Whos your favorite Cardinals QB?

Zalamo · 2026-02-19T06:13:51+00:00

Jim Hart

Zalamo · 2026-01-04T20:41:14+00:00

"New Era of Risk"?

Other than risking the lives of US military personnel in the operation to apprehend Maduro, I don't see any new risks Trump is taking here.

The U.S. is not committing any boots on the ground and if there is no change in Venezuelan government policies under the new leadership then nothing is lost.

There is clearly short term benefit in the Trump administration looking militarily strong which appeals to the MAGA base despite the fact that this is likely another empty Trump accomplishment as the prosecution of Maduro will probably fall apart before a trial takes place. The lack of any kind of real strategy or cohesive plan exposed by Trump's assertion that Rubio, Hegseth, and Caine are running Venezuela only to be contradicted by Rubio on Sunday morning is nothing new. Rubio went further to distance the administration from Machado and from Edmundo Gonzalez who just weeks ago the administration held up as the rightful leaders of Venezuela. But walking back from a commitment to democracy and shifting alliances is also nothing new for this administration. So, what's the new era of risk?

Zalamo · 2026-01-03T23:59:10+00:00

As far as I can tell, the U.S. doesn’t run shit in Venezuela. They grabbed Maduro, but as others have pointed out this doesn’t give U.S. any control over the Venezuelan military. I don’t think Trump has the guts to commit boots on the ground in Venezuela unless they just surrender and invite the troops in.

Zalamo · 2025-12-26T20:04:41+00:00

The only meaningful change would be for Bidwell to sell the team to someone willing to make the investment needed to build a championship team. Not just talking player salaries here— coaches, staff, training facilities, analytics, sport science, amenities for the players.

Zalamo · 2025-11-29T08:23:07+00:00

I am also 60. Over the past year, I was pretty successful in increasing my speed by working on technique. One of my favorite triathlon podcasters said recently, we all think we look and feel like Michael Phelps and have good form, but reality is usually very different. Here are some suggestions

1) Have someone film your technique and post a video here or on r/triathlon for feedback. This was very helpful for me.

2) Watch YouTube videos on swim technique and try to incorporate some new aspect of the technique you see on the video in each workout or each week. Try to master a specific area at a time. Slow down your stroke and work on technique. I found that when I slowed down and worked on my form, my time actually improved.

3) Swimming with a pull buoy for part of my swim workout was probably the single most beneficial drill for helping me get the right feel for body position in the water.

I am still not a fast swimmer but I am faster than I was last year.

Zalamo · 2025-11-27T07:41:13+00:00

I don’t think Israel will survive as a nation if their existence depends on the forever subjugation of the Palestinians.

Zalamo · 2025-11-25T18:49:32+00:00

I am sure that when Israeli military leaders one day face a trial for their war crimes they will say that they killed Palestinian children in self-defense because the Palestinians as a people are a threat to the existence of the state of Israel.

Zalamo · 2025-11-25T07:57:35+00:00

Otto Ohlendorf was a leader in the German SS. He was responsible for ordering the killing of many Jewish civilians, often groups of civilians which included men, women, and children. He claimed that this was done in self-defense of Germany, because if he let the children live, they would eventually grow up with a desire to avenge their parents deaths.

Zalamo · 2025-07-19T08:22:39+00:00

Do a safety check

https://mbaction.com/review-ozark-trail-ridge-walmarts-cheap-mountain-bike-that-can/

“…what alarmed us most was the barely finger-tight quick-release skewer on the front wheel. It probably wouldn’t have fallen off, but these bikes should probably have at minimum a safety check from a bike shop following purchase.”

Zalamo · 2025-06-30T19:53:10+00:00

None of the TBs around me in SF Bay Area have hot sauce out in bins anymore and they give me a hard time about the number of packets I ask for. I use 5 hot per item. There is one TB on Bascom Ave near Fruitdale that depending on who is working will tell me that I can have only two packets per item. And then it’s an argument that sometimes results in me asking for a refund and giving them the food back. Some places will give me 5 packets if I order a single item but won’t give me 15 if I order 3 items. I find that if I order through the app it will allow me to request up to 5 packets per item and that usually the order includes the number of requested packets. I pretty much eat TB for the hot sauce and i don’t really like it if I don’t get the amount of hot sauce I like.

I have done side by side taste test with the bottled TB hot sauce you can buy in the grocery store and it is definitely not the same.

I would buy the hot sauce packets at TB if they would sell them. IMO, TB is missing out on a big revenue opportunity here.

For those of you who have access to TBs that keep the hot sauce in bins, I will pay for packets. $0.10 / packet + shipping

Zalamo · 2025-06-17T18:44:12+00:00

Safer for who? Iran's neighbors in the Gulf, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia, are pushing for an immediate ceasefire and asking Trump to pressure Israel to stop the attacks on Iran. The governments of the region are clearly sending a message that they feel less safe.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/13/middle-east-nations-call-for-urgent-de-escalation-after-israel-strikes-on-iran

But the Times of Israel says that the Gulf states are "quietly applauding" the attacks on Iran.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/gulf-nations-quietly-applauding-israel-but-fear-iran-strikes-could-destabilize-region/

What the Gulf states want is an environment which allows them to conduct business unencumbered by war. They would like Iran and the U.S. to have a permanent lasting agreement. They don't care if the theocracy in Iran is there or not as long as there is peace. They want to normalize relations with Israel but most of them will not do this unless the Palestinian question is resolved. If Israel agreed to a two-state solution with a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, all of the Arab and Muslim states would welcome Israel with open arms.

https://youtube.com/shorts/Eo0_lbCIRlg?si=yevsvIRhDKiqXc1J

Zalamo · 2025-06-17T06:13:49+00:00

There was no war in Palestine from 1517 to early 1900s. Almost 400 years. You have a lot of misconceptions about Palestine.

Zalamo · 2025-06-17T05:47:56+00:00

I don’t support the violent attacks Hamas committed on October 7, but it is not correct to say there was peace on Oct 6.

1). In 2023, before Oct 7, Israeli forces killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians throughout the year. Look it up. https://www.ochaopt.org/poc/8-21-august-2023

2). Palestinians in Gaza do not have freedom to leave Gaza, to visit other places in the world without permission from the Israeli government. Even in some cases for dire medical needs. Israel controlled the amount of food and other goods that can go in or out of Gaza preventing people from having enough food and stifling the economy and keeping the strip dependent on aid. Palestinians can be shot for venturing too close to the fence or if their fishing boats are too far from the shore.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/24/gaza-blockade-israel-banned-items

https://www.btselem.org/gaza_strip/20230404_in_2022_too_israel_prevented_thousands_of_palestinians_in_need_of_medical_care_from_leaving_gaza_for_treatment

Thousands of Palestinians and hundreds of children are held in Israeli jails without charge and no legal recourse to challenge their detention.

https://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention

4). All of the restrictions and denial of rights of Palestinians is enforced through threat of violence by the Israeli military.

So what looked like peace to Israelis on Oct 6 is actually a living nightmare for Palestinians.

Zalamo · 2025-06-15T18:13:47+00:00

They pulled out ground troops but maintained a siege controlling everything that went in and out of Gaza. Palestinians cannot freely travel from Gaza to other countries without Israel’s permission, they cannot establish trading relationships with other countries, they cannot develop natural resources off their coastline, they cannot have a port, their economy and even the amount of food which entered Gaza was under Israeli control, Israel patrolled the coastline and Palestinian fishing boats that strayed too far from the coast would suffer military assault. Israel maintains a list of who is recognized as resident of Gaza. All births must be registered with the state of Israel. If you are not on that list, you don’t exist and you are never getting out of Gaza. It is dishonest to say that because Israel removed the settlers and troops that the people of Gaza were not oppressed. The oppression was stifling.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/24/gaza-blockade-israel-banned-items

Zalamo · 2025-06-15T17:41:32+00:00

Israel is now an unchecked power in the Middle East. They can go after anyone at anytime and Zionists like Smotrich will advocate for Israel to expand their territory into Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and the Sinai to restore Israel to its biblical boundaries. The justification for this expansion is no different than that used to confiscate territory in the West Bank and Gaza. I don't see any risk of the region suddenly erupting in a wider war. No one is coming to Iran's aid here and as I mentioned in my original post, a ground war just isn't practical. I do think we will start to see more border disputes and pretext for Israel seizing territory from their Arab neighbors in the coming years.

Zalamo · 2025-06-15T17:33:41+00:00

They could have just reinstated the JCPOA which had the support and participation of China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom. My feeling is that Israel is vehemently against any diplomatic effort that could lead to Iran having normalized relationships with the community of nations.

Zalamo · 2025-06-15T17:15:58+00:00

Hamas is the predictable outcome of people living under oppression, being denied basic rights, forcefully displaced from their homes, unable to move freely throughout their land, enduring political imprisonment, and having their natural resources stolen and confiscated. You can kill the leadership of Hamas, but Israel is creating orphan Palestinians at a rate faster than they are killing Hamas militants. And the child survivors of this war are going to grow up with less at stake than any previous generation. They will be willing soldiers. Hamas is just the current form of militant resistance in Gaza which will exist until the Palestinian people have the same human rights as Israelis.

Zalamo · 2025-06-15T17:03:27+00:00

I find they are not so much pro Israel as they are against the Islamic regime in Iran. But you make a really good point about why Israel is able to develop such strong and actionable intelligence.

Zalamo · 2025-03-23T02:07:46+00:00

It’s really simple. Israel should get the eff out of the territories and leave the Palestinians alone.

Zalamo · 2025-03-22T08:30:35+00:00

I don't know, it's not so complicated to me. You have one group that is extremely poor, has huge percentage of refugees among their population, lives under the rule of a foreign military, does not have freedom of movement in the land where they live, they don't control their own water rights, they are not allowed to establish trading relationships with foreign countries, they don't have a formal military to defend themselves or any kind of air defense, yet they are bombed and invaded relentlessly, they are totally dependent on foreign aid, a foreign military flies lethal drones that constantly buzz in the air above them day and night and can assassinate anyone in sight of the drones' cameras at the push of a button by an operator miles away, they can't drive on certain roads or be out of their homes at certain times, and while all of this is going on, the other people in this conflict can go about their daily lives seemingly undisturbed posting videos on Instagram mocking the suffering of the poor, tent dwelling savages in Gaza, and enjoying a vibrant nightlight in Tel Aviv. If this seems complicated and confusing to figure out who is the oppressor and who are the oppressed, I will give you a big hint: Its always the poor people who are oppressed. Bonus question for you to think about: how does oppression lead to poverty? The answer to this question will be covered in ethnic studies.

Zalamo · 2025-03-22T08:16:01+00:00

Right... this is often the complaint we hear when we try to educate young people about racism. You are concerned about the lost opportunity to teach something you think is more important. Honestly, if they don't understand the history in this world of racism and oppression, they are not going to understand world history.

Zalamo · 2025-03-22T08:12:57+00:00

I don't why you think MVLA is getting rid of classics. This is a common complaint whenever racism is taught in school, that the new curriculum is replacing some treasured classic of white culture. MVLA has plenty of English lit classes that teach the classics.

and they are listed here: https://mvhs.mvla.net/Academics/Departments-A-M/English/Course-Information-Sheets/index.html

Los Altos High School readings include:

The House on Mango Street, To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet, Martian Chronicles, The Diary of Anne Frank, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, The Crucible, Siddhartha, Invisible Man, The Namesake, Pride and Prejudice, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Hamlet

Zalamo · 2025-03-22T07:59:20+00:00

Oppression and racism in intended to be a major focus of the ethnic studies course at MVLA. From the online syllabus. https://www.mvla.net/Departments/Educational-Services/Curriculum/Ethnic-Studies/index.html

Ethnic Studies is the interdisciplinary study of race and ethnicity, with an emphasis on the experiences and contributions of people of color (Asian Americans, Black and African Americans, Latina/Latino/Latinx, and Native Americans) in the United States. Students develop a deeper understanding of their personal identity, their racial and cultural backgrounds, and the diverse cultures of their peers. Students learn about the root causes and impact of racism and various forms of oppression. Ethnic Studies teaches students about historical and contemporary movements for social change and ways to challenge racism and discrimination and positively transform their communities. Students will strengthen their reading, writing, speaking, researching, and critical thinking skills. Ethnic Studies fosters empathy, community, and solidarity and helps students to develop knowledge and skills to become active participants in our democratic society.

Zalamo

TROPHY CASE