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HoustonHorn

Burnt Ends
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Posts posted by HoustonHorn


  1. Well that would be nice to even remotely be able to quantify. Just a quick search yields that the Vatican itself has holdings of around 10-15billion Euro. Recently the Australian branch of the Catholic Church was reported as being worth around AUD30 billion. Or about $22.7 billion.

    But I guess long time excesses by charlatans are ok whereas the new guys are clearly fucked. I pretty much despise it all.
    Richer, Royal Family or the Vatican?
  2. Shooting the children is the subject of this thread right? 
    Unlike the GOP & the NRA, I'm against that.
    Go fuck yourself. People like you are as big a problem as the NRA and GOP. I'm not a fan of either but your ongoing bullshit only serves to distract instead of solve.

    Based on the limited posts I've seen you are too dumb to discuss this intelligently so you just fling shit. You've continuously ignored any attempt at a reasonable discussion to resolve issues and are complicit in maintaining the status quo and doing everything you can to divide this issue on party lines. You are a child murderer.

    • Like 2
  3. 10 minutes ago, Johnny Sack said:

    You got any suggestions on fixing the issue?

    Yep and posted it above and then re-posted it again and also posted in the BB thread.. But you dumbfucks are too interested in a slapfight. So by all means continue.

    The problem is both sides just look for something to be offended by and respond to. About 90% of its bullshit talking past each other and trolling with the remaining 10% being lies, damn lies, and statistics. Holy shit this country absolutely deserves Donald Trump and everything else we get.

  4. Holy fuck this thread has gone off track. Y'all are all hopeless and prefer the argument to work on actually fixing an issue. This is what a two-party system has created and its probably the most brilliant invention ever.  Like a bunch of fucking raccoons spotting a shiny object. The Lowest Common Denominator.

  5. 3 hours ago, GW Hayduke said:

    I agree with this sentiment. I’ve unfortunately allowed myself to be bogged down by what I consider dishonest trolling that led things into irrelevant weeds. 

    Where is this list you speak of?

         agreed 100%

    It would be interesting to see if we could come up with a list of the top 10 factors or top 20 and then identify reasonable solutions to each. I think most of these reasons are going to have a lot of sub-catergories too that will have to be broken down. I'll start with a few.

    Easy Access to Guns

    Lack of Moral Compass

    Social Media

    Bullying

    Mental Health Issues

    Lack of Community/Isolationism

    Glorification of Violence/24-hour News Media

     

    Not trying to provide a complete list, just getting one started.

  6. 1 hour ago, Okie State said:

    FIL has and RCS and while it looks nice, I don't think it gets hot enough. Not sure what series off the top of my head though.

    Reviews that I've seen are mixed on the RCS so leaning away from it.

     

    1 hour ago, Okie State said:

    Never heard of Hestan but damn those look badass.

    Yeah, they really do. I just hope I can get the wife to agree once she actually sees the cost. She does agree that the grill is the big dollar item and doesn't mind paying a premium for it. But its going to be a pretty big pill to swallow.

  7. Built-in. If I'm going to drop a lot of money it's going to be in the grill and then go with a cheaper option for the other accessories. Yes it's a lot but it's basically an overhaul of the entire backyard and adding a kitchen so already a big project.

  8. So it seems many, if not most agree that this is a complex problem that will have to be attacked on many fronts, with incremental (albeit significant) small steps being the most likely approach to improving the situation.  It's ironic that  most people seem to be focused on one aspect of the perceived solution . . . whatever that might be (mental health, access to guns, copycat, video games, medication, etc.).
    It's one thing to say "I recognize this is complicated".  It's another thing entirely to be willing to actually advocate for a multi-pronged effort.  To me, the former is likely little more than lip service, at least for most people.
    It would probably help if we could come to some consensus of issues, sub issues and proposed changes. Otherwise what are we advocating? Seems like some position is needed.

    I've tried on this thread and in BB, but the interest is only in addressing guns, addressing definitions, or addressing what ad hominem means. Easy deflections by people not interested in discussing actual issues.

    I started a list earlier in this thread and it needs to be expanded on significantly by everyone, not just one side or the other, but everyone. Them we can narrow it down and improve it and maybe come up with some position that we can advocate as a group as reasonable.

    One person isn't going to be able to actually advocate for a fucking thing, especially on a message board. But a large group of differing viewpoints from smart people should be able to come up with something that is worth following through on.

    I realize it isn't as sexy as smart ass one liners and clever quips that get message board points, but it certainly seems a better solution than the circle jerk that happens every fucking time a tragedy like this occurs.

    My $0.02.

  9. Very interesting.

    As Brisket said though, there's no way to fully stop it 100%. Its impossible.

    I think a multi-faceted approach of reasonable gun control laws and studies to determine what is leading to the increased number of alienated/angry young people so that we can effectively address both issues.

     

    3 minutes ago, Bat Guano said:

     

     

    • Like 1
  10. 3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

    I share your guess.  I think that really is the "moment of change."  History is full of social patterns.  It seems callous to call it a trend or fad, but fundamentally, the psychology is the same.  Hell, I was just having this conversation with a colleague; why in the HELL did we wear acid-washed jeans back in the day?  Especially with the cuffs rolled up tight?  It looked ridiculous, objectively.  But....trend, and social inertia.  

    In this case, among particularly vulnerable/angry/unstable males, there is a trend that gets some inertia.  They are sick of being nobodies, of being ignored.  There's an easy, tested recipe out there for being noticed now: pull a Columbine.

    I really think there's a lot to that.  Which is scary in and of itself, because it's something as simple as social example and pressure.

    Oh, people are talking about this.  The problem I have ALWAYS had with the point is the chicken-egg problem.  It's like saying "almost everyone who dies of cancer has received chemo in the past 6 months!  It's the CHEMO THAT'S KILLING THEM!"

    In these cases, I suspect that most/all of the people who were on such meds and committed a shooting were placed on the meds because they were ALREADY exhibiting behaviors and personality traits that put them at risk, and the drugs were prescribed as a RESPONSE.  That is, it's not that the drugs were a cause, but rather, they were a preventative measure that failed.  And I'm not saying this as someone who is all on board with how we prescribe medication, etc.  I just see it tossed out as a convenient answer, and I'll be honest, the kind of folks who typically toss it out are the type of folks who you shake your head and say "well of course that moonbat thinks that."  I have no problem with any comprehensive examination of the school shooting phenomenon also looking at drug regimens -- shit, I'd think it would be inherent in examining mental health history, and timing.  I just don't buy the causation hypothesis. 

    Really good post. I do think the copycat factor definitely plays a role and with the number of guns available it is pretty easy to duplicate in the United States. But a person is only going to copycat if they are already feeling angry/unstable/etc.

    • Like 1
  11. Not a researcher nor will I become one since I'm already employed full time. But I think reasonable people can observe and have hypotheses. Unless you have a study in mind that has already been done. I've tried searching and I've found a lot of different articles saying a lot of different things and referencing a lot of different studies. But I don't run in scientific circles and couldn't tell you a respectable research organization from one that is not. If you know of peer-reviewed study that addresses it, I'd be happy to read it.

  12. 4 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

    I completely agree.  It's not "normal".  It just doesn't mean that such a person would likely be diagnosed as psychotic, schizophrenic, or even depressed or bipolar.  White, male, and angry seem to be the most common characteristics, and until we lump "angry" in with "mental illness" we should be careful with language and policy.

    Agreed, so what is the source of anger.

    And not looking for policy changes necessarily, but possibly common sense approach to the issues which are leading to this anger.

  13. 8 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

    This is part of the problem.  You are pre-supposing the cause.  I'm not necessarily against efforts to identify potential problems a priori, but we have to be careful.  

    It's entirely possible that a kid who would not be diagnosed as "mentally ill" will still go on one of these rampages.  The current thinking indicates this is mostly true.  "Mental illness" is a convenient buzzword to fall back on, but it's important to determine if what you say is ACTUALLY true. 

    Again, without going into definitions, I think everyone can agree that something is wrong with people who decide the best way to handle whatever issues they are facing is to kill classmates. Call it whatever you want but it is not a normal reaction based on the fact that millions and millions of kids don't do it. I am not actually proposing any sort of mental health means test for having access to weapons - I think that's something that requires much more research. But what can we do to address the issues which may lead certain individuals to this sort of flawed decision-making. What is the underlying root cause of white male kids feeling this is the best approach. This isn't an easy questions and I think its multi-faceted. Unfortunately a lot of the kids who do this end up dying/committing suicide in the process which makes research more difficult.

    Its easy to point at guns and say we need to figure out some reasonable measures to restrict access. That's been discussed ad nauseum here after every single event and I think most reasonable people on both sides agree some measures might be acceptable and would help to some degree. But millions of kids have some sort of access to guns and nearly all of them never consider the possibility of using them for mass murder. I'm not sure that access has materially changed over the last 30 years, although I'm sure someone will point out some statistic to say otherwise. As I said, reasonable measures should be taken, but that's a long-term solution and hopefully something that begins in earnest soon.

    But beyond guns/gun access, something is making mass shootings more prevalent. I think its worth exploring those potential factors that make mass murder a viable option for an increasing number of kids.

  14. Lynx is definitely top rated and fantastic. I do like a few features of the Hestan more - the extra wide grates, overhead rotisserie/broiler, completely concealed rotisserie, and auto-lights. Apparently Hestan is used by Thomas Keller at French Laundry so while not as well known in outdoor kitchens, certainly has some credibility. 

    The burner assembly does look a little smaller but I think it may provide better overall coverage and even heat. I don't think that's going to be a serious issue on any of the grills at this level. Each burner puts out 25k Btu/hour and the variable ceramic burner has 25k Btu, along with the rotisserie at 18k Btu.

     

  15. Lynx is pretty nice and definitely an option that I'm going to look at. New option is RCS, but seems to be on the cheaper end of the scale and not nearly as good reviews. I'll probably go top of the line on the grill and save on the accessories.

  16. Love their shirts and sports coats. Never gotten a suit though. Pricy but worth the convenience and the rep was so hot there was pretty much no way to not buy anything.

    Unfortunately she quit last year.

    Most of the coats start around $6-700. Shirts I believe are $150-200. I'd imagine the suits are $1k and up.

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