Free Republic

The “argument” is that the trees are not on Universal property. They are on city owned land, so any modifications or trimming must be done by the city, or have the permission of the city.

Hannah Spearritt was easy on the eyes as well. I don’t know anything about the band, and a quick Youtube search makes me happy I don’t because it is all seemed to be bubblegum trash, but I know of Hannah from her time on the British TV show Primeval.

Cancer drugs too.

From another article:

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/patients-health-care-providers-face-shortages-critical-drugs/story?id=98018805

While the Senate report highlights a variety of shortages, it points specifically to shortages of Vincristine, a critical adult and pediatric chemotherapy drug used to treat various types of cancer with no alternative treatment, and Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), an immunotherapy biologic drug used to treat bladder cancer.

Yes. But that was only revealed in the second game “Part 2” released in 2020, as well as well as the DLC “Left Behind” released in 2014, not the original game released in 2013.

It’s a shame they felt the need to add something to the story that improved nothing.

I asked my GP during my last physical what was going on with all the Hep C and HIV ads on TV. I can’t watch one show without getting hit over the head with them.

He looked at me and asked if I was serious. When I said yes, he simply said “Do you do drugs and do you have unprotected sex with multiple partners?” I told him no, which he knew, and said I would have been a real bummer at parties in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. And that told me all I need to know about why there are so many Hep C and HIV ads on TV right now.

I’m with you on lifestyle choices. That’s no ones business but their own. But don’t expect to run wild in the streets without consequences, and don’t expect science to find a fix for whatever ill you bring to society that pops up next.

I have a gas furnace as well, but I now have a propane and gasoline duel power generator which was purchased after the freezing weather in Texas in February 2021. It’s big enough to run my heater, fridge, and TV at the same time. The cost was around $1500. I have mine connected to the natural gas line. If you don’t have one I would highly recommend it.

The link below is for Mr. Buddy heaters. In case you have not heard of them, they have propane models that are designed to work indoors. Well worth the $100-$300 they cost to keep a room toasty if you don’t want to invest in the generator.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=indoor+mr+buddy+heater&hvadid=78271660989718&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_4ppktjb5lq_e

“If NATO did not exist there would be no war in Ukraine and there’s no reason to imagine the average Ukrainian would be any worse off within a sphere of Russian influence than they would be under Western exploitation.”

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-r7z0lM5_k (7 minutes long)

While not the end-all-be-all in terms of information and geopolitical understanding, Peter Zaihan has a pretty good grasp of history, current events, and where things are/could be heading. Was NATO the outright cause of the invasion? It was part of it, but a very small part. And while some of your statements can be true, saying that Russia is not the aggressor in this situation is factually incorrect. Russia is driven by their own security and their desire to return to Soviet-era borders for their own protection.

How do you protect a country with 11 time zones and a small number of ethnic Russians? In the mind of a Russian you put as much distance between Moscow and the rest of the world as possible. If you read Russian history you will understand how important these boundaries were prior to WW2, and even as late as the fall of the USSR. Putin, being a top cold war KGB officer, believes in this border strategy wholeheartedly, and will destroy his country to make it happen. So while Ukraine is a hot mess of corruption unlike 99% of other European countries, Russia pulled the same stunt again, like they did with Georgia, and they will continue “not being the aggressor” if they are not spanked right now. I distrust any Russian or Ukrainian, but I’d say it’s better that Russia fall flat on their face here instead of picking off countries one at a time every few years.

Brownsville, Texas, ranked second. One-quarter of the city’s population lives in poverty, twice the national average, according to a recent account in 24/7 Wall St.

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Thanks to open borders, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that if your town butts up against any part of the southern border, you will be living in a hellscape of cartel violence, human and drug trafficking, and poverty.

It’s not good news.

Many... (Most?) new home builders are giving away huge incentives to purchase new houses. Those incentives include HOA fees covered for a year or more, X number of months of no payments, closing fees paid, or extras thrown on like a spa, covered patio or deck, etc.

I deal with the insurance side of things and this is what I’m seeing.

The majority of new build homes on the market now broke ground 6-12 months ago, which was before rates shot up. In order to move the stock you have to offer the extras that an existing home can’t. Either way, it’s not good news since the builders are cutting their profits back by huge amounts and many will not be able to continue building after paying off the loans they have.

Wasn’t that Victoria Jackson?

It is so unexpected when a show humanizes the characters to the point you would love to meet them. Detectorists not only did that, but made me appreciate 2-3 season British TV even more by telling a story that involved multiple interesting characters with their own unique quirks. While I wish it would have continued, I’m glad it ended and left me wanting more. There are too many shows in the U.S. which are pure crap that I wish had ended after one or two seasons, but they keep it plugging along year after year for some reason.

And you’ll get the same canned BS reply that I did in a day or two. Screw him.

Thank you for contacting me regarding federal firearms laws. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this important matter.

On May 24, 2022, a gunman maliciously took the lives of 21 innocent people, including 19 children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those who lost their lives as they grieve such a cruel tragedy. This is an incredibly difficult time for the Uvalde community, Texas, and our Nation. My office is coordinating with federal, state, and local officials to assist the people of Uvalde as they navigate the aftermath of this senseless act of violence.

As your Senator, I am committed to focusing on the root causes of mass violence, fully enforcing current law, and addressing improvements to mental health care in America. I will continue to push for effective solutions that protect communities and preserve citizens’ Second Amendment rights. As a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, I believe it is essential to safeguard law-abiding citizens’ constitutional right to own and use firearms for lawful purposes. Restricting this right runs counter to the intent of our Founding Fathers, who expressly guaranteed that citizens would retain the right to keep and bear arms.

It is encouraging that the Supreme Court has upheld the will of our Founders and re-affirmed the ideals upon which our country was established. The Supreme Court’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) affirmed that Americans’ constitutional rights remain secure from federal government intrusion. I was proud to sign an amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting the fundamental right of American citizens to keep and bear arms. This landmark ruling continues to have implications far beyond the District of Columbia. In the 2010 McDonald v. City of Chicago decision, the Supreme Court struck down the arbitrary gun ban in Chicago-thereby affirming that the Second Amendment protects Americans’ fundamental rights against state and local encroachment.

As a former Texas Supreme Court Justice and Attorney General, I have firsthand knowledge of crime-fighting policies that work, and I believe citizens’ Second Amendment rights should not be restricted because of the actions of criminals. Rather, we must focus our attention on the source of violent crime: criminals who use firearms to harm innocent Americans. I believe strictly enforcing the law-and imposing tougher sentences on career criminals and violent offenders who use firearms-will reduce violence more effectively than gun or equipment bans, which primarily serve to take firearms away from law-abiding citizens.

Furthermore, I believe Americans with concealed handgun licenses should not sacrifice their safety and peace of mind when traveling between states. That is why I was proud to introduce the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 (S.69; 116th Congress). This bill would have allowed qualified individuals to carry a concealed handgun into, or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. While this bill did not pass last Congress, I look forward to working with my colleagues on furthering protection of Americans’ Second Amendment rights during the 117th Congress.

As your Senator, I will continue to champion the Second Amendment and work to provide resources for individuals with mental health issues to help ensure that our communities our safe and our Constitutional rights are not infringed.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent Texas in the United States Senate, and will continue working with my colleagues to protect our Second Amendment rights. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN

United States Senator

517 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Tel: (202) 224-2934

Fax: (202) 228-2856

http://www.cornyn.senate.gov

Here’s the canned reply I received this morning from Senator asshat. I’m guessing he will fold.

Thank you for contacting me regarding federal firearms laws. I appreciate having the benefit of your comments on this important matter.

On May 24, 2022, a gunman maliciously took the lives of 21 innocent people, including 19 children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. My heart goes out to the loved ones of those who lost their lives as they grieve such a cruel tragedy. This is an incredibly difficult time for the Uvalde community, Texas, and our Nation. My office is coordinating with federal, state, and local officials to assist the people of Uvalde as they navigate the aftermath of this senseless act of violence.

As your Senator, I am committed to focusing on the root causes of mass violence, fully enforcing current law, and addressing improvements to mental health care in America. I will continue to push for effective solutions that protect communities and preserve citizens’ Second Amendment rights. As a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, I believe it is essential to safeguard law-abiding citizens’ constitutional right to own and use firearms for lawful purposes. Restricting this right runs counter to the intent of our Founding Fathers, who expressly guaranteed that citizens would retain the right to keep and bear arms.

It is encouraging that the Supreme Court has upheld the will of our Founders and re-affirmed the ideals upon which our country was established. The Supreme Court’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) affirmed that Americans’ constitutional rights remain secure from federal government intrusion. I was proud to sign an amicus brief to the Supreme Court supporting the fundamental right of American citizens to keep and bear arms. This landmark ruling continues to have implications far beyond the District of Columbia. In the 2010 McDonald v. City of Chicago decision, the Supreme Court struck down the arbitrary gun ban in Chicago-thereby affirming that the Second Amendment protects Americans’ fundamental rights against state and local encroachment.

As a former Texas Supreme Court Justice and Attorney General, I have firsthand knowledge of crime-fighting policies that work, and I believe citizens’ Second Amendment rights should not be restricted because of the actions of criminals. Rather, we must focus our attention on the source of violent crime: criminals who use firearms to harm innocent Americans. I believe strictly enforcing the law-and imposing tougher sentences on career criminals and violent offenders who use firearms-will reduce violence more effectively than gun or equipment bans, which primarily serve to take firearms away from law-abiding citizens.

Furthermore, I believe Americans with concealed handgun licenses should not sacrifice their safety and peace of mind when traveling between states. That is why I was proud to introduce the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2019 (S.69; 116th Congress). This bill would have allowed qualified individuals to carry a concealed handgun into, or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. While this bill did not pass last Congress, I look forward to working with my colleagues on furthering protection of Americans’ Second Amendment rights during the 117th Congress.

As your Senator, I will continue to champion the Second Amendment and work to provide resources for individuals with mental health issues to help ensure that our communities our safe and our Constitutional rights are not infringed.

I appreciate having the opportunity to represent Texas in the United States Senate, and will continue working with my colleagues to protect our Second Amendment rights. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN

United States Senator

517 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Tel: (202) 224-2934

Fax: (202) 228-2856

http://www.cornyn.senate.gov

I’m not going to say all, but yes, commodity contracts generally have a currency to purchase. In this case I believe it was Euros.

When the sanctions came down, Russia changed their end of the deal and asked for Rubles:

https://www.bruegel.org/2022/04/a-sanctions-counter-measure-gas-payments-to-russia-in-rubles/

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/explainer-paying-natural-gas-rubles-83735661

From the second link: “European governments and energy companies are rejecting the idea, saying gas import contracts specify the currency and that one side can’t change it overnight. They say they intend to keep paying in euros and dollars.”

I’ll just direct you to this:

https://caagearup.com/product/glock-9mm-50-round-drum-magazine-rwb-usa/

A two or three round burst is definitely preferred in order to acquire and keep a target, (as well as preserve ammo) but I don’t think Hood rats care about accuracy and seem to be perfectly happy to spray and pray.

Basically you twist off the head and then suck the juice (water used in the boil) out of the head while also crushing it. This releases more juice and also allows the seasoning, which is usually spicy, to get on your lips and mouth. Then, with the tail in hand I peal off two segments of the tail exposing a bit of the meat. You then take the tail between your thumb and forefinger and squeeze from the bottom up while sucking the meat out.

How to eat crawfish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EndhxlX7Df8

It’s an ugly and messy experience, but I love it.

Note to self: Continue to boil my own so I am not paying stupid amounts of money for a poor product or another person’s ineptitude.

When it is done right, there is nothing better than a beer or three with 5 pounds of bugs and corn and potatoes. I thank God every year I live in Texas and that I am able to get giant bags of them to cook.

That’s the gorilla in the room that few ever think about. The mobile game market is still a rising industry, and Activision is/was putting major cash into development of those games to the ire of some of their hardcore console gamers.

There were some heated words and dismay in the Blizzard world after Blizzcon a few years back when they announced a move toward more mobile titles, but nobody ever said their business model was not sound.

https://www.androidauthority.com/activision-blizzard-mobile-games-1174109/

The headline to the above link from November 2020 is: Activision Blizzard is planning mobile games for all of its franchises.

And I believe you about going after Zuck. It’s a smart move.

“How does a “prop” gun kill someone?”

When it’s loaded incorrectly:
1. Wrong charge for the caliber. Too heavy or light.
2. Shrapnel of some kind that is expelled from the barrel.
3. Concussive force causes injury.

That’s just off the top of my head.

There will be so many lawsuits coming out of this that lawyers in every corner are salivating. From the prop master to the production company, to Baldwin, to the manufacturer. This is going to get really ugly.

Few bands are able to pull off a good rock song with a Cha-Cha beat.

I only read about this song’s meaning a few years ago. Back when the album came out I thought it was about retirees hitting the road to get away from their kids. Little did I know...

For anyone who hasn’t been to Salado, it’s a great little town; almost like Fredricksburg before they got too big.