Bartimaeus

...Buttigieg? The guy who was polling ~1-2% in almost every state except the two early races where he spent all his time and money on in the hopes of getting enough coverage to launch a real campaign? Yeah, somehow, I don't think so. If they had all been held on the same day, Bernie would've almost certainly been the leader (although not necessarily the winner, since an outright winner does require >50% of delegates) due to having the largest individual base while the rest of the race was splintered. That was why everyone but Biden dropped out the night before Super Tuesday to make sure Bernie wouldn't have won in a Trump-esque fashion.

http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218334/Downloads ? Mirror #1 for the main release still seems to work, while you can use a wayback machine link for its patch: https://web.archive.org/web/20150429185030/http://kermi.pp.fi/JA_2/v1.13_Releases/Official/English/v7435/Update/JA2_113_UpdateForRelease7435_English_7609.exe

I think this might be the wrong way to look at Gromnir's and I's positions on the matter, though I obviously can only really speak for myself. The argument that I have previously and specifically taken issue with is the overly simplistic equating of the two parties, their leaders, and where they are going right now. It would be so easy, especially as someone who doesn't like either parties or its leader, to do that - but that's intellectually and morally (I feel) lazy to me, which is why I have argued against doing that. Whether or not that leads to somebody else wanting to vote one way or another is a different matter entirely - just the fact that they're not exactly the same does not mean anyone is obligated to vote for them, and I don't think I ever made that argument. As for personally you (or anyone else), it's whatever - at least you engaged with the process (...if I remember correctly anyways, I'm pretty sure you did). Keep in mind that I come from a younger generation than yourself, and I have grown so incredibly weary of dummies closer to my age group who will not bother with the primaries, then complain that they utterly despise Trump and also don't like Hillary/Biden very much and why should they vote for someone they don't like or feels represents them, as if the older generations are responsible for choosing a candidate that represents those who by and large didn't and don't vote. The primary, to me, is more important than the actual general, but so many - too many - people don't see it that way. I think anybody that votes in the primary pretty much already did their job, and aren't obligated to engage further if a candidate they do not find morally reprehensible didn't emerge - not in this laughably awful first-past-the-post, two-party system anyways. People who didn't bother to vote in the primary and then complain that both choices suck should have their brains violently and gruesomely dashed against the rocks for their crimes of utter cluelessness. Fortunately for them, their shortsightedness and almost certain stupidity is not actually a capital-punishment level crime.

Securing shipments your state rightfully and legally paid for in the face of likely illegal seizures (speculation: hasn't been challenged yet, but from what I've heard, the current opinion is that it will eventually reach court and the federal government will be ruled against long after this pandemic is already over) in order to save lives of your citizen is a little different from the national crisis profiteering the administration has been pursuing in my books, but you do you.

the promised land, of course, being the NFCCG It's weird, for most of their careers, JG and MM have been considered to be like the same kind of coach with the same kind of competencies - okay from a coaching talent and schematic point of view, but great in terms of culture and building a team up. Why hire the same kind of guy to replace the guy you just fired? I don't know, at least MM won a Super Bowl I guess, maybe there's something there...we'll find out within the next couple of years.

lmao you don't expect mccarthy to take you to the promised land?

Speaking of, how do you expect the Cowboys to finish this upcoming season assuming it happens?

The media: "Is Rodgers going to demand that he be released or traded?" "We thought Rodgers hated his head coach last year, but that turned out to be utter nonsense as the year went on - but now it definitely must be for real!" "Did the Packers draft specifically to piss Rodgers off?" "Will Rodgers pull a Favre and treat Love like garbage and refuse to mentor him?" Rodgers today on Instagram: "#relax"

Maryland governor says coronavirus tests acquired from South Korea under guard at undisclosed location [due to concern of feds stealing them] Been hearing for the past month how the feds have been outright stealing medical shipments from states, then giving those shipments to 'politically-connected' companies, who then turn around and auction them off to other companies and states again. Using federal force to steal critical medical supplies and give them to friends and family to profiteer during a national crisis, I sure wouldn't mind if Trump and the rest of this administration lost their frontal lobes right about now.

I love that they did it in preparation of the beaches re-opening after six weeks of being closed down. Any trace of coronavirus would've died off by then: just killing the normal life there.

Having non-Swedish-speaking educators would seem only to contribute to the cultural insulation problem, not make it better. Unless it's expected that current, native educators take the time and effort pick up second and third languages to accommodate whatever the current major source(s) of immigration is. Some educators already have a hell of a time teaching in their native language, never mind foreign ones...

From what I recall, my buddy basically said it was neverending "go talk to these other people in these vaguely described locations so they can tell you to go talk to these other people in other vaguely described locations so you can eventually get back to me and for me to tell you to do it all over again but slightly differently and also this plot stinks so who the hell cares". Again, I didn't play this, hate the NWN-style of gameplay and I don't much like Star Wars to boot, but that's what I remember them saying about it.

I've never played KotOR myself, but I had a friend that asked for help in installing it and getting the restored content mod installed like a year back. I made the mistake of using the version that included the droid planet, and it ended up ruining their entire playthrough and lead to them wiping their game and restarting because of how utterly mad, confusing, and dreadfully long the droid planet apparently ended up being. Uh, whoops? Guess it was a separate add-on for a reason. And I guess I...or really they, since they're the ones that have played KotOR before and I was more or less just a monkey clicking buttons...should've done the research on it.

Chinese Communist Party. I could easily see ktchong being an astroturfer of some kind, but I don't know if I'd put money on the CCP.

I wonder if he's still eating McDonalds every day.

The way I'm thinking of it, it's likely one of a few things will happen: 1. Rodgers falls off significantly or gets hurt and he's cut off after ~two years for performance/money/health reasons, and we have a guy that was two years in the waiting to try to take over. 2. A Favre-Rodgers situation happens where the coaching staff feels the young guy *needs* to be playing because he's looked so good and the current guy, while also good, is clearly on his way out of the league within the next few years at best. 3. The opposite, a Brady-Garopollo situation, happens: Rodgers has a career resurgence that makes him impossible to replace even if the backup looks solid. 4. Jordan Love, like a number of other 1st round pick QBs (especially fringe ones) over the years, sucks and Rodgers continues starting essentially unchallenged. A combination of two or more situations could happen. Basically, the only situation where taking Jordan Love was a really bad idea is if Jordan Love ends up being garbage. If he does, then that was a major waste of a very valuable 1st round pick at close to the end of an era for a franchise that could've been better spent elsewhere. If he develops into a franchise quality QB, all these problems will sort themselves out one way or another and be good for the Packers, even though there's a possibility of heartbreak (whether it's through cutting or trading Rodgers, or being forced to trade Love because of Rodgers continuing to be a top 3-5 QB - objectively, the best situation, of course, is that both guys do great, though that'll obviously create a very thorny and divisive problem for the team to sort through). Thinking about it this way has let me be more at peace with the pick, even though I do feel it was probably a year early especially after a 13-3 NFCCG appearance. The rest of the draft, uh, well, we're just gonna have to see what they have in store. Whinging and armchair GMing ain't gonna do any of us any good, so we might as well approach it with a "let's hope they know what they're doing and that things work out" mindset. We can groan and laugh later when/if it turns out horribly.

I'm surprised he hasn't suggested Trump Steaks.

Biden's a creep. Has been for a long time. He's also been a very conservative member of the party most of his years. As of this election cycle, he's now also become increasingly incomprehensible and insincere (or deluded). It is painful to hear him speak much as it is to hear Trump. I do so wish he wasn't the counter-choice to a somehow significantly worse man and party.

Our first round QB is a project that will sit for two years unless Rodgers gets maimed earlier than that. Whatever, I guess. Our second round RB will be a backup behind Aaron Jones and likely Jamaal Williams for at least the first year, and is known for just being a one-dimensional powerback that can't catch - great. Our third round TE is...going to be converted into a fullback according to our head coach. Gave away the 4th round pick to draft the QB. 5th round ILB that may or may not help this year - we've been drafting 4th-6th round ILBs every year for what feels like a decade now, and only one of them has ever worked out to any degree, which is Blake Martinez who just walked in free agency. A few OL depth guys after that (which is fine, especially given our track record of developing late round OL guys), and that's pretty much it. Then LaFleur comes out and says "Rodgers will be a great mentor to Jordan Love", and it's like, yep, unless Rodgers has a top 3 year this year and the next, this is probably it.

It also seems like on the not-strictly-plot-essential episodes, it's often better when there *is* less spoken dialogue, too. The Three Blind Archers in particular was very good in S1.

Word was the Packers had a plan in place to trade up with the Seahawks to 27 (same as the last two years, which gave the Packers Darnell Savage and Jaire Alexander while the Seahawks took Rashad Penny and L.J. Collier - no offense, but I much preferred our picks, ), but found out that someone else was going to trade up to Miami's 26 and decided they *absolutely needed* to make sure they got Jordan Love, and so at the last second traded with the Dolphins instead, leaving the Seahawks with no time to work out something else somewhere. And so that's how Seattle's 8 year streak of trading their first round pick comes to an end - the Packers seemingly unnecessarily reaching for a QB leading to the Seahawks seemingly unnecessarily reaching for a LB. I preferred it when we got good players from trading with you guys instead, .

Yes, people have to treat the primaries seriously, which by and large we do not. I can only do what I can do to convince the people I know to bother with them. Most people are some combination of lazy, too busy (understandably so when a number of states deliberately throw in wrenches to make voting a many hour and soul-crushing experience), disenfranchised, or just plain don't bother with politics or think it's their concern. Combine that with people's lack of education and critical thinking skills, the disaster that is our media (which preys heavily on those type of people, who should know by now that most of our media is little better than entertainment and anyone can say or make up anything at this point, so choose whom you trust very carefully), and money being such a huge part of the process in making a candidate known for people to vote for to begin with, and it's no wonder our candidates pretty consistently suck and keep hitting the same beats over and over.

From all that he's said, Rodgers appears to have the wisdom to know where he realistically is at in his career and know that the best possible thing he can do for himself is continue to be the leader (...and player) the team needs...especially after seeing his predecessor do the exact opposite and the results thereof. I was consequently not surprised to see that Jordan Love said Rodgers immediately called him to congratulate and welcome him to the team. (e):

I do not like the Democratic Party, and I especially dislike Biden as its apparent leader. There are absolutely ways in which the Democratic Party is very similar to the Republican Party, both in methods and ideology, which make it understandably all-too-discouraging to support. However, since Trump was elected, there has been a surge of younger, more ideological representatives who I think, though perhaps flawed in other ways, are the future in bringing this party forward and away from current reality that is the heinous corporatecrat wing of the party, which currently makes up the majority and which relies way too heavily upon stupid and simplistic views of complicated wedge issues like gun control to get votes. Encouraging growth of this new wing of the party is about the only way I can oppose the corporatecrats and not surrender power (...and sanity) hand over fist to what, to my eyes, appears to be a now neo-fascist Republican Party. Defeating this new manifestation of the Republican Party is also probably the only way to bring it back to the realm of reality - winning has certainly only seemed to embolden and grow it from what I can tell. The Democratic Party is many things, but I do not believe it to widely be its own brand of fascist...yet. From the weekly to daily scandals and literally uncountable counts of corruption and/or incompetence in this administration combined with that core 40-45% still supporting it no matter what it says or does, and their increasingly voluminous voices joining together in hatred of others (which also unfortunately only embitters the exact same feelings in those who oppose them), I just cannot look at the two parties as being equivalent - I can't. The fact that Bernie Sanders, a self-avowed democratic socialist who is also contrarily soft on gun control and has pretty consistently opposed a number of other breaches of our rights when no-one else would, has been able to capture roughly a little under half of the party's voters over the past two election cycles (with way more than that that at least liked and would support him if he was the candidate - around 70% of voters from last I checked, which was close to the same mark as Biden), tells me that there's at least some kind of sane future with this party...even if it's with a lot of unfortunately necessary compromise. I do not currently see any kind of sane future with the Republican Party. I also fear that our economic system is likely to completely crash and disintegrate, if it hasn't started to already, sometime within my lifetime, and if that's the case, I much rather prefer people that care at least a little to be in charge (or at least those who pretend to) when it happens rather than the proud looters and naked debasers currently running this clown show.