!transphobes lol

How many fetishes does this guy have?

Anyone employed by an insurance company should automatically be sentenced for eternity to the Greek Fields of Punishment, Tartarus is a playground in comparison.

Is Google interfering in democracy?

Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all.

But right now we're seeing that even if you're the best, women are not paid their fair share.

It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.

— President Biden (@POTUS) April 16, 2024

lol, bad bait got a lot of people

I particularly like mulattostabjak

https://old.reddit.com/r/boogie2988/comments/1bqvkej/incoming_gofundme_arc/?sort=controversial

His Twitter is locked, but enjoy the screenshots.

/u/ChamberedAndHot is so much fun, they WORDS WORDS WORDS about how much fun they are.

Don't believe him? He's active in /r/Fauxmoi! He's also, and may Allah forgive me for saying this, a SRDine. He's been posting his on Hinge to the discussion thread lmao

You either stop eating meat to stop society from collapsing; or you stop eating meat because society has collapsed: either way your days of eating meat are coming to an end. pic.twitter.com/l43ha9TuoD

— Roger Hallam (@RogerHallamCS21) April 9, 2024

Around the world there are places that are associated with suicide. Sometimes it's because the location provides an easy way to leave this Earth. Other times, lore grows around an area, and those in despair are seeking something meaningful in their death.

South Africa is not exempt from this phenomenon, especially with the country's high suicide rate. It comes in at a startling 8th in the world when it comes to suicide rates. Roughly 24% of deaths are suicides, nearly a quarter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

There are a few locations that have become suicide hotspots, but I'd like to talk about one today. It holds a special place for me. I've driven over it before. Call it reconnaisance. I still see it as my portal to the next world when my story here ends. Holy shit I'm so depressed I've seen my therapist every day this week since Tuesday. I might cut tonight. It happens. But enough about that nonsense. Let's talk about...

Van Stadens Bridge

The Van Stadens Bridge is located in Eastern Cape, in a city named Gqeberha but is typically called by its previous name Port Elizabeth. That is worth a post in itself. Mayos were pissed when the city was officially named into something they cannot pronounce. To say Port Elizabeth is a form of rebellion in some circumstances.

The bridge was fully constructed to bridge two mountains and to cross the shallow Van Stadens River. The bridge sees regular traffic as it transports vehicles across the N2. It is a standard arch bridge, but there is beauty in simplicity.

The Suicides

The bridge was fully completed in November 11, 1971. A mere 18 days later, a man jumped to his death from the bridge. This is where the lore and legacy of Van Stadens Bridge begins. Suicides at the bridge continued, taking even the life of the daughter of journ*list Frankz Kemp. A R1-million video-camera surveillance system, paid for by private donors, because the government wasn't doing shit about it.

The Benzos have hit and I'm seeing double so sorry for what comes next. So how many lives did the bridge take? At least 70 at low estimates. You see, it has also been a site for murder. This occurred when he lured two children off the bridge before ending his own life. At this point, you should notice that this isn't a jump you're going to survive, regardless of whether the Van Stadens river is dried up or not. It stands at 140m, more than enough to switch your lights off, but just short enough to be wracked with guilt and doubt on the way down.

The Suicides Part 2

In 2008, the oldest suicider took his final jumpin' at age 80. To put things into perspective, the bridge claims a life every 18 months. Not long before, a Humansdorp teacher Nicholaas Martinus, 26, jumped off on June 4 and a day before that, Kensington man Chris Botha. Some more facts:

>grieving mom, Rosemary Wait, 62, jumped to her death below: her only son Charles Jr. had drowned six years earlier in a rafting tragedy at the Storms River mouth in the raging Gamtoos River below the bridge -- and she could not stop grieving for her only son...

In 2013, the government installed 2.7m high mesh to deter jumpers. Did it work? A resounding no. It still holds its reputation as the bridge of death. The mesh can easily be climbed over. It's more of a suggestion not to keep yourself safe rather than an actual preventative measure. I've seen the mesh. It's a joke.

https://web.archive.org/web/20120309072858/http://digitaljournal.com/blog/1462

Here's a message from the Democratic Alliance, a political party in South Africa.

And finally,, the bridge:

Modern bridge:

Before mesh:

A tragic beauty I'm sure you'll agree :) tune in next when we discuss Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain to an neurodivergent degree.

https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20240416-political-storm-erupts-after-police-ordered-to-shut-down-hard-right-natcon-conference-in-brussels

So basically EU far right wanted to have a far right conversion in capital of EU but mayor of Brussel a Turk send police after them

He wants now build a wall to keep all those dirty mayo's away from his city.

Battlefield Earth (2000) is the infamous Scientology propaganda film commissioned by John Travolta. It is considered one of the worst moves ever made, but I'd never seen it before yesterday.

It is now one of my favourite films.

Literally everthing about this movie is hillariously bad. The sheer incompetence is awe-inspiring and I didn't want it to end.

Story & Writing

In Battlefield Earth, a species of 10-foot tall aliens called Psychlos (seriously) run a mining colony on Earth after conquering the planet a thousand years ago after a war lasting just nine minutes. Humans are now reduced to stone-age tribes in irradiated wastelands, or slaves of alien masters.

I can't really say much more except it makes no sense. The Psychlos believe "man-animals" are too stupid to mine for gold, but they already employ humans as a labour force in their city.

Also, how the heck did illiterate tribesmen learn to fly Harrier attack jets in seven days without electricity or fuel?

The film is filled with the most ham-fisted exposition I've ever heard. As an audience-member, can you understand what blackmail is? Yes? Too bad! We're going to tell you anyway in 90 additional seconds of dialogue!

The Acting

John Travolta stars the scheming Psychlo security chief named Terl (seriously), trying to earn a transfer off the planet. His nemesis is the human Johnny Goodboy (seriously), played by a wooden Barry Pepper, who must lead humans to freedom.

Travolta's (and everyone else's) performance is so far over the top, he can't see all the way down. He isn't chewing the scenery, he is engorging himself upon it. Hense my favourite line in any movie anywhere:

If you ever wanted to see John Travolta in dreadlocks and a codpiece shooting the legs off a cow, this is the film for you.

Even Forest Whitacker, who's acting talent is undeniable, is wasted with nothing to do except deliver terrible dialogue.

Cinematography

A "Dutch angle" is a filming technique where the camera is tilted off the horizon to portray a scene of uneasiness or tension.

Literally the entire film is shot in this way. It looks like the DP had a stroke.

Also, there are loads of corny slo-mo shots, an over-use of wipe transitions, and most scenes are shot with an ugly, sickly purple filter.

Pacing

Battlefield Earth is all over the place. Fast-paced action set pieces are inter-cut with corny slo-mo. Thematically important scenes are not allowed to breathe, but are immediately followed by more exposition or John Travolta overacting.

Special Effects

Honestly, for 2000, the special effects aren't half bad. It all looks ugly as sin, of course. But I think this was a deliberate choice rather than technical negligence.

Summary

This film is worse than I ever thought possible and lives up to its reputation. But it's so bad, it became a joy to watch. I found myself laughing many times at the sheer absurd awfulness of this movie.

If you haven't seen Battlefield Earth, I thoroughly recommend it. I love this movie.