This basketball transfer season is just nuts once again with players ane coaches all moving around before the season is done. It really takes away from the NCAA Tournament.

For basketball (men's & women's) the portal shouldn't open until after the National Championship game. Perhaps let it open the second day after that game.

Now this part goes for all sports that start in the Fall Semester and carry over to the Spring Semester. If a player is going to transfer, allow them to take "incompletes" on whatever they're enrolled in for the Spring semester I'd they choose and allow them move to their next school right away. Sure they won't be able to enroll in classes, but they can move asap and join the program without being in Spring classes. They all already take Summer classes so they should be able to be eligible if enrolled in Summer classes. Let the kids leave and start working with the programs they'll be at for the next season. With the amount of money being spent, making these kids sit around and miss Spring Ball practices is goofy.

I'll add this, if you transfer and go to a new program and take part in their Spring Ball practices but then want to transfer before the season starts...you get hit with missing a year. ***By this I mean if someone transfers in for Spring Ball but then wants to transfer after Spring Semester finishes...this would be trying to transfer twice between seasons.***

Thoughts?

Just a heads up that Cody Canada and The Departed will be @ Peoples in Des Moines this Saturday Night. Cody is the former lead singer of the now tragically defunct CCR.

Back in the early 90s, a family friend brought over a cassette tape of this band called The Hard Boys. It was basically the equivalent of what 2 Live Crew was to the rap world. They were funny, and had a bit of a country sound to their music as well. I have been searching the internet from time to time over the last 7 or 8 years, trying to find out anything I could about this band. No luck. A few months back, I found a music msg board where a couple of people had been looking for info on this band. I have been e-mailing back in forth with these people and a couple other people have e-mailed me and none of them know anything about this band and either. A lady e-mailed me recently and said she knew that the band was from southern Iowa, and recorded 2 albums in Indianola in the early 90s. This is all the info I have right now. Has anyone heard of them? I would really like to know the band members names and any other info I can find out. My goal is to track down a band member to see if it is ok that I build them a website so other people can enjoy their music as much as I have for 20 + years. Thanks in advance

We haven’t had the pleasure of watching this young (and I mean young) lady play in the states. Is she ready for the pros? That’s a wait and see in my opinion, but she sure is fun to watch. Malonga is uber talented for a 6’6” post and projected to be #2 in the draft. Her biggest detriment is going to be physicality. Personally, I think doing the college route would have been good for her development. Going to be fun to see how she gets along.

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What are movies you have always liked or loved yet still every time you visit it again you think it’s actually better than the last time you watch it and it’s aged incredibly well.

Mine I just started watching for the umpteenth time is Michael Clayton. Seriously might be a top ten movie ever for me. And the fact it came out the same year as No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood is crazy. Three all timers.

I had a catered work lunch last week and the company brought in a highly touted local pizza. It was New York Style and fairly expensive. The pizza was New York Style and was one of the worst I have ever had. It was worse than thin crust Totinos frozen cheese pizza from my ISU years.

This lead me down a rabbit hole. Do most people really think NY style pizza is so good?

Here is a comprehensive webpage I found comparing common pizza styles in the US.:

Guide to American Pizzas: 7 Most Popular Pizza Types in the USA

• American Style Pizza
• New York Style Pizza
• New Haven Pizza
• Sicilian Pizza
• Detroit Style Pizza
• Chicago Deep Dish Pizza
• Midwest Style Pizza (Bar/Tavern Style Pizza)

American Style Pizza:
"American-style pizza typically has a round shape with medium thickness, a relatively low dough hydration, and a dense and chewy texture. The dough often contains a higher
percentage of vegetable oil and sugar, and it is usually baked in a conveyor oven. The tomato sauce is usually heavily seasoned, and the pizza is generously topped with standard toppings, as the relatively thick crust can easily support them. The cheese used can be mozzarella or other types, including cheese substitutes (god forbid)"

New York Style Pizza:
"A classic New York pizza, also known as a “New York slice,” is a thin and chewy pizza with a diameter of 40-50cm or 16″-20″. It is cut into eight equal slices and baked in deck ovens at around 300C/570F directly on the oven’s stone for about 7 minutes. The dough is made from high-gluten flour, and grated dry mozzarella cheese (whole milk low moisture, or WMLM mozzarella) is used. It is typically sold by the slice and usually reheated when ordered for eating “on the go.”"

New Haven Pizza:
"The New Haven pizza is known for its well-done doneness and is characterized by its flat crust and charred bottom. It is typically large, never perfectly circular, and sliced into small pieces (usually 16 slices or more, depending on the pizza’s size). Unlike the New York Slice, which is sold by the slice, the New Haven pizza is only available as a whole pizza for dine-in or delivery."

Sicilian Pizza:
"Sicilian pizza is characterized by a relatively thick crust with a crispy bottom and a soft, chewy, and relatively dense crumb, which slightly resembles bread or focaccia. The toppings on the Sicilian pizza vary, ranging from plain tomatoes and cheese to combinations of vegetables and meats."

Detroit Style Pizza:
"Detroit pizza is renowned for its thick, soft crust and is typically served in large squares. What sets Detroit pizza apart from other styles is the “crown” of caramelized cheese that covers the entire crust. Describing or comparing the taste and texture of this caramelized cheese are hard to describe or compare to any other pizza or food."

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza:
"The deep dish pizza is generously topped with a thick layer of sauce and toppings, with the sauce always placed on top of the cheese and toppings. This gives it the appearance of a pie rather than a traditional pizza. It is traditionally eaten using a knife and fork, as it is considered a dish in its own right. The assembly of a deep dish pizza involves placing the cheese directly on the dough, followed by additional toppings if desired. On top of the toppings, a chunky-textured sauce made from crushed tomatoes is added, and grated hard cheese such as Pecorino or Parmesan can be sprinkled on top of the sauce."

Midwest Style Pizza:
"Midwest-style pizza is round and has a thin, flat crust. The sauce tends to be thick and slightly sweet, made from crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, or a combination of both. The toppings vary depending on the region and the specific type of pizza. Some well-known sub-styles of Midwest -style pizza include tavern/bar style pizza, Chicago thin crust, and St. Louis style pizza."

I've created a group for all of us TS fans to create a bracket for the tournament. One entry per person. All just for fun and maybe bragging rights. Join in!

Can someone confirm to me how arbitrage betting is reported for taxes?

So if I bet both sides of the money line

Team A - bet $100 Profit $110
Team B - bet $100 Profit $110

I've locked in a profit of $10 profit but for tax purposes do I

Report winnings of $10

or

Report winnings of $110 and a $100 itemized loss.

Thanks

I don’t quite follow all of the connections, but okay…

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Anyone got a recommendation for a good landscaper type around Linn Co? The pavers around the edges of our patio are loosening because the edging restraints are coming up. Just looking for someone who knows what they are doing to come in and bring the patio back to good. Thanks in advance.

- Rory & The Masters
- Nico plays himself
- @CycloneSB is on a heater
- Tony Stewart & more here from @cfchangs9

He was so so so so bad.

SIAP

Anyone else experiencing the live channel preference list not the same across all your devices? My LG TV, and computer are not the same. I get channels for kids shows and hispanic shows that I don't even have on my save preference list all of the sudden showing up on my TV. My computer has "moved" a few channels around. I set my channel preference up on my Iphone when I first got YTTV. Just really perplexed by it.

This never gets old!
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With dwarfism, who tried to kill them.

https://5newsonline.com/2019/10/13/...-woman-with-dwarfism-wwho-tried-to-kill-them/

My wife and I are looking to get away for a long weekend in the middle of October and are trying to come up with ideas. I’m looking for any recommendations on places for a 3-4 day weekend trip (within the US) that you’ve been on and enjoyed.

I am so pumped! I can’t wait to see them live again soon.
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We bought an in-ground basketball hoop from ****'s (delivery for tomorrow) but they didn't have a contractor install addon available. Does anybody know a couple guys that would install (dig hole, cement it in, mount backboard, etc) in Waukee?

My company is plunging headlong into using AI and we're all tasked with becoming familiar with the ways it can help us, both as a business tool and personally. What are your go-to tools and uses?

I've started using it for more complex queries I would usually go to Google for. I've also used it to create performance review goals. I've played with generative AI for images, Teams backgrounds, custom-written songs, turning a document into a podcast, and of course, dirty limerick composition.

How about you?

As we hit the final day of major college athletics until fall, I thought it would be a good time to ask this.

We have threads on each of these topics, and every decently long thread has one or more sub streams or conversations about issues, opinions, etc that circle back to semi-unrelated "gripes". I'm interested in seeing what people would choose if they could say 3 things they dislike, hate, is turning them off, etc the most with college athletics. I'm guessing NIL will be on the vast majority of lists so if you want to add a 4th, that's ok.

What are your 3 biggest "gripes" or "old man takes" on college athletics today.

A Few Examples:

• Selling alcohol
• Commercials
• Length of games
• Black uniforms
• Game times
• NIL (will be nearly universal)
• Change from student-first to semi-pro
• Open transfers
• Realignment (changes to who we play)
• Number of games or length of season
• Playoff construct
• March Madness construct
• Number of scholarships
• Recruiting process
• Ranking systems (AP, CFP, Coaches, etc)
• Crowd trends
• Streaming options, setup, etc
• Divisions vs Pods vs ?
• Etc

To help, this is mine...

I'm baking NIL into it so that is just a table stake hate for me.

1 - Football O/D Line Pre-Snap - I hate the amount of false start inducing movements and pre-snap hijinks now allowed on the defensive side when the offensive side can't even fart. I don't know the solution, I just hate seeing Offensive false starts because they blink when a LB starts running and lunging at them pre-snap.

2 - Realignment - Who we play and how often we play them used to be one of the most foundational aspects of fandom. Emotions were tied to each of your conference foes because of history. Rivalries should always be natural, not contrived (like Iowa vs Nebraska on Black Friday).

3 - Sport/Season Alignment - This is selfish and I know not practical for many reasons, but I'd love it if college football was August to January (add 2 regular season games maybe). Once that ended, basketball would then start and finish in late May. Those are the only sports I really care about and it seems like you miss part of the joy of BB starting when FB is still going with a lot on the line, and I hate the stretch from MBB to FB starting again.

This is actually fun as hell. Gave ChatGPT a prompt to create a toy figure of me based on a referenced image I included in the ask and told it what supporting items I wanted included and these are what it spit out.

Pretty cool honor as it “ brought together 19 of the nation's top women's basketball student-athletes for four days of interactive, informative and future-enhancing sessions and workshops designed to aid their transition from college basketball to professional careers."

Thanks so much to @wxman1 for this topic! Your example is so perfect, I'm SO sorry to take it, but here's how wxman1 wrote it:

So we enjoy the show Friends and last night an episode we had on was the one where they realize that condoms are not 99% effective. For whatever reason this time I started thinking. Stuff along the lines of "wait designing, testing etc. condoms are actual jobs." Who are these people? What do you put on your resume? What do you tell people that you do?" and the like.

Then I got to thinking what are other jobs that you can't believe are actual jobs and how do those that have them explain them away sort of thing?