ValueSubtracted

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 3d ago

I haven't finished reading this, but it's excellent.

And boy, does Keir Starmer ever come off as...extremely Starmerish.

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 3d ago

The stations being shut down are all either news or sports.

ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 4d ago

New information has been added since this went live:

The Prime Minister's Office said the Trudeau-era process that largely excluded partisans needs to end.

"This decision recognizes the valuable contributions made by Canadians who have chosen to serve in elected office or in other partisan roles, including knowledge of the governing and legislative processes, which will contribute to a stronger, more effective Senate," the PMO said in a news release.

To that end, the PMO said the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, which has been used to sort through applications from would-be senators with an eye to those who are "independent and non-partisan," will be reconstituted.

"Guided by constitutional requirements and merit-based criteria, the board will identify highly qualified candidates with diverse experience and perspectives, and make recommendations to the prime minister," the PMO said.

"Canadians are invited to apply to serve in the Senate through an application process that will open in the coming weeks."

"Partisan" is an understandably dirty word, but I think the biggest strength of the Trudeau reforms is the lack of a party whip - I hope the Senate retains its relative independence.

ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 4d ago

The title looks fine on the Lemmy side of things, even from another instance.

ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 4d ago

In theory...no. Pipelines are federal jurisdiction, so they can do what they want.

I can't imagine Moe would be opposed to it. Kinew is, but the reason is his disagreement with the other provinces about their approach to reconciliation. If that issue is resolved to his satisfaction, I could see him going along with it.

But even more than the west coast pipeline, I think this project is a non-starter.

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 4d ago

It's funny, I kept mentally comparing this one to "The Beast Below", which is a similarly madcap re-introduction episode...but I fucking love "The Beast Below". I guess it comes down to execution.

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 4d ago

The face of Boe

I neglected to mention him. Cool concept, great...puppet? Prop? But it bums me out that the Jack Harkness connection never really gets explored, and thanks to John Barrowman, never will.

the Duke of Manhattan

Definitely memorable. I actually paused to see whether the actor had played another character - I was thinking of Dorian - but nope.

Chip

A goofy, thankless role, played to perfection by an overqualified performer.

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 5d ago

Is there reason to believe this is the worse option?

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 6d ago

There have been a few. Some of them haven't found anything, and some have.

There is no consensus about whether to excavate and potentially disturb the burial sites.

ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 6d ago

They've shown at least a willingness to slow down and reevaluate things, if there's enough outcry.

Low bar, but it's better than a pure "move fast and break things" attitude.

ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 6d ago

I was surprised too, but it apparently spanned December 25, 2025 - April 15, 2006.

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 6d ago

"New Earth" is...fine, I suppose?

It delves into familiar territory for Davies - he seems to have an affinity for the banality of evil, with societies taking a theoretically-well-intentioned turn into darkness. Unfortunately, I think it's handled better in episodes like "Turn Left" or even Torchwood's "Miracle Day" (which I remember enjoying the one and only time I watched it, which I know is a very unpopular opinion).

For all the talk about DW being a low-budget show at heart, the makeup and production design were frequently top-notch, even back then. It's really the VFX end of things that lagged behind the rest of the industry. The cat people in particular look great in this one.

Cassandra's back! Uh...yay? Probably not who I would have picked as a returning series one antagonist, but here she is, talking out of her ass. I don't think she's used particularly well here - her motivation to uncover the secrets of the hospital is unclear (maybe I missed something), and her human supremacy goes largely unacknowledged in favour of some basic classism.

And of course, much of the fun of the episode involves Cassandra possessing Rose and the Doctor. Piper and Tennant do fine with this individually, but they do not seem to be playing the same character to me. Overall, Tennant's seems to be more authentically Cassandra, but even he is upstaged by Sean Gallagher at the end, when Chip is possessed.

I don't really know how to feel about the final scene where Cassandra dies in her own arms. I know it's meant to be touching, but she's also a vain murderer, so there's an upper limit to how much I care about any of this.

The test subjects in the hospital vaccilate between intelligent and mindless zombies as the plot requires, and the resolution of spraying disinfectant all over them is pretty convenient, even for this show.

A pretty middling episode all in all, and I don't think it's a great introduction to this new incarnation of the Doctor for anyone who missed "The Christmas Invasion" some four months earlier.

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 1w ago

Consider me inspired - from this point forward, I collect the blood of my coworkers.

Y'know, just in case.

ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 1w ago

Yes, I'm fully aware of how much heavy lifting "should be" was doing - that's why it was there.

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ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 1w ago

so taxpayers again

It's a Crown corporation, so taxpayer funding should be minimal, but it seems there are mechanisms for them to receive loans from the Ministry of Finance, which is a shame.

If due diligence is actually done, I would still predict that this thing fizzles out in a few years without actually getting built.

ValueSubtracted @startrek.website 1w ago

Then why pay attention to any of it?