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Mr GC, I learned a long time ago that the more I learned, the less I knew. It fits with how science is used to understand what we can see and explain what may not yet see.
A long time ago, people used myth and fantasy to explain things they didn’t understand. One example was the Greeks didn’t understand much about how certain volcanic gasses could mess with your mind. They didn’t realize the Oracular powers that were “gifts” bestowed upon some people were actually the effect of low oxygen and high levels of hallucinogenic gas fumes that arose from volcanic fissures in the rock of certain temples. That resulted in lots of people rolling the dice on their futures depending on the ramblings of a doped up virginal priest. Who knew the Greeks were so easily fooled!?
Well, now we know better. At least a little.
We have better technologies and better processes for figuring things out. We’ve come a long way from smoking weird stuff, eating mushrooms, or sniffing fumes. We also, now know quite a bit more about how the real world works and in opening up our horizons, we see farther and deeper into the mysteries of our universe. It’s in those places where we encounter what we do not know and strive to learn ever more.
Go WolfPack! Smarter wolves and smarter community!
And… KKIAW!!!
GC, while I understand your reluctance to accept some of the more hyperbolic claims in a television show about science, there are many things in our world (our greater universe) that we still do not understand. Most scientists use the term “dark” as a reference to what we do not yet know. Scientist have observed details about the universe that are not easily explained by what we currently use as descriptors. Since they have no current descriptors, they use a term of art like “dark matter” or “dark energy.” It doesn’t mean they are making up “fudge factors.” Dark matter is simply an explanation for something that produces a gravitational effect that causes light to bend as observed by astronomers. The dark energy is used as an explanation for the more esoteric problem of expansion of the universe.
The continent of Africa used to be described by Europeans as “The Dark Continent” simply because they had very little knowledge of that unknown and huge place with so many people, cultures, and resources.
I’m unclear about just what the question about MJ was. Was the question, “Do fans really care about the person who plays for their team?” Or was the question “Do fans even care about a player’s character if that player produces wins on court?” I honestly don’t know the answers to the two questions. Another question I have is “Does coach Keatts intend to uplift his players and help mold them into better people regardless of their basketball careers?” I hope the answer to that is an emphatic “Yes!”
Here are some places that my wife and I have recently been to and really like:
Larkins on the Lake at Lake Lure has a nice view on the lake. Folks can tie up their boat and walk right up to sit at a table outside. The food is good at a decent price.
Olde Hickory Station at the heart of old downtown Hickory NC. Their French Toast is huge plus awesome. Their Appalachian Benedict and Coastal Benedict are both very tasty.
We also really like Flying Biscuit Cafe in Cameron Village. There’s no bad choice on the menu there.
This. It should be clear to everyone here now that the cheating, deception, and defrauding never ceased over there.
I’m glad to see posts from some of you old regulars here. I was wondering what sent y’all away. I know what did it for me was my total frustration at the quality of the play on the court/field. I eventually felt indifferent as a fan and stopped posting on this site and more importantly stopped caring to even listen to a game on the radio.
I still haven’t watched a football game in person or on TV this season. I’m unsure of what to expect when basketball season starts. I came back to lurking the forum here. You can call me a fickle/fair weather fan but as a State alum, I’ll always love being a member of the Wolfpack.
I must admit I heard of the “One with Wolfpack Football” series. If both football and basketball programs use this type of documentary/marketing approach, I believe they will succeed at attracting more interest from HS kids and even convince them to commit to State. These episodes are like having an insider view of the life inside the program (player and coach). It’s given me more appreciation of what Doeren thinks and is doing with the program. It’s really heartwarming to hear the stories of the other coaches and what they bring to the program. I like what I’ve seen and it is beginning to show on the field with W’s. Perhaps, “Going Forward”, I’ll feel better about watching a football/basketball after the ND game. Not sure if I’ll listen or watch. It’s a coin toss right now.
Oh! There was a game last night?! I’m waiting to hear about our winning performance. So far, it’s a losing effort this season and no matter how much anyone tries to sugarcoat anything, this program is a horrific dumpster fire. I didn’t watch and am not surprised to hear we lost. I’m a bit surprised to find out Anya did not even travel. I suppose, he’s in a supersized dog house for now. Who else gets their own dog house next? Maybe it would be better to put the scrubs out on the court first and try to wear the other team out a little before putting in the second stringers. I look forward to football season.
My apathy is running at full blast 11 right now. I was aware of the game last night but didn’t bother turning on the TV until late in the second half. I fully expected our team would be down 10 points. I was pleasantly surprised to see us up by 7. Then I learned we were up by double digits and were right in the middle of a total collapse. As the game and lead dwindled down. I kept feeling the crushing disappointment of missed freethrows. When time ran out and overtime began, I turned off my TV because I could already see the game was lost. I may not watch basketball the rest of this season. I’m so done with watching this “dumbster fire.”
I’m not even sure how I feel about the win against Pitt. I feel like we are deep in the “Pit of Despair” and that only reminds me of the most excellent analysis by JackWolf: A Defensive Breakdown – Pt III along with Parts I & II.
Has any of our players’ defense improved versus what JackWolf pointed out to us about a month or so ago? I’m inclined to believe very little has changed and that our basketball woes will continue until “someone” decides to focus on coaching defense and fundamentals of boxing out plus an emphasis on hustle. I agree with some others’ comments that a coach or two in our neighborhood would bench a player for not hustling and/or poor play. I gave our coach the benefit of the doubt over the years when the team depth was suspect. I can’t give him the benefit of doubt any more. C’mon Coach! If a player isn’t giving 100%, put in the next guy. I’d rather watch scrubs giving it their bestest instead of so-called “Top Recruits****” heaving stupid sh*# at the rim and heaving up and down the floor.
I don’t know what to think about the recent “energy/intensity” some of us witnessed in this last game. I’ll believe our players have bought in when they bring that intensity to every game. That includes our coaching staff. Otherwise, I as a fan and alum will phone it in just like our coaches and players have so far. I’d rather do something productive with my time and money instead of attend/watch/or even listen to our games all the while feeling frustrated at the poor product on display. I hope our current coach is understanding the situation with the fanbase. We have voted with our feet and the PNC arena shows it.
xphoenix87, you have managed to verbalize all the frustrations I have felt as I watched our teams under Gottfried. I wondered over the years if it was the nature of the modern players coming up from AAU ball to no longer care about defense or if it was the system (or lack thereof) that didn’t stress good defense. I now believe it’s the coaches who are not pushing the defensive skills development. All that ultimately falls at the feet of the head coach. I have found myself having a hard time watching these games lately. I keep hoping they get better by the time conference games roll around. I still shake my head at the prospect of just squeaking into the NCAA tourney. It seems to be the path that Gottfried’s teams follow each year.
Trump is gonna make America great again. So, yeah, that’s different than, “Progress, comrades”
I wonder what the basis of comparison is for “great.” When was america great? What is not so great now? What is your definition of “Greatness?” I really would like to hear the opinions of SFN folks.
I personally think America has not lost its greatness. But perhaps I am thinking of greatness in terms different from others.
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”
– Isaac Asimov“If it’s a choice between a difficult truth and a simple lie, people will take the lie every time. Even if it kills them.”
– Paul MurrayWillful ignorance is the source of most of our troubles. We choose to allow others to make choices for us, then we complain that our lives are worse off because of those decisions. I pose a challenge to you to make your life better by choosing to know more today than you did yesterday.
“I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”
– Abraham LincolnOn StateRed’s comments about everyone out there lies: I think there’s a lot of resources of truth out there too. With regard to culture and politics, I suggest readings from the various supreme court justices throughout America’s history. (Books by supreme court justices) Regarding nature and climate change: try ignoring the media and read directly the scientific literature. There are many sites which host scientific papers which represent the actual knowledge the scientific world uses to understand our greater world.
Climate Change perspectives If you choose to read and believe left-wing or right-wing media outlets, then don’t be surprised when the truth of reality slaps either side’s distorted views.I am of the persuasion that our world will continue spinning and orbiting the sun whether mankind takes care of it or not. If you believe we were put here to do what we want with what we have here on earth, then by all means go do it. There are others who believe God put us here to care for our world. “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet?” Ezekiel 34:18
Merry christmas, Y’all!
I suspect you are at that place where the only thing left is to take a can of gasoline and splash it all over yourself then strike a match.
Sq1Wolf, seriously wtf kind of statement is that? Something amiss? Did I strike a nerve? Explain.
StateRed, If you are going to make broad generalizations like “Taxes, spending, politics, economics, immigration, terrorism, trade, crime, climate change, healthcare, etc, etc, etc….lies, lies lies.” You are either convinced that no one is telling you the truth or that there is nothing worth believing. Either way, you are arguing from a perspective that suggests you see no hope of obtaining the truth about this world we live in. If that is the case, you are in a hopeless place.
My dad once told me, “People who are absolutely certain that everyone else is wrong are probably the furthest from reality.” I hope you are only saying these things to stir the pot.
Merry Christmas
Go down the list of the information we receive from the government or the media. Taxes, spending, politics, economics, immigration, terrorism, trade, crime, climate change, healthcare, etc, etc, etc….lies, lies lies.
Proof?
here ya go cupcake, how many lies do you want to read about?
StateRed. You assert that all these sources of information are just “lies, lies, lies” and that one should also not rely on college professors to help one understand the greater world we live in. I’m a bit surprised you reference the Wall Street Journal. You might as well have referenced 4chan. Nevertheless, WSJ is after all, a member of that hateful set of media some of us seem to like to whip on.
I wonder who is believable to you. If scientists, engineers, journalists, and other folks who may be seeking the truth are unworthy of your respect, what is left to do? I suspect you are at that place where the only thing left is to take a can of gasoline and splash it all over yourself then strike a match. Otherwise, I strongly suggest taking a chill pill and go talk to some smart and thoughtful people (I’d suggest some local college professors, but you might reject that) who you can believe will have an honest truthful conversation with you about the complex reality of our world. That may inspire you to do something constructive. As an example, I prefer to go volunteer at a local organization that helps homeless families move out of shelters into transitional apartments and ultimately into their own homes. I hope we all do more for our communities and keep a humble perspective on where we each are in life.
By the way… Merry Christmas.
Off the cuff I’d say if your parents are citizens OR legal immigrants and you were both in the US then you aren’t an immigrant (i.e. you are a citizen of the US). My personal feelings are children of illegal immigrants should not be afforded US citizenship just by virtue of being born here.
Under United States law, U.S. citizenship is automatically granted to any person born within and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. This includes US territories and when both parents are US Citizens living outside US jurisdiction. We would have to change our laws regarding birthright citizenship to disallow children born in the US to immigrants who are not themselves legally here.
This is just my opinion:
I prefer the right of citizenship be conferred after each person satisfies a test that ensures they understand what the US Constitution means and how to be a proper fully participating citizen. I think this will ensure we have a fully qualified electorate and that they will make sure their representatives are working for the country’s best interests. All others including children who have not taken the test yet are categorized as Pre-Citizen/Immigrant (legal immigrant working toward citizenship), youth, State Subject/Mentally incapacitated or ward of the state, prisoner, or foreign visitor. None of these categories of people have a right to vote and have limited rights since they are not a voting citizen.Mexicans are illegally flooding the country to do jobs that those on welfare won’t do. So there’s the first place to start.
What percentage of the working age, able-bodied population is on welfare?
VAWolf82, I don’t know who on welfare is willing (or able) to do the backbreaking work that migrant workers do for our economy. Many of these folks live a migrant life following the crops from region to region and season to season. If they do not do this, and work at the wages they currently accept, our farmers would be forced to hire more expensive labor or invest in expensive automated machinery. I honestly do not know where our farmers will find willing farm hands to do this work. I doubt they can go into the SocSec office to hire folks in line who have the physical abilities and skills to do this work. Ultimately, the cost is borne by us the consumers in higher prices at the market. Another argument some folks make is to raise the minimum wage for jobs like these. That might get able-bodied workers interested in these jobs. Perhaps it will but there is the same outcome to consider in that our expenses at the grocery store will go up and other economic consequences that I cannot imagine may arise. Ultimately, even if we seal our borders, we need help in the fields, cheap labor in the back of our restaurants, cheap labor in the loading bays and warehouses. It’s not complicated mental work but I believe we have fewer citizens willing to do that work because we’ve trained ourselves to see it as beneath us.
I am astounded at the breadth of conversations in this thread. Commentary on politics started this thread. Some of us are pleased with some election outcomes while others are worried for our state and national future. We cover points of religion as to how christian or buddhist we may be (notwithstanding the possibility that jewish or muslim tenets of faith may also coincide with good faithful behavior in other faiths.) We tickle some folks on society’s and individual’s responsibility to each other. We then follow up on the vagaries of government regulation and enforcement. This is why I like lurking and reading the posts on this site. I have only one suggestion. Whether you believe in conservative or liberal principles or any other political leanings, I would hope you get familiar with the economic theory behind the “Tragedy of the Commons.” This is a real world problem that applies to many circumstances in which there are known or limited resources that are available to the public or a set of commensurate consumers. Garrett Hardin wrote a paper published in Science in 1968 and used an example of common grazing land with regard to a set of herd(s) animals by multiple owners who use the land in their own interest. His ultimate point was that if each individual acted in their own self interest, the collective use of the common grazing land would render that grazing resource unsustainable. Another good example is the overfishing of the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. Fishermen saw the resource as boundless and took as much cod as they could catch. Modernization of fishing techniques allowed greater harvesting yields and ultimately the fishermen were competing with each other to produce greater catches. This led to the collapse of the cod fish population and the demise of the fishing industry in the northeast.
I don’t profess to know the answers to all problems. I think collectively, we can make progress toward a better life for ourselves and our children as long as we have an eye on the big picture. My pet peeve with most political arguments (liberal or conservative) has been the short term view of our world and our resources. We have experienced the tragedy of the commons many times over and sometimes we take the lesson and make progress. I’ve come to the conclusion that most conservatives like my brother-in-law say short quips like “I just want a smaller government” and have nothing to say about how anything else can be resolved. Likewise, I have heard my liberal friends say that there isn’t enough protection for the public against corporate interests and “we need more regulations.” I try to see a bigger picture beyond those simplistic arguments. I know some of you have careers that interacted directly with both ends of the political spectrum. I have seen the world from a data perspective in healthcare, military, and corporate. It’s all a crapshoot when we don’t work together. I know our interests are best served when we agree to work from a perspective that sees the big picture. Otherwise we are doomed to fall into the trap of the tragedy of the commons and the “commons”==”earth.”
Sometimes I think the approach to caring for our less fortunate brothers and sisters is based on a zero sum game or calculus where one person’s wealth or fortune is enhanced at the cost to another. As I grew up, I had questions about how some of my “Republican” friends saw the poor as leeches on society, the druggies as a drain and cancer on our society, and that the indigent are too expensive a burden on our healthcare system. Perhaps if we turned the perspective over (or inside out) and looked at the cost of not caring for our fellow citizens. A good analogue to such a perspective can be exemplified by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita striking New Orleans. A set of berms, levees and other flood management systems were put in place many years earlier by the Army Corps of Engineers. As time passed, local and federal government failed to maintain these systems to keep them updated and functioning to the needs of the citizenry in case of emergency. “We” failed to care for our citizens and protect their lives/property by spending a relatively minor amount of money distributed over the years. That money was not apportioned and the work to maintain the systems was either forgotten or derided as a waste of good money. We all can remember that the flooding from breaks in the levees generated a much larger set of expenses in rescue, cleanup, and recovery which we are still paying in some way nowadays. Some parts of the NOLA community are still not fully recovered. I see our society’s choices to ignore or redirect appropriate care of our citizens as a similar loss of opportunity to reduce costs down the road. When a person or child is confronted with an unsafe or perilous environment, they are at risk for injury. When a child is confronted with a drug ridden environment because her parents are so poor they cannot afford to move out even while working several jobs to feed the family, she is at risk for becoming a drug user or victim of one. When a mentally ill person is too sick to recognize their own illness and is unable to seek help or too poor to afford such help, they are at risk to become a victim of violence, crime, or they themselves become violent and perhaps act in criminal ways. I recognize that some people see these scenarios as the product of choices these people made. I challenge that idea. Children do not pick their parents and the circumstances into which they are born. Mental illness strikes all people in all strata of society. Good, upstanding people can become addicted to drugs as a result of poor medication management by their care giver. We’ve heard of celebrities becoming addicted to painkillers. That happens far too often to people who are not celebrities. As with maintaining systems to protect our life and property like those levees in NOLA, I think we ought to consider the protections we can build for our society as a rational and cost-effective way of reducing our risk to higher costs down the road. I prefer to keep my money and manage it for myself and family. However, I also recognize that investing a little in ourselves and our fellow citizens can lead to greater wealth for all of us. Some of it realized as actual income while the rest of it realized as averted expenses. Had we spent a little bit on better berms and levees, we would not have had to spend as much on catastrophic rescues and recovery. I prefer to see healthcare and other forms of care in our society for the destitute and ill as an investment to avert greater costs.
I see Rick’s point of view as coming from someone who fits the mold of fiscal conservative. I do not assume I know any more than what he writes. I hope that the points I make can be appreciated from such a perspective as his.
I hope some of us can expand our understanding with conversations such as what we have been sharing here.
shut down Planned Parenthood which helped set off an HIV outbreak
I am sure there is another side to this story but even if it is true how is it Pence’s fault people are screwing like cats in heat? Misplaced blame is a hallmark of the left.
Rick, there is another side to this story. You and perhaps many other folks assume that HIV is primarily a sexually transmitted disease (thus it’s the fault of all those sinners screwing in Indiana.) When Gov. Pence and the state legislature reduced Indiana’s health care expenditures, they effectively shut down Planned Parenthood’s operations in Scott county. Yay for the conservatives. Unfortunately, there was an unintended consequence to this socially conservative victory. Planned Parenthood was the only provider of HIV testing in all of a particular Indiana county (Scott Co.) This resulted in a public health blackout regarding the recognition of the spread of drug use related HIV and of course sexually transmitted HIV. That lack of available testing and consequently no data, resulted in an explosion of costs in the acute care of HIV cases in that county and across the state of Indian as other care facilities became involved in the care of the growing HIV infected population. That created skyrocketing healthcare costs for the state. All that was in the name of social and fiscal conservativism. Sometimes little victories lead to great losses.
Thank you for the information. I still don’t know the whole story (i.e. why they cancelled PP) but I don’t see how you can blame Pence for other people’s actions. I was raised that actions have consequences. When I make a mistake I don’t blame other people. It seems society is slowly changing where everyone wants to blame others instead of taking responsibility.Does it suck that people caught HIV? Absolutely. Does it suck that health care costs skyrocketed? For sure. Could it have been avoided? Yes (I bet you and I differ on how it could be avoided). But is it Pence’s fault? No it’s the fault of the people that do risky activities. I guess we will not see eye to eye on this. Maybe its generational.
Rick, I have no qualms about assigning personal responsibility to the folks who get HIV or get high using shared needles and become infected with HIV from those dirty needles. I suppose we can blame most of the world’s ills on a lack of personal responsibility. However, regarding the overall care of our citizenry, I suppose we have to choose as a society what we are willing to tolerate socially and fiscally. Our society has to make a choice on what it will do for the folks who are poor, uneducated, ill-advised, smart but making poor choices, or unlucky in circumstances. Do we treat all of them as pariahs and ignore them until they die? Do we jail them for not conforming to the ideals of our society? Do we provide some basic services like a social safety net of some sort? Does any of this fit what we want our country to be? I personally think we are better people than we have been advertised to be and we have proof of this written into our constitution and its preamble. That still leaves open the question of how do we take care of our citizens? I prefer to be hopeful that the unfortunate among us can rely on an established and reasonable level of care offered by our local and federal governments that “promote(s) the general welfare” of our citizens.
shut down Planned Parenthood which helped set off an HIV outbreak
I am sure there is another side to this story but even if it is true how is it Pence’s fault people are screwing like cats in heat? Misplaced blame is a hallmark of the left.
Rick, there is another side to this story. You and perhaps many other folks assume that HIV is primarily a sexually transmitted disease (thus it’s the fault of all those sinners screwing in Indiana.) When Gov. Pence and the state legislature reduced Indiana’s health care expenditures, they effectively shut down Planned Parenthood’s operations in Scott county. Yay for the conservatives. Unfortunately, there was an unintended consequence to this socially conservative victory. Planned Parenthood was the only provider of HIV testing in all of a particular Indiana county (Scott Co.) This resulted in a public health blackout regarding the recognition of the spread of drug use related HIV and of course sexually transmitted HIV. That lack of available testing and consequently no data, resulted in an explosion of costs in the acute care of HIV cases in that county and across the state of Indian as other care facilities became involved in the care of the growing HIV infected population. That created skyrocketing healthcare costs for the state. All that was in the name of social and fiscal conservativism. Sometimes little victories lead to great losses.
TAT here’s what I can offer regarding the items you listed in the OP.
1. We can all thank (insert current Prez’s name here) for the state of disarray we perceive our world to be in. It’s a fact that each and every president is at fault for every woe that befell our nation while they were in office. Of course, it’s also a fact that they will lay claim to the good fortunes that propel our nation forward. Unfortunately, neither is a fact based on truth.
2. The basketball court floor is shiny and new. Yay! Oh look a squirrel! Oh wait, what was I talking about? Can we just win and let the record speak for itself?
3. Football — see item 2 above.
4. Raised bed gardens: first you have to dig a trench a bit below the original ground level. I’d recommend going about 8 to 10 inches below surface level. You might want to decide how big each bed should be. I recommend a 4ft by 4 ft square. It makes for easy reach into the space without stepping into the dirt if you don’t have to. I’m sure you can decide on what kind of lumber to use for your bedding walls. I suggest 2×6 or 2×8 boards bolted onto a 4×4 brace in each corner of the bed. Keeping everything level is easy. Just use a level. You can eyeball it too but I don’t think anyone is going to critique you too much for having a slightly off level garden bed.
5. MLB – I don’t much care for the pros.
6. Summer is always better when you can get out on the water. I prefer sailing on Jordan Lake.
Cheers!
don’t be a fool.
If I were a high schooler with this level of talent, I think it would be hard to deny choosing KU over NCSU especially with the recent track record the Jayhawks have in the NCAA tourney.
I was an undergrad in the late 80s and had several Math and German classes in that building. I don’t remember taking a dump in Harrelson, but I do remember it being confusing whenever I ran up the ramp and popped out into that circular hall not know which way to turn to get to my class.
1.21JGW – This data is the best way to present what I and other fans have been unable to express when watching our team struggle through frustrating moments, stretches within a game, or whole games. I wonder if our coaching staff looks at their data in this way (or just as well sees this data you present) and comes to understand where “the system/team” needs to be better developed. I also wonder if the coaching staff/Gottfried is so single minded in philosophy with regard to focusing only on offense at the expense of defensive preparation. I doubt any good coach and his staff would leave such a glaring hole in their preparation of a team. When I see videos of the previous Wolfpack teams play with such defensive tenacity, I can’t stop the questions running through my mind like “What if we played that hard on defense nowadays?” or “Would we still be dancing if we played defense at all?” Is this simply a generational difference? Do players now just not have the same set of fundamental skills that we witnessed back in the 70s,80s?
