So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[LizzieMaine]

I can't begin to imagine what the Chinese thought of Butterfly McQueen.

 

[Zombie_61]

I can't begin to imagine what the Chinese thought of Butterfly McQueen.

Especially since she don't know nuthin' 'bout birthin' no babies.

 

[Harp]

I can't begin to imagine what the Chinese thought of Butterfly McQueen.

The Chinese girls think of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable; and, of course, Rhet went back to Scarlett.

 

[tonyb]

Forced laughter. It’s irritating. And a little insulting.

 

[Bushman]

Forced laughter. It’s irritating. And a little insulting.

I find that laugh tracks on sit-coms tend to ruin the jokes via forced laughter. It doesn't help when the sit-com hits the laughs every other line, effectively killing any humor in any of the ACTUAL jokes.

 

[Touchofevil]

Hoses. They are expensive, they kink, and spring leaks to no end. They don’t make them like they used to.

 

[Touchofevil]

Forced laughter. It’s irritating. And a little insulting.

It is really annoying.

 

[Bushman]

Hoses. They are expensive, they kink, and spring leaks to no end. They don’t make them like they used to.

My mother, fed up with kinking, leaky hoses, found the most durable hoses she could at a local garden center, and despite the expense, bought four of them. She still has those very hoses 20 years later, and *knock-on-wood* they've yet to kink or leak. Investing in good garden hoses is a highly underrated thing.

 

[tonyb]

My mother, fed up with kinking, leaky hoses, found the most durable hoses she could at a local garden center, and despite the expense, bought four of them. She still has those very hoses 20 years later, and *knock-on-wood* they've yet to kink or leak. Investing in good garden hoses is a highly underrated thing.

Such had been my experience, too. Good hoses cost a lot, maybe too much, even. But cheap ones are false economy.

I leave mine out year-round, which is probably not advisable. But I see to it they’re drained of water before temps drop below 32F, and neatly coil them near the hose bibs. I cover the bibs themselves with those styrofoam insulating things.

 

[tonyb]

Hoses. They are expensive, they kink, and spring leaks to no end. They don’t make them like they used to.

And then there are spray nozzles and watering wands. In my experience, the longest-lasting ones are the ones with the fewest features. It kinda grates to pay 35 or 40 bucks for a watering wand that doesn’t give two full years of service.

 

[Bushman]

And then there are spray nozzles and watering wands. In my experience, the longest-lasting ones are the ones with the fewest features. It kinda grates to pay 35 or 40 bucks for a watering wand that doesn’t give two full years of service.

I've given up on watering wands. The only spray nozzles I trust anymore are the stainless steel ones. The plastic nozzle break with the lightest of touch.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^
A watering wand is all but a necessity for me, what with something like 30 potted plants, some of which come in during the winter and some of which live outdoors year-round. In my experience, the longest-lasting ones are made of anodized aluminum and have a squeeze lever sort of thing to regulate rate of flow. No head adjustment; just a simple shower. The fancier ones with adjustable spray and cushioned grip and all that fall apart.

 

[Touchofevil]

And then there are spray nozzles and watering wands. In my experience, the longest-lasting ones are the ones with the fewest features. It kinda grates to pay 35 or 40 bucks for a watering wand that doesn’t give two full years of service.

And when the water goes not where you want it to go. I have an older nozzle that is durable and shoots the water with the perfect force or spray. I have repeatedly tried to find another nozzle of the same caliber for years and now have quite a collection of just okay nozzles that I rarely use. I instead switch out the good nozzle for the okay or just drag the hose with the good nozzle further around the property.

 

[Touchofevil]

My mother, fed up with kinking, leaky hoses, found the most durable hoses she could at a local garden center, and despite the expense, bought four of them. She still has those very hoses 20 years later, and *knock-on-wood* they've yet to kink or leak. Investing in good garden hoses is a highly underrated thing.

I have spent quite a bit of money on buying what I expected to be a good hose, but so far I have had limited luck. I have a hose that will not kink and probably will never spring a leak, but it is almost impossible to roll up in a circle small enough to be reasonable.

 

[Edward]

Our detachment mascot was a tomcat named Mother.....r.
The appellation fit, excellent rat killer, solid bar rep; and, when the mail chopper dropped off Mary Poppins
(and I later told everyone we had a real hot bombshell flick), Motherf….r was with me, but didn't tell anyone...
Afterwards, after I had my ass kicked for Mary Poppins, Motherf….r came by my bunk and laughed his ass off.

Mary Poppins is sure no The Moon is Blue....

I’ve known heartache, for sure. I’ve dished out a few servings of it, too. It’s not pleasant.

Regrets? Of course. If I had it all to do over again I’d do it differently. But I don’t, so I can’t.

Still, I am glad to have had the education, even the lessons that stung.

A meme going around goes something like, “If, when looking back at your younger self, you don’t realize you were an idiot, you are probably still an idiot.”

Funny thing, 'they' always say you regret what you didn't do, but my regrets have always been where I 'did' and not where I 'didn't'. No point getting hung up on what can't be changed, of course. Though given the chance it would be very tempting to pull out a couple of threads on the tapestry.

A Hong Kong screening of Gone With The Wind.
I can understand the Chinese subtitles but that infamous scene when Rhett grabs Scarlett
and carries her up the stairs got whacked by the axe.

The Chinese censors, much like anywhere else, have their list of what is and is not to be permitted. They can be quite crude with it, though. In the last couple of decades they've moved away from banning whole films and simply cutting bits. They don't always do it so neatly: when Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was shown on HBO Asia, they cut the masturbation scene, but only that - the rest of the sequence was left, with the result that it was obvious a cut has been made. A minute or so more, and they could have cut the entire scene without ruining the narrative. Seemed a poor artistic choice to me, but there we are. Reminds me of the early days of home video, when a video version of many films was made, with the film itself rigorous cut to fir a 90 minute length here in the UK.

I find that laugh tracks on sit-coms tend to ruin the jokes via forced laughter. It doesn't help when the sit-com hits the laughs every other line, effectively killing any humor in any of the ACTUAL jokes.

It's interesting how it changes the rhythm of a show. Something with a live audience they have to work around the reaction - just as they would in the theatre. Without, you can get on with the material. I much prefer without, myself. When the BBC showed M*A*S*H in the UK originally, it was without the laugh track. One episode accidentally got shown with and there was an uproar. The DVD boxset gives both options - when you're used to 'without', it's amazing how invasive it feels. (The show never wanted a laughtrack to begin with, but the studio apparently demanded it.)

 

[Harp]

The Chinese censors, much like anywhere else, have their list of what is and is not to be permitted. They can be quite crude with it, though. In the last couple of decades they've moved away from banning whole films and simply cutting bits. They don't always do it so neatly: when Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was shown on HBO Asia, they cut the masturbation scene....

Chinese cinematic circumcision but they cut the chicken choke?

 

[Edward]

Chinese cinematic circumcision but they cut the chicken choke?

It seems they share many Western censors' aversion to sexual activity as well as their indifference to violence. To greater extremes: I once saw a lunchtime Chinese soap opera set in the revolutionary period which showed a fairly graphic (if low budget effects - made) scene of a man being gored with a pitchfork.

 

[Harp]

It seems they share many Western censors' aversion to sexual activity as well as their indifference to violence. To greater extremes: I once saw a lunchtime Chinese soap opera set in the revolutionary period which showed a fairly graphic (if low budget effects - made) scene of a man being gored with a pitchfork.

Eugene O'Neill's Desire Under The Elms resonates a pitchfork wield in a barn loft but Phaedra, Hippolytus
and Thesus were Sophia Loren, Anthonty Perkins, and Burl Ives.

I shared a plane ride with a Chinese diplomatic bunch enroute to Las Vegas and waiting to board
I spotted this gorgeous young lady in said gang, and nearly ran off to an airport shop for a rose to gift
her with, but I caught myself before creating any faux pas. She wore Sarah Palin glasses.
Just knocked me out. And I told myself to stop acting like a teenager, recalling the Gone With The Wind
film snip long ago.

 

[Zombie_61]

...Something with a live audience they have to work around the reaction - just as they would in the theatre. Without, you can get on with the material. I much prefer without, myself. When the BBC showed M*A*S*H in the UK originally, it was without the laugh track. One episode accidentally got shown with and there was an uproar. The DVD boxset gives both options - when you're used to 'without', it's amazing how invasive it feels. (The show never wanted a laughtrack to begin with, but the studio apparently demanded it.)

The American sitcom Barney Miller (1975-1982) was originally filmed in front of a studio audience, but that stopped somewhere during the second or third season for a number of reasons, and by season 4 a relatively tame laugh track was added when it was deemed necessary. Almost everyone I know who was a fan of the show agreed it became a better show after the live audience was removed from the equation.

 

[Trenchfriend]

Do you know these people, which instead of packing here groceries on the belt wait until the last moment, before it's their turn?
I never comprehended this behavior.