Jump to content

jimmyjazz

Certifiably Surly
  • Posts

    37132
  • Joined

  • Days Won

    7

Posts posted by jimmyjazz

  1. I think "Everlong" is in that conversation.  Off the top of my head I'd put it up there with Beck's "Where It's At", Wilco's "Impossible Germany", Spoon's "Inside Out", Nirvana's "Lithium", and Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend".

  2. 1 hour ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

    DBB2C754-6CFB-4967-9EC0-676CA2644480_zps

    Trump to Lester Holt:  

    Quote

    "And, in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said: 'You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should've won,'" Trump said at the time.

    Rudy Giuliani to Sean Hannity:

    Quote

    "He fired Comey because Comey would not — among other things — say that he wasn't a target of the investigation," Giuliani said in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

     

    • Like 1
  3. Yeah, it's a little hard to understand the "logic" behind injecting a corporation into a no-win argument when there is quite literally almost no upside.

    • Like 1
  4. So it seems many, if not most agree that this is a complex problem that will have to be attacked on many fronts, with incremental (albeit significant) small steps being the most likely approach to improving the situation.  It's ironic that  most people seem to be focused on one aspect of the perceived solution . . . whatever that might be (mental health, access to guns, copycat, video games, medication, etc.).

    It's one thing to say "I recognize this is complicated".  It's another thing entirely to be willing to actually advocate for a multi-pronged effort.  To me, the former is likely little more than lip service, at least for most people.

  5. 2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

    Let me ask you this: If you have somebody who has come into contact with the mental health system, and the professionals have said "this person is a danger to themselves or others", do you really have a problem with restricting their use or acquisition of firearms?  

    No, not at all.

  6. 2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

    And I'll say this one more time, because you seem unwilling to study the history of these shootings: too many of these shooters were in touch with the mental health system, were known to have set off red flags, and had far too easy access to firearms.

    "Too many" is not precise.  From MY research it appears that a majority were NOT "in touch" with the mental health system.

  7. 1 minute ago, HoustonHorn said:

    Again, without going into definitions, I think everyone can agree that something is wrong with people who decide the best way to handle whatever issues they are facing is to kill classmates.

    I completely agree.  It's not "normal".  It just doesn't mean that such a person would likely be diagnosed as psychotic, schizophrenic, or even depressed or bipolar.  White, male, and angry seem to be the most common characteristics, and until we lump "angry" in with "mental illness" we should be careful with language and policy.

    • Like 1
  8. 4 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

    Sane people do not shoot up schools,

    I'm gonna say this one more time for now, because you seem unwilling to go do your homework:  "sane people do not shoot up schools" is a complete red herring.  "Insane" means something.  Stop with the convenient broad brush.

  9. 1 hour ago, Ollie Slatt said:

    No.  The point of the Mayer example is that "talent" or technical skill playing an instrument (or singing) does not necessarily make you a talented overall musician. 

    It is possible to subjectively distinguish the difference between, say, Yngwie Malmsteen and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and assert that the latter was a better musician.  I'm not going to dispute that.  (I would happen to agree.)  But you spoke of "talent", not "better".  At some point I think it's important to at least recognize that technical facility enters into the equation.  Is it the complete descriptor?  No, but it has to be recognized.

    Otherwise, the argument essentially reduces to the absurd proposition that most classical musicians aren't talented.  Furthermore, Neil Young could NEVER survive as a classical artist, except perhaps as a composer (and of that I am not sure, because I don't think he's tried).

     

    Quote

     

    What matters is your ability to make music that is worth listening to. 

    I don't discount that Stills is a talented guitarist or that Crosby has a great voice . . . they just are not the equal of Neil when it comes to an all around ability to make great music.   

     

    That is entirely in the eye of the beholder, and you're arguing with someone who is steadfast in his view that The Replacements were a far better and more important band than Yes.

  10. 25 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

    If you shoot up a school full of your classmates, you have some serious mental health issues.  

    This is part of the problem.  You are pre-supposing the cause.  I'm not necessarily against efforts to identify potential problems a priori, but we have to be careful.  

    It's entirely possible that a kid who would not be diagnosed as "mentally ill" will still go on one of these rampages.  The current thinking indicates this is mostly true.  "Mental illness" is a convenient buzzword to fall back on, but it's important to determine if what you say is ACTUALLY true.

    • Like 1
  11. 24 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

    Officially tired of Avenatti, as is Judge Wood.

    He's no more a showboat that Johnny Cochran, Alan Dershowitz, or Gloria Allred.  As long as he doesn't compromise his own or other cases, I don't care how he acts.

  12. 30 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    The bolded part is true...and it baffles me.  If one of my kids had real issues that put them at risk of self harm or harm to others....my guns would migrate to a friend or family member's house posthaste.

    Yes, but with a caveat:  we really need to authorize sound, objective science-based research into the correlations (if any) between mental health and homicide, including mass shootings.  From what I can tell, there is at best a murky read on the issue.  Basing policy on something that "feels" right can be fraught with error.

  13. 8 minutes ago, Ollie Slatt said:

    Songwriting and the ability to convey emotion in your music count for a lot.  The "sheer physicality of being a musician"  is wasted if you can't convert that into compelling music.  Consider John Mayer's talent on a guitar . . . its immense, but I have no interest in any of his shitty music.  Neil's singing and guitar playing are raw and rich with emotion.  Its why he made at least 4 or 5 solo records that are considered classics and guys like Nash and Crosby did not.  

    So your example is John Mayer who you acknowledge has immense talent . . . when we're discussing talent?  OK.

    I think you are vastly overstating the ineptitude of CS&N.  Whatever.

  14. Wait, what?  Neil Young was "so much more talented" than David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Stephen Stills?  

    I'm not a big CSN/CSNY fan, but I'd put Neil behind at least one other member on both voice and guitar.  As a songwriter, yes, I'd say he was the most talented, but in terms of the sheer physicality of being a musician, well . . .

  15. I used to think Springsteen was a terrible singer, but then I started paying attention.  He does have a somewhat constipated tone, but he's actually pretty accurate.  It's not for everybody, but I would hardly say he's one of the worst singers ever.

  16. 2 minutes ago, SuingToGetAMessageBoard? said:

    He has to fire Sessions this week doesn’t he?  You can’t tweet what he did and do nothing and look like anything but an impotent loser.  I bet Trump realizes that now even if he didn’t when he tweeted it. 

    You are ascribing a level of self awareness to Donald Trump that he simply doesn't possess.  This is not to say he won't fire Sessions, but if he does it will most likely be totally impulsive and driven by emotion, not logic.

×
×
  • Create New...