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statsman

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  1. “The very existence of Ukraine is fatal for Ukrainians,” said Medvedev, who heads Russia’s ruling party. “They will understand that life in a big common state, which they currently dislike very much, is preferable to death. Their death and the death of their loved ones. And the sooner Ukrainians realize it, the better.” Two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, the world is watching to see if the U.S. remains committed to European security, writes the WSJ's Yaroslav Trofimov. https://www.wsj.com/world/will-the-u-s-abandon-ukraine-168c4a0a?st=3l7nan5798cl40p&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  2. I don’t think it will be coercion. Here is what I think will happen: The 12 team CFP will make a lot of money. The non-CFP bowls will make less and less, as they lose significance (it’s ridiculous that they still factor in final rankings). The CFP will expand to 16, with 11 at large. The SEC and B1G will consistently get ten teams combined in. They will get most of the money. The networks will ask for an expanded playoff, to 24 or 32 teams. The main beneficiaries would be the ACC and B12, who will be all in favor. I think the SEC and B1G would balk- why expand to add teams that don’t make more money for the P2? The networks suggest an alternate playoff to the non-P2 world, a playoff where the non-P2 world gets all the money. They accept. Thats how I think it goes down. Maybe there’s even a final game between the winner of the two playoffs.
  3. I think the CFP will make a lot of money. The SEC and B1G will collect the most. The B12 and ACC will want a larger playoff, so they can get more teams in and get more money. That will be countered by the P2 not wanting to expand the CFP, because their top teams can win it, and they don’t want to keep adding games. This could be resolved by the B12, ACC and G5 breaking away and having their own playoff, with as many teams as they want. It will still be popular, like Texas 5A is a big deal, even though there is still a 6A.
  4. Where do you suppose new ACC member SMU slots in there? I see their 2024 schedule has them hosting BYU, TCU, FSU, Pitt, BC and Cal. Do any IR8 programs have a schedule that good?
  5. Aren’t there four? TCU, Baylor, BYU and Utah?
  6. I think that- “TCU is the league’s fifth biggest brand” and ”TCU is not a big brand” can both be true.
  7. Demographic projections have Russia’s population dropping to 120 million by 2050. China has also started the big drop- single child policy leading to married couples having to support both sets of parents, leading to a lack of desire for more children (both spouses must work). They are in a bad way, and they see what’s coming, which is why the future is very dicey.
  8. It’s fascinating, and dangerous. In 2000, weren’t Russia and China’s combined population about 1/4 of the world? They’ve managed things to where their 2050 combined population may be 1/8 of the world’s. They can respond by: 1. accepting relegation to irrelevance 2. - fundamentally change so as to invite immigration 3. Start wars of expansion 4. Force people to have babies. China, of course, wants to explore option 4, but it may not be successful. Option 2 seems unlikely. What’s left?
  9. Yeah, we saw Trump’s “unpredictability” this weekend. Putin kills Navalny, and Trump’s reaction- “this reminds me of what they’re doing to me!” Trump is very predictable. His first response is always a self-centered narcissistic one. So are his second and third responses. For example- Trump could have undone Obamacare. The GOP had united government from 2017-2018. All he had to do was make nice with McCain. He wouldn’t do it! To the GOP public, that’s a failure, but to Trump, it’s a victory! He is very predictable. Emotionally, he is 11, and he wants to be the alpha on the school bus. He made some acidic observations in 2016 and built a populist movement, but you will find, as everyone in Trump’s life ever has learned, his interests are aligned with no one but him.
  10. https://www.wsj.com/world/the-biggest-ever-sanctions-have-failed-to-halt-russias-war-machine-0986873f?st=7y70ttm4yorerbm&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink
  11. The human cost: It looked like a triumph for Moscow: A patriotic Ukrainian teen became a face of Russian propaganda. His family's campaign to get him back exposed a darker reality. https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-russia-propaganda-children-49ad9e09?st=midbo2i2d43aso9&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  12. Bankruptcy and assets seizure?
  13. This is a good summary: A look at a decade of Ukrainian resistance against Russia—years marked by death and destruction, but also resilience and hope https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraine-russia-war-10-year-anniversary-photos-06423029?st=xy4gdkdtimy88l6&reflink=share_mobilewebshare
  14. https://www.wsj.com/world/ukraines-military-spy-chief-says-russia-will-struggle-to-keep-up-the-fight-c6a5b2c5?st=1h36ofjgqul0zl3&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink
  15. How do we expect the financial discussions to go? Conferences with more teams in the CFP get more money, right? What’s the best distribution model for Texas and the SEC?
  16. Placeholder.
  17. Would it surprise you to hear that the National Review Editors’ podcast was mocking and laughing at Carlson, too? ”Poor Tucker! What misfortune that Putin killed that guy after Carlson tried to show that Putin was a reasonable guy and not a monster. How could he have avoided that? Other than by recognizing Putin is a monster and not shilling for him?” (Noted podcast had the old style conservatives only).
  18. I used to deliver pizzas for Mr. Gattis to apartments on Lakeshore Drive in Waco.
  19. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/02/16/how-americans-view-the-conflicts-between-russia-and-ukraine-israel-and-hamas-and-china-and-taiwan/ Rank and file Republican voters are pro-Ukraine (just not as much as Dems). It’s the GOP leadership leading the retreat, out of fear of a callout from Mira Lago.
  20. Well, maybe they just wanted to see somebody swell up bad and get a tracheotomy. Did you ever think of that? Huh?
  21. My understanding is that the victim’s parents are not ok with it, and that there were no charges because Lake Travis ISD has its own police, and they claimed jurisdiction. Was it a stupid prank? I don’t know if it was a prank, or bullying, but it’s about as smart as challenging a HS sophomore at a Friday night lake party to chug a bottle of vodka.
  22. I know following through is tough. These dogs’ owners can relocate them, saying they “ran away”. Police may be disinterested in getting dangerous dogs away, especially if it was only another dog that was attacked. My (deceased now) FIL told me what he did when my wife, as a toddler, was bitten hard by a neighbor’s dog that wandered into the back yard, requiring stitches. He went to the neighbor’s house with the county sheriff (a friend) and explained they needed the dog, to check for rabies. Neighbor: “You can’t do that! That will kill him!” (In those days, rabies in dogs was checked by removing a big chunk of brain). FIL: “Your dog bit my daughter. There’s no way it’s surviving, anyway.” (FIL loved dogs, btw). The dog was turned over and tested, and the neighbor moved.
  23. Did they destroy the dogs?
  24. So, the comparison between 2020 TAMU and 2023 Texas- the Ags lost Alabama by four TDs, 24-52. It was 14-35 at the half. It wasn’t just misfortune that kept the Ags out of the playoffs. No one, and I mean no one, wanted to watch the two teams play again. In 2023, Texas was helped significantly in that they beat Bama, by two scores. (Say, who was the Bama OC in 2020? I’ll bet that guy is pretty good)
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