Gromnir

has been linked before by Gromnir and others, but the writer of trump's book, the art of the deal​, has shared his insights into the workings o' trump's mind. is an intriguing read... not the art of the deal, but rather the interview with tony schwartz. “It’s implicit in a lot of what people write, but it’s never explicit—or, at least, I haven’t seen it. And that is that it’s impossible to keep him focussed on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes, and even then . . . ” Schwartz trailed off, shaking his head in amazement. keep in mind the interview is from the summer o' 2016, before the election. warnings. warnings not heeded. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all HA! Good Fun! Mark Bowden similarly noted in his own interview of Trump for Playboy that Trump's interview fatigue made it somewhat difficult for him to get much material for the piece. Along with Schwartz's observations it was why I found Trump's nickname "Low Energy Jeb" as much him calling the kettle black as his "Lying Ted". another article worth reading. http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a46616/dont-mess-with-roy-cohn/ note how the original published date is december 1978. were warning signs going back decades. HA! Good Fun!

clean coal http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/factcheck/what-%e2%80%98clean-coal%e2%80%99-is-%e2%80%94-and-isn%e2%80%99t/ar-AAqBmKx?ocid=spartanntp "Only one coal plant in the United States, the Petra Nova project in Texas, actually captures CO2 in this fashion, having come online in January with the help of $190 million from the Obama administration." "Critics note that “clean coal” is a misleading term for any of these techniques. Even a coal power plant that emits fewer pollutants is still a far dirtier way to produce electricity than a natural gas, nuclear, wind or solar plant." but at least the US is looking for technologies to make coal cleaner, no? well... "Mr. Trump’s budget for 2018 also proposed cutting by 85 percent funding for the Office of Fossil Energy, the federal agency that is currently researching techniques to reduce pollution from coal." HA! Good Fun!

warning: the link will be disquieting to more sensitive readers. am not drunk (Gromnir doesn't drink), so we got no excuse for why we posted. HA! Good Fun!

trick question. answer is as follows: a cheesed off dm/gm. HA! Good Fun!

announced reasons are largely pointless. kelly wanted him gone. HA! Good Fun!

not the star wars historian some others may be, but am recollecting ewoks preparing to roast han solo, alive, over an open flame. ewok intent to burn alive, and presumably eat other sentient beings were overlooked rather quickly by the band o' heroes.... racism aside. 'course most offensive were the culinary preparation o' han solo which had him being cooked, fully clothed, w/o any pre-seasoning, and absent any kinda wine as far as we could tell. what sort of animal cooks w/o, at the very least, salt and wine? still, the initial joke, when we saw it a week or so ago, were worth a small chuckle. was onboard with gifted 'til the "moronic masses" bit. HA! Good Fun!

fixed just helping the less educated masses. HA! Good Fun!

as an aside, is rare mentioned by the folks who lament ivy league schools giving underrepresented minority applications in an effort to promote diversity, but white students is still overrepresented at such schools based on academic achievement. legacy admissions and sports scholarships is disproportionate being granted to white students compared to underrepresented minorities. the legacy admissions is, in particular, a self perpetuating problem. as a group, is no reason to feel bad for white applicants to ivies. on the other hand, we do sympathize with the individual white kid or asian kid with near perfect sat scores and perfect grades who can't get into University of Pennsylvania 'cause some jock (like Gromnir) or a legacy took his/her place. sucks. is not institutional racism by any stretch o' the imagination, particular as is private institutions each with their own standards which vary from school to school, but we nevertheless sympathize with the perfect student who didn't have the foresight or time to invent an ai capable o' making the perfect waffle to puff up their application, or some such nonsense. in any event, don't let 'em try and fool you with numbers. HA! Good Fun!

well, since sharp isn't even trying anymore... has been linked before by Gromnir and others, but the writer of trump's book, the art of the deal​, has shared his insights into the workings o' trump's mind. is an intriguing read... not the art of the deal, but rather the interview with tony schwartz. “It’s implicit in a lot of what people write, but it’s never explicit—or, at least, I haven’t seen it. And that is that it’s impossible to keep him focussed on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes, and even then . . . ” Schwartz trailed off, shaking his head in amazement. keep in mind the interview is from the summer o' 2016, before the election. warnings. warnings not heeded. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all HA! Good Fun! The ADHD really should be the least of his problems, the energy just has to be channeled in a direction that's beneficial and it can be managed. The problem is that he's a 71 year old guy set in his ways and is unwilling to change and really doesn't take constructive criticism well. Not to mention his whole personality and obsession with attacking every single greviance and slight. the notion o' trump having the attention span o' a pre-adolescent hopped up on amphetamines is hardly the least o' anybody's problems. the nsc briefings, as just one example, is not gonna be bullet point/powerpoint presentations. a limited attention span for a chief executive with access to launch codes should be of serious concern. the executive's "simple" day-to-day issues is complex and often there is no clear and simple solutions... and to keep the president's attention, advisors must somehow try and spin to make such stuff seem like an opportunity to show more trump greatness? is the other major problem: trump's self-absorption. the thing is, we has had self-absorbed presidents. a president with a small ego is actual gonna be uncommon, and the step from big ego to self absorbed is small. andrew jackson had self-absorption issues. how events affected jackson took precedent. the thing is, jackson were also an experienced politician by the time he arrived in the white house. he were also a brave and battle-tested field commander. jackson were an egomaniac, and he might even have been crazy, but he were competent and focused. reagan, on the other hand, were an actor. when he got to the wh, folks in his inner circle suggested he would need change his ways a bit, that he would need be a bit more involved in the actual day-to-day policy issues. reagan however were either not interested or capable o' personal handling the minutiae o' the Presidency and so he deferred. mr. reagan surrounded himself with highly intelligent, dedicated and capable men. sure, you might not like the reagan wh politics, but he had a competent staff who handled all the stuff reagan couldn't be bothered to handle. the President gave prepared speeches and shared personal anecdotes when confronted by hard questions, but for the most part he let his staff handle the executive branch. being so overt combative would appear to Gromnir to be a simple a combination o' the lack o' attention/focus and his self-absorption. trump's vanity will not allow a personal attack to go w/o a response, but his lack o' focus and attention means he simple reflexive responds to such slights rather than considering the ramifications and alternatives. in any event, we have had presidents with self absorption issues. we have had presidents who couldn't seem to muster the focus to be president. am not thinking we have ever had such a comic combination o' both qualities in one president. HA! Good Fun!

Will Statues of a Doctor Who Experimented on Enslaved People Come Down Next? also Why the Can Opener Wasn’t Invented Until Almost 50 Years After the Can The first ‘can opener’ was a hammer and chisel and for gd The True Story of the Short-Lived State of Franklin HA! Good Fun! ps if you have the time, we recommend the following: connections: eat, drink and be merry the video explains how food canning were part o' the curious chain o' invention and chance which led to the Apollo 11 launch. 50 minutes total.

has been linked before by Gromnir and others, but the writer of trump's book, the art of the deal​, has shared his insights into the workings o' trump's mind. is an intriguing read... not the art of the deal, but rather the interview with tony schwartz. “It’s implicit in a lot of what people write, but it’s never explicit—or, at least, I haven’t seen it. And that is that it’s impossible to keep him focussed on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes, and even then . . . ” Schwartz trailed off, shaking his head in amazement. keep in mind the interview is from the summer o' 2016, before the election. warnings. warnings not heeded. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all HA! Good Fun!

fixed "wy"? 'cause almost immediate following your recent overbroad and hasty generalization faux pas, you do the same thing. however with your most recent generalization blunder, you couldn't even match the target o' your scorn with the group you were seeking to denigrate. were clear not a journalist or any kinda' journalism. so, yeah, am amused. you are a gift which keeps on giving, whether you intend to or not. HA! Good Fun! ps to stay on-topic https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/videos/2017-08-24/why-trump-is-calling-out-gop-leaders-on-debt-limit-video was hoping for a bit more analysis. suggesting trump can't control his own impulses is hardly news at this point.

This is the peak of modern jurnalism. One sided story, author is the subject of article, no proof the story actually happened. I applaud. well, considering it ain't actual journalism... were original a contribution to the Washington Post's posteverything-perspective section. isn't news. isn't journalism. the section is clear labeled as "discussion of news topics with a point of view, including narratives by individuals regarding their own experiences." you got nothing more than a first-person narrative from an individual who clear identifies herself as a political activist in opposition to trump. no real danger o' being misrepresented as journalism. well, we woulda' thought there were no such danger. is no more journalism than vol or sharp or Gromnir posting stories and anecdotes on this board. ​and yeah, one suspects a one-sided narrative is gonna get embellishment by the author. these first hand accounts rare match reality with any kinda accuracy. even so, we got the author admitting her political leanings, and we can clear see this is a first-person narrative. no reasonable intelligent person is gonna mistake the linked story for journalism in any meaningful sense. HA! Good Fun!

I'm speechless. Media are literally starting to target Trump supporters and voters. I'm afraid that if the liberals will regain (by elections or coup) power, then the Trump voter will face the same treaent as japanese americans during WWII."target" folks who literally put themselves in front of cameras? guy is waving signs in front row at national televised events and is asking folks to visit his website. utterly shocking when somebody actual does visit site and look into the gentleman's background. ... then again, am thinking it is kinda shocking anybody bothered to actual go to the advertised website. 'course much like sharp's "collusion" flub, it will be fun to revisit this post the next time he links a breitbart article 'bout how some alt-left clown at a berkeley rally throwing punches represents democrats en masse, or when a random schmuck in ferguson or baltimore somehow becomes the face of blm. though the comparison to victimized trump supporters and japanese americans during ww2 was, if nothing else, amusing for the unintentional hyperbole... which we hope we don't need explain again how is nonsensical to be using same statement as both dead serious and comical hyperbolic. HA! Good Fun! So showing on a rally is the same as beating people or destoying property. Cool story bro. HA! Good Fun! maybe you didn't read the linked story. "showing on a rally" were not what makes "Michael the Black Man" newsworthy. regardless, we will indeed revisit when you choose to attribute the actions o' one or two people to an entire group. will no doubt be fascinating. HA! Good Fun!

is actual relative old. list is attributed to a guy named rick ross and the list in question has 'been 'round for a decade or more. is not new, but mr. ross is kinda sketchy, though his work has been cited by breitbart more than once, so... HA! Good Fun!

I'm speechless. Media are literally starting to target Trump supporters and voters. I'm afraid that if the liberals will regain (by elections or coup) power, then the Trump voter will face the same treaent as japanese americans during WWII. "target" folks who literally put themselves in front of cameras? guy is waving signs in front row at national televised events and is asking folks to visit his website. utterly shocking when somebody actual does visit site and look into the gentleman's background. ... then again, am thinking it is kinda shocking anybody bothered to actual go to the advertised website. 'course much like sharp's "collusion" flub, it will be fun to revisit this post the next time he links a breitbart article 'bout how some alt-left clown at a berkeley rally throwing punches represents democrats en masse, or when a random schmuck in ferguson or baltimore somehow becomes the face of blm. though the comparison to victimized trump supporters and japanese americans during ww2 was, if nothing else, amusing for the unintentional hyperbole... which we hope we don't need explain again how is nonsensical to be using same statement as both dead serious and comical hyperbolic. HA! Good Fun!

am not sure if buying twitter to prevent trump from posting alternative facts via that medium is in keeping with the spirit o' the thread, but more than once we has blurred such lines. all good. in any event, phoenix offered far too many alternative facts to post all in one place. couple links to get started. http://www.npr.org/2017/08/23/545504933/fact-check-10-statements-from-trumps-phoenix-speech http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/aug/22/fact-checking-president-donald-trumps-campaign-ral/ oh, and an oldie-but-goodie... 'cause we were gone from the boards for a bit. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/factcheck/analysis-good-news-for-border-residents-no-one-is-throwing-60-pound-bags-of-drugs-over-a-50-foot-wall/ar-BBEp9cW?ocid=spartanntp HA! Good Fun!

D&D Rules Developer's 9 Insider Hacks For Players and DMs HA! Good Fun! ps

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/the-strange-story-of-that-%E2%80%98blacks-for-trump%E2%80%99-guy-standing-behind-potus-at-his-phoenix-rally/ar-AAqzQon?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp ... am honest not sure what to say.

should probably be in the politics thread, but wth. negative campaigns is hardly new, but this above is extreme enough it made us chuckle... which am doubtful were the intended response. HA! Good Fun!

had long hair 'til sophomore year in high school. not quite crystal gayle long, but it reached our arse in a braid. one day during football practice, we got tackled by our braid, which had snuck out from underneath our shoulder pads as it frequent did. legs went out from underneath us while our head got yanked around far enough to make an owl cringe. lights flashed followed by darkness. regained consciousness moments later. our presence on the practice field initial surprised us as we had no immediate recollection as to how or why we should find our self not in our bed at home as we were clear waking up from having been asleep, no? and why were people we kinda/sorta/maybe recognized staring at us from peculiar angles? got our hair cut the next day. been short ever since. HA! Good Fun!

I've read a good bit about Lee. He has been the victim of historical revisions himself. What erroneous information you hear depends on who you are hearing it from. Like Jackson he was opposed to Virginia seceding. But he never considered not fighting for his home State. He was not opposed to slavery as some have said. His attitude towards "africans" in general was paternalistic and condescending. He thought slavery was their lot because that was God's will for them. He also saw their servitude as an "instructional" period for their race that future generations would learn from. And he actually meant that in a benevolent way if you can believe that. He was a man of his time. Those views were hardly unique. That we find them ridiculously backwards and offensive now says more about us than it does about him. Even his prowess on the battlefield has been subject to some revision. While his abilities as a commander are unquestioned he was a lot better in defense than in the attack. If he were a chess player he would be tough to beat if he were playing black. Playing white it's even money when he has to make the first move. His failing, as Gromnir and I have discussed before is failing to adapt to changing technology. He was not one to romanticize the war. He thought it's symbols should be put away and left to history. I think he would have been mortified at his role in the events of the past week. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/making-sense-of-robert-e-lee-85017563/ largely mirrors gd impressions. am personal ambivalent 'bout the confederate war memorial thing. while Gromnir doesn't have any love for such memorials, and we shed few tears at their removal, we has concerns. oh sure, the slippery slope nonsense from the alt-right is laughable. compare george washington monument to robert e. lee statues is silly for numerous reasons, but there is gonna be a, well, gray area. the statue of roger taney so recent removed from the maryland state courthouse made us pause. sure, the dred scott decision is what history howls 'bout when taney's life is considered, but taney is also the guy who placed himself and the Court between the People and the President at a time when lincoln were suspending habeas corpus and imprisoning journalists w/o charges. nevertheless, a different dred scott result mighta' prevented civil war and woulda' been the moral correct thing to do for an educated man, even in 1857. how 'bout a memorial commemorating all the fallen soldiers o' the civil war? no doubt such would offend a few people, and such a gray area makes us leery. am similar worried by gesture w/o substance. is far easier to fight over statues than to bring 'bout real change. is not as if Gromnir fails to understand the value o' symbolism. no doubt some know our feelings 'bout mount rushmore. nevertheless, am concerned. nowadays we see folks fighting over the details and minutiae while seeming ignoring substance which makes the fight worthy o' the possible pain. politicians and activists exhaust selves over microaggressions, trigger words and statues and when they win such battles, they cheer for victory. all the while, income disparity increases and the endemic hopelessness in many ethnic neighborhoods and communities grows. statues seem so trivial by comparison. also, we do worry, just a little, 'bout the tangential first amendment issues. go figure. but mostly we wanted to give gd credit for posting his impression o' lee. doesn't mean much if Gromnir agrees with gd, but even those yankee know-it-alls at the smithsonian is simpatico with gd... on this one issue. HA! Good Fun!

didn't read the thread following the genesis post. the only reason we clicked were 'cause we wondered, "wth is a non-binary player character?" ... our imagination provide us with more interesting options than the reality. le sigh. HA! Good Fun!

however, one should note how if the icons on the linked map were drawn to scale, the map would not look near (at all) crowded... which would be equal misleading. after all, those ships don't handle like an audi on the 101. also, based on the map presented, one might also consider the possibility o' there being a navy-wide problem (human error or technical), but 'cause o' the traffic in the straits, the failure has simple not been realized elsewhere 'cause o' lack o' traffic. regardless, the strait, and the waters off the shores o' japan, has not sudden become crowded. the number o' accidents in a relative short span o' time should be a cause for concern. correlation is not causation, but to ignore makes one look kinda obtuse. is sorta like all the dead bodies o' putin political opponents. our resident reflexive russia defenders happily find explanations other than state-sponsored infamy for putin opponents being poisoned with rare toxins... multiple times. sure, having an outspoken opponent o' putin gunned down within sight o' the kremlin can be explained away if one tries hard enough. 'course the more such curious events accumulate, the more a reasonable person becomes suspicious o' putin, yes? if the common factor in all the strange deaths is putin, then one need be obtuse to not at least consider putin as a cause, no? multiple US warships has suffered collisions in a relative short period o' time. the number o' collisions is disproportionate to past history o' collisions. not be concerned, not be suspicious, would be irresponsible. even so, correlation is not same as causation. bunch o' people get cancer and they all live near ________. is easy to blame ________ for the cancers, yes? toxic river. abandoned nuclear power plant. pesticide manufacturer. whatever. turns out the river never actually were toxic, but yearly algae bloom made people believe it were polluted. the nuclear plant never actual were operational so it never housed radioactive material. the pesticide manufacturer makes a syrup from oranges and kumquats which is highly effective at killing japanese beetles, and the syrup actual goes great with ice cream. yeah, such stuff happens, but am thinking in the present situation, there is enough reason for the navy to be concerned, and absence o' investigation would be irresponsible. HA! Good Fun!

LOL, what a bull**** no story. Here is a video of the situation: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2017/aug/21/donald-trump-look-directly-sun-eclipse-video Only a really dum... oh it's Gromnir, nevermind. HA! Good Fun! it were a dumb thing to do. period. to do such a dumb and potential dangerous (doesn't even take a full second o' naked-eye eclipse viewing to do permanent damage) thing in front o' cameras and reporters and crowds o' people is particular perplexing, though not unexpected from this President. act the buffoon on camera is, after all, part o' his schtick. your reflexive defense o' the indefensible is similar perplexing but equal expected. HA! Good Fun! ps we did have a couple chuckle moments during the trump speech. the President admitted how his first reaction were to get outta afghanistan, then a few minutes later he pointed out how it were "obvious" a withdrawal from afghanistan would be disastrous on multiple levels. other than a few such blunders, there were nothing noteworthy good or bad to takeaway from the speech. no real details. no explanations as to how one helps afghanistan to defend themselves without considerable US infrastructure input and investment. no actual illumination as to what success in afghanistan will look like. etc. converse, no clear faux pas and no clear points o' concern. even so, as with his address to Congress, trump can at least look Presidential when he simple reads the script provided. am suspecting trump approval will get a small boost following his speech and one hopes trump might learn something from the lingering popularity glow he will enjoy in the wake o' a small successes such as his public sharing o' his afghanistan plan. then again, one expects trump to be trump at the upcoming arizona rally. in a few hours, the valley o' the sun will no doubt be scorched by trump's typical befuddled ranting, incoherent non sequiturs and outright lies... all o' which will impress the heck outta sharp and a bunch o' the "very fine people" who were seen marching with david duke in charlottesville.