Happy New Year You Surly Bastards!
Everything posted by tokamak
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2025 Self Gratifying Fantasy Football thread
Yep, I'd spend $66.
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An American has won the Chopin Piano Competition for the first time since 1970
Eric Lu, from Massachusetts. Pretty big deal AFAIK, the competition is only held once every five years. Dude can really tickle the ivories, as they say.
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Will UT Bend the Knee?
Yeah that has nothing to do with the compact that UT was invited to (which UVa has already officially rejected). This is more akin to the earlier shakedowns of Harvard, Penn, Columbia, and Brown.
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Will UT Bend the Knee?
Spoiler alert: there is no grant money
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2025 ALCS Mariners vs Blue Jays Fox/FS1
Nice frame by Kirk to get that K
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2025 ALCS Mariners vs Blue Jays Fox/FS1
As a neutral, this is good TV
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Hip-hop / Rap that you're listening to
The last Joey album didn't do a lot for me, but I loved the two prior to that. I like this one, too. Didn't even realize he had a new album out.
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Texas Statewide Ballot Propositions, 2025
The state government has to raise a certain amount of money to carry out its duties. If you ask me, I'd probably prefer for a larger proportion of that money to come from taxes that a small number of relatively wealthy people pay (inheritance, capital gains, securities transactions) versus taxes that even the poorest people in the state pay (sales, property). Taking certain types of taxes off the table forever necessarily means codifying all the other types as the only ways for the state to ever raise funds. Wealthy political donors know this, which I assume is why they're pushing for a ban on something that doesn't exist and isn't currently under any serious consideration in the state.
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Texas Statewide Ballot Propositions, 2025
Yeah that definitely crossed my mind on #4.
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Texas Statewide Ballot Propositions, 2025
Didn't see a thread. Here's my gut thinking on these, still doing some research. Money for Texas State Technical College. Sure. Although I did see a TV ad with Dan Patrick promoting this one, so I'll have to hold my nose while I vote for it. Banning something that doesn't exist (state capital gains tax). Pointless red meat that unnecessarily constrains the state in the future. I'm a no. Requires judges to deny bail in certain cases. Seems like it ties the hands of judges to make case-by-case decisions in the name of "tough on crime" posturing. Leaning no. $20bn for water infrastructure projects. I'm legitimately confused why we need a constitutional amendment for this. Cant the lege just put this in the budget like anything else? A sales tax exemption on animal feed. Seems like pretty small potatoes, but not sure why it's necessary. I'll say no. Securities tax ban. Same deal as #2. Property tax exemption for surviving spouses of veterans. Sure. Not a huge amount of money or anything. Inheritance tax ban. See #2 and #6. Exempts $125k of business inventory and equipment from property tax. Per the Trib, this cuts ~$100m from local tax revenue. Will the state make that up? I'm not holding my breath on that. So, no. Property tax exemption for homes destroyed by fire. Small potatoes. Sure. Raises homestead exemption for elderly and disabled. I mean, sounds good, but just like #9 this cuts $500m annually from school revenue. State says they'll make it up, but also...the state is liars. No. Changes the makeup of the state commission on judicial conduct. This one seems real bad. Hard no. Raises homestead exemption from $100k to $140k. See #11. Sure, I like lower taxes. Who doesn't? What I don't like is the state pulling $1bn+ per year out of school funding and pinky promising to make it up. No. Sets aside $3bn to create a dementia research fund. I guess. Codifies in the state constitution that "parents are the primary decision makers for children". This is useless political pandering. Who gives a fuck? I'll vote no just because. Says only US citizens can vote. That's already true. In theory I agree, but this is 100% pointless pandering. Adds property tax exemption for border security infrastructure. Nah. Pay for your own fucking wall. Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/22/texas-statewide-propositions-november-ballot-election/ Chronicle's endorsements (haven't read 'em yet): https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/endorsements/article/texas-constitutional-amendments-2025-propositions-21102640.php
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Dallas Cowboys 2025 season thread: 8-9 and divine. The world according to Jerry
Starting to see a lot of clamoring among fans for Jerry to sign Pickens ASAP. Pickens has been great and I'm not against it, but have we learned nothing? Jerry is gonna pay him like $70mm/year.
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Texas Recruiting Notes 2026: Boulevard of Broken Bagmen
can he play OG?
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Dallas Cowboys 2025 season thread: 8-9 and divine. The world according to Jerry
This is correct. There are curtains but Jerry won’t use them for football games.
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RFK Jr. off the chain and off his rocker
What a shit legacy for the Kennedy family to leave the country as they fade into irrelevance. Great job, assholes.
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Dallas Cowboys 2025 season thread: 8-9 and divine. The world according to Jerry
Tyler Guyton is mid as fuck. They need to use one of their firsts on a LT and move him over to the right and jettison Steele. I have no idea if contracts allow that to be possible.
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Dallas Cowboys 2025 season thread: 8-9 and divine. The world according to Jerry
Jalen Tolbert is a net negative
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Dallas Cowboys 2025 season thread: 8-9 and divine. The world according to Jerry
Run D finally playing like their nuts have descended today
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Dallas Cowboys 2025 season thread: 8-9 and divine. The world according to Jerry
Wow that was Cowboys-esque pass D
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Dallas Cowboys 2025 season thread: 8-9 and divine. The world according to Jerry
lol that dudes name is Yankoff
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Fire Kyle Flood
I need to rewatch but am I mistaken in thinking that even Goosby and Baker were getting put on skates regularly yesterday? Seemed like the pocket was collapsing very quickly. Kentucky and Florida both just looked so much more physical than us. It’s like there’s an S&C failure happening, too.
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2025 Self Gratifying Fantasy Football thread
I had some hopes that Justin Fields would be one of those guys that sucks in real life but puts up decent fantasy numbers. Turns out he actually just sucks in both worlds.
- Texas vs. Kentucky - 6:00pm on ESPN
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All things SNL
It was the cold open, and yes it was dumb. decent episode imo. I liked the stupid Frankenstein video at the end too
- Texas vs. Kentucky - 6:00pm on ESPN
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2025 Random Games thread
That FSU win over Bama gets more and more weird every week