Big Blue Huddle

Not really jokes, but not sure where to post them without starting another thread...sooo, another thread. Things that make me laugh is poop scenes, and body-switching scenes - especially when the person discovers they're in another body

Anyway, funny clips from "A Million Ways to Die in the West", "Hall Pass", and "Changeup", and other movies of body switching. A million ways to die in the west doesn't quite rival "Blazing Saddles", but that was its intent. Some knee slapping scenes, and some duds in the movie...good for a few laughs. But here's the best of them. I loved seeing Ned Beatty in a film. Last time I remember seeing him in a movie was "Deliverance" while he was climbing up a hill naked and squealing, with a toothless hillbilly on his back telling him to squeal like a pig, and John Voigt tied to a tree with another hillbilly admiring his mouth, but I digress. Some hilarious scenes:

The yearly fair:

The gunfight:

Trailer:

Another poop scene that makes me laugh from "Hall Pass"...a funny movie where two wives give their husbands a weeklong hall pass to do whatever they want, including finding and having a one-night stand with no repercussions. One of them finally get a woman to go to a motel with him (Jason Sedakis)

What the heck, another from "Changeup" where happily married Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and player/bachelor Dave (Jason Bateman) switch bodies, so David goes to bed with Mitch's wife after being told by Dave not to touch his wife...anyway
But first...discovering they've switched bodies from a freak occurance as they were pissing in a fountain

An old movie that I loved, starred Ellin Barkin as a sleazebag/womanizer (Steve) who is killed by angry women, but God sends him back to earth to prove a female can actually love him...but the caveat, God sends him back to earth as a woman (Barkin)

And one of the best body switch comedies ever is "Hot Chicks"

If you guys like Godzilla and monster movies, I would suggest you give "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" on Apple TV a shot. It's a series, so unlike a movie, it keeps on giving. Season 1 has 10 episodes. Season 2 is in the making...don't know when it's going to drop though

Premise: Monsters (called "Titans" in the series), starts with the appearance of the original Godzilla who survives a nuclear bomb, hided in the ocean and deep underground. They surface when they get pissed off at humans. The series jumps from the current time frame (2020s), to back in the 60s. Interestingly, Kurt Russell (one of the stars) plays the current role of elderly Lee Shaw, and Kurt's son Wyatt Russell plays young Lee Shaw when going back to the 60s. You can see the resemblance and notice the same voice as his famous father. The show has a bit of a Japanese flavor as they start out in Tokyo and more than half the main cast members are Japanese (or half Japanese), albeit they all speak in clear English for the most part. They include subtitles when Japanese is spoken, which is very rare in this series

Worthwhile watch to those who like the thrill of battling monsters and incredible graphics

His dream last year ended with an injury before the season even started. But he's back and in full health and apparently impressing in practice. Hard to ignore a 6-3 WR who ran a 4.38

He's had a year to study the route tree and the way the Giants prepare for battle each week. At least he's gotten a year of mental exercise under his belt that all rookies have to go through. I think it's great to have youngsters in the system ready to step up when another player goes down. I'm hoping he's a hidden gem

https://gmenhq.com/posts/forgotten-ny-giants-wr-turning-heads-otas-great-sign-brian-daboll-01hz7kgcvbs9?sc=be165671da3b347e2b57f31b3de62ada4335dd4eb041bc409f5188d150192a90

Quote from: MightyGiants on Today at 03:02:57 PMI actually stopped at the naval recruiting station when I was in HS.  I was considering going to Stevens Institute and I could get a full ride scholarship if I studied to be a nuclear engineer.  My mother found out and didn't want me to.  Then I got a full scholarship to Cooper Union.  Sometimes I wonder about paths not taken.

The nice thing about going into college first, is that you start out your military career in the officer ranks right out of the gate. Any college that offers ROTC will also pay for most of your education. As a nuclear engineer, you would have started out as a 2nd Lieutenant, which is a great springboard for a career outside the Navy, and even better if you had made the Navy your career. 20 years in the Navy and you get full pension benefits to boot. Sill in your 40's, you can start another career while banking 40% of your previous salary courtesy of Uncle Sam. A nice route to take

As a teen planning on joining the Navy, I always loved the Navy's uniforms...especially the dress whites. I too often wonder if I had taken a different path. But not much I can do about it now

Here's a recent ROTC graduate as a 2nd LT with a single bar

Quote from: MightyGiants on Today at 02:24:58 PMI am a huge naval history buff.  I subscribe to Naval History (I am a member of the Naval Institute).  I have watched many of the videos on the two channels I posted.  I have watched countless hours of naval documentaries, and I have more than my fair share of naval books.

Well...you are well-informed in this subject, that's for sure. What I wouldn't do to be able to talk to my father and ask him questions that I now have. I always got a kick out of watching him blow his boatswain whistle, where he'd cup his hands around it and control the screech by opening and closing his hand. He also amazed me when showing me how to tie knots. Farmers in the area used to bring him ropes that he would splice together for them. But as far as calculating distance and adjusting for pitch, roll, and yaw...he never talked about, so I doubt he was involved in the mathematics needed to make the calculations - in fact, I'm sure of it. All I know is that he used to use binoculars from atop the mast and to radio down the results of the hits after the 16" guns were fired

As a mathematician myself, I find it all very intriguing. I've always been impressed with those who calculate the earth's rotation when sending rockets to the moon as the entire trip is anything but static. Anyway, thanks for sharing the videos. I'm old, but still learning...which I think is a good thing for keeping a brain in thinking shape

As a hindnote, you would've made a good sailor. Did you ever consider joining the Navy or did your interest come later in life?

Wow...you've done your research, Rich. I'm impressed 

Watched "Retribution" (Hulu w/Starz add-on) with Liam Neeson, who is one of my favorite "tough guys"...although he didn't look so tough in "A Million Ways to Die in the West" when he is laying face down in the dirt with his pants pulled down and Charlize Theron sticking a daisy in his butthole, LOL...but I digress

Scene "fuzzed out" to avoid pornography on this board

Anyway, pretty good movie and lots of action/bloodshed/explosions, etc. Sorta along the theme of "Speed" with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in which a bus blows up if it stops. Only, in this one, the car with Neeson and his two children blow up if anyone gets up off their seat, which will trigger a bomb and the bad guy giving instructions to steal 208 million Euros over the phone, and also has a remote switch to detonate the bomb


Supposedly, the best Neeson movie since "Taken", is dropping on Netflix today called "In the Land of Saints and Sinners", which I will get around to sometime this week...maybe tonight 

If any Giants' players get under-appreciated, it's Wan'Dale. Zero media attention (well, until this article), little fanfare, and mostly over-looked. Talk about "flying under the radar". Now, if only our coaches utilized him a little more and schemed around him more, he might be getting the same recognition as Puka Nakua, who was targeted almost a hundred times more than him

Throwing in Nabers, Slayton, and Hyatt and we have some really good options...that is, if the O-line can give our QB time for plays to unfold. And who knows what damage Bellinger and Theo Johnson can do with all the attention given the WRs. Makes me drool just to think of what could be

Quote from: MightyGiants on Today at 12:43:37 PMI am not so sure who would win.  The Yamato had bigger guns and thicker armor (but lower-quality armor).  The New Jersey had superior speed (5 knots faster), radar-guided firing (with computerized firing solutions), and I suspect a faster rate of fire.

The computerized firing was probably not available in WWII. Far more sophisticated than the days of pirate ships, but pretty much the same type of warfare as the days of pirates. The New Jersey loaded cannons with black powder (albeit - an incredibly larger amount), and a spearheaded (more accurate because of rifling in the barrels) cannonballs

Radar was pretty crude and could only detect sounds (usually planes) before the planes were seen. Submarines had a crude model of sonar towards the end of WWII, but it could only detect other submarines, torpedoes, or underwater mines less than a couple thousand yards...which was too late if a torpedo was coming directly at the sub. Sonar was not yet used by top water ships. Battleships were not equipped with sonar during WWII or Korea

Although they had a type of mechanical "computer", what they really had were knobs and gauges, to set speed, target range/distance, etc. To calculate moving targets during battle, sailors used slide rulers (if you can remember them...LOL). I still have my old slide rule that I used before the first digital calculator came out that could help me out when using trig. Pain in the ass to use is an understatement. I bring it out to show my grandkids and they are unimpressed. Computers in that day (WWII/Korea) were advanced mechanical renditions of the old Chinese abacuses, and slide rulers were America's answer to a scientific calculator



Ships weaponry and advanced technology was pretty crude during WWII and Korea. Black powder cannons and eyesight was used over everything, compared to today

Quote from: MightyGiants on Today at 06:47:30 AMI always enjoy this speculation.  One-on-one (admittedly unrealistic for a WW2 naval battle), who would have won the USS New Jersey or the IJN Yamato?

In a straight out one-on-one, head-to-head battle, the Yamato would beat the New Jersey. The Yamato was more powerful (had 18" cannons) and had stronger hull defense (much thicker steel skin) that could withstand more hits. Fortunately, that scenario never happened. The Yamato was sunk (along with almost the entirety of its crew) by US air superiority. The US aerial assault dropped thousand-pound bombs from the air onto the ship, destroying their front 18" cannons and superstructure...but the real damage was done by torpedo bombers from the air, which blew the hell out of Yamato's hull

Winner in your scenario: Yamato

Versus the German Bismarck, the New Jersey would have made short work out of destroying it, but of course, the Bismark was sunk (May '41) by the British and Polish navies before the US joined WWII. The New Jersey was launched (Dec '42), more than a year after the Bismarck was at the bottom of the sea

Winner in that scenario: New Jersey

Torpedo bombers were the biggest threat and raised the biggest alarm to all ships in WWII. America was not the only country that had them as all the other countries, including Japan, had them. In fact, that was how the Japanese sunk the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor



Advantage the Iowa Class battleships (New Jersey, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin) had over other battleships were that they were the longest and thinnest of the major battleships of the world, hence faster. Also, US battleships were purposely engineered with that specific width so they could cross the Panama Canal (US territory at that time) and could move quickly between the Pacific and the Atlantic when necessary saving weeks of sea time and tons of refueling requirements



Bottom line: Air and underwater superiority made Battleships obsolete. Before the rise of missiles, planes, and nuclear subs...battleships were king of the sea - the power symbol of sea warfare and land bombardment. They were called "Dreadnoughts" by all sailors for a reason...they brought "dread" to surface warfare on the high seas. No other ship wanted to deal with them in battle

Quote from: Jclayton92 on May 31, 2024, 08:15:50 PMhttps://www.pff.com/news/nfl-linebacker-rankings-top-32-2024-nfl-season

10. BOBBY OKEREKE, NEW YORK GIANTS
A career-high 78.9 PFF grade highlighted the best season of Okereke's career, his first with the Giants. The 2019 third-round draft pick ranked ninth at the position with an 82.5 PFF coverage grade, and he was one of the surest tacklers in the league, missing just 7.7% of his attempts

I think his presence on this team was more beneficial to the rest of our players than some of the LB'ers with higher PFF grades. His hard-nose playing style is "catching" (like a virus) to the younger players around him. And I agree...the best signing of Schoen's career at the helm. That could change if Burns lives up to his hype though

I don't expect this team to make it to the playoffs this year (considering our division), but they should be fun to watch. Hopefully, they use this year to get a lot of field time for our younger players. Development, development, development!

Thanks for that that Rich. The one line that sticks out is "USS New Jersey fired three times more 16-inch ammunition in her first tour in Korea than she had in World War II". I did not know that. Not sure my father knew that. Regardless, that had a lot to do with my dad's loss of hearing (which he blamed on the 16" guns), especially in his twilight years when his hearing was almost entirely gone

When I toured the ship with my son and my father, my dad pulled the chain barriers out of the way and took us down in the "off limits" turrets of the 16-inch cannons. He had done that before and was given permission to do so because in their words, "this was your ship - go ahead", told to my dad. Cramped quarters and amazing operation with elevators bringing shells up and powder bags. Not much different than the days of pirate ships where the gunpowder (black powder) and cannonballs were loaded separately. It took 6 bags (660 lbs) of black powder to shoot one shell. Quite amazing that they could shoot a 2400 lb shell (the weight of a car) more than twenty miles away with amazing accuracy



loading pre-bagged gun powder

I watched "Atlas" on Netflix last night because I couldn't find anything else worth watching. I figured I'd give it a few minutes to decide whether-or-not to stick with it. Not a fan of J-Lo, but gave it a whirl anyway. I ended up watching the whole thing, and it was much better than expected, and I actually think J-Lo did a great job acting, despite her pending divorce from Afleck

Movie summary:

Reminded me an awful lot of a new version and different take off of "The Terminator", where AI and machines take over the world, with a splash of "Star Trek" (space travel and odd planets) thrown in. If you like thrillers, killing, savagery, and saving the world once again, you'll probably like this movie. It was one of the few movies that I didn't wish I could get the last two hours of my life back afterward. Definitely worth watching

Quote from: Trench on June 01, 2024, 08:38:39 AMJolly - God bless your dad and all those who served and made "The Greatest Generation"....I cannot than you enough for sharing these pics. I'd love to hear any of his stories he passed along.

It would take a book to tell all his stories. He was on the battleship only during the Korean War. He lied his age when he was 16 in order to "get in the war before it was over" during WWII. His two older brothers were already in. His closest brother, Glenn, was in the 10th Mountain Division and was killed during the Battle of Po Valley in the Apennines Mountains of Italy. He was killed by mortar fire on the same day and next to the mountain where Sen. Bob Dole was wounded. Glenn's story: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/136681952/glenn-lee-chrysler

My Dad's other brother, Bob, was a Sgt (2nd Platoon, Company D, 134th Infantry Regiment, of the 35th Infantry Division), and partook in the Normandy Invasion and marched all the way from France to Germany before getting shot in the leg while marching through the streets of Geldern, Germany. While the rest of his unit took cover, he stood his ground and manned a machine gun, pinning down the shooters until his unit was able to come in from behind and take them out. He refused to go for medical help and marched (limped) all the way to Berlin. He died several years ago with the bullet still in his leg. You could paper a wall with all the citations and honors he was given. He marched back across Europe (still wounded) and boarded the Queen Mary for his trip home



The Queen Mary returning US troops back home to America...not exactly a comfortable pleasure voyage home



My Uncle Glenn and Uncle Bob


During WWII, my dad was stationed in the Pacific arena as a member of the SeaBees on the Island of New Caledonia. After Japan capitulated, my father was stationed in a port near Nagasaki for a year. He used to drive officers to the smoldering ruins of Nagasaki to tour the damage. We used to joke with our dad that the reason all his sons were bald was because of his walking around the radioactive ruins of the city. One of the things I'm proudest of for my father, was that after he was discharged, he went back to high school and graduated at 20 yrs old. A lot of my friends had fathers who quit school to join the war, but I only know of one who returned to finish his education - my dad. After high school, he went to Cornell to earn a certification in milk analysis. He then went to farms around NYS to train farmers how to test and graph various components of milk. While doing that, the Korean War broke out, and he immediately signed back up, this time as a Petty Officer/Boatswain Mate on the USS New Jersey. While the ship was being refitted in the Brooklyn shipyard, my father would travel home by train to Binghamton on weekends, and that is when he met my mother. They married in November 1950 just before he took off for the next year in Korea. Interestingly, the ship's mast and structure had to be removed for the ship to go under the Brooklyn Bridge. The parts were shipped to Virginia Beach to reattach before heading to Korea, which took a couple of weeks. Then a stop at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba for supplies, then through the Panama Canal, and off to war. The ship was so large, there were only inches of clearance on its sides as it went through the locks. So once they reached the Pacific, the sailors had to hang off the sides with ropes to repaint that sides of the ship

Anyway, there's way too many stories in my family to do it justice on this site. On my mother's side, she only had one member of the family in the war - the only male of fighting age - her cousin. My grandmother and mother (a teenager at the time) used to make homemade candy and cookies and send them to him. They wrote letters back and forth for the duration. His name was "Kenny" and he was a member of the paratroop battalion known as "Easy Company". He was killed in the Battle of the Bulge. His story can be found in https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56063971/kenneth-jay-webb

Our "Wall of Fame" at my parent's home

the picture on the right with the stars border was hand signed by Harry S. Truman


the small shadow box underneath the painting of the New Jersey contains a piece of the original deck of the New Jersey. My son (who was a combat medic in Iraq) purchased it when he and I toured the New Jersey with my dad