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bolverk

Certifiably Surly
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Everything posted by bolverk

  1. I don't want to take the fun out of this board, because the humor is a huge element that keeps me coming back. I also don't want to get caught up in spreading bullshit, so thanks, y'all, for clearing that up.
  2. That's exactly what seems to have happened, based on the information that was released last night. Maybe there's other stuff out there, but again, I haven't followed this Epstein shit very closely until last night so it's quite possible (very likely) that I haven't seen what all is out there.
  3. Gotcha. It's hilarious as shit, but I just wanted to know if it's actually true.
  4. @pyrohornIII The only way to combat their bullshit without devolving into an ideologically based argument is to just stick with the facts. Once I posted a summary of the article and the actual text, some of them seemed to come around. You can't reach everyone, but you can reach the reasonable ones. However, I'm sure a few ignored my post entirely based on the last page of the thread. By that point, no one seemed to care except for the most dug-in and committed. Everyone else seemed to move on except for those asshats. I see and agree with your overall point that right-leaning posters, for the most part, don't participate in political discussions here, so they let it slip out everywhere else. Of course, they deny that they're doing it, but that's just a farce. One example that I'm right now trying to figure out how/whether to respond to is in the Youth Minister's (and other pervs) Thread of Shame where Newdoc said pedophiles should suffer the "Removal of sexual organs and estrogen implants for male sex crime convicts," strongly implying that trans individuals are responsible for child molestation when all the evidence says otherwise. It's the second to the last post. I know that it's bait, but no one has really picked up on it yet, or everyone has just decided to ignore it. I do see some of our left-leaning posters make overt cloaky statements in DT now and then, too, especially when it comes to Trump, Elon, and Tucker (when he was still relevant). But most of those are in relation to what shitty people they are as racists, traitors, etc. Edit: One thing that particularly perturbs me in the DT is how wild, unfounded allegations/conspiracy theories (whether political or not) are allowed to proliferate there. And, of course, it's the same right-leaning cohort that participates most in those.
  5. Can I ask where you got this screenshot? Hovering over it shows it's taken from Twitter, but I can't find the original sourcing. Or should I take it that it's a joke?
  6. There's zero evidence he ever went to the island. No, the flight logs haven't been released. (Edit: Getting caught up. I haven't followed this shit until last night, so I don't know if/where flight logs have been released. There weren't any from last night's stuff. Keep reading; see below.) A claim was made that Maxwell flew Clinton to the island shortly after his presidency ended in her original allegations against Epstein. Clinton adamantly denied he ever visited the island. The counterargument is two-fold: 1) The Secret Service would've never let him be flown by someone in a helicopter who had just gotten their pilots license, and 2) there's no evidence of any trip from the Secret Service. https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24253239/1324-epstein-documents-943-pages.pdf Testimony of one of the victims Joanna Sjoberg (note the page number I included in the screenshot): The meat of Clinton allegations in yesterday's release (note the page numbers I included in the screenshots): Examination of Giuffre (victim) during the Maxwell investigation, regarding a story written by Sarah Churcher that Bill Clinton was flown to the island by Maxwell: Do not take this as any defense of Clinton's overall conduct as a person. It is only a reference to yesterday's release to clear up the record so that no one is operating on information that may be false and that, to date, there is no evidence he ever visited the island.
  7. First day of spring semester. Happened before school started. Multiple gunshot victims (no word on deaths). Shooter dead.
  8. Miserable fail. Wordle 929 5/6 🟩⬛🟩🟨⬛ 🟩🟨🟩⬛⬛ 🟩⬛🟩⬛🟩 🟩⬛🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Not much better with Connections. Connections Puzzle #207 🟨🟨🟩🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Same with Quordle. Daily Quordle 710 6️⃣4️⃣ 8️⃣7️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜🟨⬜🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜🟨🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Daily Sequence Quordle 710 6️⃣7️⃣ 8️⃣9️⃣ m-w.com/games/quordle/ ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟨🟨⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 [coffee break] Better. Blossom Puzzle, January 4 Letters: A E M T N S U My score: 345 points My longest word: 10 letters 🌺 🌻 🌹 🌼 💐 🌷 💮 🌸 🏵 🌺 #Worldle #713 1/6 (100%) 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉 ⭐⭐⭐🏙️🪙 https://worldle.teuteuf.fr #travle #386 (6/11) ✅✅✅✅✅✅ https://travle.earth ClickWord.org Daily 334: 630 points (top 20% 🎊) 11 words: 🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟪🟥🟨🟨🟩 💪 Best word: 98 points 🔥 Streak: 3 days #ClickWord #ClickWordDaily334
  9. That route was discussed up-thread as a viable alternative if traffic was backed up in Baton Rouge. Yes, it's slower under normal circumstances but not that much. According to Google, which owns Waze and incorporates its data, it's 33 minutes longer right now without the huge delays in Baton Rouge that people had to experience coming home.
  10. There's an unnamed senator from Maine in there whose name has been redacted - referred to as "he" in some of the Q&A, so 110 might be "him". (Not sure why there's a strike-thru on the latter part of my previous post. Editing won't let me fix it.)
  11. Come on, man. Can we not use AI-generated shit without disclosing that it's fake? https://leadstories.com/hoax-alert/2023/05/fact-check-old-photos-of-donald-trump-with-underage-young-women-are-not-authentic-ai-generated.html
  12. Yeah, there's not a lot in there on others, from what I can tell at this point. Dersh needs to be publicly crucified. From the Forbes article, there's more to come though: WHAT TO WATCH FOR It’s unclear how long it will take for all of the unsealed names and documents to be made public. Two people whose names are sealed are appealing to keep their names hidden, including a person described as “Doe 110,” an individual whose “name and association with Epstein has been widely publicized by the media.” Their appeal remains pending. Another person in the case, identified only as “Doe 107,” had already been fighting to keep her name sealed, arguing she “faces a risk of physical harm in her country of residence.” The judge has asked Doe 107—who was not listed as part of the names to be unsealed—to provide additional information to support her case by Jan. 22. WHAT WE DON’T KNOW Who else the unsealed names will include, or what the unredacted documents will say. The full list of unsealed names is believed to include victims, associates and employees of Epstein, which could involve more high-profile names in addition to the ones released Wednesday. The court filing listing the names to be unsealed notes most of the people have already had their association with Epstein publicly reported in the media or in court, and while there is the possibility of explosive claims coming out about high-profile figures, Preska noted the information involving many of the listed people that will be unsealed is “not salacious.” TANGENT Several names will remain sealed in the case. Those associates, referred to in court filings as “J. Doe,” include multiple alleged victims whose allegations have not been made public, with the court ruling their privacy interests outweigh the public interest in their names being unsealed. Others whose names remain sealed include someone who was mistakenly identified and characterized as an “alleged perpetrator” in a photograph and two people described by the court as “classic outsider, peripheral to the events at issue.” The Herald has said it will appeal the decision to keep those names hidden. KEY BACKGROUND Giuffre sued Maxwell in 2015, accusing the Epstein associate of “wrongfully subject[ing] Giuffre to public ridicule, contempt and disgrace” by trying to discredit the alleged victim’s claims about Epstein and painting her as a “liar.” Though the lawsuit was settled in 2017, the Herald has spent the ensuing years fighting for information in the case to be unsealed, and the latest list of names follow a spate of other documents being unsealed in the case, revealing new claims of sexual abuse; that former President Donald Trump appeared on Epstein’s flight logs; and Giuffre testifying Clinton visited Epstein’s private island, which he denies. Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, allegedly abused upwards of 100 victims between 2002 and 2018, and the financier has been linked to a number of high-profile figures, including billionaires Bill Gates and Glenn Dubin and Noam Chomsky, though they have not been accused of any wrongdoing. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for aiding in Epstein’s abuse and conspiring with him to sexually abuse minors. Giuffre separately sued Prince Andrew for sexual abuse, which was settled out of court.
  13. Born and raised in Wisconsin, served in Army Reserves, went to "Liberty" University, moved to Texas, and became an asshole cop. Another interloping carpetbagger embarrassing the State of Texas. Another Gopper, who should understand the meaning of liberty, working against it.
  14. From what I've skimmed, there wasn't anything damning on either of them. Forbes has a quick summary of the same that I looked at. Derschowitz seems to be one who should be sweating. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2024/01/03/first-epstein-names-unsealed-here-are-the-biggest-takeaways/?sh=4bf35b30161b In case you're out of free views for Forbes (free link): https://archive.is/PiNhs Link to what I view: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24253239/1324-epstein-documents-943-pages.pdf Reddit has a thread of people going through it:
  15. Yeah, Forsan is only 200-250 people, but the district cuts into a part of the south side of BS and includes a bunch of ranchettes in the hills just outside of town. So, there's always been a lot of kids you'd assume would go to BS but don't. And, like I said, Forsan always had the oil money. So when the lege made it easier for kids to transfer out-of-district a couple of decades (plus the south side of BS is the wealthier, more Anglo side of town), the exodus began. The ISD now serves about 750-800 kids, the vast majority of whom either live in BS proper and are the cream of the academic crop or the suburban ranchettes that are part of its district. The campus is only 10-15 minutes from most of BS anyway. So, yeah, that all adds up to the classic "white flight" scenario, even in West Texas, but on a miniaturized scale by big city standards. It sounds hilarious, but it happens. Basically, it's like Canyon ISD in relation to Amarillo ISD to put it into perspective. Edit: NOW, back to Surly's regularly scheduled bitching about ERCOT.
  16. bolverk

    LBGTQ

    LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Former county clerk Kim Davis, who refused to issue marriage licenses in Kentucky to same-sex couples, must pay a total of $260,104 in fees and expenses to attorneys who represented one couple, according to a federal judge’s ruling. That’s in addition to $100,000 in damages a jury said the former Rowan County clerk should pay the couple who sued. Attorneys for Davis had argued that the fees and costs sought by the attorneys were excessive, but U.S. District Judge David L. Bunning disagreed and said Davis must pay since the men prevailed in their lawsuit, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported. Attorneys for Davis were expected to appeal the ruling. Davis drew international attention when she was briefly jailed in 2015 over her refusal, which she based on her belief that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. Davis was released only after her staff issued the licenses on her behalf but removed her name from the form. Kentucky’s state legislature later enacted a law removing the names of all county clerks from state marriage licenses.
  17. Sounds like a lot of y'all should've taken that alternate route through Morgan City.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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:
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. From the ERCOT website: https://www.ercot.com/news/mediakit/maps
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
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