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I always liked this one. [Clorox Pirates]
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Westvann changed their profile photo
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What song is stuck in your head?
Carol the Dabbler replied to Artemis's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
Working that many hours, you probably wouldn't have the energy for socializing afterward -- so maybe just as well. Hopefully you do get a break now and then. -
No, I work from 8am to 8pm that day (later if there’s more that has to get done), so I can’t really make any plans. I probably wouldn’t have plans anyway though.
- Yesterday
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Star Trek miscellany
Carol the Dabbler replied to Carol the Dabbler's topic in Movies & Entertainment
ST: Discovery is about to become available on broadcast television -- but only in the UK so far. https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-10-16/star-trek-discovery-will-be-free-to-air-for-the-first-time-on-e4-in-the-uk/ -
Star Trek Beyond ... and beyond
Carol the Dabbler replied to Carol the Dabbler's topic in Movies & Entertainment
Apparently the "other" Trek film is still very much in the incubation stage, but that hasn't stopped fans from imagining it -- based on the filmmaker's previous work: -
Star Trek Beyond ... and beyond
Carol the Dabbler replied to Carol the Dabbler's topic in Movies & Entertainment
According to Variety, the fourth reboot movie isn't dead. They now have a different plot / screenwriter / producer, and are apparently assuming they'll be able to work things out with Chris Pine. Not sure how much of this is still just rumor, though. And has anyone heard about this other Trek movie that they mention? . -
What song is stuck in your head?
Carol the Dabbler replied to Artemis's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
Do you have a dinner to go to after work? That "Noel" sign reminds me of a Home Improvement episode we watched recently, where four boys are in a Christmas pageant, each wearing a choir robe with one letter of "NOEL" on it -- but they're nervous, and at first they spell "Leon." A wooden sign is definitely safer! -
Introverts, how is your day?
Artemis replied to Van Buren Supernova's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
It's been rough lately. Work has been rough, and everything keeps breaking. First it was my laundry machine, then it was my computer, and my phone case, and my hairbrush, and my space heater, and now my car, to name a few. I've missed several events I really wanted to go to, and several appointments, because of being called in to work; my dad is still driving me up a wall, and now my mom is too; and one of my dogs is sick again. He rejects almost everything I give him to eat, his stool comes out in big watery squirts (all over my carpet), he keeps throwing up (all over my carpet), and no vet seems to know what's wrong with him. He will at least eat some wet food, and treats. But he's supposed to be on a special diet after getting sick last November, so I'm afraid different food is going to wreak havoc on his intestines again. I don't know what to do for him. I'm frustrated and I'm tired, and I'm worried, and I have no money or time for any of this. Don't mind me, I'm just venting. -
I work on Thanksgiving, and while I'm there I'm supposed to set up Christmas decorations. I started pulling them out today in preparation, and inside one of the boxes was a wooden sign that said "Noel". So for the last few days I've had "Sing We Now of Christmas" stuck in my head. (Not this version precisely, but it's as good as any I suppose. There don’t seem to be many versions of this carol out there.)
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General Tolkien Discussion (books, movies & TV)
Carol the Dabbler replied to T.o.b.y's topic in Movies & Entertainment
You must be thinking of the sequel, "Raiders of the Lost Magic Lamp." -
General Tolkien Discussion (books, movies & TV)
Arcadia replied to T.o.b.y's topic in Movies & Entertainment
I thought Abu was the monkey in "Aladdin." -
TheEastWind changed their profile photo
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General Tolkien Discussion (books, movies & TV)
Carol the Dabbler replied to T.o.b.y's topic in Movies & Entertainment
We just (re)watched Raiders of the Lost Ark, and noticed that in addition to John Rhys-Davies as Indiana Jones's loyal friend Sallah, the cast includes Kirin Shah as Abu. Not sure which character the latter was, but in 1981 Shah was in his mid-twenties. My best guess is he played the young fellow in Sallah's household, and if so, then one scene included both the future Gimli and stunt-Frodo. Yeah, it takes so little to impress me! -
Basically, yeah.
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Sher_Locked02 changed their profile photo
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Interesting quotations (on any subject)
Carol the Dabbler replied to Carol the Dabbler's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
Well, there's logic in the everyday sense of the word, and then there's formal logic (which is a branch of either philosophy or mathematics, depending on who you ask). But yeah, everyday logic is basically just a matter of what makes sense to a person. I have the impression, though, that when Sherlock Holmes (of any incarnation) uses the term, he means something a bit closer to the rigorous formal technique -- though if he thinks that's what he does, he may be flattering himself just a bit. -
Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)
Carol the Dabbler replied to Banshee's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
It's just an innocent bystander, huh? OK, you think the cynics are basically agreeing with Tom Lehrer in "Folk Song Army"? (Which was written and recorded long before the 90's.) If so I certainly won't dispute their point -- but I do deplore their choice of target song. . -
Interesting quotations (on any subject)
Arcadia replied to Carol the Dabbler's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
So I got curious and looked up "logic"; here's part of the Merriam-Webster definition "a science that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and demonstration...." Now, inference … isn't that an interesting word? That implies a bit of intuitive thinking right there, doesn't it? To infer something is not the same, to me, as to know something … it requires a certain leap of faith. So logic itself could be described as, in some way, a function of insight. Dizzy yet? -
Aw, I wouldn't worry … I bet it still has plenty of meaning for those who believe in its message. And I like hearing it … it's pretty, and easy to sing along with. I don't think you really have to know the "meaning" of a song to appreciate it. And I'm willing to bet that if the "mockers" heard it being sung solo on a street corner, they wouldn't think anything about it one way or another. They might even leave a tip if the busker's any good. It's the people who think they can change the world that they're contemptuous of, even if they aren't singing. The song's just a convenient symbol to describe those people, imo.
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Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)
Carol the Dabbler replied to Banshee's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
Ah. Well that could explain a lot. So it's kinda lost its religious meaning -- or pretty much any meaning? That's a shame, but it could explain the current contempt for it (or, as you say, for those who sing it). -
We had an incident in Virginia a few years ago when the attorney general took offense at the state seal -- which depicts the goddess Virtus with one breast bared. He had a version made which covered her up. As I recall, he was pretty roundly mocked himself, which is possibly the biggest difference between then and now.
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Maybe. But it seems to me it's more the act of getting together and singing that's being mocked, not the song itself. It could be another song … "Get Together" by the Youngbloods, for example, which I remember was used at protests back in the day … and people still mocked the protesters. "Kumbaya" is a more universally known song, though … if you reference it, more people are likely to know the kind of thing you're mocking. Or so it seems to me. I might agree, except that Kumbaya isn't an idealistic song, exactly. When I was at church camp, back in my teens, the song was considered a prayer invoking God's presence, or at least that was my impression. ...…...The negative comments quoted in that NPR article were mostly about people supposedly thinking they could solve the world's problems by "joining hands and singing Kumbaya." That sounds to me like an accusation of naivety rather than idealism. Maybe naivety is a better word for what I mean. Although it's my perception that those-who-mock equate the two … to be idealistic is to be naïve. (Which I disagree with, to some extent, but that's another matter.) I think that's very possible. I don't have a clue what the song is "about," I just know groups of people who gather for a common cause tend to sing it. Well, the chorus. Seems like there's ever only 1-2 people who sing (or know) the bits in between. No, you're cynical to think that.
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Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)
Carol the Dabbler replied to Banshee's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
You may be thinking of the Cromwell era, when the "idolatrous" murals in churches were painted over (literally "whitewashed"), though I think that was pretty much all of them, not just the ones that showed nudity. Cromwell's soldiers were also fond of using "idolatrous" religious statues for target practice (check the facade of Salisbury Cathedral). Oh, for sure! The peasant ladies were far too busy working to have time for fainting. -
Not because I actually disagree, but just to be argumentative ... but those who painted the Virgin Mary cannot possibly have known whether she exposed her breasts in public, not having been alive themselves at the time. I think that's more of an artistic convention than an attempt at veracity. Also I think there's less anxiety about viewing a painting of a nude than there is about viewing a real nude, if you see what I mean. Although … too lazy to look it up, but I'm willing to bet there's been more than one attempt (successful?) to ban nude paintings from public view, too. I think the key word in Carol's comment, though, is "proper" Victorian ladies … meaning, gentry. Pretty sure poor, untitled women weren't considered as "proper" at all. (Or even as human, possibly.) (Still aren't, come to think of it. Look how we treat immigrants these days.) Either way, I don't think the issue is whether women should breastfeed, but whether it's okay for them to do it in the public eye. It's been a long time since I read any Dickens, but it's my impression his women largely stayed indoors … ? Having said all that, I utterly defend a woman's right to breastfeed in public. As long as I don't have to see anything.
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Shoot the Wall (A.K.A. The Rant Thread)
Carol the Dabbler replied to Banshee's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
That's a pretty thin line, in my opinion. I mean, if singing a certain song is proof / evidence that one is -- what? silly? -- then what does that supposedly imply about the song? I might agree, except that Kumbaya isn't an idealistic song, exactly. When I was at church camp, back in my teens, the song was considered a prayer invoking God's presence, or at least that was my impression. Of course it's possible that some people (some who sing the song and/or some who hear them) don't know that, and think it's just a feel-good sing-along song with funny words in it. That does seem to jibe with the way it's been used in pop culture (e.g., at the end of "Spinal Tap," where the lyrics were changed to "Kumbaya my friend"). The negative comments quoted in that NPR article are mostly about people supposedly thinking they can solve the world's problems by "joining hands and singing Kumbaya." That sounds to me like an accusation of naivety rather than idealism. In any case, it still bugs me that they're picking on a hymn that means a lot to some people. Am I naive to think that they wouldn't do that to a hymn that was sung in standard English? -
Interesting quotations (on any subject)
Carol the Dabbler replied to Carol the Dabbler's topic in Miscellaneous Musings
The overall write-up was probably some combination of the two -- Moftiss filtered through the BBC's advertising department. But that specific phrase "leaps of intellect" sounds like Moftiss to me. And it also sounds (to me, at least) a whole lot like my phrase "flashes of insight strung together with logic." So I'm guessing that they intentionally made Sherlock not quite as pure-logic as he'd like to think.
