Random Thoughts

WyldeMan wrote:The ash in the sky has finally lifted and cleared around my place but now Summers over and there won't be anymore sun until next Spring. 

joey con carne wrote:You guys don’t like autumn? I think this is my favorite time of the year. I love how women dress this time of year. Something about autumn outfits just makes the weather extra nice.

Tyger wrote:Autumn?! Haha, as it is I’m lucky if I get more than a week of fall. It basically goes from summer to winter.

joey con carne wrote:You guys don’t like autumn? I think this is my favorite time of the year. I love how women dress this time of year. Something about autumn outfits just makes the weather extra nice.

Tyger wrote:Autumn?! Haha, as it is I’m lucky if I get more than a week of fall. It basically goes from summer to winter.

UltimateMarvel wrote:

Tyger wrote:Autumn?! Haha, as it is I’m lucky if I get more than a week of fall. It basically goes from summer to winter.

Exactly! It's dropping to low 50's and high 40's already.

WyldeMan wrote:Today was the first day that I was able to have my house all opened up since the ash cleared. However, within an hour of opening all my windows my house dropped from 70 degrees down to 61.

In a $7.5 billion buyout, it was announced today that Microsoft will acquir ZeniMax Media, the parent company of its better-known video game developer / publisher Bethesda Softworks. That acquisition now brings Bethesda’s studios — Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios — their 2,300 global employees, and their long list of acclaimed video game titles under Microsoft’s roof. Said franchises include The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, DisHonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield and likely more to come.

Tyger wrote:Wow, that actually looks pretty interesting

WyldeMan wrote:No way! Microsoft just bought ZeniMax Media the parent company of Bethesda Softworks for $7.5 billion!

I guess I will never be able to play another Fallout Title again and that really angers me.

In a $7.5 billion buyout, it was announced today that Microsoft will acquir ZeniMax Media, the parent company of its better-known video game developer / publisher Bethesda Softworks. That acquisition now brings Bethesda’s studios — Bethesda Game Studios, id Software, ZeniMax Online Studios, Arkane, MachineGames, Tango Gameworks, Alpha Dog, and Roundhouse Studios — their 2,300 global employees, and their long list of acclaimed video game titles under Microsoft’s roof. Said franchises include The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Wolfenstein, DOOM, DisHonored, Prey, Quake, Starfield and likely more to come.

FUCK YOU MICROSOFT!!!

UltimateMarvel wrote:They need games so bad for XBox that they're willing to spend $7.5B. lol

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-identifies-new-york-city-portland-and-seattle-jurisdictions-permitting
Criteria for evaluating each city is below:

- Whether a jurisdiction forbids the police force from intervening to restore order amid widespread or sustained violence or destruction.
- Whether a jurisdiction has withdrawn law enforcement protection from a geographical area or structure that law enforcement officers are lawfully entitled to access but have been officially prevented from accessing or permitted to access only in exceptional circumstances, except when law enforcement officers are briefly withheld as a tactical decision intended to resolve safely and expeditiously a specific and ongoing unlawful incident posing an imminent threat to the safety of individuals or law enforcement officers.
- Whether a jurisdiction disempowers or defunds police departments.
- Whether a jurisdiction unreasonably refuses to accept offers of law enforcement assistance from the Federal Government.
- Any other related factors the Attorney General deems appropriate.

New York City
- Shootings in New York City have been on the rise since looting and protests began on or about May 28, 2020.  For July 2020, shootings increased from 88 to 244, an increase of 177% over July 2019.  In August 2020, shootings increased from 91 to 242, a 166% increase over August 2019.
- While the city faced increased unrest, gun violence, and property damage, the New York City Council cut $1 billion from NYPD’s FY21 budget.
- The budget resulted in the cancellation of the new police recruiting class, cuts to overtime spending, and the transfer of certain police functions, including school safety, out of the NYPD.
- Meanwhile, the Manhattan and Brooklyn District Attorneys have declined to prosecute charges of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly arising from the protests, and the District Attorneys in Queens and the Bronx have declined to prosecute other protest-related charges.
- Both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo have forcefully rejected federal law enforcement support.

Portland, Oregon
- This month, Portland marked 100 consecutive nights of protests marred by vandalism, chaos, and even killing.
- Those bent on violence regularly started fires, threw projectiles at law enforcement officers, and destroyed property. Numerous law enforcement officers, among others, suffered injury.
- Shootings increased by more than 140% in June and July 2020 compared to the same period last year.
- In the midst of this violence, the Portland City Council cut $15 million from the police bureau, eliminating 84 positions. Crucially, the cuts included the Gun Violence Reduction Team, which investigates shootings, and several positions from the police team that responds to emergency incidents.
- In August, Portland Mayor Wheeler sent a letter to President Trump expressly rejecting the Administration’s offer of federal law enforcement to stop the violent protests.

Seattle, Washington
- For nearly a month, starting in June, the City of Seattle permitted anarchists and activists to seize six square blocks of the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, naming their new enclave the “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ) and then the “Capitol Hill Occupied Protest” (CHOP).
- Law enforcement and fire fighters were precluded from entering the territory.  The Seattle Police Department was ordered to abandon their precinct within the CHOP.
- Person-related crime in the CHOP increased 525% from the same period of time in the same area the year before, including by Mayor Durkan’s own count “two additional homicides, 6 additional robberies, and 16 additional aggravated assaults (to include 2 additional non-fatal shootings).”
- The CHOP was allowed to stand for nearly a month, during which time two teenagers were shot and killed in the zone.
- The Seattle City Council, Mayor Durkan, and Washington Governor Jay Inslee publicly rejected federal involvement in law enforcement activities within the city of Seattle.

joey con carne wrote:The new Echo Dot looks like a little afro. A baby ‘fro.

‘Battlestar Galactica’s Michael Hogan Suffers Tragic Accident

Sad news is surfacing on Monday night, as veteran actor Michael Hogan, who is best known for playing Colonel Saul Tigh on Battlestar Galactica, apparently suffered a tragic accident back in February and is unlikely to be able to work again. Friends of the Hogan family have launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised more than $55,000 of its $150,000 goal.

According to family friend Shari Ulrich, Hogan was in Vancouver participating in a Battlestar Galactica convention when he fell and hit his head during dinner. He went to bed that night not realizing that he’d suffered a traumatic head injury, which resulted in a massive brain bleed. Hogan required emergency surgery and the accident left him with complete paralysis on his left side, as well as memory loss, cognitive impairment and an inability to swallow.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made an already difficult situation even more difficult, as Hogan’s access to his family and a proper care team remains limited. This summer, he was moved into The Berkley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where he has been seeing a physiotherapist several times a week, though he still can’t stand on his own and requires a feeding tube. He has regained his speech and is largely coherent and cognizant, but his family says he still has a long, hard road ahead of him.

The financial demands for someone in Hogan’s situation are no doubt considerable, and the actor’s wife, Susan Hogan, has been unable to work, as she has been focused on caring for her husband and arranging his medical care. She’d prefer to have Michael home with her once he’s able to leave his current Long Term Care facility, but that means installing wheelchair ramps, a hospital bed, and buying a vehicle that can accommodate the wheelchair, among numerous other medical services.

Hogan has been a working actor since the late ’70s and appeared in the first two episodes of Monk before finding fame on Battlestar, which led to recurring roles on Teen Wolf, 12 Monkeys and The Man in the High Castle. He also played Slade Wilson in two episodes of Smallville and Otto Gerhardt on the acclaimed second season of Fargo. Hogan’s feature credits include The Peanut Butter Solution, The Cutting Edge, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Red Riding Hood, and he recently played the Air Force Chief of Staff in the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie.

I know things are tight for everyone these days, but if you can spare a few bucks, or even just share this post on social media, I’m sure Hogan’s family would greatly appreciate it. We wish him well on the road to recovery, and we’re grateful for the many performances he has blessed us with over the years. Thank you, Michael, and get well soon!

Tyger wrote:You haven’t been paying attention, have you?

joey con carne wrote:If those reports are true, that's crazy shit. I would be even more surprised if he didn't get audited.

But it's really not surprising. I'm sure a lot of bilionaires pay way less taxes than we think.

Creative accounting. Gotta love it.

UltimateMarvel wrote:I think the way the IRS sees it is if 2+2=4 then they don't care. They only care about 2+2=2 scenarios. lol

Also read Trump is something like $300M in debt, which explains why he needs 4 more years.

Anyway, I wasn't going to vote but last week I got my absentee ballot and after giving it some thought, I'm going to vote for Biden just because I don't want 4 more years of this shit show. Even if Trump somehow wins, then I can at least say I did something. This will be my first time voting EVER. lol

joey con carne wrote:

UltimateMarvel wrote:I think the way the IRS sees it is if 2+2=4 then they don't care. They only care about 2+2=2 scenarios. lol

Also read Trump is something like $300M in debt, which explains why he needs 4 more years.

Anyway, I wasn't going to vote but last week I got my absentee ballot and after giving it some thought, I'm going to vote for Biden just because I don't want 4 more years of this shit show. Even if Trump somehow wins, then I can at least say I did something. This will be my first time voting EVER. lol

Trump is not in debt. He's got millions upon millions upon millions of dollars. Hundreds of millions. If there is any debt, it's with his companies for which he has zero personal liability.

But what about his bankruptcies? His companies he owns have declared Chapter 11 bankruptcies. He has never declared personal bankruptcy.

joey con carne wrote:The first debate is tomorrow. I'll be tuning in.

Rusty wrote:Biden's walking dead. Dude's a corpse.

I find it hilarious that as progressive as the left tries to be, the only candidate they can get is a 78 year old white man that can barely finish sentences.

WyldeMan wrote:To be President here it's practically a requirement and also; dementia, a long history of sexual assaults, selling out to big tobacco, oil, pharma and the church. Without these things, you just won't be taken seriously on the Hill.

Also, Abe you think Trump's a good talker? He sounds like he went full retard and never came back, he just proclaims everything "very good" or "very bad" or "beautiful" regardless of subject matter. Though he can be quite poetic, just the other day he described the assault of a reporter as "beautiful" and compared the man being thrown to the ground by police to that of "someone throwing a bag of popcorn". With such eloquence as that, this must be where you get the impression that he's a "good talker."

UltimateMarvel wrote:That's exactly what I mean. He's a great bullshiter, to have the confidence to keep going like that and for people to listen to you....that's talent. No doubt it's what made him rich.

joey con carne wrote:That was a complete shit show.

Trump did not make me feel more confident about anything he will do.

Biden did not convince me to consider voting for him.

I think both sides sucked and the constant interruptions from Trump were irritating. He needs to shut up and just wait his turn. He's not helping himself here and I think he's going to get a talking to from his people (not that he will listen) but he needs to change his demeanor for the next debate if he wants anyone to take him seriously.

joey con carne wrote:That was a complete shit show.

Trump did not make me feel more confident about anything he will do.

Biden did not convince me to consider voting for him.

I think both sides sucked and the constant interruptions from Trump were irritating. He needs to shut up and just wait his turn. He's not helping himself here and I think he's going to get a talking to from his people (not that he will listen) but he needs to change his demeanor for the next debate if he wants anyone to take him seriously.

joey con carne wrote:https://nypost.com/2020/09/30/seagrams-heiress-clare-bronfman-sentenced-for-role-in-sex-cult/

So it appears the wheels of justice are indeed turning for those involved in the NXIVM case.

Clare Bronfman, the Seagram's heiress, was sentenced to 81 months (6.75 years) in prison today. I am curious what this means for Allison Mack.