ewsieg

I guess my argument is there is no protest vote. As those that tend to lose 'close elections' will be forced to review and take on ideas that can make them better. With that, maybe they don't lose anymore. The Socialist party was a throw away vote, but we have child labor laws because of them. Populist party - 8 hour work days and graduated income tax. What's the big republican talking point you hear when minority rights are brought up. That they were the party against slavery. But were they? Yes, after they realized the Free Soil party had a good argument for it. Call it a throw away vote all you want, but history shows it can make major impacts to society.

Winning parties and significant third party vote are the two significant portions of your question which makes me feel the answer is close to no or no itself. Winning parties don't change until they start losing. In 2012 and every year before since I had turned 18 I voted republican because on a large majority of issues the country faced, I felt their policies were better. In 2016, I refused to vote for the GOP candidate. But I still agreed with him on the majority of the issues, so I didn't vote Dem either. IMO Johnson was the best option for the country and I took it. My vote, my choice. Fast forward to 2024 and I was severely underwhelmed that Harris was the best candidate. If you look at the last published party policies for both, I probably am still a republican as I would agree mostly with them most in regards to party platform. But I feel I can make an argument that Trump doesn't follow many of those policies, but even more importantly to me, I don't think he follows our laws. Which party (in terms of POTUS) is losing right now? Which party all of a sudden likes a lot of Libertarian policies which promote individual freedoms? If you answered Dems to both, you'd be correct. And because of that they currently have my vote because my freedoms "Trump" any other issue our nation is facing today, in my opinion. All that said, those are my own priorities and they affect my vote. Who says my priorities are better than yours? Or who you are to say your priorities are better than mine? In short, the 2 party system has plenty of issues, but 1 thing its really good at, is when the country sees solutions or other good ideas that can help our country but aren't being addressed, the losers have time to understand those issues and communicate them out. And good ideas tend to win elections. Even if you agree with me, I guess the next question is does this still ring true today or has society outpassed those norms.

This is why you're ultimately right. This also explains my Johnson vote. He was the only one that I actually thought would be different AND while I knew he had no chance to win, my hope was enough people voted for him that it would force one or both parties to absorb some of those 'don't kill my wife' policies. 3rd parties never win, not because no one likes them, but because when they put out a message that resonates with people, 1 or both of the major parties take the idea as their own and undercut them. Part of the issue we have currently is too many people vote for the best of the 'viable' candidates. Maybe candidates wouldn't only speak to and support their own base if they had to actually compete for votes.

100% correct. No one should argue with this. Spot On ...... but, go with me on this. Let's just imagine a time where you weren't happy with the top two candidates so you said 'screw it' and voted for Gary Johnson. Let's just say I understand what MB is saying.

I mean, I'm not going to complain about Verlander finishing up here. He showed he can still compete last year. But does this hint that Olsen is hurt more than thought AND the Tigers are done with Jobe? Also, not trying to be greedy, but a right handed veteran bat still would be nice.

The production was great and it had to take up more of the field than any other halftime show I've ever seen. Granted a lot of it were just sugar cane plants, but still, impressive on that front. Speaking of Brandi Carlisle, she was, per usual, fantastic. Ultimately it probably got exponentially more eyes on the Superbowl in Latin/South America then they could have gotten with a rock/country/hip hop act and i'm sure the NFL is loving that. Just seems like people loved or hated it based on political leanings. Maybe I'm wrong, but if it was that good, I feel like it would have transcended that.

Guessing this is going to cement all of your thoughts that I'm a right wing racist, but.... I just read up on some of the symbolism of the Bad Bunny show and it seems cool. But, I don't get it. The music wasn't horrible, nor was the show, but all my liberal friends/family spent all night on facebook saying how amazing it was. Rolling Stone already came out and send it was the 2nd best ever, just behind Prince. Seriously? I'm not going to pretend that I wouldn't have wanted a singer I could understand out there, but I took my daughter to see The Stray Kids last year and understood none of the lyrics yet absolutely loved the show. I watched the TPUSA show last night too. Kid Rock may be all the things you folks say, but I still like most of his music. It was alright. Modern country isn't my thing and most of the show were country acts. On Bawitdaba there was a backing track that was out of sync which was funny. So in short, was it just the fact that it was political that made everyone love it or am I missing something with the music? Also to note, the best halftime show this year was Jack White / Eminem. You can disagree, but you'd be wrong.

I used to listen to their 'Post Reports' daily just to get a high level of the days events. Honestly I felt like it had a slight left lean to it still, but about 6 months ago I just couldn't do it anymore. Bezos made a mockery the Post and I can't support it. I have no problem listening to media that is clearly left or right slanted, but its clear he purchased it just to please 'dear leader'.

You act like facts are important with this president. Not having control of the Post is a bigger liability than watching it crumble and lose a little bit of money. Even if he sold it to someone that Trump would approve of, what if the new owner 'allowed' an article critical of Trump to be published. Let's say that happens the day that Trump is making a decision regarding Blue Origin. Now Blue Origin gets screwed because 'weak Bezos couldn't keep the Post afloat and now the Post is posting fake news about me, I can't in good conscious approve Blue Origin.'

I listened to their Countdown to Extinction album recently, that was a favorite for years. I heard a single of this upcoming album and in Megadeth fashion, it rocked. I'll give it a try. Rumors true about Mustaine trying to get a tour set up with Mettalica?

For what it's worth, I was playing with Gemini tonight. Asked it about expected roster and to assume McGonigle made the team out of spring training, what should we expect this year? ----------------------- If Kevin McGonigle breaks camp with the team and performs to his projections, the Detroit Tigers move from "wild card contenders" to 90-plus win territory and the clear favorites to win the AL Central. Here is the statistical breakdown of what that record looks like and why: The Win Total Projections Current consensus projections (like FanGraphs and ZiPS) have the Tigers as an 87-75 team as currently constructed. However, those projections often "hedge" on rookies, assuming they start the year in Triple-A. The "McGonigle Bump": ZiPS projects McGonigle to produce 2.3 fWAR in only 399 plate appearances. If he plays a full season (550+ PAs), that value jumps to nearly 3.5–4.0 wins. The Expected Record: With McGonigle stabilizing shortstop, a 90–72 or 91–71 record becomes the new baseline. This would likely be enough to win the AL Central, as the Guardians are currently projected for 88 wins. Why He Specifically Changes the Record A "record" isn't just about total talent; it's about fixing specific weaknesses. McGonigle addresses the two biggest holes that cost the Tigers games in 2025: The Problem The McGonigle Solution Impact on Wins High Strikeout Rates: The 2025 lineup was 24th in MLB in K%. McGonigle's projected 12.8% strikeout rate would be the lowest on the team. Fewer wasted innings; more "productive outs." Shortstop Defensive Volatility: In 2025, Tigers SS combined for only 1.4 fWAR (24th in MLB). If he provides even league-average defense with his elite bat, he’s a massive upgrade. Saves runs in tight, 1-run games. The "Skubal Run Support": Skubal lost several games in 2025 despite giving up 2 runs or fewer. A high-OBP bat in front of Greene and Torkelson ensures the Ace gets the wins he deserves. Directly turns 3-4 "Tough Luck" losses into wins. The "Rookie of the Year" Factor There is a massive hidden benefit to him making the team: The Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI). If McGonigle is on the Opening Day roster and wins AL Rookie of the Year (which he is currently the +350 favorite to do), the Tigers receive an extra first-round draft pick. This incentivizes the front office to be aggressive at the trade deadline because they know they have "extra" draft capital coming in. The Risk Factor The only reason the record wouldn't improve is the "Torkelson Effect"—if a young player is rushed and struggles with major-league breaking balls, it can create a "black hole" in the lineup for a month or two. However, scouts categorize McGonigle's 70-grade hit tool as "big-league ready" right now. The Verdict: If McGonigle is at Shortstop on Opening Day, expect a 90-win season and a legitimate chase for the #1 or #2 seed in the American League. Would you like me to look at the Tigers' schedule to see which teams McGonigle's contact-heavy style would match up best against in April?

I still play around with shell scripts from time to time. If it works, it works. Thankful for you guys that can build a script from ground up. I've dabbled with perl/python, but usually it consists of me wanting something from 1 script and combining it with something another script does and cutting/pasting portions out until I get something useful. That said, AI does a pretty decent job now, for basic stuff at least. We recently had a few of our servers shut down with no notice. We lost some basic scripts I use regularly, like an IP calculator and a command line whois script. I had working alternatives in our bin before a peer was even able to get a response from our server ops team on if they had any backups.

When I was getting my masters degree another women in my program was probably 25 or so and in high school she co-op'd at some tier I supplier and a bunch of old guys taught her fortran. By the time we graduated, she was freelancing and doing quite well. She said she was going to pursue fortran as long as it paid the bills, from what you say, I wonder if she's still playing with it today.

It was a joke that even if their pathetic excuse was legit that it still shows how stupid they are. There was no suggestion on my part. End of story.

No...or kinda....I don't know anymore. Romad appears to have understood my joke that was directed at those that are claiming it wasn't racist and defending it being posted. Maybe he can explain because I can't seem to communicate with you folks anymore. Or maybe he's racist like me too, idk.