death tribble Posted August 10, 2023 Report Share Posted August 10, 2023 8 hours ago, Cygnia said: Robbie Robertson, The Band Legend, Dies At 80 You will find him somewhere down the crazy river. RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted August 10, 2023 Report Share Posted August 10, 2023 ‘It’s really only the beginning’: are we on the cusp of a breakthrough in endometriosis? Old Man 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted August 10, 2023 Report Share Posted August 10, 2023 Study suggests ‘high sensitivity’ label is used by narcissists and psychopaths as a manipulative tactic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DShomshak Posted August 10, 2023 Report Share Posted August 10, 2023 17 hours ago, unclevlad said: Basically: pre-tax, $800M and change for the lump sum. Annuity, starts at $23M+, increasing every year...it's $36M after 10 years. Max is $96M. Almost everyone takes the lump sum; I think I saw only 1 winner of a 9-digit prize that took the annuity. But this is somewhat different, in that it's SO huge...let's face it, even after taxes, the first year alone is likely several times more than our individual lifetime earnings...including projected retirement. $13M net? I'm good right there. Why? The entire lump sum all at once offers some chance that you'll be STUPID with it. The annuity says, ok, well, your stupidity shouldn't crush you forever. So I think I'd actually do the annuity. In that position (fat chance!) the sensible thing would be for me to take the annuity. I have trouble imagining what I'd do with even $1m per year. But with the lump sum, it would be tempting to try financing a CHAMPIONS movie! Dean Shomshak Pariah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted August 10, 2023 Report Share Posted August 10, 2023 5 minutes ago, DShomshak said: In that position (fat chance!) the sensible thing would be for me to take the annuity. I have trouble imagining what I'd do with even $1m per year. But with the lump sum, it would be tempting to try financing a CHAMPIONS movie! Dean Shomshak A movie would be a waste of a LOT of that money, IMO; the D&D movie worked because D&D still has high recognition. A Champions movie would simply look like some superhero movie where no one recognizes any of the characters. OTOH...finance a 7th edition? A PDF-oriented version? I'd prefer Champions ONLY, but that's my bias. Heavy on hyperlinks. Cleaner organization. How far I'd really alter specific rules or pricing (I'm thinking damage reduction, for example) is debatable, because the more you do that, the more you need considerable playtesting to avoid getting things seriously wrong. There's a time factor to consider. (Also true with a movie. The timeline from project concept to finished movie is probably MUCH longer than most people think.) With a new version of HD, rewritten from the ground up to be much more streamlined. But that's also a LOT less expensive, and could be done off the annuity payments. Especially considering the negociations would take a while. Seems likely that the money won't have to flow too heavily until after you get that 2nd check...at which point, you can readily devote half of it to this project. But that still sounds like WAY too much work for me, at this point. There's no way I wouldn't be involved in both the PDF and software sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted August 11, 2023 Report Share Posted August 11, 2023 The "Nuclear Coffin" On Runit Island Is Still Haunting The Pacific Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted August 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2023 New school bus routes a ‘disaster,’ Kentucky superintendent admits. Last kids got home at 10 pm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted August 11, 2023 Report Share Posted August 11, 2023 Scientists at Fermilab close in on fifth force of nature Logan D. Hurricanes and Cygnia 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcw43921 Posted August 11, 2023 Report Share Posted August 11, 2023 23 hours ago, unclevlad said: A movie would be a waste of a LOT of that money, IMO; the D&D movie worked because D&D still has high recognition. A Champions movie would simply look like some superhero movie where no one recognizes any of the characters. Which is why I suggest, half-seriously, that whenever I do win a big lottery prize, that I will fund the Crusader & Starburst streaming series. I was thinking of rewriting Crusader's origin--instead of being brainwashed by VIPER, he starts out as a VIPER agent picked by his Nest Leader for their anti-superhero initiative. He uses more force than necessary against real crooks, and kills a gang boss targeted by VIPER--but then he inadvertently does some actual good, like saving lives and helping people in trouble. He would then team up with Starburst and become a full-fledged crimefighter, albeit one wanted by the authorities--not to mention VIPER. How's that sound to everyone? Logan D. Hurricanes and Pariah 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted August 11, 2023 Report Share Posted August 11, 2023 I like it. I may steal borrow that origin for Crusader when he shows up in one of my campaigns. If I ever have another campaign. wcw43921 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted August 12, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2023 The worst news story you'll see. I'm even hiding the headline. TW: death of a baby Spoiler https://www.cbsnews.com/atlanta/news/atlanta-area-doctor-hospital-sued-after-baby-allegedly-decapitated-during-birth/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted August 13, 2023 Report Share Posted August 13, 2023 It’s not just the office people don’t want to go to: COVID looks to have permanently severed something as school attendance plummets and keeps dropping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 Squirt the giraffe dies of age related causes Cygnia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 How tall was they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan D. Hurricanes Posted August 15, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 He was the size of two asteroids! Old Man and dougmacd 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pariah Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 I wish I was surprised. Looters and land speculators move in after deadly Hawaii fires Makes me think of the Thénardiers from Les Miserables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted August 15, 2023 Report Share Posted August 15, 2023 2 hours ago, Pariah said: I wish I was surprised. Looters and land speculators move in after deadly Hawaii fires Makes me think of the Thénardiers from Les Miserables. The article is a little unclear. Lahaina is on Maui, an entirely separate island from the island of Oahu where the state capital of Honolulu is. Honolulu is the state capital because Oahu has decent harbors. Kahului harbor on Maui has space for, like, one container ship at a time. Kahului airport has one runway long enough for cargo planes. Lahaina itself is accessible by a single two-lane road that goes through the town. That's why the survivors are having trouble getting hold of basic supplies. It doesn't help that they now live in a five square mile crime scene littered with bodies and dangerously unstable, toxic ruins. I don't blame the cops for locking it down as hard as they have. As for the land speculators, I fully expect a moratorium on foreclosures and sales in Lahaina to be passed in the very near future. This might even be the catalyst to finally ban (or massively tax) real estate sales to offshore corporations and non-residents, which has helped to drive up housing costs here. But we'll see. The other recent development is that a release of water to fight the Lahaina fire got tangled up in the land use department for at least a few hours. Better get ready for the water wars, fellow inhabitants of Earth's ruined climate. Pariah and Cygnia 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 16, 2023 Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 World War 2 aerial photos of England opened to public for the first time https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-66511918 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 16, 2023 Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 British Museum worker sacked after treasures found to be missing, stolen or damaged. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-66527422 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted August 16, 2023 Report Share Posted August 16, 2023 Did you realize credit cards cost the stores THIS much?https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/dining/restaurant-credit-card-fees.html?unlocked_article_code=1YDWGtP6Us8HIuUwPBs5ievIW6tM1DPwY4UbwtadexNxXORM7gT4Nm9-dtz6DjrL0hqfXqFHzYhXvyNrTi1iyEdbrSDVfztII1kpIF3RE6QhXZ3Q9waeHzl9r9cYNz69bY0X6fnkh2T_1VwzYzL1w4vLd4cN8CcvNO5Ma9OovblYOM-BYdp8JZ-_Ma46PNr3c0ng2b3khAOQXMp99S0PfM1y3R8GRDwL1MhSEi4nyfO_H42cvXbjcphjedqJMT9Fn7Z2ATE3X6FDaBR_FTxDyr8oNLQd6FeeeBxrXjnzWDEanh_U5zw7RHoz5cm_s3NPQId8LFQDvGgfeel8z4o4NvjgLY16&smid=url-share Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ternaugh Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 2 hours ago, unclevlad said: Did you realize credit cards cost the stores THIS much?https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/14/dining/restaurant-credit-card-fees.html?unlocked_article_code=1YDWGtP6Us8HIuUwPBs5ievIW6tM1DPwY4UbwtadexNxXORM7gT4Nm9-dtz6DjrL0hqfXqFHzYhXvyNrTi1iyEdbrSDVfztII1kpIF3RE6QhXZ3Q9waeHzl9r9cYNz69bY0X6fnkh2T_1VwzYzL1w4vLd4cN8CcvNO5Ma9OovblYOM-BYdp8JZ-_Ma46PNr3c0ng2b3khAOQXMp99S0PfM1y3R8GRDwL1MhSEi4nyfO_H42cvXbjcphjedqJMT9Fn7Z2ATE3X6FDaBR_FTxDyr8oNLQd6FeeeBxrXjnzWDEanh_U5zw7RHoz5cm_s3NPQId8LFQDvGgfeel8z4o4NvjgLY16&smid=url-share From working retail many years ago, Visa and MasterCard were around 3%, Discover Card was around 4%, and Amex charge cards were around 6-7%. The average numbers I'm seeing on the web now is 1-3%. Rewards cards also usually cost more to process, because the banks raise their interchange fees to pay for the benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoloOfEarth Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 On 8/9/2023 at 7:00 PM, unclevlad said: Yeah, well... Just for grins. Let's say you were the winner. Simple question: lump sum, or annuity? No right or wrong answer, as different situations, different motivations. Here are the numbers:https://www.omnicalculator.com/finance/mega-millions-payout Basically: pre-tax, $800M and change for the lump sum. Annuity, starts at $23M+, increasing every year...it's $36M after 10 years. Max is $96M. Almost everyone takes the lump sum; I think I saw only 1 winner of a 9-digit prize that took the annuity. But this is somewhat different, in that it's SO huge...let's face it, even after taxes, the first year alone is likely several times more than our individual lifetime earnings...including projected retirement. $13M net? I'm good right there. Why? The entire lump sum all at once offers some chance that you'll be STUPID with it. The annuity says, ok, well, your stupidity shouldn't crush you forever. So I think I'd actually do the annuity. I read an article a long time ago, where even some people that took the annuity still ended up broke. IIRC, they were spending more than they were getting each year, so they borrowed money and put the annuity up as collateral. And then didn't pay off the loan when their next annuity payment came in, so the lender took the annuity. (It's been a while, so I may have some details wrong.) Lots of dumb people out there, as well as not-as-dumb people who just aren't ready for a windfall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnia Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 And then you have the predators out there looking to exploit them. Like this horrifying case... There are many things to complain about living in Ohio -- but the fact that you can stay anonymous when you collect lottery winnings is a tiny point in their favor. Starlord 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclevlad Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 18 minutes ago, BoloOfEarth said: I read an article a long time ago, where even some people that took the annuity still ended up broke. IIRC, they were spending more than they were getting each year, so they borrowed money and put the annuity up as collateral. And then didn't pay off the loan when their next annuity payment came in, so the lender took the annuity. (It's been a while, so I may have some details wrong.) Lots of dumb people out there, as well as not-as-dumb people who just aren't ready for a windfall. Well, there's this...and probably others I don't feel like finding: https://www.businessinsider.com/lottery-winners-lost-everything-2017-8#lara-and-roger-griffiths-bought-their-dream-home-and-then-life-fell-apart-2 Most of these are cash payouts, and for lesser amounts. But to be sure: the sheer size would give you a second, probably even 3rd, chance...but many of these people could blow through it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
death tribble Posted August 17, 2023 Report Share Posted August 17, 2023 (edited) Sir Michael Parkinson dies aged 88. He was the interviewer on the BBC from 1971 to 1982. Muhammed Ali was on several times and Parkinson got the best out of him. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-66411604 How he set the standard for TV chat shows https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12225132 Edited August 17, 2023 by death tribble Cygnia 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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