stuff of legends because 1.6 million people watched it in person. The highlight of the show came when they played “Enter Sandman” as one could see Russian military personnel rocking out just as hard as anybody else. One must note that they were not the only band there that day as other artists included the Black Crowes, Queensryche, Motley Crue, and AC/DC. The Monsters of Rock Festival would only occur this one year in what would become the former Soviet Union. Motley Crue had played one of the early versions of the festival in 1984, but ironically Metallica had surpassed them as a more popular headliner by this time.

In August 2020, Metallica became the first rock act to perform a pre-recorded concert for Encore Live’s drive-in series. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, live concerts were canceled all over the world, so artists like Blake Shelton and Garth Brooks participated in this drive-in movie concert experience. Tickets to view this at your local drive-in cost $115 for up to six people per car. The show took place at an undisclosed location near their home in San Rafael, California.

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

It’s always fun jumping into a movie I know next to nothing about, and this requested review for Wes will be no exception. All I know is that Girls Just Want to Have Fun is an 80s teen romp with the worst photoshopped cover photo I’ve ever seen. It looks like Michael Scott put it together. I know it stars girls, AND I know what those girls want. That’s half your narrative battle right there. So do they achieve the fun they seek? Well...

They do! A lot of weird shit happens along the way, but yeah, fun is had and that’s all that really matters. God, 1985 was a simpler time. I mean, I know everyone was living in constant fear that the Russians were going to invade Kansas and we’d be faced with a neverending nuclear winter, but in the face of all that existential terror you also get movies where the entire pitch is “So there’s this girl (Sarah Jessica Parker) who wants to be a dancer on tv, but her parents don’t want to let her. But she does it anyway! And her partner is chosen for her and, boy, they do not see eye to eye. But then they do! And they have to practice a lot. And then they win the dance contest!” 

You know some studio exec heard that and screamed at his secretary to hold his calls for the day so he could sign the contracts and then do a mountain of blow off them. 

Some thoughts:

It’s so weird to see Sarah Jessica Parker without curly hair! I was never a Sex and the City fan, so my exposure to SJP is purely Hocus Pocus based.

This dance sequence over the credits is incredible. Why do we not have shows anymore that are just a large group of young attractive people dancing in sync? No host, no dialogue, just the power of dance. I was born in the wrong decade. I would have appreciated the shit out of the 80s when I was alive.

Poor Helen Hunt - she must be one of those people who always looked like she was 35, even in high school. Granted, she was 22 when this was filmed and she’s playing a teenager, but still. 

Helen Hunt is wearing dinosaurs in her hair. 80s fashion was on a wavelength that I don’t think any of us living will ever see again.

Omg this rich bitch (Natalie, I guess? She’s not named for at least the first 30 min of the movie) had Claire’s closet from Clueless 10 years before the movie existed! This is already groundbreaking.

NOW SHE HAS A BUG ON HER HAT. A big plastic green grasshopper. This review is mainly going to be about the insane things Lynne (Helen Hunt) wears.

Speaking of - I’m getting big lesbian vibes from Lynne Stone and I am so here for it. The homoerotic tension when she acts like she’s gonna fight the rich bitch? Delicious. The immediate intimate connection she makes with SJP? Practically U-Hauling. 

I love an 80s dance montage, and this movie promises to contain basically nothing but that tied loosely together with some nonsensical dialogue in between. This is gonna be my new favorite movie. 

Ooh Nestle Quik syrup! I forgot about Nestle Quik. 

Favorite line: “There is a time and a place for calypso music, young lady.”

Ohhh I see what this is gonna be - Janey (SJP) is a classically trained dancer and gymnast, and Jeff (Lee Montgomery) is more of a rough and tumble music video kinda guy from the streets. You can tell cause he’s got a motorcycle and a leather jacket. And he wears cutoff sleeves! He’s a white guy in Chicago, who could be more street than that? And they’re butting heads! How will they ever be able to make it work for the big dance contest??

How did Natalie know Janey’s phone number? She specifically said it was unlisted. Unless she remembers it from overhearing it offhand after the dance tryouts...? That’s insane, I can’t even remember what I wore yesterday let alone a 7-digit number someone shouted in a crowd.

Lynne Fashion Alert: Is she wearing a belt made out of bullets? And a Davy Crocket hat. This is galaxy brain lesbian fashion. If the costume designer for this movie didn’t win 10 Oscars...

The music director on the other hand...not sure what is up with all these weird KidzBop covers of excellent songs like “Dancing in the Street” or the titular “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” but if you’re gonna include them, you gotta spring for the originals. This is just sad. 

I’ve never been at a party with an ice sculpture. I think that’s how you know you’re among the rich. 

Whatever happened to Jonathan Silverman? I miss when he was the nebbishy sidekick in every 80s movie. 

Who enters a party by catapulting through the damn window?? Punk does not mean that you no longer know how to use doors, sir! 

Who serves a full roasted turkey at a party? Is this how rich people live? This feels like the equivalent of using Google translate to identify rich people food in another language, then translating it back to English. 

Lynne Fashion Alert: Now I think she has space shuttles in her hair.

Wow we got a real 1-2 punch of sexual harassment in this club. Who wrote this Tune in Tokyo gag and was like “You know what would be hilarious? If this shitty little nerd convinced this girl to raise her arms so he can just grab her boobs full on, front and center. And then she gets upset and runs away. God I’m good at this *snorts another line*”

Lynne Fashion Alert: Now it’s two globes (like, two Earths) with crab claws on them? This is a choice that I don’t understand, but I think I may just not be seeing what it is clearly. I am digging her mirror sunglasses though. 

I know Janey is smart but when did she learn how to hotwire a security system? It’s not like Google or Youtube existed, and I doubt there was a library book about how to dismantle that specific system. MYTH BUSTED.

Oh god oh no I’m so gay for these Dixon sisters from Kansas City, these two gorgeous black women in tuxes and spandex leotards. They 100% should have won this dance contest. 

Why did guys stop wearing crop tops? Can we bring back slutty quarterback as a fashion trend for dudes? Seriously, the costume design here is everything. 

I really love Jeff and his little family - his sister and his dad are so proud of him and supportive. You never see that in dance narratives featuring guys. I like the reversal here of gendered expectations.

Did I Cry? No, but my heart was warmed at various moments. 

Honestly, why can’t more narrative arcs in movies be solved via dance battle? 

Lynne Fashion Alert: She’s now dressed as...Cleopatra? Wait why the fuck is there a horse here? 

Oh that’s it that’s the end! Man, you can’t be mad at a tight 90 min film like this - it gets in, it gets out, bing bang boom you’re done with enough time to read before bed. 

Is this a cinematic masterpiece? No. But is it good clean fun? Absolutely. Barring the brief [obligatory 80s] sexual harassment scene, there’s very little to be upset with here. Kids wanna dance, they’re told they can’t dance, they dance anyway! It’s the power of dance! You’re either into it or you’re not, but if you’re not, I ask that you search your heart and try to find one teeny tiny sliver of joy inside it. You’re gonna need to feed that joy if you wanna make it through 2021, and watching this movie is a darn good place to start. 

If you liked this review, please consider reblogging or subscribing to my Patreon! For as low as $1, you can access bonus content and movie reviews, or even request that I review any movie of your choice.

[nerianasims]

Billboard #1s 1985

Under the cut.

Foreigner -- "I Want To Know What Love Is" -- February 2, 1985

One of the quintessential 80s power ballads. It's actually kind of interesting if you think about it enough. He's not in love yet, but he's gotten sick of not being in love, so he's asking someone he's in the pre-love stage with to show him. Though he's had "heartache and pain" before, and doesn't know if he can face it again. It's not consistent. I feel like it's a missed opportunity, but oh well. It's good enough for what it is.

Wham! -- "Careless Whisper" -- February 16, 1985

Oh my god I love the saxophone in this. The music throughout the song is so incredibly sexy. And this is the kind of song George Michael's voice was made for. He's totally capable of sounding both hot and in agony at the same time. I actually adore a whole lot of cheating songs -- mostly, though not exclusively, the tormented kind. Drama! Love! Sex! Angst! Gorgeous.

REO Speedwagon -- "Can't Fight This Feeling" -- March 9, 1985

<3. He keeps singing "r"s like a pirate, but he doesn't go as hard on the other consonants, so I'm good with it. Lyrically, this song sounds like it might be two songs mashed together. "What started out as friendship has grown stronger" or "my life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you." Well which is it? Except I've had that happen. I love this song.

Phil Collins -- "One More Night" -- March 30, 1985

This is a depressing heartbreak song without the saving grace of any of Phil Collins' neat drum stuff. Blah.

We Are the World -- April 13, 1985

Whoo boy. I was 8 when this came out. Obviously I loved it. All the kids loved it. Now, though... I'm sorry, but it's bad. Really bad. Many others have gone deeply into why it's bad. I feel acutely embarrassed listening to it, so I'm just running away from it as fast as possible. (Remember all those celebrities singing "Imagine" in their mansions in 2020? I blame this song for that.)

Madonna -- "Crazy For You" -- May 11, 1985

This is one of Madonna's most straightforward love songs. Maybe the most, period. This or "Cherish," and this is a better song. It's lovely. Like Olivia Newton-John, Madonna can act a song. (Unlike in most movies she's been in.) But what I'm thinking about now is learning in this article that her label wouldn't let Madonna release "Into the Groove" as a single. That song was huge. It was played on the radio all the time. If it had been released as a single, or maybe if Billboard had tracked songs then like it does today, it would have been a massive smash, definitely #1. "Into the Groove" is also the best song of her very early career. "Crazy for You" is good, but not nearly as special.

Simple Minds -- "Don't You Forget About Me" -- May 18, 1985

As I am "Gen X", I am supposed to deeply connect with The Breakfast Club. I was 8 years old when it came out. My life as a teenager was nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, like that movie. I didn't recognize any of the "types." I liked the movie when I saw it in college, mostly, but the whole sexual harassment turns into a relationship deal was not seen as cool any longer. The "jocks vs. nerds" thing also felt very dated. The school in the movie was bigger and richer than mine, but it's a fantasy.

Anyway, though I don't feel much about the movie, its breakout song was really good. It does speak to a real fear both in graduating high school and during young adult relationships. I haven't forgotten the people I knew in high school, as far as I know, but obviously they don't have the same importance to me any longer. I'm Facebook friends with a lot of them. And very much not with a couple who were the most important then, because we grew apart -- or blasted apart. One of the nicest girls I knew in high school thinks there's a war on Christmas. Another keeps trying to get me to join her MLM. One of my best friends became my first boyfriend, and I don't regret that, but it was also a semi-disaster. And others... we just have nothing to say to each other any longer.

So, Breakfast Club: I don't connect with at all. "Don't You Forget About Me": Speaks to something very real and timeless.

Wham! -- "Everything She Wants" -- May 25, 1985

What a dick. Songs in which the narrator is a colossal jerk are perfectly fine, of course, but this one gets under my skin. He's whining about his wife getting pregnant when she's dissatisfied with their life and that they're broke. As if it's something she chose to do to him. She's stuck creating a whole other person with her blood and flesh, and he thinks it's all and entirely about him. I really hate it.

Tears for Fears -- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" -- June 8, 1985

I can't hear this song without thinking of this Baldur's Gate fan trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdd06d2nids. Speaking of which, I am incredibly excited for Baldur's Gate 3. I've been reading the early access reviews on Steam, and anything anyone is saying that's negative is stuff I don't gaf about (except bugs), whereas the positive stuff, I care about deeply. I hope it's got some of the feeling of that trailer. Um, right, Tears for Fears.

Honestly, though, it works best as a Baldur's Gate theme song. I don't think everybody actually wants to rule the world. It sounds good though. And pretty different from other stuff around it. But I like Lorde's cover better, and not just because it fits so wonderfully with all sorts of fantasy stories.

I usually play a paladin or paladin-type the first time in fantasy RPGs, but I'm thinking bard this time.

Bryan Adams -- "Heaven" -- June 22, 1985

He's been with this woman since they were young, and while they've broken up and gone through rough patches, now they're together forever and they're "in heaven." Bryan Adams knew exactly how to write a song that would become a hit. I used to not mind it at all, but it also means nothing to me. The chorus is catchy as hell though. So catchy that I ended up waking up with it in my head and it would not leave for hours and hours, so now I resent this song.

Phil Collins -- "Sussudio" -- July 6, 1985

I refuse to believe anyone ever told Phil Collins he was too young. He was born middle-aged. Anyway, the narrator isn't supposed to be him, so it's fine, but it's still kinda funny. He's got a crush on someone who doesn't even know his name, but "she's all I need all of my life." Um. The music is repetitive, the drums aren't as interesting as Phil Collins at his best, and I don't like the lyrics. I don't hate it, but I don't like it either.

Duran Duran -- "View to a Kill" -- July 13, 1985

I'm not sure I've ever heard this song before. It's about as good a song as the Bond movie they wrote it for was as a movie. In other words, it's bad. I'm not even sure there's a melody. Just a mess. "Ordinary World" would have made a far better Bond theme, but of course that was the 90s, when Duran Duran decided to try to make sense both lyrically and musically.

Paul Young -- "Every Time You Go Away" -- July 27, 1985

I like the high keyboard notes in this. They're sort of haunting. The rest of the song is musically pretty good, too. Lyrically though, it's only passable. This woman keeps leaving him every time "the leading man" shows up, so I guess he's the backup. Why does he keep waiting for her anyway? There's no hint in the song. I'm kind of embarrassed for him.

Tears for Fears -- "Shout" -- August 3, 1985

I think "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" is a better song than this one when done by Lorde. But I think "Shout" is a better song than Tears for Fears' original iteration of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." The chorus seems clear enough. But the verses are not. "They gave you life/ And in return you gave them hell" makes sense in isolation, but then there's a bunch of stuff that doesn't go with it. Like "I'd really love to break your heart" -- wtf? But the music is really good. 

Huey Lewis and the News -- "The Power of Love" -- August 24, 1985

This was the big song for Back to the Future, and it meshed beautifully with the movie, but it doesn't need that association to be a great song. "Don't need money, don't take fame/ Don't need no credit card to ride this train/ It's strong and it's sudden, it can be cruel sometimes/ But it might just save your life." Yep. It's sort of Motown, sort of rock, and I love it. (Also: "Stronger and harder than a bad girl's dream." Heh.)

John Parr -- "St. Elmo's Fire" -- August 24, 1985

Of all the John Hughes movies I have not seen and do not plan to see, St. Elmo's Fire sure is one of them. The song is about a disabled man who inspired people by rolling himself cross-country in his wheelchair for charity, which has absolutely nothing to do with the movie. I'm disabled, and I just... okay look, what he did was admirable. But we shouldn't have to be inspirations to be counted as worthwhile, and I've been told I should die because I can't produce for capitalism, so you know. I've got some personal issues with this and I'm gonna move along.

Dire Straits -- "Money for Nothing" -- September 21, 1985

This is not Dire Straits' best song, but it's an awfully fun one. I watched the video tons when I was a kid. (That sound is Tipper Gore falling to the floor in a dead faint.) The music is great rock. And the lyrics are very true-to-life. You can either sanitize people or present them as they are honestly, and I know which I prefer.

Ready for the World -- "Oh Sheila" -- October 12, 1985

The band's from Michigan. The English accent at the beginning of the song is fake. That's a good preview for the song, which sounds like a 3rd-rate Prince knockoff at best. Blech.

a-ha -- "Take On Me" -- October 19, 1985

The video totally ripped off one of my aunts. Somehow or other, they saw into the little comic she drew for me about someone going into a land of drawings to rescue someone else in a romantic adventure, years before 1985. Anyway, this song is great musically, massively synthesizer heavy without sounding artificial. Though I can only understand maybe a third of the lyrics as he sings them. I've always understood "It's no better to be safe than sorry" though. Yep, at least when it comes to romance, which is what they're singing about here.

Whitney Houston -- "Saving All My Love for You" -- October 26, 1985

It's not better to be safe than sorry, but that doesn't mean it's good to be an absolute idiot in matters of romance either. Nor is it good to be a colossal jerk. That's what the narrator is here -- the "you" she's singing to is married. And he won't leave his wife and children, though he used to say he would. The lyrics seem to say that's she's accepted the situation, but the way Houston sings it, I think the narrator's trying to get him to leave his wife -- and children -- for her still. This makes sense, as it puts some kind of passion and sense of story into the song, which without Houston's singing would not be there. The narrator certainly never acknowledges that what she's doing is wrong in the slightest iota. This song could be done in a way that works. But it's a completely sincere ballad. So, no. I despise the narrator, I despise the man she's singing to more, and the whole thing leaves me feeling gross.

Stevie Wonder -- "Part Time Lover" -- November 2, 1985

No one's thinking anyone's gonna leave anyone in this one. It's about cheating, and the thrill of it, but then at the end, he's found out his wife's cheating on him too. "I guess that two can play the game/ Of part-time lovers." This kind of funk groove is one way you make a song like this. It makes the whole thing sexy and fun, and the lyrics also work even beyond that ending, because they acknowledge it's wrong.

Jon Hammer -- "Miami Vice Theme" -- November 9, 1985

My parents didn't watch Miami Vice. And then I never felt like watching it in re-runs when I got older. I don't recognize this song. It's an energetic instrumental, but there's so much going on, I keep trying to figure out if there's a main musical idea anywhere. Nope. Just lots and lots of synth. Headache-inducing.

Starship -- "We Built This City" -- November 16, 1985

Blech. This song sounds both unfinished and overproduced somehow. The chorus seems designed to be catchy with absolute ruthlessness by people who didn't really care, and no one involved even seems to want to bother to fake it.

Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin -- "Separate Lives" -- November 30, 1985

This is supposed to be heart-wrenchingly sad. Well, it does tank my dopamine, but that's not what a good sad song does. A good sad song makes you feel better. This one makes me need to turn on something high-energy after about 30 seconds, before I sink into bleakness. It's aggressively boring.

Mr. Mister -- "Broken Wings" -- December 7, 1985

This was one of the first songs I recorded from the radio. On my pink tape deck/radio that was a sort of a mini boom box. I've always had my own tape player since I can remember, but that was a definite upgrade from the Sesame Street one. I was 9 then, so getting more seriously into music and developing my own taste intentionally, rather than simply absorbing what was happening around me.

Anyway, the song. It's about a relationship in trouble, and he wants to stay with her. To me it sounds like she has been so seriously hurt (and not by him), that she can't trust anyone, and he's laying himself on the line for her. That has spoken to me deeply ever since I first heard the song as a child. Moving on to the music: While the lyrics are repetitive, the music is not, which is what makes the song so good. It's a beautiful song.

Lionel Richie -- "Say You, Say Me" -- December 21, 1985

I look forward to Lionel Richie no longer being on the charts. This song was on the soundtrack of some movie I've never heard of. I wish I'd never heard of the song. Totally artificial glop.

BEST OF 1985: "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds  WORST OF 1985: "We Built This City" by Starship

[roaringgirl]

Books read in January

I am keeping this as a little record for myself, as I already keep a list (my best new year’s resolution - begun Jan 2018) but don’t record my thoughts

General thoughts on this - I read a lot this month but it played into my worst tendencies to read very very fast and not reflect, something I’m particularly prone too with modern fiction. I just, so to speak, swallow it without thinking. First 5 or so entries apart, I did quite well in my usually miserably failed attempt to have my reading be at least half books by women.

1. John le Carré - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974): I liked this a lot! I sort of lost track of the Cold War and shall we say ethics-concerned parts of it and ended up reading a fair bit of it as an English comedy of manners - but I absolutely love all the bizarre rules about what is in bad taste (are these real? Did le Carré make them up?).

2. John le Carré - The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1963): I liked this a lot less. It seemed at the same time wilfully opaque and entirely predictable. Have been thinking a lot about genre fiction - I love westerns and noir, so wonder if for me British genre fiction doesn’t quite scratch the same itch.

3. David Lodge - Ginger You’re Barmy (1962): This was fine. I don’t have much to say about it - I was interested in reading about National Service and a bit bogged down in a history of it so read a novel. As with most comic novels, it was perfectly readable but not very funny.

4. Dan Simmons - Song of Kali (1985): His first novel. This is quite enjoyable just for the amount of Grand Guignol gore, and also because I like to imagine it caused the Calcutta tourist board some consternation. Wildly structurally flawed, however. Best/worst quote: ‘Hearing Amrita speak was like being stroked by a firm but well-oiled palm.’ Continues in that vein.

5. Richard Vinen - National Service: A Generation in Uniform (2014): If you are interested in National Service, this is a good overview! If not, not.

6. Sarah Moss - Ghost Wall (2018): I absolutely loved this. About a camping trip trying to recreate Iron Age Britain. Just, very upsetting but so so good - a horror story where the horror is male violence and abuse within the (un)natural family unit.

7. Kate Grenville - A Room Made of Leaves (2020): Excellent idea, but not amazing execution - the style is kind of bland in that ‘ironed out in MFA workshops’ way (I have no idea if she did an MFA but that’s what it felt like). Rewriting the story of early Australian colonisation through the POV of John Macarthur’s wife Elizabeth.

8. Ruth Goodman - How to Be a Victorian (2013): I mostly read this for Terror fic reasons, if I’m honest. I skimmed a lot of it but she has a charming authorial voice and I really like that she covers the beginning of the period, not just post-1870.

9. Gary Shteyngart - Super Sad True Love Story (2010): I read this on a recommendation from Ms Poose after I asked for good fiction mostly concerned with the internet, and I thought it was excellent - it’s very exaggerated/non-realistic and that heightening of incident and affect works so well.

10. Brenda Wineapple - The Impeachers: The Trial of Andrew Johnson and the Dream of a Just Nation (2019): What a great book. I had to keep putting it down because reading about Reconstruction always makes me so sad and frustrated with what might have been - the lost dream of a better world.

11. Halle Butler - The New Me (2019): Reading this while single, starting antidepressants and stuck in an office job that bores me to death but is too stable/undemanding to complain about maybe wasn’t a great decision, for me, emotionally.

12. Halle Butler - Jillian (2015): Ditto.

13. Ottessa Moshfegh - Death in Her Hands (2020): Very disappointed by this. I don’t really like meta-fiction unless it’s really something special and this wasn’t. Also, I’m stupid and really bad at reading, like, postmodern allegorical fiction I just never get it.

14. Andrea Lawlor  - Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl (2017): This was really really hot! I will admit I don’t think the reflections on gender, homophobia, AIDS etc are very deep or as revealing as some reviews made out, but I also don’t think they’re supposed to be? It’s a lot of fun and all of the characters in it are so precisely, fondly but meanly sketched.

15. Catherine Lacey - The Answers (2017): This was fine! Readable, enjoyable, but honestly it has not stuck with me. There are only so many sad girl dystopias you can read and I think I overdid it with them this month.

16. Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall (2010, reread): Was supposed to read the first 55 pages of this for my two-person book club, but I completely lack self-restraint so reread the whole thing in four days. Like, I love it I don’t really know what else to say. I was posing for years that ‘Oh, Mantel’s earlier novels are better, they’re such an interesting development of Muriel Spark and the problem of evil and farce’ blah blah blah but nope, this is great.

17. Oisin Fagan - Hostages (2016): Book of short stories that I disliked intensely, which disappointed me because I tore through Nobber in horrified fascination (his novel set in Ireland during the Black Death - which I really cannot recommend enough. It’s so intensely horrible but, like Mantel although in a completely different style/method, he has the trick of not taking the past on modern terms). A lot of this is sci-fi dystopia short stories which just aren’t... very good or well-sustained. BUT I did appreciate it because it is absolutely the opposite of pleasant, competently-written but forgettable MFA fiction.

18. Muriel Spark - Loitering with Intent (1981): Probably my least favourite Spark so far, but still good. I think the Ealing Comedy-esque elements of her style are most evident and most dated here. It just doesn’t have the same sentence-by-sentence sting as most of her work, and again I don’t like meta-fiction.

19. Hilary Mantel - Bring up the Bodies (2012, reread): Having (re)read all of these in about 3 months, I think this is probably my favourite of the three. I just love the way a whole world, whole centuries and centuries of history and society spiral out from every paragraph. And just stylistically, how perfect - every sentence is a cracker. I’m just perpetually in awe of Mantel as a prose stylist (although I dislike that everyone seems to write in the present tense now and blame her for it).

20. Muriel Spark - The Girls of Slender Means (1963, reread): (TW weight talk etc ) As always, Hilary Mantel sets me off on a Muriel Spark spree. I’ve read this too many times to say much about it other than that the denouement always makes me go... my hips definitely wouldn’t fit through that window. Maybe I should lose weight in case I have to crawl out of a bathroom window due to a fire caused by an unexploded bomb from WW2???? Which is a wild throwback to my mentality as a 16 year old.

21. China Mieville - Perdido Street Station (2000, reread): What a lot of fun. I know we don’t do steampunk anymore BUT I do like that he got in the whole economic and justice system of the early British Industrial Revolution and not just like steam engines. God, maybe I should read more sci-fi. Maybe I should reread the rest of this trilogy but that’s like 2000 pages. Maybe I should reread the City and the City because at least that’s short and ties exactly into my Disco Elysium obsession (the mod I downloaded to unlock all dialogue keeps breaking the game though. Is there a script online???)

22. Stephen King - Carrie (1974): I have a confession to make: I was supposed to teach this to one of my tutees and then just never read it, but to be honest we’re still doing basic reading comprehension anyway. That sounds mean but she’s very sweet and I love teaching her because she gets perceptibly less intimidated/critical of herself every lesson. ANYWAY I read half of this in the bath having just finished my period, which I think was perfect. It’s fun! Stephen King is fun! I don’t have anything deeper to say.

23. Hilary Mantel - Every Day is Mother’s Day (1985): You can def tell this is a first novel because it doesn’t quite crackle with the same demonic energy as like, An Experiment in Love or Beyond Black, but all the recurring themes are there. If it were by anyone else I’d be like good novel! But it’s not as good as her other novels.

24. Dominique Fortier - On the Proper Usage of Stars (2010): This was... perfectly competent. Kind of dull? It made me think of what I appreciate about Dan Simmons which is how viscerally unpleasant he makes being in the Navy seem generally, and man-hauling with scurvy specifically. This had the same problem with some other FE fiction which is that they’re mostly not willing to go wild and invent enough so the whole thing is kind of diffuse and under-characterised. Although I hated the invented plucky Victorian orphan who’s great at magnetism and taxonomy and read all ONE THOUSAND BOOKS or whatever on the ships before they got thawed out at Beechey (and then the plotline just went nowhere because they immediately all died???) I had to skim all his bits in irritation. I liked the books more than this makes it sound I was just like Mr Tuesday I hope you fall down a crevasse sooner rather than later.

25. Muriel Spark - The Abbess of Crewe (1974): Transposing Watergate to an English convent is quite funny, although it took me an embarrassingly long time to realise that’s what she was doing even though I lit read a book covering Watergate in detail in December. Muriel Spark is just so, so stylish I’m always consumed with envy. I think a lot of her books don’t quite hang together as books but sentence by sentence... they’re exquisite and incomparable.

Overall thoughts: This month was very indulgent since I basically just inhaled a lot of not challenging fiction. I need to enjoy myself less, so next month we’re finishing a biography of Napoleon, reading the Woman in White and finishing the Lesser Bohemians which currently I’m struggling with since it’s like nearly as impenetrable Joyce c. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man but, so far... well I hesitate to say bad since I think once I get into I’ll be into it but. Bad.

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #195

Thur Aug 22 2019 [01:12 PM] Wack'd: Marv Wolfman: is he a wolf? Or is he a man? If he's a man, he's a wolf of a man [01:12 PM] Wack'd: Also he's our writer for the next, like, two years, give or take an annual [01:12 PM] Bocaj: Marv Wolfman of Teen Titans fame [01:13 PM] Bocaj: His fellow of Teen Titans fame George Perez was already here [01:14 PM] Wack'd: This is not his first Fantastic Four rodeo. He did the Giant-Size with the alien Horsemen of the Apocalypse whose weakness is literally any form of physical resistance [01:14 PM] Bocaj: huh [01:14 PM] Wack'd: And 190 which is the recap issue because Len Wein cannot do deadlines [01:15 PM] Wack'd: But now he gets the chance to do actual long-form Storytelling with the Fantastic Four. Let's see how he handles it, and also the fact that he's stuck with this dumb "end of the Four" plotline because Reed had a midlife crisis [01:19 PM] Wack'd: So that's confirmation that Imperial Pictures is a renamed Sado-Masochism Sub-Mariner SM Pictures

[01:20 PM] maxwellelvis: That crosshatching on Namor's chest makes it look like he's spontaneously grown chest hair [01:21 PM] Wack'd: Every swimmer's worst nightmare [01:21 PM] Wack'd: Impy interrupts Sue's moping basically just because he's bored and then gets irritated that she won't engage [01:22 PM] Wack'd:

Hollywood person: Good heavens! What was that? Sue: I can't possibly explain him. He's an experience all to himself.

[01:22 PM] Wack'd: I prefer Garnet, personally [01:23 PM] Wack'd: Back in NY, Reed is concerned he hasn't heard from Sue, which--yeah, fucking obviously, Namor's a dick who had his number blocked [01:24 PM] Wack'd: Reed is becoming suspicious that none of the folks at the lab he's at know the whole truth about the project they're working on, and Reed's mystery employer--who continues to just be a Mr. Claw-esque hand in a chair--cackles that it's Reed's paranoia is all part of the plan or whatever [01:26 PM] Wack'd: So in a shocking twist, Namor is not trying to win Sue back. He's trying to reconnect with his "only friend", because he has issues he can't talk to anyone else about [01:26 PM] maxwellelvis: Lady Dorma: Apparently chopped liver. [01:26 PM] Wack'd: Why hasn't he let her contact Reed? I dunno, ask Len Wein, I guess [01:28 PM] Wack'd: So basically, Namor's current issue is that, in other books, he's successfully rebuilt Atlantis, with himself on the throne [01:28 PM] Wack'd: The prooooooblem is that he's literally saved Atlantis from certain doom a lot. And literally every time he leaves or is dethroned, something awful happens to it. And this has put certain...ideas...in his subjects' heads [01:29 PM] maxwellelvis: Dear god, they've become self-aware! [01:29 PM] Wack'd: Basically they think he's a God. Like, capital-G, supernatural-powers, heal-the-sick, God. [01:29 PM] maxwellelvis: Oooohhhhhhh dear [01:30 PM] Wack'd: (Presumably why Dorma is off the table--for all we know, she's buying into it) [01:30 PM] Wack'd: So basically, after one too many times being swarmed by worshipers begging for help he cannot provide, he got fed up, fled Atlantis, and went looking for Sue [01:31 PM] Wack'd: And was informed by Willie Lumpkin that, by sheer coincidence, she'd signed a deal with the movie studio he's still financially on the hook for and which he'd frankly kinda forgotten about [01:31 PM] maxwellelvis: Namor should consider looking into a therapist. [01:31 PM] maxwellelvis: So, about as attentive as your typical studio head, then? [01:31 PM] Bocaj: Hahah [01:31 PM] Wack'd: Pfffft [01:33 PM] Wack'd: Back at NASA, Johnny flies in for a visit, and is immediately shot at by the military until Ben calls them off [01:33 PM] Wack'd: I swear, you can't take him anywhere [01:33 PM] Wack'd:

[01:33 PM] Wack'd: Ben's been feeling kind of lonely since Alicia's work took her back to NY [01:35 PM] Wack'd: And after that brief interlude, back to Hollywood, where Sue has encouraged Namor to take a more active interest in his studio to clear his mind [01:35 PM] Wack'd: It...doesn't last

[01:36 PM] maxwellelvis: Why would they give their robots scales? [01:36 PM] Wack'd: Ladies and gentlemen, your 1978 Atlantis Hockey Club starting lineup! [01:36 PM] InbarFink: Aesthetic [01:36 PM] maxwellelvis: Good answer [01:37 PM] maxwellelvis: I have to say, these are some of the silliest-looking robots I've seen in a Marvel comic. [01:37 PM] maxwellelvis: And that's including the Living Brain [01:37 PM] Wack'd: Honestly those faces have big DC Reach energy [01:37 PM] maxwellelvis: In that they look like space wrestlemen? [01:38 PM] Wack'd: I guess? [01:38 PM] Wack'd: Anyway, Sue uses her force fields to force all the cast and crew off the set [01:39 PM] Wack'd: uuuugh

[01:41 PM] Bocaj: Is she going by Girl still at this point? [01:42 PM] Wack'd: Sue manages to dispatch two robots, one by flattening it with studio lights. Another tries to stretch around her force field so she just keeps making the field larger until it explodes [01:42 PM] Wack'd: Like putting too much air in a balloon, and then a thing happens [01:42 PM] maxwellelvis: Yeah. And in fact they've mocked the idea of her changing her name to "Invisible Woman" [01:42 PM] Wack'd: She switches to Invisible Woman in 1985 so we're still a few years off [01:43 PM] maxwellelvis: Yeah, that sounds like a Byrne-ism, iirc [01:45 PM] Wack'd: Anyway she gets a third to run into a wall that borders Namor's office fish tank [01:45 PM] Wack'd: Thus providing Namor enough water to get back to his feet since the robots earlier kicked his ass [01:46 PM] maxwellelvis: Popeye spinich theme [01:46 PM] Wack'd: IT'S 1978. DO. BETTER.

[01:47 PM] Bocaj: Its a bad trend in Fantastic Four sometimes that Sue needs to be told what to do with her powers [01:48 PM] Bocaj: Same thing with Hank Pym and the Wasp, even to the point where it makes the art make no damn sense [01:49 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Namor attacks the lead Retriever and then Sue turns him invisible so when the leader calls for help the robots attack the leader by accident [01:49 PM] Wack'd: And this destroys them all because no ontological inertia [01:49 PM] Bocaj: Of course. Don't you know anything about robotics? [01:50 PM] Bocaj: Its desirable to have everything explode when the lead unit does [01:50 PM] Bocaj: Its just tidier [01:50 PM] maxwellelvis: Like when the Master Mold was destroyed and that caused all the mk.I Sentinels to shut down. [01:50 PM] maxwellelvis: Or when that Droid Control Ship was destroyed and an entire planetary invasion force of Battle Droids just slumped over. [01:51 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Namor learned a thing. At some point. Because of robot fights? Possibly.

[01:51 PM] Bocaj: The droid control ship thing is particularly a weird example because the droids are self aware enough to have some personality and hopes and dreams and fear of death [01:52 PM] maxwellelvis: These droids aren't. The ones in Episode 1, I mean. [01:52 PM] maxwellelvis: They were basically drones. [01:52 PM] maxwellelvis: "Not like us! We're independent thinkers!" "Roger roger!" "Roger roger!"

[tkmedia]

FIFA 22: 20 of the best teams to manage in Career Mode

FIFA 22 is here, and Career Mode remains one of the most popular features of the series.Whether it is returning a fallen giant to their former glory, building a small club into a big one, or taking on a fashionable team that everyone loves, there is always a challenge out there.And with FIFA 22 dropping, you can run into a brand new career and feel the innovation of HyperMotion technology with whichever team you choose. HyperMotion implements 11 vs 11 motion capture and adds a new animations - as many as 4,000 of them - to make the game feel more realistic than it ever has.Which team should you choose, though? Here’s a look through 20 of the best teams to manage in FIFA 22 Career Mode…Related Articles

Icon / VideoCreated with Sketch.FIFA 22 Review: Gameplay, FUT, Career Mode, Pro Clubs & MoreIt feels as though EA Sports have really put the work in to improve the most important aspect, gameplay, after a few years of decline - and they've managed it.Sep 29, 2021

Barcelona predicted lineup vs Benfica - Champions League A Barcelona predicted lineup ahead of their Champions League meeting with Benfica. Matt O'Connor-Simpson|Sep 28, 2021

Twitter reacts as Barcelona are humiliated by Benfica in the Champions League The best from social media as Benfica beat Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League.Matt O'Connor-Simpson|Sep 29, 2021

Champions League results: Matchday 2Results for Champions League matchday 2 - including Juventus vs Chelsea, Man Utd vs Villarreal & Porto vs Liverpool.Jamie Spencer|Sep 29, 2021

Athletic Bilbao only use local players / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty ImagesBeing in charge of Athletic Club comes with the caveat of only signing players from the Basque region - otherwise known as its cantera policy.It is the ultimate home-grown challenge.

Gianluigi Buffon is back with Parma / Nicolò Campo/Getty ImagesParma are the epitome of cool because of the cult teams they had during the 1990s. They've had several financial meltdowns over the years and are yet to properly recover from the most recent six years ago.They have been back to Serie A after starting out in Serie D in 2015, but relegation last season means starting 2021/22 in Serie B.

Malmo are Sweden's representatives in the Champions League / David Lidstrom/Getty ImagesSweden has produced countless outstanding footballers over the decades and their national team is a staple of the knockout rounds at international tournaments. Yet their club sides have fallen behind.Malmo have flown the flag in the Champions League a few times in recent years, including this season, and remain the only Swedish club to have played in the final - but that was nearly 45 years ago.

Famalicao are Portuguese minnows / Quality Sport Images/Getty ImagesWith a stadium holding barely more than 5,000, Famalicao are Portugal's minnows and are arguably punching above their weight just being in the Primeira Liga alongside the likes of Porto, Benfica and Sporting CP.Success in Portugal is a notoriously closed club. Only five teams have ever been crowned champions, with two of those just one-hit wonders. Adding a sixth, especially a tiny club like Famalicao, would be historic.

Restore Independiente's glroy days / Marcelo Endelli/Getty ImagesHaving won it seven times, Independiente are the most successful club in the history of the Copa Libertadores. But the last of those titles was back in 1984 and the modern hype is for Boca Juniors and River Plate instead.Why not build a team capable of restoring the glory days? You could even try and persuade Sergio Aguero back - he left for Europe when he was 18 and has said in real life he would like to return.

1860 Munich have disappeared into the shadows / Christof Koepsel/Getty ImagesFounded in 1860, obvious when you think about it, 1860 Munich are one of Europe's most historic football clubs. They've been German champions, won domestic and European trophies, but things haven't been good.1860, now completely overshadowed by city rivals Bayern, haven't been in the Bundesliga since 2004 and were briefly in Germany's fourth tier recently. They're now back in tier three, but can you take then back to the top?

Paris FC split from Paris Saint-Germain in 1972 / DAMIEN MEYER/Getty ImagesUnlike other European capitals like London or Madrid, which have numerous top flight football clubs, Paris has just one: Paris Saint-Germain.But Paris FC exist as a result of a split from PSG in 1972 and have been a longstanding fixture of France's lower leagues. Currently in Ligue 2, they have previously threatened promotion to Ligue 1 and French football needs a top flight Paris derby.

Malaga have fallen on hard times since their 2013 peak / SOPA Images/Getty ImagesRemember when Malaga were in the Champions League quarter-finals and on the verge of reaching the semis? It was only as recently as 2013 but decline since those brief glory years have left them in Spain's second tier.The entire first-team squad was released in 2020 to stave off insolvency. There's rarely a blank canvas like it in football.

Hibernian were Scotland's third best club in 2020/21 / Callum Landells/Getty ImagesThe challenge is simple: break the Old Firm dominance of Scottish football. The reality is probably quite a bit harder but worth a good go.It was 1985 the last time a club other than Rangers or Celtic was crowned champions in Scotland. That was Aberdeen led by a young Alex Ferguson.Hibernian were comfortably third in the Scottish Premiership last season so are probably your best bet.

Sutton United are the newest club in FIFA 22 / Christopher Lee/Getty ImagesSutton are the newest addition to the EFL, so taking them further up the English leader ladder would be an ultimate rags to riches tale.This is the first season they have been included in a FIFA game.

Forest Green are a completely unique club / Pete Norton/Getty ImagesForest Green are a unique side that deserve plenty of attention. They became the world's first vegan club in 2015, before they had even reached the EFL, and have kitted out their stadium with eco-friendly innovations.The New Lawn sadly isn't available in FIFA 22, but the club's jazzy home and away kits are not ones to miss.

Make Rochdale interesting / Nathan Stirk/Getty ImagesMake an extremely unremarkable club...remarkable.Rochdale once spent 26 consecutive seasons in the EFL's bottom division without getting promoted or relegated. They've recently had a spell in League One but are back in League Two for the 2021/22 season.Yet this is still the club that had had big names like Rickie Lambert, Grant Holt and Adam Le Fondre pass through in the past.

Blackburn have been out of the Premier League for too long / Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesBlackburn remain one of only seven clubs that have held the Premier League trophy aloft since the new competition was formed in 1992.Yet Rovers haven't been in the top flight for 10 consecutive seasons following their relegation in 2012 and it's about time they returned.Plus there's Chilean sensation Ben Brereton Diaz to manage.

Generations of Nottingham Forest fans haven't seen their club successful / James Williamson - AMA/Getty ImagesTwo-time European Cup winners Nottingham Forest haven't played top flight football for over 20 years since their 1999 relegation from the Premier League. What's more, a good number of those years have seen them finish in the bottom half of the Championship.Restoring the glory days is first and foremost getting back in to the Premier League. Then it climbing the table, challenging domestically and, perhaps ultimately, reigning Europe once more.

Benfica have been cursed for 60 years / PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/Getty ImagesBreak the curse of Bela Guttmann.Achieving domestic success with the Portuguese giants shouldn't be an issue, but the club hasn't experienced European success since 1962 after supposedly refusing legendary coach Guttmann a pay rise.He is alleged to have 'cursed' the club, vowing that they wouldn't be European champions again for 100 years. Given that they have lost five European Cup finals since then, the 'curse' has stuck.

Ajax are a hugely popular club / BSR Agency/Getty ImagesAjax remain one of the most popular clubs in Europe. Historically, they are also tremendously successful but their last Champions League title was back in 1995, although they came close to the final in 2019.Build your own Ajax golden generation and make Amsterdam the heart of Europe once more.

AC Milan need someone to deliver success / Marco Luzzani/Getty ImagesFor being the second most successful club in Champions League history and the third most successful club in Serie A history, AC Milan are currently nowhere near the status they want to be.A sleeping giant for the past decade, the Rossoneri are underdogs in Europe when they were once feared and it doesn't sit right.

Tottenham have been starved of success / Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesA major trophy of any description has eluded Spurs since 2008. They have played in finals in that time but the drought goes on.In 2021, having missed the trophy boat under previous manager Mauricio Pochettino, there is also a rebuilding project to complete, which will make any future successes all the more sweet.

Arsenal are in the midst of an exciting rebuilding project / Clive Rose/Getty ImagesArsenal fans demand success and it will take a skilled manager to deliver it, successfully rebuilding a squad capable of the ultimate goals.It didn't happen right away, but the Gunners rather unsurprisingly fell apart after Arsene Wenger left the club. The rebuild has started and taking over the Emirates Stadium means inheriting some potential, but the process is going to be long and ongoing to yield real success.Arsenal haven't won the Premier League since 2004, haven't seriously challenge since 2008, and have never won the Champions League. Read the full article

[ayittey1]

Infamous Quotes of African Autocrats and Their Cohorts

Sekou Toure, the late and former president of Guinea (1958-1984):

 "We prefer to live in poverty in liberty to riches in slavery." In 1958.

 “Before independence, there were 12 political parties in Guinea. Now there is only one: Le Parti Democratique de Guinea (PDG). Anyone who says I am a dictator because we have only one party and no opposition doesn't understand what we are trying to accomplish. The party is not a goal, but a method to achieve the goal of human freedom. Our constitution permits complete freedom for the existence of Opposition parties. However, in the last election, 91 percent of the people voted for the PDG. The Opposition received only five or six percent of the votes, and decided to join our party. This meant reconciliation, and two of their leaders received responsible posts. Actually, the Opposition's point of view can be expressed much better within the party than from outside it (Italiaander, Rolf, The New Leaders of Africa. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice‑Hall: 1961; p.146.

****************************

 Mengistu Haile Mariam, former PM of Ethiopia (1974-1991):

 “We are now on the threshold of the formation of the People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The constitution was drafted by representatives of the people themselves. It has been submitted to all Ethiopian citizens including those living abroad, and it will be promulgated after it is put to a referendum. Such democratic participation is unparalleled in the history of Ethiopia. Once the constitution assumes its final shape, Ethiopia will never again be ruled by the personal absolutism of any one individual or a handful of individuals. The victory of socialism is inevitable!" (Time, Aug 4, 1986; p. 34).

 ****************************

 Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings, former president of Ghana (1981-2000):

 On handing over power and returning Ghana to democratic rule in 1988:

 “Hand over power to who?”

 On the performance of his own military regime, eight years after seizing power:

 “Despite probes, Committees of Enquiry, dismissals and prosecutions of wrongdoers, despite restructuring exercises, new management, the provision of new equipment and capital, many of our organizations, state enterprises and corporations continue to swallow public money and fail to provide the services and goods which we expect of them, and also fail to pay their tax obligations, dividends and other expected revenues . .

 Too many people in these outfits, from management to workforce, still steal, embezzle and cheat . . . They still do not care about waste, carelessness, inefficiency and lack of maintenance . . . There are innumerable abuses including the misuse of fuel, vehicles and even office stationery. In some public institutions and organizations, managements have developed a tendency to spend resources carelessly on frivolous and luxury office and residential furnishing” (People's Graphic, Jan 6, 1990).

 ****************************

 General Yakubu Gowon, former president of Nigeria (1966-1974)

 in a lecture at the Oxford and Cambridge Club entitled "Charting Nigeria's Path to Democracy in this Decade and Beyond."

 “Nigeria's problems started shortly after independence because the army allowed itself to be polluted and politicised, hence the incessant coups and countercoups. The military intervention in politics in 1966 started a chain of reaction whose deleterious effects are still relevant in our national life even today, so many years after the ill-advised putsch . . .

 The military should not get itself involved in politics. The sooner they leave the stage the better, or else the people may rise up against them (West Africa, June 11-17, 1990; p. 993).

 ****************************

 Major General Joseph Momoh, former president of Sierra Leone (1985-1992)

 In his own admission in public, Maj. Gen. Joseph Momoh stated that after 5 years in office, he had achieved nothing. This confession is particularly correct. Under his leadership, Sierra Leone deteriorated immeasurably, but Momoh amassed considerable wealth in real [estate] property and cash, both locally and overseas. This ugly truth about Momoh equally applies to his political acolytes--ministers, party functionaries, heads of parastatals, his close political advisers, some high commissioners and ambassadors, and others too numerous to mention. Knowingly and shamelessly, Momoh headed a corrupt regime and, morally weak, was unable to take appropriate action against any of his ministers for corruption (West Africa, May 18-24, 1992; p. 840).

 ****************************

 Hastings Banda, the late and former President of Malawi (1961-1994):

 “One party, one leader, one government and no nonsense about it” (The Washington Post, June 16, 1999; A24).

 "I want to be blunt. As long as I am here and you say I must be your president, you have to do what I want, what I like, and not what you like and what you want. Kamuzu is in charge...That is my way" (The Washington Post, Sept 9, 1991; p. A20).

 He insisted that any reference to him must employ the full title: His Excellency the Life President Ngwazi Dr. H. Kamuzu Banda. He warned opposition exiles that should they dare return to Malawi, they would become meat for his crocodiles. And no nonsense about that!

 Banda "told dissidents in exile that they would become `meat for crocodiles' if they came home" (The Economist, March 21, 1992; p. 46). Indeed, “suspected opponents were imprisoned by the tens of thousands and, from time to time, fed to crocodiles. The bullet-riddled bodies of ministers accused of disloyalty were found in `mysterious car accidents’” (The Washington Post, June 16, 1999; A24).

 ****************************

 Kwame Nkrumah, the Late President of Ghana (1957-1966:

 “We must achieve in a decade what it took others a century” in 1957 [Comment: Ghana is still at it]

“The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless linked up with the total liberation of Africa” in 1958.  [Comment: Ghana’s independence is still meaningless. At independence, we traded one set of masters (white colonialists) for another set (black neo-colonialists) and the oppression and exploitation of the African people continued unabated]

 “Industry rather than agriculture is the means by which rapid improvement in Africa's living standards is possible” in 1957. [Comment: Africa’s industrialization spree failed; state-owned enterprises were sold off in the 1980s, Agriculture was neglected, leading to huge expenditures – about $25 billion annually – on food imports. Africa used to feed itself in the 1960s]

 “We would be hampering our advance of socialism if we were to encourage the growth of Ghanaian private capitalism in our midst” in 1964. Socialism is an alien economic ideology and failed miserably in every African country which experimented with it – from Benin, Ethiopia, Mali to Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe]

 “The Convention People’s Party (C[[\\PP) is the state and the state is the party. Socialism is the objective of social, industrial and economic programs” in 1973 [Comment: The state does not belong to any one particular individual or political party]

 ****************************

 The Late President Felix Houphouet-Boigny of Ivory Coast (1960-1993):

 “Colonialism was good for Africa. Thanks to it, we have one united Ivorian nation, not 60 tribes who know nothing about each other” in 1983.

 “There is no number 1, 2, 3 or 4. In Cote d'Ivoire there is only a number one: that's me and I don't share my decisions,” in 1988

 "I do have assets abroad. But they are not assets belonging to Cote d'Ivoire. What sensible man does not keep his assets in Switzerland, the whole world's bank? I would be crazy to sacrifice my children's future in this crazy country without thinking of their future" (La Croix, Paris, March 13, 1990).

 ****************************

 The Late President Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Congo DR) (1965-1997):

 "European businessmen were the ones who said, 'I sell you this thing for $1,000, but $200 will be for your (Swiss bank) account” in 1988

 "Yes, I have a fair amount of money. However, I would estimate it to total less than $50 million. What is that after 22 years as head of state of such a big country?" (World Development Forum, No. 9, 1988; p. 3

 If you steal, do not steal too much at a time. You may be arrested. Steal cleverly (yiba na mayele), little by little” in and address to party regulars in 1991.

 ****************************

Kenneth Kaunda, former President of Zambia (1964-1991):

 "Why should anyone in public life impose himself on the people? The decisions must be made by the `people. In my case, it was a call for change. The tide was for change in the country. I respected it. Look at me now. You are watching a relaxed old man. I'm very happy with what I'm doing.” (The New York Times, Jan 31, 2002; p.A4).

 Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (1980 – Still in power):

 “In Zimbabwe, socialism means what is mine is mine but what is yours we share until it all becomes mine” -- A minister in Robert Mugabe's cabinet in the 1990s.

 "We now have to admit that we are reaping the bitter fruits of our unwholesome and negative behavior. Our image as leaders of the party has been tarnished. The people are crying for our blood and certainly are entitled to do so after watching our actions" (New African, Dec 1989; p. 20).

 ****************************

 President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (1986 – Still in power):

 “No African head of state should be in power for more than 10 years” in 1986.

 “We should not practice dictatorship under the guise of independence, because independence does not mean dictatorship. Without democracy, there can be no development. Democracy is the sine qua non for the effective administration of a modern state” in July 1990.

 "There is no way you can develop the economy without democracy" in a speech before the OAU in Addis Ababa (New York Times, July 10, 1990; p. A3).

 “Without democracy, there is no way you can bring about development because people cannot speak freely, they cannot criticize wrong programs, they cannot criticize corruption, and without criticism things are bound to rot” in a speech at Makerere University on June 8, 1991.

"I'm not ready to hand over power to people or groups of people who have no ability to manage a nation" during the presidential elections in March 2001 (The New York Times, March 11, 2001; p.A6).

 "I will punish areas that failed to support me in the March election by reducing government services there" (The Washington Post, Sept 2, 2001; p.A20).

 "The Movement (NRM) shall rule for more than 60 years. Apart from British colonialists who ruled Uganda for 60 years, no other regime has been successful in holding onto power like the Movement. We are going to break the British record. If Besigye (opposition leader) tried subversion he would be dealt with” Museveni’s Defense Minister, Amama Mbabazi,(The Monitor, Feb 1, 2002).

 “All the poor should be arrested because they hinder us from performing our development duties. It is hard to lead the poor, and the poor cannot lead the rich. They should be eliminated."

 n  Uganda’s Agriculture Minister, the late Kibirige Ssebunya, (New Vision, Kampala, Dec 15, 2004). He advised local leaders to arrest poor people in their areas of jurisdiction.

 ****************************

 Laurent Gbagbo, former president of Ivory Coast, (2000 – 2011 and now on trial at The Hague):

 "We are the country with the most millionaires, which means we have the most thieves. The more Houphouet ages, the more his collaborators sense an end to the regime, and the more they steal" (West Africa, April 3-9, 1989).

 "I was arrested on April 11, 2011 under the French bombs . . . It's the French army that did the work," describing how he was arrested at his first appearance before the ICC at The Hague.

 ***************************

 General Ibrahim Babangida, former President of Nigeria (1985-1993):

 “Ever since the majority of our countries became independent in the 1960s we have conducted our lives as if the world owes us a living" in 1990.

 “Every military regime is a fraud. Anybody who heads a military regime subverts the wishes of the people.” in The African Observer, Jan 18-31, 1999, 6).

 "Two decades ago, the central challenge of the Nigerian society and economy that we grappled with, was the big, inefficient State that had a stranglehold on the society, occupied the commanding heights of the economy; and behaved like a general business enterprise, producing and selling myriads of commodities running airlines; managing commercial banks and owning cement factories. Naturally, it ended up as a colossal failure in this regard, since it neither had the bottom-line sense of a business enterprise nor the residual claimant motivation to ensure proper and efficient management of the societal resources under its care.

Today, however, Nigeria faces a qualitatively different challenge. The reality in our country is that of an abysmal lack of governance. The State has virtually become overwhelmed by multi-dimensional crisis constraining its ability to minister to the needs of the people.” (The Vanguard, Lagos, Sept 16, 2010).

 ****************************

 Daniel arap Moi, former President of Kenya (1978-202):

 "I call on all ministers, assistant ministers and every other person to sing like parrots. You ought to sing the song I sing. If I put a full stop, you should put a full stop. This is how the country will move forward,” in 1990

 To move forward in the fight against AIDS,  President Moi "pleaded with Kenyans to refrain from sex even for only two years, saying that was the best way to check the epidemic" (Reuters, July 13, 2001).

 "You [women] can achieve more, can get more but because of your little minds, you cannot get what you are expected to get!" said President Moi as he opened a regional women's seminar in Nairobi on March 6, 2001 (BBC News On Line, March 12, 2001). Perhaps, senility had set in.

 ****************************

 Lt/General Omar al-Bashir of Sudan (1989 – Still in power):

“Under Shari’a Law, theft is punishable by amputation of the right hand or, if there are more than three people or weapons involved, cross amputation: right hand, left foot. My junta will destroy anyone who stands in the way. . .and amputate [the limbs of] those who betray the nation" in 1990.

****************************

 Julius Nyerere, the late and former president of Tanzania in 1997: “Africa will have to rely upon Africa. If African Governments do Africa will develop; if they don't Africa will be doomed.”

 “In my view, three factors militate against economic and social growth in Africa. The first of these is corruption. This is a widespread cancer in Africa. The second factor which makes business reluctant to invest in Africa is political instability. But even if African countries were to become paragons of good governance and political stability, despite the corruptive and disruptive nature of poverty itself, foreign investors would not be coming rushing to Africa. Most African countries still lack the necessary physical infrastructure and the education and training in skills needed for rapid economic and social development. This, in my view, is the third and the most important factor militating against significant flows of foreign direct investment to Africa.” (PanAfrican News, September 1998).

 ****************************

 Joseph Kabila, the President of Congo DR in 2001:

 “There is a government. I am the president of this country, and we are in charge of whatever is going in the country. Is it surprising? Since I came into office I've never taken orders from anybody, nobody whatsoever." (The New York Times, April 15, 2001; p.3)

 ****************************

 Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria in 2002 (1999 – 2007):

 “Corrupt African leaders have stolen at least $140 billion (£95 billion) from their people in the decades since independence.”

****************************

Colonel Muammar Khaddafi, the late President of Libya (1969 – 2011):

 “The administration has failed and the state economy has failed, enough is enough” in 2008 (The New York Times, March 19, 2009; p.A7).

 ******************************

Moussa Traore, the late and former president of Mali: Asked to resign on March 25, 1991, he retorted: "I will not resign, my government will not resign, because I was elected not by the opposition but by all the people of Mali!!!!

 But two days later when he tried to flee the country, he was grabbed by his own security agents and sent to jail. From there, he lamented: "My fate is now in God's hands."

 ******************************

 Levy Mwanawasa, the late and former president of Zambia (2002 – 2008):

 I failed Zambia, says president. President Mwanawasa has said he is "tired" of his office Zambia's president has apologised to his country for failing to tackle poverty, but insisted he will stay in office until elections are due in 2006.

 "It has not been possible to reduce poverty and I feel sad about it," Levy Mwanawasa said, describing the issue as "one of my failures. . . Unfortunately, if Zambians made a mistake to elect me as president, they are stuck with me." (news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4163475.stm)

 ******************************

 Meles Zenawi the Late and former PM of Ethiopia (1991 – 2012)

 “Democracy should not be a toy for the elite to play with. It should involve even the so-called "ignorant peasant." Because only when you involve the bulk of the people can you have a real check to central authority” in October 1991..

 In an Interview:

"Good day.  My name is Gobano Madnamaraso." "When our leaders are young - most of our African leaders - they are visionaries.  They have wonderful visions for our continent.  They are admirable.  The speak good, they do good.  But something happens to them once they are seated in those chairs of power.  My question is:  We want to see our continent change, but we are afraid of this power that corrupts even some of the best, most admirable leaders on our continent, and what is this poison that happens in these chairs of power and how can we prevent it? " Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi pointed to greedy foreign corporations as a main driver of corruption. "What is the poison that leaders face when you go to national palaces, and transforms people with vision sometimes into ordinary thieves?  Let's start with the total amount of loot in Africa, and what our role as leaders in that loot[ing] is," said Meles. "The vast majority of the loot[ing] is done by properly organized companies through all sorts of accounting gimmicks." Meles said African leaders are forced to be facilitators for foreign companies who demand favors in return for their investment that might means jobs for their people. "It's a difficult thing to manage because our bargaining cards are very limited," he said. "We need these companies to create jobs, in order for them to come to Africa.  The image is very negative, so the risk is artificially spiked.  And if the risk is artificially spiked, the return has to be commensurate with the risk.  And so it's difficult to attract them without extraordinary returns." The Ethiopian leader said that sometimes leaders give in to temptation. "Sometimes we facilitate without being paid," he said. "At other times we say, 'Okay, if your family's farm is being looted, why not join in?'  I think that is the most insidious form of corruption.  It affects everybody, including those whose hands are not in the till."VOA, May 10, 2012

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/-Ethiopias-Meles-Blames-African-Corruption-on-Foreign-Investors-151033585.html

 ******************************

President Isaiah Afewerki of Eritrea (1993 -- Still in power):

 "What is free press? There is no free press anywhere. It's not in England; it's not in the United States. We'd like to know what free press is in the first place." (BBC, Sept 11, 2004). He closed all the independent newspapers and arrested most private journalists. The rest fled the country.

[junker-town]

Jayson Tatum is becoming a superstar right before our eyes

Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

The Celtics have a superstar. His name is Jayson Tatum.

Reasonable minds can quibble about when, exactly, Jayson Tatum became the best player on the Boston Celtics. There’s no official date everyone will agree on, but let’s call Jan. 11, 2020, a safe compromise. That night the Celtics beat the New Orleans Pelicans by 35 points. Tatum, who on Monday was named the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Week, scored a career-best 41 on only 22 shots. He grabbed six rebounds, tallied four assists, stole the ball three times, and did not turn it over once.

The night wasn’t a coronation, per se — it came against a putrid defense that toggled between Jaxson Hayes and Jahlil Okafor at the five, while Jrue Holiday sat on the bench in street clothes — but everything that’s happened since has been. In his last dozen games, Tatum is averaging 26.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. True to form, he’s leading the NBA in plus/minus, sandwiched between LeBron James and Nikola Jokic with a 29.3 usage rate and the fifth-highest True Shooting percentage among all players who averaged at least 18 shots over that span.

Some will call this small-sample size theatre. But it feels more like a snake shedding its skin. Earlier this season Tatum really struggled to finish around the basket. That is no longer a cause for concern. Before his explosion against the Pelicans, Tatum shot just 51.6 percent within five feet of the rim, and only half of those baskets were unassisted.

Since, he’s up to 60 percent, with 62.5 percent of them created on his own. This is two things: 1) what the Celtics expected, and 2) a massive relief. Take that one drawback away and what you have is a near invincible 21-year-old who was recently named to his first all-star game. Tatum leads Boston in several categories, including minutes, shots, points, defensive rebounds, and usage.

Comb through NBA history and you won’t find too many third-year players who led their team to a championship, let alone the Finals. But Tatum is positioned to try. His two-way contributions impact nearly every area of the modern game that relates to wins and losses; he’s built to thrive in a playoff atmosphere, with an untouchable combination of size, feel, strength, aggression, and pinpoint footwork that would make a Broadway choreographer blush. All that is terrific, and makes slowing him down on a team that also has Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and Jaylen Brown unimaginably difficult.

But Tatum’s most significant stride comes in the form of his pull-up three, a skewering harpoon every elite scorer should be able to pull out of their bag whenever they want. Among all players who launch at least four pull-up threes per game, only Damian Lillard is more accurate than Tatum’s 39.2 percent this season. It’s a game-changing stresser that, by itself, raises Boston’s collective ceiling.

These shots account for a whopping 22.7 percent of Tatum’s repertoire, up from 10.7 percent last year and 7.8 percent when he was a rookie. (Right now he’s taking more pull-up threes than pull-up twos — that’s not nothing.) He’s improved on the defensive end and as a playmaker, but this shot is Tatum’s golden ticket to megastardom. He hasn’t mastered it fully, but is well on his way.

Now, zoom out to compare Tatum with the select few who led their team deep into the playoffs during their third year and what makes him so remarkable is how pretty much none of Boston’s roster was built with him specifically in mind. He’s an integral puzzle piece, but so are Brown, Hayward, and Walker. They all help each other in Brad Stevens’ whirring drive-and-kick offense, a system that doesn’t go out of its way to lean on Tatum’s virtuous skill set but should tilt more and more in his direction during the playoffs. In more ways than the general consensus probably expected, he’s helped fill the void that was left by Kyrie Irving and Al Horford.

Among all players (54, to be exact) who finish at least five possessions every game as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, Tatum is the ninth-most efficient scorer and ranks in the 86th percentile overall. He glides downhill at his own pace, crouching down to put his defender in jail, waiting to punch through a crack. Tatum averages more points per possession in these spots than James Harden, LeBron James, Devin Booker, and Paul George. (Everyone above him is a true point guard, except Luka Doncic and DeMar DeRozan.)

On a team that believes it can win the whole thing — Boston is currently third in point differential and defense, fifth in offense — every bit of improvement from Tatum is a step closer to reaching their goal. But in this particular context, what does his growth actually mean?

If you hesitate to call the Celtics a true contender it’s probably thanks to precedent. They entered the season with the deepest wing rotation in a league that prioritizes that position. Walker, Brown, Tatum, and Hayward all either had a chance to make the all-star team or an appearance already on their resume. But none were a top-15 player, let alone a top-seven or eight superstar that’s typically needed to win it all.

Tatum can change that. For the season, he stands firm in Real Plus-Minus’ top five, bested only by arguably the four best players in the NBA. Beyond statistics, he’s often guarded by the opposing team’s best defender, a magnet of attention who allows his all-star-caliber teammates to feast on thinner coverage than they otherwise would. When he sets a ball screen — particularly for Walker — defenders can’t trap it then rotate a third man over because giving Tatum a step against a closeout is certain death, as is the fraction of a second in which he finds himself wide open behind the three-point line. In these subtle ways he’s a complementary piece as much as he is a leading man.

With off-ball gravity that’s steadily rising towards the same level seen by some of the league’s top scorers, when Tatum moves his teammates reap a clear benefit.

His improved defense cannot be taken for granted, either. Tatum doesn’t just hold his own on that end, he alters what the offense wants to do. Stevens will often stick him on a squirrelly point guard so that when a big sets a screen the Celtics can either switch it without creating an obvious mismatch, or have him fight over/under the screen and still affect the shot. You could kick a field goal through his outstretched arms.

There are still baby deer moments scattered through his touches, but they announce themselves as necessary mistakes instead of permanent flaws. Tatum’s encroachment towards actual greatness isn’t hard to see, even when he turns the ball over in a crowd or fumbles a sure layup off the wrong angle. In the clutch he’s in the 50/40/90 club, with a usage rate that’s six percent higher than last year.

Night after night, Tatum continues to excel in areas that can’t be taught. He’s finishing with both hands, reading defenses with a patient maturity that’s had by every great player who understands what his team needs at any given time.

Whether that be blowing the roof off TD Garden with a side-step three, freezing a defender with a humbling hang dribble that gets him to the free-throw line, or chasing the opposing point guard through screens and unlocking aspects of a switch-happy, swarm-and-rotate defense that will translate against any offense in the postseason.

Among third-year stars, he’s probably not on the same level as 2006 Dwyane Wade or 1994 Shaquille O’Neal, but has a larger role than Manu Ginobili did in 2005 or James Worthy in 1985. Time will tell if he actually uses these playoffs to make the substantial leap his recent play indicates he’s ready for, to do something Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose couldn’t in 2011, when their teams bowed out in the conference finals.

Until then, Tatum is the portal Boston’s otherwise excellent ensemble needs to someday win it all. His steady encroachment towards his own MVP-level end game begs the question: Why can’t he be the third best player in his conference — behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid — three months from today?

Take everything he’s doing — and everything we already saw during his first taste of the playoffs, when he set all sorts of records on a memorable playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals that was littered with epoch-worthy exclamation points — and it’s not hard to picture Tatum exiting the postseason as that alpha catalyst all title winners need, on a team that can be one. Give him the ball and get out of the way. Good things are happening when the Celtics do.

[dweemeister]

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

Here is a confession: my only prior viewing history about college comedies includes a grand total of three films that I have seen in their entirety. Those films are Legally Blonde (2001), Monsters University (2013), and 22 Jump Street (2014). The “Slobs v. Snobs” comedic subgenre is also a weakness of mine, as their plots test my patience for both slobs and snobs. Combine these two, and you have a movie beyond my experience, but one that I found entertaining and wittier than expected – despite deep concerns by the rampant comedic misogyny that became more explicit in the 1980s that also appears. Jeff Kanew directed Revenge of the Nerds: the third and final episode of this prequel trilogy as it chronicles the final stages of the Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker’s transformation into Darth Vader, the devastation of the Jedi Order, and the dissolution of the Galactic Republic for the Galactic Empire.

Apologies. That’s the wrong movie. Gosh, I can’t wait for Star Wars fans to hound me this December.

Armed with thick-rimmed glasses and pocket protectors, best friends and nerds Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine) and Gilbert Lowe (Anthony Edwards) are entering Adams College as computer science majors. Soon after they have moved into their dorm room, the boys – along with the other nerds inhabiting that building – are forced out by the college football team and must stay in the gymnasium. Tensions between the nerds and the football team increase to the point where Stan Gable (Ted McGinley) – the school’s starting quarterback and head of the Alpha Beta fraternity (which many of the football players are members of) – denies the nerds’ application to create a fraternity and their requests for remedial justice against Alpha Beta harassment. The nerds will then seek sanction from black fraternity Lambda Lambda Lambda (the frat president is played by Bernie Casey) – imagine if a blaxploitation movie dropped into a raunchy, largely white college comedy for several scenes – and will eventually receive their fraternity commission. The Tri-Lambs and Alpha Beta essentially go to war for the rest of the film. Nerdy sorority Omega Mu allies with the Tri-Lambs; sorority Pi Delta Pi assists the Alpha Betas.

Other Tri-Lamb members include Poindexter (Timothy Busfield), Wormser (Andrew Cassese), Booger (Curtis Armstrong), Lamar (Larry B. Scott), and Takashi (Brian Tochi). Notable Alpha Betas include Burke (Matt Salinger) and Ogre (Donald Gibb); notable Pi Delta Pis include Betty Childs (Julie Montgomery) and Judy (Michelle Meyrink). John Goodman is the football coach and James Cromwell is Lewis’ father, who drives his son and Gilbert to Adams.

If the nerds and jocks in this film weren’t as exaggerated as they are, this might be the subject of a documentary given the United States’ reflexive, masturbatory obsession for American football where the football players can do whatever, whenever they want. There is nothing groundbreaking about the depiction of the nerds and the jocks in Revenge of the Nerds, but what is remarkable about how Steve Zacharias and Jeff Buhai’s screenplay develops the nerds is that it betrays its only message: accepting others for who they are, that difference in interests and appearance is to be celebrated, and that tolerance and compassion for others is to be valued over a person’s external superficialities. The film’s sympathetic approach to the nerds in the film’s opening half is commendable; the abuse they suffer allows us to laugh – in joy, sometimes in confusion – when they are being themselves. But for near-identical reasons I find The Breakfast Club (1985) to be hypocritical, Revenge of the Nerds breaks its central idea and makes a mockery of it several times. Most everything that is shown about the Alpha Beta and Pi Delta Pi members is irredeemable – hazing based on humiliation, superiority complexes, excessive alcohol and drug consumption, and an obsession with physical and sexual prowess as a means to organize the fraternity/sorority hierarchy. The basis of the nerds’ revenge is not staying true to who they are, although they use their brainpower to figure out how their scheme will work. By the film’s conclusion, the nerds’ personalities become identical to the jocks’ – actively seeking out to humiliate their opponents, treating women as sexual playthings, and valuing their hedonism over everything else. I imagine Lewis’ father to be heartbroken if he heard about this; but given the rules set forth in Revenge of the Nerds, maybe not.

This is a comedy – a college comedy, some might emphasize – meant to entertain and skewer the jocks and their girlfriends for their behavior. But comedy is often double-edged, as it is here, and I could not bring myself to laugh as the nerds began to emulate. Maybe I do not know enough about comedies, but I tend to think the best comedies that attempt a message (that excludes pure farce, like 1980′s Airplane!) should hold steady to what they are trying to espouse as there is a moral responsibility that exists in that space. Message comedies often subscribe to a rule usually associated with journalism: to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. As the nerds become relentless in their revenge, the film resorts to racial stereotypes and misogyny as supporting plot devices. For all the hilarious pratfalls of the combat between the Tri-Lambs and Alpha Beta and the end-of-film festival’s events, these depictions overshadow Revenge of the Nerds’ intents.

According to British film critic Robert Ager, a DVD commentary interview including actor Curtis Armstrong had him claim that, in this film, “nerd” can stand in for any group of people being oppressed. What Armstrong and Ager fail to note, however, is that this statement is less applicable for Revenge of the Nerds’ black and Asian characters and rooted in decades of Hollywood history.

Larry B. Scott’s Lamar is obviously gay, presenting himself as an aberration to the rigidly heterosexual jocks. But Lamar is employed as comic relief in times when the Tri-Lambs wherever the film needs him to be. The queer black male is a stock character from blaxploitation – a subgenre of exploitation film which catered to African-American audiences and emerged in the early 1970s; blaxploitation films have been acclaimed by some as portraying more empowered black characters, but have also been criticized for reinforcing damaging stereotypes. Lamar’s queerness, if we are to look at him with a blaxploitation lens, is decontextualized by Revenge of the Nerds, as the stock queer black male – as seen in Shaft (1972) and Blacula (1972) – is usually employed to challenge black masculine norms (it can be comical or otherwise), that there is more than one way to be “authentically” masculine as a black man. Lamar is indeed a nerd, but what he could represent – as a black queer man – is erased, though I will admit that the performance he gives near the film’s end is one of the most positive depictions of a gay rapper I have seen. Additionally, the depiction of the Lambda Lambda Lambda administration – recall that it is a black fraternity – is of stoic men whose appearances are bookended by the expected funk music and cultural insensitivities by the largely white kids trying to form a Tri-Lamb chapter at Adams.

The filmmakers never even try with Japanese student Takashi (Brian Tochi), rendering him overly polite to those insulting and assaulting him, mixing up or simply dropping L’s and R’s in his speech, and being completely dense to everything surrounding him. We have been here too many fucking times before. If the filmmakers’ intentions were to expose the follies of these stereotypes by replicating them and showcasing their absurdities, the final product has too many mixed messages for me to take such a claim seriously. From Revenge of the Nerds’  nerd-jock dichotomy with nothing in between, the nerds’ adoption of the jocks’ behavior, and their portrayal of black and Asian characters, this almost drowns out the numerous clever verbal and sight gags there are.

And this is not even beginning to touch upon how this film treats its women characters. From the panty raid scene to the nerds’ installation of a camera to watch females undress in the supposed privacy of their bathrooms (a young elementary school-age kid is depicted watching these scenes and enjoying them) and bedrooms to a rape-by-deception/false identity (because as long as the fornicating is mind-blowing, the sex is totally okay, and the girl will fall for your dick, right?), there is nothing salvageable about how Revenge of the Nerds treats its women. Rape is a punchline and that – call me a prude all you want – is indefensible (Revenge of the Nerds would not be the first or last film to do this).

Made with money 20th Century Fox earned with Return of the Jedi (1983), Revenge of the Nerds spawned three sequels – the later two being television movies – despite the fact Fox executives were expecting a modest box office intake (and thus left the production alone without much administrative interference). The film was shot on the campus of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson. The young cast – though some were certainly no longer the usual age for an undergraduate student – had a brilliant time shooting the movie, despite their initial reservations about playing such obvious nerds or loathsome jocks and cheerleaders. A Greek life-like atmosphere surrounded the set, and the stars found themselves partying with the university’s students when shooting was completed for the day.

Without the film’s surprisingly thoughtful portrayal of the nerds in the opening third of the film, the score that appears below might otherwise have been much lower. Without some pretty shocking or dirty lines from Lewis, Gilbert, and especially Goober, I might have liked this film a lot less than I do now (yes, this review has been scathing, but there are elements I appreciated). Yet all of that racially insensitive writing and misogyny is something that this film could all too easily could have gone without.

My rating: 5/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

[jasminesamuels-viscom]

HIV

https://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/origin

https://www.avert.org/professionals/history-hiv-aids/overview

HIV is a type of lentivirus, which means it attacks the immune system. In a similar way, the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) attacks the immune systems of monkeys and apes.

The researchers who discovered this connection concluded that it proved chimpanzees were the source of HIV-1, and that the virus had at some point crossed species from chimps to humans. They discovered that the chimps had hunted and eaten two smaller species of monkeys (red-capped mangabeys and greater spot-nosed monkeys). These smaller monkeys infected the chimps with two different strains of SIV.The two different SIV strains then joined together to form a third virus (SIVcpz) that could be passed on to other chimps. This is the strain that can also infect humans.

HIV-2 comes from SIVsmm in sooty mangabey monkeys rather than chimpanzees.7 The crossover to humans is believed to have happened in a similar way (through the butchering and consumption of monkey meat).

It is far rarer, and less infectious than HIV-1. As a result, it infects far fewer people, and is mainly found in a few countries in West Africa like Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria and Sierra Leone

Studies of some of the earliest known samples of HIV provide clues about when it first appeared in humans and how it evolved. The first verified case of HIV is from a blood sample taken in 1959 from a man living in what is now Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The sample was retrospectively analysed and HIV detected. There are numerous earlier cases where patterns of deaths from common opportunistic infections, now known to be AIDS-defining, suggest that HIV was the cause, but this is the earliest incident where a blood sample can verify infection.

Their studies concluded that the first transmission of SIV to HIV in humans took place around 1920 in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The same area is known for having the most genetic diversity in HIV strains in the world, reflecting the number of different times SIV was passed to humans. Many of the first cases of AIDS were recorded there too.

People sometimes say that HIV started in the 1980s in the United States of America (USA), but in fact this was just when people first became aware of HIV and it was officially recognised as a new health condition.

In 1981, a few cases of rare diseases were being reported among gay men in New York and California, such as Kaposi's Sarcoma (a rare cancer) and a lung infection called PCP. No one knew why these cancers and opportunistic infections were spreading, but they concluded that there must be an infectious 'disease' causing them.

At first the disease was called all sorts of names relating to the word 'gay'. It wasn't until mid-1982 that scientists realised the 'disease' was also spreading among other populations such as haemophiliacs and heroin users.18 19 By September that year, the 'disease' was finally named AIDS.20

It was only in 1983 that the HIV virus was isolated and identified by researchers at the Pasteur Institute in France. Originally called Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus (or LAV) the virus was confirmed as the cause of AIDS, when scientists working at the USA National Cancer Institute isolated the same virus and called it HTLV-III. LAV and HTLV-III were later acknowledged to be the same.

What is the 'Four-H-Club'?

In 1983, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States listed the main at-risk groups, including partners of people with AIDS, people who inject drugs, haemophiliacs and people who have recently been to Haiti. At the time that cases of AIDS began to emerge in the USA, the absence of definitive information about HIV and its link to AIDS, inflated the panic and stigma surrounding the epidemic. Before long people began to talk colloquially of a “4-H Club” at risk of AIDS: homosexuals, haemophiliacs, heroin addicts and Haitians, contributing to further stigmatisation.

1982

In June 1982, a group of cases among gay men in Southern California suggested that the cause of the immune deficiency was sexual and the syndrome was initially called gay-related immune deficiency (or GRID).6

Later that month, the disease was reported in haemophiliacs and Haitians leading many to believe it had originated in Haiti.7 8

In September, the CDC used the term 'AIDS' (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) for the first time, describing it as

a disease at least moderately predictive of a defect in cell mediated immunity, occurring in a person with no known case for diminished resistance to that disease.9

AIDS cases were also being reported in a number of European countries.10 11 12

In Uganda, doctors reported cases of a new, fatal wasting disease locally known as 'slim'.13

By this point, a number of AIDS-specific organisations had been set up including the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) in the USA and the Terrence Higgins Trust in the UK.

In January 1983, AIDS was reported among the female partners of men who had the disease suggesting it could be passed on via heterosexual sex.15

In May, doctors at the Pasteur Institute in France reported the discovery of a new retrovirus called Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus (or LAV) that could be the cause of AIDS.16

In June, the first reports of AIDS in children hinted that it could be passed via casual contact but this was later ruled out and it was concluded that they had probably directly acquired AIDS from their mothers before, during or shortly after birth.17

By September, the CDC identified all major routes of transmission and ruled out transmission by casual contact, food, water, air or surfaces.18

The CDC also published their first set of recommended precautions for healthcare workers and allied health professionals to prevent "AIDS transmission".19

In November, the World Health Organization (WHO) held its first meeting to assess the global AIDS situation and began international surveillance.20

By the end of the year the number of AIDS cases in the USA had risen to 3,064 - of this number, 1,292 had died.

In April 1984, the National Cancer Institute announced they had found the cause of AIDS, the retrovirus HTLV-III. In a joint conference with the Pasteur Institute they announced that LAV and HTLV-III are identical and the likely cause of AIDS.22 A blood test was created to screen for the virus with the hope that a vaccine would be developed in two years.23

In July, the CDC state that avoiding injecting drug use and sharing needles "should also be effective in preventing transmission of the virus."24

In October, bath houses and private sex clubs in San Francisco were closed due to high-risk sexual activity. New York and Los Angeles followed suit within a year.25

By the end of 1984, there had been 7,699 AIDS cases and 3,665 AIDS deaths in the USA with 762 cases reported in Europe

In March 1985, the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed the first commercial blood test, ELISA, to detect antibodies to the virus. Blood banks began to screen the USA blood supply.28

In April, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted the first International AIDS Conference in Atlanta Georgia.29

Ryan White, a teenager from Indiana, USA who acquired AIDS through contaminated blood products used to treat his haemophilia was banned from school.30

On 2 October, the actor Rock Hudson dies from AIDS - the first high profile fatality. He left $250,000 to set up the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR).31

In December, the U.S. Public Health Service issued the first recommendations for preventing mother to child transmission of the virus.32

By the end of 1985, every region in the world had reported at least one case of AIDS, with 20,303 cases in total

In 1991, the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus launched the Red Ribbon Project to create a symbol of compassion for people living with HIV and their carers. The red ribbon became an international symbol of AIDS awareness.51

On 7 November, professional basketball player Earvin (Magic) Johnson announced he had HIV and retired from the sport, planning to educate young people about the virus. This announcement helped begin to dispel the stereotype, still widely held in the US and elsewhere, of HIV as a ‘gay’ disease.52

A couple of weeks later, Freddie Mercury, lead singer of rock group Queen, announced he had AIDS and died a day later.

In March 1993, the USA Congress voted overwhelmingly to retain the ban on entry into the country for people living with HIV.57

The CDC added pulmonary tuberculosis, recurrent pneumonia and invasive cervical cancer to the list of AIDS indicators.58

Over 700,000 people were thought to have the virus in Asia and the Pacific.59

By the end of 1993, there were an estimated 2.5 million AIDS cases globally.

In 1999, the WHO announced that AIDS was the fourth biggest cause of death worldwide and number one killer in Africa. An estimated 33 million people were living with HIV and 14 million people had died from AIDS since the start of the epidemic

In January 2010, the travel ban preventing HIV-positive people from entering the USA was lifted.84

In July, the CAPRISA 004 microbicide trial was hailed a success after results showed that the microbicide gel reduces the risk of HIV infection in women by 40%

[dulwichdiverter]

From sitcoms to Shakespeare

BY MARK BRYANT

Best known as the dapper but rather snooty Captain Peacock in the long-running BBC TV sitcom, Are You Being Served? which aired from 1972 to 1985, Frank Thornton was born in Dulwich, attended Alleyn’s School and carved out a distinguished career in theatre and film that spanned more than seven decades.

Born Frank Thornton Ball on January 15, 1921, his father William Ernest Ball was a bank clerk who was also the organist at St Stephen’s Church on College Road near Sydenham Hill Station. His mother was Rosina Mary Thornton, the daughter of Joseph Thornton, a musician.

Both of Frank’s parents lived locally. At the time of their marriage, in April 1912 (at the Emmanuel Congregational Church on Barry Road in East Dulwich), William Ball was living in Dulwich Village with his own parents at “Charnwood” – a large house on the south side of Court Lane immediately next to the entrance to Dulwich Park and opposite Eynella Road. The family had previously lived at 244 Barry Road.

Frank’s mother Rosina, a music teacher, was then living in East Dulwich with her parents at 349 Lordship Lane, on the corner of Crystal Palace Road and opposite what is now the Plough Cafe near Sainsbury’s Local and Dulwich Library.

According to the electoral rolls, in 1920, shortly before Frank was born, his parents were living at 127 Barry Road. However, in 1923, when his older brother John joined Alleyn’s School, John’s home address was given as 347 Lordship Lane, next door to his maternal grandparents.

Like his father, his two paternal uncles, his older brother John and his two younger brothers Edmund and Alan, Frank was educated at Alleyn’s, where he was a pupil from 1932-37.

Here he was a contemporary of Kenneth Spring OBE, who later became an art teacher at Alleyn’s and co-founded the National Youth Theatre; the composer and conductor John Lanchbery OBE; and the distinguished civil servant Sir Philip Woodfield.

As a child Frank described himself as “a bit of a loner, not one of the lads. I think I was probably a bit of a prig because I seem to have been stuck with this supercilious persona for as long as I can remember.”

While he was at Alleyn’s the family lived at 149a Devonshire Road in Forest Hill and then, from 1935, at 11 Zenoria Street in East Dulwich, which runs off Lordship Lane near Goose Green.

Though Frank had appeared in school performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado and The Yeomen of the Guard (playing cello in the orchestra), and was keen to become an actor from a young age, his father insisted that he should first get a “proper” job.

As a result, after leaving Alleyn’s he worked as a clerk for an insurance company, like his brother John, while taking evening classes in acting at the London School of Dramatic Art on Bute Street in South Kensington. After two years, he was offered a place as a full-time day student and managed to persuade his father to finance the course.

Frank was 18 when the Second World War broke out and he and his fellow students were evacuated to Oxfordshire. Shortly thereafter he landed his first professional acting job in a touring production in Ireland of Terence Rattigan’s comic play French Without Tears.

In 1941 he returned to London where he worked for the famous actor-manager Sir Donald Wolfit, who had reopened the Strand Theatre to stage lunchtime productions of abridged versions of Shakespeare plays.

In one of these, Richard III in January 1942, Wolfit played King Richard, Frank was Sir William Catesby and Eric Maxon, who was born in Balham, was Edward IV. It was while Frank was playing Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice for Wolfit that he met his future wife, the actress Beryl Evans – who had been cast as a page.

In 1942 he had a small part in John Gielgud’s acclaimed production of Macbeth at the Piccadilly Theatre. Gielgud played the starring role and also directed.

The same year Frank appeared as Corporal Wiggy Jones in the first production of Terence Rattigan’s RAF play, Flare Path, at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. Its original cast included a number of fellow south Londoners – Catford-born Leslie Dwyer, Tooting-born George Cole and Kathleen Harrison, who had been to school in Clapham and whose father was borough engineer for Southwark.

In 1943, Frank was conscripted into the RAF and after training as a navigator, he eventually joined the Air Ministry’s Entertainment Unit.

As he later said: “At the end of the war I was redundant aircrew doing various jobs waiting to be demobbed, and I ended up in the Air Ministry Entertainment Unit which ran the RAF gang shows. I had to go round and watch all the shows, meeting all the participants...”

These included a number of airmen who later became celebrated actors and comedians, such as Peter Sellers, Tony Hancock and Dick Emery.

On June 1, 1945 Frank was promoted to the post of flying officer and got married four days later. He and Beryl had a daughter, the TV producer and curator of the Eden Valley Museum, Jane Thornton Higgs MBE.

After he was demobbed in 1947 he joined a repertory company. During the 1950s he continued to work on the stage and also began appearing in films and on television.

In November 1950 he made his TV debut in The Secret Sharer, part of the BBC drama series Sunday Night Theatre. Then in 1953 he was cast as a barman in The Silent Witness, an episode of the television series Scotland Yard, which was hosted by Edgar Lustgarten.

His first credited film role was as Inspector Finch in Radio Cab Murder (1954), starring Jimmy Hanley. He went on to appear in more than 60 films.

In November 1957 he starred as PC Cox in an episode of the BBC’s Dixon of Dock Green, written by Ted Willis, whose granddaughter, TV producer Beth Willis, went to JAGS in Dulwich. Then in January 1959 he appeared in ITV’s new swashbuckling series The Adventures of William Tell, which began in 1958 and starred Conrad Phillips as the legendary Swiss rebel.

Frank’s fellow actors in his first episode included Wilfrid Brambell, with whom he would later appear in Steptoe and Son (five episodes, 1962-65) and in the film, Steptoe and Son Ride Again in 1973.

Also in 1959 he was cast in nine episodes of the ATV drama series The Four Just Men, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, who had been at school in Peckham.

In 1961 he appeared in a number of classic television series. These included Danger Man, The Avengers, The Rag Trade and Michael Bentine’s comedy It’s a Square World, in which he was a regular cast member.

He also appeared in Hancock’s Half Hour – notably in The Blood Donor episode in 1961, but not the earlier episode The Alpine Holiday in 1957, in which Kenneth Williams played Snide, the yodelling champion of East Dulwich...

In 1964 he was cast as Commander Fairweather in the ITV comedy series HMS Paradise with Richard Caldicot, who had attended Dulwich College. It was a spin-off from BBC radio’s The Navy Lark, in which he also appeared briefly, and from 1966-68 he starred in another radio spin-off of the series, The Embassy Lark.

He also later appeared in The Goodies, Love Thy Neighbour and other comedy series as well as in shows hosted by such household names as Dick Emery, Benny Hill, Frankie Howerd, Harry Worth, Reg Varney, Tommy Cooper, Spike Milligan, Ronnie Corbett and Kenny Everett, on whose show he appeared dressed as a punk rocker.

Frank continued to be cast in films, mostly comedies, during the 1960s and 70s. These included Carry On Screaming! (his only appearance in the famous Carry On series), The Bedsitting Room (written by Spike Milligan and John Antrobus), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (as the one-armed doorman of the Diogenes Club) and No Sex Please, We’re British, with Ronnie Corbett and Arthur Lowe.

In April 1964 he even played the part of a chauffeur in The Beatles’ film, A Hard Day’s Night, but sadly his appearance ended up on the cutting-room floor. However, he did have an uncredited role in cult film The Magic Christian (1969) which starred Peter Sellers and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr.

In addition he worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the age of 50 he played the part (singing) of Eeyore in a musical version of Winnie the Pooh at the Phoenix Theatre.

Ten years later in 1982 he played Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty, in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Interviewed at the time he said: “I made my singing debut at 50, my operatic debut at 60 – and I shall look forward to dancing with the Royal Ballet at 70.”

However, despite a long and varied career, Frank will always be best remembered as Captain Stephen Peacock, the pompous floor manager of Grace Brothers’ department store in the popular BBC sitcom Are You Being Served? which in 1979 reached a peak viewing audience of 22 million.

He appeared in every episode from 1972 until 1985, starred in a 1977 film of the same name and later reprised the role in a TV sequel, Grace & Favour (1992-93). In the early episodes of Are You Being Served? he wore an Alleyn’s School tie.

While playing Captain Peacock he also took on other kinds of roles. In the 1980s these included the part of Sir John Tremayne in the hit London musical, Me and My Girl (starring Robert Lindsay) – which earned him an Olivier Award nomination – and acting with John Cleese in Jonathan Miller’s BBC television production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. He also worked with Derek Nimmo’s touring theatre company in Asia and the Middle East.

In addition Frank had small roles in Emmerdale, Casualty and Holby City, appeared as Judge Geoffrey Parker-Knoll in comedian Julian Clary’s All Rise for Julian Clary, and from 1997 until the show ended in 2010 he played the retired policeman Herbert “Truly” Truelove in Last of the Summer Wine. He also appeared as Mr Burkett in Robert Altman’s Oscar-winning period drama Gosford Park, which came out in 2001.

His last film part was in the farce, Run for Your Wife, released in 2013, in which he was one of 80 celebrities to make a cameo appearance. This also had a Dulwich connection as it was written and co-directed by Ray Cooney, who had attended Alleyn’s School.

Frank died at his home in Barnes, west London, on March 16, 2013 aged 92.

 Dr Mark Bryant lives in East Dulwich, close to many of the childhood homes of Frank Thornton and his family, in particular Underhill Road where Frank Thornton’s uncle Alfred John Ball lived shortly before Frank was born

[thatsnotcanonpodcasts]

Dune, Epic Games Store & Quantum Tunneling

In this latest episode we start with news that Dune is set to start shooting soon and the central cast is listed. It appears it is not a remake but a complete reimagining of the story, with promise it is going to be close to the book. At least it does not have Dwayne “the Rock” in it like some many other dismal remakes over the last few years. Also it is not a Disney remake or a Marvel movie so it should be completely different and fun. Next up we discuss how Epic is possibly “stealing” personal data from Steam and the possible implications involved. That’s right, Bill Gates has warned of the arrogance of software developers/studios etc catching the attention of governments and here is a prime example. This is right on the heels of Google being fined by the European Union again. We also hear about a possible link between Epic and the Chinese government from the Professor; who also raises the question of who is stealing the data. Last topic of the week is the break-through in Quantum Physics that will see a need for new textbooks to be printed. The best part about it is that some of the people involved are from Brisbane. That’s right folks, roll up and admire the great minds delving into physics and shaking the world from Brisbane. Remember to take care of each other and stay hydrated, till next time, stay Nerdy.

EPISODE NOTES:

Dune Movie - https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/03/18/dune-reboot-synopsis-production-begins-frank-herbert/

Steam vs Epic - https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-doesnt-sound-too-happy-about-the-epic-store-copying-steam-data/

Quantum Tunnelling - https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/this-will-go-into-textbooks-queensland-scientists-clock-quantum-tunnelling-20190318-p51592.html?fbclid=IwAR0HWaRlMa2TunPtabCvYWq1lGeQ3TrhPu2V_fOWifpQ8iorI_R91rjanqQ

Games currently playing

Professor

– Tetris 99 - https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/tetris-99-switch

DJ

– Apex Legends - https://www.ea.com/games/apex-legends

Buck

– Game of thrones by GT Arcade - https://got.gtarcade.com/

Other topics Discussed

Philippines church bombings

- https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/27/asia/philippines-church-explosion/index.html

Dune (1984 movie)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(1984_film)

Dune (Frank Herbert novel)

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)

Dune: The Musical

- https://www.timeout.com/edinburgh/theatre/dune-the-musical

Sony pictures hack

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Pictures_hack

Google loses antitrust lawsuit and fined $1.7 billion

- https://www.ibtimes.com/google-loses-antitrust-lawsuit-fined-17b-blocking-rivals-ads-2777873

Bill Gate’s warning to tech companies

- https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/13/17009146/bill-gates-big-tech-companies-apple-inviting-government-regulation

Everybody wants to be a cat (That’s not canon productions podcast)

- https://thatsnotcanon.com/ewtbacpodcast

Justin Trudeau explains quantum computing

- https://insidetheperimeter.ca/canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-explains-quantum-computing/

Crysis melts fast gaming computers 10 years on

- https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2018-why-crysis-still-melts-the-fastest-gaming-pcs-10-years-later

Scientist from China defends human embryo gene editing

- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/28/scientist-in-china-defends-human-embryo-gene-editing

Sydney united to build a Quantum harbour city

- https://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2019/03/12/sydney-united-to-build-a-quantum-harbour-city.html

Apex Legend News

- Season 1 battle pass - https://www.pcgamer.com/au/apex-legends-first-battle-pass-shows-how-badly-it-needs-better-cosmetics/

- New hero : Octane - https://au.ign.com/wikis/apex-legends/Octane

Game of thrones characters

- Robb Stark - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robb_Stark

- Tyrion Lannister - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrion_Lannister

Johann Sebastian Bach’s bio

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Sebastian_Bach

Supermoon 2019

- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/mar/20/rare-super-worm-moon-will-loom-large-as-it-coincides-with-equinox

- https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/best-time-and-place-in-australia-to-see-tonights-spectacular-supermoon/news-story/a71bde874e489251ae1099ba1f60d705

Shoutouts

19 Mar 1953 - The Academy Awards were televised for the first time. “The Greatest Show on Earth” was named best picture. Gary Cooper won the best actor award for “High Noon.” Shirley Booth won best actress for her role in “Come Back, Little Sheba.” - https://wtax.com/news/030030-today-in-entertainment-history-march-19/

19 Mar 1965 - The wreck of the SS Georgiana, valued at over $50,000,000, said to have been most powerful Confederate cruiser, discovered by then teenage diver and pioneer underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence exactly 102 years after its destruction. - https://www.onthisday.com/day/march/19

20 Mar 2003 – Invasion of Iraq, was the first stage of the Iraq War (also called Operation Iraqi Freedom). The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 21 days of major combat operations, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq

Remembrances

15 Mar 2019 - The Christchurch mosque shootings were two consecutive terroristmass shootings at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, during Friday Prayer on 15 March 2019. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern referred to the attacks as "one of New Zealand's darkest days". - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch_mosque_shootings

15 Mar 2019 - Larry DiTillio, American film and TV series writer. He is famous for his works such as the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. He wrote the most episodes throughout both seasons, totalling 17 episodes as well as directing one. In 1985, he wrote the feature-length film He-Man and She-Ra: Secret of the Sword. He was responsible for the original bible of the spinoff show, She-Ra: Princess of Power, and came up with most of the character names. DiTillio is known for his role as executive story editor of the science-fiction series Babylon 5 and for writing or co-writing most of the episodes in the animated series Beast Wars. He was also a writer for the updated 2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. He died of Parkinson’s disease at 71 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_DiTillio

19 Mar 2005 – John Delorean, American engineer, inventor and executive in the U.S. automobile industry, widely known for his work at General Motors and as founder of the DeLorean Motor Company. DeLorean managed development of a number of vehicles throughout his career, including the Pontiac GTOmuscle car, the Pontiac Firebird, Pontiac Grand Prix, Chevrolet Cosworth Vega, and the DeLoreansports car, which was later featured (in modified form) in the 1985 film Back to the Future. He died of a stroke at 80 in Summit, New Jersey - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_DeLorean

Famous Birthdays

19 Mar 1848 – Wyatt Earp, American Old West lawman and gambler in Cochise County, Arizona Territory, and a deputy marshal in Tombstone. He worked in a wide variety of trades throughout his life and took part in the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cochise County Cowboys. He is often erroneously regarded as the central figure in the shootout, although his brother Virgil was Tombstone city marshal and deputy U.S. marshal that day and had far more experience as a sheriff, constable, marshal, and soldier in combat, born in Monmouth, Illinois - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyatt_Earp

19 Mar 1955 – Bruce Willis, American actor, producer, and singer. He has since appeared in over 70 films and is widely regarded as an "action hero", due to his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise (1988–2013), and other such roles. His credits also include Pulp Fiction (1994), 12 Monkeys (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), Armageddon (1998), The Sixth Sense (1999), Sin City (2005), Red (2010), The Expendables 2 (2012), Looper (2012), and as David Dunn in the Unbreakable film series: Unbreakable (2000), Split (2016) and Glass (2019). He was born in Idar-Oberstein, Rhineland-Palatinate - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Willis

22 Mar 1947 - James Patterson, American author and philanthropist. Among his works are the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women's Murder Club, Maximum Ride,Daniel X,NYPD Red, Witch and Wizard, and Private series, as well as many stand-alone thrillers, non-fiction and romance novels. His books have sold more than 300 million copies and he was the first person to sell 1 million e-books. In 2016, Patterson topped Forbes's list of highest-paid authors for the third consecutive year, with an income of $95 million. His total income over a decade is estimated at $700 million. Born in Newburgh, New York - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Patterson

23 Mar 1912 - Wernher von Braun, German rocket scientist, He was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany during World War II and, subsequently, in the United States. He is credited as being the "Father of Rocket Science". He was born in Wirsitz, Germany (now Wyrzysk, Poland) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun

24 Mar 1874 – Harry Houdini, Hungarian-born American illusionist and stunt performer, as a magician Houdini started out by performing card tricks before moving on to escape acts. He began first to escape from handcuffs, challenging local police to cuff him first. He moved on to an act escaping from a locked water filled milk can, straitjackets and then most famously a Chinese water torture cell where Houdini had to hold his breath for 3 minutes. He became the most famous vaudeville act in America, often filming his escapes. Born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Houdini

Events of Interest

19 Mar 1932 – Sydney Harbour Bridge opens, a heritage-listed steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of Sydney, and Australia itself. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridge

19 Mar 2008 – GRB 080319B: A cosmic burst that is the farthest object visible to the naked eye is briefly observed. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GRB_080319B

20 Mar 2015 - A Solar Eclipse, Equinox, and a Super moon all occur on the same day - https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150318-total-solar-eclipse-equinox-supermoon-astronomy-spring/

Intro

Artist – Goblins from Mars

Song Title – Super Mario - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix)

Song Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNMe6kF0j0&index=4&list=PLHmTsVREU3Ar1AJWkimkl6Pux3R5PB-QJ

Follow us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NerdsAmalgamated/

Email - Nerds.Amalgamated@gmail.com

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NAmalgamated

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6Nux69rftdBeeEXwD8GXrS

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/top-shelf-nerds/id1347661094

RSS - http://www.thatsnotcanonproductions.com/topshelfnerdspodcast?format=rss

[jodyedgarus]

The Vikings Are Doom Dressed Up As Hope

There’s nothing very special about a rotten franchise in professional sports. No-good ownership groups and management structures dot the landscape, but the hopelessness of the Cleveland Browns is not so different from that of the New York Knicks. But there is something unavoidably captivating about a tragic franchise, a team that is consistently good enough and in position to break its fans’ hearts. That list is far more memorable: the Buffalo Bills of the 1990s, or the Philadelphia Eagles of the 2000s, or the Boston Red Sox before 2004.

Still more rare, though, is the team that doesn’t simply disappoint its fans, but does so in a thematically consistent manner. For the Minnesota Vikings, this means being betrayed by their greatest strength at their moments of greatest need — Napoleon blundering at Waterloo or Wolverine’s adamantium-laced skeleton turned against him by Magneto. And with the Minnesota Vikings set to play the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday for a chance at the NFL’s first home-Super Bowl berth, and fans and pundits weighing Minnesota’s strengths against Philadelphia’s, it is a good time to remember that for this team, there is no advantage too great to be turned back against itself.

The 1998 Vikings were only the third team to go 15-1 under a 16-game schedule, and the other two (1984 San Francisco 49ers, 1985 Chicago Bears) had gone on to win the Super Bowl. The offense set the record for most points scored in a season with 556, which stood until the New England Patriots broke it in 2007. It was led by a resurgent Randall Cunningham, future Hall of Fame wideout Chris Carter still in his prime, a dual-threat back in Robert Smith, and Randy Moss in his breakout rookie season. All this firepower was backed up by Gary Anderson, the best kicker in the league that season. Anderson was 35-for-35 on field goals and 59-for-59 on extra points, the first time a kicker had converted every kick in a season. He was 14-for-14 on kicks of at least 40 yards and 2-for-2 on kicks of at least 50. Minnesota appeared to have all the bases covered.

But with just over two minutes remaining in the conference championship against the Atlanta Falcons and the Vikings up 27-20, Anderson sent a 38-yard field goal wide left. Atlanta quickly tied the game, 27-27, and left Minnesota with about a minute to pull out a win. But on third-and-3 with 30 seconds left on the clock and on their own 30-yard line, Vikings coach Denny Green chose to kneel-out regulation and take the game to overtime with two timeouts in his pocket. Green was betting the home team would have the advantage in the extra period, and that the combination of his offense and his kicker practically guaranteed a win should Minnesota win the coin toss. The Vikings won the toss, but couldn’t put together a drive. The Falcons won on a Morton Andersen field goal and would eventually advance to the Super Bowl, where they met their own sort of thematic resolution.

Two seasons later, the Vikings were back in contention, this time with first-year starter Daunte Culpepper at quarterback. Culpepper picked up where Cunningham had left off, throwing for 33 touchdowns and nearly 4,000 yards, plus another 7 touchdowns and 470 yards on the ground. Together Moss and Carter rolled up 24 touchdowns and more than 2,700 yards. And the threat of Culpepper’s mobility — at 6-foot-4, 260 pounds — opened up the running game for Smith, who had the best season of his career with 1,869 yards from scrimmage. The offense may not have been as prolific as the 1998 version, or even the highest-octane offense in the league, trailing the ascendent Greatest-Show-on-Turf Rams and a handful more clubs in points scored. But with the core pieces of ’98 intact and young Culpepper punching weight with Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning, Minnesota had reason to believe not only that it was one of the best offenses in the league, but that it would remain so for years to come. Until the NFC Championship, anyway.

On Jan. 14, 2001, the Vikings took a 41-0 beatdown from the New York Giants. Culpepper, playing in his first playoff game, went 13-for-28 for 78 yards, three interceptions and a fumble. Kerry Collins had 381 yards, five touchdowns and two picks. Moss and Carter had just five catches between them, on 14 targets. Smith was held to 42 yards from scrimmage. He retired after the season despite leading the league in rushing. It was just one game, but coming as it did, when it did, it seemed to hang over the team for years. The team became turnover prone and struggled to find a replacement for Smith.

For a time after the 2000 season, the Vikings were victim to more ordinary disappointments: a playoff drought, the rapid decline of Culpepper, trading Moss, drafting Adrian Peterson, hitching a wagon to Tarvaris Jackson, watching Todd Collins outduel Jackson on national TV for a playoff spot — that sort of thing. Then Brett Favre came to town.

What Favre brought with him was maybe the unlikeliest of Minnesota’s cursed virtues: stability and ball control. The Vikings just needed a game manager to run a competent passing game while Peterson pounded opponents to jelly. Favre, the all-time interceptions leader, seemed like just about the last person on Earth you’d trust to hold the ball and protect a lead. But several consecutive seasons of Jackson, Frerotte, Brooks Bollinger, and Kelly Holcomb had left the team desperate.

Favre threw just seven interceptions in 2009 — a career low aside from his first season, when he threw just two picks … albeit on four attempts. But those seven INTs were weighed against 531 attempts in his first season in Minnesota, easily a career-best 1.3 interception percentage for Favre, and a breath behind league leader Aaron Rodgers, one of the most risk-averse quarterbacks on record. The Vikings went 12-4 and appeared to be a legitimate Super Bowl threat. This was a hard sell for Vikings fans who had spent a decade and a half watching Favre throw innumerable ill-advised passes as a Packer, and especially to anyone who had the misfortune of watching his 22-interception season with the Jets the year prior. But Favre held steady all season, turning Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe into reliable possession receivers, and he dazzled in the divisional round with a 34-3 wallopping of the Dallas Cowboys where he threw 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. The story reached the point at which it was appropriate to believe that this team, the one with the best running back in football and a Hall of Fame quarterback intent on protecting the ball, might actually get this thing done. The ending was never in doubt.

Tied 28-28 with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship, 19 seconds remaining and already in field goal range, Favre reverted to form. Rolling out of a clean pocket, he rushed toward the right sideline, pumped once, and threw across his body toward Rice … who was standing directly behind Tracy Porter, the Saints’ cornerback. Porter intercepted the pass and New Orleans won in overtime.

Speed past a few Blair Walsh-related groaners and we come to the present. (Walsh loomed ominously over Vikings games, but was hardly considered a fulcrum of the team.) Today, the Vikings are understood to be a good team though by no means overwhelming. Insofar as the team has a defining strength, it is an “all-time” third-down defense. Since the stat began being officially recorded in 1991, no team has allowed third downs to be converted to first downs at a lower rate than this season’s Vikings at 25.2.

The natural question is if this stat actually means anything. Is clamming up on third down a replicable skill, or a random clustering of events by an all-around good defense? The Minnesota defense ranks first in Football Outsiders’ Weighted DVOA, which adjusts performance for quality of opponents and de-weights early season games. It turns out that predicting future success for third downs is mainly about defending the pass, as ESPN’s Brian Burke found in 2008. And while the Vikings’ defense is excellent overall, it’s slightly less dominating against the pass. The Eagles rely much more on the run than the pass, so Minnesota’s swarming run defense is a good matchup overall. And Nick Foles is playing quarterback. So maybe any statististical emptiness on third down isn’t so much to worry about. Maybe it’s something to worry about more if and when it’s Tom Brady staring you down instead.

But for a fatalist Minnesota fan, it’s a kind of relief to know there might be a little less to the all-time accomplishment than the baseline stats say, that if things go sideways it’s more random outcome than abiding flop-sweat and regret. Originally my editor asked me to interrogate the meaningfulness of the Vikings’ third-down defense and ferret out whether or not it was an overwhelming enough advantage to propel the Vikings to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1977. The only honest answer I can come to is, God, I hope not.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-vikings-are-doom-dressed-up-as-hope/

[takenews-blog1]

Growing old Badly: These Stars Are Unrecognizable At this time

New Post has been published on https://takenews.net/growing-old-badly-these-stars-are-unrecognizable-at-this-time/

Growing old Badly: These Stars Are Unrecognizable At this time

Growing old Badly: These Stars Are Unrecognizable At this time

Even the best of stars should age identical to us regular people. Whereas most of us merely need to age gracefully, most celebrities are a special breed altogether. Cosmetic surgery, Botox, the craziest of diets… you title it. Most of those individuals will do something to keep up that youthful look. However typically that simply doesn’t work out. Listed below are some instances in level.

“Hunk” needs to be used solely for individuals who have “it.” The appropriate appears to be like the suitable smarts, expertise, and many others. Star energy. Mickey Rourke within the 1990s had “it.” All the very best elements, crucial acclaim, and every little thing in between. Then booze and a profession as a boxer took over his life and the remainder is historical past.

Mickey turned an expert boxer in 1991 and retired in 1995. His appears to be like paid the worth. Cosmetic surgery, I’m guessing, wasn’t profitable for this star. I do know, if he gave me even 5 , I’d observe down each surgeon he used and make them pay for what they did to him. Actually.

Former Miss Teen Memphis and a supermodel in her personal proper, Cybill has had a incredible profession in tv and films. I might say that “Moonlighting” was in all probability her biggest hit for the star to date. She additionally starred in her personal sequence referred to as “Cybill,” and received a Golden Globe for the comedy present.

Truth: Cybill acquired her first title from her grandfather “Cy,” and her Father, “Invoice.” How distinctive is that for a girl, a lot much less a person? You’d be hard-pressed to do a double-take as of late, however she definitely appears to be like as completely satisfied as she’s ever been. And never too many individuals can declare they “did the nasty” with Elvis Presley!

Kathleen was fairly the busy (and delightful) star within the eighties and nineties making movies like The Man with Two Brains (1983), Romancing the Stone (1984), The Jewel of the Nile (1985), Prizzi’s Honor (1985), Peggy Sue Received Married (1986), The Battle of the Roses (1989), and Serial Mother (1994). Her expertise gave her the sting in getting nice film roles.

When Kathleen was identified with rheumatoid arthritis in 1992, the sickness compelled her to surrender filming motion pictures, because the ache was merely an excessive amount of for her to bear. Her prescribed drugs made her bloat and achieve weight, making her practically unrecognizable from her former self. She merely tells everybody to “recover from it”

Kelly might be most well-known for her function within the movie Bizarre Science. She was well-known means earlier than that movie, although. She was what individuals would name a supermodel. She appeared in and on the duvet of lots of of magazines and represented varied designers for his or her campaigns. She began modeling on the age of sixteen.

The celebrities’ very bitter divorce from Steven Seagal, non permanent drug dependancy, and a private battle with self-hatred turned this as soon as gorgeous magnificence and star right into a recluse for years. She even managed to get a DUI in 2013. However from what I’ve learn, she’s doing significantly better now because of her fighter’s spirit.

What do you get if you mix practically unnatural magnificence with…properly, much more, unnatural magnificence and expertise? Linda Evans, that’s what. Linda’s had a really lengthy performing profession, from 1965’s Audra Barkley in Massive Valley to Krystle Carrington of “Dynasty” fame, in all probability her best-known tv function.

No, Linda doesn’t very like herself from the eighties or in all probability even the nineties. There’s a cause for that. The star now admits that she has overdone the surgical procedures that she has undergone and is sorry that a number of the procedures had been accomplished. She has completed interviews with each Oprah and Diane Sawyer about her cosmetic surgery gone mistaken; the big lips, the over-filled cheeks, and many others. Whereas these lips might look nice on a teenager, they give the impression of being unnatural on an individual of her age.

Actor and heartthrob Bruce Willis has had a profession that the majority actors would completely die for. From motion motion pictures to comedy or tv, he appears to have all of it. And again within the day, he even had hair! He was nice taking part in a detective on “Moonlighting” reverse Cybill Sheppard, and I’m certain I don’t have to say the Die Arduous sequence of films to anybody.

True, he doesn’t actually look something like he used to however that hasn’t slowed down his profession any. Stars like Bruce are extra involved with nice scripts than appears to be like. I suppose there’s one thing concerning the “serial killer” look that Hollywood appears to like when casting individuals for movies. It should be working: Bruce’s motion pictures have remodeled two and a half billion alone.

Bruce was as soon as one of many biggest stars on earth. A retired Olympic gold medal-winning decathlete, Jenner was given the unofficial title of “world’s biggest athlete.” With that stature, Jenner subsequently established a profession in tv, movie, writing, auto racing, enterprise and as a Playgirl cowl mannequin. And don’t overlook that iconic Wheaties cereal field cowl! Jenner actually had all of it.

In a “20/20” interview with Diane Sawyer in April 2015, Jenner got here out as a trans lady, saying that she had handled gender dysphoria since her youth and that: “for all intents and functions, I’m a lady.” Say what you need, however Caitlyn acquired it proper with the cosmetic surgery. She is unrecognizable from the previous Bruce.

For somebody who by no means had any performing ambitions, Edward definitely had the suitable casting for the flicks he’s been in. The star usually appeared to play the darkish, brooding character who comes from a dysfunctional household, such because the Terminator sequence or American Historical past X. The good-looking younger man actually made an affect on the Hollywood panorama.

Unrecognizable from his former self, Furlong mentioned in December 2006 that from 22 to 26 he was “on and off” arduous medicine, including that, “I used to be a heroin and cocaine addict. It was actually scary.” In the identical interview, he mentioned, “I don’t even take into consideration [partying] anymore. It appears lonely now: operating and clubbing and doing coke. I’ve nightmares about doing arduous medicine. I’ll get up and I’m like, ‘Did I relapse?’”

Sally was at all times sizzling! The naturally blonde and blue-eyed fairly lady most well-known for her function on “All In The Household” has loved a really lengthy profession in tv and stage. She even turned down a proposal of 1 million to pose nude for Playboy journal within the early 1970s.

Solely Sally is aware of the actual cause(s) relating to her dramatic weight achieve over time. All we all know is that she’s unrecognizable from the previous days. She appears completely satisfied from most pictures that I see her in. She was arrested for DUI just a few years in the past, however has stayed out of great bother practically all her life. If she’s completely satisfied, then so are we.

Chuck has at all times performed the powerful man. Why? As a result of he can! And don’t you overlook that. The martial artist performed in a variety of movies and is greatest identified for his starring function in “Walker, Texas Ranger” from 1993 to 2001. He’s nonetheless so common that there are all kinds of web websites about him and his beard.

Properly, Chuck remains to be powerful trying, though he appears to be like extra like a Care Bear with power fuel issues. Each as soon as in a decade, the beard comes off the star (almost definitely by a laser beamed from a satellite tv for pc someplace in area). Despite the fact that we wouldn’t acknowledge him now from his earlier days, Chuck remains to be The Man!

Daisy Duke was the height of Catherine Bach’s profession, and one have a look at the pic will inform you that she didn’t want the rest to bolster her profession. If you’re sizzling sufficient that each one cutoff denims on a lady at the moment are referred to as “Daisy Dukes,” even some thirty years later, then you realize you’ve made your assertion to the world and turn out to be a star.

Now we have to say, we wouldn’t discover if I walked previous Catherine Bach. Not as a result of she’s unattractive or something, it’s simply that we discover her unrecognizable because the lady from “The Dukes of Hazzard.” However hey, for sixty-two years previous we predict she appears to be like nice. Plus she’s nonetheless in demand taking part in in a number of function movies and as a recurring character on “The Younger and The Stressed.”

John Travolta was one tremendous piece of man again within the day. He actually gave his all to any half he performed, whether or not or not it’s tv’s “Welcome Again Kotter” or dancer supreme in Saturday Evening Fever – which allowed him to turn out to be one of many biggest stars ever. And I completely forgot about Grease! However his appears to be like, based on the ladies, is what drove individuals to the Friday evening motion pictures.

Hmm…I’m simply unsure the place to start out. Sure, he’s one of many richest celebrities on the earth. Sure, he flies his personal 747. He’s a universally identified star. However that creepy look and smile of his would in all probability make us moist ourselves if he got here round a nook unexpectedly. And the place are his eyes? He’s unrecognizable to us from his youthful days.

New York socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein is a uncommon case during which somebody turns into well-known after having their cosmetic surgery procedures. The truth is, it’s tough to discover a picture of her previous to her many surgical procedures. Wildenstein was already considerably identified for her extravagant New York way of life, claiming her phone invoice alone got here to $60,000, with meals and wine prices including as much as $547,000…a yr. In case you suppose that’s stunning although, simply wait until you see what she appears to be like like at the moment….

That’s what we name an excessive look! So what went into this transformation? It’s rumored that Wildenstein’s many cosmetic surgery procedures had been impressed by her want to look extra “cat like” since her husband had a keenness for giant cats, like lions and tigers. Properly that’s one strategy to maintain a wedding alive! Sadly, it didn’t work although, because the pair went by a scandalous divorce within the 1990’s, mentioned to have been kicked off when Jocelyn walked in on her husband in mattress with a 19 yr previous Russian mannequin. Whoops!

Younger Johnny Depp is the stuff of which little lady’s desires are made out of. Excellent appears to be like. Excellent angle. Hell, he even had good hair. The very gifted actor triggered fairly a storm in his youthful days with successful tv sequence and an enormous film presence on movies like Crybaby and Edward Scissorhands.

Depp remains to be some of the massively common stars on the earth, authorized troubles however. He’s singlehandedly made pirates common. However we’ll inform you if we had been, say ten years previous, and also you confirmed us a pic of him when he was younger, he’d be unrecognizable. Years of arduous partying, booze, medicine, and many others, have destroyed his naturally beauty. Now he simply appears to be like unhappy.

This handsome British actor was at all times the insurgent. He was expelled from the Central Faculty of Speech and Drama in London for clashing together with his lecturers and as a substitute apprenticed himself on the avant-garde Glasgow Citizen’s Theatre in Scotland, performing in such productions as “Don Juan” and “Heartbreak Home.” He went on to play in a number of motion pictures, together with the Shrek sequence.

Now Rupert appears to be like extra like Abraham Lincoln than the heartthrob he previously was. He’s nonetheless in demand taking part in in an enormous number of movies together with Free Ladies and this yr’s The Musketeers. We simply can’t recover from the truth that he appears to be like so totally different from his youthful days. However all of us will look totally different years from now.

Weapons N’ Roses lead singer Axl has had a really profitable profession to date. And what a voice! Resulting from his highly effective and huge vocal vary and energetic reside performances, Rose has been named one of many biggest singers of all time by varied media retailers, together with Rolling Stone and NME. The band’s movies nonetheless obtain huge rotation on video channels and their songs at the moment are legendary.

He’s nonetheless very energetic (he not too long ago damage his leg on stage), however Axl is really unrecognizable from his earlier days. A long time of the great life, partying, and medicines have ruined the lead singer’s as soon as nice appears to be like. Now he simply provides the looks of a star eager to go to McDonalds or an all you possibly can eat buffet reasonably than taking part in live shows as of late.

I nonetheless keep in mind the episode of “Twin Peaks” when Lara walked as much as the digicam, put a complete cherry together with the stem in her mouth, and in just a few seconds popped the cherry out, and the stem was in a knot. That single act launched the sweetness into superstardom. Lara’s performed in some nice movies like Poltergeist III and Wayne’s World.

She’s had a terrific profession to date together with tv and Movies resembling Males in Black II, and 2014’s Fortunate Canine. The star may look a bit dowdy on this pic, however I don’t consider she’s apprehensive about it. Lara’s nonetheless in demand and it doesn’t matter to her if you happen to acknowledge her or not from the early days. Plus, she’s a genuinely good individual, from what we hear.

Val was a kind of “Guys the ladies positively needed to social gathering with.” The massively profitable actor performed in every little thing from the lead character in Batman Without end to one of many main stars of High Gun. We solely know that he was thought-about one of many actual hunks of his youthful performing years, and was certainly one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

OK, all of us see it. Val is just about unrecognizable from his former good trying macho man years. Val’s star remains to be massively common and performs in lots of motion pictures and has some slated for subsequent yr referred to as Weightless (unusual sufficient) and The Snowman (no less than it’s not referred to as The Michelin Man).

Ghost, Sister Act and The Shade Purple. Nuff mentioned. Whoopi is a kind of enthralling stars who appears to be able to taking part in any character she chooses to. Even a stuffy previous white man in The Affiliate, and don’t overlook “Star Trek The Subsequent Era!” Whoopi has had fairly a profession whether or not doing tv or movies.

Whoopi loves weed. That’s the underside line. Although age usually brings weight achieve, weed will deliver the munchies on simply as properly, lol. Nonetheless, the star cleans up mighty tremendous. Whoopi remains to be unrecognizable from that attractive character that performed in Jumpin’ Jack Flash, or even Sister Act II. That’s OK Whoopi, we nonetheless love you.

Within the ’80s and ’90s Nicole personified the right all-American surfer lady: tan, blonde, and ridiculously match. She began her rise to fame with a task on the TV sequence “Charles in Cost” however her breakout function was as Summer time Quinn within the smash hit “Baywatch.”

At this time, the previous “Baywatch” babe and mom of two may be seen competing on celeb actuality TV reveals like VH1’s “Superstar Match Membership” and E!’s “Botched” for a breast discount surgical procedure. She additionally owns an ice cream truck referred to as Scoops. Candy!

Suzanne Somers was solid within the ABC sitcom “Three’s Firm” in January 1977. She was employed the day earlier than the taping of the third and ultimate pilot formally commenced. She portrayed Chrissy Snow, a stereotypical dumb blonde, who was employed as an workplace secretary. Her portrayal of Chrissy gave her prompt intercourse image star standing.

We’ll say that being one of many main stars in Hollywood as of late is just not simple. It’s a must to be just about flawless. Suzanne often denies having cosmetic surgery, however consultants within the subject know when somebody has had “work” completed on them. In line with these consultants, Suzanne’s surgical procedures have made her practically unrecognizable from her earlier self. The lips are overdone and he or she appears to be like a bit too unnaturally younger – she’ll be 70 this October – for her age.

Elsa Patton is a celeb psychic who rose in reputation within the Miami group beginning within the 1980’s. Her true rise to fame was in 2012 although when she was featured on Bravo’s “Actual Housewives of Miami” alongside along with her daughter Marysol. “Mama Elsa” as she was nicknamed, rapidly turned some of the common characters on the present, due partly to her distinctive look ensuing from some botched surgical procedures.

In the course of the “Actual Housewives of Miami” there was a lot hypothesis relating to precisely which surgical procedures had had, and what had gone mistaken with them. Finally her daughter Marysol addressed the hypothesis and revealed that Elsa had a botched process completed on her eyelids completed within the 1980’s, which resulted in “hematomas on her eyes for like three years.” There have additionally been rumors of silicone facial fillers gone mistaken, which may clarify the inflated look across the cheeks and jaw space.

It’s arduous being a supermodel. It should be excruciating if you happen to had been the world’s first supermodel, as Janice at all times claims to be. Every thing needs to be good, from the shade of lipstick to the toenail paint. True, she is among the most profitable fashions all through the 1970s and 1980s, and as one of many stars of “America’s Subsequent High Mannequin,” she nonetheless enjoys the limelight.

Janice has no qualms about cosmetic surgery and freely discusses her procedures. For my part, she appears to be like nothing like she used to. Properly, perhaps her pores and skin tone, however that’s about it. She’s even been on tv’s “Botched” to have a number of the worst of her plastic surgical procedures repaired and corrected.

The 18th Duchess of Alba in Spain, Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart was one of many richest aristocrats on the continent of Europe. And based on the Guinness E book of World Information, she held extra titles than any aristocrat on the earth. Her internet price was estimated at $four.9 billion.

Stuart was identified for relationship and marrying youthful males, and towards the tip of her life, her habits didn’t change. The truth is, her most up-to-date lover was 64 years previous, over twenty years youthful than the Duchess. Sadly, she handed away not too long ago on the age of 88. Much more sadly for her boyfriend, she reportedly didn’t go away him any cash.

Most famously the mom of actor Sylvester Stallone of the 1976 film Rocky, amongst many different issues, Jackie Stallone is understood for being the primary lady to have an exercise-focused TV present and for selling ladies’s wrestling. Jackie has three kids, seven grandchildren, and is 94 years previous. She’s additionally had various cosmetic surgery.

Just lately, Jackie Stallone suffered an enormous coronary heart assault. Following her well being scare, she determined to speak in confidence to the media about how she feels about her years of cosmetic surgery. Sadly for Jackie, she skilled many botched surgical procedures, which have left her trying a bit worse for put on. In her phrases, she appears to be like like “a chipmunk with a mouth stuffed with walnuts.” Yikes.

Actor and author Mark Hamil is maybe greatest often known as Luke Skywalker within the Star Wars movies. He’s even been reported to have mentioned that he felt like audiences considered him because the precise Like Skywalker. And we’ve to imagine that once they consider him as such, they’re picturing the Hamill above not the Hamill on the subsequent slide…

Spacetime has not been so type to Mr. Hamill. Everybody ages, certain. But it surely’s significantly apparent when stars who we consider as their youthful characters (on this case, a younger Luke Skywalker) not resemble their previous selves. In any respect. Does he nonetheless seem like a Jedi to you?

For the final 5 a long time, Wayne Newton has been crooning to the American public from the glitzy levels of Las Vegas, singing hit songs resembling “Daddy, Don’t You Stroll So Quick” and “Danke Schoen.” He’s identified by nicknames like The Midnight Idol and Mr. Leisure, and when he was youthful, he was fairly a cutie.

For the reason that good ol’ days, Wayne Newton has clearly gotten some work completed on his face. The truth is, it’s rumored that he’s gotten a facelift. Facelifts are identified to supply abnormally tight-looking pores and skin in an effort to do away with wrinkles. He does look fairly wrinkle-free for somebody who’s 74.

English singer and Grammy-Award-winning pop icon Boy George (born George Alan O’Dowd) was well-known for his androgynous type. He had artistic hairstyles, wore numerous make-up, and received over women and men, Individuals and Europeans alike. The 1990s had been his glam heyday, and although he continues to carry out, he does look a bit totally different now.

Lots of people have artistic phases. And lots of people appear to develop out of them. Boy George will in all probability at all times have loads of enjoyable aptitude and an edge to his character, however it will appear that his androgynous kinds of yesteryear is not his go-to look.

Now 60 years previous, Geena Davis has been within the leisure trade for over 30 years. An actor, author, producer, and former mannequin, Geen Davis is a well known determine within the leisure world. She’s most well-known for her roles within the motion pictures Thelma and Louise, The Exorcist, and Beetlejuice.

Being within the public eye can’t be simple. Particularly for a girl because the highlight is extra typically the brightest on them. Geena Davis truly doesn’t look unhealthy in any respect. She simply appears to be like totally different, however that’s as a result of she is way, a lot older than she was in her largest, most well-known roles. Nonetheless, she is fairly unrecognizable at the moment.

Goldie Hawn is an actress, singer, director, and producer who has been energetic within the trade for the reason that 1960s. She first turned well-known for her function on TV present Rowan & Martin’s Giggle-In. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her function within the film Non-public Benjamin, and shortly, she’ll play Amy Schumer’s mom within the upcoming movie Mom/Daughter.

It’s true that Goldie Hawn will not be so recognizable if all you’ve in your head is a youthful model of her. However hey, everybody ages. And he or she has had fairly a profession. Moreover performing in dozens of TV reveals and films, a few of that are award-winning, she additionally raised three actors. Her kids are Oliver Hudson, Kate Hudson, and Wyatt Russel. To not point out, she’s 70 years previous!