TriGirl

I presume the chimney was being used to vent the smoke from the fire on the hearth at the time?  Otherwise it would be difficult to "guess the rest."

I presume this Vulcan launch was from the California facility?  I deal incidentally with ULA a few times a year in Florida, so I will be interested to hear if they present this accomplishment the next time we're there.

26 minutes ago, ryoder said:

And the reporter didn't even correct the fool's claim that Democrats removed Trump in CO. The plaintiffs in that case were 4 Republicans and 2 Unaffiliated.

And if you want to be technical, Trump will still appear on the ballot in CO, because he filed his appeal (barely) in time, which stayed the action. 

On 1/5/2024 at 3:26 PM, tkhayes said:

Yup and Florida is taking the amendment to court trying to stop it from even being allowed on the ballot.  When you cannot win on issues, move the goal posts and change the rules.....

One way they like to move goalposts is to put it on the primary ballot.  Florida has closed primaries, but that does not mean unaffiliated voters cannot vote on primary day.  There is a non-partisan ballot to cast that cuts out any options specifically for the parties.   In 2022 I voted on several initiatives involving zoning and taxation, as well as school board memberships (technically non-partisan).  This is just the initiative I could see getting put on a primary ballot, because a lot of independent (unaffiliated) voters in Florida are unaware they still have work to do on primary day. 

2 hours ago, billvon said:

Believers of conspiracy theories tend to have specific personality markers:

paranoid or suspicious thinking
eccentricity
low trust in others
stronger need to feel special
belief in the world as a dangerous place
seeing meaningful patterns where none exist

Bill,

IMHO, all of what you wrote stems from the one I highlighted.  This characteristic seems to be necessary to make all the other influences possible.

T

To keep on topic: my grand-nephew, age 4, is a HUGE Swifty.  He had a Taylor Swift-themed birthday party, and his mother posted a cute vid of him dancing to Lavender Haze (while also wearing a replica fuzzy lavender coat) during a cinema Eras tour broadcast.  His father, OTOH, was a massive Trump supporter in 2016 (haven't spoken with him about politics lately, but I have no reason to believe he has changed his opinion much, if at all). 

8 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

They aren't looking for actual solutions.

They're looking to scare the crap out of their idiot supporters. You know, the 'uneducated' that Trump loves so much.
They're looking for 'someone' to blame.

They will then paint themselves as the only people who can 'save the country'.

Standard despot tactics.

Just like, you know, Hitler.

Oh yes, I do know.  Which is why it's so pathetic that actual people (voters) are so easily taken down that path instead of having the critical thinking skills (education) to see a bigger picture. :/

5 hours ago, gowlerk said:

This is why both Trump and the right in general all over the world keep hammering away at the societal fear of the large amount of migration going on out of "shit hole countries" to more prosperous places. It is a winner and it will probably get worse as climate change forces more people to move. 

It's also so sad that his party/base can't deduce a well-executed foreign policy that helps impoverished countries to develop and take care of themselves actually REDUCES the demand to migrate.

Democrats shouldn't be trying to negotiate exceptions, like 15 weeks; rape, incest or health of the pregnant person; etc.  They should come at this from the other side: all medical procedures are allowable, with the decision resting between the person needing/wanting the procedure and the medical provider.  If someone wants an exception, they have to show why any procedure should be prohibited or disallowed.

3 hours ago, theonlyski said:

Always so judgmental 

Which is why this is the perfect way to stay in the sport. :)~

Hey, Val!

I agree both with you and Wendy.  I prefer the forums, but people have to visit and post!  Unfortunately, I spend most of my DZ.com time in Speakers Corner.  Probably shouldn't do that, but since I haven't been jumping in years, I guess I don't feel like I can find friends in Bonfire anymore. 

Although, I do still judge, so it isn't like I'm not on DZs anymore!  Just got my CF FAI judge rating, so looking forward to being back at it. :)

Tanya

(PS -- no, I don't believe we have ever met, but I'm sure we've chatted on this forum before!)

On 11/17/2023 at 2:55 PM, billvon said:

Brilliant!  If only Trump had known this while he was president, he'd still BE president.

He just tried to go about it a different way.  His acolytes are trying similar techniques.

On 9/8/2023 at 12:40 PM, normiss said:

And Gym Jordan still gets to yell at and accuse others of crimes without evidence while he simply ignored his subpoena.

It's weird to realize that America is becoming a third world country.

I wonder how Jordan will take it when the subpoena recipients for his committee's "investigations" over the handling of Trump and Hunter Biden similarly ignore their summons. Somehow I doubt he will think his own subpoenas are optional.

On 8/7/2023 at 12:44 PM, riggerrob said:

Because males - who have grown beyond puberty - have advantages in terms of bone density and muscle-mass - they are doomed to exceed intact females. 

This is my only concern on the issue. 

As for Kallend's question about how this relates to healthcare for children: if the trans kids would be allowed to use puberty blockers (like some elite athletes, like female gymnasts, already do) and hormone replacement, then they could choose to complete surgery as an adult without having gone through a puberty in the wrong body.  Trans women who have not grown up with testosterone, steroids, or any other performance enhancing chemical that a cis woman athlete would be banned for taking, would be on an even level with their competition. 

Note: I studied physics, not biology and human development.  If I am missing something, I more than welcome another perspective!  This is just my reaction based on what I know. Happy to be convinced otherwise.

On 8/3/2023 at 6:25 PM, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi Tanya,

Being quite a bit older than you, I am just not a podcast type of person.  If there is a transcript, I would like to read it.

Re:  It's scary how much we collectively have forgotten

I am consistently astounded by this.  However, as George Santana said:  Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.

Jerry Baumchen

It's a 6-part series, I'm afraid (maybe 8-part?).  But, I do believe you would enjoy listening to it if you find it.  It incorporates archival recordings of public statements that almost perfectly mirror sound bites we have today.  Go to the MSNBC web page and do a search for her name or the name of the series.  I haven't checked, but I do suppose it's possible they have the transcript you -- I just think the historical recordings really make the reporting so much more poignant.

3 minutes ago, Phil1111 said:

trump was specifically warned by the judge not to try to intimidate or threaten prospective jurors.

Hours or days till trump is in front of this judge again?

 

Would he go back before the magistrate if he violated that direction?  I imagine he would be under separate charges; in which case he might get that one again for his arraignment.  (just me trying to learn something about the process!).

Funny how at the airport he said this wasn't the DC he left -- dirty, graffiti, empty buildings... The only empty buildings he would have seen on that route are the ones in Crystal City -- and they're only empty because they're still under construction.  LOADS of new development in SE DC and Arlington.

2 hours ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi Mark,

Makes Watergate look like a playground dustup.

For anyone with a strong interest in American history, this is great time to grab the popcorn and stay tuned.  The next 4-6 yrs are going to be very interesting; if not defining.

Jerry Baumchen

Hey, Jerry,

Have you listened to Rachel Maddow's podcast Deja News?  It's scary how much we collectively have forgotten -- and yet it seems a lot of these grifters have been reading the playbook (right down to the tag lines).

Tanya

22 hours ago, ryoder said:

Colorado is not at all homogenous;

Right-leaning:

• Western Slope (rural): District 3, Boebert -R.
• Eastern Plains (rural). District 4, Ken Buck -R.
• Colorado Springs (military). due to: Air Force Academy, Cheyenne Mtn AFB, Peterson AFB, Shreiver AFB, Ft Carson Army Base, Pueblo Army Base.  District 5, Doug Lamborn -R

Left-leaning:

• All the more densely populated areas, and resort areas. Districts 1, 2, 6, 7, 8.

CO picked up a seat after the last census, and there was a redistricting. Boebert barely won by just a few hundred votes, in what I expected to be an easy win. Her opponent Adam Frisch has already announced he intends to run against her again.

One weird district is mine. It encompasses both South Park (seriously), and extends Northeast into the Denver Northwest suburbs. So we have a larger rural area mixed in with a smaller urban area. The Democrat won the last time.

Hey, Robert,

I'm going to disagree as to why Colorado Springs is right-leaning.  Most of the military personnel there don't vote in Colorado, they vote in their home resident states.  However, there is a huge concentration of evangelical Christian organizations headquartered there, which is my understanding of the cause of the area's conservative bend.

Though, I will admit that there are many AF Academy faculty who were first influenced by this ilk while in school, then come back to perpetuate the influence as faculty. Scary influence across the service. 

Yeah, that would be nice, but we don't have similar options here -- especially since I'm currently living in a high-rise apartment and will be moving to a townhouse next year (no significant yard aside from some decorative landscape, which is maintained by the association).  So, no yard waste. 

I wish we could do that, though; or that we had compost bins.  I count myself lucky that my municipalities even do any kind of recycling. 

On 5/27/2023 at 7:37 PM, JoeWeber said:

This is interesting for the few of us who didn't notice: check out the white borders on these documents from Mar-a-Lago. The thing about white borders is that it means they're copies. That's what copy machines do. The original yellow document in the upper right bleeds to the border as the red bordered secret documents here also do. Apparently, according to a shit load of laws that alone is jail time for someone. 

Hey, Joe,

Sorry, but that isn't true.  All of these are just the cover sheets, and they are printed in both formats.  You can also make copies of cover sheets to be sure you have one to, well, cover your classified document so it can't be seen by wandering eyes.  Nothing wrong with that.

Tanya

Several years ago my parents, who live on a rather large bit of land, had a compost barrel down by the barn.  It became too much trouble, so they got rid of it.  I have checked around and know that home compost pails kept in kitchens or even right outside become too, um, fragrant to be feasible for regular suburban or apartment home use.  Now, along come at least two different options I have seen/heard of on ads on podcasts and Instagram.  Both claim to be home friendly (no smell), quiet and efficient, and both advertise that they dry and mulch the food waste overnight to a soil-like consistency.  The question is, which to get?

Lomi -- Pros: one you buy it, it's yours. The result is a dry, soil-like mulch you can put directly into your plants or flower beds. One podcaster who promotes it puts the mulch on her fruit trees. Cons: I'm moving to a townhouse, so will have limited options for using the dried mulch except a few plants I plan to have on the terrace. It also takes up a lot of counter space, and requires regular filter changes (so, what if you run out of filters/the company stops making them?)

Mill -- Pros: it's the size of a medium garbage can, so it sits on the floor instead of the countertop. The device comes with a monthly subscription, so if you decide you don't want it anymore, cancel your subscription and it goes away. The company picks up the dry "mulch" (it is not ready for direct use by this process) to create fertilizer mulch for farms.  Cons: monthly subscription charge, plus you don't get the benefit of any of the mulch you create. 

I think I'm leaning toward Mill, but the benefits of Lomi still seem pretty good. I'm sure I could share the fertilizer mulch with friends. Does anyone have another composting machine for food/plant waste, and how do you like it?  Any thoughts on the above two options? 

7 hours ago, lippy said:

Hey, I just drove past that guy’s house!

Hey!

DM me -- what are you doing in Ankara?  I have other skydiving friends there.  Would be funny if it turned out we have mutual Turkish friends.

1 hour ago, DougH said:

The Alt-Right ignores the importance of inclusion, is often viewing this through a lens of bigotry and hate, and I think is distorting the scale of the problem.

The Left on this issue is promoting societal and moral arguments as if they are science, and refuses to consider situations where the inclusion of trans athletes is potentially unfair to cis female athletes.

Yep -- this.  Trying to see all sides of the issue.  That's why I love our sport.  We know every BODY is different, and you just have to learn how to fly yours. :)

18 hours ago, timski said:

I mean, Mr/Ms Jenner would know, right?

Okay, to be fair, Caitlyn was finished competing before she transitioned (and didn't try to compete in a category for her current gender).

Break

Thanks Bill for the background in the Olympic rules.  I lean that way a bit as well -- kids should play all together. If a kid has an idea that they may be trans prior to puberty setting in, they should be allowed to block puberty until they can understand themselves better and be old enough to decide.  That way, we won't have trans women who had high levels of testosterone in their system during their teen years, the effects of which can't be reversed, trying to compete with XX women in high school and college sports. 

If gymnasts can be given puberty blockers to stay in peak competition condition for longer, surely it isn't as harmful as is being described.  No one seems to be advocating for that practice to stop, so why can't kids take them for other reasons is beyond my understanding. (always willing to consider other evidence, but this is what I have seen it at this point).

I stand by what I thought at the time: media agencies who hosted debates (Primaries, Pres and VP) should have enforced rules.  Because Trump got out of hand during the primaries (throwing tantrums if he didn't get put center stage, taking up everyone else's speaking time), and the hosts let him get away with it, these behaviors carried over to the main election debates.  

I suggested on another thread then, and restate it now.  The host needs to find a way to enforce the rules, either by turning off the mic of those who do not have the floor, or one of the suggestions above.