The Message Forum is an ongoing dialogue among classmates. The goal is to encourage friendly interaction, including interaction among classmates who really didn't know each other. Experience on the site has revealed that certain topics tend to cause friction and hard feelings, especially politics and religion. 

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Lowell Tuttle

Well, my viewpoint is Buffalo outcoached Dallas.   They ran and ran and ran...right at Micah Parsons, or kept him out because of their running...

Dallas, at least this year, doesn't seem to have a get up and hit back when you're down mentality..   Several ''ole'' tackles... (as in Oh...lay...)

Edit.   That was awful nice of Seattle knocking off Philadelphia...

I don't relish a playoff visit to either SF or Phil...

Jim Bedwell

Jerry,

I agree. The 49ers are the team to beat (assuming Kansas City doesn't recover from their recent problems).

Lowell,

Yes, nice that the Seahawks beat the Eagles for their 3-game losing streak. If the Eagles win out, though, they win the division. And they play the Cardinals and also the Giants twice. Rotsa ruck........

Lowell Tuttle

A message and a thought.

I don't use USAA as I was not in the military.   USAA is not always competitive...sometimes they are and sometimes they are not.   They use a lot of the data other insurance carriers use.

I cannot use USAA as my parents were NOT members.   My dad could have been a member, but never joined as former military.   If he had just joined (and not even bought insurance,) apparently, I could join.

So, the message here is even if you do not want or need insurance or banking, and if you are former military, you should join so your children could possibly join and use the membership...

I don't find the competitive on homeowners, but this marketplace is going crazy...USAA might provide a future solution...

Jan Alexander

God Bless Colorado !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trump Is Disqualified From the 2024 Ballot, Colorado Supreme Court Rules

keep on going !

Ofcourse, yours truly is already appealing ... but the Supreme Court has to decide before Jan 5th...that is when the candidates in Co.are finalized . 

Kurt Fischer

Jan:

Not to start a quarrel, but what is President Trump guilty of?  Has he been convicted of a crime?  So the Colorado court ruled he cannot run for President again because they think his actions on January 6 were reprehensible and seditious?  This is not a point of law, but a point of view.  I did not think this was the way we conducted our legal system in this country.

David Cordell

1) Cowboys.

Uhm, for all you naysayers, am I correct that the Cowboys are in the playoffs??

2) About the ridiculous Trump/Colorado issue. 

I don't even like Trump, but all the legal attacks against him are reminiscent of the worst of Latin America. The party in power suppresses the leader of the party out of power.

If the assumption of breaking the law, but without being convicted or even charged, is enough to have someone taken off the ballot, then how about Biden? He is breaking his oath of office by not enforcing the border. I think that is worth an impeachment. That said, all it takes is 41 votes in the Seate to foil an impeachment. Being dragged tthrough the state court system can be problematic, whether the judges are elected by the majority party or appointed by the elected governor of that party. Even local DAs can be loyal party soldiers in undermining the other side. See, New York City.

Republicans need to go to the mattresses.

Jerry May

Changing the subject to music:

Haven't heard this in a long time!

Bob Davidson

Jan Alexander

Yes Sir Bob , saw that this morning ... I was just trying to obey Jerry's wishes...

Yes , it has been put on "pause" for the Supeme court to decide. Atleast he will be on the first primary ballot ;.. who knows what will be next... depending on what the ruling or rulings are.. It ain't over till it is over...

Here was a very good article on the take a ways. . IF one chooses to read it..   

https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/19/politics/takeaways-trump-colorado-supreme-court-14th-amendment-insurrection/index.html 

We shall see what comes out of the wash and what remains a stain.  Will be interesting.  Got to give Colorado. an "A" for effort .  Surprises await.  That is all I am going to say for now.... could say more ofcourse..

Good song , Jerry... 

By the way that was me as Santa at PetsMart  in years past , to raise money for a local animal shelter... 

Try to give to something this season to one of you favorites, if you can .. ..Merry Christmas. !

Jim Bedwell

Jerry,

LOVED Ten Years After. I had a date with Melody McNeil (too lazy as always to look up her married surname) on July 24, 1970 to go see them at downtown Memorial Auditorium in Dallas. We went with Neil Watt & Bob Graham and their women (Bob was already married and a father). GREAT concert. And yes, late guitarist Alvin Lee (no known relation to Stagger Lee nor Robert E.), at the end of the last song, went over to the side of the stage, picked up a watermelon, put it on his shoulder, and ambled off stage. Melody hadn't known it but I had done some mescaline earlier that day so she was wondering what was wrong with me - hahahahha!!!!!

There's a good, fast Ten Years After song at the beginning of the Mel Gibson movie "Get the Gringo" (2012) in the chase scene. I finally saw that movie just within the last year. Very funny with a lot of violence and action. If you liked "Payback" (1999), also with Mel Gibson, as I did, you'll love this one. Tubi has the subtitles for the ample Spanish dialogue so I highly recommend that version - a lot of the movie takes place in a Mexican prison.

Cowboy Naysayer (tee hee)

Jim Bedwell

Always loved this song.

Lowell Tuttle

Ten Years After is still going.   Original band members Chick Churchill and Ric Lee (keyboards and drums.)

Stonedhenge and Cricklewood Green are musts...a lot of head music...to put it mildly...Base and Keyboard use outstanding...

Alvin Lee's vocals is as close to Chuck Berry as it gets...though, Wik says the name, Ten Years After comes from when he joined the band, and it being ten years from Elvis' successful 1956...

They released one recording which was 45 rpms on one side and 33 rpms on the other...Never knew that...

Of course saw them at Texas Pop Festival, two weeks after Woodstock appearance later imortalized in the film by Martin Scorsese...

Also, Tarrillion...

Jim Bedwell

Jan,

I think it's usually a good idea to do the "shoe on the other foot" test. If Biden, Kamala, or Newsome had been banned from a ballot somewhere, I would think that's a political outrage as well and say so here publicly - how could any voter not see that as tyranny of the lowest order - denying the voice of the people to be heard? 

By the way, I'm not that impressed with you's  guys' (New Jersey influence) bench; of the 3 Dem politicians I mentioned, currently 1 has a single digit IQ, another a double digit IQ and the third I guess 3-digits but you'd never know it (e.g., the state of the state California) - except he/she/it is the mother of all poster children for "phony career politician" (the superior performers in that category are usually pretty smart, no matter a D or R).

Jim Bedwell

Lowell,

I know Ric and Alvin Lee were not related, but maybe Ric IS a relation to Stagger or Robert E.?

By the way, what a group, what a song, and what a lead singer!! Sorry though for the fact that even at this early stage of rock n roll, you can understand ALL the words! I know how annoying that can be.

Jan Alexander

Ok , my opinion only.. 

If I had witnessed any of the ones you mentioned..Biden, Kamala, or Newsome refuse peacefully to give up their govenment position when it was over and disrupt the transfer of power or tell folks at a speech to "walk down to the Capitol” and “fight like hell” to “take back our country";  I wouldn't give a rats ass if they were banned from a future election ballot , whether the courts had come to a conclusion or not . You and I  know the truth....... It doesn't take a scholar to see the truth...  But since all is innocent till proven guilty....... the beat goes on and on... drags on forever..wasting everyone's time and money  for the proof to be in the pudding .

  I am looking forward to seeing the Supreme court's decision or decisions on this as well as the criminal cases Trump is facing.. It is all too complicated for me so we shall let the courts decide.. 

Some of you want more powers to be transferred to the states from  federal government influences , like the abortion issue.. so why is this different.?  Isn't it a state's right  to choose for themselves ?  Just putting this thought out there, not that I know the real answer..........Apparently , the state of Colorado has made a legal decision that Trump is guilty of "engaging" in a insurrection and to refusing to transfer power.

Just like you have to be age 35 and a natural born citizen to be president , you can't have participated in an insurrection against the United States. . 

Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment gives Congress the power to disqualify someone who has already held a public office from holding "any office" if they participate in an "insurrection or rebellion" against the United States.

the end

Jim Bedwell

Jan,

You should not believe what you get from the corrupt legacy media about the Orange Man. It's spin at best and just outright lies at worst. IT WAS NO INSURRECTION on January 6 (other than the normal Dem corruption of Pelosi, the Dem Mayor of DC, in denying the National Guard troops to Trump to PREVENT ANY TROUBLE  BEFORE the event, etc. ad nauseum). TRULY. We that watch Fox News have known all this for YEARS now.

I like what Benjamin Franklin said, "Where there is freedom, there is my country.".

Jerry May

I didn't know he did the blues!

David Cordell

Ha! Jim B. Here is a coincidence.

Martha and I were returning from a service project this evening, listening to  the '50s station on SiriusXM. The Platters' Only You came on. This is what I said to Martha. "You know I don't sing very well, but I can usually fake my way along with a record. But not with the Platters. I can't even get into the neighborhood. That guy can really sing." 

Then I got home and saw your post.

Jerry May

Budget nativity scene

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Went to get my eyes rechecked yesterday.  First for the pressure in each eye, which was "borderline" two months ago.  Second to get evaluated for cataract surgery.  First the bad news.  I have glaucoma.  Now the good news, it seems they caught before it got real bad.  I don't have pain, nor do I feel like I have lost significant peripheral vision - they will test this in six weeks.  The medication is simple, one drop in each eye before bed.  The bad news is this medication can turn the skin brown around the eyes and lids.  It can also cause thicker longer lashes (a perk?).  It can also result in thicker hair too, but I think this is long term.  They don't want to do cataract surgery because my cataracts are for the time, minor, plus there is the glaucoma to get in check first.

Oh, one more thing, the medication can darken your eye color.  Currently I have green eyes, which could over time, turn my eye color brown.   Better than going blind.

I have read that cataract surgery can help glaucoma if it can provide a new avenue to allow the pressure to be released in the eye.  It would depend upon the type of glaucoma I have.

Anyone of you have glaucoma?  Willing to share your experience with it here?

David Cordell

Sorry about the eye issue, Sandra. 

Aging ain't for sissies, but it beats the alternative, at least at this age. I will reevaluate in 30 years.

Kurt Fischer

Sandra:

My father had glaucoma from around age 35.  He used drops daily and eventually had surgery to insert little "valves" in the corner of his eyes to relieve the pressure.  He lived to around 83 and his eyesight stayed in the 20/20 range with little loss of peripheral vision. And his eyes stayed blue with no darkening of the skin around the eyes.  

Hopefully you won't suffer from the negative impacts described by your doctor.

By the way, when I had cataract surgery I chose to go the less expensive way with lenses correcting for my distance vision (mono-focal lenses).  I reasoned that I wore glasses for reading and computer work already, so I didn't need to address my near vision.  That worked out well in the sense I can see clearly in the distance now.  However, I should have listened more closely when the doc said the near vision might be worsened by the new lenses and the surgery.  I now need to use glasses for anything within my arm's reach.  Has resulted in a lot of muttering on my part each time I can't see nor squint like l did in the past. Just saying it might be worth paying the exorbitant cost of multi-focal lenses.

It's great you are addressing the glaucoma in its early stages.

Sandra Spieker (Ringo)

Kurt,

Your father's experience gives me some hope!  One of the  things they recommend to lessen the skin browining is the rinse the face after administering the drops, either wipe it off with a damp cloth or close your eyes and rinse it off.  This I will do for sure.  At least the drops don't sting and they are cheap, just over a dollar for six weeks with insurance.  I can deal with it regardless.  I might enjoy longer lashes and thicker hair too, just as long as I can see it!  LOL!

David,

My father used that saying all the time, "Getting old ain't for sissies!"  He had his issues too, compared to his, mine are a piece of cake.

Jim Bedwell

Thanks, Jerry, for reminding me that even the nativity scenes have gone to the dogs now......... but yeah, Alvin Lee like a lot of the British Invasion & thereafter was rooted in the blues, as we know. Thanks for that great clip; I've got a lot of his solo-career music.

At the only annual Big Blues Bender in Vegas that I've attended, 2019, Gary Hoey, ace guitarist born 1960, from Massachusetts told we the audience, "Blues fans are the best. After a 15-minute solo, they're sayin' 'Yeah..........' ".

Jim Bedwell

David C,

As Gutfeld often says, "You're welcome, America".

My music is mostly 1955-80, and my dad liked precious little of that. He liked the Platters, a couple of slow,  Elvis hits "Can't Help Falling in Love" & "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", and everything Sam Cooke did. I guess Lawrence Welk watchers like he was couldn't change much concerning music.