Screwball

9 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

Who is Gomer?  

The boards most unhinged rabid warmonger.

I would pay cold hard cash for a Ballmich vs. Gomer debate.

14 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

You know how this kind of facility starts out as one thing, may morph into another. The same could have been at any US University. You build a bio reseach facility - then the you take on new areas of research. Where are you going to put them? Where the facilities already are - otherwise you can't afford it. Plus you need trained personnel, maybe you are joined to an academic institution - none of that stuff is going to be found out in the sticks in any country. The problem is that people get sloppy about safeguards because good protocols can be a pain to follow. The need to do the research on how diseases jump species is real enough - the devil is in the details. Part of the problem in China is that it's too easy for people who want to raise objections to things being done wrong to get railroaded out of the way. Hell you and I both know that happens too much here even given that our systems are supposedly 'open'. In China if there is political pressure to get ahead in some area of study, good luck.

And it's not like the Chinese were completely off the resevation in proposing to do 'Gain of function' reseach. IIRC correctly researchers at Wuhan participate in same grant and approval processes at NIH and have had various US partners in their work there.

So there is nothing we can do because things....

Not acceptable, and people that want to make excuses should be fired. You're fired.

Let's play hypothetical and say we found out it did come from a lab in Wuhan.  Honest accident, no nefarious intent by anyone.

Why are they doing this dangerous testing/research in the middle of a highly populated area of China where an accident can cause what we now are going through?  Is it really worth funding such a dangerous kind of thing?  Let's say it is, why is it not being done on a island out in the middle of nowhere so if something happens it won't infect half the fucking world?

To me, knowing where it came from should help us make sure it never happens again.  It killed over a couple million people, and over a million here in America.  But no, let's make it all political instead of finding the truth, so all the partisan hacks can argue, point fingers, get TV sound bytes, while people die.  What a fucking country.

Shipments of contaminated waste to resume from Ohio train derailment site - CNN

FTA:

Quote

 

The EPA on Friday ordered the train’s operator, Norfolk Southern, to halt the shipments so that it could review the company’s plans for disposal, adding to the controversy surrounding the crash that has also left residents of the town worried about potential long-term health effects.

That’s as officials in Texas and Michigan complained they didn’t receive any warning that hazardous waste from the crash would be shipped into their jurisdictions for disposal.

Shipments now will be going to two EPA-certified facilities in Ohio, and Norfolk Southern will start shipments to these locations Monday, EPA regional administrator Debra Shore said at a news conference Sunday.

“Some of the liquid wastes will be sent to a facility in Vickery, Ohio, where it will be disposed of in an underground injection well,” Shore said. “Norfolk Southern will also beghin shipping solid waste to the Heritage Incinerator in East Liverpool, Ohio.”

Until Friday, Norfolk Southern was “solely responsible” for disposing of waste from the train derailment, Shore said Saturday, but waste disposal plans “will be subject to EPA review and approval moving forward.”

 

Apparently, the complaints from Texas and Michigan worked as they are now going elsewhere. Vickery, Ohio is the winner it looks like.  Underground injection wells.  Yea, I've heard about them, since they are about a half hour from where I live, and it's also a few miles from Lake Erie.  I sure would like to know more about those wells since there have been stories of people getting sick in that area for years. These wells are around 3000 ft deep, similar depths of a fracking well.  How safe are they?  I know the official answer, but that is no doubt coming from the same people who tell the East Palestinians their water is safe to drink.

The train wreck is solely on Norfolk Southern and their implementation of PSR (Precision Scheduled Railroading). The horrific response is solely on everyone who should have responded. There are no innocent parties here.

From above;

Quote

overlooks how often trains derail in the United States (we average around 2.5.-3.0 PER DAY in any given year) and the different ways that trains derail.

That sounds like 2.5-3.0 PER DAY  too many.  Why is this happening?

Maybe because nobody gives one good shit as long as the railroad continues to make record profits, stock buybacks can continue, railroad pays pissy as fines and the POS politicians keep getting their pockets lined to look the other way.  Nobody gives a fuck about the environment or the people who live in it.

Texas and Michigan officials say they didn’t know water, soil from Ohio train wreck would be transported into their jurisdictions - CNN

FTA;

Quote

Contaminated soil from the derailment site was being taken to the US Ecology Wayne Disposal in Belleville, Michigan, US Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said Friday.

3 hours ago, chasfh said:

Back in the early 80s and probably before, if you went up to the bleachers, which were maybe $1.50 a ticket, there was a fence and gate that separated you from the rest of the stadium that was manned by an usher. For slipping him as little as a dollar, he’d let you and your buddy through.

When I saw Ryan we were way out in right field behind a pole.  We talked to an usher to took us to some office behind home plate where they gave us different tickets.  They were on the right field side straight up the seats if you followed the left field foul line and about 30 rows up. Absolutely great seats, especially for Ryan. We could hear the catchers mitt pop.

I wonder if those were season ticket seats and they knew the people weren't showing up. They were that good.

On 2/21/2023 at 7:46 AM, casimir said:

One would think trying to watch a ball game on TV would be easy given the current technology if one has the cash for it.

One would think so.  I've had Direct TV since 1998 or 99. I bought the sports package to get FSD so I could watch the Tigers, and paid extra for the NFL Sunday Ticket (so I'm not forced to watch the Cleveland Clowns every Sunday), but over the years DTV has gotten way too expensive so I want to drop it for something else.

The something else is where it gets complicated. I have decent streaming speeds (250-350 when I check) so I have choices like Hulu or YouTubeTV, but the channels are different of course. Each package have channels I want, but also some I can't get.

Sunday ticket is going to YouTube TV, but there is little information as of yet as far cost. Hulu has the ESPN+ which I use to watch basketball. This is part of a $11 sports pack. YouTube TV does not offer this, but I could still by it through ESPN.  Hulu has MavTV, YouTube TV does not without the sports package.  That doesn't even get to the MLB stuff that neither seem to offer, so I guess you go through MLB and buy something.

So you end up with an internet cable bill, a provider bill (Hulu or YouTube TV), a sports package charge, a MLB package bill, and the NFL Sunday ticket bill. So you could have 5 different subscriptions and bills to deal with - instead of one. And it all probably changes again in 5 years.

That's kind of ala carte but a long way to get there.  And don't get me started on the torture of cancelling Direct TV. 

Thanks, that helps.  Everything is so complicated. One would think it should be ala-carte, but it's not. I've had Direct TV since the 90s, with no issues, but just too expensive anymore for what I use. Plus, Cornhole has upped their game on bandwidth, so I have enough speed to use streaming. Direct TV no longer provides what I want (NFL Sunday Ticket for example).

I knew when I tried to cancel I would get a sales pitch on why I shouldn't. It was truly brutal. This guy should get a raise and an Oscar. Lives in Kentucky, and a baseball fan to boot. I just want to send back the box, but it took an hour.

Question; I've read this entire thread, and I,m still confused. Probably because I don't live around Detroit.  If I want to watch the Tigers next year - how do I go about doing it? I live in Ohio so I don't have local Detroit stuff. Best I can tell from reading here, it will depend of the RSN, which I think means "regional sports network."

I get Fox Sports Detroit via Direct TV, which I am going to cancel.  Am I screwed?

Some of my best lifelong memories were from Tiger Stadium. I was in right field behind a post but captured a Steve Kemp home run ball. Dove over 3 rows to get it - I was young. Then my kids years later ran out of baseballs and that one somehow went missing from my trophy case. Kids...

Was there for the Bird when he made his comeback. Behind another pole. Talked to an usher and he moved us. Good seats - thanks.

Saw Micky and McClain in 68, Nolan Ryan at another game after we got the ushers to give us better seats sometime in the 80s I think it was, (more pole problems). We used to drive a couple hours to get there around the time the sun came to stand in line to get tickets. Standing in line was easy when you are young.

I have a wide screen picture of the last pitch in Tiger Stadium on my living room wall as we speak.

For shits and giggles I read that article. I would say it is unbelievable what they will do, but it's not. This is where we are, apparently. They will find ways to save you money, want all your financial information, access to all your shit - then whack you %40 percent "If" they save you money. And potential other charges, fees, and plans. What a fuckin deal. And the BBB ratings were shit before they changed names, another red flag.

Someone would be better off spending a few bucks a month for something like Quicken. That would do what most people need to do, and probably provides plenty of help and instructions.

Quickbooks vs. Quicken: What's the Difference? - from Investopedia

Quickbooks is business while Quicken is more for home use, but the article talks about what it will do. Then there is always their website.  I've used both and thought they were excellent.

#BoycottTwitter

55 minutes ago, Tiger337 said:

"They're coming for your social security money.  They want your fucking retirement money.  They want it back, so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street."

I've heard that somewhere.  Let me see...Yea, ole George from circa 1991.

It's truly amazing how all this shit works. I have been dealing with my end of life will and trust, so I had to go to my bank. I made that the last one on my list of things I had to do. My lawyer told me what needed to be done - pretty simple - document a payable on death to this/these accounts. Nope, not simple. The card on their desk said they were my personal banker, but they had no clue. I spent about 10 minutes, most of which they were on their computer trying to figure out what to do. This should be simple. Of course not.

At the same time, I have been talking to another bank. I would love to move. I ran into a young lady working her way up the banking system, so we've had some really good conversations, and she's giving me info on her bank. Her training isn't so much about customer service, but how to make money off of you.  NO! Tell me it ain't so. The best part - I talk to her in a bar and not at the bank - so she can be honest. 

Marketing, bullshit, promises. No different than taking the Series 60s type stuff to eventually tell people how to invest their money. I considered doing that at one time but once I studied enough, I found out you had to be a lying sack of shit. She tells me about the things they make her do. Interesting stuff.  I asked her about SARS (suspicious activity reports). That would be a no go - even at the bar.  Too funny.

Dealing with the financial wizards of the world is all about separating us from our money - it's that simple.

Think about this. If you buy and sell a stock, you have a price you paid, and a price you sold. You made money or you lost. When you see the paperwork of that trade (CUSIP #) they settle 4 digits to the right of the decimal point. For example $100.xxxx.  Why?  How can we have a penny to 4 digits?

Because we can.

The name "Rocket Money" triggered an alert on my money meter. But that's just me.

The world has went insane.

We've had railroads since the 1800s and now we've fucked it all up.

Congrats America

We couldn't pour piss out of our boot if the directions were on the bottom.

20 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

this is 1970's level tech. No reason for there not to be a wireless mesh system on the train that reports bad bearings/hot spots the to engineer in the train in real time. That would be modern tech. OK there is a reason - no-one has forced them to do better - for all the reasons you stated.

Heck, it's only been in the last few years they have finally implemented an occupied track non collision system that's been in the proposed stage for a generation. It's the F'ing 21st century and we have half a dozen *ungated* RR grade crossings around Ann Arbor because the RR won't pay for even that 100 yr old tech.

To the bold. I couldn't agree more. Shit, they could rig up 4 cheap 50 dollar phones above each axle bearing and if it melts you don't get a signal and you know something was wrong. That might be cheaper than many more millions of dollars of other shit that don't work.

I'm kidding, but not by much.

This kind of shit drives me nuts. I spent 35 years in the hell hole best described as Office Space and Dilbert.

Early on, some guy who took me under his wings told me how it really works; the only way it can get anymore fucked up, is if it gets bigger

Fact check = true

1 hour ago, Tiger337 said:

SB, The Ohio fire is trending on Twitter.   Don't go there expecting to find anything useful though.  

It's a horrible situation.  It sounds like many lives are going to be destroyed.  I hope they sue for many millions and win.  

 

 

I really hate the Twitters and Facebooks of the world, but I do find Twitter somewhat useful. Facebook, not so much.

I found more on Twitter than I did from any news outlet. I usually don't wade into Reddit but I checked there too. Thousands of pages. Can't wade though it all.

I went into Google Earth and zoomed into this town to check it out. It's hard to know the exact location of where the cars went up in flames, and where it relates to the town, but I think I'm pretty close. There is a town hall Wednesday at the school, so they say. Best I can tell that's only a few (at best) miles from where the chemical pit lives. Not a big town.

I talked to a guy tonight who worked for a cleanup company for this kind of shit. Known him forever. It was our Monday beer night - couldn't wait to talk to him. Of course he was all over it too.  He worked all over the country cleaning toxic messes - many of them train related. Neglect was the first thing out of his mouth. Imagine that.

I'll bet the ambulance chance lawyers are already on their way to fleece these people, and in the end, only them and the owners, as George Carlin would say, will come out ahead in this.

The rest can eat PVC

19 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

There was a report that a random security camera caught the brakes and/or bearings on this train on fire 20 miles prior to the derailment. The condition of US rolling stock and rail tech is purely third world. But no, we don't need regulators, the invisible hand of market will cure all our ills.....

I disagree.

There are safety devices to scan for this kind of thing. In this case it looks pretty convincing it was a "hot box." There were pictures long before there was a catastrophic event. Call it a wheel bearing. They have sensors along the tracks to watch for this. As it should be given the technology we have today.

But it failed. Some way, some how. Why? Because somebody fucked up.

Penny smart, dollar stupid. Capital expenditures, research & development, and of course, safety - takes the back seat to stock prices, the next earnings report, and all the money the corporate big swinging dicks can profit on their contractual stock options.

People on the inside - the workers - and in this case the people who really do make the trains run on time - could easily make a open and shut case of neglect - total disregard of safety - all in the pursuit of profit. They have the technology to have prevented this right now.

But laws/rules don't matter anymore, depending on who you are. This will be another case. They will spend millions litigating this over the next X years, eventually pay a fine, not admit guilt, and all is good. Just like they do with the criminal banksters. So it's all good. Except for the people of EP.

Funny though, one would think their stock price would have got whacked. Not really. Maybe that tells us all we need to know.

Since I live about 3 hours away, and have family closer, I have paid close attention to this.

That town is uninhabitable at this point, IMO.

My family was evacuated back in the 90s due to a toluene spill due to a pipeline break that ended up in a creek. We could smell it for months. It was 10 miles away, and a gnat on an elephants ass compared to this one. We were out in the sticks too.

No doubt a once thriving support town during the industrial revolution - turned into blight thanks to globalization - and now they get this.

I feel so bad for them. I've never been there, but plenty of places like that on the east end of OH. I'll bet they would be a hoot to have a beer with.

I hope they sue the ever living snot out of them.

19 minutes ago, mtutiger said:

Gonna go ahead and bump this.... applying Screwball logic, this would suggest that Elon Musk "censored" O'Sullivan.

Hasn't your combine ran out of gas yet?  As far as logic, I recommend you try some sometime.

This disaster in Ohio sure sounds like a mess, yet little to no coverage in the MSM. I don't get that. I'm glad I don't live anywhere near there.

On 5/3/2022 at 11:40 AM, buddha said:

it would be hilarious if he ended up at eastern.

The above was from May, re; Bates. He did in fact end up at EMU.

I'll give you a scouting report. I don't and didn't know much about the guy. I have ties to Toledo so I watch all their games. A couple of weeks ago, Bates chucked in 43, but they came up a little short on Toledo's court. I watched a couple other of his games, can't remember against who, then the UT/EMU game yesterday. He only had 4 points in that one. The guy is an incredible talent. A bit skinny IMO, but what a show he can put on.  NBA next year?

As far as EMU, they are not doing so well in the MAC, but they have 3 guys who can just go off. Acuff had 35 yesterday. They are long, athletic, and very talented. If they make the MAC tourney, they might be the team nobody wants to play. There are six games left, they should improve, and all you have to do is get in. If they would win in Cleveland I would not be surprised at all.