SoTier

I don't know if it's their counterclaim, but lots of people who move out to the country or have camps in rural areas think just that ... it's their land so they believe that they can do whatever they want, especially in areas where there are few zoning laws or noise ordinances. Asshats aren't found only in cities or suburbs. Neighbors having large, loud parties with loud music blasting well into the early am; people riding dirt bikes and atvs close to neighbors' houses for hours on end; and hunters "sighting in" shotguns and rifles early on Sunday mornings or target shooting for hours are among the most frequent complaints fielded by LEOs in rural areas.

Moving out to the boondocks doesn't give people the right to annoy their neighbors, either, although a lot of that type think it does.

No active NHL players are in the Olympics this time around, and that's probably going to hurt both the US and Canadian hockey teams much more than the European teams because a lot of their homegrown talent plays in various European professional leagues. The 2018 US team is made up of some college kids, some ex-NHLers, and some players not good enough to make the NHL (not sure if NHL farm team players are among them). Winning a medal will be a major accomplishment for this team. One US team that did win yesterday was the US men's curling team. They beat Korea handily in their first round robin game. Oh, yeah, and Canada beat the Swiss pair to take the first ever gold medal in mixed doubles curling while the OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia) won the bronze over Norway. Since I watched both the medal mixed double curling matches and then stayed up until 2:30AM watching the US/Korea match, I'm "curled out" this morning!

I'm skeptical of using stats to "prove" anything, and that goes double for those stats trumpeting "efficiency" as noteworthy. Was not Tyrod Taylor one of the more "efficient" QBs in the NFL in 2017? So, why are so many fans so upset with him? Because he wasn't an "effective" QB. The Bills OL stunk in 2017 because it wasn't effective, no matter what stats say about it being "efficient". I'll take "effective" over "efficient" any day of the week. What's the most effective pass blocking OL in the league? It's gotta be the Pats' OL because they not only keep an immobile QB upright all game long almost every game but they also give him virtually forever to find open receivers. Does anybody in NE really care if the Pats' OL is "efficient" as long as Brady has time to pick defenses apart? I don't think so.

That was Taylor's fault, too. The OL wasn't used to a QB who couldn't escape the initial pass rush.

I'm a big fan of John and Mary's Italian sub with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo. Yummmm!

Excuse me, but making decisions about QBs to placate the fans is exactly what got the Bills busts JP Losman and EJ Manuel as well as possibly missing in the playoffs in both 2013 and 2014 (assuming they kept Fitzpatrick). The Bills need to do what's best to make the Bills a winning team rather than what boosts the bottom line by selling a few more tickets early in the season. Making the playoffs -- and winning -- will take care of filling seats and making fans happy. Ask the Jags. This is my objection to all the advocates for taking a first round QB in 2018. The only reason to take a first round QB, whether the Bills trade up or wait until #21, is because the Bills want that QB and none other. He can't be their second choice. He can't be drafted to placate the fans. He has to be their guy. If he's not, then pass. Take a QB in the second or third if they want an upgrade to Peterman. BTW, I have no idea how they feel about any of the top QB prospects. Since "wheeled and dealed" implies that Beane was a crafty negotiator who got more for them than he probably should have, I would say a more accurate description of his trades would be that Beane meekly took whatever the other teams were willing to give. IMO, the Bills wouldn't have just cut Watkins -- and probably not Ragland and Dareus, either. Moreover, if the 2018 draft doesn't yield big time results, then Beane's moves failed.

Right. It's all Taylor's fault. If only he didn't try to extend plays when the defenders were in on him almost before he got the snap ... thanks to that wonderfully "efficient" OL.

Cancer is a major concern with Goldens, more so than hip displaysia. In other breeds, there are eye issues, hips, digestive problems. Most of these have a genetic basis and are related to the fact that purebreds are very inbred, with many breeds tracing to one or two individual dogs. Inbreeding tends to accentuate good traits, which is why breeders use it, but it also allows undesirable traits, especially if they're recessive, to show up. That's why many people advocate for mixed breeds. The general rule is that the bigger the dog, the more exercise he/she is likely to need, and the best way to cure what owners often consider "hyperactivity" is exercise. I personally don't think that Goldens are particularly energetic as a breed but some individuals can be. Of course, some breeds are just overly energetic; Jack Russell Terriers, Border Collies, and German Shorthaired Pointers among them.

Labs and Goldens were originally bred to be hunting companions to sportsmen, primarily retrieving game birds. Hunters are frequently in the field for half or an entire day, so they need dogs that can do their job all day long, and sporting breeds have been bred for lots of endurance. This means that they need a goodly amount of exercise, and that's particularly true for larger dogs.

It sounds like Hunt and his friends did tried to keep everything legal and stay out of trouble, from the party bus to sending the girls on their way when they found out they were under the legal drinking age. This is more like trying really hard to avoid trouble ... and having trouble find them anyways.

A word of warning to would-be Beagle owners: be sure you get a Beagle that's NOT from a breeder who specializes in hunting dogs. Beagles bred to hunt are PITAs because that's all they want to do. Those types of Beagles really can't be let off leash outside a fenced enclosure because they'll be off if they catch the right scent (usually rabbits but some will trail deer).

This is what I do, too. IMO, Americans have been completely brainwashed into believing doing their taxes is complicated, but the reality is that most taxpayers don't have much more than jobs, house mortgages, and retirement savings/retirements and so should be able to do their own taxes, even if they itemize deductions. It's not hard ... you need to be able read English and do math at an 8th grade level, and that's true even if you qualify for EIC. The hardest part of doing taxes is keeping records and collecting all your tax data in one place ... and you have to do that whether you do it yourself, use tax software or a tax preparer. If you own a business, rental properties or have investments that you actively manage then you probably need professional assistance, but I would use an accountant not one of the tax prep firms. Those are just rip offs, especially when their fees are a percentage of your tax refund. The fees should be based on how long it takes to do your taxes (usually related to how many forms you need).

My previous dog was a rescured GSP, and they're easily my favorite breed, but I'm too old to keep up with a young GSP. If you're looking for a purebred, but would also like to rescue a dog, there are two good routes to doing both at the same time: breed rescues and reputable breeders who are looking to place dogs they bred that were originally sold as pets but were returned (many reputable breeders now require that people who buy their dogs sign an agreement to return them if they can't keep them for whatever reason). My rescue Airedale didn't come with such a guarantee but when I contacted his breeder, he was very helpful in working with Bandit. He was also angry that the person he sold the dog to didn't treat him decently and then sent him to the shelter. My GSP came from a GSP rescue group that was active in eastern NY.

Who are "they" exactly? Do you mean blacks? That Foster is black and you used "they" twice to refer to whomever you're referring to suggests you're simply dealing in stereotypes. Do you believe that being involved in/tolerant of organized crime is part of the culture of Italians in NY/NJ, too? Maybe Foster's bad behavior stems from being raised in the southern football "culture" in which talented football players, white and black, are given passes for all their bad behavior. I'm sure it's a big shock when some pampered SEC players realize that being "on the team" doesn't exempt them from obeying the law.

Snowboarding is crazy! Those guys do so many amazing tricks! The ladies slopestyle starts today I think. I like the Winter Olympics better than the Summer games, partly because I watch more of them because I'm stuck inside because of the cold weather, but mostly because there are fewer events so I get to see more of individual events. I'm a big fan of curling, downhill skiing, and bobsleds ... and now snowboarding.

I don't know about your kitchen, but my DW is plugged into an outlet with all the wiring behind the wall. I don't have a breaker box under my sink to control the dishwasher or any other appliance.

Some people are simply more easily susceptible to demagogues than most of the population. They need to have something/someone believe in, so they seek it out.

Electricity and water don't mix. I can't believe that there could be any situation would make this set up "not necessarily against code" but that's just me.

Somebody stupid enough to lend a 4 time convicted felon $10,000 is asking to get ripped off. C'est dommage.

I'd vote for either a Lab or a Lab mix from the shelter. Not all Labs are large, and some strains are smaller/lighter bodied than others (I think they might be referred to "English Labs"). Female labs also tend to be smaller than males. I don't think Labs are aggressive at all, and after puppyhood, most are pretty laid back. Their biggest fault tends to be their notable appetites. A perfect family dog may be a Labradoodle mix. A friend of mine has one, and she's a great little dog (3/4 minature/toy poodle) that doesn't shed, has a Lab temperament, and poodle athleticism. Most of the golden doodles I've seen are bred on the Golden/standard Poodle cross, and they're all large dogs, especially the males which seem to be bigger than either Goldens or Poodles. I don't know if Golden/minature Poodle crosses are done, but they would be smaller dogs. I would also recommend a miniature or a smallish standard Poodle. I currently have a small standard Poodle (about 45 pounds), and he's a perfect dog, much more attuned to people than previous dogs I've had. Miniature and standard Poodles don't shed, tend to be athletic but not overly energetic like Jack Russell Terriers, affectionate, and very people-oriented. Lab mixes from the shelter are also good bets. Most shelters operate with trial periods for adoptions so that dogs can be returned if the match isn't a good one. I second this e v a l of Jack Russells and Airedales. Airedales come in two types: most are about 24-28 inches at the shoulder but the large ones may be as tall or taller than Goldens. You have to be sure you get the right type. Another smallish dog that's athletic, energetic but not crazily so, good tempered, and people-centered are Australian shepherds. Aussies are medium sized, forty pounds or so, and some strains are even smaller. They're smart and focused but not nearly as much as Border Collies so they're trainable but they don't have the strong instinct to round up and/or order their world the way Borders do. They generally make much better family pets than Borders because they don't get bored.

I have several kinds of feeders of different types filled with black oil sunflower seed, nut and fruit blend, peanuts, and suet which attract sparrows, house finches, chickadees, woodpeckers (downy, hairy, and occasionally red bellied), slate-sided juncoes, nuthatches, cardinals, and bluejays not to mention those feeder pests starlings and pigeons. In warmer weather, I feed sunflower seeds and nyger seed, but I get lots of birds all year around because I mostly maintain a bird-friendly yard with no pesticides, water sources (an artificial pond with waterfall and at least two birdbaths), food sources (choke cherry trees, lots of brightly colored flowers, berries, and weedy areas) and shelter (a row of arborvitaes along the north fence line). I get lots of doves, robins, hummingbirds, and goldfinches as well as some unusual visitors during migrations like evening grosbeaks and orioles. I've occasionally even had young goshawks hang around in my yard for a few days in the fall because of the smaller birds that come to my feeders.

This post is nonsense. How exactly does a team develop two great QBs at the same time? Are the QBs alternating snaps or games or what? And how would a team even know if both were busts after only one year if they were constantly being shuffled in and out of the line-up? I suppose you were one of those who declared Jared Goff a bust last season or have annointed DeShon Watson the greatest QB of all time based on his limited rookie season.

Not unless the second QB was the BPA in the 6th or 7th round because the Bills have too many holes to waste picks.

That's what many fans thought about the 2011 and 2012 drafts, too. They were howling because the Bills didn't draft Blane Gabbert or Christian Ponder or trade up to get Robert Griffin III. Aside from Newton, Luck, and maybe Tannehill (depending how you view him vs Dalton and Cousins) the best QBs from 2011 and 2012 came out of rounds other than Round 1 (Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins).