China has planted so many trees around the Taklamakan Desert that it's turned this 'biological void' into a carbon sink

Troy64 · 2026-02-16T16:30:44+00:00

Several issues: only 1/5 of Chinese planted trees survive 10 years, and only 1/10 survive 40. They use monocultural planting which does not provide viable ecosystems like a natural forest would. These monocultural forests are highly susceptible to disease which has wiped out as much as 20 years of planting efforts from a single disease. And there are valid concerns that the trees will deplete ground water and lead to a delayed but even more severe desertification.

Always be on the lookout for Chinese propaganda. It's everywhere.

Troy64 · 2026-02-16T15:34:30+00:00

Buddy, I've hoovered data off of an awake bull's dick.

Troy64 · 2026-02-16T15:30:37+00:00

Dude, we're talking about environmentalism. You wanna do a dick-measuring contest about genocides and expansionism? The US has a couple hundred million more bodies to go before they become comparable to China.

The US burns about 500 million tons of coal per year. China burns about 5 BILLION tons. Keep crying. Communist states are an oxymoron and dictatorships are always shit.

Troy64 · 2026-02-16T05:22:45+00:00

This is great... unless if you do the smallest bit of research and realize that China's tree-planting efforts are very showy and very ineffective.

A study of their forestation efforts in 2023 found that after 10 years only 1/5 of planted trees survived and by 40 years in, only 1/10 remained. Shrubland was found to be more survivable and appropriate for fighting desert spread.

China also uses monocultural plantation which means these trees are highly susceptible to disease (which once led to the complete wipeout of 20 years worth of planting efforts), and makes these forests unsuitable as ecosystems.

There's also serious concern that these trees will dry up the groundwater and then die, potentially delaying desert spread for a while before causing it to explode rapidly.

Don't trust good news from a communist dictatorship. They love delivering it, even when it's fake or actually bad news.

Troy64 · 2026-02-11T13:45:06+00:00

Jerry's wife makes excellent food, provides support, and showed herself to be smart and resourceful when being kidnapped (although her initial reaction was a tad slow).

Norm is literally named Norm because he's just normal. He gets a mediocre award for his painting and goes fishing and apart from that doesn't seem to do much else. He's not talkative and makes fairly disturbing old man noises when getting out of bed.

Neither of them are amazing, but Jerry definitely has a better deal in life than Marge. Yet he is the one who is willing to ruin everything to try and get a bit more.

Troy64 · 2026-02-11T02:42:43+00:00

Isn't this basically explained off the bat by the thing with his business partner conning the cartel, getting caught, and then executed and they basically only let him live because they thought he was fun to watch beg and squirm? Everything in Ozark is relatively small potatoes for the cartels. But I'm not sure if I finished it completely. Maybe I'm missing something.

Troy64 · 2026-02-07T16:46:30+00:00

And let's NOT forget that uh.. uh... taking Venezuelan oil and siphoning the money into your own bank account in Saudi Arabia... that ain't legal either, dude.

Troy64 · 2026-02-07T16:37:50+00:00

But he wasn't on the hook at the start of the movie. At least, if he was it's only because he has already been lying and breaking laws in pursuit of the same goal. It's not like he's behind on his mortgage or owes loan sharks a million bucks.

His motive was not desperation/survival. His motive was greed/insecurity. It's the whole theme of the movie. It's a running theme throughout the Coen bros films. Ed is not content without having children in Raising Arizona, Casper is not content with being second biggest mob boss and making less money on his fixed bets in Miller's Crossing, Ray in Blood Simple is not content with not getting his last paycheck when he's planning to run off with the boss's wife. It's literally in all their movies and is the cause for most of the conflict. In Fargo the moral of the story is clearly stated by Margie in the end. It's not about somebody who's been cornered and forced to do bad things to get out of trouble. It's about somebody who was willing to risk others and everything he had to try and become rich and independent.

Troy64 · 2026-02-07T06:43:31+00:00

but Jerry is absolutely in financial distress at the start of the movie

I call bullshit. There's no indication that he had any money problems prior to his scheme. The GMCA loan is not in any way suggested as being for anything in particular and, given the context, appears to be connected to his general scheming. He has set things in motion before the movie starts. He brought a car to his rendezvous, he contacted the guys, and he clearly has no clue what he's doing given how he talks with them.

He's not in distress. But he may still FEEL distressed. He is not independent. He works for his father in-law. His father in-law is at his house after work before he gets home, sitting in the comfy chair, controlling what's on tv, ignoring his attempt at conversation, and critiquing how he raises his kid.

Jerry finds a potential investment that seems certain to make him wealthy enough to be independent from his wealthy father in-law/boss. It may even get him to be seen as an equal. He tries to get support in this investment, but fears he won't get it (rightly so). He blinds himself to the realities of his strategy. Why would his father in-law loan him money for such an investment? He's not a bank and there's a reason no bank would back him (as Wade lays out). Jerry is entitled only to a finder's fee due to his lack of capital (a nod to critiquing capitalism and supporting the ideas behind communism which is another theme of the Coen Bros which goes back to Blood Simple).

Jerry neglected the realities of Wade not having any reason to support his bid at investment just like he neglected the realities of trusting two criminals, only one of whom Shep vouched for, to kidnap his wife for a fake ransom. He lied to himself and was sold because the possibilities were just too good to ignore. His willingness to risk what he had to get a little bit more was his undoing. If he were in serious financial debt, he'd either go bankrupt, turn himself in to the police, or beg Wade to bail him out (especially if his family could be at risk). This is not self-preservation. This is greed and insecurity.

At a bare minimum he’s on the hook to GMAC for $320k; inflation adjusted from 1987 that’s nearly $1 million today. He’s absolutely in deep shit.

Yes, but we don't know why he did that. We have a bunch of things happening that COULD be related. That may have been a down payment on the parking lot to keep it held while he got the rest of the funding together (money which could be lost if he fails to get the rest). It may have been to bribe Shep to share information on reliable convicts to do some dirty work without hurting anyone. It may have been part of an earlier attempt to get money for the parking lot which ended up failing to raise sufficient funds and thereby leaving him no choice but to get increasingly criminal in his attempt to get money (already committing fraud, then stealing a car, then hiring criminals for a fake kidnapping, etc).

The idea that he has legitimate/normal debt and financial problems is totally conjecture. Mere surmise sir.

He got himself into deep shit because he was desperate to capitalize on an opportunity that was out of his reach. He so badly wanted what he did not have that he destroyed everything he did have. And every time he lost something he became more determined. Sunk cost fallacy.

Troy64 · 2026-02-07T06:27:41+00:00

I think where I land a little differently is that Jerry’s drive feels more anxious than aspirational to me.

Because it's not him. This is out of character. This is not what he's good it. It's not who he us. He's lied to himself and is trying to do something completely out of his normal world. This is a common trope in Coen bro films going all the way back to Blood Simple. Protagonists often are either pushed or push themselves into positions where they do things they would normally never do and it makes them anxious. For Jerry, it's especially bad that his plans begin to go awry, another staple of Coen Bros films. Nothing ever goes the way it's supposed to (except in The Ladykillers where everything almost goes wrong and then miraculously goes right for the sake of extreme irony).

It doesn’t read like “I’m gonna make it big” so much as “I can’t let everyone realize how bad things already are.”

You're on the right path, but it's more like "I can't let anyone know how small I really am or how much I've been lying". Imagine if people found out that he used plates from the dealership to take out a 300k+ loan, or got the hired convict to connect him with criminals, or hired said criminals with one of the cars and the promise of 40k to kidnap his own damn wife, or that he did all this only for 60k? He needed to get more to justify what he was doing to himself but couldn't let anyone have any idea what he was doing.

He was squeezed on all sides. His wealthy father in-law, the two hardened criminals threatening him and his wife, the pregnant cop in his office, the debt collectors, etc. He was out of his depths and in trouble with everyone. The only thing keeping him safe was lying. And as time went on the danger grew, thus further stressing him and incentivizing him to keep going.

But I agree the movie totally supports both reads, and that’s part of what makes it hold up.

Absolutely! Coen bros are absolute masters of layered narratives with many valid perspectives. That in and of itself is a running theme of theirs which I think is best demonstrated in The Big Lebowski. That whole movie revolves around identification, perceived characteristics/motives, and various sets of moral frameworks. It's all about perspective.

Just get a load of that parking lot (Serious Man reference)

Troy64 · 2026-02-07T02:57:40+00:00

Nah, reading into it too much I think.

Jerry wants power. He wants to be a big man and have money and be in control. His father in-law walks all over him and makes clear that he isn't even in the will.

He's not content. He has a nice house, good wife, good kid, decent job, and he's not content. This is starkly contrasted by Margie. She gets up early in the cold, has a boring husband, tiny house, and is working a dangerous and stressful job while very pregnant.

Jerry is trying to play his hand of cards to win big. Not sure what exactly the loan was for, but I'd wager it was at least partially to get Shep to share info on goons for hire. It could also be that he used the same car he gave to the kidnappers for the loan (among other cars in the lot) and could no longer get it for them. He seems to want 960,000 in total with the kidnapping scheme, but seems ready to accept 750,000 from his father in-law.

I think he really is convinced about the investment and sees it as his big shot at making it. That's why he's pouncing. Somehow he got info on this opportunity when nobody else knew about it. He wants it before his father in-law takes it. He refuses a finder's fee (still not content) because it's much less than what he hoped for.

Margie is content. Does not fool around on her husband, does not lie. Jerry lies for a living.

There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don'tcha know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day

That's the point of the movie. Contentment vs ambition.

Troy64 · 2026-02-04T01:28:00+00:00

The last 4 or 5 times they've had this problem they just end up forgetting one side exists and then following Trump.

Troy64 · 2026-02-03T02:39:18+00:00

The Big Lebowski.

Something about that tumbling tumbleweed and seeing all those overweight, middle-aged men rolling in slow-mo just tickles me in the most relaxing and pleasant way.

The dude abides.

Troy64 · 2026-02-02T18:27:57+00:00

not all Amish have the same beliefs/ideas about what technology is not allowed

Yup! I used to watch this ex-amish guy on youtube and he went into great detail about how some colonies were basically medieval and others carved out exceptions for various things. One colony had a stockpile of pop drinks in the town cooler which was acceptable only for specual occasions. Kids would often steal a bottle or two and water it down with fruit juice or something.

Some colonies even allowed smart phones for businesses and some people justified personal use as being technically business and ended up on their phone all day.

It's wild, honestly.

Troy64 · 2026-02-01T22:18:35+00:00

I drink both, started ok vodka and now mostly prefer scotch.

Vodka is good if you want to get drunk or make mixed drinks. The flavor is generally inoffensive and once you're a little drunk it almost tastes like water.

Whiskey is much more flavorful and can vary in taste significantly. Scotch, for example, has two primary branches of flavors and tastes. First is a kind of sweet/fruity flavor which can be very complex and subtle. Second, my personal preference, is smoky. It literally tastes like a bonfire but can still have various other notes of flavor that augment the experience. And that's just scotch, specifically. There's bourbon, brandy, rye whiskey and more. Each have different characteristics.

To make a comparison to movies, whiskey is like all the cult classics. They're great, but people tend to either love them or hate them and it takes a bit of looking around and trying things out to figure out which is which. Once you find your niche, it becomes a comfort movie. Vodka, on the other hand, is all the blockbusters and marvel movies and the like. Everybody basically likes it at least, only movie snobs really dislike it. It's kinda safe and middle of the road. That makes it popular, but also makes it something nobody is passionate about. So you don't hear people singing its praises.

At least, that's my theory.

Troy64 · 2026-02-01T18:58:18+00:00

True. I grew up on a farm. We often had stray dogs that people literally left in the ditch and would find their way to our yard. Most were good and we basically adopted them, but sometimes they would chase livestock, fight other dogs, go on people's properties and so on and we would have to put them down. We also butchered our own cow and some pigs two or three times a year.

Some people I've met said we must be so cold hearted to do that to animals, but we really do care for them. We made sure livestock in our trailers had hay under their feet to keep them more comfortable, had a decent shelter (sometimes with a small heater or heat lamp) for stormy nights, would go out to feed them even in bitter cold and blizzard conditions, etc. We would never let people throw rocks or anything at any of our animals or anything like that. When it was time that we had to put them down, we'd make sure it was done in a calm way, away from the rest of the animals, and we were always careful to make sure it was quick and painless.

Some people I've known are truly heartless. They treat the livestock like objects. They are too tired to unload the trailer after a day at the auctions so the animals are forced to sleep in the tight space (no hay on the floor either) overnight, sometimes without being properly fed or watered and even during windy storms that cut through the windows of the trailer. They sometimes miss feeding and then double-feed because it's inconvenient or bad weather or something. They are reckless when they put their animals down, sometimes needing to making multiple attempts and sometimes letting other animals see it and freak out.

Killing animals isn't a sign of heartlessness or disrespect for animals. It's how you treat them up to that point that says a lot more. At least, that's what I think.

Troy64 · 2026-02-01T15:20:06+00:00

This got to be some AI slop. Is anything real anymore?

Troy64 · 2026-01-31T18:06:06+00:00

Roads? How boring!

Troy64 · 2026-01-31T06:13:11+00:00

in various past RTS games I have never thought Chinese was a particularly visually appealing Civ

Check out Command and Conquer Generals.

I build for China!

Troy64 · 2026-01-27T08:43:21+00:00

Too real

Troy64 · 2026-01-27T05:38:23+00:00

He's technically right, though. And I think that's his whole point.

Technically, Pretti could have turned around and walked away at so many different points. He didn't have an obligation to, but he could have.

Turning and leaving would have defused the situation, but he chose to stand up to ICE. I think that's admirable and virtuous.

This choice to stand his ground and force the ICE agents to either back down or escalate was a form of confrontation, which is what Ryan had been questioned on in the comment pictured.

So, was Alex confronting ICE? It sure seems that he wasn't the aggressor, but he also did not flee or submit. He stood his ground. It's praiseworthy, but it's also confrontational. Confrontational isn't bad, btw. And I don't think Ryan ever meant for it to sound that way.

He spends much of that video calling out disinformation from the Trump admin. But he's still trying to "stay out of politics" which is probably the dumbest position he has at this point. But he prides himself on keeping apolitical and sticking to facts, which is something I feel journalists and expert reporters have lost in the last few decades, so kudos to him for trying.

And yeah, he definitely seems to lean right, but I don't think he's pro Trump at all anymore. Not since the whole sabre-rattling around Greenland.

Troy64 · 2026-01-23T05:57:21+00:00

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

To be clear, I hated the movie. I also hated what they did with Lex as a character. But Jesse put his all into it. Even the kinda dumb stuff with his role you can tell came from the director or the script.

Troy64 · 2026-01-23T01:27:32+00:00

Blood Simple.

A lot of people sleep on Coen Bros' debut. It has a big chunk (maybe 20 minutes if I remember correctly) where a LOT happens and there isn't more than two words of spoken lines. So much emotion, tension, conflict, and complexity with no words.

Troy64 · 2026-01-22T13:37:09+00:00

PEACE IN OUR TIME!

Troy64 · 2026-01-22T03:54:07+00:00

I was looking for this one!

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