Info Bleg
So, getting back into sine qua non* of what is at least occasionally an anime blog, I note that 'Danmachi'2 seems to be having a bad case of tournament arc and the other shows that look interesting are hard to find.
Does anyone know where Katana no Astra and Cop Craft can be viewed? They aren't on Crunchyroll and don't seem to be on Funimation (I don't have a membership there so access is limited).
Posted by: Joseph at Wed Aug 21 17:03:56 2019 (D2ZMK)
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Katana no Astra is also on Hulu under the title Astra lost in Space
Posted by: Joseph at Wed Aug 21 17:11:46 2019 (D2ZMK)
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I watch Cop Craft on the same channel Wonderduck does. Ep 7 came out Monday. It's quite good, although not living up to the amazing promise of the OP.
Posted by: Ben at Wed Aug 21 17:33:27 2019 (osxtX)
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You can watch both of those programs at: https://www3.animepace.si/
Posted by: Jabrwok at Thu Aug 22 16:44:03 2019 (wKZS0)
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I am enjoying Cop Craft, though I understand the disappointment that others feels about. It is a buddy cop show, with an interesting twist in the premise - a more fantastical version of, say, Due South. The twist in the premise has not being taken advantage of as much as it could have been, by the series. But it is a VERY well done buddy cop show. It has definitely been one of my 'must watches' this season, even if it is a FUNimation license.
Kanata no Astra certainly has an equally interesting premise as Cop Craft, but I have a hard time mustering any interesting in watching the series for too long. I felt the same way about the manga it was based on, despite actually owning the physical copies of it.
Posted by: cxt217 at Thu Aug 22 20:05:46 2019 (LMsTt)
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Jabrwok, that place doesn't look sketchy at all.
Posted by: Wonderduck at Fri Aug 23 00:35:08 2019 (+qGjD)
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Found Cop Craft and Kanata no Astra on animefreak -dot- tv.
Posted by: Frank at Fri Aug 23 01:53:59 2019 (rglbH)
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Wonderduck, it is, and I tend to forget that because I only view stuff there in Pale Moon, which I set to not display pop-ups. I found a web-page some time ago that told me how to do that, so I almost never get weird new tabs or redirects.
If you've got a safe browser, the site doesn't do any harm (that I've noticed). But yeah, caution is warranted. Should've said that from the get-go.
Posted by: jabrwok at Sat Aug 24 17:36:33 2019 (wKZS0)
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I go the ARRR! route. I've been enjoying it, although the ship does seem to run on the Improbability Drive with all the coincidences driving the plot. But it IS some truly classic exploratory Science Fiction, full of weird planets that surprise them in unexpected ways.
Posted by: Mauser at Sun Aug 25 03:28:49 2019 (Ix1l6)
Since YouTube is putting so much effort into encouraging their viewers to consider alternative platforms, I'd really be remiss if I didn't note that Brickmuppet Blog's BitChute referral page is here.
Not Actually Surprising, But Discussions of Hong Kong Are Being Downvoted, Demonetized and Removed From the Internet
Vee also has a remedial review of why Epic Games Store is evil, but we knew that.
Posted by: Canthros at Tue Aug 20 20:39:38 2019 (mToqK)
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Congratulations! I've known few people to hit quite the number of roadblocks towards a goal I've seen you recount over the years, your persistence has been admirable. It's awesome that you've finally made it!
Posted by: StargazerA5 at Tue Aug 20 21:44:57 2019 (jl9eJ)
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Congratulations! I must admire your perseverance, I'd have either given up, or just possibly "gone postal" quite some ways back in your catalog of woe.
So, what field of study will your masters be in?
Posted by: David at Tue Aug 20 21:48:27 2019 (wXI5i)
Posted by: Doug O. at Tue Aug 20 22:09:05 2019 (kqK5x)
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You are a gentleman and a scholar, sir.
And your university should be crawling on its hands and knees to apologize to you. Thank God you finally got a few people who weren't too proud to do their fricking jobs, opposing the vast army who apparently were.
Either way, I wish we could all make merry with you, but obviously kidney stones are not conducive to anything but deep thankfulness at finally having passed.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at Tue Aug 20 23:01:29 2019 (sF8WE)
Posted by: Clayton Barnett at Wed Aug 21 11:21:29 2019 (ug1Mc)
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Congratulations, 'muppet! I won't say you beat *the* system, but you beat *a* system; a system that seemed intent on throwing every single roadblock it could in your direction!
Posted by: Ben at Wed Aug 21 11:57:59 2019 (osxtX)
The world's largest island (which, while big, is not NEARLY as big as a Mercator projection often makes it look) is a net (albeit slight) economic drain on
Denmark,which doesn't have the resources to develop it or realistically
defend it and it's small population of ~56,000 has been steadily
dwindling for some time. This is mainly due to them being eaten by polar bears and
Ithaqua.
"Please ignore his last sentence as it is dubious and lacks a citation!"
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Some of the edge cases are really frightening. In no particular order of probability (though #1 is really remote)
1. Britain says, "that's not what we signed up our former people for" and starts getting pushy, with our agreement and help. Probably that of Australia and Japan. Endgame unknown.
2. Taiwan looks at the bloodbath and decides to strike, declaring full independence. China either gets really pissed, or decides, "Enh, we smashed HK, so really, we win." This is the most likely scenario, and I think "pissed" is the likely response.
3. Vietnam has already refused to back down from the latest Chinese sea grab. Expect "trawler incidents" at the least.
4. Philippines may decide to disregard Xi's war warning (he told the Philippine president that they'd declare war if P. drilled in the sea area awarded by the World Court.)
5. Putin, Edrogen, Pakistan, etc.take advantage of a China-US face-off to make trouble elsewhere. This could lead to a widening of the conflict.
The real problem for China is that they are not militarily ready for a confrontation with the U.S. Cyber-warfare may give an edge in the short run, depending on their penetration., Causing pain to the average U.S. citizen will harden attitudes here, and emergence of an "everybody piles on China" situation will probably not go well for China. They know this, but internal forces and Xi's autocracy are driving the situation.
Domestically speaking, a major, no-holds-barred confrontation with China could seal a Republican victory in 2020, if they're willing to "wave the bloody shirt."
Posted by: Ubu at Sat Aug 17 11:36:32 2019 (UlsdO)
Some Talk A Good Game About Empowered Women
...but point to Mary Sue Fanfic and weaponizing "the vapors" as examples of such.
Most of those would not be the least bit amused by today's birthday girl, who was a person of extraordinary talent in her sport, She was also a superb showman and entrepreneur who came from less than nothing and on her own merits rose to become one of the most famous women in the world in her day.
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If you're ever in Greenville, Ohio (home of the Treaty of Greenville), make sure you visit the Garst Museum. They have a ton of Annie Oakley material, because that's her hometown. One of the curators has written five books about Oakley's life. The Annie Oakley Center Foundation has lots of information on her, as well as the stuff they do to continue her legacy, like instruction in gun safety and use.
They also have Annie Oakley Days every year in July or so. There's the usual festival stuff, giveaways at the Kitchen-Aid Experience, and a Victorian-style melodrama, different every year. Also lots of shooting contests with lots of sharpshooter types.
Darke County was settled territory in 1860, of course; but there were lots and lots of woods and even some primeval forest and prairie bits, when Annie was feeding her brothers and sisters with her snares and rifle.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at Thu Aug 15 13:27:01 2019 (sF8WE)
Meanwhile, In Hong Kong
China has denied a port visit by the U.S. Navy in Hong Kong. This might be taken as an indication that something very bad is in the wind.
The last few days have been less peaceful but the protests, which have been going on for three months now and comprise at time millions of people are still showing no sign of letting up on their own.
Given the seven and a half million that live in the megalopolis, and what the CCP did in Tiennamen; when the hammer comes down, it has the potential to be a bloodbath on a par with some of the worst atrocities in history. This is not a bunch of students, more than a quarter of the population has taken part in some of these marches, a testament to what the stakes are for the average Hong Konger. The CCP is facing stresses from numerous directions and see the outspokenness of Hong Kong as a danger that is poised to metastasize. For all its millions Hong Kong is but a rounding error among the billion and a half Chinese; one that the mainlanders have been raised and educated to be decidedly unsympathetic to.
The Hong Kong protestors are waving the American flag and singing The Star Spangle Banner.
The desperately want what we have and appreciate it in a way many of
our leaders do not and their thirst for freedom is something that many
of our gatekeepers and self appointed aristocrats hold in contempt.
I note that the You Tube Filter seems to have gotten particularly egregious about this story recently. Selecting the most recent upload date as a filter provides two particularly anodyne news reports and the then starts going backwards from a month ago.
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What is infuriating and/or depressing is the certain percentage of Americans, especially of the leftists/progressive slant, who are beyond indifferent to the protests to the point that they are supporting the PRC in crushing them. And no, that is not including the mainland Chinese in the US who often express unqualified support for the PRC's actions.
Posted by: cxt217 at Thu Aug 15 20:19:45 2019 (LMsTt)
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And in completely unrelated news, officials had no comment about the rumor of an empty gallon sized container of bleach found in Jeffery Epstein's cell. (/joke)
Posted by: StargazerA5 at Tue Aug 13 22:12:39 2019 (jl9eJ)
Revisiting the Isekai Theory
It's been a rough week.
I got in around midnight, did some housework and went to bed sometime thereafter. I woke up in a state of intense overpressure and ran too the bathroom and realized it was 17:30!?. I slept over 16 hours?
Anyway, I turned on the news and discovered that I've awakened in a conspiracy thriller.
UPDATE 10PM:There are now reports that Kaptain Kiddie Diddler was NOT on suicide watch,....because why on Earth would he be?
Of course, I've read enough of these books to know that the suicide is never the MAIN problem. Its covering up something much bigger.
Generally the next element in the plot would be something equally far fetched like a weapons test gone disastrously wrong...
They covered the ambulances with plastic, because reasons.
...or the government suddenly authorized the use of cyanide bombs against..."wildlife".
Or life that's now in the wild.
FULL DISCLOSURE: It is the position of this blog that the chances that any of these are related is slim and there are probably perfectly pedestrian explanations for everything. Well, except for the Epstein thing.
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Pardon the OT, but thought you might be interested that it looks like the Russians had a Bad Day(tm) at one of their naval nuclear weapons facilities, possibly involving their nuclear powered cruise missiles. They've told the surrounding cities to take iodine pills and be prepared for a potential evac. The video of the event somebody posted to twitter was... illuminating.
https://www.redstate.com/streiff/2019/08/09/russia-suffers-unplanned-nuclear-event-restricted-naval-base.-call-thursday
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Fri Aug 9 18:28:26 2019 (PiXy!)
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The Twitter video that Mr. Stargazer linked has nothing to do with the explosion at the Severodvinsk base. In fact, the tweet itself has a correct attribution. But I understand that with so many explosions all around it's difficult to keep up.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at Sat Aug 10 15:40:48 2019 (LZ7Bg)
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Didn't RFS Losharik just loose half her crew last week?
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Sat Aug 10 16:59:48 2019 (YUAc9)
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Well, thanks for the correction on the twitter video, everyone. It looks like the rule of waiting for early information to pan out applied, at least for that. Still going to be interesting to find out what really happened... in 20-30 years.
Posted by: StargazerA5 at Sat Aug 10 21:03:50 2019 (jl9eJ)
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I think Losharik was a project codename, so for us it would be a class, like "Ticonderoga-class cruiser". The individual name was either AS-25 or AS-12, which is how submarines were named since the WW I (remember German U-101 etc.). Although these days the large Russian subs have more human-sounding names, this trend is rather new and small subs and parasite subs in particular didn't get those.
Posted by: Pete Zaitcev at Sat Aug 10 22:04:10 2019 (LZ7Bg)
1Dark Empire was a comic book series that came out at roughly the same time Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy began. An argument can be made that it was as important as those novels in kickstarting the whole SW "Expanded Universe" thing.
Posted by: Wonderduck at Tue Aug 6 21:57:56 2019 (ssz1E)
"I always wanted a pony. But after the accident, I got to BE the pony!"
Can't find the artist, but the girl's name is Mako Shimano. The centaurcycle is called a G.U.M.B.A and the source is an ad for a Toyota dealership in Gunnma Prefecture Japan.
An ad that fills me with equal parts skepticism and want.
This Says SOMETHING About Peer Review
I'm furiously rewriting my last paper in the O.D.U. library. I was informed last week by my professor that the original topic was unacceptable, since it could not be on a developing news story.
Argh.
Anyway, just now, while studying peer-reviewed journal articles on the Chinese String of Pearls Strategy, ie: the notion that China's heavy involvement in port infrastructure projects is setting up not only commercial ties but a global naval support infrastructure. I checked out a citation on one of the articles I was using and discovered that it was...
Characterizing String-of-Pearls Colloidal Silica by Multidetector Hydrodynamic Chromatography and Comparison to Multidetector Size-Exclusion Chromatography, Off-Line Multiangle Static Light Scattering, and Transmission Electron Microscopy
"Keyword search works best if you read what it turns up."
Now, the reference is a string of words that contains "string of pearls" but is nevertheless irrelevant to my area of study and the article I was referencing...and the passage it was cited as a reference for.
Meanwhile:
Imagine if you will a city of two million that serves as a crossroads and transportation hub as it exists on a great lake between two countries, with a modest lake port, roads and an international airport.
Now imagine this hypothetical city consisting mostly of an expansive, 30 square mile favella, with very limited services, sanitation and mostly dirt roads.
Ebola has reached a transportation hub of of 2 million people, Worse, the people are living in pretty terrible conditions, many without power. This is not an isolated rural town or a city with modern facilities and where the first victims were fortuitously caught and quarantined like happened in Lagos, Madrid and Dallas. No, this is people coming out of the jungle, and crawling into a shanty-town where there are basically no facilities outside of the tourist(?!) areas. This is close to a worst case scenario. Rwanda closed the border yesterday, but due to international pressure re-opened it today.
Apparently 'international pressure' is unfamiliar with basic epidemiology.
Ebola is not anything as bad as the flu or smallpox with regards to transmissiblity. However, while it's not technically "airborne", if it gets in the lungs it can be transmitted short distances through the air much like pneumonic plague. This is really a bad situation and it could go international very quickly at this point.
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