111 Comments

Sweet Tap Dancing Ecco Homo! Look at the official redesigned South Carolina flag. The State legislature is voting on it in 2021. It used to be one of the coolest flags in the US.

https://twitter.com/AveryGWilks/status/1343558116630265857

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New Year's Eve. Probably folks will be throwing cherry bombs down from inspiration point on Grizzly Peak Blvd. The problem is that technically that area is under the domain of the UC police, not Berkeley, so enforcement is a problem. That's what happened last year.

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Why is that a problem? Cherry bombs seem apropos for NYE!

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hello daddy hello mom! ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EBvXpjudf8

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Tonsils

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just checked; still got 'em (and the wisdoms and the appy, now hoping I didn't jinx myself...)

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I still have mine.

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Same, wisdom teeth and appendix, not so much

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I still have my tonsils, all four of my wisdom teeth and my appendix.

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Same

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Got 'em still.

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I do as well.

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Good bye 2020, and thanks for all the fish...

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I just realized that because I was on the other side of the world a year ago (I was actually on a flight between Japan and Taiwan when the local time flipped from 2019 to 2020...yes, that flight was quite a bit cheaper than the day before or after), I actually will be spending an extra 11 hours in 2020 than most people.

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Endorse a product/service that you like

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Honey Bunches of Oats, the best conventional-brand cereal on the market!

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My two favorites are Oh's and Smart Start.

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I can confirm that endorsement. Quality simple pleasure.

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Cheez-its

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White Cheddar or Reduced Fat regular ones are the ones I buy

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Samplize

Simplifies paint samples. Less than $6 all-in.

https://shop.samplize.com/

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Thanks for the link. Repainting in 2021. Website looks great.

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Today in Covid

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(From an AP report)

Authorities arrested a suburban Milwaukee pharmacist Thursday suspected of deliberately ruining hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine by removing it from refrigeration for two nights.

Can't even begin to comprehend how or why this could occur.

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Anti-vaxxer? If so, it seems pursuing a career as a pharmacist would be an odd choice.

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For those who balk at some of the restrictions in the US, I saw on the "crawl" a note about some 2 name town soccer club (I believe British) getting a 3 match suspension for some attendance at an "affectionate gathering".

DC-T can probably add context, but I somehow wasn't surprised to read about an English aversion to affectionate gatherings, Covid times or otherwise.

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The UK is in a world of hurt. They had 981 deaths today, which is like us having more than 5000.

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Gov. Mike DeWine (R-OH) said that 60% of nursing home staff in Ohio declined to get a Covid vaccine. 😨

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/532198-ohio-gov-60-percent-of-nursing-home-staff-elected-not-to-take-covid-19

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LA Times: About one-third of LA-area frontline workers declined the Covid vaccine

https://twitter.com/latimes/status/1344648353397702657

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How are they allowed to continue to work at a nursing home and decline the vaccine? I get it is their toxic individualism choice but all choices have consequences and they should be fired for endangering the residents.

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without wanting to appear difficult, who is going to look after residents / patients if people are fired for declining the vaccine?

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Fair point, but the institutions need to set policies in advance - my daughter was working at UCSF, in a clerical role, but everybody who works there has to get the flu shot, period.

Can't see why this would be different.

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you get the flu shot or have to wear a mask for the duration of the traditional flu season, typically October-March. Which in any non-Covid year is a pain in the ass.

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Yep. Intentionally endangering the lives of their residents is unacceptable.

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Agreed - no question.

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To put this into perspective, the worst one-day fatalities in US history are:

1. Galveston Hurricane of 1900: about 8,000

2. Yesterday: 3,903

3. Day before yesterday: 3,725

4-11: Seven other days, most of them very recently

12. 9/11: 2,977

13-26. 14 other days that had more than 2500 deaths/day

27. D-Day 2,500

28. Pearl Harbor 2,403

29-38. 10 other days this year

39. Antietam 2,108

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This is interesting. Do you have a source? Wanted to share, but verify first. Not finding much on google, BUT, found a site that said 1918 (Spanish flu) had 6300 deaths per day in the US in the month of October, so this list would probably read #2-~#60 as all being Spanish flu if you dont caveat that out..

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And yet it is imperative to return to in-person schooling IMMEDIATELY. (Or so I've heard from a number of outspoken local advocates, NONE of whom has had to respond to a single medical emergency in the last 10 months.)

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Even with all this holiday traveling and indoor gathering, I'm pretty confident that the top spot will stay secure with the Galveston Hurricane. Then again, the American people have found new and astounding ways to surprise me in the last 9 months...

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I think we can do it, I believe in us.

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'Murica - Yes we can!

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Of course, as I'm typing that I look up at the tv with the Armed Forces Bowl to see a line of Purple Heart recipients waving at the camera while standing shoulder to shoulder, half of whom aren't wearing masks. And nearly all look to be old and overweight.

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Postgame there was a major brawl. It was not a good way to wind things up for the Pirate, or anyone else on the scene.

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Any wonder the team is undisciplined?

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JFC

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Give the DBD some less obvious reasons to hate 2020

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Gotta deal with the fallout from this nonsense

https://twitter.com/UCLA/status/1344417987617562630

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On a 19 point scale, how wild is your NYE going to be?

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Already 10+ because both the Mrs. and my COVID tests came back negative. We have been very careful, but the combination of the current LA clusterfuck and me having body aches/some nausea/headaches the past two days had me a little nervous.

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WOOOOOOOOOO.

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8 - at my brother/sister in-laws in Philly.

- 90 min streaming SoulCycle this morning

- just got out of the hot tub

- we are doing a home chef catered tasting menu at home.

- we have a LOT of sake and whiskey.

- nothing super wild, but it should be fun

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Sounds like you win.

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Or just optimistic..

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I'm hoping to get a Mt. Bike ride in tomorrow before all these storms come pounding Nor Cal over the next week. However, we are having a bonfire with in laws and one other family at my house tonight. This could very well exceed a 10, in which case, maybe no trail ride tomorrow.

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3...surf & turf at my friends house in our 5-person "pod"...hopefully we choose a better movie than last weeks Wonder Woman 1984 disaster....the number takes a hit tho because it's yet another Sun Bowl-less NYE-day for the Fightin' Oskis!!!

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Next year in El Paso....

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1 - i might have a couple of beverages while waiting for the daughters to return from their shenanigans (one in a pod, one with friends in an open garage)

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I was going to shoot for a 1 or 2, but developed a sinus headache late yesterday, and had to work a couple of hours today on a scheduled day off. OSU's home bb game this afternoon was ppd this morning (everyone can guess why).

At this point, looking like about a -2.75.

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4-5. The lady friend is coming over. We have plans for cheese and charcuterie, and champagne. Death to 2020 on Netflix is in the plans as well. My place overlooks Dimond Park and people on the other side of the park seem to have stockpiled fireworks for such occasions so I expect to see a show at midnight.

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Lady friend coming over should exceed a 10...just sayin'! ;)

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we'll see

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update: we'll be having charcuterie, raclette over fingerlings, and drinking Boulevardiers with champagne at midnight,.

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We'll be having a French stew over noddles - I'll have it with a 2011 Listrac - Rose NV champagne at the chimes

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0. I am sitting on the sofa, possibly with some home made mushroom and artichoke focaccia, if I can motivate to start it in the next couple of hours, and a cheese board.

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I paused reading at mushroom and thought, you go Scootie!

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Cake?

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Ugh I guess. I am so tired of that fucking cake.

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1. My kids aren't here. My sister and her family came up before Christmas and they usually go to bed early, like around 8.

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I flushed the radiator last night and put in some distilled water trying to flush the system. Today I've been removing things to replace the thermostat which is below the intake headers, PITA. Ended up removing the radiator to give myself room. After lunch need to try to remove the upper radiator hose where it enters the engine. Also a small space. Will try to put stuff back after lunch and then flush a few times over the weekend.

Also found out for some reason the engine coolant temp isn't showing up through the OBD2 port. It should be so I may try to figure out why that isn't working. My fan didn't go on last night even after 20 min of idling. Not sure why not since the dash showed a regular temp, at least it looks that way.

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This is in the TSX if anyone cares...crickets...crickets.

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Also, I just finished replumbing my entire house in pex. Several days of crawling on my belly and cursing at the gods of insufficuent subfloor access. The good news that everything worked with no disasters and I managed to come out with nary a black widow or brown recluse bite!

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Pex? Some sort of plastic? We only use copper.

What was it plumbed with before? Galvanized?

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Yes, pex is plastic. The old galvanized was about 60 years old, corroding on the inside and wreaking havoc on the fixtures and valves. Pex is much easier to install than any other pluming material availbable.

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My co-worker used that when he finished his basement. Looked pretty cool. Easier to run than copper. And you don't need to use a torch in small spaces.

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"Nary a black widow or brown recluse bite!"

Admirable accomplishment. This year, we take wins when we find them.

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I don't know what TSX is but I think this comment belong on the WFC Bob Villa thread, or the DBD-DIY thread!

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Acura TSX. It can go in the DBD-DIY thread.

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Subscribe

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I hope a 3 or so, we'll see.

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Have to further evaluate what is going on down the road a ways. Its either a pretty sizable fireworks show or a WW II battle reenactment.

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4. We'll make a nice dinner and we've got supplies to make several cocktails over the course of the night. And a friend gifted us some champagne for Christmas, so we've got that covered.

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Probably 1. I will have a sympathetic drink so my wife doesn't drink alone and then go to bed. I have to work tomorrow.

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WUT. Why?

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Fiscal year end close. Good times.

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ELSEWHERE IN COLLEGE

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West Virginia defeats Army 24-21 in the Liberty Bowl. Game in doubt until WV got an int with 29 seconds left.

Watching both these teams, I'd like to see anyone on the "meaningless bowl" rant look any of the WV or Army players in the eye and tell them that was meaningless.

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SJSU - perhaps the Bay Area's best team, getting surprised by Ball State in the Arizona Bowl. 34-13, 7 minutes left in the 4th quarter.

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they're missing a number of their best players and their OC and DC are both out

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This means first string QB is an academic senior/athletic RS-SO Jack West becomes the presumptive starter, followed by academic SO/Athletic Freshman Tanner McKee. RB Jones returns, but WR Fehoko has already declared for NFL. Stanfurd could really suck next season.

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Jack west career stats 29-56 for 301yds, 0 TDs, 0 INTs and 14 rush attempts for -25 yds.

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I hope so, I feel like we have been saying that for a decade now.

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Oklahoma demolish Florida and Kyle Trask's draft ranking (55-20) behind 435 yards net rushing yards (10.9 YPC). ESPN commentators focus on CFP rather than OU/UF game.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=401256194

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It's always nice to see that an SEC team was destroyed in primetime.

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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Trump just pardoned a cop who sic'ed her dog on homeless people for the hell of it.

https://www.theroot.com/trump-pardons-racist-former-maryland-cop-who-unleashed-1845968522

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In a move to deflect attention away from Trump's silence on Russian bounties, the US verbally describes some unsubstantiated reports of Chinese bounties. It's a Christmas miracle why this was unclassified now.

https://www.axios.com/scoop-trump-administration-declassifies-unconfirmed-intel-on-chinese-bounties-84131ec6-c54f-4556-8d0f-547131a343ef.html

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Trump calls for Georgia's governor and secretary of state to resign. He accuses the Secretary of State's (SOS) brother Ron of working for a Chinese tech company. The catch: The SOS brother doesn't work for a tech company, nor named Ron. The only people who said that were on Newsmax.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1344142388063821825

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PRO

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Becky Hammon becomes the first woman to be the acting head coach of an NBA team

https://twitter.com/JillJelnick/status/1344470933096919041

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CAL

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Go Bears. Hopefully men's BB will win at Oregon this eve.

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I did enjoy watching John Oliver blow up 2020 in his season finale.

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