AnthonyB's recent activity
-
Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of December 15 in ~society
-
Comment on Movies: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~movies
AnthonyB Link ParentThat was my experience as well. Great username, btw! I can't remember for sure, but I think I tried to make that (or something very similar) my reddit username ~15 years ago. Ended up going with...I think I had expectations for this movie that were just too high for it.
That was my experience as well. Great username, btw! I can't remember for sure, but I think I tried to make that (or something very similar) my reddit username ~15 years ago. Ended up going with something Cosmo related instead.
-
Comment on Movies: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~movies
AnthonyB Link ParentDoes this mean they didn't make the cut, or did you not see anything from 2025? I assume its the former since you're the big movie buff around here. If so, do you have a top-10 for 2025 releases?(no 2025 releases)
Does this mean they didn't make the cut, or did you not see anything from 2025? I assume its the former since you're the big movie buff around here. If so, do you have a top-10 for 2025 releases?
-
Comment on Movies: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~movies
AnthonyB (edited )LinkOne Battle After Another was the highlight for me. I saw it in theaters three times and loved it every time. Easily one of my favorite movies of all time. Other movies that I enjoyed (in no...One Battle After Another was the highlight for me. I saw it in theaters three times and loved it every time. Easily one of my favorite movies of all time.
Other movies that I enjoyed (in no particular order):
- Bugonia
- Eddington
- Weapons
- Sinners
- Good Fortune
- Mountainhead
- The Long Walk
- 28 Years Later
- Companion
I was lucky enough to see just about all of them in the theater. There were also two movies from 2024 that I didn't see until this year that are worthy of a mention:
- Anora - Not at all what I expected it to be. I was a big Conclave guy, but Anora deserved all the awards it got.
- Saturday Night - Based on the first episode of Saturday Night Live. My go-to recommendation for 2025. Fantastic cast, so much fun, and very very watchable. A real crowd pleaser. It also has a killer score. Seriously, watch this movie.
-
Comment on Movies: Your personal year in review for 2025 in ~movies
AnthonyB Link ParentWow, I can't believe Mickey 17 came out this year. I feel like I saw it in theaters two years ago, which just goes to show how quickly it left my mind. It wasn't bad bad, just disappointing.Wow, I can't believe Mickey 17 came out this year. I feel like I saw it in theaters two years ago, which just goes to show how quickly it left my mind. It wasn't bad bad, just disappointing.
-
Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 15 in ~sports.american_football
AnthonyB Link ParentYeah, it looks like Denver will keep the tiebreaker against the Pats if they both go 14-3, but Denver still has three tough games ahead of them. The Jags are peaking at the right time and have...Yeah, it looks like Denver will keep the tiebreaker against the Pats if they both go 14-3, but Denver still has three tough games ahead of them. The Jags are peaking at the right time and have destroyed the rest of the AFC West, the Chargers are a tough matchup, and I doubt the Chiefs will roll over at home on a Thursday night Christmas game. Maybe this is the ghost of 2008 talking, but I'm still more worried about them winning the division than the #1 seed.
Oddly enough, it looks like the Jags have the second best odds to win the top seed. I'm not sure how that works. I guess people think the Ravens have a good shot next week, or that the Dolphins will pull off one of their classic spoiler games.
-
Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🏈 Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 15 in ~sports.american_football
AnthonyB Link🎵 Do you Bolieve in life after Love? I can feel something inside me say, I really do think Bo's strong enough, yo! 🎵 That was the best game I've seen from Nix so far. He showed flashes all year,...🎵 Do you Bolieve in life after Love? I can feel something inside me say, I really do think Bo's strong enough, yo! 🎵
That was the best game I've seen from Nix so far. He showed flashes all year, but has looked much better since the KC game. Now it feels like this team could actually be dangerous, and is not some fraudulent playoff contender that gets smoked in the first or second round. Apologies to Packers fans out there for the loss of two great players.
The rest of the day was solid yet again. Old Man Rivers came back from the dead and gave every middle aged fat guy a new lease on life, which was important to me as a middle aged guy who is getting increasingly fat. The Chargers beat the Chiefs, which makes the Mahomes-era Chiefs 0-3 in games that I've rooted for them. The rest of the time they have about an 80% win rate, the fuckers. Commanders-Giants was very entertaining, and the Bills erased a 21-0 deficit on the road, in the snow. I love this time of year. Oh, and I definitely did NOT send a text at 1:36 EST that said Maye & the Pats were clearly the best team in the NFL.
For the first time in a long time, every game in the late window was entertaining. They should make the Cardinals and Raiders play at 1pm every week. Also, I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but I loved having every game in the late window start at the same time.
-
Comment on The populist revolt against cognitive elites in ~society
AnthonyB LinkOh boy, here we go. I'm not entirely sure what his point is. Are the left-wing populists wrong because of their messaging strategy, are they wrong on a policy level, or are they just plain wrong?...- Exemplary
Oh boy, here we go. I'm not entirely sure what his point is. Are the left-wing populists wrong because of their messaging strategy, are they wrong on a policy level, or are they just plain wrong? It seems like he's trying to say all of the above. And once again, I find myself frustrated by The Atlantic's refusal to acknowledge the colossal influence of the money that goes towards crippling these movements.
One of the great mysteries about the rise of populism, in both the United States and Europe, is why it has benefited the political right so much more than the left. For years, American progressives have been trying to get people worked up over rising rates of economic inequality, with the expectation that this anger could fuel greater support for the Democratic Party. Yet the electoral fruits of this effort have been pretty much nonexistent.
Now, I'm just a big fat stupidy stupid person whose intellect could never match that of the great
philosopher kingswonks, but perhaps this mystery could have something to do with the fact that right-wing populism supports the interests of the ultra wealthy? Maybe it makes a difference when those powerful corporations and individuals use their massive fortunes, media influence, and political connections to kneecap their left-wing opponents at every step? Sure, it doesn't completely solve the mystery, but it seems like it could be a clue. (Also, last time I checked, the populist argument appeared to be more popular than the other Democrat-proposed alternatives, and progressives like AOC and Bernie are two of the most popular Democrats, but that's neither here nor there.)I think the author should reconsider the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani, only this time, he should imagine Mamdani lost. What would be the source of Mamdani's failure?
After winning the primary, Mamdani was shut out by the two most powerful NY Democrats, who just so happen to be close with the donor class. In addition, Mamdani faced upwards of $40m in attack ads from billionaire backed PACs, and an...abnormally hostile media (which happens to be owned and operated by massive corporations). Such is the life of the left-wing populist candidate.
However, Mamdani was lucky enough to face an extremely unlikeable opponent, and had the added benefit of public financing, a robust progressive (DSA-backed) ground game unlike anywhere else in the country, and a whole lotta cunning, uniqueness, nerve, and talent tucked into a handsome and friendly package. Oh, and his opponents didn't understand the majority position on Israel when they relentlessly attacked him on it. Had it not been for that fortuitous combination, would the author add Mamdani's name to the list of failures, despite his focus on specifics over the abstract? After all, Mamdani also spent a lot of time criticizing billionaires. How big is the messaging gap between Mamdani and the other (failed) left-wing populists? Other populist/progressive Democrats have offered concrete proposals, like raising the minimum wage, M4A, and universal childcare. Come to think of it, the left-wing populists laid out a pretty specific set of proposals in the Green New Deal, but you'll never guess what happened to it. Is the message too abstract for people to fully grasp, or does it get muddled amidst the massive onslaught of attacks from big money PACs and conservative grifters that occupy space on every news program and op-ed section?
This doesn't mean I disagree with everything in the article, but it feels like we're leaving out some extremely important details, no? Like this part on United Healthcare, for example:
Last December, the targeted shooting of a UnitedHealthcare executive on a Manhattan street ignited a populist brushfire, leading to widespread veneration of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of the killing. In that case too, wonks tried to correct the record, pointing out that health-insurance companies also have relatively slim profit margins, and are not really responsible for much of the excess cost of the U.S. health-care system.
They aren't? Don't you think it might be relevant to include the fact that these companies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to maintain the status quo of our healthcare system? Doesn't that make them a bit more responsible than we're letting on? Setting aside people's actual experiences with insurance companies and everything else about for-profit healthcare, maybe that justifies some of the ire directed at insurance companies and the unimaginably wealthy people who run them. I dunno, I guess not. People are just stupid for not understanding the profit margins of a company that made $14 billion last year while millions of people go bankrupt and/or lack adequate access to healthcare. This is your brain on wonkism.
Quick sidebar because I got a kick out of this little nugget:
Obviously, a plausible plan for lowering the price of food would require dealing with issues such as agricultural subsidies, transportation costs, and retail overhead, but a political candidate is not going to get the average person excited by talking this way. People who are angry about the cost of living are going to focus on the last link in the chain, the consumer-facing organization, and that means the grocery store.
Again, I don't disagree, but I really wish he would elaborate on how the mayor of New York City can influence agricultural subsidies and transportation costs. After so much time hearing about the things he can't do, it'd be nice to read something about the things he can do, especially in something as niche and counterintuitive like agriculture subsidies.
To be for real for a second, these types of articles - which are very prevalent in The Atlantic - really bum me out. I'd like to think that I am open to a nuanced take that challenges my perspectives, but when I come across something like this, it makes me feel like a zealot. Throughout the article there is an underlying implication that the key idea behind left-wing populism - that billionaires and corporations control the levers of power and use that power to benefit themselves at the expense of the average person - is actually bullshit, and that the real solutions are the technocratic ones that work within the existing system. It's not just the "abstract" message, but the very idea itself.
For all I know, I could be an emotional, hot-headed dummy who doesn't understand the nuances of the problems we face. Who am I kidding, I most certainly am an emotional, hot-headed dummy who doesn't understand the nuances of problems we face. But anyone who fails to mention the corrupting influence of big money in their analysis of these problems is also lacking a bit of nuance. Or maybe they have too much.
-
Comment on Jeffrey Epstein emails show close connection with MIT's Noam Chomsky in ~society
AnthonyB LinkThis is a tough one for me. I've known about his connection to Epstein for a while, but didn't have the stomach to look into it. He had a tremendous influence on my view and understanding of the...This is a tough one for me. I've known about his connection to Epstein for a while, but didn't have the stomach to look into it. He had a tremendous influence on my view and understanding of the world and American politics.
I was cleaning out some old storage a few weeks ago and came across the first book of his that I ever read, "Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy." One of my professors assigned it during my freshman year, back in the waning days of the second Bush Administration. I remember thumbing through it when I got home from the bookstore and getting so sucked in that I read it in one sitting. I wasn't a patriot, but pretty much everything else I'd heard in my life up to that point was rah rah America, so this simple ~250 page book blew my mind. I think there's something highlighted on every page. I mentioned it to my dad about a week later and he sent me "Manufacturing Consent" and a few other books. I've been annoying friends, family, coworkers, and strangers on the internet with half-baked takes and poorly regurgitated arguments ever since. Thanks, Noam.
It just sucks that this going to hang over his legacy and contributions. But, as the oft-repeated Chomsky quote goes, "We shouldn't be looking for heroes, we should be looking for good ideas."
-
Comment on Whatever happened to _____? in ~talk
AnthonyB (edited )Link ParentI can't believe I forgot to highlight speech! That was a huge issue for us. About 2/3 of my students were experiencing delays, with 1/3 facing delays similar to your nephew. Granted, most of the...I can't believe I forgot to highlight speech! That was a huge issue for us. About 2/3 of my students were experiencing delays, with 1/3 facing delays similar to your nephew. Granted, most of the more serious cases were with children who were facing additional developmental hurdles, but their language delays were definitely exacerbated by the pandemic. I remember coming across this story last year, which highlighted everything we were experiencing on the other side of the country. When the problem is that widespread in the classroom, it forces you to change the entire curriculum, which impacts the typically developing children as well.
In fact, I got so used to being around children with speech delays, it actually reset my expectations for a preschooler's speech. When I met my friend's daughter last summer I had to remind myself that she wasn't a genius, she just spoke like a typical four year old.
I'm worried that's where we won't go back to normal. The impact of the stress, trauma, and isolation caused by the pandemic is expected to get better, but we still have to address the way it changed our social interaction and media consumption. A lot of young children are growing up in quieter, lonelier households with screentime filling that void. Pair that with the financial strain and the continued decimation of the social safety net and education system, and, well...yikes.
-
Comment on Whatever happened to _____? in ~talk
AnthonyB (edited )Link ParentI take it your wife no longer teaches kindergarten? Also, to piggyback off your comment in response to @ogre, it's not just the kids who missed school that were affected. I worked with younger...I take it your wife no longer teaches kindergarten?
Also, to piggyback off your comment in response to @ogre, it's not just the kids who missed school that were affected. I worked with younger kids over the past few years, kids born between 2018 and 2022, and they were significantly impacted as well. Like you, I don't have any hard numbers in front of me, but going off of personal experience and conversations with colleagues, administrators, specialists, and regulators, those pandemic babies' early development was hit hard. Not just in early literacy and social-emotional development, but across the board. Physical development, attention and self-regulation, cognition and problem solving - you name it, it's lower than pre-pandemic levels. Our IEP and therapy numbers were way up.
I'm on a bit of a hiatus right now, so I don't know how the most recent batch is doing, but the hope was that we would start to see a turnaround sometime this year or next year. My texts to my former colleagues have yielded mixed opinions, and my agency is still sorting through the first set of data for the year, but a lot of us (myself included) think that the pandemic did a number on society as a whole and that we won't see any improvement until we collectively sort our shit out. I guess time will tell.
-
Comment on Whatever happened to _____? in ~talk
AnthonyB LinkWhatever happened to TheMeerkat's 2024 Tildes Demographic Survey? I looked for the results for months and fired off a dm, but never saw anything.Whatever happened to TheMeerkat's 2024 Tildes Demographic Survey? I looked for the results for months and fired off a dm, but never saw anything.
-
Comment on Whatever happened to _____? in ~talk
AnthonyB Link ParentThank you. I had to circle back twice to make sure someone did it. However, I believe it's the "milkman" and not the "newsman."Thank you. I had to circle back twice to make sure someone did it. However, I believe it's the "milkman" and not the "newsman."
-
Comment on Whatever happened to _____? in ~talk
AnthonyB Link ParentBetter Call Saul is just as good, if not better. I can't recommend it enough.Better Call Saul is just as good, if not better. I can't recommend it enough.
-
Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of December 8 in ~society
AnthonyB LinkFBI making list of American "extremists," leaked memo reveals ...FBI making list of American "extremists," leaked memo reveals
Attorney General Pam Bondi is ordering the FBI to “compile a list of groups or entities engaging in acts that may constitute domestic terrorism,” according to a Justice Department memo published here exclusively.
The target is those expressing “opposition to law and immigration enforcement; extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders; adherence to radical gender ideology,” as well as “anti-Americanism,” “anti-capitalism,” and “anti-Christianity.”
...
In addition to compiling a list of undesirables, Bondi directs the FBI to enhance the capabilities (and publicity) of its tipline in order to more aggressively solicit tips from the American public on, well, other Americans. To that end, Bondi also directs the FBI to establish “a cash reward system” for information leading to identification and arrest of leadership figures within these purported domestic terrorist organizations. (The memo later instructs the FBI to “establish cooperators to provide information and eventually testify against other members” of the groups.)
-
Comment on 2025 Spotify Wrapped is now out in ~music
AnthonyB Link ParentI got the stats.fm app last year and it's been interesting to compare the differences between their counting of 2025 and Spotify's. For example, my wrapped playlist for 2025 says I played my #1...I got the stats.fm app last year and it's been interesting to compare the differences between their counting of 2025 and Spotify's. For example, my wrapped playlist for 2025 says I played my #1 song 92 times, but stats.fm says I played it 80 times. I guess Spotify factors in some plays from December 2024? The rest of my top-5 songs are completely different between the two.
-
Comment on Living wage calculator in ~finance
AnthonyB Link ParentMore or less. To piggyback on Eji's comment, cost of living can vary in LA County/LA metro area (which includes Anaheim for some reason?), but overall nothing really pops out at me. I made just...More or less. To piggyback on Eji's comment, cost of living can vary in LA County/LA metro area (which includes Anaheim for some reason?), but overall nothing really pops out at me. I made just under their definition of a living wage in my area and I always felt like I would have struggled if I hadn't lived with my partner. I feel for my former colleague, who lived with her teenage daughter, granddaughter, and unemployed husband, but only made about $3/hr more than I did. Poverty wage is a joke.
-
Comment on 2025 Spotify Wrapped is now out in ~music
AnthonyB LinkTop Artists: Geese Cheekface Frog Pavement (10th year in the top-5) Wednesday I came across Geese in December of last year, so they were already safely in the number one spot before they released...Top Artists:
- Geese
- Cheekface
- Frog
- Pavement (10th year in the top-5)
- Wednesday
I came across Geese in December of last year, so they were already safely in the number one spot before they released Getting Killed in September. Spotify says I'm their 3,299th biggest fan, which means that there are 3,298 absolute freaks out there because I played that band way too much in 2025.
-
Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
AnthonyB LinkI started to rewatch The Americans a couple weeks ago. It holds up well. Aside from a few moments, I really only remember what happened in the pilot (which is an all-timer imo) and finale, so most...I started to rewatch The Americans a couple weeks ago. It holds up well. Aside from a few moments, I really only remember what happened in the pilot (which is an all-timer imo) and finale, so most of it feels fresh. It definitely has a lot more sex than I remembered, so it can be a bit awkward at times because I'm watching it with my mom. The show ran from 2013-2018, so it got upstaged by big time shows like The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and GoT, but I think it's good enough to be in the same tier as the latter two. At the very least, it's as good as early Walking Dead.
I got in the mood for it after watching The Beast in Me on Netflix. It was solid. Claire Danes goes full Claire Danes, which at times can feel like mid-90s Jim Carrey, only sad and terrified. Jonathan Banks goes full Jonathan Banks, and Matthew Rhys does a good job being a charismatic creepy guy. I won't implore the next generation to watch it 10 years from now, but it's servicable if you're looking for something decent to watch during the holidays.
Finally, I binged the first block of Stranger Things season five last weekend. Not to much to say about it. I've made it this far, so I gotta see it through. It's definitely not a chore or a hate watch, but it isn't season one, either.
-
Comment on 2025 NFL Season 🦃 🏈 🥧Weekly Discussion Thread – Week 13 in ~sports.american_football
AnthonyB LinkWell, that was the most Broncos way that the Broncos won. Delusional optimist take: It was a classic trap game. That field prevented our speedy edge rushers from maximizing their performance....Well, that was the most Broncos way that the Broncos won.
Delusional optimist take: It was a classic trap game. That field prevented our speedy edge rushers from maximizing their performance. Marcus "Mary-oh-TAH" has that dog in him and this Washington team is so much better than their record. We marched down the field in OT and cut through that defense like a hot knife through butter. Bo stays clutch and can make any throw. We still always find a way to win - that means something.
Doomer take: The fourth quarter stuff this season was an anomaly, mostly propped up by a fluke run against the Giants, and this was the game they came back down to Earth. Washington found the key to beat this defense with quick passes and a strog run game. The lack of discipline will ultimately destroy this team. The WRs can't catch, Nix is unreliable with his accuracy issues, and with Dobbins out, the team is missing a workhorse RB that they desperately need. They can hardly beat the bad teams, they will get destroyed in the playoffs.
Enlightened moderate take: I have no clue what to make of this team, or the NFL for that matter. Sometimes they look great, sometimes they look bad. Pat Surtain made multiple plays that undoubtedly would've been called pass interference if it were Riley Moss. The officiating was atrocious all around. It's nice to be good again, and these close games are a lot of fun.
The DNC is scrapping its report on what went wrong in 2024 (gifted link)
I hope they learn from that lesson. I also hope to see Ken Klippenstein or someone get a hand on this report. I wonder if it had any mention of, oh I don't know, an issue that many people in the base were angry about. 2024 was a long time ago, but I have faint memories of protests going on across the country.