Random Ramblings

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:I'm told just now this is not close at all to downtown. May have to rethink this. I would think they would have shuttles or something?

A hotel like that might be housing one of the teams. I'm guessing they will have some kind of transportation.

Thought crossed my mind, as well Nigel.

blanch is gonna be so thrilled!

LooseGoose wrote:

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Here is a random rambling. I just booked 3 nights at the JW Marriott in SA over FF weekend. I promised him I would take him if we made it. I have cancellation fully refundable up until the day before. This is a really nice property, my friend in Austin takes his family on an annual vacation there because they have a waterpark. I started thinking about it and I think if we somehow happen to get there the memories will be worth it right? right????

(it's expensive as fuck)

Him? Blanch?



And yes, it'll be worth it with the boy. Soon enough he'll be all Harry Chapin on you.

I want to believe that, eventually, Blanch will, too.

How much tempur Pedic mattress would I have to be wrapped in to fall from near space and still survive? Bubble wrap?

tGreenWay wrote:How much tempur Pedic mattress would I have to be wrapped in to fall from near space and still survive? Bubble wrap?

I think the mattress would catch fire and you'd incinerate. I wouldn't try it.

Floyd Robertson wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:How much tempur Pedic mattress would I have to be wrapped in to fall from near space and still survive? Bubble wrap?

I think the mattress would catch fire and you'd incinerate. I wouldn't try it.

Not falling from actual space; near space. No ozone to bust through. But, if it will ease your mind, I'll wrap myself in foil just to be safe

Ask that guy who went over Niagara Falls twice without protection. You might need to ask his gHost but you can still try to ask him.

Floyd Robertson wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:How much tempur Pedic mattress would I have to be wrapped in to fall from near space and still survive? Bubble wrap?

I think the mattress would catch fire and you'd incinerate. I wouldn't try it.

But wouldn't the wind put the fire out as it was combusting?

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Ask that guy who went over Niagara Falls twice without protection. You might need to ask his gHost but you can still try to ask him.

I don't need to ask his gHost, because I'm not planning to land in the water. If that tempur Pedic mattress lands in the water, it'll soak to the point of being like an anchor. That wouldn't be safe.

tGreenWay wrote:

Floyd Robertson wrote:

I think the mattress would catch fire and you'd incinerate. I wouldn't try it.

Not falling from actual space; near space. No ozone to bust through. But, if it will ease your mind, I'll wrap myself in foil just to be safe  

So you'd be wrapped up like a schwarma from a food truck, that would work.

Floyd Robertson wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:

Not falling from actual space; near space. No ozone to bust through. But, if it will ease your mind, I'll wrap myself in foil just to be safe  

So you'd be wrapped up like a schwarma from a food truck, that would work.

I'll tape some spare bathroom tiles to the front of the mattress. Feel better now?

tGreenWay wrote:

Floyd Robertson wrote:
So you'd be wrapped up like a schwarma from a food truck, that would work.

I'll tape some spare bathroom tiles to the front of the mattress. Feel better now?

Heat shields, perfect.

Approximately 1 of every 8 Keweenaw County residents has a concealed carry permit.  Pretty cool.

These Michigan counties have highest rate of handgun ownership

The Pantry wrote:Approximately 1 of every 8 Keweenaw County residents has a concealed carry permit.  Pretty cool.

These Michigan counties have highest rate of handgun ownership

Oh for fucks sake, there can't be more than 2500 people in that county. I'm guessing the 300 who have em have probably ran into a bear in their life and figured "fuck this". My grandpa carried all the time in iron river and I guarantee you he never had a permit.

DWags wrote:

The Pantry wrote:Approximately 1 of every 8 Keweenaw County residents has a concealed carry permit.  Pretty cool.

These Michigan counties have highest rate of handgun ownership

Oh for fucks sake, there can't be more than 2500 people in that county. I'm guessing the 300 who have em have probably ran into a bear in their life and figured "fuck this". My grandpa carried all the time in iron river and I guarantee you he never had a permit.

Yeah. Maybe 2-3 of the other 7 are carrying without a permit.

An armed society is a polite society, at least up there.

The Pantry wrote:

DWags wrote:

Oh for fucks sake, there can't be more than 2500 people in that county. I'm guessing the 300 who have em have probably ran into a bear in their life and figured "fuck this". My grandpa carried all the time in iron river and I guarantee you he never had a permit.

Yeah. Maybe 2-3 of the other 7 are carrying without a permit.

An armed society is a polite society, at least up there.

Or when you go to your garage for a beer and there's a bear in there eating shit, it's always a good idea to have a pistol.

A pistol won't stop a bear unless it's at least a .50 cal bullet.

Inb4 anti-gun people calling me a gun freak despite my background

gHost Spartan wrote:

DWags wrote:


Or when you go to your garage for a beer and there's a bear in there eating shit, it's always a good idea to have a pistol.

Is a pistol going to stop an angry bear?

Aim for the knees.

gHost Spartan wrote:

DWags wrote:


Or when you go to your garage for a beer and there's a bear in there eating shit, it's always a good idea to have a pistol.

Is a pistol going to stop an angry bear?

Might , but your last couple minutes of life will be pretty intense.

If I don’t get on my departure flight I forfeit my return flight? That is some bullshit. Fuck united, airlines have us by the balls.

Yeah, I was lucky enough to figure that out before I tried it. I think it's pretty standard. Also I had 2 different idiots at Delta tell me that wasn't the case before I had a more Senior person confirm that it was indeed.

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:Yeah, I was lucky enough to figure that out before I tried it. I think it's pretty standard. Also I had 2 different idiots at Delta tell me that wasn't the case before I had a more Senior person confirm that it was indeed.

I paid for my seat if my ass don’t want to sit in it why should I be punished?

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:If I don’t get on my departure flight I forfeit my return flight? That is some bullshit. Fuck united, airlines have us by the balls.

Fuck that. That's like you not showing up for the first half of a game you have a ticket to and so they sell someone else your seat to the second half.

This is deregulation guys.

DWags wrote:

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:If I don’t get on my departure flight I forfeit my return flight? That is some bullshit. Fuck united, airlines have us by the balls.

Fuck that. That's like you not showing up for the first half of a game you have a ticket to and so they sell someone else your seat to the second half.

This is deregulation guys.

It’s criminal, dwags.

DWags wrote:

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:If I don’t get on my departure flight I forfeit my return flight? That is some bullshit. Fuck united, airlines have us by the balls.

Fuck that. That's like you not showing up for the first half of a game you have a ticket to and so they sell someone else your seat to the second half.

This is deregulation guys.

DWags, that all happened 40 years ago. Do you know how much airline tickets were then?

LooseGoose wrote:

DWags wrote:

Fuck that. That's like you not showing up for the first half of a game you have a ticket to and so they sell someone else your seat to the second half.  

This is deregulation guys.

DWags, that all happened 40 years ago.   Do you know how much airline tickets were then?

Seriously?  You aren't going to try to pull that with someone who has an education higher than a sophomore in high school are you?  

With regard to the 60% drop in fuel prices at the same time the deregulation was passed, that helped bring ticket prices down.  (I guess you don't remember the embargo and Carter telling us to wear a sweater and turn down the heat... too much weed maybe) Or the splurge of airlines who came into business when it happened only to now go out of business.  Before deregulation 10 companies owned 90% of the airline industry. Now, after all those new airlines went bankrupt and out of busines, 4 companies own 85% of the industry.   You obviously don't check bags on planes anymore either, or shit maybe you just don't travel.  Cause a 2017 "ticket" isn't the same as a 1978 "ticket".   Oh, you want to take a bag?   100 bucks please.  Overhead?  Another 40.  How much does it weigh?   Whatever.  

I won't wells this up, but here is a telling couple of paragraphs that the GAO admits to:  Even the Government Accountability Office, a proponent of deregulation, had to concede back in 2006 that the slope of the downward ticket price curve was the same before and after deregulation.  Indeed, a 1990 study by Paul Dempsey of the Economic Policy Institute concluded that after adjusting for changes in energy prices, fares fell more rapidly in the 10 years before 1978 than during the subsequent decade.
The most rigorous analysis of the impact of deregulation was done by David B. Richards, formerly of the CAB and FAA. His research concluded,   “This paper makes clear that the grant of pricing freedom to the airline industry has generally resulted in average prices being higher than they would have been had regulation continued...”


Bottom line, they're fucking OTPT.  It's bullshit.  And they do it, because they can.

DWags wrote: Before deregulation 10 companies owned 90% of the airline industry. Now, after all those new airlines went bankrupt and out of busines, 4 companies own 85% of the industry.   

And those 4 companies are all that's left because the industry is so profitable from charging all of these gouging prices and fees? Come now my friend, if the industry was so obscenely profitable there would be startups all over hell.

And you're right, I don't fly anymore. My last flight would have been 2003 or so. At that point I'd had enough of the new security, the cattle car flights, etc. Flying business or 1st class alleviates some of that but not all of it. I decided I'd seen enough of overseas and anywhere I wanted to go in the Americas I'd drive. I ended up driving all over the country multiple times and enjoyed the hell out of it. I still do.

I still say it makes more sense to drive on any trip under 600 miles and if your family is with you that could easily extend out to 1500 miles. Your comfort will be much higher and your hassle will be much lower. You only have to put up with the airline's shit if you choose to deal with them.

It's bullshit that they're able to do that to OTPT goose.  In a ruleless industry that Americans have now become reliant on, it's not right.  OTPT might be just traveling for pleasure, but it's the same rules for business travel too.   And when you don't regulate prices, the big boys can always adjust their prices to force any new start ups out of business real quick.   I don't need to make a profit in my Milwaukee hub, if I"m making money in Chicago, NY Atlanta LA.   I can lose money in Milwaukee to chase others out of the industry.  That's business 101

DWags wrote:It's bullshit that they're able to do that to OTPT goose.  In a ruleless industry that Americans have now become reliant on, it's not right.  OTPT might be just traveling for pleasure, but it's the same rules for business travel too.   And when you don't regulate prices, the big boys can always adjust their prices to force any new start ups out of business real quick.   I don't need to make a profit in my Milwaukee hub, if I"m making money in Chicago, NY Atlanta LA.   I can lose money in Milwaukee to chase others out of the industry.  That's business 101

They must be doing something right, people keep throwing their $$ at them. IF more people acted by not flying vs just complaining I'll bet things would change. The bottom line is this, people yak all the time but when it comes to pulling the CC out most will take the cheapest fare not the better service. I know I'm a cantankerous old fuck but when I'm sick of something I quit doing it.

LooseGoose wrote:

DWags wrote:It's bullshit that they're able to do that to OTPT goose.  In a ruleless industry that Americans have now become reliant on, it's not right.  OTPT might be just traveling for pleasure, but it's the same rules for business travel too.   And when you don't regulate prices, the big boys can always adjust their prices to force any new start ups out of business real quick.   I don't need to make a profit in my Milwaukee hub, if I"m making money in Chicago, NY Atlanta LA.   I can lose money in Milwaukee to chase others out of the industry.  That's business 101

They must be doing something right, people keep throwing their $$ at them. IF more people acted by not flying vs just complaining I'll bet things would change. The bottom line is this, people yak all the time but when it comes to pulling the CC out most will take the cheapest fare not the better service. I know I'm a cantankerous old fuck but when I'm sick of something I quit doing it.

The point is, airlines are now as necessary as doing business as the internet. If we don't protect the consumer somehow, it could be very bad for our country as a whole.

Record fish caught in iron county.

Did goose just tell me to drive?

Jesus that bubble up there in Mio must be something.

LooseGoose wrote:

DWags wrote: Before deregulation 10 companies owned 90% of the airline industry. Now, after all those new airlines went bankrupt and out of busines, 4 companies own 85% of the industry.   

And those 4 companies are all that's left because the industry is so profitable from charging all of these gouging prices and fees? Come now my friend, if the industry was so obscenely profitable there would be startups all over hell.

And you're right, I don't fly anymore. My last flight would have been 2003 or so. At that point I'd had enough of the new security, the cattle car flights, etc. Flying business or 1st class alleviates some of that but not all of it. I decided I'd seen enough of overseas and anywhere I wanted to go in the Americas I'd drive. I ended up driving all over the country multiple times and enjoyed the hell out of it. I still do.

I still say it makes more sense to drive on any trip under 600 miles and if your family is with you that could easily extend out to 1500 miles. Your comfort will be much higher and your hassle will be much lower. You only have to put up with the airline's shit if you choose to deal with them.

Breaking from the main topic: Get yourself a Global Entry card. It cuts way down on the cattle calls.

DWags wrote:It's bullshit that they're able to do that to OTPT goose.  In a ruleless industry that Americans have now become reliant on, it's not right.  OTPT might be just traveling for pleasure, but it's the same rules for business travel too.   And when you don't regulate prices, the big boys can always adjust their prices to force any new start ups out of business real quick.   I don't need to make a profit in my Milwaukee hub, if I"m making money in Chicago, NY Atlanta LA.   I can lose money in Milwaukee to chase others out of the industry.  That's business 101

That's a fact. Newer regional airlines have tried many times over the years to get established at the Lansing airport, only to see the big boys flood the market by offering the same routes for much cheaper fares. Once the new airline closes and leaves Lansing, away go the added flights from the bigs and up go the fares. Been happening for 25+ years.

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Did goose just tell me to drive?

Jesus that bubble up there in Mio must be something.

How dare I suggest that rather than whine about something you actually do something different. Denver to Austin is 900 miles of beautiful American highway. Amarillo is on the way, stop at the Big Texan and do the Steak challenge. Experience America.

Or come here and tell me about the bubble i live in as you whine about flying over it all in a tube full of miserable sweaty wretches.

tGreenWay wrote:

LooseGoose wrote:

And those 4 companies are all that's left because the industry is so profitable from charging all of these gouging prices and fees? Come now my friend, if the industry was so obscenely profitable there would be startups all over hell.

And you're right, I don't fly anymore. My last flight would have been 2003 or so. At that point I'd had enough of the new security, the cattle car flights, etc. Flying business or 1st class alleviates some of that but not all of it. I decided I'd seen enough of overseas and anywhere I wanted to go in the Americas I'd drive. I ended up driving all over the country multiple times and enjoyed the hell out of it. I still do.

I still say it makes more sense to drive on any trip under 600 miles and if your family is with you that could easily extend out to 1500 miles. Your comfort will be much higher and your hassle will be much lower. You only have to put up with the airline's shit if you choose to deal with them.

Breaking from the main topic: Get yourself a Global Entry card. It cuts way down on the cattle calls.

Nah, I don't plan to ever see the inside of another plane.

tGreenWay wrote:

DWags wrote:It's bullshit that they're able to do that to OTPT goose.  In a ruleless industry that Americans have now become reliant on, it's not right.  OTPT might be just traveling for pleasure, but it's the same rules for business travel too.   And when you don't regulate prices, the big boys can always adjust their prices to force any new start ups out of business real quick.   I don't need to make a profit in my Milwaukee hub, if I"m making money in Chicago, NY Atlanta LA.   I can lose money in Milwaukee to chase others out of the industry.  That's business 101

That's a fact. Newer regional airlines have tried many times over the years to get established at the Lansing airport, only to see the big boys flood the market by offering the same routes for much cheaper fares. Once the new airline closes and leaves Lansing, away go the added flights from the bigs and up go the fares. Been happening for 25+ years.

So sort of like issuing Taxi medallions the government should choose who can make $$ on certain transportation routes? Government regulating who can fly where an who can't is a recipe for graft. It's amazing how many want the government they criticize and hate to run more of our lives.

I'd fly from East Lansing to Okemos if I could.

I hate being in a car.

LooseGoose wrote:

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Did goose just tell me to drive?

Jesus that bubble up there in Mio must be something.

How dare I suggest that rather than whine about something you actually do something different. Denver to Austin is 900 miles of beautiful American highway. Amarillo is on the way, stop at the Big Texan and do the Steak challenge. Experience America.

Or come here and tell me about the bubble i live in as you whine about flying over it all in a tube full of miserable sweaty wretches.

Your argument against dwags is to tell people to drive? What a solid strong argument you aren’t deflecting at all!

You’re right - in this case I should take off an entire week to drive to Chicago for the northwestern game. Who are you going to leech off for social security if I do that ?

LooseGoose wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:

That's a fact. Newer regional airlines have tried many times over the years to get established at the Lansing airport, only to see the big boys flood the market by offering the same routes for much cheaper fares. Once the new airline closes and leaves Lansing, away go the added flights from the bigs and up go the fares. Been happening for 25+ years.

So sort of like issuing Taxi medallions the government should choose who can make $$ on certain transportation routes?  Government regulating who can fly where an who can't is a recipe for graft.  It's amazing how many want the government they criticize and hate to run more of our lives.

I think we're talking apples and oranges.  Our government has to step in, to assure that business is fair.  If not, we have vertical or horizontal monopolies like Carneige or Rockerfeller put together and we're screwed.  

Carneige owned everything from the ground up.   Rockerfeller just put competitors out of business as in the examples above.  

If you don't show up for a seat at a ball game, lets say by first pitch.  Is it o.k., for the turnstiles to be locked down, and all unused tickets at that point resold to others?   I don't think that its that much of a stretch to say that example is like OTPT's issue with the airline right now.   Is that where the government should step in and say that is a practice that isn't acceptable, or is that just a "well fuck you, you should have been in your seat at first pitch" type thing.