GoldenTongue

It may feel good, but ice baths/cold plunges would tend to dilute many of the benefits you are looking for from training.  They reduce/negate the inflammation which is a natural (and necessary) part of the stress-recovery-adaptation cycle needed to drive and improve strength/performance gains.

For professional athletes looking to be able to display athletic performance, they can be extremely useful.  But for those who are training to get bigger, stronger, faster, etc., then there is a strong likelihood that cold plunges could limit your growth.

19 hours ago, Greatoneshere said:

That being said, the constant focus on ancient thing solves modern problem/mystery is something that should definitely stop happening. What doesn't scan is why/how were these intergalactic hyperspace lanes lost, and when? Star Wars does imply that lots have been lost over millenia but who knows. 

I can agree that the map trope is a bit tiresome, but by the same token, I feel like the need for satisfactory explanations about how those hyperspace lanes were lost might require even more exposition that, in all honesty, most viewers wouldn't really care about.  

There's quite a bit of info out there in the SW universe that speaks to that to some extent (the more recent Thrawn novels discuss it to some extent), but that line of thinking only furthers the (somewhat legitimate) criticism of how Filoni is "Marvelizing" Star Wars, making each series less able to stand alone without having some degree of background information.

And I'm really not sure how well he's succeeding with that with Ahsoka.  I'm really enjoying it, but I know that a lot of what's engaging me is fan service (Rebels S5, KotOR easter egg references, etc.), and I can completely understand how/why some feel as though the show isn't as tight as it could be, with more than a little narrative sprawl that feels out of place.

1 hour ago, SuperSpreader said:

Also they probably weren't paying taxes on all of it and now are. Hopefully they're also getting healthcare.

While this would probably fall within the umbrella of paying taxes, I think it’s important to note that this would include paying into Social Security. 
 

Having worked as a bartender for over ten years when I was younger, I knew a LOT of older people who’d worked as bartenders or waitstaff for most of their lives without reporting their income from tips, and really suffered as a result in terms of expected income in retirement from social security. 
 

This of course assumes that SS remains solvent, but that’s a separate discussion. 

My Apple Watch posted a notification about an atrial fibrillation earlier this year.  Even though I was pretty skeptical, I booked an appointment with my cardiologist, got tested, and ultimately confirmed the diagnosis. Now taking beta blockers to reduce the risk of clotting.

Feeling pretty thankful that I had the watch, and acted on the notificaiton.  WIthout it, I'd be living at a singificantly greater risk of stroke/heart attack for god knows how long.

13 hours ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

“People are getting fucked. By the way, there’s a real social-progressive way to look at that, which nobody talks about, which is that the people who’ve gotten pushed out of the Hollywood economy generally are older white men. Because now they’re competing with younger people and women and people of color that they never had to compete with before. And it hurts.”

I'm really curious if the language here actually matches the intent of what the author was trying to communicate.  I wouldn't be completely shocked if that were the case, but still...JFC.

1 hour ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Well the flip side is they are putting inexperienced kids in positions they shouldn't be in and exploiting the HELL out of them by under paying them and over working them. I see this shit happening all the time and I'm not even that old!

TBF, not exactly a new issue, just a bit of an evolution of the Peter Principle.  People are hired/promoted to (or beyond) their level of incompetence with some frequency, for a host of reasons.

I can't shake the feeling that the fair officials are a bunch of officious pricks unused to holding positions of authority, the types for whom any taste of power goes immediately to their heads.

Based on what the article reported, multiple efforts were made by the mother to handle the matter amicably, in a reasonable timeframe, with a reasonable request to accommodate any cost burdens caused by her daughter's action, and that those efforts ran up against bureacratic shitheads whose ignorance and lack of basic empathy prompted them to react in about the worst way possible.

So fucking stupid and unnecessary.  

On 4/21/2023 at 8:18 PM, sblfilms said:

absolutely agree. Honestly, regardless of what he meant it should not be this much of a question since the implications of both are dramatically different. One of actually pretty sweet, the other is possibly (probably!) criminal given the last way we see Rebecca prior to that conversation. 

So, my wife and I were pretty far behind, but got mostly caught up on Ted Lasso this weekend. 

I'd been really curious to watch this episode to see what happened to generate this line of discussion.  

I was a bit taken aback when the episode closed after he said "we did", but when I asked my wife, she, without any hesitation, said that her feeling was that "we did" was referencing a deeper and more profound connection formed during the night.  She didn't have any impression that they'd had sex.

I thought it was interesting, after seeing the discussion here.

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

Heat related deaths were more common pre-AC, but part of the answer is homes and other structures used to be built to use shade and natural airflows to keep temps reasonable. We don’t build structures the same way now because we have AC systems to do the heavy lifting. We could revamp building codes all over the place to require more passive cooling designs, and we probably will need such in some parts of the world as peak temps move up.

The energy code already requires a fairly substantial portion of the most effective means of passive temperature control; the only major element would be increased requirements to facilitate greater ventilation airflow, ie, more operable windows.  There are some intriguing concepts on the horizon associated with exterior facade construction and green roofs, but they aren't ready for widespread use quite yet.

I suppose we are somewhat lucky that open concept layouts are incredibly popular right now, as that can maximize the potential cross-flow effect of having multiple windows open.

On 5/23/2023 at 11:13 AM, Kamusha said:

I may be cynical on whether Florida can be change but but I should remind those who think this is a complete waste the the mayoral election in Jacksonville was recently won by a Democrat woman. Her opponent was endorsed by DeSantis and Republicans even had a bigger turnout by 3 percentage points. Her opponent’s loss is a sign that independents are turning on DeSantis, especially after the six week abortion banned.

Is that really an indictment against DeSantis?  I hadn't followed the story too closely, but there were a number of articles which seemed to point to the fact that the woman who won was a prominent public figure with a favorable reputation among many, who proved capable of remaining clean from some right wing attacks of her character.  

The impression I got was that the results of the election were really more the relative popularity of the candidate, than a repudiation of DeSantis.  Although I might well be discounting that too much, considering that she did win despite the R's having a stronger turnout than the D's, so she clearly won the support of the centrists.  Which is precisely what the left needs to focus on doing everywhere else.

Not terribly surprising.  A sizeable plurality, if not outright majority of new drug interventions for mental illness over the past decade have been drugs originally used for treatment of other conditions: anti-convulsants used for treatment in OCD, anti-seizure medications used in treatment of depression/BPD, hell, I think there was a drug used for treating osteoporosis which was repurposed for treatment of schizophrenia.

It's been great, considering that in many of these instances, the side effects are significantly less severe and intrusive than those of drugs which were traditionally used.

Semaglutide's been an interesting one to watch as its use has grown from diabetes treatment, to weight management, with a fairly strong success rate, although like many pharmacological interventions, it isn't uncommon to see rebounding once the treatment ends.

4 hours ago, unogueen said:

Speaking of bone density, it shifts on the hourly. Our bodies are a constant shifting, pulsing, writhing, ejecting nightmare. And what regulates all those actions? Hormones! Much like a cow hormones fuck with humans, we're not that specific.

The variance of bone density to which you refer is orders of magnitude removed from the difference in bone density between biological males and females. 
 

Stop being obtuse. 

1 hour ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

If it's about testosterone and weight and size, then let's make it about that, not about gender/sex. Because there are some women who are born with the genetics to allow them to compete in the top 1% of their own gender and who could crush the majority of men in some sports, and are better than some trans women. Why should they be allowed to compete when a trans woman who is worse cannot? If it's not about discrimination and is just about the science, then let's make some hard rules and enforce them, even if that means excluding some non-trans women and men. But it's never actually about the science.

The problem is that many of the arguments regarding testosterone (in particular) are poorly framed.  There are some who suggest that a trans woman is competing on a level playfield because their testosterone is in line with cis women athletes...disregarding the fact that 10,15,20 years of living as a male with elevated testosterone levels (respective of cis women) leaves a lasting biological marker that cannot be undone with short-term hormonal therapy.

But the real issue isn't that - it's that most discussions on the topic are highly emotionally charged, as often as not, and (as others have mentioned) the arguments/debates themselves about the issue are often raised to offer a reductive point (that is more easily digested) within the context of a much larger and more complex discussion.

Anyone watching?

Wife and I absolutely adored Season One; phenomenally creepy, suspenseful survivor horror tv that has a small bit of a LOST vibe. 
 

I hadn’t been keeping an eye out for Season Two announcements but just got an email that it’s starting today. Time to reactivate my MGM+ subscription, although tbh, I’d had no idea that Epic had become (or been absorbed into?) MGM+. 

Seems a bit stupid comparing athletes from one sport, to another, as though they all follow the same type of training programming.

But seeing as how each sport has specificity principles applied to resistance training/conditioning as well as the sport-specific training/practice, it seems myopic to try to compare one to another, especially considering the fact that a number of athletes have performed well in multiple sports at the professional level, and it isn't terribly uncommon to see some degree of crossover at lower levels.

14 hours ago, sblfilms said:

I’m not surprised by people hating on anything SW, what got me was the defense of JJ and seemingly all the responses to his article agreeing with it. 

I've seen some of those articles, but the ones I read were usually more about hating THE LAST JEDI (or any aspect of SW that offends sad white males threatened by any degree of diversity or inclusion) than staunch defense of JJ.

I must have clicked on the wrong article(s) a few times too many, since my FB feed is now littered by all kinds of poorly written articles pissing and moaning about Gunn/DC's mistreatment of the Snyderverse, any hint of diversity in the MCU (so, so much hatred for the cast of THE MARVELS), etc.  And sadly, closing the articles and noting them as irrelevant hasn't done much to remove them from my feed.

[EDIT]

Oh yeah, and in the past few days, I've definitely seen a slew of articles making an admirable effort to support Majors as ardently (and with as little context) as detractors expressed the moment he was charged last month in NYC.

15 hours ago, Reputator said:

 

It's still by far the series (not season) low point.

 

 

 

This was a very strong finish. Seeing Din Djarin and Grogu fight together for the first time was awesome, and him officially adopting him as his son was heartwarming. Definitely agree with @Kal-El814 that this could be the end of the series and it would be a satisfying ending. They really tied up all the loose ends.

 

This morning Twitter was showing #Ezra as trending, so the whole day leading up to watching the episode tonight I was excitedly hoping to see his live action debut, but no. That's OK, it's not like they could really fit him in the story at that point without being a bit hamfisted, but I thought there might be a teaser at the end or something. There wasn't even a stinger after the credits this time!

Idk.  In hindsight, the only thing that really stands out to me about the episode now is that it feels a bit like part of the storyline was developed later than they might have liked, somewhat forcing them to shoehorn in a lot of expository detail in a way that feels largely detached from the main Mando-esque narrative.  But even still, I enjoyed the episode, and (for the most part) agree with several of the points that Kal had mentioned in this thread.

Some of the...criticisms...from earlier in the season reminded me (SO F'ING MUCH) of some of the pissing and moaning about Battlestar Galactica back on the IGN Sci Fi board back around the time of Season 2.  There was a 2-3 episode stretch in the second half of the season where people were just losing their shit about how bad the show was getting...right before the last 2-3 episodes of the season which were jaw-droppingly phenomenal.  And while the kvetching wasn't as bad here, it definitely felt similar to back then.

But anywho - loved the finale, for the most part.  It did feel as though things were wrapped up just a bit too tidily - if I didn't know anything about the show, I would have been checking after it finished to see if this was a series finale.  And Grogu's appearance early on felt kinda ridiculously convenient, although that little bastard is cute enough that it's hard to not give him a pass most of the time...especially with the "voice" enhancement he got.

And I definitely spent some time wondering how much was spent on CG during the aerial firefights.  I'm really curious what the budget was for the finale, as so much felt like a legitimate live action cartoon, in the best possible way.

Feels like I'm sharing the thread with a buncha culinary cowards, tbh.

9 minutes ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Really? Because I always thought that increased testosterone lead to increased aggression and mood swings if one abuses steroids.

It can vary a bit depending upon the indivudal.  What BloodyHell said is more or less accurate, with the qualification that stress response(s) can be similarly amplified when someone is on a cycle, or coming off one without proper post-cycle therapy.  

With that said, it is more common to see "roid rage" like tendencies from select derivatives like Tren, as opposed to pure testosterone, which can be a meaningful distinction, as there are some whose steroid use is largely limited to supraphysiological doses of testosterone.  It's become increasingly common with growth in the TRT sector.

From what I've read so far (with no comments on the accuracy of the reporting), it sounds as though Majors is just an asshole.  If the stories are true, then he would be more the type for whom the steroid usage amps up aggressive tendencies in general.  

But but but the episode with Pershing was rly rly dumb.

7 minutes ago, Brian said:

Rich people don’t like giving money away. While it might not be the tastiest outcome, it is one that will make them hesitate to do something similar in the future.  Since there is fear with regards to future elections being stolen, I think this is a positive outcome. 

Fox News has something like $4B in cash holdings. Gross profits for 2020-2022 were $4.496B, $4.872B, and $4.857B, respectively.

And based upon Murdoch's track record of big-ticket payouts for settlements, I would absolutely consider this a win for him.  He's paying a fine that he can absolutely afford, and this allows him and Fox to resume business as usual (without any apology or public admission of guilt), as opposed to the alternative of a protracted trial which would have kept him, and a host of Fox News personalities, under public scrutiny for an extended period of time.

Anyone expecting this settlement to result in a meaningful change in how Murdoch does business is naive or delusional.

The Smartmatic suit, depending on how it plays out, might have a different impact, but if it's another settlement, then it amounts to another win for Fox.

Snackie, lol. 

Semaglutide FTW. I could swear I see commercials for about three different types/formulations a night while watching TV. 

3 hours ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

I mean, that's great and all, but I'd rather they start raising more awareness that Type 2 diabetes is reversible through diet alone and then people won't need insulin at all.

Jus stop, please.

Type 2 diabetes is not reversible.  It is possible, in some instances, for select populations, to bring the condition into something akin to remission.  

And it is important to note that claims of reversal and remission are based largely upon studies in which drastic interventions were applied, most of which are unavailable or not realisticially sustainable for significant portions of the population.

And while there are plenty of reasons to criticize Big Pharma, the progress made in management of Type 1 Diabetes over the past ~10-15 years has been extraordinary.  Advancements in real-time/remote CGM, CGII, LGS, etc., have improved the quality of life (and reduced probabilities of complications of T1D) in profound ways, based upon efforts which must be credited in part to Big Pharma.

You mean, aside from the fact that the series did continue, with support from original showrunner?

K.

Like I said, there's nothing wrong with saying you don't like the show post-season five.  It's okay.  But if you enjoy the cognitive contortionism required to argue the point that Supernatural episodes which follow the finale of S5 are fundamentally less than, then by all means, have at it.

No need to start the mental gymnastics required to prove your point.  Just say that you don't like Supernatural post-season five.  You don't need to try to justify it by arguing some point that really can't hold up under scrutiny.