Amentep

I don't think the dems have to win every election. At some point of rejection of what they currently are will create a realignment or a collapse (where a new party will spawn). But maybe it is that grim.

I don't disagree; I didn't think Biden was a great candidate last cycle. But people wanting him to step aside don't realize how difficult it would be to do that; as I understand it if he stepped aside the new candidate would be starting fundraising anew as they can't legally use Biden's war chest (unless, I think, if the candidate was Kamala who could because shes already on the ticket).

Sure, on the one side Trump is backed by a group that wants to dismantle the Constitution and make the USA a theocracy, but then again Biden's old(er than Trump by 3 years).

Or - and I know this is a radical idea, but hear me out - we could do everything we can to ensure Trump and Trump aligned politicians don't get elected, so we never have to find out what Trump would *really* implement!

I hope you're talking about a game! 💀

Toss up between Giant Tsunami (if Giant Meteor hits big in the Sea) or Giant Earthquake (if Giant Meteor hits big on a landmass), I'd guess. I suppose Molten Hot Magma might get the nod if Giant Meteor goes for the "Deep Impact" platform.

The two people who head up Project 2025 are former Trump staffers. Because Project 2025 is divisive, Trump has publicly disavowed knowing anything about it (in the same social media post where he also said he disagreed in large part of it, despite not know anything about it and also wished them well). But much of the things that it talks about are talking points used by the Trump backers, Trump aligned politicians, Trump supporting media and Trump himself (particularly the deportations/secure border stuff). So I find it hard to think that Trump wouldn't try to implement much of this if given a chance.

Yikes! Sorry to hear your daughter was scammed - any recourse or lost for good?

It was based on a Roddenberry pitch in the 70s called Battleground Earth. CBS (IIRC) liked the pitch, but Roddenberry was in the UK filming Spectre so wasn't able to immediately work something out; by the time he came back Paramount was gearing up for Star Trek Phase II and the whole thing got dropped until it was retooled to be Earth: Final Conflict in the mid 90s. I rewatched the whole thing not long ago. It gets really messy with all the cast changes and the resultant directional changes. It also didn't help that - unlike Roddenberry's original pitch - the series was initially unclear about which side (human resistance or alien benefactors(?)) were the baddies. In other news:

Saw a guy arguing with a street sign going into work a month ago. Was very Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

On another note entirely...

The Official Planet of the Apes Role Playing Game

You can definitely tell Saul Bass' strength was more in visuals than in narratives.

Watched the restoration of PHASE IV. Very nice looking film. The ant photography is great. They include the theatrical and original end and while I can appreciate the visuals of the 2001-ish attempt at a purely visual conceptual finale, I think the end deflates the tension of the film and needed at least some narrative or emotional line drawn.

After suffering through the 70s & 80s teams, I'll take it.

Haven't really been paying attention to it so much last few years. Atl is above .500, so that's good.

The Klingon stuff feels heavily nerfed; like whatever plan had generated it had been so revised by the time it broadcast that it no longer really made sense but had to be there since the entire structure of the character relationships and second half of the season needed it since it propelled the concept. You could tell that Disc had a tumultuous creation, and I say that as someone who was okay with Disc s1 & 2 (still got to get around to finishing 3 & 4)

I read CoMC in high school, but over the years had forgotten I read it. Then one day I saw the Jim Caveziel movie adaption and was like "I read the book!!!!"

Speaking of Ken Russell, I saw Lair of the White Worm recently for the first time. As is often true with Russell's films its a better film than its reputation would lead you to believe, even if I think Russell's final joke at the end doesn't really pay off.

One of the first Doctor Who companions, William Russell who played school teacher Ian Chesterton, at 99: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-william-russell-dies-newsupdate/