kimmy

I think the there is a "long term injury relief" clause that lets the Leafs get the cap space back. -k

I'm sure he has an angle, but I can't imagine that being it. First off, Robin is still a kid. And more importantly, his influence over that kid is Littlefinger's only real link to power. If he gives that kid to Sansa, he'll find himself in the same position with Robin and Sansa that Cersei is vis-a-vis Tommen and Margaery. For the time being, since Robin is still a kid, Littlefinger gets to be some kind of guardian or something. But once he's old enough to marry, he's old enough to not need a guardian. Recall that his only actual title is Lord of Harrenhal. It's a paper title, it makes him nobility, but it's only symbolic. Harrenhal is a burned-out ruin, not a power-base. Littlefinger is the Lord of a big pile of burnt slag. Being the guardian, chief advisor, big poppa, or whatever he is, to the Lord of the Vale is the one gig Littlefinger has right now that makes him a big-shot. He wouldn't give Robin to Sansa... he knows first hand how conniving and persuasive she can be... her ability to deceive the Lords of the Vale is the main reason Littlefinger's (almost) bloodless coup d'etat went off without a hitch. And that's another significant reason why I can't imagine him giving Robin to Sansa. He's not going to want her whispering in Robin's ear. -k

Yeah, it seems like so long ago that they left Winterfell to move to King's Landing, and I'd forgotten what an annoying little princess she was. If you'd told me back then that the naive, gullible, starry-eyed little twit would evolve into one of my favorite characters on the show, I'd have thought you were nuts. As you mention, Ramsay was just the latest in a long series of things she has endured. He's a part of her now, but so are Joffrey, Cersei, Tyrion, and Littlefinger. Regarding the letter she sent Littlefinger, I think the "big secret" isn't who it was sent to (everybody saw that coming) but rather what she wrote in it. I am guessing she offered her hand in marriage in exchange for his help. I think that's why she didn't tell Jon... she knew he would refuse, that he'd stupidly prefer to fight the battle with their inadequate forces than let Sansa give herself to Littlefinger in exchange for victory. In keeping with her recently demonstrated gift for reading people and reading the situation, she knew they needed Littlefinger's help, she knew what it would cost to get it, she knew Jon wouldn't accept the price, and she knew it had to be done anyway. That's my guess, anyway. Jon will flip his shit when he finds out, proving why she had to keep it secret, and it'll be too late by then anyway. Catelyn knew the price, Robb didn't get it, but Sansa does. -k

I don't think he actually hates the class system, I think he just hates that he was born into the wrong class. -k

Certainly that's true, and that's the deeper meaning that we the viewer can take from it. Her dispassion in noting that Rickon was as good as dead anyway, the smirk on her face as she walked away listening to Ramsay being eaten alive by his own hounds... we understand the effect he's had on her. But did he? I don't think he realized it, actually. I think it was just something he said to taunt her one last time. "You can't kill me. I'm a part of you now." Basically "You can't erase the stuff I did to you. Even if you kill me, you'll be haunted by what I did to you for the rest of your life." From his perspective, I think that was just some final bravado. Maybe when she gave him her icy reply-- that he would be forgotten-- instead of getting all emotional and angry and screaming at him-- I think maybe then he understood that she wasn't the same girl anymore. I think had a double meaning... from Ramsay's perspective, just some trash talk before he died... but for us the viewers, we understand the deeper meaning, in describing the effect he had on her and how she has changed. Well, we still don't know the price tag Sansa will pay for his help. I think he wants her tail more than he wants to try and hold the entirety of the North with 3000 soldiers with winter coming. -k

I bet Wun Wun could provide better color-commentary for a football game than Phil Simms. HIYOOOOO!! -k

With only 10 hours per season and a whole lot of story to tell, some of the finer details get glossed over or omitted entirely. It's an unfortunate limitation of the format. As for grumbling from some quarters that this season has been "predictable" and that they are pandering to viewers who want happy endings, or whatever, or that the show has lost its way by no longer shocking us with unexpected twists and shocking deaths... well, I dunno what people were hoping for. I mean, with just two more seasons to go, they have to start drawing this thing to a close-- bringing characters together, wrapping storylines up, drawing things towards an inevitable conclusion, which seems certain to be a battle between the living and the dead. And if people feel that the Starks retaking Winterfell was predictable, that's because it was predictable. It was a pretty much inevitable step on the way towards shifting the focus to the battle against the White Walkers. What's the alternative? Go Monty Python's Holy Grail or Blazing Saddles, and have White Walkers and Dothraki and Wildlings battling out of the set, off the studio lot, onto the streets, and get arrested by the police? That would sure be unexpected! -k

At this point, I think that Dorn, the Vale, and Highgarden are the only military powers left that aren't completely ravaged by war. Given that Tommen is already in Margaery's pocket, I think the Tyrells are the obvious horse to bet on there... they're far wealthier and their territory is much larger than the other two. But I doubt Lady Olenna and Littlefinger would fight open war against each other anyway. BTW, I suspect that if Tommen were to die unexpectedly in the near future, Margaery would declare to everyone that she is carrying the rightful heir to the throne in her belly, and appoint herself Queen Regent until he comes of age. If Dany arrives in Westeros with her military force-- which is much larger than all of the remaining armies in Westeros combined, even excluding the dragons-- I can't imagine Littlefinger being dumb enough to stand against her. Sansa would probably be happy to bend her knee... she has no interest in the Iron Throne or anything in the south. Considering her history with Tyrion and Theon, she'd happily support Dany as the new Queen, especially if Dany were to kill some Lannisters en route to claiming the throne. Lady Olenna would be in a tough spot... she's not dumb enough to think House Tyrell could stand against Dany, but at the same time she'd be obligated to stand up for her grand-daughter and her husband's claim to the throne. At this point Dany's force is so overwhelming that basically the whole 'game of thrones' is over if she gets her transportation problems sorted out. -k

I can't see much point in bringing a pregnancy drama into the plot at this point. Also, she has been out of Ramsay's clutches for some amount of time, hasn't she? While I have never been pregnant myself, I gather you start noticing symptoms fairly soon-- cramping, morning sickness, etc. And I think it's been mentioned at some point or another that the maesters have herbal abortifacients. If she were pregnant, I think that Sansa would be delighted to go to the maester to get it "taken care of", to make sure that the Bolton name really does vanish forever. She probably wouldn't even bother telling Jon she was pregnant. I think that when he said "You can't kill me, I'm a part of you now," he was basically saying that the stuff he did to her would haunt her for the rest of her life, and that killing him wouldn't stop it... he'll be tormenting her forever. But as we saw in the end, he is a part of her now in a different sense. She'll take some of his callousness, some of his cruelty, some of his ruthlessness with her wherever she goes. As a political force, I think Cersei is finished. The only link to power she has left is Tommen, and Tommen isn't hers to control anymore. She's fighting for her very life right now, and I think we'll see her do something desperate just to escape her fate at the hands of the Faithful. As Tyrion helpfully explained in this week's exposition segment, Dany's nutbar dad had plans to blow up everything with caches of wildfire in strategic locations around King's Landing, including the Great Sept. And Qyburn may or may not have confirmed for Cersei last episode that the rumor of caches of wildfire under the city are true. It seems likely that her plans for the near term include blowing stuff up. At this point I am wondering if Tommen will even live long enough for the Sand Sisters to assassinate, or if Cersei will kill him by accident in the midst of saving her own hide. -k

We've been waiting for this for years. Stark banners flying over Winterfell again. And Ramsay getting what he had coming. I loved it so much! Watching Jon knock Ramsay on his ass and punch his face in was so satisfying... I launched out of my chair and was throwing air-punches right along with him. The final dialogue between Sansa and Ramsay was also quite awesome: "They're loyal beasts." "They were! But now they're starving." It seems to sum up the shortsightedness of his whole life strategy and management style, doesn't it? Ramsay is right about one thing... he's a part of Sansa now. You could see it in the little smirk on her lips as she walked away, listening to him being torn apart. She's not a soft, naive girl anymore. What happens in the North going forward? What is Littlefinger's pricetag for helping Sansa? What of the Freys and and the Tullys? What does Sansa do with the traitorous Karstarks and Umbers? In the absence of a male heir, is Sansa the Lord of Winterfell for the time being? Will the lords of the North fall in line behind House Stark again? With House Bolton now eradicated, King Tommen isn't really obligated to honor the deal Tywin made with Roose, right? If Jon and Sansa declare that the Starks are once again the lords of the North, is King's Landing under any obligation to send troops north? Would they send troops to try to apprehend Sansa for the murder of Joffrey? Sansa and Littlefinger both seemed quite pleased as they sat together and watched the cavalry from the Vale smash Ramsay's infantry. Perhaps they have buried the hatchet? I also enjoyed Ramsay's face as he watched the riders from the Vale arrive. Meanwhile! The most powerful military in the known world springs into action! The Masters of Yunkai and Astapor may have miscalculated just slightly. I couldn't help giggling as Tyrion tried to soft-sell Dany on the situation. "Despite appearances..." Dany and Yara also seemed to hit it off pretty good. Interesting chat about all four of them having rotten fathers, and the idea that they could leave the world better than they found it. Yara was able to work the girl power angle pretty good... that seemed to strike a chord with Dany. As for Yara's flirting, I think Dany is much too heterosexual for Yara, but it seemed like she was either amused or impressed by the girl's pluckiness. "I never demand, but I'm up for anything, really." If she had balls, they'd be enormous. -k

OMG! OMG! OMG! -k

yeah yeah yeah, the "Conservatives" want to yank the golden ladder, and the Liberals want to kick the can further down the road. So damned if we do and damned if we don't, right? Between the early 1970sand the mid 1990s the Liberal and Progressive Conservatives racked up a half trillion dollar debt. What'd they spend it on? Infrastructure programs! Youth employment strategies! Subsidizing education! Government jobs! When Paul Martin Jr started running the country's books in the mid 1990s, things changed. Party over. One of the most obvious things we say was that inflation-adjusted Canadian college tuition fees have gone up by a factor of 5 since the mid 1990s. Tens of thousands of government jobs slashed. Our infrustratured has crumbled-- although the economic stimulus by the Harper gov't after the 2008 GlobalEconomicMeltDown did inject a lot of capital into infrastructure for a couple of years. The hallmark of the Paul Martin budgets was cutting provincial transfer payments, and every year here in BC more rural schools are being closed down as there just isn't money to keep them open. Every year tuition fees increase by the maximum the law allows. Rent is going through the roof. Tuition is going through the roof. Every year my BC Healthcare medical services premiums get boosted by the maximum, because I'm not a boomer and don't qualify for the old-people subsidies you guys get. "Guys! We can't afford to keep subsidizing education to the degree we used to. Also, we need to spend more money on hip replacements and seniors care!" -k

This is something I have a hard time with. From the comments here it seems like many are content to say "oh, he was just 'mentally unstable'" and dismiss any further factors in his decision to kill. The woman in my avatar-- Roza Shanina-- killed more people than Omar Mateen. And she's not considered 'mentally unstable'. She's considered a great hero. I don't doubt that there are people out there who would consider Omar Mateen a great hero as well. The people Roza killed were Nazis, many of them rival snipers. The people Omar killed were homosexuals. Depending on your ideological point of view... who is to say which one is the real hero? To me, Roza is a hero and Omar is a villain. But to someone from an opposing ideological viewpoint, maybe Roza was 'mentally unstable' and Omar is a true hero. Isn't the difference kind of subjective? Personally, I don't agree with the use of the phrase "mentally unstable" being used to mean "somebody whose motives I don't understand". To me, it seems like a cop-out, a way of saying "I can't personally relate to this, therefore it's not real". Maybe to Omar Mateen the need to fight homosexuals was very real, just as for Roza Shaninia the need to fight Nazis was very real. -k

Temporarily locked for janitorial service. ok, you may resume. Reminder, this is not a "comparative religions" forum. Posts in the theme of "Muslims be like this, and Christians be like that" will be removed. General discussion of Muslim beliefs or history will be removed. Discussion of religion will be removed unless it relates directly to the events in Florida. -k

As I was discussing with Argus in another thread recently, it doesn't seem like conservatism has any message to offer younger voters. "Pro-business" might have been an easier sell back in a time when "pro-business" policies would lead to businesses hiring young Canadian workers, rather than cheap Chinese workers or Temporary Foreign Workers. "Fiscal responsibility" now just looks like the generation that had a golden ladder put up for them is pulling the ladder up behind them now that they're at the top. -k

There are a lot of smart people in Texas. However, the electoral system and gerrymandering make sure that the state government continues to reflect the will of rural rednecks. -k

The question isn't whether they had the legal right to host this individual at their center, BC2004. They clearly did. However, does that choice fit with the loving, friendly, supportive image which they're now trying to portray in wake of Sunday's events? Does that choice suggest that the Muslim community actually tolerates, condones, and promotes homophobia? -k

Well, the "Orlando Shooter" didn't actually say much of anything. Orlando's Husseini Islamic Center hosted a speaker who's noted for promoting execution of gay people. Maybe in the USA incitement of hate and violence is a constitutional right, but in Canada we could theoretically bar a speaker like that from entering our country. -k

To clarify: I didn't want to forbid all discussion of Islam in this thread. I wanted to keep the focus of this thread on the Orlando massacre. I don't object to discussing what role Islam played in this event. When I said I don't want this to become "a generalized Bash Islam thread", I meant that if Islam is going to be discussed in this thread, it had better relate directly to the topic at hand. -k

So it was just the Husseini Islamic Center-- and just the directors thereof-- who invited him. How did the rest of the community react? Did they sound the alarm and say "hey! This doesn't represent us! We don't want this guy here!" or did they keep their mouths shut and hope nobody noticed, or did they attend the lecture and nod their heads? As the video shows, TV station contacted the Husseini Center for comment and their response was essentially that they can have whoever we like speak about whatever topic they like, and it's a private function, so MYOB. Now the Husseini Center has a statement on their site how they share the grief of the nation. Sincere? Maybe their feelings on the execution of gay people have changed since Dr Sakaleshfar came to town. About 10 years ago, in the aftermath of the Australian Muslim rape gang events, an Australian Iman made statements protesting the sentences of the men involved, comparing Australian women to uncovered meat and complaining that you can't blame a dog for stealing uncovered meat. Australian Muslims rose up and fired that Imam. They booted him back to Saudi Arabia. Will we see Muslim congregations take similarly active stands against Imams who preach hate against LGBT people? Or will they sit quietly and nod their heads and hope that the rest of the community doesn't find out what's being preached in their mosque? -k

So before the thread got locked, some people were mad that I was less-than-impressed by the Muslim community's efforts to show "solidarity" with the LGBT community. Put flowers at a crappy memorial? Who cares? Put a rainbow bumper-sticker on your car? Who gives a shit? Considering that Orlando Muslims invited this guy to their community to speak just a couple of months ago, their attempts to tell people how much they love gay people ring really hollow to me. Dr Sakaleshfar has just cancelled his speaking tour in Australia because of negative publicity resulting from the Orlando massacre. Did Australian Muslims ask him to go home because they disagree with his message? No. They asked him to go home because his presence would bring negative attention to their community. To me, that embodies why these declarations of support ring hollow. To me, if they really supported the LGBT community, they'd raise holy hell before he arrived in town. They didn't... they asked him to leave after the whole world found out who he is and where he was. This guy has been speaking all over, for years, and he only becomes persona-non-grata after his chance proximity to a massacre of LGBT people put him in the spotlight. So how seriously can I take your little rainbow stickers and your flowers? -k

Oh Lorraine by The Temperance Movement. I love the chorus in this one, and the guitar sound. This one of my favorite things going around right now. "We The People" by Monster Truck. They seem like a Canadian throw-back rock band kind of like the Sheep Dogs. The vocals and guitar sound kind of tie in with the Southern Rock kick that I've been on pretty much non-stop since around 2013. And check it out, they even have a Canadian Tuxedo on their album cover! -k

I never really "got" Radiohead, but I do love Paranoid Android. The choral portion just puts chills up my spine. Regarding the Peppers... I recall being at a Zellers once upon a time and hearing Muzak of "Under The Bridge" and realizing that the Red Hot Chili Peppers were no longer cool. -k

If you feel that people have been going easy on the Muslims or excusing the massacre of gay people, I suspect that you haven't been reading the thread on the topic. Regarding your comment towards me, I would have hoped by now that after all these years you'd understand that I'm the last person to give Muslims a free pass, any more than I give Christians a free pass. -k

Guys, I am going to unlock this thread. KEEP IN MIND that I am going against Charles' judgment in doing so, and that if you make me look bad he will be telling me "toldja so" for weeks. With that out of the way, let me add a few more comments: This topic is about the mass murder in Orlando on Sunday morning. If you have some thoughts about the Prophet's traveling companions, or the Ottoman Empire, or your personal interpretation of the Hadiths or the Old Testament, or your feelings about Patriot Act, or the Zionists, or Sultan Suleiman The Magnificent, feel free to SHUT THE F*** UP. This is not going to turn into a generalized Bash Islam thread. This is going to be on a short leash, and comments that don't focus on issues pertaining to the topic at hand will vanish without explanation or apology. -k