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bolverk

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bolverk last won the day on May 13

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  1. I feel like I used to solve Wordle consistently in 3-4 turns, but the last couple of weeks have been a beat down. Wordle 1,075 5/6 ⬛⬛🟨🟨⬛ 🟨🟩⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #353 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Daily Quordle 856 5️⃣6️⃣ 7️⃣4️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟨🟨🟨⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
  2. You're probably not wrong about him simply getting just a fine if found guilty. But, to my knowledge, the maximum penalty could be up to four years. Of course, he'd appeal that verdict, which would last forever. Edit: I don't know who does the sentencing in that case, whether it would be the judge or the jury.
  3. bolverk

    Texas Primaries

    HD 33: Incumbent Holland lost. Pro-voucher Pierson doesn't look like she'll have an opponent at all. HD 44: Incumbent Kuempel lost. Pro-voucher Schoolcraft is facing Democratic candidate Eric Norman. HD 58: Incumbent Burns lost. Pro-voucher Kerwin is facing a libertarian. No Dem is running in the general. Abbott got his two, probably with one to spare. HD 44 is overwhelmingly Republican. These are the results from 2022 where Kuempel absolutely trounced the Dem.
  4. bolverk

    Texas Primaries

    The ONLY silver lining for me, personally, is my daughter is going to college in Upstate NY and will probably never come back to Texas.
  5. bolverk

    Texas Primaries

    Per @cactusflinthead's article, Abbott needs two of his insurgent candidates to win. Right now, three are winning. Sorry to spell this out since it's likely obvious to those who've been following these candidates more closely.
  6. bolverk

    Texas Primaries

    No, but thank you.
  7. bolverk

    Texas Primaries

    Okay, I might've found a partial answer to my question. I'd assumed that Abbott and Paxton were on the same side, but it doesn't appear so in many races. It looks like Paxton people are doing better than Abbott people in the run-offs. Dark mode readers are going to have to switch to standard viewing because I'm not about to try to recreate this table, and the formatting didn't carry over. Bold is winning. Here's what I've found from before the run-offs: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-may-2024-runoff-election-results/ compared with https://www.kut.org/politics/2024-03-04/texas-house-election-abbott-paxton-races-republican-primary-endorsements-campaign-contributions Table with 5 columns and 24 rows. Texas House District Incumbent Challenger Paxton Endorsement Abbott Endorsement 1 Gary VanDeaver Dale Huls, Chris Spencer Huls Spencer 5 Cole Hefner Jeff Fletcher Fletcher Hefner 9 Trent Ashby Paulette Carson Carson Ashby 11 Travis Clardy Joanne Shofner Clardy Shofner 17 Stan Gerdes Tom Glass Glass Gerdes 20 Terry Wilson Janine Chapa Chapa Wilson 26 Jacey Jetton Matt Morgan Morgan Jetton 30 open AJ Louderback, Jeff Bauknight Louderback Bauknight 56 open Pat Curry, Devvie Duke Duke Curry 61 Frederick Frazier Keresa Richardson Branch, Richardson Frazier 63 Ben Bumgarner Vincent Gallo Gallo Bumgarner 64 Lynn Stucky Andy Hopper Hopper Stucky 65 Kronda Thimesch Mitch Little Little Thimesch 66 Matt Shaheen Wayne Richard Richard Shaheen 67 Jeff Leach Daren Meis Meis Leach 68 David Spiller Kerri Kingsbery Kingsbery Spiller 83 Dustin Burrows Wade Cowan Cowan Burrows 85 Stan Kitzman Tim Greeson Greeson Kitzman 89 Candy Noble Abraham George George Noble 91 Stephanie Klick David Lowe Lowe Klick 108 Morgan Meyer Barry Wernick Wernick Meyer 128 Briscoe Cain Bianca Gracia Gracia Cain 133 Mano DeAyala John Perez Perez DeAyala 138 Lacey Hull Jared Woodfill Woodfill Hull
  8. bolverk

    Texas Primaries

    I appreciate you posting the results. Since I know very little about the candidates in the various run-offs, it'd be helpful to see a list of those supported by Phelan versus those supported by Abbott/Paxton. Do you happen to know if one is available, or should I just assume any incumbent is somewhat moderate, as this post implies? Also, it'd be especially helpful to know when there's no incumbent. I'm looking at this comprehensive list of all returns and don't know what to make of any of it: https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-may-2024-runoff-election-results/
  9. Oh, he knows the rules, and believe me, he's more than come through.
  10. You might not care about Ireland, Spain, or Norway recognizing Palestine, but if the UK, France and Australia move ahead with it, an idea all three are toying with (click the links), then maybe you won't find it so funny. Just about the entire international community supports a two-state solution. Universal recognition of Palestine is really only contingent on whether it's part of a negotiated settlement. For example, the green countries below already formally recognize the Palestinian State. As any rational person can see, doing so is not a radical or laughable idea.
  11. Some dick-drawing lawyers are about to make bank. Lawyers to Plastics Makers: Prepare for ‘Astronomical’ PFAS Lawsuits At an industry presentation about dangerous “forever chemicals,” lawyers predicted a wave of lawsuits that could dwarf asbestos litigation, audio from the event revealed. The defense lawyer minced no words as he addressed a room full of plastic-industry executives. Prepare for a wave of lawsuits with potentially “astronomical” costs. Speaking at a conference earlier this year, the lawyer, Brian Gross, said the coming litigation could “dwarf anything related to asbestos,” one of the most sprawling corporate-liability battles in United States history. Mr. Gross was referring to PFAS, the “forever chemicals” that have emerged as one of the major pollution issues of our time. Used for decades in countless everyday objects — cosmetics, takeout containers, frying pans — PFAS have been linked to serious health risks including cancer. Last month the federal government said several types of PFAS must be removed from the drinking water of hundreds of millions of Americans. “Do what you can, while you can, before you get sued,” Mr. Gross said at the February session, according to a recording of the event made by a participant and examined by The New York Times. “Review any marketing materials or other communications that you’ve had with your customers, with your suppliers, see whether there’s anything in those documents that’s problematic to your defense,” he said. “Weed out people and find the right witness to represent your company.” A spokesman for Mr. Gross’s employer, MG+M The Law Firm, which defends companies in high-stakes litigation, didn’t respond to questions about Mr. Gross’s remarks and said he was unavailable to discuss them. A wide swathe of the chemicals, plastics and related industries are gearing up to fight a surge in litigation related to PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of nearly 15,000 versatile synthetic chemicals linked to serious health problems. PFAS chemicals, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been detected almost everywhere scientists have looked: in drinking water, in rain falling over the Great Lakes, even in Antarctic snow. They are thought to be present in the blood of nearly every American. Researchers have linked exposure to PFAS to testicular and kidney cancers, developmental delays in children, decreased fertility, liver damage and thyroid disease. The man-made chemicals are so long-lasting that scientists haven’t been able to reliably identify how long it might take for them to break down. PFAS-related lawsuits have already targeted manufacturers in the United States, including DuPont, its spinoff Chemours, and 3M. Last year, 3M agreed to pay at least $10 billion to water utilities across the United States that had sought compensation for cleanup costs. Thirty state attorneys general have also sued PFAS manufacturers, accusing the manufacturers of widespread contamination. But experts say the legal battle is just beginning. Under increasing scrutiny are a wider universe of companies that use PFAS in their products. This month, plaintiffs filed a class-action lawsuit against Bic, accusing the razor company for failing to disclose that some of its razors contained PFAS. Bic said it doesn’t comment on pending litigation, and said it had a longstanding commitment to safety. cont'd:
  12. There goes the little chihuahua yapping again. My stance is clear: Both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to their own sovereign states within the internationally recognized borders of 1967. This "right" is justified by more recent modern history (based on the pragmatic recognition of the existing populations: 7 million Jews, 7 million Palestinians) and deeper ancient history (indigenous population claims). If you want to get technical about the history stuff, research shows the modern-day Jewish and Arab populations living in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza have about 50% of their DNA that can be traced to the same genetic pool that occupied the region 2,000 years ago. For Israeli Jews, the other 50% is from intermingling with Europeans (Ashkenazi and Sephardic). For the Palestinians, the other 50% is from intermingling with Arabs. Basically, the Jews who left the region during the Roman Empire retained their religion. Those who stayed converted to Christianity under the Romans and then later to Islam. Since these two groups can't seem to get along, the best option, both morally and ethically, is to have two states side by side, again, within the internationally recognized borders from 1967. Yes, Israel certainly has the right to defend itself from attacks, but it doesn't have the right to kill Palestinian non-combatants. Yes, Israel has the duty to go after Hamas, but it does not have the right to flatten Gaza in the process. In fact, they have a duty, under international law, to protect the civilian population. I haven't wavered from these opinions and consistently made the same arguments from the beginning of this entire mess. Any claim that I "support Hamas" is simply a flat-out lie. Hamas is a terrorist organization that has no interest in serving the greater good of the people living in Gaza. If you know anything about my posting history, you'll know I'm not a fan of religious extremists of any stripe, whether they're Islamic, Christian, or Jewish, because they all spell trouble for everyone around them.
  13. Not to defend Trump in any way at all, but that redditor may have changed the color tone. In an AP update, they mention what the yellow sticky note says, with an accompanying photo focusing on his hands and the note. It's not even close to being that orange in the AP photo. The shading around his wrists is still a little different, but it looks more like a shadow. Sticky notes A yellow sticky note affixed to the papers Trump carried into court read, “This case should be dismissed by the judge but it’s totally corrupt.” Images of the handwritten note were captured when news photographers were briefly allowed into the courtroom before proceedings started Tuesday. The note looks like Trump’s handwriting, in his preferred thick black marker. Trump has in the past carried reminder notes when speaking before cameras about significant news. When he spoke outside his first impeachment trial as president, he carried a handwritten note that said, “I want no quid pro quo.” When he spoke at the White House in 2019 about his push to try to address infrastructure, photographers captured him holding a note that said, “They want to impeach over acts that they did” and “I’m going to keep working for the American people.”
  14. I imagine the services might be related to those who wish to emigrate to Spain maybe? There also could be some Palestinians who hold dual citizenship. I know there have been a few stories of American nationals, who are also Palestinians, getting caught up in the refugee crisis in Gaza. It was something along the lines of trying to reach them so they could get out. I think I also recall a story of an American citizen of Palestinian descent being killed by the IDF in the West Bank not too long ago.
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