Random Links Thread

[T.G.]

@Redondo...

Probably not well known, but a terrific movie was “The Red Sun” - that would be on my list.

A train carrying a Japanese delegation with a ceremonial sword for President Grant is robbed by bandits led by Link (Charles Bronson) and Gauche (Alain Delon). When Gauche double-crosses him and leaves him for dead, Link is ordered to team up with Kuroda Jubei (Toshirô Mifune), one of the ambassador's guards, who has a week to recover the sword or commit suicide. Hoping to find out from Gauche where the gang buried their spoils before Kuroda can kill him, Link tries to escape from the samurai.

 

True Grit and The Magnificent Seven should have been higher, IMO. I also thought Tombstone with Kurt Russell should have made the list. Also John Wayne and the Cowboys.

[gotbeer]

2 hours ago, Redondo said:

The 50 Greatest Western Movies Ever Made

A hard look at one of cinema’s oldest genres.

What do you think?

https://www.vulture.com/article/50-best-western-movies-ever.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Blazing Saddles.  38.  What do I think?  Blasphemy.  Although I admit I haven't seen many of them.  Not sure if Unforgiven (2) for instance was better than Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (12).  

[Blarg]

Blazing Saddles is a comedy. 

[gotbeer]

Loyal dog waits for six days outside hospital for her sick owner

 

 

Word is, the cat was seen drawing up new plans to kill the owner.

[Redondo]

Mono wind event' topples over a dozen sequoias at Yosemite National Park

Giant sequoias are the third "longest-lived" tree species, according to the NPS

At least 15 giant sequoias at Yosemite National Park have been toppled following a "Mono wind event" last week that produced gusts estimated at 80 to 100 mph, according to a report.

Park spokesman Scott Gediman said the event that started on Jan. 18 caused what he asserted to be "the most damage" in its recorded history -- with repairs possibly costing upward of $200 million.

Photos taken by the park and posted on social media captured the devastation. The park’s Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, and hundreds of other trees were uprooted, with some falling on structures and homes, officials said. 

"There’s more damage happening, too," Gediman told the Los Angeles Times. "We’ve got heavy snow falling and snow accumulations in the trees and that’s causing tree failures…. One fell on a ranger’s house in the valley."

The park will remain closed until Monday as a result of the ongoing winter storm that caused more than 18 inches of snow to fall in the Yosemite Valley area -- following the fierce winds. 

"Heavy, wet snow has caused trees and branches to fall throughout the park, causing damage to park facilities and vehicles," the park wrote on its Facebook account. 

This photo provided by Yosemite National Park shows a fallen giant sequoia that came down during the Mono wind event on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021 in Yosemite National Park.

Link

[gotbeer]

For such a giant tree, such shallow roots.

[Junkballer]

On 1/22/2021 at 5:02 AM, Redondo said:

The 50 Greatest Western Movies Ever Made

A hard look at one of cinema’s oldest genres.

What do you think?

https://www.vulture.com/article/50-best-western-movies-ever.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Two movies that come to mind that would fit in a broader definition of Western would be Comes a Horseman and No Country for Old Men.  Westerns in feel but outside of the Western era.  A few on that list I can watch repeatedly, like the original 3:10 to Yuma and the Gunfighter.

[Blarg]

3 hours ago, Junkballer said:

No Country for Old Men

Is not a western. Not even close. 

[Junkballer]

22 minutes ago, Blarg said:

Is not a western. Not even close. 

I acknowledged it doesn't fit in the Western category but was talking about a broader category termed Modern Western or Neo-Western.

Quote

-A modern amorality tale, a neo-western in the classic mold, No Country for Old Men felt timeless immediately upon its release, and time has only solidified its claim to classic status. Based on a crime novel by Cormac McCarthy, the film stars Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss, a quiet poacher who stumbles across a violent crime scene in the desert and stops to pick up a suitcase full of money. But it’s not the perfect crime: an angel of death known as Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) is hot on his trail, and with a cattle gun by his side, he metes out death to everyone in his way… unless they can call a coin toss.

Quote

 

-If there’s any movie responsible for reinvigorating interest in the Western genre, it’s No Country for Old Men. It’s easy to see why it’s the Coen Brothers’ best film. It blends together elements of the Western, thriller, and neo noir genres to create something wholly unique that helped push the Western into new territory.

The film shows how outdated certain ideas regarding morality are, particularly in the character of Ed Tom Bell. In a classic Western, he wouldn’t question himself at all, and he would end up catching the bad guy in the end. But he’s displaced from that world. Old ideas of morality are no longer relevant, making him the “Old Man” from the title and how there’s no longer a place for him, and characters like him, in our world and movies.

 

 

[Blarg]

[Redondo]

 

Second time was the charm for the SSC Tuatara supercar, which has claimed the world’s fastest production car record of 282.9 mph.

The Washington state-made $1.9 million coupe completed the feat on the old Space Shuttle landing strip in Florida on January 17.

As required by many prominent record-keeping authorities, the 1,750 horsepower supercar did two runs in opposite directions to account for wind and other environmental factors at speeds of 279.7 mph and 286.1 mph. That averages out to 282.9 mph, which would beat the existing mark of 277.87 mph set in 2017 by the Koenigsegg Agera RS.

Link

[gotbeer]

9 hours ago, Redondo said:

 

Second time was the charm for the SSC Tuatara supercar, which has claimed the world’s fastest production car record of 282.9 mph.

The Washington state-made $1.9 million coupe completed the feat on the old Space Shuttle landing strip in Florida on January 17.

As required by many prominent record-keeping authorities, the 1,750 horsepower supercar did two runs in opposite directions to account for wind and other environmental factors at speeds of 279.7 mph and 286.1 mph. That averages out to 282.9 mph, which would beat the existing mark of 277.87 mph set in 2017 by the Koenigsegg Agera RS.

Link

 

Pfff.   My Tuatara on CSR2 does 400 MPH.  They obviously didn't shift right.

[Tank]

9 hours ago, Redondo said:

 

Second time was the charm for the SSC Tuatara supercar, which has claimed the world’s fastest production car record of 282.9 mph.

The Washington state-made $1.9 million coupe completed the feat on the old Space Shuttle landing strip in Florida on January 17.

As required by many prominent record-keeping authorities, the 1,750 horsepower supercar did two runs in opposite directions to account for wind and other environmental factors at speeds of 279.7 mph and 286.1 mph. That averages out to 282.9 mph, which would beat the existing mark of 277.87 mph set in 2017 by the Koenigsegg Agera RS.

Link

thanks for posting this.

i had a lot of fun setting the new record.

[T.G.]

5 hours ago, Tank said:

thanks for posting this.

i had a lot of fun setting the new record.

I bet you did...

[Redondo]

Idaho man hits lotto for sixth time

Bryan Moss, who owns Newko Sport and Nutrition health store in Meridian, Idaho, won $250,000--his largest haul-- from a crossword scratch game on Thursday, according to a news release from the Idaho Lottery.

It was the sixth time Moss won a prize and the first time he took home the top prize.

"I’m proud to help support Idaho public schools, that’s really why I play," said Moss.

[Blarg]

He's lying. 

[T.G.]

20 minutes ago, Blarg said:

He's lying. 

That was a very Lou-esque reply.

[Redondo]

11 hours ago, T.G. said:

That was a very Lou-esque reply.

Yes, but it's true.

[Lou]

13 hours ago, T.G. said:

That was a very Lou-esque reply.

In much more eloquent.

[T.G.]

2 hours ago, Lou said:

In much more eloquent.

Indeed. 

[Tank]

7 hours ago, Lou said:

In much more eloquent.

you certainly am

[Lou]

If you have to explain the joke . . . 

[Redondo]

 

Lottery lightning strikes twice: Idaho woman claims 2 big jackpots in 2 days

The double win by Orlene Peterson of Coeur d’Alene beat odds of 1 in 282.5 million, Idaho Lottery officials said

How’s this for a lucky streak: A lottery player in Idaho won a $200,000 scratch-off prize last Friday – then won a $300,000 prize the very next day, according to a report.

[Blarg]

18 hours ago, Redondo said:

 

Lottery lightning strikes twice: Idaho woman claims 2 big jackpots in 2 days

The double win by Orlene Peterson of Coeur d’Alene beat odds of 1 in 282.5 million, Idaho Lottery officials said

How’s this for a lucky streak: A lottery player in Idaho won a $200,000 scratch-off prize last Friday – then won a $300,000 prize the very next day, according to a report.

After taxes and relatives she had enough left over for a Denny's grand slam breakfast. Tip not included. 

[Redondo]

 

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