MountaineerPatriot

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I don't mean to be critical, but she's just laying on the ground in the rain, not exactly earth shattering and looks like a video game. Not doubting it'll get better, but it's still a long ways off from full length, believable movies.

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If you look at what AI can do even compared to 6 months or 1 year from now it's ridiculous. AI will be able to make full length movies by next year. Hence why you saw the huge strikes by SAG-AFTRA last year. They saw what was coming.

You're right, it's not there, but it's getting there very fast.

It looks a lot more realistic than most video games. It's not as long off as you think it is.

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Whatever you do, under no circumstances go with Allstate or State Farm. No matter how much cheaper they are, it is not worth it.

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How is GEICO in your eyes? I have them for auto and condo insurance. The condo insurance is written through Homesite which I’m guessing is just a Geico subsidiary. I would still do my claim through Geico.

Living in Florida (though near Orlando so well away from the coast) I’m expecting to get scr*wed over due to Hurricane Milton.

Well one of the best nights of my life to say the least!! Little bit of a hangover from the alcohol, but I'm hanging in there! I feel like the malaise of the last 5 years (Biden administration and Covid) is finally over! I finally feel like I have my Country back!

Here is what I want to see Trump do during his second term:

- Border Security and National Security: Complete the border wall and bring back the remain in Mexico policy. Yes you all trash the border wall but it's effective, especially since it's just one phase of border security. Manned security at major border crossings, drone coverage for more remote parts of the wall. Immediate apprehension and send back to Mexico. If an illegal immigrant is caught 3 times trying to cross illegally, they are barred from the United States for the rest of their life.

Work with Mexico on the "remain in Mexico" policy. Build compounds where immigrant families can stay together while they wait for their asylum hearings. No entry into the United States unless they are officially granted asylum. Actually enforce generally accepted asylum principles, which is the asylum seekers must be escaping political persecution in their home country. Their country being Third World and a sh*thole is not a valid reason for asylum. Really crack down on the asylum abuse. Also work with Mexico, included providing financial resources, to bolster Mexico's border into Central America. Attempt to stop many of the illegal immigrants before they even get into Mexico.

For illegal immigrants already in the United States, implement mandatory E-Verify nationwide. Create very hard financial punishments for any Company that hires illegal immigrants (several million dollars for each infraction). Even include jail time for CEO's who routinely violate the E-Verify laws for their Company. I am cognizant of the fact that getting all the illegal immigrants out of the country is very difficult. What you have to do is make it impossible to be an illegal immigrants here in the United States and make any type of living. Make it to the point where the illegal immigrants leave on their own.

- Immigration: Because Border Security and Immigration are two separate issues. Simplify the immigration process and allow immigration to the country pending a thorough background check. Any criminal history in your country or terrorist ties (even if many years ago), you are denied the ability to immigrate to the United States. Only allow the best into the United States.

All legal immigration starts at the U.S. Embassy of their home country (or if no U.S. Embassy exists in their home country, the next closet country). Make the process affordable and relatively quick if they pass the background check.

Provide certain limits to immigration. I would say cap immigration at 500,000 a year. If we reach the cap and someone has passed a background check, they go to the top of the line at the beginning of next year. We have to control immigration not to overwhelm local resources like schools, EMT/police/fire and hospitals.

The one exception to the 500,000 a year limit would be if a Company sponsors them. The immigrants would have to provide proof of the job and the start date. They would have to go back to their home country and reapply through the regular process whenever employment with that Company concludes.

For illegal immigrants who left the U.S., they can go through the legal immigration process once they are back in their home country, assuming they broke no laws while in the U.S. illegally (outside of the illegal entry when they arrived).

- Foreign Wars - Immediately get Zelensky from Ukraine and Putin from Russia at the negotiation table. End the Ukraine / Russia war. Russia is allowed to take permanent control of the Donbas Region and Crimea. So Eastern Ukraine becomes Russia. On the other end, Ukraine keeps 75% of their territory and get official NATO memberships. Putin is informed that any future incursion into Ukraine would be considered an invasion against NATO and all of Europe and they would receive the appropriate response.

Both sides give something up and get something in return. Ukraine gets 75% of their territory permanently and NATO membership. Russia gets the eastern 25% of Ukraine and expands their territory. If needed, a demilitarized zone, not unlike North and South Korea, could also be established.

Israel and Iran and its proxies is harder. You unequivocally support Israel but only from a logistics, intelligence and weapons support role. No boots on the ground.

No new wars, Israel should be able to win their war fairly easily and the Ukraine/Russia war is resolved.

I'll have more, including some domestic issues and general deregulation and updated energy policies, but the immigration / border security issue is #1 for me and ending the foreign wars (or at least any U.S. involvement outside of Israel) is #2 for me.

What Nascar also doesn't get is by trying to ensure a "Game 7" moment, they actually cheapen it. Game 7's are great because they don't happen every year. The World Series just ended this year in Game 5 and MLB hasn't had a World Series Game 7 since the 2019 World Series. If every World Series went to a Game 7, it would cheapen it.

But if Nascar is hell bent on it going down to the final race, just make it the final race and do away with the playoffs. Have a full season and then after 35 races take the top 4 and have them battle in the final race. But at least then you are guaranteeing that the 4 best drivers are in the final race.

This current playoff stuff in Nascar is a big reason why I've lost the vast majority of my interest in the sport. And I was one of those Nascar fans that watched almost every week religiously from 1994 to 2008.

At this point I'll watch the Daytona and Talladega races, the Coke 600, Bristol night race and a few races here and there prior to football season and that's it. I don't watch any of the races now once football season started. One just because football is far more important to me and two out of almost a semi boycott of the playoffs. As far as I'm concerned Nascar ends Labor Day weekend for me.

In the very least those cops needs to be fired. Not to make it political but that's the problem I had with the whole BLM movement. It's not going to get the bad cops like these out of the force. These will be the only cops left. The people who just like the idea of power are still going to become cops. It'll be the responsible people who want to help their community who will be scared away from becoming cops.

My other thought is that these incidents are going to give UGA admins more reasons to try to move the game out of Jax permanently. I could definitely see it either going home/home or, if it works out, keeping the Atlanta/Tampa rotation.

Of course if the game leaves Jax, that really does screw over the UGA fans in South Georgia. Athens isn't centrally located and is actually more convenient to a lot of North Carolina and South Carolina than it is to South Georgia. That's what I was told was the historical reason for the game being in Jax. To give the UGA fans in South Georgia one game a year where they didn't have to drive 3, 4, 5 hours up to Athens. If the game is moved from Jax that's a big f* you to UGA fans in South Georgia.

I will say we definitely got screwed since the last time Halloween was on a Saturday night was of course 2020 when there was hardly any trick or treating. 2015 was the last time we had a legitimate Friday or Saturday night Halloween. Looking forward to next year when it's Friday night.

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Yeah it was changed in George W Bush administration.

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Another reason that Bush ended up being such a disappointment while in office.

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I seem to recall that it did indeed used to be before Halloween but after Katrina the lawmakers changed it so there’s by a few extra longer days for cleanup.

I know I didn’t make it up because it did used to be dark for Halloween.

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It's not due to Katrina. It was nationwide. I just checked and it was changed in 2007, so 17 years now.

It just seems so wrong to trick or treat in the daylight. When I was a kid trick or treating was absolutely at night, as it should be.

For me it would be the early to mid 1990s. Still had some freedom, still had more of the old style of living while still having some more modern conveniences.

I really do think the 1990s to mid 2000s were the best time technology wise. You had a good amount of technology. Heck the internet was fairly developed by the early 2000s. But it was that sweet spot where you had the technology but could still disconnect easily. It was before technology took over our lives.

It's also how I define generations, regardless of what the official generation years are. You are a Millennial if you don't remember life before computers but do remember life before smartphones and apps. You are Gen Z if you do not remember life before smartphones and apps.

Smartphones seemed great at the time but really have screwed things up. It's tethered us to technology. It's made it nearly impossible to truly disconnect.

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In my uninformed opinion, I wouldn’t be surprised if the parkway in NC remains closed until next spring…at least between Asheville and the VA state line.

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I would be shocked if any of the NC portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway reopens this year. Maybe the part around Asheville that a lot of people actually use as just a regular road more than anything and maybe the extreme northern part near the VA state line, but that's about it.

I've seen a fair amount of pictures. Tons of trees down and the road is washed out in several locations closer to Asheville. That will be the bigger problem.

Typically the Blue Ridge Parkway closes for the season at the end of November and is closed December, January, February and March.

My guess is they'll keep it closed going into next April as well and that the goal will be to have it open by Memorial Day Weekend in May next year for the summer travel season. But I seriously doubt hardly any of the NC portion of the Parkway reopens this year.