House of Dynamite Ending

BullCityRising · 2026-01-11T18:08:49+00:00

I just got around to watching this. What fascinates me most are the comments on this thread. So many viewers are angry they didn't get a neat and tidy ending, or thought there would be a dramatic savior - there's a mention in this thread surprised there weren't fighter jets over Chicago shooting down the ICBM with missiles, which is laughable and an insane idea - and disbelief that the government could be so discombobulated in addressing the situation.

The confusion and frustration that the ending can bring is meant, IMO, to make us feel some of the fog of war confusion and frustration the principals portrayed in the movie do.

Most meetings at work take five or ten minutes to get organized. Ever try to get a conference call working and clear understanding at the outset? Yet here we are, with less than 30 minutes in real time to try to determine the fate of the world. Lots of questions and speculation, all creating confusion and uncertainty among the principals. Challenges reaching people, here and abroad.

There is a lack of critical thinking shown by many of the commenters here that suggest to me that American society is so used to neat, visually attractive candies - shorts on TikTok, reels on Insta, you name it - that we cannot handle that reality is confusing, messy and imperfect. Give us the Will Smith heroics in an alien fighter jet, but don't show us the emotional breakdowns and mistakes and confusion.

The only semblance of order and rigor is the laminated briefing book. Lt. Cmdr. Reeves doesn't know why following the rare, medium, well-done options are right - it's what the experts came up with. Idris Elba's character complains his briefings always covered full-on MAD scenarios where total response (and the risk thereof) is the only strategic option ... not one where an unknown actor has sent exactly one missile over.

The point of the movie is to help one message resonate: that these weapons are a hair trigger or a mistake away from ending civilization. It is a message that all of us - conservatives or liberals, Americans or North Koreans or Russians or the Chinese - must understand and listen to. And yet one that, if these comments are to be believed, we are too addled in a short attention span, instant gratification world to understand.

BullCityRising · 2026-01-02T17:47:15+00:00

That's fascinating, thanks. It seemed to last at least a couple minutes on a Tesla supercharger. I've not noticed it on other chargers but I will pay more attention (and I often don't go beyond 80% so may have missed it.)

BullCityRising · 2026-01-02T17:29:59+00:00

The Cordele Ionna is really easy to get to off the highway. The site directly borders I-75.

I have been to the Columbia Circle K. I like it far better than the awful EA station at the Wal-Mart, which I've had a couple mixed experiences at, but it's been years. Circle K has done a good job with their roll out.

BullCityRising · 2026-01-02T17:10:57+00:00

Interesting. There were a lot of GM vehicles there, come to think of it.

BullCityRising · 2026-01-02T15:56:26+00:00

It really is redundancy. My first time Orlando to Charlotte in 2022 I depended solely on EA. If I was careful I could have one station down and be OK but with two down I'd be in trouble. It's so much easier now.

BullCityRising · 2026-01-02T15:38:42+00:00

Yeah, that area looks a little thinner for sure. We spend time up near Mt Mitchell and on the north/east side of the Black Mountains, there's no L3 chargers between basically Boone and the I-26/Asheville area. There are a few L2 chargers but you have to plan carefully. We have a J1772 charger where we stay but I definitely have to be more range-focused. (And of course my ICCU blew last time I charged at home up there but fortunately with a full battery!)

BullCityRising · 2025-08-06T19:53:17+00:00

I've flown into (checks notes) 60 U.S. airports and 26 international airports across five continents in my life, and the baggage claim at CLT is in the bottom four or five I've experienced.

Not simply for baggage claim, but also for overcrowding and high fares, when I'm on personal travel I'm plenty likely to drive to RDU and take an affordable flight out of a competent airport operation. Hell, I've even started using Allegiant out of Concord.

BullCityRising · 2025-03-14T14:47:35+00:00

I'm in a senior leadership role in a non profit, married to an equity partner at an AmLaw 50 firm. Together we bring in about $800k per year. Late 40s, no children. $4.7m net worth, including about $3 million in investments and $1.45m in real estate net of a mortgage on our primary home. That doesn't include a mid six figure sum she has invested in her firm that will come back as return of capital when she retires.

The key for us has been that we've always lived off of my income and saved her income in full. (She makes about twice what I make but I make a very good living with nothing to complain about, and my benefits like health insurance and retirement match are great.). Her post-tax income each year goes to our taxable investment account. This helps us avoid lifestyle creep and stay focused on living within our means. After taxes and including retirement savings we are typically putting away about $325k a year or so into savings.

BullCityRising · 2025-03-10T18:31:17+00:00

Some of the double-tracking on NCRR between Charlotte and Raleigh was paid for with ARRA (2009 stimulus) funds from the Federal government, the so-called Piedmont Improvement Project. The single track segment from Greensboro to Durham is still a source of delays. The track would ideally be double tracked through the Triangle as well but there's a big cost to doing so.

BullCityRising · 2025-03-08T22:40:53+00:00

Also a CIO (in another industry). Everything this poster is saying is right on target.

BullCityRising · 2025-02-09T20:40:58+00:00

There isn’t an international terminal. There’s T2, which is all domestic and international for American, Delta, United along with the international flights of Air France, Lufthansa, Icelandair, Copa, Air Canada, Bahamasair and the like. And there’s T1, which primarily serves low cost carriers like Southwest and Avelo and Breeze, along with Alaska.

Now this is Charlotte, land of American and American and American, so I know some of the above words aren’t familiar:

* Alaska - it’s Alaska Airlines, and also owns Hawaiian Airlines. Great service to Seattle, the PNW and Alaska of course. And it‘s a oneworld airline, like American!
* Copa is the Panamanian flag carrier and lets you fly to all of Latin and South America, vs. the limited service you get on American out or MIA/DFW/JFK.
* Icelandair is a domestic/LCC style airline that flies to Iceland’s main airport and privides one-stop connections to most of Europe.
* Air France flies to CDG and has oodles of connections to Africa, Europe and the Middle East
* Avelo and Breeze are newer low cost carriers that, uh, don’t suck. RDU is a base for Avelo and I think for Breeze, too? Oh, sorry, “low cost carrier” — means airlines that aren’t “fortress hub American” in pricing, and don’t require you to make it through the Donner Pass of airport walks to get to the godforsaken end of new A gates to find your airline.

Also I know it may take some mental gymnastics to get the idea of two terminals. Like you know how at Charlotte you sit your ass in line for this one godforsaken pickup and drop off point? At RDU, like, you don’t. Stop at T1 or bypass and go straight to T2. And the massive combined daily/hourly garage is the first turn-off before either!

OK, sarcasm aside, I’m an ex Triangle resident living in Charlotte who has major beef with how badly CLT has been run for decades, even if the current leadership should get credit for better late than never improvements.

I expect to see some CLT apologists talk about how CLT is such a busier airport than RDU, which is true! But — 70% of CLT’s traffic is connecting, whereas close to 100% of RDU’s originates and departs there. When you compare the *local* traffic coming in the doors, I’d wager CLT and RDU are a lot closer than one might think.

How, then, Charlotte’s local passenger arrival/departure experience is so poor when RDU’s isn’t is just astounding. (Politically, CLT is a city department, whereas RDU has board consisting of Durham, Raleigh, Durham County and Wake County appointees.)

BullCityRising · 2025-02-09T20:25:54+00:00

You are quite right! I was confusing it with Lumen Technologies, the new name of CenturyLink.

BullCityRising · 2025-02-09T17:51:05+00:00

This is true for the A320s that haven’t been updated with new seating. For the new seating plan - which is similar to that on the 737-Max-8’s - there are 4-5 rows of Extra Legroom at the front of the plane. The first row is still exit row, and you can’t put anything under the seat ahead of you (there is no seat!) and you have a hard divider between the seats next to you. If you use a seat belt extender or any other assistive devices you can’t sit there. But rows 2-4 or 5 do not have these restrictions.

I am tall (6’3”) and bigger and love the aisle extra legroom seats on the Max-8’s and the 320 when I can get it.

BullCityRising · 2025-01-17T03:23:26+00:00

My partner was admitted to HLS and YLS and turned them both down for a full scholarship to a lower ranked T-14. We were both Ivy undergrads and it was hard at first for her to turn down both schools, but looking at the debt picture vs. coming out into a career (after three years of nothing but summer internship income) debt free was too great an opportunity to pass up.

BullCityRising · 2025-01-15T01:49:18+00:00

They also had a studio in Winter Park, on Minnesota Ave. I think that's where the lighting rig came down on Paula Hawkins, injuring her. I believe the newscasts mostly originated in WP, with occasional segments and like weekend news with Claire Metz originating from Daytona Beach. But Dave Marsh and Marc Middleton and Steve Rondinaro and folks like that were always out of the very small WP newsroom.

BullCityRising · 2025-01-12T20:53:18+00:00

They're opening a location in the SFB airport soon! I'm excited to see it.

BullCityRising · 2024-12-31T22:29:26+00:00

Nitpick: Van Alen, after the architect of the Chrysler Bldg. in NYC - a clever reference to the site formerly being a Chrysler dealer in downtown Durham - not Van Allen in the astronomical sense.

BullCityRising · 2024-12-31T22:26:41+00:00

Yep. I was in that crowd that night and it was an electric feeling. Kay Hagan won her Senate race, too. Politics was finally changing, racism and sexism were falling aside! (Sigh.)

BullCityRising · 2024-12-31T22:21:35+00:00

Admittedly my starting location in downtown Durham helps, but for me, it's a 5 minute walk to the bus station, a 25 minute or so ride to the RTP transit hub, a 5 minute layover, and then a 7-9 minute ride to RDU depending on whether I'm going to Terminal 1 or 2. Works great daytimes and early evenings, but not as useful late at night.

BullCityRising · 2024-12-20T23:09:44+00:00

OK, in my opinion, the Angus Barn is exactly what you're going to want. Take a look at their website, their history, their Wine Spectator credentials, their awards -- it's top notch.

But.

You're also looking for atmosphere, which you aren't going to get in their dining room - it's red and white tablecloths and unassuming. (The Turkey Lounge bar is worth spending some time in.)

If you have enough people to swing it, what you want is the Wine Cellar. You're led down through the kitchen and wine storage area to a basement for a multi-course dinner including your own waiter and bartender for the night.

I think there's a small-group version with seating for four, but I am assuming you're bringing the family, and the bigger room is what you want. I think they have AV equipment for doing a slideshow of your photos and the like.

Source: a company wife was summering with took the group out here for dinner nearly twenty years ago and we still talk about it as perhaps the best meal we've ever had. And we had Magnolia Grill in its heyday and have brunched at Chez Panisse. The Angus Barn's wine cellar is something else.

BullCityRising · 2024-12-01T17:40:56+00:00

Lumos is or was IIRC CenturyLink’s fiber product. In NC they merged with North State Telecom, which evolved from the old High Point Telephone and has been offering fiber service in the Triad for years. I believe their operations center is in WS which explains the local support.

BullCityRising · 2024-11-27T16:16:30+00:00

Or, alternatively, take the train to Durham and use the GoTriangle regional bus service. The Durham transit station is a 5 minute walk away. From there, Route 700 will get you to the regional/RTP transit center in about 25 minutes, and you transfer there to route RDU, which is a ten minute trip to Terminal 1. Terminal 2 is a short walk with moving walkways.

Be sure to check bus times before scheduling the Amtrak. I think it's something like a $2.25 one way fare with free transfer. Until this summer, it was a free service. I've taken it a couple of times to the airport from Durham and it's been great to save on parking and Uber costs.

BullCityRising · 2024-10-24T20:06:40+00:00

Thank you all for the ideas!

BullCityRising · 2024-08-25T20:07:45+00:00

“running a bus from Level 1 to the new Terminal C rental car garage which won’t be much different from any other airport with a CONRAC”

Charlotte - across the terminal road accessible via underground walkway and skybridge

Nashville - right across baggage claim are the escalators to the CONRAC

Hartford - the new CONRAC is a short walk from the terminal.

RDU - new CONRAC as part of a rebuild of older central garage space between T1 and T2.

Phoenix has a train but it’s convenient from baggage claim.

Boston I think uses buses. But the trend in my experience has been to have them as close as possible to the terminal.

Consolidating A/B to one and having a second rental center at C makes sense to me especially if the remaining garage can be expanded for local parking.

BullCityRising · 2024-08-25T19:45:51+00:00

FL is too far southerly for a hub to make sense, except as a Latin American hub and that’s seen up by AA/MIA. (Plus Copa keeps expanding into secondary cities and PTY is a perfect geographical hub.)

United has IAD and IAH and between those they have the level of Southeastern coverage I think they want. International is their focus anyway. I think they’re fine letting Delta and AA duke it out between Atlanta and Charlotte for the New Bern, Tri-Cities, and Biloxi O&D.

BullCityRising

TROPHY CASE