I wouldn’t mind moving the Super Bowl to coincide with President’s Day except that it would drag out football season even more than it already has been. But given the league’s desire to add more games to the regular season and expand the playoffs, this may come to pass anyway.
My sister's dog sleeps in the same bed as she and her husband. But the dog sleeps at the end of the bed, she doesn't cuddle with them. The dog in the picture has a look on it like "What am I doing here?"
It sure does. BTW…my daughter got a dog because she wanted a dog that would sleep in her bed with her. However, her 85 pound dog decided he likes sleeping in our bed with me and her dad. He sleeps at our feet as well but at times likes to be the little spoon.
I would be fine with them moving the start back even later in the year, like October. While this wouldn't totally mitigate the high temperatures for the Florida and California teams, it should help.
and yeah I know that means the playoffs would be in late Jan/early Feb and the SB in March but so what?
The one overwhelming problem in pushing the schedule back that much would be dangerously cold temperatures for the late season games in northern cities without door stadiums. Dangerous for both the players and fans.
Eric, you have definitely given the orange monster way too much of the benefit of the doubt. He has been clearly racist and sexist his entire life, long before he sought public office. When it comes to racism in this country we've become way to reluctant to calla duck a duck. Yes, it is a terrible thing to call someone, and maybe some people are way to quick to call something racist when it's not (our current mayor is extremely guilty of this) but giving him the benefit of the doubt is like saying, "maybe that guy just likes the look of a white robe and hood."
The insanity of Hillbilly Vanilli (my favorite thing I've seen Vance called) trying to explain away how DEI "maybe" has caused the shorthanded staffing of the air traffic controllers is nonsensical. If they were lowering standards for becoming an air traffic controller then they wouldn't be short-staffed. They would have a full staff of a lot of incompetent people. Like the current Executive Branch.
Both the fat fascist & his father were found guilty of not renting to black people in NYC throughout the 1950s & 60s in the apartments they owned in Queens.
Trump's overt racism goes back at least to his slandering the Central Park Five in 1989, when he called for the death penalty for them without their guilt even having been established.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt, exercising decency and civility are admirable traits, but they have been taken as weakness and taken advantage of for political gain by the right wing ever since Newt Gingrich and the Tea party, when they realized being loud and obnoxious will win over respectful informed discourse pretty much every time.
Actually the entire argument makes little sense to me. I wasn't aware any of those involved, such as the pilots or controller, were black. Even if they were, that doesn't automatically make them DEI hires. That's like saying it should be illegal to hire blacks for certain positions even if qualified. Even if DEI hires, who's to blame? Was it the controllers fault or was at least one of the pilots in the wrong place? Why blame DEI for a shortage of controllers? Wouldn't that make for more controllers if it opens up positions? Or is Burger Boy complaining that whites are not applying because there are too many minorities taking the jobs? But I'm getting used to several ideas. Burger Boy doesn't need to make sense if it riles up his supporters. Many of his supporters would be on his side if he said the sky is red.. There was a long letter to the editor in the Trib today explaining why Burger Boy was on the right side of history of every issue. It was, of course, bogus manure and the usual rewrite of history. But that's where we're at. He's going to ruin the economy and the environment for ordinary citizens and the party of the sqawking chicken is going to let him do it.
I like your idea of limiting the unlimited transfer portal to those students who play less than a certain percentage of snaps. Make it more limited for the starters.
Nope, nope, nope. If the schools are going to insist on athletes being students, they should be governed by the exact same regulations as non-athlete students. (This is the key point of all the court losses schools are taking from the courts.) A chemistry student can transfer anywhere and and any time they want, so an offensive lineman should be able to as well.
If you and Eric and others want more limitations, like transfer eligibility and contracts, it legally has to be done via collective bargaining (meaning union representation for student-athletes). Which hasn't happened yet.
I don't understand elevating college sports (let's be real - football) to the level it has reached. Student athletes? That's a joke. Why doesn't the NFL get honest and establish minor leagues as baseball teams do?
Because that would cost money. Why spend millions of dollars to establish a minor league when there is already one established. It is called college football. It has worked well for the NFL and does not need to be fixed from their perspective.
And college-level sports are a de facto farm system for another sport - women's soccer. Check out the number of US universities that have almost entire rosters of their women's soccer teams populated by international students (many men's teams, too). Many of these women players go on to play for their home countries' national teams.
It is SUPER simple — sports is the #1 most effective marketing tactic for colleges. For Big Ten schools, their exposure through sports is worth more than $100 million per year (what they get from the Big Ten Network alone). It's been proven that when your school does well in football or basketball, you get more applictions, which mean more $$$ and a better pool of students to choose from.
And even for much smaller schools, hundreds of kids choose to go to place that offers a robust sports program, so it's a recruitment tool. There are some 2,000 student lib arts colleges where 400 kids are athletes.
I was going to write something along those lines. When I was in high school 40 years ago, the local college (Kennesaw College) had fewer than 10,000 students, and as recently as 2000 had fewer than 15,000. Since joining the NCAA's Division I, Kennesaw State University now boasts 47,000 students and is the third-largest university in Georgia (behind Georgia Tech and Georgia State, and ahead of UGA).
I was shocked that local meteorologists are so popular. All I want is the most accurate forecast possible, and local tv weather does not give that. OTOH, researching and selecting the best weather app is the best way to get what I want.
And it looks like my nostalgia for Scooby-Doo has caused be to vote for the least popular visual joke. I am so upset, I think I will go take a nap in my dog-person bed.
The problem with the visual joke about Canada renaming the Great Lakes is that Canadians are too polite to rename something that isn't theirs. Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Superior? Bordered by Canada and the U.S.: comparable to Drumpf renaming the Gulf of Mexico. But Lake Michigan? 100% in the U.S. In the kindest form of retaliation, I recommend that we rename Lake Winnipegosis. Who wants a vast body of water that sounds like a disease?
Great Slave Lake is an even worse name, but it's real!
The local indigenous peoples want to rename it as even they think it's a terrible name, as it's named after the Slavey people of the area, whose name had nothing to do with slavery.
What JD Vance said about DEI is illogical. I don't know whether the cause is dishonesty or that he never learned how to do evidence-based reasoning. DEI does not cause short-staffing. What DEI may cause is that a less qualified person is hired instead of a better qualified person. Understaffing is caused by a lack of money or by no qualified person applying for an advertised position.
Exactly - if anything, DEI expands the pool of candidates by enabling employers to look beyond people who look like themselves. Branch Rickey understood this when he brought Jackie Robinson into MLB in 1947. Vance may have a mis-perception that "they couldn't hire because they were required to fill X% of the jobs with minorities."
Vance, the craven fauxbilly, doesn't believe a word that he says. He slavishly repeats, or puts a pseudo-intellectual twist on, everything the Orange Bonehead says while he serves out his sentence for his overweening ambition. I suspect he hopes that the Hamburger from Heaven strikes sooner rather than later and he achieves the presidency for which he is unfit in so many ways.
Yes, of course Trump is a racist, a sexist, and anti-LGBTQ+. He’s essentially a modern American nazi, and his MAGA movement is a modern American nazi movement. I think one of the problems with news coverage about him is that news sites continue to paint him and his supporters as a reasonable conservative alternative to liberals/progressives. As if MAGA and the Democratic Party are like Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Trump is allowing Musk to shut down USAID (the United States Agency for International Development), a government agency created and funded by a law passed by Congress. The press is saying things like, “Some people say that this move is unconstitutional.” Some people? Any kid in elementary school learns that there are three branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch (the President and the President’s administration) executes the laws (carries them out), and the judicial branch interprets the laws. The President cannot refuse to carry out laws he doesn’t like, like the law creating and funding USAID. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Trump will continue to refuse to execute laws he doesn’t like, shutting down government programs created by laws. Courts will rule that Trump cannot legally shut down these programs, and order his administration to stop, and Trump will ignore the court orders. This has already started happening. The only way to enforce those court orders will be impeachment, and that will not happen because the majority of Republicans are part of this modern American nazi MAGA movement.
I hope you realize that you are making better points than you might even realize. Back a few years ago, I watched a documentary on North Korea. Outside reporters were actually allowed in private homes to talk to people. They honestly believe that they are as well off as they can be and that their Glorious Leader is a god. It's not that hard to do when the government is in total control of all the distribution of news and education. One of the first things Hitler did was gain control over the news and propaganda. in this country local dailies are dying by the thousands. The majors are quaking in fear and surrendering to constant threats of lawsuits from the administration. Note that Burger Boy is suing ABC, NBC, and CBS while sparing Fox which has actually criticized him a few times. Why should he obey laws when he has a Supreme Court mostly full of paid shills and a Congress ready to adjust the rules for him? Besides he is firing anyone not pledging total fidelity to him so who's going to bring the charges and prosecute him?
There's an interesting book on North Korea called Nothing to Envy. The North Korean people are assured that they have nothing to envy in the outside world, but the ironic truth is that they have nothing anyone outside North Korea envies. Nothing to envy indeed.
The terrifying thing is that Agent Orange and Musk know theye are breaking the law, in essence defying the courts to declare them lawbreakers, and preparing to say, when they are deemed lawbreakers, "So what?" then continuing their lawless activities unscathed as the MAGA boneheads and cowards applaud them. The downward spiral from trump to Orban to Mussolini to Hitler.
Exactly. Who believes that Trump and Musk will obey court orders? Trump is immune from criminal sanctions for disobeying court orders. He can’t be held in criminal contempt of court. The only real remedy is impeachment. If we had real statespeople in the Senate and House of Representatives who understood the importance of Congress as a co-equal branch of government and wished to preserve Congress’s institutional prerogatives, there would be impeachment. But we don’t have that now. We are really on a downward spiral towards modern American naziism.
Unfortunately, burger boy isn't alone in usurping laws on the books. Kim Foxx decided that she thought that shoplifting items costing more that 300.00 (as decided by the legislature) shouldn't be a felony so she upped it to 1000.00. She was as wrong as the orange idiot.
Regarding “reform,” why ever would anyone want to make a change if they didn’t at least think it would result in an improvement? “Hey, kids, let’s put a lot of time and effort into a set of changes that will not make anything better.”
Interesting comment. Many polls are done with young people on their feelings about the future. Many don't care about Social Security or Medicare because they believe the programs will be there by the time they are old enough. Many don't anticipate ever owning ther own homes. A study a few years ago at Harvard showed a majority of students believed the First Amendment went too far and should be dismantled. Are these young people rejecting "improvement" or not believing it will happen?
"I’ve long resisted calling President Donald Trump a racist "
It's probably good that you were a columnist instead of an investigative journalist. Okay, that might be a little harsh. I suspect that you really meant you resisted saying it out loud and used this sentence as a vehicle to let your subscribers and fans start a discussion on Trump's racism.
Trump disguises his racism the way bullies and sexual harassers disguise their actions in Corporate America. That is to say, they don't do the obvious stuff you see in the mandatory Compliance Videos or classes. It's much more subtle and ambiguous. That a rational pseudo-pollyanna like yourself could give him the benefit of the doubt speaks to how successful he has been at fooling most of the people much of the time.
Eric - Not surprisingly, you are presenting your overwhelmingly left of center readers a great deal of gratifying red meat with your current ramp about President Trump.
People may find things to complain about Trump all they want, but he has been enormously effective in just his first couple weeks in office!
$500 billion Stargate AI development consortium projected to create 100,000 new mostly tech jobs.
Let's not forget the big Foxconn being built near Racine Wisconsin. I remember the headlines and hoopla around the announcement. Didn't Trump during his first term fly in and take full credit? Such a big announcement that generating big headlines that Trump supporters pointed to when discussing the economy. I wonder how that is progressing?
No amount of potentially helpful changes in how the nation moves its vast wealth and influence here and internationally matter much to those whose hard-earned freedoms are being actively threatened. As a middle-aged white male without financial worries I can nod and say, not bad so far. For those friends of mine who fear losing their rights to exist peacefully, I can only say that our federal govt. is a complete disaster right now.
Effective is not the word I would have chosen, but I suppose it isn't inaccurate, in the same way a snakebite is effective. As the saying goes, Mussolini kept the trains running on time.
David, a lot of these “wins” by Trump aren’t wins at all. They are things that were already planned and agreed to before Trump even took office. Trump falsely claims that he “caused” these things, and a lot of the corporate press reports it that way. The 1.3 billion Canada is investing in border security was announced by Canada in December when Biden was President. It was not done in response to Trump’s tariff memo. See below. And Mexico agreed to the 10,000 troops for the border in 2021 under Biden.
But Trump’s suckers, er fans, drink this all up because he helps them feel good about themselves: they are “patriots,” so much better than the brown skinned immigrants who are “poisoning the blood” of our country, and the transgender people who are promoting “gender insanity.” Give people license to hate and feel superior to others, and they will believe anything.
Hi Joanie - So, Mexico promise 10,000 troops to secure the border in 2021, but it did not happen then or in the next 3 years. Now Trump gets their attention and it is going to happen. And Canada had planned this all along And it did not occur, but now similar to the Mexican president, prime minister Trudeau just announces it and will implement it now? But it is not because of Trump? I'm afraid your logic does not hold up to reason on this one.
Same thing with the major investments. They are directly attributable to the business friendly environment that Trump is creating which welcomes an encourages investment in our country. None of these things were happening under Biden's governance. So continue to deny this is not the result of Trump's actions, but the rest of the world does recognize cause and effect.
WOW that's a lot of investment in the US just becuse of the business friendly environment in the change in administrations. I was curious, so I went to President Musk's AI tool Grok and asked it about major business and foreign investment in the US during Biden's term (if there was any at all!). Here's what it said:
Private Sector Investments:
Semiconductors and Manufacturing: There has been a notable increase in investments, especially in semiconductors, with companies pledging nearly $50 billion in new semiconductor manufacturing projects in 2022 alone. This surge is partly due to the CHIPS and Science Act, which incentivizes domestic production.
Clean Energy and Electric Vehicles (EVs): Over $225 billion has been invested in clean energy, electric vehicle manufacturing, and battery technologies. This includes investments from Asia-Pacific companies, contributing to about one-third of major clean energy and semiconductor investments in the U.S. since the Biden administration started.
Biomanufacturing: Approximately $15 billion has been invested in biomanufacturing, highlighting a push towards biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
Total Investments: Posts on X from the White House account indicate that the U.S. has attracted over half a trillion dollars in private sector investments in American manufacturing and clean energy since President Biden took office.
Asia-Pacific Investments: Companies from Asia-Pacific countries have announced nearly $200 billion in investments into the U.S., focusing on clean energy, batteries, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals. This has been facilitated by policies like the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act.
I asked the same of Perplexity AI, which uses several models. It gave me even more detailled information:
Business Investments
Private Sector Growth:
Private companies pledged over $1 trillion in investments across industries such as semiconductors, clean energy, and manufacturing during Biden's tenure29.
Factory construction alone contributed nearly one-third of business investment growth post-pandemic, driven by policies like the CHIPS Act45.
Small Business Boom:
A record 21 million new business applications were filed between 2021 and 2024, reflecting a surge in entrepreneurship supported by reforms to small business lending programs2426.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) delivered over $1.2 trillion in loans and grants to small businesses during this period24.
Clean Energy Investments:
The IRA catalyzed private investment into clean energy projects, with over $866 billion announced for clean energy and manufacturing facilities since 20216.
Programs like the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund further incentivized private capital for renewable energy projects6.
Again, you make a good case with a lot of good information. I want to make the distinction between governmental investment such as subsidies on EVs and other green New deal investment comprised of our tax dollars, and new capital investment from the market.
Sure. But I think that the stats of more than $1 trillion pledged by private companies and record small business applications truly and US leading growth rates debunks the idea that the 4 years of the Biden presidency were an utter economic failure.
I'd also say how often government investments in burgeoning technologies often are essential to the success of those technologies. Exhibit A: Tesla. Exhibit B: Space X.
Investments in intellectual property (IP) and research surged due to incentives under the CHIPS Act and IRA, particularly in artificial intelligence and renewable technologies537.
Resilience Against Global Trends:
Despite high interest rates globally, U.S. business investment outperformed expectations with consistent growth rates of 4–6% annually since 2021.
Policies aimed at reducing monopolistic practices boosted competition and encouraged higher returns on capital for businesses.
So I'm not sure you can say theat none of these thing were happening under Biden's governance! It seems as if a lot of really great things happenend under Biden's governance, to the point that the US was breaking records for investment!
No David, your logic doesn't hold up. It hasn't been done yet. Business friendly? Canada doesn't see it that way. Tariffs are not friendly. Neither are the retaliatory tariffs, Trudeau promised. I seem to remember you telling me that you were a committed conservative but not particularly a Trump fan. You spend a lot of time defending his most outrageous moves and statements. I've said it before and I'll say it again. One can be a conservative without being a Trump fan.
Good morning Laurence - You are very correct, support for policy is quite different from support for the person. But in this case, I am very supportive of all of the Trump policies thus far. With regard to the threatened Mexican and Canadian tariffs, this was simply a very well executed negotiating chip to get them to step up and commit to better enforcement of their border with the US. And it has worked spectacularly. With regard to China, I believe it is the first step to address a mass of trade imbalance and we shall see how it plays out.
David, I note that you didn't list it but I would honestly like to know if you'd consider his release of the 1,000+ criminals who rioted at the Capitol one of the "enormously effective" acts of his new term?
Crickets. Has anyone else noticed that David (Hi David) just ignores certain subjects? It is like he cannot defend certain subjects so he pretends it was never brought up. For someone who has claimed in the past that he is not a Trump fan he certainly does spend a lot of time defending his actions. I wonder if part of being a conservative is supporting your "team" no matter what?
David, David, David. I'm not impressed by most of it. I'm not thrilled by Saudi investment. They are still one of the most repressive regimes on the planet. And why are they being so generous all of a sudden? Is it generosity or because of Trump family business? Panama agreed to do no such thing with Rubio. They said China had no say and the they have zero interest in giving it back to the US. You might have a point on Canada. Try to remember they have also promised retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump moves. Would you like to discuss some of the disasters he has promised such as cutting inspector generals, many EPA inspectors, getting rid of needed environmental regulations, the added costs being predicted by most economists, cutting consumer protections, and some of his more disastrous Cabinet picks which even some Republicans question? My sister from California says everyone she knows is making jokes about his claim to turning the water on. His DEI comments about the Potomac crash are absolutely inane and not helpful. The USAid thing isn't even legal. Need I say more or are more examples needed?
I see no racism or constitutional violations. Certainly questions need to be resolved with the courts regarding birthright citizenship and other matters, but primarily what I am seeing is enforcement of our laws which has not been done previously.
sorry [not sorry] - weakest collection of PS visual quips yet. must have been a slow quips week.
I disagree, the first one was great, but of course, the least popular. I’m guessing most didn’t pick up the Scooby Doo reference.
I thought it was a strong bunch. I voted for the Great Lakes map because it is current/topical.
I liked that one too - especially because I was originally a Michigander - but ominous garbage won me over.
As noted in my comment below, I disagree, and thought the quips very strong this week!
I wouldn’t mind moving the Super Bowl to coincide with President’s Day except that it would drag out football season even more than it already has been. But given the league’s desire to add more games to the regular season and expand the playoffs, this may come to pass anyway.
Ah yes. The human dog bed. I have one in my basement storage that my daughter bought and has never used. The dog never used it either.
My sister's dog sleeps in the same bed as she and her husband. But the dog sleeps at the end of the bed, she doesn't cuddle with them. The dog in the picture has a look on it like "What am I doing here?"
It sure does. BTW…my daughter got a dog because she wanted a dog that would sleep in her bed with her. However, her 85 pound dog decided he likes sleeping in our bed with me and her dad. He sleeps at our feet as well but at times likes to be the little spoon.
When the NFL goes to an 18 game season, the Super Bowl will likely fall on President's Day weekend.
Agree. Roger Goodell floated this as an advantage to the 18 game season back in December. I wonder if the ratings advantage for a Sunday night game carries over to a three day weekend https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/18-game-schedule-on-the-horizon-roger-goodell-provides-update-on-possibly-expanding-nfl-regular-season/
I agree they will go to 18 games but I would rather see them start on Labor Day weekend instead of waiting until the second week of September.
I would be fine with them moving the start back even later in the year, like October. While this wouldn't totally mitigate the high temperatures for the Florida and California teams, it should help.
and yeah I know that means the playoffs would be in late Jan/early Feb and the SB in March but so what?
The one overwhelming problem in pushing the schedule back that much would be dangerously cold temperatures for the late season games in northern cities without door stadiums. Dangerous for both the players and fans.
what is worse? a cold January/February game in Buffalo or a hot September game in Tampa Bay?
And honestly, it's stupid not having climate-controlled stadiums in this day and age.
Eric, you have definitely given the orange monster way too much of the benefit of the doubt. He has been clearly racist and sexist his entire life, long before he sought public office. When it comes to racism in this country we've become way to reluctant to calla duck a duck. Yes, it is a terrible thing to call someone, and maybe some people are way to quick to call something racist when it's not (our current mayor is extremely guilty of this) but giving him the benefit of the doubt is like saying, "maybe that guy just likes the look of a white robe and hood."
The insanity of Hillbilly Vanilli (my favorite thing I've seen Vance called) trying to explain away how DEI "maybe" has caused the shorthanded staffing of the air traffic controllers is nonsensical. If they were lowering standards for becoming an air traffic controller then they wouldn't be short-staffed. They would have a full staff of a lot of incompetent people. Like the current Executive Branch.
Both the fat fascist & his father were found guilty of not renting to black people in NYC throughout the 1950s & 60s in the apartments they owned in Queens.
Trump's overt racism goes back at least to his slandering the Central Park Five in 1989, when he called for the death penalty for them without their guilt even having been established.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt, exercising decency and civility are admirable traits, but they have been taken as weakness and taken advantage of for political gain by the right wing ever since Newt Gingrich and the Tea party, when they realized being loud and obnoxious will win over respectful informed discourse pretty much every time.
Actually the entire argument makes little sense to me. I wasn't aware any of those involved, such as the pilots or controller, were black. Even if they were, that doesn't automatically make them DEI hires. That's like saying it should be illegal to hire blacks for certain positions even if qualified. Even if DEI hires, who's to blame? Was it the controllers fault or was at least one of the pilots in the wrong place? Why blame DEI for a shortage of controllers? Wouldn't that make for more controllers if it opens up positions? Or is Burger Boy complaining that whites are not applying because there are too many minorities taking the jobs? But I'm getting used to several ideas. Burger Boy doesn't need to make sense if it riles up his supporters. Many of his supporters would be on his side if he said the sky is red.. There was a long letter to the editor in the Trib today explaining why Burger Boy was on the right side of history of every issue. It was, of course, bogus manure and the usual rewrite of history. But that's where we're at. He's going to ruin the economy and the environment for ordinary citizens and the party of the sqawking chicken is going to let him do it.
I like your idea of limiting the unlimited transfer portal to those students who play less than a certain percentage of snaps. Make it more limited for the starters.
Nope, nope, nope. If the schools are going to insist on athletes being students, they should be governed by the exact same regulations as non-athlete students. (This is the key point of all the court losses schools are taking from the courts.) A chemistry student can transfer anywhere and and any time they want, so an offensive lineman should be able to as well.
If you and Eric and others want more limitations, like transfer eligibility and contracts, it legally has to be done via collective bargaining (meaning union representation for student-athletes). Which hasn't happened yet.
I don't understand elevating college sports (let's be real - football) to the level it has reached. Student athletes? That's a joke. Why doesn't the NFL get honest and establish minor leagues as baseball teams do?
Because that would cost money. Why spend millions of dollars to establish a minor league when there is already one established. It is called college football. It has worked well for the NFL and does not need to be fixed from their perspective.
And college-level sports are a de facto farm system for another sport - women's soccer. Check out the number of US universities that have almost entire rosters of their women's soccer teams populated by international students (many men's teams, too). Many of these women players go on to play for their home countries' national teams.
It is SUPER simple — sports is the #1 most effective marketing tactic for colleges. For Big Ten schools, their exposure through sports is worth more than $100 million per year (what they get from the Big Ten Network alone). It's been proven that when your school does well in football or basketball, you get more applictions, which mean more $$$ and a better pool of students to choose from.
And even for much smaller schools, hundreds of kids choose to go to place that offers a robust sports program, so it's a recruitment tool. There are some 2,000 student lib arts colleges where 400 kids are athletes.
I was going to write something along those lines. When I was in high school 40 years ago, the local college (Kennesaw College) had fewer than 10,000 students, and as recently as 2000 had fewer than 15,000. Since joining the NCAA's Division I, Kennesaw State University now boasts 47,000 students and is the third-largest university in Georgia (behind Georgia Tech and Georgia State, and ahead of UGA).
I was shocked that local meteorologists are so popular. All I want is the most accurate forecast possible, and local tv weather does not give that. OTOH, researching and selecting the best weather app is the best way to get what I want.
And it looks like my nostalgia for Scooby-Doo has caused be to vote for the least popular visual joke. I am so upset, I think I will go take a nap in my dog-person bed.
The problem with the visual joke about Canada renaming the Great Lakes is that Canadians are too polite to rename something that isn't theirs. Lakes Ontario, Erie, Huron, and Superior? Bordered by Canada and the U.S.: comparable to Drumpf renaming the Gulf of Mexico. But Lake Michigan? 100% in the U.S. In the kindest form of retaliation, I recommend that we rename Lake Winnipegosis. Who wants a vast body of water that sounds like a disease?
Great Slave Lake is an even worse name, but it's real!
The local indigenous peoples want to rename it as even they think it's a terrible name, as it's named after the Slavey people of the area, whose name had nothing to do with slavery.
Excellent point, yours being serious while mine was extending the parody on Drumpf's absurd, insecure, renaming exercise.
What JD Vance said about DEI is illogical. I don't know whether the cause is dishonesty or that he never learned how to do evidence-based reasoning. DEI does not cause short-staffing. What DEI may cause is that a less qualified person is hired instead of a better qualified person. Understaffing is caused by a lack of money or by no qualified person applying for an advertised position.
Now understaffing is caused by a drug addled lunatic named Musk destroying the US Government!
Exactly - if anything, DEI expands the pool of candidates by enabling employers to look beyond people who look like themselves. Branch Rickey understood this when he brought Jackie Robinson into MLB in 1947. Vance may have a mis-perception that "they couldn't hire because they were required to fill X% of the jobs with minorities."
Vance, the craven fauxbilly, doesn't believe a word that he says. He slavishly repeats, or puts a pseudo-intellectual twist on, everything the Orange Bonehead says while he serves out his sentence for his overweening ambition. I suspect he hopes that the Hamburger from Heaven strikes sooner rather than later and he achieves the presidency for which he is unfit in so many ways.
Yes, of course Trump is a racist, a sexist, and anti-LGBTQ+. He’s essentially a modern American nazi, and his MAGA movement is a modern American nazi movement. I think one of the problems with news coverage about him is that news sites continue to paint him and his supporters as a reasonable conservative alternative to liberals/progressives. As if MAGA and the Democratic Party are like Tweedledum and Tweedledee. Trump is allowing Musk to shut down USAID (the United States Agency for International Development), a government agency created and funded by a law passed by Congress. The press is saying things like, “Some people say that this move is unconstitutional.” Some people? Any kid in elementary school learns that there are three branches of government: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch (the President and the President’s administration) executes the laws (carries them out), and the judicial branch interprets the laws. The President cannot refuse to carry out laws he doesn’t like, like the law creating and funding USAID. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Trump will continue to refuse to execute laws he doesn’t like, shutting down government programs created by laws. Courts will rule that Trump cannot legally shut down these programs, and order his administration to stop, and Trump will ignore the court orders. This has already started happening. The only way to enforce those court orders will be impeachment, and that will not happen because the majority of Republicans are part of this modern American nazi MAGA movement.
I hope you realize that you are making better points than you might even realize. Back a few years ago, I watched a documentary on North Korea. Outside reporters were actually allowed in private homes to talk to people. They honestly believe that they are as well off as they can be and that their Glorious Leader is a god. It's not that hard to do when the government is in total control of all the distribution of news and education. One of the first things Hitler did was gain control over the news and propaganda. in this country local dailies are dying by the thousands. The majors are quaking in fear and surrendering to constant threats of lawsuits from the administration. Note that Burger Boy is suing ABC, NBC, and CBS while sparing Fox which has actually criticized him a few times. Why should he obey laws when he has a Supreme Court mostly full of paid shills and a Congress ready to adjust the rules for him? Besides he is firing anyone not pledging total fidelity to him so who's going to bring the charges and prosecute him?
There's an interesting book on North Korea called Nothing to Envy. The North Korean people are assured that they have nothing to envy in the outside world, but the ironic truth is that they have nothing anyone outside North Korea envies. Nothing to envy indeed.
The terrifying thing is that Agent Orange and Musk know theye are breaking the law, in essence defying the courts to declare them lawbreakers, and preparing to say, when they are deemed lawbreakers, "So what?" then continuing their lawless activities unscathed as the MAGA boneheads and cowards applaud them. The downward spiral from trump to Orban to Mussolini to Hitler.
Exactly. Who believes that Trump and Musk will obey court orders? Trump is immune from criminal sanctions for disobeying court orders. He can’t be held in criminal contempt of court. The only real remedy is impeachment. If we had real statespeople in the Senate and House of Representatives who understood the importance of Congress as a co-equal branch of government and wished to preserve Congress’s institutional prerogatives, there would be impeachment. But we don’t have that now. We are really on a downward spiral towards modern American naziism.
Unfortunately, burger boy isn't alone in usurping laws on the books. Kim Foxx decided that she thought that shoplifting items costing more that 300.00 (as decided by the legislature) shouldn't be a felony so she upped it to 1000.00. She was as wrong as the orange idiot.
Regarding “reform,” why ever would anyone want to make a change if they didn’t at least think it would result in an improvement? “Hey, kids, let’s put a lot of time and effort into a set of changes that will not make anything better.”
Interesting comment. Many polls are done with young people on their feelings about the future. Many don't care about Social Security or Medicare because they believe the programs will be there by the time they are old enough. Many don't anticipate ever owning ther own homes. A study a few years ago at Harvard showed a majority of students believed the First Amendment went too far and should be dismantled. Are these young people rejecting "improvement" or not believing it will happen?
"I’ve long resisted calling President Donald Trump a racist "
It's probably good that you were a columnist instead of an investigative journalist. Okay, that might be a little harsh. I suspect that you really meant you resisted saying it out loud and used this sentence as a vehicle to let your subscribers and fans start a discussion on Trump's racism.
Trump disguises his racism the way bullies and sexual harassers disguise their actions in Corporate America. That is to say, they don't do the obvious stuff you see in the mandatory Compliance Videos or classes. It's much more subtle and ambiguous. That a rational pseudo-pollyanna like yourself could give him the benefit of the doubt speaks to how successful he has been at fooling most of the people much of the time.
Does Sportsbook Review have any actual basis for its sweeping conclusions on moving the SB to Saturday night?
"Just plane racist" -- pun on an aviation disaster, or a typo like "principal" for "principle," which I see was corrected?
Oh, that plane pun was deliberate..
Good thing, since Charlie Meyerson quoted it in today's Chicago Public Square!
Eric - Not surprisingly, you are presenting your overwhelmingly left of center readers a great deal of gratifying red meat with your current ramp about President Trump.
People may find things to complain about Trump all they want, but he has been enormously effective in just his first couple weeks in office!
$500 billion Stargate AI development consortium projected to create 100,000 new mostly tech jobs.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/21/tech/openai-oracle-softbank-trump-ai-investment/index.html
Saudi Arabia commits to $600 billion investment in US over the next 4 years.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/saudi-arabia-600-billion-us-next-4-years-mohammed-bin-salman-trump/
Mexico agrees to send 10,000 Mexican National Guard troops to secure the US border against fentanyl drug smuggling.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/02/03/mexico-agrees-send-10000-national-guard-troops-border-exchange-one-month-tariff-pause.html
Canada commits to $1.3 billion in additional personnel and new technology to increase US border security.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/trump-speaking-trudeau-canada-tariffs/
Panama commits to Secretary of State Rubio to terminate agreement with China on canal operations.
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/national-news/panama-president-says-he-wont-renew-belt-and-road-deal-with-china-as-us-demands-less-chinese-influence
Venezuela releases 6 US citizens held prisoner to Trump envoy and commits to accept return of illegal immigrants from US.
https://www.semafor.com/article/02/03/2025/venezuela-cedes-to-trump-on-political-prisoners-deportations
Let's not forget the big Foxconn being built near Racine Wisconsin. I remember the headlines and hoopla around the announcement. Didn't Trump during his first term fly in and take full credit? Such a big announcement that generating big headlines that Trump supporters pointed to when discussing the economy. I wonder how that is progressing?
No amount of potentially helpful changes in how the nation moves its vast wealth and influence here and internationally matter much to those whose hard-earned freedoms are being actively threatened. As a middle-aged white male without financial worries I can nod and say, not bad so far. For those friends of mine who fear losing their rights to exist peacefully, I can only say that our federal govt. is a complete disaster right now.
Effective is not the word I would have chosen, but I suppose it isn't inaccurate, in the same way a snakebite is effective. As the saying goes, Mussolini kept the trains running on time.
David, a lot of these “wins” by Trump aren’t wins at all. They are things that were already planned and agreed to before Trump even took office. Trump falsely claims that he “caused” these things, and a lot of the corporate press reports it that way. The 1.3 billion Canada is investing in border security was announced by Canada in December when Biden was President. It was not done in response to Trump’s tariff memo. See below. And Mexico agreed to the 10,000 troops for the border in 2021 under Biden.
But Trump’s suckers, er fans, drink this all up because he helps them feel good about themselves: they are “patriots,” so much better than the brown skinned immigrants who are “poisoning the blood” of our country, and the transgender people who are promoting “gender insanity.” Give people license to hate and feel superior to others, and they will believe anything.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/trump-is-a-cheap-date-canada-edition/amp/
https://thefuckingnews.substack.com/p/trump-got-played
Hi Joanie - So, Mexico promise 10,000 troops to secure the border in 2021, but it did not happen then or in the next 3 years. Now Trump gets their attention and it is going to happen. And Canada had planned this all along And it did not occur, but now similar to the Mexican president, prime minister Trudeau just announces it and will implement it now? But it is not because of Trump? I'm afraid your logic does not hold up to reason on this one.
Same thing with the major investments. They are directly attributable to the business friendly environment that Trump is creating which welcomes an encourages investment in our country. None of these things were happening under Biden's governance. So continue to deny this is not the result of Trump's actions, but the rest of the world does recognize cause and effect.
As I said, Trump cult members will believe his bullshit. No one else will.
https://www.newsbreak.com/raw-story-2096750/3789644916112-folding-like-a-bad-poker-player-critics-say-trump-got-played-by-trudeau
Hi David
WOW that's a lot of investment in the US just becuse of the business friendly environment in the change in administrations. I was curious, so I went to President Musk's AI tool Grok and asked it about major business and foreign investment in the US during Biden's term (if there was any at all!). Here's what it said:
Private Sector Investments:
Semiconductors and Manufacturing: There has been a notable increase in investments, especially in semiconductors, with companies pledging nearly $50 billion in new semiconductor manufacturing projects in 2022 alone. This surge is partly due to the CHIPS and Science Act, which incentivizes domestic production.
Clean Energy and Electric Vehicles (EVs): Over $225 billion has been invested in clean energy, electric vehicle manufacturing, and battery technologies. This includes investments from Asia-Pacific companies, contributing to about one-third of major clean energy and semiconductor investments in the U.S. since the Biden administration started.
Biomanufacturing: Approximately $15 billion has been invested in biomanufacturing, highlighting a push towards biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
Total Investments: Posts on X from the White House account indicate that the U.S. has attracted over half a trillion dollars in private sector investments in American manufacturing and clean energy since President Biden took office.
Asia-Pacific Investments: Companies from Asia-Pacific countries have announced nearly $200 billion in investments into the U.S., focusing on clean energy, batteries, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals. This has been facilitated by policies like the Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act.
This doesn't seem like nothing!
Hi Brian - Thank you for your reply and the information which I was unaware of and will look into further.
I asked the same of Perplexity AI, which uses several models. It gave me even more detailled information:
Business Investments
Private Sector Growth:
Private companies pledged over $1 trillion in investments across industries such as semiconductors, clean energy, and manufacturing during Biden's tenure29.
Factory construction alone contributed nearly one-third of business investment growth post-pandemic, driven by policies like the CHIPS Act45.
Small Business Boom:
A record 21 million new business applications were filed between 2021 and 2024, reflecting a surge in entrepreneurship supported by reforms to small business lending programs2426.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) delivered over $1.2 trillion in loans and grants to small businesses during this period24.
Clean Energy Investments:
The IRA catalyzed private investment into clean energy projects, with over $866 billion announced for clean energy and manufacturing facilities since 20216.
Programs like the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund further incentivized private capital for renewable energy projects6.
Again, you make a good case with a lot of good information. I want to make the distinction between governmental investment such as subsidies on EVs and other green New deal investment comprised of our tax dollars, and new capital investment from the market.
Sure. But I think that the stats of more than $1 trillion pledged by private companies and record small business applications truly and US leading growth rates debunks the idea that the 4 years of the Biden presidency were an utter economic failure.
I'd also say how often government investments in burgeoning technologies often are essential to the success of those technologies. Exhibit A: Tesla. Exhibit B: Space X.
Technological Innovation:
Investments in intellectual property (IP) and research surged due to incentives under the CHIPS Act and IRA, particularly in artificial intelligence and renewable technologies537.
Resilience Against Global Trends:
Despite high interest rates globally, U.S. business investment outperformed expectations with consistent growth rates of 4–6% annually since 2021.
Policies aimed at reducing monopolistic practices boosted competition and encouraged higher returns on capital for businesses.
So I'm not sure you can say theat none of these thing were happening under Biden's governance! It seems as if a lot of really great things happenend under Biden's governance, to the point that the US was breaking records for investment!
No David, your logic doesn't hold up. It hasn't been done yet. Business friendly? Canada doesn't see it that way. Tariffs are not friendly. Neither are the retaliatory tariffs, Trudeau promised. I seem to remember you telling me that you were a committed conservative but not particularly a Trump fan. You spend a lot of time defending his most outrageous moves and statements. I've said it before and I'll say it again. One can be a conservative without being a Trump fan.
Good morning Laurence - You are very correct, support for policy is quite different from support for the person. But in this case, I am very supportive of all of the Trump policies thus far. With regard to the threatened Mexican and Canadian tariffs, this was simply a very well executed negotiating chip to get them to step up and commit to better enforcement of their border with the US. And it has worked spectacularly. With regard to China, I believe it is the first step to address a mass of trade imbalance and we shall see how it plays out.
David, I note that you didn't list it but I would honestly like to know if you'd consider his release of the 1,000+ criminals who rioted at the Capitol one of the "enormously effective" acts of his new term?
Crickets. Has anyone else noticed that David (Hi David) just ignores certain subjects? It is like he cannot defend certain subjects so he pretends it was never brought up. For someone who has claimed in the past that he is not a Trump fan he certainly does spend a lot of time defending his actions. I wonder if part of being a conservative is supporting your "team" no matter what?
David, David, David. I'm not impressed by most of it. I'm not thrilled by Saudi investment. They are still one of the most repressive regimes on the planet. And why are they being so generous all of a sudden? Is it generosity or because of Trump family business? Panama agreed to do no such thing with Rubio. They said China had no say and the they have zero interest in giving it back to the US. You might have a point on Canada. Try to remember they have also promised retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump moves. Would you like to discuss some of the disasters he has promised such as cutting inspector generals, many EPA inspectors, getting rid of needed environmental regulations, the added costs being predicted by most economists, cutting consumer protections, and some of his more disastrous Cabinet picks which even some Republicans question? My sister from California says everyone she knows is making jokes about his claim to turning the water on. His DEI comments about the Potomac crash are absolutely inane and not helpful. The USAid thing isn't even legal. Need I say more or are more examples needed?
So racism and overstepping Constitutional guardrails are forgivable for $1 trillion?
I see no racism or constitutional violations. Certainly questions need to be resolved with the courts regarding birthright citizenship and other matters, but primarily what I am seeing is enforcement of our laws which has not been done previously.