THEIR DEATHS
   2 dead after search for Sasquatch in Washington national forestPortland men, ages 59 and 37, found dead in Skamania County, Washington


Two men from Portland died searching for Sasquatch during Christmas week, according to officials.

Around 1 a.m. on Christmas Day, Skamania County Communications Center received a report from a family member of two people who were searching for Sasquatch and were missing after they had planned to return home on Dec. 24, according to the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO).

A "flock camera," also known as a license plate reader, located the men's car off of Oklahoma Road, near Willard, Washington, SCSO said.

Over three days, search and rescue resources, including more than 60 volunteers, canines, drones and ground search teams and a U.S. Coast Guard air asset searched for the men.


After a grueling, three-day search over difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, the 59-year-old male and 37-year-old-male, both from Portland, Oregon, who were reported missing/endangered were located, deceased, in a heavily wooded area of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest," the sheriff's office said on Facebook.

"Both deaths appear to be due to exposure, based on weather conditions and ill-preparedness," SCSO added.


The sheriff's office thanked the volunteers who spent Christmas week searching for the men through "freezing temperatures, snow, high water levels, heavy rain, downfall, and heavily wooded terrain," allowing the men to be taken home to their family.

"The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office extends our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the loved ones lost in this tragic incident," SCSO said.






The men's names were not released.

Back in 2019, a Travel Channel blog post said Washington was the "world's most active region" for Sasquatch sightings. Of particular note were the Blue Mountains and Okanogan County, which the Travel Channel wrote is "the locale of one of the most aggressive Bigfoot encounters ever recorded."

There are no magic ponies.

As requested, I won't contaminate the Laughy thread any further.

In shift, Trump downgrades soaring rhetoric on campaign promises

President-elect Trump on the campaign trail made grandiose promises to voters to bring down costs quickly, to end the war in Ukraine before he even took office and to use tariffs to bolster the U.S. economy and manufacturing.

Since winning November’s election, Trump has indicated delivering on those promises may not be as simple as advertised.

Trump in a recent “Meet the Press” interview said he could not guarantee tariffs would not lead to higher consumer prices.

He acknowledged in a Time magazine interview for his Person of the Year honor that it’s difficult to bring down the cost of groceries once they’ve gone up.

And in his first post-election press conference from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Trump suggested ending the war in Ukraine would be more difficult than easing tensions in the Middle East.

While Democrats and critics accused Trump of lowering expectations or signaling he would not deliver on his campaign promises, the Trump transition and other allies argued it was the president-elect shifting from sweeping campaign rhetoric to the nuances and realities of governing.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administrat...ficulties/

Here is this week's edition.  Some good ones.  I admit, some went right over my head (like the studying Latin one).

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2...dition.php

This is a big issue out there and is threatening to tear apart the MAGA alliance. The retard wing of the MAGA movement needs to get in line here. I may be the only one on this board who has dealt with this issue first hand as I have been hiring engineers for two decades. The shortage of technical talent in this country is a real thing and largely the result of the woke left trashing our educational system for several decades. Until this gets fixed, and it won't happen quickly, we need to import the talent to fill the needs, full stop.

I'm with DJT, Elon, and Vivek. The rest of ya'll can, as Elon states, "f*ck yourselves in the face!"

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8NEYMcj/

Quote:

We got Miami defensive players throwing hands on the sideline during the @PopTartsBowl

This game has everything pic.twitter.com/sgroLUOtZS

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) December 28, 2024

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Thanks in advance.

Sports broadcaster Greg Gumbel, 78, dies of cancer

Greg Gumbel, a veteran of CBS Sports who spent more than 50 years in sports broadcasting, has died of cancer at the age of 78, his family said Friday.

"He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer," his wife, Marcy Gumbel, and daughter, Michelle Gumbel, said in a joint statement released by CBS Sports. "Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace and positivity.

"He leaves behind a legacy of love inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten."


Greg Gumbel, pictured here before the 2021 men's national championship game between Gonzaga and Baylor, was a mainstay on CBS' NCAA tournament coverage. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998.

He signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties.

In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship.

David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Greg Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness.

"A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time," said Berson.

Gumbel joined ESPN in 1979, serving as an anchor for "SportsCenter" in addition to doing play-by-play during his time with the network.

Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998.

He hosted CBS' coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime.

But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS' NFL studio show, "The NFL Today" from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004.

He also called NFL games as the network's lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.

Does anyone want to share their favorite "Kwanza moment" from their childhood?

Anyone here ever had them in a bad way? I have never had one,  but my SIL has had them multiple times. He was in the hospital this morning and a CT scan supposedly showed he has a 4.7 cm (not mm) stone right now. This is the size of a freaking golf ball, which doesn't seem possible to me. He's on morphine and a urologist will be in tomorrow to determine what the next steps are.

How in the hell can you pass a stone this size? This causes me pain just thinking about it.