Biff Mayhem

1 hour ago, Edman85 said:

Those signs on the highway that tell you there is a gas station at an exit and then you exit the freeway to find it is two miles away.

Legit.

36 minutes ago, oblong said:

So yes, my peeve here is the border agents. 

Definitely. Worse than mall security.

More than once after a 15 hour flight from Hong Kong with two toddlers in tow, they have detained my wife and did a thorough search of all the bags. It was infuriating. 

Appreciating the talent of Elliot Easton brings a smile to my face.

1 hour ago, romad1 said:

Weird thing about Taiwan is that the US joint chiefs during WWII argued that invading Formosa would put them in a country that Japan had successfully colonized, and the population would be more hostile than the Philippine population which was perceived to be still warm toward the United States -- as it turned out to be.   Now, you would be hard pressed to see any semblance of Japan in Formosa/Taiwan after 7 decades of KMT rule. 

What I understand from the indoctrination, Taiwan is and has been run by mafia gangsters for decades. It might be true but given the shade thrown around to the rest of Asia, I take it with a grain of salt.

33 minutes ago, romad1 said:

Have you been since COVID yet? 

I'd be interested in any delta in government or societal behaviors from pre-Covid to post-Covid. 

e.g., are they more inward looking, do they paint the outside as all a bunch of devil wreckers?  Degree to which that may have amped up or not. 

I haven't been post Covid but we are going next summer.

There is a definite indoctrination (what I refer to as Glorious China) into the greatness of China and every other country is only out to get them.

Lots and lots of hatred toward Japan to this day and they view all other Asian countries as inferior and view the entire cultures of them (especially the Koreans) as aped off China.

1 hour ago, romad1 said:

Actually... does anyone here actually have travel experience to China?   I would think that Detroit-oriented group like this one would given all the business interconnectedness. 

I'd be curious that perspective. 

I do. I've been 6 or 7 times and have one on the agenda next summer. Before Covid, my wife and kids would go every year. I can only speak to my experiences but ask away....

2 hours ago, CMRivdogs said:

Just going to throw this here. A nice little documentary on the production of the last Beatle song

https://www.pbs.org/video/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-short-film-wflwzd/

Thank you! I am enjoying that song even more with each listen and the video accompaniments have enhanced it.

Just finishing the first season of Bosch. Some really bad acting but the series is enjoyable enough to continue.

Okay, I'm drinking the koolaid. I tuned in during the fourth quarter and when the Chargers tied it up, I didn't default to SOL. I stuck around because I knew they would win.

I have a brother-in-law in China who owns a very successful electrical contractor company and lets just say he has a lot of late nights wining and dining government officials. If he got on the wrong side of these folks, the business would be kapoot.

Still, I ask, how does that differ from the US? If you get on the wrong side of federal government personnel, you're done here too but perhaps not in the same manner.

Take before and after pictures. Always.

Well, the Tigers have been missing a fish-eyed broadcaster since Rod left so there's that.

This morning "Hit The Road Jack" came on Sirius while driving and I was able to share a story with my daughter that still cracks me up to this day.

A couple of buddies and I were riding motorcycles through Canada a few years ago and we made it to Manitoulin Island. We hadn't secured lodging and found this tiny roadside motel. One guy went into the office and paid and we discovered that the room wasn't airconditioned, the sheets were dirty and there were only two beds for three dudes. 

Nope.

So we requested our money back so we could find something else down the road. The motel owner argued with us and offered to drag a cot into the tiny room. Finally he relented and, in the most Canadian way to tell someone to "F Off", he blasted "Hit The Road Jack" on his stereo at a very loud volume. 

I still smile thinking about it.

Orlando Miller too. Then we can trade them all for Juan Gonzalez.

I'm still bitter about that trade.

15 minutes ago, smr-nj said:

Looks like Hu was sick…. Wonder if it was something like a mini stroke, or perhaps a viral sickness (which moving him from Xi side would also make sense.   
We aren’t likely to get an actual factual answer, though. 

I thought that as well but I don't really see anyone looking at him with sympathy. Even Xi's body language betrays that thought. It would seem that if he was sick, he would have been removed privately and with dignity.

12 hours ago, oblong said:

 

I'm not crying,  you're crying.

18 hours ago, holygoat said:

Suck it, Col. Sanders.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

On 11/3/2023 at 12:37 PM, oblong said:

I hate AC/DC so I can’t be objective. I don’t know why I just am tired of hearing them.  Maybe too much exposure. 

I get it. That was Boston for me for about ten years. I had to say "enough already" and couldn't switch away fast enough. Then one day I listened with "fresh ears" and appreciated what they did.

The thing with AC/DC is that a lot of the same songs get way overplayed and people write them off as playing the same three chords over and over. The deeper cuts defy that. Guitarists appreciate the power of what they play because it sounds so huge and its just a guitar and amps turned really loud.

But then you hear something like this (as a guitarist) and it is so mind blowingly good, fast and aggressive. It is a talent to play something that fast articulately without relying on a ton of distortion/gain/delay. A lot of these shredders from the 80's and modern day rely on a lot of gain and delay. 

I see all that now. I guess I was naive.

Still, those Germans are precision engineers 😉

9 minutes ago, pfife said:

I understand your distinction but I think there are a lot of people who do not agree with it.

I get it. Tone matters for sure to know the intent.

22 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

I mean, the whole "Jews being good with money" thing is about the oldest antisemitic trope in the book, isn't it?

I equate it with "Germans are good at engineering". If saying a race of people is good at something, that's usually a compliment. Someone saying "Jews control the world because they're good with money" is a different rabbit trail.

A second listening and watching the video Cruzer posted makes me like the song better. I'm sure it was emotionally trying for Paul.

Black Sabbath created metal. All metal.  I'll fight you.