unclevlad

Good. There's a limit to the amount of misery every team deserves. Except the Cowboys. No limit there. Kinda funny...Friday night, Stanford Steve picked Detroit...decent chance and plus money, and he said, hey, they gotta win SOME time...so take the plus money.

Just don't make such a post in Spanish.

The X-15, because it deserves to be remembered. It's still the fastest crewed aircraft ever. (EDIT: missed U, drat. There's a cool one here...ultralights. A very specific class of plane that doesn't need a full pilot's license.)

You're in Utah, right? The 506Sports map shows Colorado, most of New Mexico (but not here), a bit of Arizona, and LA and San Diego only. WILD. 12 of 16 games done; the only team eliminated so far is the Raiders. AFC South has 3 teams at 9-7. NFC South has TB and NO at 8-8, with ATL at 7-9...but NOT eliminated, so they have to have the tiebreaker if there's a 3-way tie...ATL beats NO, and somehow Carolina beats TB, then ATL, NO, and TB are all 8-9. My, my...Cincy and KC is getting....chipppppyyyyy...... This is a huge game, too. KC needs it bad, to stop their skid; Cincy might be eliminated if they lose.

<jaw drops> Arizona 35, Eagles 31 Cards score 29 (!!!!!!!) second half points. 4 second-half possessions, 4 TDs...all 4, 70+ yards. Yeah, the Eagles are in *deep* trouble overall. That defense is getting shredded. Niners win. Ravens win. Both #1 seeds now clinched. EDIT: yeah, the Ravens flat out told the AFC...the road to the Super Bowl goes through us. Good luck with that. EDIT 2: CBS studio guys pointed out...the Eagles loss suddenly made the Detroit/Dallas outcome, and the mess of the 2 point play, HUGELY!!!!! significant. DALLAS is the current #2 seed, Detroit #3, and Philly #5. That 2 point play stands? Detroit is #2, SF does NOT clinch the #1 seed, Philly is #3, Dallas is #5.

Early scan through the scoreboard while watching the very interesting Fins-Ravens game.... C.J. Stroud is back, and the Texans are *rolling* the Titans right now. 20-0. Beginning to wonder if maybe Carolina's finally packed it in? 9-0 Jacksonville right now, without Lawrence. Carolina offense has been non-existent...19 plays, 28 yards. If nothing else, figure the OC is gone in 9 days. Titans' offense was similarly inept...I saw a QB change already, but not why. Ah...there it is. Talk about insult AND injury. Levis gets sacked, loses the ball, it's a scoop and score for the Texans...AND he's taken off with a foot injury. EDIT: Lamar Jackson may be slamming the door on anyone else for MVP. First half so far... 10/11, 219 yards, 2 TDs; 2 rushes for 24 yards. 21-13 Ravens so far. Hey, what's going on???? BACK TO BACK interesting TV games??????????? Happy New Year to us!!!

squirrels...some of em

I froze the forum up trying to post the pic of my pear custard tart...I figured it was my fault tho. I was pasting the copy from my inbox, having mailed it to myself, and it was posting as a .png....a BIG file. 20+ meg. And it was acting slow, so I tried to paste it again...silly, impatient me. 40+ megs of images directly posted? Not a link? And then trying to delete them? Software CONFUSED!!!!! Yeah, OK, maybe the forum software wasn't real happy with me....close the tab, give it a sec, re-open. Paste the image into Paint, cut down its size (iPad pics are BIG!) save as a JPEG instead...voila! And it may well be that it's related to image posting volume. Certainly a sensible move. Maybe, same with what I did. Looked kinda bot-like, maybe.

I agree with that argument when it comes to the final decision...but not while issuing the temporary stay. Not true. Smith's argument was that time was critical, to ensure the public interest, yes. Trump's lawyers only need to argue that in the event they win their appellate point, the entire case goes *poof*...therefore, allowing the trial to proceed when there may be no legal basis for it, is improper and punishes a non-guilty client. You can't try someone who's innocent. Smith was arguing for an extraordinary action; Trump's lawyers will be arguing for a normal action...and one that the lower court ALSO granted. The trial was put on hold *until the appellate court decided the appeal.* Same argument holds for the next-level appellate court...the Supreme Court. I think NOT staying the trial is by far the least likely action. What's far more likely is they decline to hear the case in the first place, rejecting the appeal. THAT is possible; they may think, as LL notes, the Trump claim is untenable. Their review of the appellate court record is enough; they don't need to hear arguments. I don't think they'll do that, but they've rejected enough of Trump's weak arguments that they might. But if they choose to hear the appeal? They'll issue the stay. In principle, the pre-trial processes might continue once the appellate court renders its decision, assuming it's against Trump, but once Trump files a notice to appeal (which probably has to be done quickly), those processes probably won't move forward at least until the SC decides to take the case or not. If if the processes do continue? Well, the SC will almost certainly decide to take the case, or not, LONG before the trial date.

The league is going to look at that play and talk to the refs, because at the very least, the optics are REALLY bad/confused. Campbell's aggressive. Yeah, fine, kicking the FG early on, with the 4th and goal at the 4? Maybe. Going for the TD has to work 3 times in 7...call it 40%. Is it 40% to score from the 4, in one play? I doubt it...particularly when it's 4th down, and the defense knows it's end zone or bust. Most runs are off the table; from the 4, there's time to react. So I can't see 40%...and therefore, kick. By the same token, I don't think it's seriously wrong to go for it. Short field goals let the defense off the hook...I firmly believe they're a losing tactic, long term. But they can still be the best option given the specifics. 4th and 1? Go for it, IF you have the offensive options to do it. Some teams are *terrible* at short yardage; that's a factor to me, but one the stats probably don't consider.

Oh sweet mother of technicalities.... Lions drive *smoothly* all the way down to a TD to make it 20-19. Campbell goes for 2...it's a pass to a lineman in the TE spot. It works. But that lineman, according to the refs...did not report. Or someone didn't. Among other formation issues, according to the ESPN rules maven there. A second try, the Cowboys are offsides. THIRD try...fails. I liked going for it the first time. Not sure about the 2nd...it was from the 7. DON'T like going for it the 3rd time. Going for it immediately after the drive, the defense is off balance...but tries that fail? Tend to let them get their balance back. It could've worked, but my gut feeling is the percent chance of the 2 point try working, goes DOWN on those later reps in the same possession. Plus, the Lions started with their preferred calls and have to be moving down as it went along. SO close. Cowboys 20, Lions 19. EDIT: huh, surprise. ESPN gets 2 games Saturday in week 18. I may well have forgotten, but...I didn't think they did any of those. The games were largely kept into tight windows, with little/no chance that a result in the early slot would render an afternoon game meaningless. I presume that principle will still hold...which may well mean at least one *dog* of a game...Pats-Jets, probably Broncos-Raiders, maybe Bears-Packers. Also, Falcons-Saints may mean loser's out...but the Tampa Bay result will still matter. It's kinda crazy that ONLY 4 teams from each conference have been eliminated with just 2 games left.

Which they will almost certainly do.

Under the circumstances, Flacco's doing just fine. It's only a contract for this season, the scale is...quite decent, considering. And remember, he's 39. https://www.profootballnetwork.com/joe-flacco-salary-contract-nfl-2023/ Plus, Flacco got his mega deal from the Ravens, after the SB win. For 9 years, he was averaging about $20M a year, so he can't really get hosed now. WOW. That got me thinking...compare 2015 QB numbers to 2023... https://overthecap.com/position/quarterback/2015 https://overthecap.com/position/quarterback/2023 The cap numbers have gone up, but the BIG increase is in the cash spent. We're only talking 8 years here, too.

Why? Trump can ask the SC to continue to hold the DC trial on hold until they make their final ruling...and that probably WILL be granted, as if his actions were covered by privilege, there's no trial. The appeals court's ruling isn't the last word, and the trial's on hold until we have that. That's why Smith tried to get the SC to take the case directly, rather than wait for the lower court.

There's certainly fewer here than there used to be. One Asian...used to be 3 or 4. One Golden Trough..I think there were 2 or 3. Yelp lists one that's on campus, and is principally for students, and 2 Peter Pipers where the buffet is at lunch only. (Pizza Hut used to do that too, IIRC.) That's it. Not much. Some of that is local conditions, some is likely that fast food is dominating more and more. Chick Fil-A closed in the (pretty poor) mall...but opened a *large* facility on the most important surface street, about a block down from Wal Mart. Some of it is, it'll likely take longer to recover here...CNN has a story that GC, Cici's, and Pizza Ranch (never heard of em either) reported business up 125% in March '23, over Jan '21. But we're gonna be the tail-end Charlie, pretty much. I used to do one of the Asian buffets from time to time, but now, they're just not particularly wise. I think I went to Golden Trough...once...and that was with some gaming friends who were poor student types. UGH. There used to be a place that focused on a salad bar and several soups...they were pretty decent at first, but after a while, went downhill. More corporate, like pre-made muffin mixes and commercial salad dressings that were a notable step down. They're LONG gone; the owner retired.

This isn't FSU. 9 opt outs for the draft...which suggests important players. 14 entering the transfer portal...including the backup QB. I get your point, but generally, a non-playoff bowl game result is simply not meaningful. The halftime score isn't *that* much worse than what could reasonably be expected. Well...ok, 42-3....that's a lot worse. But if you asked me...what's more likely, Georgia up 3 or up 30...I'd have said 30.

The whole QB situation has to be priority #1 for the competition committee this offseason. I don't know what they can do, but the numbers are just terrible. This is the best story I could find: https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2023/12/11/23997145/quarterback-injuries-justin-herbert-trevor-lawrence-joe-burrow It's dated 11 December, so it's already out of date on its stats. A third question the Browns and Flacco raise: what can be done to give a backup QB a better chance to succeed? Some numbers. Base info here: https://www.footballdb.com/stats/qb-seasons.html Then I trimmed out the team's intended starters, leaving 15 x 32 is 480....so over 25% of all games have been started by a backup. Week 16, I believe it's 14 of the 32...which is over 40%. OK, one of em's Wilson, which is a different situation, but one can argue that's countered by the fact that Rodgers started a game, so a wash. Doesn't really change the overall, either. It's also interesting to note: 4 starters: CLE, LV, MIN, NYJ 3 starters: ARI, NYG, PIT Some of this is just saying the backups are terrible, but others are multiple QBs knocked out. I'll offer up this: offenses are generally too complex for the players to properly execute...not enough time to get the system down, free agency causing lower familiarity levels, imbalanced offense/too many teams lacking legit run threats, one can argue the factors. The results, especially through the middle parts of the season, were self-evident...offense is WAY down. Inflexible OCs might be another, particularly with the backup QBs. EDIT: secondary point. Even if you watch a lot of pro and college football...how many of those names make you go....WHO? Or go...they're still in the league??? They're TERRIBLE!! (e.g. Lock, Siemien, Trubisky.)

And he's gotten the delay in the insurrection trial, because the Supreme Court said no, we're not fast-tracking the presidential power question. The late March trial date there looks infeasible. Gotta agree with Old Man. The root problem is that the US trial system is *built* for delays...especially in criminal trials. He'll continue to antagonize, to force judges to issue rulings like the gag order...that he can then challenge and cause more delay...throughout the proceedings. Heck, the Georgia case is already too late to influence the nomination.

Acid heads

I'll agree with firing George...ASAP. Especially for botching the Wilson exit as much as the contract. But Sean's tenure's been really negative. I'm also making the prediction on the basis that the next 2 years, Denver's very likely to have losing records. Losing record, negative perceptions, and oh, let's throw in, not generating the success HIS contract suggests? Ta-ta.

The player can demand a contract be changed in his favor, or a trade, and there's...not much backlash. At least not the first time. The organization can't demand the same without getting excoriated. Karma's biting BOTH sides here, IMO. Yeah, there's more blame to pass around than there is snow covering the Rockies right now, IMO, and will continue to be until both Payton and WIlson are gone. Which may well be sooner rather than later. Wilson's gone, that's clear. Payton...he'll survive this year, but I give it 50-50 right now that he's fired by the end of next season. I understand the Broncos' benching him...they bought promises that turned into lies. They're cutting their losses as much as they can. They're just not doing it very well. And yeah, Payton comes across badly too. The ex-jocks can downplay it all they like, but I give them zero credibility on anything like this. That's a defense mode for them. Even if we accept that it's not a Bad Thing, Payton's demeanor on the sidelines is ugly, nasty, and petty...oh, it can't be HIS fault!!! Yeah? Who decided to start the game with an onside kick against the Raiders? And now I wouldn't be surprised if the organization's cut their own throat with future free agents, which suggests turnaround is at least a couple years away, and why, right now, I think Payton likely will be gone no later than the end of the 2025 season.

Oh my, this could be amusing...after Missouri completes the win over Ohio State, SVP's SportCenter is gonna have Russell Wilson talking about his benching. It's too much to ask for juicy nuggets, sure, but hey, don't pop my balloon ahead of time.... EDIT: well...kinda, but not really from Wilson. He called the request to redo his injury guarantee a "low blow" but that's mild, to me. It was Payton's comment that was...rather juicy. He claimed benching Wilson was purely for football reasons...to have the best chance to get win #8. Uhhh.....REALLY? 14 games in total...2 starts. 131 total pass attempts, 6 TDs, 7 picks. And this gives the team a better chance to win? So Wilson was REALLY THAT BAD? That's throwing Russ under the tracks of the tank column.........

Just pulled out...pear custard tart. The custard here is whipping cream, eggs, and a bit of flour. Flavorings added...pureed ginger, cinnamon, vanilla extract, fake sugar. No crust per se; I laid down a layer of slivered almonds. Figure they'll toast somewhat, being on the bottom of the pan. Pears went on top of that, then the custard. I'm too lazy to neatly thin-slice the pears then lay out the slices all nice and pretty, so I just diced em up small. The custard has enough structure to hold things together. PS: it's yummy. The almonds in the center didn't toast...oh well. Some did at the edge.

If we're basing on Dispel, and presuming a wall we're treating...we don't need Barrier, unless you really want to reinforce the wall. The AoE is obviously case-specific, but the basis should be Surface, not Line; it's not projecting out, it's covering the wall...or barrier. "Thickness" is also a nonsensical concept for the dispel. Now...I'm not sure how large an advantage this'll be, as HD and 6E don't really jibe...but by the same token, the 6E language is terribly sloppy. The intent, as far as I can tell, is Surface starts with one, 4 square meter area. Then you can double the total area for +1/4. This fits with It's not a radius at that point, it's a square. HD is doubling the side length...which would give 4x the area...for each +1/4. Radius *does* double the radius itself, ergo increasing the area by a factor of 4, tho, so what HD has may well be sensible so long as you treat the size number as the size of the square, and determine the area from that. (Side^2.) I'm gonna assume that it is the length of the square...so 16m Surface means 256 square meters, which can be shaped to fit. That would cover a 20m x 10m wall. It's +1 at that point. So, we need AoE (set to +1), Constant, 0 END, and I'm gonna assume Persistent...it seems a serious weak point to need to turn this defensive measure on. So, +2 1/4. How large a Dispel? If we go with Standard Effect, then 4 dice would be 12 points, and this is a good place to use it, IMO. Don't want to roll the effect. 4d6 Dispel (standard effect) is 12 points; that --> 39 with the advantages. Limitations...Always On makes sense. I'd be REALLY leery about giving a price break for anything like Extra Time; is this really something you'll use in combat? Doesn't feel like it. Linked? Not if it's being applied to a wall. With just the Always On, it drops to 26, to cover up to 256 square meters. Bigger is cheap, too...we're talking only +3 points to the active cost...+2 to the real cost...for each area doubling.

LOL apparently so, because just now, there was a DeSantis PAC ad attacking Haley on China...... I can laugh now but we know this is gonna get old REAL, REAL fast............ EDIT: side thought. Is Trump going to accept ANYONE who's run against him, this time around? I'm thinking...no, on the basis that running against him will still be viewed by him, as disloyalty. We've got the reports that the #1, #2, #3, and #4 priority for his nominees will be loyalty.