I'm not going to be let into any White House press conferences, right?
A reminder that this administration has also blocked certain members of the press from White House press conferences, and has given Alex Jones press credentials.
According to @POTUS himself, Twitter is how he communicates in an "unfiltered" way with Americans. If he starts blocking people, that's kind of the definition of filtered.
Even the remote possibility of accidentally downloading eight episodes of a new Steve Harvey show is enough to keep me off Pirate Bay for the rest of my life.
Congress still holds the cards, and you can be sure the moment the GOP begins to legitimately fear loss of one or both houses of Congress due to Trump, they'll give him the toss.
No, they can't give him the toss, because their base will abandon them. Remember, it's the mainstream GOP that's been courting the Trump voters since Nixon's Southern Strategy. Trump is the poison fruit of the GOP tree.
And because they only hold power in the House of Representatives due to extreme gerrymandering, any loss of base will mean an utter wipeout. Whether they like it or not, Trump will be the hill the GOP has chosen to die on. There is no Plan B.
The terrorists and the political leaders who are most vociferous about "fighting terrorism" need each other. It's almost like they're fighting for the same side.
One thing for sure: nothing that any of these leaders have proposed or implemented - mother of all bombs, travel bans, heightened security theater, arming the populace, internment, keeping people from bringing nail clippers on airplanes, foreign wars, building walls - is going to do anything to reduce terrorism.
I've gotten three (maybe four) really good ideas from that link. Thanks a lot, friend. Colorado Bend, Big Thicket and Padre Island look right up our alley. Even Inks Lake looks like a possibility.
If you drive an hour northwest, you are in hill country with lots of 30' trees and tons of wildflowers in the spring.
Now you've peaked my interest. We've driven up to San Antonio and Austin and it was pretty nice. I'd love to camp in some hill country, but we'll probably have to wait until October because of the weather. Can you make a recommendation for a weekend trip?
I kind of like the way East Texas looks. It reminds me of Hap & Leonard country. We've taken a few trips into Louisiana. Love Louisiana. When we moved here, we drove in from the North. It was August and it was not a pleasant trip, except we hit some terrific radio stations. Not just the New Country hits, you know, but the great classic stuff. George and Tammy, Lefty Frizzel, like that, you know?
And I'll reiterate: Texas has some of the nicest people I've ever met. As long as they're not behind the wheel, they are wonderful folks. That goes a long way to making me happy with a place. We were in Connecticut last year, and I wouldn't give you a nickel for those awful people. Judgmental, cranky, insular. Didn't make a single friend. Here in Houston, when people find out you're from somewhere else, the next thing you know they're putting a cold beer in your hand and treating you like an old friend.
My phone came with an app that will tell me which lane I want to be in. All I have to do is tell it where I'm going. And it's free!
Those apps are near useless in Houston. Trust me, I use them all the time and except for the broad strokes, they will not help you navigate the in-city highways and tollways in Houston.
Houston area population averages a 29 minute commute each way while New York, D.C., and San Francisco average 50 minutes each way. That gives the average houstonion 40 minutes more time 5 days a week to enjoy life.
I agree with most of what you say, but I'd have to see a citation for this one. It's impossible to go from anywhere to anywhere else in Houston in 29 minutes. Except my wife. She can commute to Rice in about 10 minutes because all she has to do is ride her bike through Hermann Park.
As I've written elsewhere in this thread, there is a lot to like about Houston. The main thing I'm having trouble with is just how ugly it is. I haven't been out West to the Brazos, but so far, I've seen nothing scenic anywhere in Texas. I mean, in Chicago even if you don't live near the beautiful lakefront or in a tree-lined neighborhood, you can drive an hour and you're seeing rolling hills, lakes, etc. Here in Houston, if I drive an hour in any direction, I'm going to see refineries, industrial parks, shopping malls or sad scrub surrounded by giant highways.
You forgot the never-ending Houston smog that makes the SoCal atmosphere look pristine.
Honestly, I tried very hard to love Houston when we moved here (my wife got an appointment to Rice University, and I was contractually obligated to come along). The food is great and cheap. There's no snow. I live walking distance from Miiller Outdoor Theater so I can see everything from opera to zydeco for free. Top medical center. No state taxes (but they make up for it with high fees for everything) and we never had to turn on the heat all winter.
Maybe I'm just in a crabby mood because I drove half an hour to the DMV (actually the DPS to renew a license) in Pasadena, TX this morning and was one of the first ones there only to find that the online appointment that I made disappeared into the ether. After three hours, they told me that the employees were going to lunch in shifts, so things would slow down. After five hours they told me the computer system was down statewide. I called Department of Public Safety headquarters and they said they didn't know anything about a statewide computer system outage. After seven hours they told me the office was closing for the day. I drove home on 45N in a total rage.
I think all roads in Texas were designed by who gave politicians money. Not the most money, just money. We built a 12 lane super highway 4 years ago! New elections, new donors, new highways!! How about one right next to the one we just built!
Here in Houston, they do that and then just call the four year-old superhighway a "frontage road" and that's that. Then, they'll do some curb-cutting so you can put a Dollar Store, a Taco Cabana, a dental center and a gun/vape shop off the side of the road, and you've got people entering and exiting and trying to merge into 60 mph traffic every 100 feet or so.
Add to that the fact that Houstonians, who are some of the nicest people I've ever met, all turn into aggressive monsters as soon as they get behind the wheel of their Silverado Texas Edition or Ford F-450 with the bed liner that doesn't have mark on it.
I don't know who San Francisco streets are designed for, but it's certainly not people. For one thing, street signs are often hidden or non-existent. For another thing, in places where a "walk/don't walk" sign would make perfect sense, they are often absent.....even in areas with high pedestrian accidents. The street is partly optimized for driving, partly optimized for walking, partly optimized for biking, and partly optimized to being as annoying as possible to outsiders.
Man, if you think San Francisco is bad for pedestrians, you don't ever want to visit Houston. Gigantic city, and it's like they exist in a time after the emergence of giant office towers and highrises, but before the invention of sidewalks. Twelve lane superhighways all over the city, with insufficient signage, so drivers always have to cut across five lanes of traffic to make their turn-off. Lines on the highway that you can't see during the day or if it rains. Few trees, so a brutal sun, glaring like an angry god, cooks flora and fauna except for three months out of the year. No state income tax, so the infrastructure is either brand new or falling to pieces. No in-between. Everything made on the cheap, because people just come here to make some money (or used to, before oil went to $50/barrel) and nobody puts roots down here willingly.
And the best part? Absolutely no zoning laws, so you'll have a lovely quiet little residential neighborhood with ugly faux-brutalist high-rises on the corner and a strip mall smack in the middle of the block.
Youtube is a corporation of such size and reach that it's policy effects the direction of the world.
Thus their attempts to suppress concepts and ideas that they disagree with is an act of censorship, tyranny and oppression.
OK, so what is your solution? I have problems with capitalism too, so I fully understand your frustration. Unfortunately, corporations of great size and reach that have an effect on the direction of the world have been with us for as long as we've had corporations (see "John Company" aka "East India Company").
Slashdot Mirror
You have described the current state of American democracy to a "T".
I'd put out lawn signs and canvas door to door.
If only to hear him ask Theresa May if she likes anal.
A reminder that this administration has also blocked certain members of the press from White House press conferences, and has given Alex Jones press credentials.
According to @POTUS himself, Twitter is how he communicates in an "unfiltered" way with Americans. If he starts blocking people, that's kind of the definition of filtered.
Seriously, Google should rename their browser "Gyara" so I can use this joke on my favorite song from a video game ever.
https://youtu.be/WYbHYoHYcto
Even the remote possibility of accidentally downloading eight episodes of a new Steve Harvey show is enough to keep me off Pirate Bay for the rest of my life.
No, they can't give him the toss, because their base will abandon them. Remember, it's the mainstream GOP that's been courting the Trump voters since Nixon's Southern Strategy. Trump is the poison fruit of the GOP tree.
And because they only hold power in the House of Representatives due to extreme gerrymandering, any loss of base will mean an utter wipeout. Whether they like it or not, Trump will be the hill the GOP has chosen to die on. There is no Plan B.
You could always apply for an H1-B visa. But you better hurry.
My friend, you better start checking your food for polonium.
I hardly think it's appropriate to bring Texas Republicans into this discussion.
And just in time for the elections, too. ISIS are Tories.
The terrorists and the political leaders who are most vociferous about "fighting terrorism" need each other. It's almost like they're fighting for the same side.
One thing for sure: nothing that any of these leaders have proposed or implemented - mother of all bombs, travel bans, heightened security theater, arming the populace, internment, keeping people from bringing nail clippers on airplanes, foreign wars, building walls - is going to do anything to reduce terrorism.
I've gotten three (maybe four) really good ideas from that link. Thanks a lot, friend. Colorado Bend, Big Thicket and Padre Island look right up our alley. Even Inks Lake looks like a possibility.
Now you've peaked my interest. We've driven up to San Antonio and Austin and it was pretty nice. I'd love to camp in some hill country, but we'll probably have to wait until October because of the weather. Can you make a recommendation for a weekend trip?
I kind of like the way East Texas looks. It reminds me of Hap & Leonard country. We've taken a few trips into Louisiana. Love Louisiana. When we moved here, we drove in from the North. It was August and it was not a pleasant trip, except we hit some terrific radio stations. Not just the New Country hits, you know, but the great classic stuff. George and Tammy, Lefty Frizzel, like that, you know?
And I'll reiterate: Texas has some of the nicest people I've ever met. As long as they're not behind the wheel, they are wonderful folks. That goes a long way to making me happy with a place. We were in Connecticut last year, and I wouldn't give you a nickel for those awful people. Judgmental, cranky, insular. Didn't make a single friend. Here in Houston, when people find out you're from somewhere else, the next thing you know they're putting a cold beer in your hand and treating you like an old friend.
That sounds like the chorus of a country song.
Unfortunately, I live approximately in the middle of that chaos.
Those apps are near useless in Houston. Trust me, I use them all the time and except for the broad strokes, they will not help you navigate the in-city highways and tollways in Houston.
Yes, by all means visit Houston in August. Everyone in Houston is laughing at the thought of you visiting in August. Bring a sweater.
I agree with most of what you say, but I'd have to see a citation for this one. It's impossible to go from anywhere to anywhere else in Houston in 29 minutes. Except my wife. She can commute to Rice in about 10 minutes because all she has to do is ride her bike through Hermann Park.
As I've written elsewhere in this thread, there is a lot to like about Houston. The main thing I'm having trouble with is just how ugly it is. I haven't been out West to the Brazos, but so far, I've seen nothing scenic anywhere in Texas. I mean, in Chicago even if you don't live near the beautiful lakefront or in a tree-lined neighborhood, you can drive an hour and you're seeing rolling hills, lakes, etc. Here in Houston, if I drive an hour in any direction, I'm going to see refineries, industrial parks, shopping malls or sad scrub surrounded by giant highways.
And then the smog...
You mean a company like Newscorp? Or SRN radio network? Clear Channel/iHeart?
There are two remedies for companies that censor speech. One is easy, the other is hard.
Honestly, I tried very hard to love Houston when we moved here (my wife got an appointment to Rice University, and I was contractually obligated to come along). The food is great and cheap. There's no snow. I live walking distance from Miiller Outdoor Theater so I can see everything from opera to zydeco for free. Top medical center. No state taxes (but they make up for it with high fees for everything) and we never had to turn on the heat all winter.
Maybe I'm just in a crabby mood because I drove half an hour to the DMV (actually the DPS to renew a license) in Pasadena, TX this morning and was one of the first ones there only to find that the online appointment that I made disappeared into the ether. After three hours, they told me that the employees were going to lunch in shifts, so things would slow down. After five hours they told me the computer system was down statewide. I called Department of Public Safety headquarters and they said they didn't know anything about a statewide computer system outage. After seven hours they told me the office was closing for the day. I drove home on 45N in a total rage.
I'll hit the taco truck tomorrow and feel better.
Here in Houston, they do that and then just call the four year-old superhighway a "frontage road" and that's that. Then, they'll do some curb-cutting so you can put a Dollar Store, a Taco Cabana, a dental center and a gun/vape shop off the side of the road, and you've got people entering and exiting and trying to merge into 60 mph traffic every 100 feet or so.
Add to that the fact that Houstonians, who are some of the nicest people I've ever met, all turn into aggressive monsters as soon as they get behind the wheel of their Silverado Texas Edition or Ford F-450 with the bed liner that doesn't have mark on it.
Man, if you think San Francisco is bad for pedestrians, you don't ever want to visit Houston. Gigantic city, and it's like they exist in a time after the emergence of giant office towers and highrises, but before the invention of sidewalks. Twelve lane superhighways all over the city, with insufficient signage, so drivers always have to cut across five lanes of traffic to make their turn-off. Lines on the highway that you can't see during the day or if it rains. Few trees, so a brutal sun, glaring like an angry god, cooks flora and fauna except for three months out of the year. No state income tax, so the infrastructure is either brand new or falling to pieces. No in-between. Everything made on the cheap, because people just come here to make some money (or used to, before oil went to $50/barrel) and nobody puts roots down here willingly.
And the best part? Absolutely no zoning laws, so you'll have a lovely quiet little residential neighborhood with ugly faux-brutalist high-rises on the corner and a strip mall smack in the middle of the block.
You are welcome to join our anti-capitalism book club. We meet at the union hall every Tuesday night. It sounds like you're ready.
OK, so what is your solution? I have problems with capitalism too, so I fully understand your frustration. Unfortunately, corporations of great size and reach that have an effect on the direction of the world have been with us for as long as we've had corporations (see "John Company" aka "East India Company").
No, this is how a private corporation chooses to do business.