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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. Interesting. I hadn't heard that term; thanks for the link. When I was in public school, it was before they implemented Robin Hood so the disparities were even wider and wilder. Okay. Enough of the thread derail.
  2. I can relate, having graduated from Big Spring (I also lived in Seagraves through kindergarten, but my dad's mom lived in Denver City). Yeah, there's plenty of oil around Big Spring, but it's all in the fucking Forsan and Ackerly (Sands) ISD boundaries. So, we were also a poverty school too while Forsan High had wall-to-wall carpeting in its hallways (open enrollment has now made it the white flight destination of the county). Andrews, which was one of our rivals, was like Seminole with their fancy indoor pool connected to their basketball gymnasium and their Mustang Bowl football. Meanwhile, we had to use the YMCA for swimming, the city course for golf, and a rickety, erector-set football stadium. I remember well that golf course between Seminole and Seagraves since my dad would play that course when I was little. That little park next to the golf course was where we celebrated my 5th birthday in 1976 before taking a big family vacation to the East Coast for the bicentennial.
  3. I was curious about that too. Since you're also asking yourself, I just checked the US EIA website to see the map of electricity generation in eastern New Mexico. I figured that was likely the reason, and it might be right. The area around Hobbs has a bunch of power plants of various sorts, and that part of West Texas from Seminole/Denver City/Brownfield/Levelland looks better tied in with transmission lines from New Mexico. It might be somehow related to the fact that Hockley, Yoakum, and Gaines are legacy O&G-producing counties (like SE New Mexico) and that's just how it was set up, while Lubbock generally isn't considered part of the oil patch. Here's a (link) screenshot:
  4. Wrap-up on a shitty weather year. 2023 was Austin's hottest year on record since 1897, NWS says. Austin saw some of its most extreme weather last year, with hot, dry weather dominating the Capitol city for a large percentage of the year. The World Meteorological Organization had already predicted by November that 2023 would be the warmest year on record, citing an increase in greenhouse gases, rising sea levels, and death and devastation caused by extreme weather. Records indicate 2023 hottest year in over a century 2023 was Austin's average hottest year on record in the 126 years since records have been kept by the National Weather Service. Austin's average daily temperature, recorded at Camp Mabry, was 72.3 degrees, an increase of 0.1 degrees from 2017, the previous record-holder. From Austin to Del Rio on the southwestern border, meteorologists at the National Weather Service's Central/South Texas station chronicled record-breaking temperatures over the course of the last year. When was the hottest month in Austin in 2023? Temperatures at Camp Mabry averaged 91 degrees during the month of August — and soared to 110 degrees on Aug. 17 — making it the hottest month of the year. In total, there were 138 days over the year that reached over 90 degrees, with nearly 60% peaking over 100 degrees, meaning approximately 40% of the year experienced sweltering temperatures. Temperatures did not plummet to a comfortable level until the end of October, when the Austin area had its last 90-degree day on Oct. 21. What was Austin's coldest day of the year? The coldest days of the year, Jan. 31 and Feb. 8, reached a low of 29 degrees, while December was, on average, the coldest month, with an average temperature of 55 degrees. What month saw the most rain in Austin? The month of October was the wettest, with 7.15 in. of rainfall recorded. A third of the month's rainfall came down on Oct. 26, causing flash floods across Central Texas and Shoal Creek, flowing through downtown Austin, to swell. Total yearly rainfall totaled 26 in., below the average of approximately 35 in. per year., with the vast majority of Travis County still experiencing "extreme drought" conditions, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.
  5. The above is a copy/paste from the Euromaidan news article, which supposedly summarizes an Institute for the Study of War report. Candidly, I didn't read the report, which I probably should've done. Here's a link to the report itself for your and others' edification.
  6. From the ERCOT website: https://www.ercot.com/news/mediakit/maps
  7. 1) Russia remains committed to subjugating Ukraine The study argues that Russian leadership, including Putin and top officials, have thoroughly indoctrinated the Russian people with the notion that Ukraine is a historical part of Russia that must be brought under Moscow’s control. Putin has made reclaiming Ukraine central to his 2024 re-election campaign and revisionist historical narratives are being spread in Russian schools and media. Therefore, even if the current war ends, a future Russian regime is likely to renew aggression against Ukraine to achieve these ingrained national objectives. Freezing the conflict short of total liberation risks enabling Russia to eventually fulfill its irredentist aims — and sustaining peace is possible only if the Russia-Ukrainian frontier is defensible long-term. 2) The current lines are indefensible With major Ukrainian population centers like Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv near the current frontlines, Ukraine would have to maintain a fully mobilized military just to hold static defensive lines. This would be enormously expensive and socially disruptive over the long run. In contrast, the pre-February 2022 borders provided strategic depth that allowed for a more efficient defense based on absorbing initial attacks and then counterattacking. The current lines afford no space to absorb and delay assaults before reserves can arrive. Furthermore, a ceasefire would enable Russia to optimize its force posture for future offensives in a way active fighting now prevents. Moreover, without the Dnipro River defensive line and with Kherson under threat, defending Ukraine’s southern coast and economy would become exponentially more difficult if Russia retains occupied territory in the south. The report concludes that retaining any occupied territory irreparably compromises Ukraine’s ability to defend itself: “The lines as they are now, in either case, would leave it to Putin and his successors to determine the financial and social cost Ukraine and its Western backers must bear for Ukraine’s continued survival, and that cost would likely be very high.” 3) Concessions damage core international principles The report argues that recognizing Russia’s territorial seizures in Ukraine, even in exchange for peace, would undermine critical international laws banning wars of conquest, ethnic cleansing, and other violations of human rights. While negotiations may be underway, the enormous moral and ethical costs of appeasing Russian aggression by allowing it to retain occupied lands must be considered. 4) Crimea and Donbas are strategically and economically vital If Crimea remains under Russian control, Ukraine’s ability to defend key southern cities like Kherson and Odesa will be dramatically compromised, and its economy critically weakened by loss of access to maritime trade and Black Sea energy reserves. Thus, for both military and economic reasons, Ukraine liberating Crimea is strategically vital and cannot be bargained away. Meanwhile, the Donbas region does not offer Ukraine strategic advantages, as its large cities Luhansk and Donetsk are close to the Russian border and thus require a full-fledged Ukrainian fully-mobilized force ready to defend them at all times. However, allowing Russia to retain occupied territory in the Donbas region would deprive Ukraine of vital mining and industrial assets that are critical to its economic future. Furthermore, with cities like Mariupol directly on the current frontlines, accepting the current lines in the east irreparably damages Ukraine’s defensive and economic viability. In conclusion, the report argues that for Ukraine to achieve lasting security and prosperity, it must regain all occupied territory lost since February 2022. Anything short of total liberation of its internationally recognized borders critically undermines Ukraine’s military, economic, and moral position. There is no acceptable alternative to the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
  8. Didn't he also have a ranch in northern New Mexico? If so, add that destination to the list. Is that kind of information going to be available, i.e., if Epstein was also on the flight, along with information about the destination? I wonder, for all those eagerly awaiting the release, what exactly will you do about it? I know the answer somewhat depends on who's on it, but the question remains. If it's an entertainer/athlete, are you going to stop watching their shows/listening to their music/watching their games? If it's a politician, are you going to stop voting for them? If it's a big business person, are you going to stop consuming their products? Should the focus of our ire be primarily on those who rode the plane after the 2005-2006 timeframe when the first allegations came out because that's when it became public knowledge? Or should we also condemn those prior to then, knowing that shit obviously happened "because of the implication"? Just curious if we have a consensus on any or all of the above while we're waiting.
  9. Wordle 928 4/6 ⬛🟨⬛🟨⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 🟨🟨⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #206 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟩🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Daily Quordle 709 5️⃣4️⃣ 7️⃣8️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Daily Sequence Quordle 709 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨🟩🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩⬜🟩🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Blossom Puzzle, January 3 Letters: C H I E P R T My score: 281 points My longest word: 9 letters 💐 🌼 🌺 💮 🌸 🌷 🏵 🌹 🌻 #Worldle #712 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #385 (3/7) ✅✅✅ https://travle.earth ClickWord.org Daily 333: 618 points (top 20% 🎊) 10 words: ⚛️⚛️🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟥 💪 Best word: 110 points 🔥 Streak: 2 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily333
  10. It's a miracle they were able to evacuate all the passengers safely.
  11. The Israeli Supreme Court turned down the recent effort to weaken the judicial system, which was the subject of all the protests prior to the war. This is a victory for Israeli democracy and a rejection of Israel's far-right. Good analysis about the decision and how this plays into a lot of the culture war stuff, along with the actual hot war, going on over there:
  12. Blah Wordle 927 5/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ 🟨⬛🟨🟨⬛ 🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #205 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Daily Quordle 708 4️⃣7️⃣ 6️⃣8️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Daily Sequence Quordle 708 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟩⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩⬜⬜🟨 🟨🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Blossom Puzzle, January 2 Letters: A D E I L N T My score: 327 points My longest word: 9 letters 🌸 🌹 🌼 🌷 💐 💮 🌻 🌺 🏵 #Worldle #711 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #384 (5/10) ✅✅✅✅✅ https://imois.in/games/travle/ ClickWord.org Daily 332: 575 points (top 20% 🎊) 11 words: 🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟧🟧🟩 💪 Best word: 96 points 🔥 Streak: 1 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily332
  13. Saying a recovering alcoholic should take a drink. Bad, stupid, unfunny post. A poster who negs someone calling that post classless? Worthless piece of shit.
  14. Gonna have to fix the audio. It cuts in and out a couple of times.
  15. Yeah, the article touches on that some with a quote or two from players, saying it's cool to be involved in charity stuff. I feel like this was an introductory overview for people who don't follow CFB too closely. See my previous post, where you can read the article in full.
  16. The article begins with a story about how Texas was able to rebuild its offensive line, largely through the innovative efforts of Horns with Heart and the Texas One Fund. It mentions that many other NIL funds have now modeled their efforts on what the Texas collectives came up with. There's a couple of quotes from players about how it's really helped them out. It also explains what NIL is and how it's changing college football, mentioning that the IRS is looking into how the nonprofit model of NIL collectives is in question. The VP of Texas One Fund, likely a Surlster, is quoted as saying that they'll modify as needed to be clean. Then, the article goes on to show how NIL has been used by the other three playoff teams. When discussing Alabama's NIL, they state that Saban was initially opposed to it, but now they're active. It also makes their efforts seem kind of shady (because, of course, SEC) with conflicting accounts given by sources. In explaining how NIL Washington uses theirs, they state it's been effective in retaining players by getting them heavily involved in building their brands through promoting nonprofits around Seattle that will help them in their NFL careers. One player is quoted as saying it's really cool to get involved with charities and such. The discussion of Michigan's program seems to highlight that they have one fund that is nonprofit and another that is for-profit, but there's nothing especially remarkable about it other than it could be a model for how NILs might operate in the future. There's also mention that they're raising money by getting fans to pay for experiences involving the team. I don't get the sense that the article is "pissing on CFP" in any way whatsoever -- other than the clickbait headline. It's a fairly innocuous piece overall and is likely a good introduction to NILs for folks who don't follow college football closely. For those not inclined to give clicks to the NYTimes for whatever reason or have trouble with pop-ups, here's the full article in in the spoiler:
  17. Wordle 925 2/6 🟩🟨🟨🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Connections Puzzle #203 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Daily Quordle 706 5️⃣4️⃣ 6️⃣8️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜🟨⬜🟩⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩⬜🟩🟨🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Daily Sequence Quordle 706 4️⃣5️⃣ 6️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Blossom Puzzle, December 31 Letters: A E G L I R T My score: 347 points My longest word: 10 letters 💮 🌸 🌼 💐 🌷 🌹 🌻 🌺 🏵 💮 #Worldle #709 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #382 (3/7) ✅✅✅ https://imois.in/games/travle/ ClickWord.org Daily 330: 582 points (top 20% 🎊) 10 words: ⚛️🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟥🟥🟧 💪 Best word: 170 points 🔥 Streak: 9 days 🐭 #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily330
  18. For further perspective, this is the West Bank over Central Texas. The Palestinian Authority is only in control of the beige areas (3+ million population), which is, of course, always subject to IDF operations. The blue zones are reserved for either the Israeli military or Israeli settlers. Again, just posting these for perspective.
  19. This is likely the correct answer. Not only does he suffer from a charisma deficit, he also doesn't seem to have the ambition, drive, enthusiasm, self-confidence, or whatever that's needed for this campaign. It's like he's just going through the motions without any authentic emotions.
  20. You're absolutely correct that it's a perspective that we Americans can't really understand, and I hope to never come closer than when we did that day as a few thousand dumbasses stormed the Capitol. I can only imagine the angst that Israelis felt on 10/7, especially given their history. But I also ask you to apply that same level of empathy to the 2+ million Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip, who I'm sure right now feel like they're facing quite an existential crisis knowing that there's nowhere for them to retreat to. I just went on the old MAPfrappe site to redraw a rough outline of the Gaza Strip and superimposed it over Austin. It's a very small territory that's getting smaller and smaller as the internally displaced population is getting crammed into an increasingly tight corner of the strip. Imagine the fear those people are facing as bombs keep dropping while they have insufficient food and disease is spreading due to unsanitary living conditions. https://mapfrappe.com/?show=1029 Reposting the damage map from above to visualize the destruction, as well as the extent of the "humanitarian zone" that 2+ million people are gradually getting pushed into.
  21. The last two major comprehensive immigration reform bills, one during Bush's presidency and the other under Obama, were both killed by the Right Wing of the Republican Party. Anyone bitching about our fundamentally fucked up immigration system has only that group to blame.
  22. If you haven't watched the John Oliver segment on this mess, you should do yourself a favor and watch it. From what I recall, he goes into this and says that Hamas was downplaying all the Death to Israel stuff. Instead, they campaigned on Fatah's corruption and incompetence. Of course, they later changed their tune.
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