Leferd

PS Still bitter about the A's self-destruction. Doing my best to avoid projecting schadenfreude towards baseball fans.

Joe Buck, Joe Morgan, and Tim McCarver are my holy trinity of baseball broadcaster blowhards. Missed the baseball game. I was constantly refreshing the text based play by play feed on the Nuggets-Warriors preseason game. Best game of the night. Dubs 3rd stringers came back from a 17 pt deficit.

Wondering what the tangible differences are in terms of content between this and the goods from the Collecter's edition.

Catholic Priests are very willing to talk about matters of faith and doctrine. Specifically, I'd seek out a Jesuit priest as they are open minded, academic, and welcome rigorous and intellectually honest discussion.

Well before a false witness feeds you heresy, I'd start my research and cross check with the Cathecism of the Catholic Church, for all things orthodox and proper with Church doctrine. Available at fine booksellers and online vendors everywhere.

Except it doesn't. It's a work that is very poorly cited, which is at the heart of the problem of the work. He makes assertions with zero evidence or citations, again and again in his book. If I'd have written a history paper in college, or even high school the way that book is written I'd have gotten a deserved F even if what I wrote was 100% correct. I realize the standards have slipped in the last decade or two (holy **** at what I've seen some AP history teachers let their kids get away with recently), but there's no good reason someone with the credentials and background as Diamond is writing so poorly. 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' appeals to the layman, appeals to some modern theories of genetics, fits a popular dialogue regarding plague, and other often misguided things. Read a bunch of history books on the subject prior to it's publication (as I did once upon a time) that actually do have good scholarship, citations,and much better discussions of the evidence known, and you'll realize that Diamond is grasping at straws much of the time in his work, especially when he's discussing the 'germs' aspect of it. And no, for the most part, the Europeans were not actively trying to spread disease, that's another myth. Especially smallpox, which is generally believed to be the biggest killer. Doing so could and would very possibly lead to suicide, as the Euros were not exactly immune to it themselves. And yes, Howard Zinn was a quack historian on par with Diamond. They both are cut from the same ****ty cloth. That's just silly. First time I've ever heard of someone attacking Jared Diamond's credentials as a scholar. BA from Harvard. Ph.D from Cambridge. Multi-disciplinary credentials as a scientist and professor teaching biology, history, and geography -tenured at UCLA. I'd say very few people are as qualified to write the topics of Guns, Germs, and Steel as Prof. Diamond. And let's see...Guns, Germs, and Steel received wild critical acclaim from academia, the general public, and won the Pulitzer Prize.

Somehow I missed Valsuem's last post. Wowsers. I feel like I'm playing against both sides here. I've always thought it as irrefutable fact that the Europeans purposefully engaged in germ warfare against the native populations in the Americas. In my opinion, Jared Diamond's work in Guns, Germs, and Steel, has sound scholarship. It's Howard Zinn who I have qualms about.

Yeah. That genocide rap is a bit...much. If anything, the annihilation and subjugation of native Americans can be attributed to European powers in general, but to blame it on Coumbus is a stretch. So what did he do right? He had an explorer's spirit, no matter how mercenary. Columbus dared to prove that he could reach the Indies by going west. His calculations were off, but along the way, he "discovered" the "New World." He went against church teachings in a time when heretics and heathens had to suffer through the inquisition. So he had to go under the conceit of converting the "savages" for the greater glory of God. That's the price of doing business. Leif Ericson, Polynesians, Chinese notwithstanding, Columbus's achievements was a known event and word spread and colonization happened, for good or ill. This was a tangible fact that shaped the way the world is. It's not insignificant.

Comments like this, even in jest are pretty vile. And especially not funny. But par for the course for a xenophobe like you. Columbus wasn't exactly a saint, especially for the standards of his day. Hell, even St.Thomas More burned heretics at the stake.

I'm glad they fixed that annoying portrait bug on character creation.

My dentist has massage rollers in the backs of the chairs. But yeah, it's still a terrible experience. Flashbacks.

How convenient for the writers to cherry pick these truths. Revisionists and popular historians are out to get published and easier way is to write about something that goes against the grain of orthodox thinking. It's so easy to apply moral relavatism and apply current standards of philosophy and thought and say these historical personages were contempable scumbags. Was Columbus a mercenary? Yes. Did he hold superior and racist attitudes? Absolutely. Did he enslave? You betcha. Does he still deserve to be recognized and remembered for his brass balls, vision, and contributions to western civilization, and the impact he had on the course of history? Without a doubt. I'd sooner rather watch Ridley Scott's' 1492: Conquest of Paradise and enjoy the holiday.

Baskeball season is starting in two weeks. Here are the various Las Vegas lines on the regular season: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24743449/odds-future-scouting-the-nba-season-overunder-win-totals SEASON WIN TOTALS OVER/UNDERS SPORTSBOOK.COM/ THEGREEK.COM/ BOVADA.LV/ WESTGATE Atlanta Hawks 42 41.5 41 40.5 Boston Celtics 26.5 26.5 26.5 26.5 Brooklyn Nets 42 41.5 41.5 41.5 Charlotte Hornets 45.5 45 45 45.5 Chicago Bulls 55.5 55 54.5 55.5 Cleveland Cavaliers 59 59 58.5 58.5 Dallas Mavericks 50 49 49.5 49.5 Denver Nuggets 41.5 41.5 41.5 40.5 Detroit Pistons 36 36 35.5 36.5 Golden State Warriors 52 51.5 50.5 50.5 Houston Rockets 50.5 50.5 49.5 49.5 Indiana Pacers 34 33.5 33 32.5 Los Angeles Clippers 57 55 54.5 55.5 Los Angeles Lakers 31.5 33 32.5 31.5 Memphis Grizzlies 48.5 49 49 48.5 Miami Heat 43.5 43.5 44 43.5 Milwaukee Bucks 24.5 24.5 24 24.5 Minnesota Timberwolves 26 25.5 26.5 25.5 New Orleans Pelicans 43.5 44 43 41.5 New York Knicks 41 41 40.5 40.5 Oklahoma City Thunder 57.5 57.5 57.5 57.5 Orlando Magic 28.5 28 27.5 28.5 Philadelphia 76ers 16.5 17.5 15.5 15.5 Phoenix Suns 44.5 44 44 42.5 Portland Trail Blazers 49.5 49 49 48.5 Sacramento Kings 30 30 29.5 30.5 San Antonio Spurs 56.5 56.5 57 56.5 Toronto Raptors 49 48 48.5 49.5 Utah Jazz 26 25.5 24 25.5 Washington Wizards 49.5 49.5 50 49.5 The Odds: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24745237/odds-future-scouting-the-lines-for-the-nba-title-east-and-west ODDS TO WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP SPORTSBOOK.COM/ THEGREEK.COM/ BOVADA.LV Cleveland Cavaliers 3-1 3-2 5-2 San Antonio Spurs 4-1 7-2 4-1 Oklahoma City Thunder 13-2 13-2 11-2 Chicago Bulls 8-1 6-1 11-2 Los Angeles Clippers 11-1 12-1 10-1 Houston Rockets 25-1 15-1 20-1 Dallas Mavericks 30-1 40-1 20-1 Golden State Warriors 30-1 20-1 20-1 Washington Wizards 40-1 40-1 33-1 Portland Trail Blazers 50-1 25-1 40-1 Charlotte Hornets 60-1 50-1 66-1 Memphis Grizzlies 60-1 50-1 50-1 Miami Heat 60-1 50-1 50-1 New York Knicks 60-1 50-1 50-1 Toronto Raptors 60-1 60-1 50-1 ODDS TO WIN THE EASTERN CONFERENCE SPORTSBOOK.COM/ THEGREEK.COM/ BOVADA.LV Cleveland Cavaliers 20-21 4-5 4-5 Chicago Bulls 3-1 5-2 9-4 Washington Wizards 15-1 15-1 25-1 Miami Heat 20-1 20-1 25-1 Charlotte Hornets 25-1 20-1 25-1 Brooklyn Nets 30-1 30-1 28-1 New York Knicks 30-1 30-1 25-1 Toronto Raptors 30-1 30-1 20-1 ODDS TO WIN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE SPORTSBOOK.COM/ THEGREEK.COM/ BOVADA.LV San Antonio Spurs 5-2 5-2 9-4 Oklahoma City Thunder 3-1 3-1 5-2 Los Angeles Clippers 5-1 5-1 5-1 Houston Rockets 10-1 7-1 9-1 Golden State Warriors 12-1 12-1 10-1 Dallas Mavericks 15-1 20-1 10-1 Portland Trail Blazers 20-1 15-1 20-1 Memphis Grizzlies 30-1 30-1 25-1 CAVS are favored to win it all. But at 3-2 to win the championship, those are terrible odds to take. The Warriors, with an over/under at 50.5 and 12-1 to take the West, the smart VEGAS bet would be taking the over and putting them down on making the Finals. 12 -1?? I'd have to turn in my Degenerate Gambler Members Only card not to take them odds. ...These were calculated before the news about Durant missing 6-8 weeks due to a broken foot.

Yeah. Constantine's supposed to be a con-man, trickster and probability warper, not an exorcist. Edit: also, there's the issue of making him straight and non-smoking because REASONS. I've only read the early Jamie Delano run of HELLBLAZER, along with a few sprinklings of Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore. He seemed to like women just fine.

Reinstalled Empire: Total War with DarthMod. Had to satiate my Imperialist colonialistic urges.

Please don't suck.

I was under the impression that was league-wide, though. Haven't been to a football game in years, but I can bring coolers and tote bags to baseball games. Some of the draconian policies are pretty absurd. No bottled water??

Crooked reason number 91. Just crooked. Goodell, Jed York, Front Office. Harbaugh apparantly advocated for a suspension but was overruled.

Wait, my local Chinese restaurant doesn't put sesame seeds on my broccoli beef!

Banner Saga is now on iOS! +Turn based tactical combat. + Hand drawn 2D art + King of Dragon Pass like C&C system + Pseudo Viking setting + Perfect format to play on the go with the iPad.

Everything about the place seems to be asinine. The architecture is assymetrical to a fault, causing unbalanced decibel levels thereby stymying whatever home field advantage the home crowd can muster. Then there's the absurd bag policy limiting to 4"x6" purses and or clear, transparent bags. They have an exclusive club -alienating the merely well off as opposed to the insanely rich. The parking and traffic situation is a mess. Then you have to deal with these thuggish drunken morons, who've grown worst since the San Francisco have became relevant again. All of which is lending credence that 49ers fans are becoming the worst in professional american sports. Mix of the worst of of both worlds: you get the wine sipping fair weather -to be seen crowd, mixed with the gutter trash that's routinely getting into violent beatings and shootings. Then there's our team: 1) The head coach is apparently losing control of his locker room. 2) Front Office staff are hypocrites in the handling/non handling of player misconduct off the field. 3) The QB is becoming insufferable with his arrogant antics coupled with mediocre performance.

Nope. I'm grouping all 49ers fans. I'm convinced this is representative of the entire fan population.

The film grain was always there, it was just toggle-able. For ME 3? Not on Xbox 360 there isn't.

What is really inexcusable is the lack of film grain. Why Bio, why?

This just wasn't meant to be for MadBum today. Excuse me while I fall inline and worship the ghost of Whitey Herzog.