unclevlad

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. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly isn't.

FTFY. Just looking at the links, we get a pretty good sense of what she's about. Looks like she's trying to outdo Tucker.

Millenials are all of voting age; if Gen Z is 97-2012 birth dates, half of them are. We can hope, yes, that the most ardent MAGA backers are older...but a 65 year old is still likely to live another 15 years. That's a LONG time. Also, while this may allow a rollback of some of most extreme aspects, like complete abortion bans...roll back to what, in many cases? NOT the case before the Roe overturn, most likely. The Ohio amendment coming up in November allows banning abortion after fetal viability, or when the mother's health is jeopardized.

Is it really? Or is it simply a reflection of the core split? Have any minds been changed long term, or is this simply a holding pattern? THAT favors Republicans in too many areas. The current situation can be compared to a tug of war. In the last few years, the Reps gained several feet. This is more of a holding pattern than actually regaining ground permanently. The Reps don't like losing this fight, sure...but they'll never stop. They're not that far from reversing even something like this...much less all the other ways they're perverting the processes of government. I'm also concerned because this, like the Barrett nomination, blatantly ignored process norms. They specifically said, ok, these August elections are a waste...then try to sneak something through in an August election. The disempowerment of the provisions. The overall setup was a blatant, egregious attempt to tighten their hold. Is *that* what it takes, to get any fraction of Republicans to step outside their lockstep? And what happens, let's say, in a few years, as voting rights get eroded? As courts are shifted by more and more conservative appointments? The Republicans didn't lose; they just didn't win this round. That's my concern.

ESPN is going into the sportsbook business...indirectly. They're parterning with another company, who will provide the actual sportsbook, but ESPN's name will be attached, and they'll get a big cut...and presumably, a fair bit of advertising. That makes at least 3 such, as I know Fox and CBS have branded sportsbooks. The cash cow is going to get another nozzle... And of course, Disney's being two-faced..."oh we're family-friendly!" while still having a brand they're directly endorsing. Not notably, as 43% still voted yes. That said, the stories did say that some Republicans did vote No because of the procedural BS...shutting down the August elections last winter, but overturning that this spring to try this one, when one particular amendment they don't want, is coming up. I also saw a couple other provisions that would've made bringing an initiative MUCH harder...for example, signatures from all 88 counties, not just 44. But 43% still voted Yes.

In Ohio tonight... After disparaging these mid-August elections as too expensive, for too little...Ohio Republicans forced a single-issue election today. On the ballot was a change to Ohio law that would change how voters could force an amendment to the Ohio constitution. Currently, all it takes is a majority. The proposed change would make it 60%. The overwhelming belief is, this was being tried now to make it harder to pass an amendment protecting abortion rights in November. It crashed and burned. WIth over 60% of the ballots in, it's 57-43 to reject the change, according to a live count from a local TV station. https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-rights-constitutional-amendment-special-election-227cde039f8d51723612878525164f1a

You may have seen this by now, but if not... Kevin Brown is a pretty good, popular, young announcer. His main gig is play-by-play for the Orioles, he also does gigs with ESPN. So, in pregame talks, he commented that the Orioles had won more games against the Rays this year, than they had in the last 2 years combined. The owner suspended him for that. This has become a total disaster...for the owner. https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/sports/free-kevin-brown-orioles-suspension-reaction-PTACZLYJ35EQ7JICOJ5LDHTJMQ/ O's are up against the Astros tonight; it's a TBS game, in Baltimore. So the fans in the stands...who're buying up that shirt...start chanting "Free Kevin Brown!" in the middle of the game. And this was a PLANNED comment, as was pointed out. Scroll down that link, you can see the clip. There's a graphic about it. Part of this is, Peter Angelos, the owner, released Jon Miller for criticizing bad play when it happened. I somewhat prefer Miller as a radio broadcaster; his style fits radio a bit better, IMO. But he's a hall of fame broadcaster, and deserves to be. So this is the second time...because as was pointed out, ya gotta think Brown is LIKELY to look for a new gig. If there's an opening? He'll be HIGH on anyone's list. Another take: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/gabe-lacques/2023/08/08/kevin-brown-suspended-baltimore-orioles-announcer-angelos/70553885007/ The ownership needs to grow up. Me...and probably many of you...when the broadcaster's team makes a mistake, and the announcing team blows it off? I lose respect for them very quickly. And here, my gosh, how stupid can they be? Even the most casual fan recognizes how disastrously bad the Orioles were...so the resurgence now, so quickly, is something to take pride in. There's a side point here...about whether the Orioles can sustain success. They've got a young team. We know about this incident because it went public. The USA Today story talked about some other aspects. Well, what kinds of petty moves does management try to impose on the players? Don't know, but baseball's contract situation isn't like the NBA's, where re-signing with your current team is the way to max out your contract, so there's no implicit reason to stay. If you're not sure how management is gonna treat you? Of course, we won't know if this is gonna actually be an issue for a while....

That is not contracting, that's not using the stretching any more. Contraction, for this context, means starting from your normal length and going shorter.

If I'm building in 5E, it's hard to resist buying at least a 23 DEX, since it's a triple point anyway. The economy of figured stats is simply too good. But CSLs with all HTH or all Ranged are actually cheaper in 5E; they're 5 points per. In 6E, they're 8 points per. The +1 to any non-mental combat is 10 in 6E; in 5E, it's 8, and it can be used as DECV. Not quite as expensive as you're suggesting...but clearly, figured stats, and especially DEX buying base OCV and DCV, is the *massively* cheaper and more effective approach. Most interpretations for Batman that I've seen suggest normal characteristic maxes, a full suite of martial maneuvers, 2-3 overall skill levels, and more CSLs on top of that. But note that even a 20 STR is lifting 400 kilos, or almost 900 pounds. That's the world record for a 200 pound man executing a deadlift, which looks to fit the definition of Lift in 6E. (The really big lifters, 300+ pounds, isn't that much higher, it's about 470 kilos.) A problem with DEX, and INT, is that it's 5 points to get +1. It doesn't *feel* like the 23 is greatly more agile, and the rules only say it's a difference of +1 on the roll. Diminishing returns is also kicking in; the 18 is a 13- roll, 84%. The 23 is a 14-, or 91%. Not that much of an improvement. So, you tend to be looking at bigger margins, to justify the DEX mongering types like Beast, being able to do amazing things. (Of course, we also go back to the separation between comics and RPGs. The DEX mongers aren't hit because the writers refuse to have them hit.) The only types where this is true would be: a) non-combat types b) EXTREME range types...preferably mentalists, or blasters with at least Half Range Mods. Oh, and both of these probably will need lots of Reduced END, at least to last. Note that this is mostly for supers. For SPD 3 combats, well, OK. It won't matter as much. If the character is going to be hit twice per turn, then END and REC *matter*. Yes, I'm from a more lethal school...do not remain helpless (which KO'd is) for long, or you are dead, AND combats in the SPD 5-6 range.

In this morning's newsletter, the Athlietic reiterates a point I've seen...logistics will be a nightmare for these huge conferences. Size here is both number of teams and geographic size. Remember: conference affiliations apply to most sports, not just football and basketball. It goes on to say something I think has greatly advanced in the last 2 weeks: It'll basically strip the veneer that, at least for the upper tier of players, they're "student" athletes. No, they're pros. Deja vu. First coaches' poll is out. I'll give you 3 guesses for teams 2-4, in any order, but must get all 3. (DUH, Georgia is #1.) But you shouldn't need more than 1.

First, the power doesn't say you can contract *part* of you, it says you adjust a dimension. "Arms" is not a dimension. Second, why would someone want to contract their arms? Makes no sense. Last, the point is that when you stretch to, let's say, 4x your normal height, your hips and shoulders (width and depth) get reduced. What're the standard dimensions...2m height/length, 1/2 m width (shoulders), maybe 1/4 m for depth? With the adder, 4x height lets you knock these down to 1/4 m and 1/8 m.

Not a bad starting character *for what*? Genre, points, character notion...what? In many cases a 25 CON feels like overkill...except for the impact on figured stats. A 25 STR is enough of an investment that I'd better be planning an HTH focus of some type. And I dunno about you but I darn sure ALWAYS worry about my CV. I think this goes back to Hugh's comment about the risk of a false sense of security with the figured stats, and thereby failing to really study whether they're sensible. And as has been noted, well, if the figured stats you'd get from 5E are a decent starting point, where's the problem??? What's to figure out?

Because Stretching INCLUDES contracting...double 1 dimension, halve another. There's your contraction.

One wonders whether Paizo can manage to keep gaming-as-a-hobby alive...

Not sure how I feel about this one, but...the ACC is discussing the possibility of adding Stanford and Cal. They fit in several ways, I'll grant, but obviously the geography is awful. I'm also wondering is this is partly a counter to FSU's whines and threats. Something of a warning shot..."we don't need you as much as you think." If this pans out, then WSU and OSU will have to join someone else. If it's not the Mountain West, tho, who? C-USA? About the same level, probably a better size fit, another awful geographic fit. American Athletic? They're losing the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strongest teams, so their power ranking will crash. C-USA had 2 teams in the top 50 last year, and 6 teams in triple digits. Well...short take is, the rich keep getting richer. There's the SEC and Big 10. There's a BIG gap to the Big 12 and ACC. Then there's a bloody Grand Canyon to Anyone Else. I seriously doubt the situation is sustainable; it's just too imbalanced.

For gaming, one can start with the principle that, as soon as owning/using/importing something relatively benign (or adequately addictive) is restricted, black markets and smuggling crop up.

Eh, the Cards have been flailing all year too. They've only won 5 more. I mean...Rockies pitchers only strike out 5, and they don't force the Cards to hit into any double plays. BUT, they give up 8 hits and 6 walks...but still throw a shutout. Cards were 0 for 9 with RISP. That sounds like bad, over-anxious hitting. Mmm...bottom second. Fly out, double, grounder to first gets the runner to 3rd. Line out. No runs. Bottom 5...ground out, single, fly out, Goldschmidt doubles but the runner's held at 3rd. (Can't say if it's reasonable or not, but...it is 2 outs.) Intentional walk to Arenado. And another ground out. Bottom 6...single, fly out, fly out, single...ground out. Bottom 7, pop out, walk, single (1st and 2nd)...strike out, pop out. Bottom 8, first 2 make outs, then single, walk, HBP, bringing Goldie up. Fly out. OK, yeah, despite the fact it's Rockies pitching, they get some credit...but that's just too many crunch-time failures. IIRC, too, that's been a Cards problem much of the year. Meanwhile...August can be considered Moving Day, like the 3rd round of a real golf tournament. It is not the month where you want to start 0-6. Who has? Angels, D'backs, Reds, and Mets. OK, fine, the Mets gave up...but for the other 3, they've gone from in the mix, to on the outside looking in. Angels are now 7 behind in the WC (Toronto right now) and 4th in their own division. D'backs have a disastrous..I believe it's 7-22 now...stretch since 2 July. They're now 9th in the NL. Reds have been caught by the Cubs. The NL WC is insane, so even the Padres can get hot...the Cubs have won, I believe, 16 of 19...to get them tied with the Reds. The D'backs had theirs; the Reds had theirs. Perhaps the Padres have theirs coming up.....

Yeah, forecast was to set a record high...and boy, did we. 108.7. Previous high for that station, for this date...101.9. So we destroyed the old mark, for this station (only up since 2007, but still)....by 7 degrees. Accuweather had daily record at 103...and today, 107. So...'just' 4 degrees. It's still 100 at 8:30 local. 106 forecast for tomorrow.

Great line... For now, let's address the T-Rex in the room: How in the name of Bill Walton did this happen? There's a related story https://www.ksl.com/article/50703202/pac-12-survival-whats-next-for-remaining-4-teams-after-mass-exodus-to-big-ten-big-12 A major point: I know Stanford in particular, places a HIGH value on the secondary sports. Want the details? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_Cardinal But they're on the brink of losing probably a good $20M a year. OK, they've got a huge!!! endowment, but I don't know if it can even be used for sports. Plus, the remaining schools had BETTER have learned their lesson, because the next clock is already ticking: the transfer portals. The football transfer portal opens the Monday after the bowl game selections are made, which this year is Dec. 4th. That's the absolute, drop-dead date; without a deal, with such massive uncertainty about the future, no one can blame any of the players from leaving. The recruiting situation is no better; again, to have ANY chance in recruiting, even mediocre stability is better than no security whatsoever. I'm not saying the Fractured Four have any chance at a decent deal; I don't see how that's possible. Or at least, plausible. I think all 4 schools are going to implode in at least football and basketball, and quite possibly, the ripple effects will demolish most/all of their programs. The corollary that comes to mind? The death sentence dropped on SMU, and how long that recovery took...over 20 years before they got back to a bowl game, and even then, they've never been in better than a 3rd tier bowl since.

Gets to a classic problem...when do you move away from a legend? All too often, it's done a little too late. Not saying that's the case here, as I watched none of it, but one does see it all the time. Even if Rapinoe was a bad sub at the time, the team hadn't scored for, what, about 180 minutes, if your suggestion was followed in the second half? I do wonder if the generation gap had become excessive, that the Old Guard and the kiddies didn't mix. If Rapinoe isn't a force any more, well, it's not hard to project that the attention she got (that really tacky adidas superhero ad, for example) didn't sit well. It's just a thought... EDIT: news/commentary article about it, from the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66423211

And let the backlash begin. If we discount the match against a Vietnam team that lost all 3 of theirs, by a combined 12-0, the USWNT scored 1 goal in 3 matches.

That'd be a great name for an XFL team. Too much honesty for the NFL.

Count yourself lucky. Or if you're paranoid, wait for the other shoe to fall this winter. Forecast is we'll be setting new highs for the date, today, tomorrow, and Monday. Potentially by 2-3 degrees. And NO appreciable rain...which is bad, as summer thunderstorms are the main source here.

Arguably was before. Losing Texas and Oklahoma didn't hurt much. Utah has been pretty good, fairly consistently; Arizona may be back. Colorado's been on an upswing, and they fit better in the Big 12. Arizona State's record in basketball is...forgettable at best. They made the Sweet Sixteen in 1995...but have won only 2 NCAA tournament games since. NIT 8 times, and NO tournament 13 times. Well, every conference has its cupcakes.

A consistent problem with starting pitching that can't go deep, is bullpen fatigue. That said, it may be hard to tell. https://www.mlb.com/stats/team/pitching/innings-pitched?split=sp NO ONE is all that close to averaging 6 innings per start. Twins are 5.6. Admittedly, the fact that AFAIK almost everyone uses openers from time to time, then the innings pitched by true starters becomes a bit skewed. A side effect is, there are almost 200 pitchers that have thrown 50+ innings...already. Almost *300* have pitched 40+. Presumably every team is using 10 pitchers at least a decent amount of the time. No one has 10 good pitchers.