SLAG-91

Coke's misstep with New Coke in 1985 was so bad that it almost seemed intentional (allowed them to re-brand as "Coca-Coca Classic", complete with clothing, in 1986), but they did bounce back pretty quickly. I worked at my hometown's newly opened Burger King in the summer of '85 and my impression of New Coke was "um, if I wanted Pepsi, I would buy Pepsi." I don't see this sort of recovery happening with Bud Light, but who knows. Much different times now, to say the least. I'm not boycotting Bud Light, because I'm not sure I have purchased any since I was a broke-ass college student...they did step in it, and they are neck-deep in some stinky sales poop numbers. Their rank-and-file employees should be royally pissed with their upper management for doubling and tripling down on bad decisions, because it is costing some of them their jobs.

Elected? You really want potential SC justices campaigning nationwide? Our electorate is already teeming with low-information voters who can't see past "gimme, gimme, gimme", and you want to leave the selection of nine justices to a popular vote? Yikes. Ethical oversight provided by...whom/what agency, pray tell? You'd have the justices popularly elected, which would cost money, money for which they would become no better than what you currently claim to abhor (prostitutes, essentially), and THEN expect some idealistic oversight entity to magically keep them reined in (and who is defining ethical here, btw)? Term limits...not opposed in theory, but do it the right way via Constitutional amendment (which goes for many other things that have been thrust onto the Supreme Court because Congress won't do their jobs, but I digress). Changing this via judicial fiat would be the height of irony. Congress critters first, though.

Unfair...welcome to life, although that word doesn't really apply here. Moving on... I wouldn't have any issues with making student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy, at least in part...if you are unable or unwilling to pay your debt (that no one forced you to take on), you don't get to completely walk away from it consequence-free. What I'd really like to see happen is putting the schools themselves on the hook for these loans, because right now they have no incentive whatsoever to control costs. If people took out loans with the expectation that they wouldn't have to be paid back, then that would make them not very bright. How many people have taken advantage of the 3+ year opportunity to pay back at least some of what they owe without accruing any additional interest? I figure some did, and that would have been smart on their part. If people were under the impression that "oh, I'll never have to pay this back, Joe's got my back", well, again, that would make them not very bright. This is coming from someone who took out loans for school with the expectation that they would be paid back, however long it took, and my lifestyle expectations were adjusted accordingly. Overpaid a little bit every month to get out from under it a bit sooner.

Interesting idea for a cover...there were a few things that I wouldn't exactly consider newsworthy (analytica, Tom Delonge) and a few things left out that were fairly noteworthy (Branch Davidians, Heaven's Gate cult/Hale-Bopp Comet, Bin Laden killed, Covid-19), but they gave it a run.

Seems like the place to put this... https://theintercept.com/2023/06/29/covid-nih-personal-email-foia/

I think many of these departments suffer from bloat, and could stand to be pared down and made more efficient. In the end, bureaucracies serve largely to feed themselves, and they are some HONGRY varmints...they like to eat. If there are some coherent and workable plans put forth by candidates to trim some of the Foggy Bottom fat, I'll give 'em a listen. Wonder if we'd find out that some of these department employees have eight bosses a la Peter from Office Space https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTdOHBIppx8

Primaries are where this train wreck can be avoided, and this is where the people who may be fairly regular November voters, but apathetic about primaries need to be more active. Problem is that, like 2016, the field may not coalesce around a Trump alternative. I'm not holding my breath on people being aware enough to see the path to a non-Trump Rep candidate, though. It would take a LOT for me to just leave the top of the ballot completely blank, but I do have to admit that the possibility of a rematch of 2020 (something that no one with two brain cells to rub together wants to see) has planted that seed in my head.

https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2023/06/oregon-lawmakers-vote-to-allow-self-serve-gas-statewide-ending-decades-long-ban.html Having never been to either of the states that still have laws on the books prohibiting pumping your own gas (New Jersey is the other), I can't even imagine NOT having the option to take care of filling up my vehicle myself. Just seems like one of those "that's still on the books?" laws that was long overdue to be changed. I guess their governor will sign the bill, but I don't know for sure. I am old enough to remember the full-service vs. self-service option, but there was at least the option to do it yourself. Any Oregon residents on here want to give us their thoughts, or has anyone inadvertently tried to pump their own gas in Oregon and gotten fussed at?

Anyone 'member when the mere mention that it could be a lab leak would get one publicly castigated as spreading misinformation and/or being xenophobic/racist/anti-science? (Raises hand) From a purely psychological perspective, the entire pandemic is one of those bright lines where you're aware when things really became different, and there's likely no going back. Kind of like pre- and post-9/11, there's pre- and post-Covid.

No doubt. They were the last domino to fall re: playing in Auburn. I think Coach Dye made an analogy to the Berlin Wall coming down (which had occurred about a month prior to the game), and if you remember all of the times when Auburn had to travel to play their rivals (50+ games in a row in Atlanta against Georgia Tech, playing Georgia in Columbus, playing Alabama in "neutral" Birmingham), well, this was the biggest of them all. David Housel and Pat Dye were the front line faces of the fight to get this game on campus, and boy, did they fight for Auburn. I don't think anyone could have bought that ticket from me, and it is one of two football games that I tell people it was an honor and a privilege to see live. Beating a 10-0 Alabama team was just delicious icing. It wouldn't have mattered if we had beaten a winless Alabama team. Found this article on the impact of the game...doesn't seem possible that we're nearly 35 years out from that day. https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/auburn/2019/11/25/auburn-football-impact-1989-iron-bowl-still-felt-30-year-anniversary-jordan-hare-stadium-alabama-sec/4294963002/ As a runner-up, the 1990 Florida State game was enjoyable for a different reason...they'd beaten us three in a row and for a while it looked like it was going to extend to four. We got it back to even, then Casey Weldon got flipped head over teakettle for about a 20 yard loss on a 4th down with under 2:00 to go. That set us up on their side of the field, and we got close enough for Jim Von Wyl to sneak the GW FG in to beat them 20-17. Thank goodness the uprights had not yet been moved in (NCAA narrowed the width of the goalposts effective in 1991), or that kick would have been no good.

Only 55...way too young. By all accounts, was highly regarded as a coach, recruiter and, most importantly, father and husband. Pat Dye and R.C. Slocum were friends, and Pat thought very highly of Price, too. ETA: He had been fighting (very privately) stage 4 cancer.

The above post sounds about right. Most people ebb and flow interest-wise with the relative success of the team. What I will say about last season and last season only is that the first 2/3 of it was in no way pleasant, especially after the Penn State curbstomping. Harsin being canned at some point was a fait accompli, it was just a matter of when. He didn't seem to be terribly interested in being here, and the players by and large didn't seem to be enjoying playing the game. I think they knew he was a goner, too. It was toxic, and from my far-awa I can stomach a team that may not be wildly successful as far as the W-L record is concerned, provided that there is a good faith effort from everyone to put their best product on the field. Frankly, I did not feel like we got that from the top of the program for most of last year. Cadillac being named interim HC was like giving the program CPR when it desperately needed it. We didn't suddenly become bigger, stronger or faster, but the team looked rejuvenated. To carry the medical analogy further, if Caddy was the EMT that shocked the patient back to life, then Freeze is now the physician overseeing long-term care. Is he the right guy? Remains to be seen, but I feel like he's got ample motivation to try and redeem himself and show everyone that he can handle a big-time coaching gig. I don't feel like he's an over-the-hill guy on a last-ditch money grab.

Those two should just go ahead and do the 21st century version of the 1902 fistfight that a couple of South Carolina senators engaged in...maybe PPV Jell-O wrestling or something. Boebert would probably win in a duel, but maybe MTG has a size advantage. https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/rules-procedures/tillman-mclaurin-rule-xix.htm#:~:text=On February 22%2C 1902%2C John,McLaurin squarely in the jaw. I think it was a South Carolina rep that beat the hell out of a senator in the 1800s, too.

He got the politician's kid special, same as many others have gotten...but dang, he has had the grand bull moose of extended adolescences. Most of us in our 50s don't have the luxury of going on drug-fueled episodes, knocking up the local talent and getting to hide behind our daddy's name. He's Little Enos Burdette with a paintbrush. Hope his wrist doesn't whelp up too much from that slap he got on it...maybe rub a little smack on it to numb the pain. It's good to know the king, though. Genetics has its privileges. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12202901/Midwest-teachers-trade-tips-subversively-quietly-transitioning-kids-without-telling-parents.html Educational malpractice is about the nicest thing I can say about this.

I feel like at least one of my HS classmates did this very thing once upon a time.

Agreed on 1997 having to be Craig, not to throw shade at Goodson, but Dameyune ran for his life for a good portion of that season. It's still amazing to me how that team managed to win 10 games. 1987 was tougher from an individual standpoint. Aundray Bruce ended up being the #1 overall pick after the '87 season, and against Georgia Tech had one of the single greatest games an AU defender has ever had (9 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 picks, the last of which was returned for a game-icing TD, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble that was recovered for a TD). Ironically enough, the play that accompanied Tillman's highlight was from the 1986 season, not the 1987 season. If there was footage somewhere of his game-winning TD catch in the back of the endzone against Georgia Tech, that's what should have been used. I've seen it, but it's hard to find because that game wasn't televised. Some of the ones from lousy seasons were hard to argue against. I've tried to purge 1998, 2008, 2012 and 2020 from my memory

I'm not even mad at Fetterman...he can't help it. He's clearly struggling to find words, which is not atypical of someone who's had a stroke. Pennsylvania Republicans, along with Trump, should have had their asses kicked thoroughly for ending up someone as divisive as Oz be their candidate. They missed the equivalent of a 20-yard FG in '22 because they're incapable of reading the room.

Which is why I'm not getting any of those devices for as long as humanly possible. I'm OK getting my fat ass off the couch and turning off the outside lights, or turning on the oven, or unlocking the door with a key, or...well, you get the idea. "Alexa, go self-immolate in an oven." Signed, something of a Luddite who is content being able to work his phone and get online.

Just get him one of these to keep him busy...that amount of FasTrack should be enough to get from San Francisco to Sri Lanka, right?

...and on the other end of the spectrum (the rock-eating moron end, to be clear), we have Nadler. https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/watch-house-dem-says-2-year-olds-should-have-been-required-to-wear-masks/ I cannot imagine even thinking in June 2023 that this would be good policy, never mind saying it out loud.

The schedule is set up nicely in '24...no complaints at all.

Believe it or not, I think most of us that would tend to not fall on the far right hand side of things have zero stomach or interest in seeing Trump be the nominee once again. The time to head that off is during primaries...the eternal issue is that to get that initial support, candidates tend to be more more extreme than they may actually be, because the voters who participate in primaries are your more politically active. As an aside, I do wish all primary voting were closed, meaning no crossover voting is allowed. If you're registered R, you vote in R primaries only...same sort of thing if you're registered. I don't know if there are available numbers out there on this, but I would love to know how much support Trump got in 2016 from Dems crossing over to vote for him in primaries, thinking that he would be easier for Clinton to beat, sort of like the students in "Carrie" voting for her for HC queen as a joke, and it turned out the joke was on them, in a manner of speaking. I'll not be voting for Trump in any primary. If our choices in 2024 are the 2020 redux of Dipshit 1 and Dipshit 2, I will be seriously tempted to leave the top of the ballot blank. I don't know that I would, but both of those dudes need to fade into oblivion posthaste.

Your earlier post was a non sequitur. Rest of the thread: "Should Grassley's statement lead to further investigation?" 1716: "I think Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies are delicious, and the Swiss Rolls are pretty good, too...Banana Twins and Star Crunch? They suck!" As to whether anything will come of this Burisma information, I doubt it, but it's not because there's no "there" there. Hunter is pretty much a worthless POS without even taking this into account. Joe just did what any other garden variety money-grubbing politician would do...took care of his own and used his position to exert undue influence. He's nothing special in D.C. in that regard...he's just had multiple generations of practice.