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Updated -- some items sold/traded -- some added, including:

I've always been "impressed" that people keep making sequels to poorly-received B-films. I looked at RT and the audience score for the first film is 40% -- and that's the highest score for the series by far -- well, clearly someone is making money on these somehow

Crime and social justice are intertwined. That said, I don't think we're being "paranoid" -- and while neither of us live in NYC (although Boston is only a few hours away, and things that impact NYC to tend to trickle down to Boston) we all have friends/family living in NYC or the surrounding areas (such as Hoboken). Just like you, we certainly have every right to share our thoughts. I do think you make a good point, or good question, are we overblowing crime in NYC? Honestly, you can read articles that say yes, and articles that say no. One thing for certain, people are scared. And when people are scared, statistics don't really matter. Also, as @Tabonga noted, it's NYC so what happens there reverberates across the country.

Who's surprised by this? I actually do follow trends and statistics involving crime, and there are many politicians and others that love to say "crime rates are falling dramatically!" -- but it's incredibly hard I've found to get into the essence of what they mean. For example, one study might say "violent crimes have decreased in NYC" -- from when? Many people like to go back to the 80s and 90s when murder was at an all-time high and NYC was famous called "Fear City" -- the pamphlet was actually from 1975-- https://archive.org/details/FearCity/mode/2up Also, different people have different "ideas" of what "violent crime" actually means. You could argue that "violent crime" is. For instance, most of us would say "robbery" is a violent crime -- however the DA might (and depending on where you live probably already has) disagree with you. As @Tabonga just noted, a crazy guy broke a young girl's nose -- isn't that violent crime? But he was released without bail! So, is it still a violent crime? Yes of course! but, that's not necessarily how it goes into the statistics. Also, you can manipulate statistics and present them in a way that makes them seem far less frightening then they really are. Just one example -- NYC serious crimes hit levels unseen in two decades last year even as Mayor Adams claims ‘crime is down’ https://nypost.com/2024/04/03/us-news/crime-was-in-fact-up-year-as-mayor-adams-tries-to-downplay-disorder/ Serious crime spiked again last year to levels unseen in nearly two decades, according to internal NYPD data obtained by The Post — even as Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly claimed that “crime is down” in the Big Apple. For the second year in a row under Adams, overall crime was on the rise — driven by a historic surge in assaults, which neared 28,000 for the first time in the city’s publicly recorded history, according to the police department’s rolling report. The report tracks the tally of seven major felony offenses after the time of arrest to when cases move to district attorneys, who decide whether to upgrade, downgrade or stick with the charge. For instance, a perp who punches someone might be charged with a misdemeanor at first, but if the victim’s condition later worsens, the prosecutor could boost it to a felony. While Adams has been touting his success in his war against crime, citing a slight dip reported at the end of 2023, the rolling report shows that the early-year victory lap was premature. The number of seven major crimes in 2023 jumped to 127,111 once around 430 upgrades were accounted for, marking the highest totals since 2006 for the second year in a row, according to the police data.

Wow... “It doesn’t make any sense that this guy — who recently was released after being charged with randomly punching someone else and breaking that victim’s nose — should be back in a public space where he can attack others, especially children,” MTA communications director Tim Minton said. “The people responsible for the criminal justice system need to learn from this episode before more innocent people become victims.” Well, it's NYC what can you expect with judges like Laurie Peterson -- https://nypost.com/2020/06/14/springing-a-cop-attacking-looter-one-judges-new-low/ Peterson last week freed Kevin Bullock without bail, though prosecutors cited solid evidence, including surveillance video, against him. Oh, that's from 2020!! I can only imagine during her tenure how many criminals have been handed a congratulatory note and get-out-of-jail free cards. Sad.

Indian Americans condemn Riddhi Patel as ‘Hinduphobe’ post violent Bakersfield City Council threats https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/indian-americans-condemn-riddhi-patel-as-hinduphobe-post-violent-bakersfield-city-council-threats-101713015517185.html Numberless Indian Americans and other internet users banded together to denounce anti-Israel protestor Riddhi Patel after her brutal threats to “murder” Bakersfield City Council officials. The City Council gathering was slated for Wednesday, April 10, when the American woman of Indian origin twisted her anti-Israel rhetoric into a controversially violent warning for the council members and Mayor Karen Goh. Batshite crazy. Most of us think we're decently "reasonable", and "non-violent" -- and then there's Riddhi Patel who, and you can find a video of her saying all this, she hoped "oppressed minorities" would guillotine city government members, declaring that even Jesus Christ would kill them, and threatening to go to their houses and murder them. “You guys want to criminalize us with metal detectors,” Patel said. “We’ll see you at your house, we’ll murder you.” “I remind you that these holidays that we practice, that other people in the global south practice, believe in violent revolution against their oppressors, and I hope one day somebody brings a guillotine and kills all of you (expletive).” Yup, she's now in jail on $2 million bail. What a waste of space this excrement of a human .

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but there are answers to all of your questions. I'm not going to get into all of it, but a great question -- If it was so easy, why didn't they just do that in the first place? Vito Corleone had negotiated peace to bring an end to the war between the five families, and that pact could not be broken as long as Vito was alive. Also, the book goes into much more detail, it's not as easy as it "seems" in the movie. I no other words, it's not that they could have just done that at any time. I personally think it's a masterpiece of a movie. From the acting, cinematography, music, and complex themes, it's something special. It's also groundbreaking, and inspired numerous movies -- not just Hollywood hits like The Irishman, but numerous films across the world. All that doesn't mean you have to like it, but there are many reasons it's considered one of the greatest films of all time.

Those square grids on the monitor, and of course the vector display, just scream "This is what people from the 80s think future tech should be like!" It's lovely

Ubisoft is deleting The Crew from players' libraries, reminding us we own nothing https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-is-deleting-the-crew-from-players-libraries-reminding-us-we-own-nothing-165328083.html Ubisoft’s online-only racing game The Crew stopped being operable on April 1. Some users are reporting, however, that things have gone a bit further. They say that the company actually reached into Ubisoft Connect accounts and revoked the license to access the game...Some of these people said they had planned to set up private servers to play the game, an option that is now impossible...it does highlight a major problem with the purchase and use of digital goods. We pay money for these products. We think we own them, but we don’t own a damned thing. Well yeah, if you own digital goods (games, NFTs, etc) and in my opinion digital currency are all in the same league -- non-tangible and could vaporize in a moment's notice! Back to games, I'm just thankful companies like Limited Run Games exist Oh, and I'm still amused to read articles about how "Now, it's really the end of physical games. Yeah, I said that 20 years ago and every year since, but really the sky is falling...er, it's the end of physical games!"

A Principal Confronted a Teenage Girl. Now He’s Facing Prison Time. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/11/nyregion/nj-principal-student-assault.html What a shiteshow... Anyway, here is a summary -- In a high school lobby in New Jersey, the principal saw a student heading toward a stairway and moved to cut her off. There was physical contact between them, though no blows. The interaction lasted less than a minute. The student filed an affirmative action complaint against the principal, saying he had grabbed her and “slammed” her against a wall. The student is Black; the principal is white and Latino. The principal, reporting the episode later that day, said he was preventing an altercation between the student and three others, who said she had threatened them. On March 11, almost exactly a year after the encounter, the principal, Frank Sanchez, was taken into custody and charged with assault and endangering a minor. [James H. Davis III, chair of the Black Parents Workshop] “These towns purport to be extremely progressive and extremely inclusive,” he said in an interview. “So they’re saying this girl was in a fight. She was a troublemaker. She was a thug. And I said, ‘What does that matter?’” haha! Yeah, for James H. Davis III, apparently it doesn't matter if a student is a troublemaker, a thug, gets into fights, beats-up other students, because you know, he sure seems more worried about the color of their skin. “This is an effort to advocate for Black children by burning up the entire system,” said Khalil Gibran Muhammad, a parent who supports Sanchez. “These folks have played very aggressively and unfairly with people’s lives to try to score political points. And this is an escalation, in my opinion, that is very dangerous and crosses the line.” If a school official can be not just disciplined but also jailed for intervening to break up or prevent a fight, what are teachers supposed to do? [Christopher Emdin, a professor of science education at Teachers College, Columbia University] “The nature of schools is that uncomfortable interactions happen,” Emdin said. In districts with a history of racial litigation, he added, “there’s a tendency to blow things out of proportion and to attach what happens oftentimes during the school day to race and racism. And that’s dangerous for Black kids who are undergoing legitimate racist practices in contemporary schools. Teachers can’t act effectively if they’re fearful that their actions are going to be misconstrued as racist.” BINGO -- I've known a lot of college students in my time that want to be K-12 teachers. I never try to dissuade anyone, but if they ask my opinion, I tell them "Well, if you can get a nice job at a private school, go for it! However, to teach in public education today, that's not something I would touch." It's sad, but reminds me of the case against Daniel Penny -- he likely saved lives, passengers who were threatened are literally calling him a "hero", but he's on trail and could get 15 years in prison. Shiteshow, as I said.

Fully agree. I really think ebay is not going to get any better for either sellers or buyers until they have some serious competition. I think amazon could easily do this, but, amazon doesn't seem to care. Wall-Mart, or some either giant that could sink $100 million into producing a top auction site could definitely do it, but no one seems interested

My favorite M&M Game -- the music is just mesmerizing...

That sounds really cool! Again, without spoiling too much, I will say that while you definitely do a lot of fight via cards, the game is not truly a card-game in the same way that Slay the Spire is. That said, I love little indie games like Pawnbarian! Does it have a story or is it just play and die? Also, Slay the Spire 2 is scheduled for release next year -- wonder if I'll be more my style -- you know, less RNG

Bingo. And don't take my word on it, there have been tons of studies over many decades that show this, and of course, envy/jealousy is something that has existed as long as civilization has existed -- Divided by Status: Upward Envy and Downward Scorn https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4479110/ Envy may be defined as “I wish I had what you do (and I would like to take it away from you).” Scorn may be defined as “You are not worth my attention (and I wish you would go away).” Envy famously eats at the envious, linked with resentful rumination.

You've convinced me I should try it, if nothing else

James and Jennifer Crumbley, parents of Michigan school shooter, sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for manslaughter https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/09/us/james-jennifer-crumbley-sentencing/index.html After sentencing, Oakland County Prosecuting Attorney Karen McDonald said the defendants expressed “feeling bad” but what mattered to the victims’ families most was an expression of remorse and “acknowledgement of the wrongdoing and some sort of reconciliation or apology for that – and that didn’t come.” At their trials, prosecutors used testimony from shooting survivors, police investigators and school employees to prove that the parents were “grossly negligent” in allowing their teenage son to have access to the gun and ignoring signs of his spiraling mental health. Jennifer Crumbley took the stand in her trial and blamed her husband, the school and her son for the shooting, while expressing no regret of her own. “I’ve asked myself if I would have done anything differently, and I wouldn’t have,” she testified. By contrast, James Crumbley did not testify in his trial, and his attorney argued he simply didn’t know about his son’s plans or mental issues. The parents’ defense attorneys have argued the charges have no legal justification, but appeals courts have upheld them. Good riddance! Parents need to be held accountable -- to an extent of course. You can't control kids, but you sure should know when your child has mental issues -- especially when directly told that by a medical provider! and of course they ignored gun safety rules, AND don't forget these two pieces of excrement HID in a warehouse after the shooting! Hope they "enjoy" prison...

So you were able to complete the game, even though you were never great t the timing/parrying? If that's the case, it's a bit reassuring

So, I'm a fan of Bloodborne, Nioh, Dark Souls (although III was getting pretty boring in my opinion Anyway, I never did play Sekiro but I did read reviews that claim you need to basically have perfect timing to succeed in the game -- I keep coming across reviews like this -- https://steamcommunity.com/app/814380/discussions/0/1850323802579762262/ This is not a very fun game at all. I don't mind dying in games, but the gameplay shouldn't be repetitive and not fun and there is absolutely zero sense of accomplishment even after beating a boss you have been trying to kill for hours. Combat is simplified, all encounters play the same, parrying and posture is simply a dull game mechanic, grappling is underutilized as half of the s*** you should be able to grapple cannot be grappled (even Tenchu on PS1 didn't have this issue), the story is supposed to be more linear and better than Souls, but it is absolutely not and the Dragonrot mechanic is a cheap gimmick. Every soulsborne game From released so far trounced this game by far. In fact, I learned to appreciate them far more in hindsight now that I played Sekiro. So, what are people's thoughts? Did you play and/or beat the game? How frustrating and/or fun is it? Would you recommend it to someone that loves Nioh and Bloodborne or not?

Haha, no worries, I totally get the need to know! Basically, I thought the original thread title was so bombastic and amusing that I have usurped it and anytime I find "crazy/shocking" prices I like to say "the so-and-so market has just exploded!" So yeah

I suspect the manual is distorted so that the back cover is smooshed and it looks like it's on the front cover.

Hope people had fun watching the eclipse! We were not in the path of totality, but still got a good 80% or so

But, it will never live up to this legend --