Yes, Siberia was to the Russian experience what the West was to the non-indigineous American one. We have some things in common with the Russkies for sure.

Yeah, this kind of thing makes us North Americans really lucky people for sure.

True story: Last fall a group of friends and I were doing a multi-day wilderness trek that culminated with some river rafting with small inflatable (and packable) rafts we had with us. At the end, in the middle of nowhere we run into this limping solo backpacker. He's Swiss, he's alone and he had been basically on…

I'm pretty sure every tree in the Black Forest is numbered and named. But if you have been certified by the Deutchland Department of Play and Pastimes, and you carry your card, yes you can frolic. In AK though, simple frolicing isn't hardcore enough for some of our Teutonic guests. They need to go full Revenant it…

The Soviets were far more savage than us in Afghanistan. On the other hand they were also smart enough to eventually leave.

When I was going to school in Europe I was amazed at the prevalence of incredibly cheezy and hack-neyed Native American posters for sale. Like the crying Indian brave with a single tear running down his cheek. (I think it was originally from a 1970's environmental movement and didn't have anything to do with…

Germans have a fascination with "wilderness." In Alaska, hundreds of Germans and Swiss show up every year for their great AK wilderness adventure. Some do it solo. A few of them really get into the act and dress like Jeremiah Johnson in archaic gear, find a tree, cut it down, build a dug-out canoe and float the…

Me and my brothers had GI Joe, Transformers, some Star Wars action figures too. Around about 13 or 14 (my poor little brother was still only 10, so I don't think his heart was in it) we rounded them all up and blew them to kingdom come with fireworks. My mom was super pissed at the waste of money, but it was really…

Well, well, looks like 'ol Doc Scurlock fancies his-self a singin' man now! I nearly shat my fargin britches at the news. But Hell, sounds like the test of all tests if you ask me. I'm in.

I wanna hear him sing a song bout his little china-doll, cuz she's his butterfly and he's her's. I mean, what I'm sayin' is I ain't surprised to hear this level of talent out of a fella who rode with a dirty underwear gang.

I was also an English lit major and I am also not a very fast reader. I did try and read War and Peace for fun. I made it about 70% of the way through and then skipped to the last chapter where Tolstoy starts talking about different theories of History. Anyway, the first half of the book I found to be genius. But…

I still remember Hank's laugh when he loses it. Classic.

I haven't seen BvS either, but all I can remember of Man of Steel is dourness and lots and lots of world threatening destruction. Like it should have been called: Sad Man of Steel: Ragnarok.

Still though - a generally bloodthirsty and/or cavalier about death batman I would draw the line at.

I don't care if he kills zero people in a story or a hundred, just so long as it's true to the batman mythos/psychology, which to my mind has very little to do with Batman drawing a line at killing. He's a (fictional) lone vigilante up against an (fictional) incredibly violent and dangerous criminal world. He's going…

I never saw a Phish show. Never saw DMB though they came through Bozeman and played at a dive bar in 93 I think? I got there in 95. Anyway, Bozeman and Bellingham were on zero major bands radar back then (maybe not now either). Though Death Cab were a local band in Bellingham when I was there and I didn't go see…

You made me read up on the battle of Artemision and ephors. Good on ya. Compelling point that 300 isn't really anti-democratic and that the Sparta wasn't a dictatorship. Two kings equals less monarchy than one is true. The ephors were elected and annually! I also see that the citizens "the Damos" got to vote on…

Roger. Interesting.

Fair enough. Though I wish she would have called him out about his racist, rapists comment. Though, like someone else said, a lot can be lost without tone of voice. He could have delivered that line in a very joking way that gets neutered in just a text format.

The visuals of 300 were something else. They were original, though cartoonish, surreal and way over the top. Still, they totally caught my attention. Jarred my senses really. My problem with 300 was basically that I wanted to see a different movie. When I watch a depiction of a famous historical event, I want to get…