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NYC DA took a mug shot of Trump, but refuses to release it.

Here's a leaked copy of it...

= A statement that is logically or literally true (or partly true), but seems to imply something that isn’t true or is just plain weird. (for rhetoric, logic or propaganda studies… or just for fun)
(tooting this out again, 'cause I thnk it's funny)

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(Image: wikimedia commons, ragesoss, CC-BY-SA-2.0, modified to add speech balloon)

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Retro SciFi Film of the Week…

Jurassic Park (1993)

In 2013, this film was re-released so I think even most young people have seen it. Plus it was turned into a franchise so there are about a half-dozen of these Jurassic blah..blah..blah films out there now. For those of you who have been extinct and recently revived, this film is about a guy who took DNA from fossils and de-extincted various dinosaurs and put them into an amusement park. What could go wrong?

I’m including this one in the Retro SciFi series because it will likely be in the news soon. It stars Laura Dern, Jeffrey Goldblum, and Sam Neill.

One of the notable aspects of this film is that it marks the transition from the use of mostly practical effects in the film industry to primarily using digital effects. The dinosaurs were mostly high-quality robotic puppets, but digital techniques by Industrial Light and Magic were also used for scenery and composites.

There’s a real story here and top-notch acting so it’s not just a bunch of FX, which it makes it worth watching.
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Accessible video description:

Goldblum’s character is asleep in a jeep when he hears the thunderous footsteps of a dinosaur. He looks at a puddle and the water shows waves of disturbance from the seismic vibrations. (Glodblum: Anybody hear that? It’s a um... an impact tremor is what it is… Fairly alarmed here.) He calls and gestures to two other characters who jump into the jeep (“Start the engine!”) and they speed away as a T-Rex chases them. (“Must go faster.”) The T-Rex gains on them. Goldblum accidentally bumps the stick-shift in the jeep. (Driver: “Get off the stick, bloody move!”) (Dern: “Look out!”) The jeep drives under a fallen tree trunk and the T-Rex crashes through the tree trunk shattering it into pieces. (more screams) The T-Rex tries to bite them and he bumps his head against the jeep. The jeep finally pulls away and escapes. (Goldblum: “Think they’ll have that on the tour?”)


(fair use clip)

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More people died in the US during the past half-hour from COVID-19 than died in the Nashville shooting.

Please wear your respirator when you are in a public place or anywhere where others are breathing in the same space.

(image: Martin Von Creytz, creative commons, modified, CC-BY-SA-2.0)

Depleted uranium is used by military units all over the globe as projectiles for various guns used in aircraft and armored vehicles. The advantage of using uranium is that it has a higher density than lead or other metals so that the projectile can deliver more force on impact. Also, the nuclear radiation from the decay of the stored uranium ammo rounds in the vehicles helps to keep the soldiers warm.

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= A statement that is logically or literally true (or partly true), but seems to imply something that isn’t true or is just plain weird. (for rhetoric, logic or propaganda studies… or just for fun)

(public domain image)

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Here’s an excellent discussion about the meaning and origins of the concept of being woke.

twitch.tv/videos/1771197870?t=

It’s about 20 minutes.

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What a schmuck. He can't even fuck a porn star without messing it up.

(Melania, I'm sorry you have to deal with all of this. Take care.)

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Cat hair doesn't nullify the 5-second rule...

(Fair Use video clip of SweeetTails at Twitch twitch.tv/sweeettails)

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A quote from amnesty.org... "Protest is an invaluable way to speak truth to power. Throughout history, protests have been the driving force behind some of the most powerful social movements, exposing injustice and abuse, demanding accountability and inspiring people to keep hoping for a better future."

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Do IBM investors realize that their vice chairman opposes one of the most fundamental values of any free society?

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If you're ever in Florida, make sure you stop by the restaurant with the chief who had a huge necrotizing sarcoma.

(Remember to wear your respirator while you are eating so you don't get infected by COVID-19.)

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The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

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Accessible description of video:

first a scene from Airplane! (1980) a closeup of Lloyd Bridges with a puffy face and a silly grin, he is sniffing glue. zoom out showing that all of his hair is sticking straight up. pan right to show air traffic controllers walking around, but they are upside down -- the camera is upside down and so was Lloyd. (that's why his hair was sticking up and his face was puffy)
Cut to a night scene from Starman (1984) showing Jeff Bridges standing naked, his arms out with his palms up. a small bright bluish light is next to him about shoulder height. the light slowly moves up and illuminates his head showing that his hair is sticking straight up, just like his father's was.

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Retro SciFi Film of the Week…

Starman (1984)

The Starman has small balls and Jenny Hayden has big eyes, and when they get together…

The special effects are dated and there are a few plot holes, but this is a great film with a huge helicopter budget – highly recommended.

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(video: fair use clips from the film)

Accessible video description:

a hand opens showing two small silvery balls, Starman looks pensive, he picks one ball out of his hand and looks sad or meditative; Jenny Hayden is in the dark and looks scared or amazed, she has big eyes; a spaceship that is pointy in front and spherical in the back heads towards Earth; fighter jets take off, one of them fires at that spaceship as the jet’s instrument panel is shown; cut to a house in a rural setting, then the camera is looking out through the window as a fireball streaks across the sky with a picture of Jenny and Starman inside the house in the foreground; the fireball crashes into the ground with a spectacular fiery explosion rising into the air.

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Fed chair Jerome Powell, in a hastily organized appearance, tries to calm markets by explaining the recent bank failures...

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In 2015, Brian Williams was fired from NBC Nightly News after he told a fib.

In 2023, Jeff Zients was given a promotion to WH Chief of Staff after he killed a million Americans.

The times, they are a changing...

(images: zients PD; Williams CC-BY-SA-3.0, Shankbone, Mediawiki Commons)

On the right is the first lion used by The Goldwyn Corporation for the movie The Ace of Hearts (1921).

On the left is a still of a crew filming "Jackie", the second lion used for the MGM logo (1928).

More people died this week in the US from COVID-19 than were killed in the 9/11 attack. Every week, another 9/11 attack.

Please wear your respirator when you are around other people.

Do a seal check on your respirator when you wear it.

It is more dangerous to be in public without a respirator than it is to drive without a seatbelt.

(right image: Flickr, Danielle Blue, CC-BY-SA-1.0)

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