unclevlad

Is the AG some secret relative of Bolsonaro? I'd say, try to get a recall election going, but even if successful, that would take far too long. I don't know if anyone else can have standing to file an appeal. This is really obscene, IMO. The comments eviscerate the AG and the whole situation, at least on the first page.

WHOA!!!! Time out here. This site also has these stories: And another story about election fraud in Arizona; those stories are from July. Another echoes a Newsmax story that Pope Francis is dying...which has zero corroboration or even supporting information. So this alleged story has a HIGH probability of being nothing but disinformation and lies in my book.

What's also interesting is the top SB winner percentages are NE, then Bucs and Cards, then notably lower, Cowboys and Packers. THEN KC and Buffalo. What that suggests to me is, the top of the NFC has much better depth. Their individual chances are lower because they'll knock each other off. On the flips side, tho, the first round in the AFC is going to be tougher than in the NFC. The 2 and 3 seeds in the NFC should have a relatively easy time of it. In less pleasant news, Demaryius Thomas was found dead yesterday. No official cause, but it is believed to be medically related. USA Today says he was found in the shower, and mentions a seizure issue. That makes me think stroke or cardiac arrest, but an autopsy will be performed. Only 33 too.

Ummmm....it's the GHOST of Christmas Past....................

Surreal fits. I will say I would've melted down completely pretty early on. Or honestly, chosen not to go, given that you expected much of this. But that relates to my problems. Take care of yourself.

And the Vikes let them have a play inside the 10, which JUST missed. Yeah, I was composing a prediction that Zimmer might get fired if they lost this. And I think it still says more about the gross flaws of the Vikes than anything else. 29-0 and 2 plays away...Steelers still would've needed a 2 point conversion...from a tie???? And that's with a potential DPOY, TJ Watt, out hurt for the entire second half. Postgame, Dalvin Cook's initial comment, "we're asking ourselves how we keep ending up in this position." Bad coaching, Dalvin. Steelers are probably on the brink. I think 9-7-1 probably won't get in. If so, they now have to win out. Vikes are still technically in contention, but good gosh, they don't deserve to be. Not like anyone can do more than guess blindly who'll get those last couple NFC spots. At FiveThirtyEight, the top 5...Cards, Packers (gag), Bucs, and Boys are well over 90%, Rams are 89%. After that, it's wishy-washy...Niners 61, WFT 51, Vikes 35, Eagles 35, Saints 13. Note: that DOES include tonight. Steelers are shown at 9%. EDIT: kept it on NFL Network because I've been too lazy to switch the channel. During their post-game, Steve Smith took issue with the playoff expansion, saying it rewards mediocrity. Which is true. A good playoff structure advances between 1/4 and 1/3 of the teams. With so few games, 1/4 of the teams would be tight, and scheduling imbalances would be too significant. 6 teams is mostly the 1/3...it was ok. But that 7th team is absolutely gonna be totally mediocre MOST years. (Gtanted: the NBA is worse. And the FBS........??? Joke.) Making the playoffs hasn't necessarily meant anything for quite a while...those 8-8 wild cards, those "least bad in an awful division" like the Cowboys last year. Conversely, NOT making the playoffs, especially for, let's say, 2, 3 years running...that's gonna get coaches and GMs fired because, like not making a bowl game, it's a sign that you're Really Not Good.

The enforcement angle of the Texas abortion law has been deemed a violation of the Texas constitution by a state district judge. The grounds are (from the NYT) The judge's arguments pretty much mirrored the comments we made when the bill came out. The abortion clinics are happy, but not prepared to resume normal operations; the liability issues are simply too grave for them to proceed without a completely decisive ruling...the Texas or US Supreme Court.

Would you rather have the players tossing dice around in the hotel, or out hitting clubs? It'd probably be an interesting game to sit in on.

The security personnel should get raked over the coals...where were they??? But unless it's self defense, or protecting someone else, no...the player simply cannot hit the idiot. I'd actually argue that the ref was being (IMO properly) lenient in making it ONLY a yellow card. It could've been a red card very easily. The moron deserves some minor jail time. Security needs to be reviewed, and *possibly* some people need to be fired. But that still doesn't make the player's action right.

The local Sprouts

Did anyone ever think Lock was good? Elway doesn't count.

So the family is starting their visit early there, Mr. P?

I read this as another sign that Urban Meyer's all but out the door. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32823662/trevor-lawrence-lobbies-james-robinson-recent-benchings-tells-jaguars-coaches-got-the-game On the flip side, however: https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/content/2021-12-07-its-time-to-admit-trevor-lawrence-is-trending-toward-being-a-bust/ Didn't listen to this; the Jags don't interest me. I am in no way a fan of Lawrence either. But the summary...he hasn't shown even flashes...does lend credence to the "bust" evaluation. On the flip side, tho, who knows what might happen with competent coaching.

Ruby port is fun. Works with a lot of things.

I love advertising megahype. Barefoot is America's most loved wine???? Red wine and chocolate isn't bad....but I'd prefer chocolate and dark beer. And chocolate more real than anything from Oreo

But are they vaccinated?

Oh my. The South Africa numbers show why omicron is causing another big round of worries. 300 cases a day or so, for much of mid-November. An upswing as the month ended...but MASSIVE jump in December, now up to 10,000 new cases a day. Omicron likely isn't the only reason, of course, but still...South Africa doesn't celebrate Turkey Day, and it's too early for Christmas gatherings. It's summer down there, not winter. No obvious difference...except omicron.

I think there's fatigue on the DC side. The tone they set most often s just too dark to work consistently...heck, even intermittently, IMO. Heck, look at this upcoming Batman...even the poster looks like a shower of blood. From what I've seen, the trailers and such, I've got zero interest in it. On the Marvel side, the kicker is, they finished the series. They have to start a whole new one, and figure out how to draw people back in. And they lack 3 of the MOST important characters now...Cap, Panther, and Stark. (Panther wasn't that big in the comics, but Boseman's version was *epic*.) This version of Spidey is cute and all, but they play him as too immature to take on a central role. They sent Thor on a major walkabout to get his head back on. Hulk got crippled, and it wasn't healing, so...what are they gonna do there? They're really almost starting from scratch, practically...but having to start in the post-Infinity War situation. Delivering another series will NOT be easy.

It may be fortunate I got Pfizer for round 1 and round 2, and Moderna for the kicker.

I stopped believing in Father Christmas when Father Time proved his existence....

Oh my. I just gained a new vice. At the market, doing the usual. Thinking about getting some nuts....hmm...what have we here. Dark choc almonds. Wait..what are these...with stevia?? Some people don't like stevia because a) it's so easy to overdo it, and b) it can be bitter. But hey, in dark chocolate you're not goona notice. Kinda pricey, but what the hey... Oh...yummmm.... Not as good as fresh-roasted cinnamon almonds or orange-ginger almonds, but we all need a chocolate kick every now and again.

Yes, absolutely. The spelling is abysmal, but worse???? When's the last time Texas had a non-white governor?

Gift bags, heck. Internet shopping. Which reminds me, I have one I need to get on order. This is not a year to wait until the last minute......

Never apologize for saying that. My moment started some years back. Got a surprise letter from my mother, along with a check...returning a sizable Christmas gift. My brother and I were worried about her liquidity. Tne note didn't say anything specific...but did say "I won't be needing it." Yes, well, suffice it to say, the alarm bells rang LOUDLY in my head. Those are Not Good Words. Took a bit of research...but yes. She had cancer. And she chose a similar path; it wasn't curable, and the treatments were miserable. So she chose to end them. I made a last trip up there as soon as I could manage, and I am eternally glad I did. She was still lively and active. Only a few months later, I tried to call her on her birthday...and couldn't. (I didn't know, my sister had moved her to her house and had set up for hospice care there.) She passed away that weekend. So even if the 11th doesn't come off? Remember Thanksgiving. I didn't say good-bye, per se, when my mother passed; I did that on my last visit. And left with as positive a set of memories as one could ask for, so I'm fine with it. But it still hurts at times; I'm kinda losing it writing this, and it's been over 10 years. But some things, you don't want to ever forget.....

A difference from Brown's era, tho, is that today, many players are both big AND fast. Aaron Donald's 280...and ran a 4.68 40. Brown wouldn't be as much of a physical freak today. Not saying he wouldn't be great...but he might not stand out to the same degree. It's also likely his overall stats wouldn't be as good simply because, despite last night's game, running the ball is so downplayed by most. Also, something to remember about why he may have left football: Brown's salary in 1964 was $50,000. Inflation calculator says that's equivalent to $440K. For the year...not per game. The league rookie minimum salary is $660K. Brown had done everything...multiple MVPs, won his title (and lost in the title game in '65). What was left? Paul Brown was gone; that might have been a factor. It seems unlikely to me that he'd ever have seen a major salary increase playing football...whereas the movies might've offered much more. And he had a surprisingly long, reasonably successful career as an actor...look up his IMDb info. Remember that many players of that era left the game...basically mauled.