Chase

Newsposts will be on the way as soon as possible. I haven't forgotten. Here's some though. Please refer to the banner on our SD! server - Week 7 has been extended. Get your matches in.

Hi folks. You guys ever play through a story with a team, and realize a pattern when finding the right 'mons to take through the Pokemon League gauntlet? I recognize a couple of trends. Mostly regarding type coverage. In a story mode, an experienced trainer tends to go for an offensive bunch that can cover as many weaknesses as possible. Now, we all have our favorite types - but what about the types that bail us out more often than not, without winning us over? Would the help please stand up and be recognized. --- THE DARK TYPE Dark is a type that is found on every single team of mine without much of a concerted effort to find a Dark type Pokemon. As someone who has generally had a love for Fighting type Pokemon, I generally have a glaring weakness to Psychic and Ghost type Pokemon - and by the end of my run, the most common type to answer those weaknesses is the Dark type. - Krookodile is by and far one of my favorite Dark type companions and if given the option, I will use it - but not because of it's Dark typing. It's actually another typing on this list that causes the void to be filled. - Honchkrow is the rewarding flying type Pokemon. It's very hard to get your hands on - but it's one of my favorites if I decide I don't want to use Crobat. THE ROCK TYPE Recently, Rock has found it's way into my favorite types top 5, but it was definitely not always the case. Rock was an interesting type because most 'mons come with great physical defense, even if they have offensive purposes. I always thought that was cool. - Carracosta - Golem made a debut in my Omega Ruby run. THE GROUND TYPE Ground is a generally sought after type to complement my F-W-G core that I establish with almost all of my teams. - Krookodile, Golem - Seismitoad, Quaqsire, and Gastrodon have found interesting niches on my teams due to Grass not being the most popular coverage move-type out there. THE ELECTRIC TYPE Rounding out the types is a type that finds itself whenever I need something to take down flying types. There are several fun Electric type Pokemon I have used to fill this role - The difference with Electric over Rock is that it is more reliable against Water type Pokemon and resists water coverage moves better. - Raichu - Magnezone - Electrode

Favorite Teams Oklahoma (Big XII) Biggest Looming Issues: No definitive answer at quarterback, reliable secondary wide-receiver, secondary being too soft despite being dubbed "Defensive Back University." by many. Returning Strengths: Halfbacks, WR Sterling Shepard, Defensive Line, KR Alex Ross. Out of Conference Showcase: @ Tennessee Biggest Game of the year: VS Texas Christian "Trap" Games: Texas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State The Underdog Game: @ Baylor The Sooners are coming off a disappointing season in which they accumulated five losses for only the second time in Bob Stoops' gig as head coach - after being picked to represent the Big XII in the college football playoff in the pre-season. Oklahoma faced a bit of off-the-field adversity in losing Frank Shannon from the defense due to the university's title IX battle with him in court over alleged sexual assault charges and freshman phenom RB Joe Mixon to a bar altercation. BOTH will be return, providing the Sooners with a shiftier, supposedly really talented fast back to accompany last years break-out freshman running back Samaje Perine, as well as put some more experience back on a growing group opposite side of the ball. Aside from getting blown out in Norman by the Baylor Bears and not even showing up to Orlando for the Russell Athletic Bowl, the Sooners were in every game until the final whistle, and a 11-2 finish for a team ranked 4th would not nearly be as much of a disparagement as Oklahoma has gotten in the off-season. 8-5 however is actually below fan-base expectation, and resultingly brought about the hiring of of a co-defensive coordinator and new offensive coordinator in Lincoln Riley, who looks to bring the Sooners' offense back to the explosive level of play that got them into the 2008 national championship game - the 'Air Raid' offense. Riley's East Carolina Pirates had one of the most effective pass attacks in college football last season. There is currently a quarterback battle going on between Juniors Trevor Knight - the Quarterback that burst onto last years Heisman scene by knocking off Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl as a freshman - and Baker Mayfield, who after said Sugar Bowl took off from a poor situation from Texas Tech. Neither Quarterback has established himself as better than the other - but Stoops is reportedly looking closely for which quarterback 'makes the least mistakes' before naming his starting field general. Oklahoma has the potential to go 7-6 this season if things truly haven't gotten better, but the Sooners should be feeling very optimistic as Stoops knows how to give his team the underdog card. In 2013 it seemed like the Sooners were not going anywhere special, but a Bedlam upset over Oklahoma State earned OU the right to play the illustrious Crimson Tide in the Sugar - cementing a season in which only Baylor was a real disappointment. That OU team beat 'Bama too - meaning Oklahoma could be one of college football's sleeping giants and if the cards fall just right, the Sooners could be right in the thick of the play-off race. Many leaders from that Sugar Bowl team are still wearing Crimson and Creme.

No. Imposing his beliefs would be sentencing a conversion itself.

"However, the Court has not always interpreted the constitutional principle as absolute, and the proper extent of separation between government and religion in the U.S. remains an ongoing subject of impassioned debate." - that page of yours Mike Him and a certain highest court of the land...

It's not just judges, but do keep in mind that nine of them interpret the Constitution as they see fit. It was indeed silly to offer an alternative punishment that was in reasonable doubt of being legal - but even MORE questionable that Jaynes took THAT punishment over the official sentence. There was stupidity across the board and the choice is the difference due to it not even being a story if the defendant did the time. The other issue here is that people are immediately assuming there was a violation of the 1st Amendment in the enforcement of Bible verse copying - except, as I said before - nobody's religious freedoms were being suppressed as there was a choice, and there was no forced conversion. The biggest loser here is the wife, who was completely innocent but is now pressured by her fiancee to marry her to avoid hard time, as well as voiding her right to a traditional marriage. Jaynes could have taken the time not only to avoid a constitutional dispute, but also to take all the fall instead of dragging her down with him.

But the bottom line is, Jaynes was offered the choice between two sentences - one of which was an appropriate, non-violating jail time sentence - and he CHOSE to marry her. It's not a cruel and unusual punishment to spend 15 days in jail. The missed point is that the alternative sentence was marrying the woman that he deemed "worth" getting the assault charge over. The only thing that would be arguably unusual is the fact that Jaynes opted FOR the unusual sentence. The reason why the marriage sentence would be worth it is if that was the plan anyway AND the misdemeanor charge would not interfere with Jaynes' professional life. The Bible verses are again, the equivalent of writing sentences in detention at school. There's no conversion order or proselytization involved there, the punishment is not uncommon, it's not cruel, it's not even close to being too heavy for an ASSAULT charge if TEACHERS assign it, and in itself would only be arguably a violation of the 8th Amendment if it was considered "significantly" arbitrary. People also fail to understand that Separation of Church and State is only arms-length in America these days. Nobody cries foul when the Government oversteps it's bounds, but WHOOOO boy, when some judge in Texas tries to spare a man from prison based on the morality appeal made in the case, "Crucify Him." Gimme a break.

Blastoise gets a large boost from Mega Evolution, but let me dissect the major improvements - Mega Launcher complements it's bulk with a plethora of offensive capability. - Rapid Spin gives Blastoise a niche. - Mega Evolution boosts it's Base Stat Total by 100. This makes Blastoise a bulky offensive rapid spinner. Pretty rare and neat.

I don't see what church and state has to do with any of this -or- how Texas is out of touch here. He should have done the time. It was only a misdemeanor and his partner seems understanding and ended up getting punished in having her right to a traditional wedding stripped away for that decision. 15 days is 15 days. That being said. I'll agree that the sentencing was silly. I just don't see how it was unconstitutional when the defendant had a choice in the matter. It's also not like he had to BELIEVE in the verses or convert to Christianity or Judaism. It's the equivalent of a teacher telling a detention student to write 100 sentences.

Hi folks. Today's bemusements came when beginning to watch an LP on Youtube. I'm going to list the top 5 worst starter Pokemon - or the ones that get left behind at the lab. Don't agree with me? Fantastic, post your own opinions below! --- 5. The Emboar evolution line. (FIRE) Blaziken was cool. Infernape was forgivable. Emboar just made the firefighter starters severely tired. It doesn't stop with release perception for ole' Bacon here though. At RarelyUsed, Emboar is also the least viable of the three. It's not particularly fast either. Reckless is a fantastic ability and Emboar is blessed with many great recoil moves to utilize it with, and Sucker Punch gives it competitive head-to-head value over the next mon on this list. Emboar has no outstanding story mode drawbacks, but no real wow-factor on journeys either. 4. The Delphox evolution line (FIRE) Delphox is an aesthetic letdown. Fenniken and Braixen look youthful and chic, only to "evolve" into an arguably "old crone" magical vulpine that loses to Non-Choiced Emboar in RU due to priority and stealth rock damage DESPITE type advantage. It's speed and typing is great, but it will mostly be choiced itself. Magician is a "cute" ability but it doesn't get the same amount of praise Reckless does. Same story with the story. Nothing hurtful, not much distinct either. 3. The Feraligatr evolution line (WATER) Feraligatr shines competitively and looks really cool. Where's the harm? It's "learn-set" is the culprit. This line of Pokemon is known for being a physical attacker - and if you plan on using Totodile as your first partner, prepare to be patient for a physical STAB. Like. Endgame levels of patient. That's not good for a pure Water type. Also, the 'Gatr needs some TM or breeding support to get going. Once set however, this thing can clean house, unlike, 2. The Empoleon evolution line (WATER) Empoleon is a great hazard controller and is adept defensively in the competitive sense. It also looks really sleek. However, it's a passive mon not only in it's stats, but it's moves. Defiant can salvage this fact story-wise, but not much competitively. Not straight-forward at all, which is either interesting, or frustrating. It's okay in many respects, while not fantastic in anything. 1. Chikorita line. The most underwhelming 'mon competitively. The most uphill-battle starter (Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, and Morty have distinct advantages over the line) The most simplistic aesthetic evolution. Non-influential ability. The reason anyone should be picking Chikorita? Challenge

I think if we are going to look at a competitive speaking standpoint... 1. Christie - Without goin' Jersey on the others on the stage - Christie wasn't afraid to mix it up and interact with anyone. He was a bulldog that caused Rand Paul to tailspin, blemished Huckabee, and was able to keep his attacks logical. 2. Donald Trump - Trump did NOT shy away from being himself. His faux pas were centered in his responses but he continued to be a showman. You know Trump was in the building because unlike the policy questions he dodged, he was defensive of his personal statements and images in a manner that brought glee to several Republicans alone and spared no one. 3. Ted Cruz - Cruz was fired up and his youth shined in his delivery. 4. John Kasich - The "compassionate conservative" is BACK, BABY. It was very easy to take shots at the Obama Administration and the Clinton camp and maintain a sort of edge in this debate, so where Kasich excelled was being an excellent contrast from the rest of the field. 5. Huckabee. - Mike would have had an EVEN BETTER night if he was able to counter Christie on entitlements as silky smooth and eloquent as the rest of the outing. You can tell he was a Baptist minister and had his own show, as well as been here before. 6. Walker - Walker was the team player of the group - hacking away instead at the left. Over. And Over. And Over. And in such a big field, that's not a bad idea. This approach tries to make all of the GOP candidates electable. 7. Dr. Carson - Surgeons are not supposed to be debaters. Scalpal..... - but just when it seemed the night was doomed for the guy in Trumps non-politician shadow, the good Doctor provided a moving final statement and salvaged the outing. 8. Rubio - the Florida senator won his night on the issues and on punchy occasional lines - but also was fighting a speech impedement. 9. Jeb Bush - Seemed nervous and passive. Had a chance to tango with Donald and perhaps didn't wisely - but didn't resonate well with me. 10. Rand Paul - This night was rough across the board. Christie torpedoed any composure Paul may have had at the start, and he ended up being best known for picking a fight with Trump in which he simply was dismissed.

Prior to debate. - Huckabee - Trump/Bush - Dr. Carson - Rubio Following. - Huckabee - Cruz - Rubio - Bush - Dr. Carson Gov. Huckabee's greatest weakness is that he doesn't have the "it" issue to call -his-. Fabulous speaker, effective leader, and experienced - however the default issue tied to him is not a favorable one - Evangelism. The Cruz Missle. The Texas boy. Hooooo doggy that guy is born for debates. Marco Rubio didn't lunge for an offscreen sip of water this time. He's a very relatable guy and looked the most "Presidential" up there. Jeb Bush may end up being the nominee if Trump falls. Aside from supporting Common Core I actually really like the guy. His views on Immigration are not held by the GOP - and are my own. Dr. Carson will get better at this. It may not be the year, but he's a neurosurgeon. Could learn -fast- Bottom 5 - Carly Fiorina - the female Republican was the most effective 5PM debater and gives the field someone to represent women. - Kasich - This man reminded me of the gospel message - It is still possible to love and respect those we disagree with. - Chris. Christie. The man needed a performance like he had last night and now he's the man who stays on the short list. - Scott Walker trended downward, but he and I agree on a lot of issues. - Trump - as a woman, the Donald upset me personally, but he was true to himself and is still -for now- faring well The Drop-Out. Rand Paul may have been slighted on question time- but he came across as exceptionally mean - rolling his eyes as Christie mentioned hugging 9/11 victims' families after the Patriot Act spat, and looked embittered with EVERYONE. A few people think "a different kind of Republican" is needed, but it wasn't reinforced with the "care" Kasich gave or - and in the end - a better in-detail solution than Christie's.

I understand that Rubio was appealing to the base with that statement. However, President Obama was not always in total gridlock and the last mid-term elections saw a rise of GOP seats - and subsequently the Dems lost the Senate - which means the Dems will need to spin that rather hard to make that work out in their favor as people legitimately seem to recently vote like Obama underperformed. Is it being cocky or well substantiated confidence?

This one is one of those threads where you're invited to say what you want - and I'm going to be quiet and not make this a fight. The 17 Republican presidential hopefuls converged on Quicken Loans Arena last night in Cleveland, Ohio to hold their first debate of the GOP primary race. The debate proved to be a good one if you're leaning right this election cycle and has earned solid praise from some prominent non-Fox (and resultingly non-conservative) media outlets. No real "losers" and Fox did not throw any soft-ball questions, opting to put leading candidates on the hot seat immediately. Biggest winners in the debate were Carly Fiorinia in the 5PM debate known as the #kidstable, and senators Marco Rubio (FL) and Ted Cruz (TX) in the primetime debate Biggest to lose was arguably casino owner Donald Trump, who entered the evening with the leading GOP polling. Trump was himself, and even had a few good answers here or there, but was out-debated by the others on the stage and dug himself a hole from the beginning - blaming his previous sexists comments on "political correctness" and attacking MC Megyn Kelly to outright suggesting he would run as an independent if he doesn't win the primary at the start of the debate. The surprises: Gov. Chris Christie re-established himself as a tough talker, outbattling a particularly brash Rand Paul on the NSA and pecking Mike Huckabee on entitlements. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson represented the black conservative without race baiting and salvaged a shaky first debate with a heartfelt and unique closing statement. The governors on the main stage used the debate to project their accomplishments and it paid off for Huckabee (AR) Scott Walker (WS) Kasich (OH) and Jeb Bush (FL), although Bush was tight lipped and was unable to avoid the topic of the Iraq War, where he will always be linked to "W". Liberals gave the clear "W" to Kasich, who is the GOP choice for you if you believe pro-LGBT agenda is to be top priority. Quote of the Night: "The Republican Party has been blessed with many good Candidates: the Democrats can't even find one." (Rubio) The Questions all surprisingly were huge. All on stage got the format of "Here's why you suck, why is that false?" And all did well. It was a good night to be a Republican.

I don't WANNA pick the Steelers.....but I have to.

Theres nothing in the SEC East that poses an "immediate" threat to UGA. Yes, SCAR, Tenn, Mizzou are decent or trending, but there is a REASON Georgia is inflated every single year.

Yes - Richt. Yes - Missouri has played exceptionally well and is a decent little East team. Yes - Richt has been on the hot seat for underwhelming records. Georgia simply has the talent on the roster.

Lexi. The poll i have is a PRE SEASON poll. I have USC starting lower than they will eventually climb to. My prediction there is that USC will climb into the playoff race. I do NOT live in GA. I don't think anyone in the east is good enough to beat them. South Carolina and Tennessee pose the biggest threats in the division to the Dawgs. Two straight Sugar Bowl losses. Losses to Auburn and Ole Miss on the road. NO. AMARI. COOPER. I'm not currently sold on Alabama, and UGA is a legitimate threat out of the east.

I'm....down on the Ducks too. It's very possible they don't drop off too far at all, but the new QB won't be Marcus Mariota grade fantastic, and Helfrich is no Chip Kelly. This is a year they rebuild. This is the year the Pac-12 South takes by storm. USC is fully loaded again and the state of Arizona will see some big games often. Oregon's BIGGEST problem. This year they get Michigan State in East Lansing. Without Mariota.

Kanto Brock is always the best gym experience because "He's the very first". In the same vein Lorelei is a memorable Elite Four member, Brock sets the tone for the game's gradually increasing difficulty. He's not a pushover if your starter was Charmander or Pikachu either. Sabrina is my least favorite for multiple reasons. Her character in itself was fine, albeit bland as the game tried to just make you "behold her power." with few words. Her Alakazam was just not fun to face, especially in a generation that had very VERY little answers for Psychic types. You just had to muscle past her. --- Johto Chuck and his Cianwood island gym was a very enjoyable experience. On a mission to cure the resident Olivine Ampharos, the battle had this weird aire of importance, and he makes Poliwrath look cool....or was it Poliwhirl...I know he used one of those..respect. Jasmine on the other hand....man, that was underwhelming. The player visits Olivine first and expects Jasmine to be extremely brutal. The new Steel type in all of it's glory. Instead, we face Steelix and Magneton. Same reasons Mike dislikes her above. --- Hoenn Norman was a hugely anticipated moment for me. Whitney brought some interesting Normal type Pokemon to the table the prior generation, and Norman's dual Slaking and Vigoroth provided what was actually quite the puzzle piece match for me. Finally, you had a father. And you got to battle him, and you got to win a gym badge from him. If your first gen 3 experience was ORAS, the moment felt even greater and more full as well. Wallace may be Steven's friend, and he may actually have a pretty great team with all due respect, but a single type champion heir was not an effective lasting impression for me. I also used Treecko, so I had relatively feel problems where someone who used Blaziken or Swampert may have had some. --- Sinnoh I don't HAVE any experience with Sinnoh gym leaders. I just like Crasher Wake's appearance and think Roark is a bad pun. --- Unova Elesa's Pokemon ...are sorta actually somewhat of a handful. Servine is actually at risk to Flame Charge from ...whatever Blitzle evolves into. Emolga is Emolga and Volt Switch was annoying BEFORE it was annoying in competitive mons. However, her in-game personality shines and she's a great example of Gen 5's in-depth storyline moments for so many characters. Unfortunately, the triplets didn't make it to the party. And you had to get stuck with an elemental monkey before you could battle them. --- Kalos Korinna is the Mega-Evolution Successor. See. Fighting type trainers are the best wielders of ultimate power. She also straight up GIVES you a Lucario, and even though it's one of the Kalos regions many ....fairy type.....nuff said.......fashion......dollhouse.....too much....tOOMUCH....

In honor of the only reason I backed the now-deceased sports forum. Hilda's Preseason Top-25 (NCAA Division I Football) 1. TCU 2. Ohio State 3. Michigan State 4. Georgia 5. Baylor 6. LSU 7. Alabama 8. Oregon 9. Clemson 10. USC 11. Arizona State 12. Mississippi State 13. Brigham Young (BYU) 14. Western Michigan 15. UCLA 16. Wisconsin 17. Tennessee 18. Boise State 19. Oklahoma 20. Arizona 21. Utah 22. Notre Dame 23. FLORIDA STATE 24. Georgia Tech 25. Nebraska Predicted Final Four - TCU, Ohio State, Georgia, USC Predicted National Championship Matchup - Texas Christian v. Georgia Predicted Winner - Georgia. Outside the Top 25 Dark Horses: Oklahoma State, Louisville, Kentucky, Penn State, West Virginia, Washington This year, I have hope that the Big 12 poses enough of a top-heavy conference to where they get a team in this year. TCU survives a tough game against Oklahoma and blows the doors off of Baylor in Fort Worth on Black Friday to secure the number one spot (or if they take a loss a play-off birth.) This year, Alabama draws a HARD cross-divisional straw in Georgia and Tennessee, and loses Amari Cooper. This year, Ohio State plays an easy schedule, save for playing Virginia Tech on the road. The Hokies beat the Buckeyes at home last season. This year, Michigan plays like some guy named Jim Harbaugh is coaching 'em, playing the Buckeyes tight in the Big House. LSU's RB Leonard Fournette wins the Heisman as the NCAA is seemingly down on talented Quarterbacks this season.

Lately, I find myself standing on a lot of battle-lines. As a part of the "Body of Christ" - I am also, depending on how you view the church, among the opponents. Which, not only as a sinner but as arguably one of the closest persons to you, makes me sick. Ultimately though there are two truths I have to admit. - I fell in love with who you are. (I'm leaving this here for community-wide accountability.) - God is involved with all possible outcomes and pursues us even if we run away from Him. Therefore, He didn't quit on you despite the notion "believers" paint about trans-gendered persons. With many newer social issues - especially one where it was practically unheard of in biblical times where the text was mostly intended to be immediately relevant - we find several churched individuals being too cause-oriented and not Christ-oriented. Christians are not supposed to lash out against other people. Our biggest enemy is our own sin nature. We have no right to be aggressive toward others, even if we're putting their sin nature in the headlights. Without a doubt - and this is just me assuming - I'm certain several persons have persecuted trans-gendered individuals in Christ's name anyway, and that's something that will continue to cast a shadow over me in your eyes. That's a cross I have to bear. To me, you're my girl and very much a God breathed individual. To say you've changed lives for the better is not using enough words, and using enough words may not be possible. You'll always have my support, even if I fail to articulate it for the sake of maintaining a biblical worldview. <3

Kanto: Favorite: Brock, Least: Sabrina Johto: Favorite: Chuck, Least: Jasmine..or...whoever that steel type lady was. Hoenn: Favorite: Norman, Least: Wallace/Juan Sinnoh: Favorite: Crasher Wake, Least: Volkner Unova: Favorite: Elesa, Least: the Straition triplets Kalos: Favorite, Korrina(?), Least: the Fairy leader Reborn: Favorite, Charlotte, Least: Julia

My fondest memory of Pokemon was completing the National Pokedex on Ruby, playing FireRed and the Genius Sonority Gamecube games Colosseum and XD: Gale of Darkness to do so mostly single-handedly. I did need to rely on a friend with Sapphire and LeafGreen.