Guard Dog

Two nights left. The Westen Conference is set but there is still drama in the east. If the Heat can win and get some help from either Brooklyn or Atlanta they can make either the 7th or 8th seed. I'm pulling for them a little bit. Not just for former South Florida loyalty but because they were utterly gutted, got off to a terrible start and fought their way back. You have to like that.

As a PR problem they could not be doing a worse job of this. Airlines have handeled plane crashes better than this. It would have made more sense to sweeten the pot if no one jumped at thr $800 and free hotel stay. But anyway this flight was from Louisville to Chicago right? Isn't that like a four hour drive tops? Nuts to flying such a short distance. If I'm going through all the aggravation of a flight I want to be in a different country when I get off the plane.

You knew this one was coming:

Oh sure I'm with you there. Don't like a business politics? Don't use them. Seems like a silly reason to me because political opinions are like nose... everyone has one. Starbucks is pretty left of center in terms of it's politics but Cafe Verona and Yukon Gold taste really good to me so I don't care. It would be a lot easier for me to boycott a company over it's politics if it's products sucked. But good coffee is where you find it.

This seems so low down I am unsure why you care. Well, unless it's the insidious culture war or something. They want that, sure, and I want to have a date with Monica Bellucci but that doesn't mean much Gabbard shouldn't get kicked out for that, though I guess her solo "fact finding" mission to Syria miffed some. I would think it would be okay politically to doubt Assad being to blame for the attack. The Chick-Filet thing is just too absurd not to comment. But I don't care. The do have really good sandwiches though.

OK, one more and I'm done for a while. Apparently this rural vs urban thing happening in the US is happening elsewhere. In Canada it's been going on for a while now. They call it Western Alienation. It's happening in France too: https://www.yahoo.com/news/forgotten-rural-france-seethes-over-big-city-bias-033716144.html

And the Democrats have turned on the one Democrat left with anything resembling integrity: Tulsi Gabbard. The want here thrown out of Congress for opposing attacking Syria. This was the one Democrat I might have supported in a run for national office. She always was about 50% libertarian. Edit: forgot the link http://dailycaller.com/2017/04/10/prominent-democrats-call-for-anti-war-congresswoman-to-be-ousted-from-office/

In other politically related news the Student Union at Duquesne University wants Chick-Filet banned from the campus. The reason being Chick-Filet is apparently guilty of Human Rights violation because it's owner is a devout Christian and his religion makes LGBTQ (I think those are all the letters) feel unsafe. Human rights violations huh? From a US based company that sells chicken sandwiches and soft drinks? Poultry rights maybe... bur human right? Well, look at this way, Chick-Filet is closed on Sunday so they won't feel bad that day. Meanwhile I'm going to Chick-Filet for lunch!

Will Myers hit for the cycle for San Diego last night. https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/04/11/wil-myers-cycle-san-diego-padres-colorado-rockies When I think of the Will Myers trade (the second one) I grind my teeth. The Rays got back three players and and 2 prospects. 2 of those three players are gone, one prospect is a bust and cant get past AA. The other might be a 4A player, maybe better. And Steven Sousa Jr. The "power hitter" that was supposed to anchor the line up. Ugh. In two season he was not played in more than 110 games and is slash line averaged over two years is .236/.311/.715 with a total WAR of 1.1. The OPS isn't bad but it's unimpressive all around. Meanwhile, Trea Turner for the Nationals is becoming a star and Will Myers is becoming a star. The Rays lost that trade.

You know what is ironic as hell? The very DAY this happened the United CEO Oscar Munoz was given an award for community outreach. In all seriousness though, they were were offering $800 and a free night in the Airport Hilton as well as a seat on the next flight to give up a seat voluntarily. I'd have been all over that. You know something else funny? After they dragged that doctor off kicking and screaming (and beat the tar out of him apparently) those four United employees got to sit with the people who just watched it happen. Now THAT'S awkward!

Well, I'm certainly no fan of saving people from themselves by imposing tern limits. And I do believe we get the government we deserve. But we do have a "political class" in this country that never works in the private sector and is so disconnected from the people it purports to represent they might was well be a different species. We have voted ourselves into an oligarchy without even realizing it. The worst aspect of the two party system is that the choice ends up being a different shade of the same color. Harry Reid was the poster child for term limits. He spent his in entire working life as a public servant or of the staff of one. The largest pay he ever received was $174k/ year he retired. And that amount includes his travel allowance. He retired a multi-millionaire. Either he was not spending his own money (in which case whose was he spending?) of he was on the take. The problem with Term Limits is to get it you have to get the same dirty a------s you want to get rid of to agree to them. That is a pretty high hurdle to leap.

Annnnd that is the end of that. Longoria wrecked it with a double in the 7th.

Listening to the Rays vs Yankees on the radio. Micheal Pineda has a perfect game going through six innings.

That is problem with politics today. If you are doing it whole life you are so disconnected from majority of population. I think that it should be mandatory to work as middle class/lower class employee for at least 10 years until you are eligible to became politician Two words... TERM LIMITS. We need them in the worst way.

I like the Goresuch nomination to the Supreme court. That is all that has happened. He as used executive authority to undo some things Obama did with executive authority. And he's talked a good game. Then he fired some missiles at an apparently empty airfield in response to a supposed chemical weapons attack by no-one -is-sure-who. Not much of substance has really been done yet. But that is really to job of Congress and the Republican majority was thankfully checked by it's own members from turning into Democrat-Lite. None of that has much to do with Trump. I'm not passing any judgement on his Presidency, it hasn't even been three months yet. I just with someone else (but not Clinton) were there.

Speaking of the 80's I remember Sally Field of all people testifying before Congress on the hardships of working farm families. She is wealthy beyond their wildest dreams and never once lost a moment of sleep worrying about the weather of health of a crop. So what qualified here to testify before congress? She played a farm wife in a movie. I'd say we lost our minds as a people for electing Trump but the truth is it happened a long time before that. Just one more step in the long descent into self parody.

Elaine from Seinfeld in Washington DC? She plays a politician on TV so some folks think she can BE a politician? Would Al Franken be a Senator from MN if he was never on Saturday Night Live? Would Donald Trump be President if not for The Apprentice? Of the other "celebrity" things he's done? If he had stayed just a real-state billionaire? Remember the line from Ghostbusters (the original one) "Choose the form of your destroyer"? God help us! Here is the article. It's a funny show and the article isn't about politics so much as the show: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/what-happens-to-political-comedy-when-the-real-world-goes-beyond-satire-veep-is-about-to-find-out/2017/04/07/bd4be4e6-0281-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html?utm_term=.3db617db265c Its pretty normal, because people feel like they know that person, on other hand, wasn't one of best presidents in US history an actor? Yes but before that he was a lobbyist for the American Veterans Committee, He worked on the Harry Truman campaign, was the Governor of California for 8 years and had a PAC after that until being elected in 1980. He was not a newbie to political leadership like Trump and some of the names being tossed around to replace him or go to Congress.

So I'm reading this nice write up about the HBO show VEEP (it's pretty good) when out of nowhere this little nugget drops: Elaine from Seinfeld in Washington DC? She plays a politician on TV so some folks think she can BE a politician? Would Al Franken be a Senator from MN if he was never on Saturday Night Live? Would Donald Trump be President if not for The Apprentice? Of the other "celebrity" things he's done? If he had stayed just a real-state billionaire? Remember the line from Ghostbusters (the original one) "Choose the form of your destroyer"? God help us! Here is the article. It's a funny show and the article isn't about politics so much as the show: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/what-happens-to-political-comedy-when-the-real-world-goes-beyond-satire-veep-is-about-to-find-out/2017/04/07/bd4be4e6-0281-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html?utm_term=.3db617db265c

Yeah but the media will screw the whole thing up because they can't wait to jump all over everything he says. Talk about not seeing the "big picture"

Oprah in 2020? Out of the frying pan and into the fire. We need to get off the whole celebrity president thing. It's not going to end well/

Going to a "Welcome Home" party tonight. The son of one of our VFW members got home from serving overseas yesterday. We're throwing him a party at the VFW, BBQ with all the trimmings and the beer and whiskey will flow. He's been at Camp Schawb on Okinawa for the last 14 months with deployments to Afghanistan and all the usually WestPac stops like South Korea, Ie Shima, and elsewhere. I'd like to talk to him about Okinawa if I get the chance. I'd be curious to hear how much it's changed. I was there in 91-92 so I'd imagine quite a bit.

For me the hardest part of NWN2 toolset was the heightmapping for the exterior areas. Interiors used tilesets like NWN1 and were much easier. But like rjshae said it was just about learning how. The thing that botheres me most about NWN2 mods though was the voice, or lack of it. NWN1 was the last of the text dialogue games really. And in NWN1 it was not terrible disruptive to read text in game. With NWN2 the game camera zooms in on the characters speaking and doing that text only just didn't look good. It looked fine when there was actual VO. Just my $0.02.

I would be so bold and say actual politics Meaning starting conversation that aren't meant to one-up over another party, but actually start to seek things that both parties can mostly agree and build unity in United States instead constantly seek new ways to divide its people more, meaning seeking compromises that most people from both sides can accept. But it seem that polarization is what politicians and people want, as it isn't just encouraged it is celebrated as like it is something positive and to be proud off. Politics in the US is becoming practically tribal already. And that is just among the citizens. There are people I work with who won't even socialize with Trump voters. The saddest irony of it all is there is far less differences between the donkeys and elephants than most realize. The both love government power so long as they are in control of it. They both become federalists only when they are in the minority. The biggest thing they have in common is they both love their committee chairmanships and other perks and can be counted on to fight like savages to get them back even when it means undermining the very institution they serve.

Tim Tebow blew up the internet last night by hitting a two run homer in his first at bat. Everyone was going crazy but all I could think was "yeah but he went 1-5 with three strikeouts" Damn this mathematical mind of mine. It's practical but no fun