Cynique

@Pioneer1That's not a problem for me; it's the message, not the messenger. As usual, your input is irrelevant.

@Pioneer1of course you wouldn't. You could never bring yourself to admit that you're less than perfect. Your whole world would collapse were you to do so.

@TroyYes, this calls for being a person of good character, something a narcissist like pioneer knows nothing about.

@Pioneer1i don't agree with anything you've said, and it's pointless to argue the subject. All you've done is to the reinforce the definition of semantics.

Proof is not subjective. Fingerprints, DNA, 911 recordings, security camera images, coroner's reports are objective, Reasonable doubt enters the picture when juries bring a human element to the proceedings, inadvertantly identifying or empathizing with the defendant. Or, if there isn't enough proof. Evidence and proof are legal terms. Outside the courtroom, if it's all about "he said/she said" and unreliable eye witness reports, then forget about a resolution.

I'm not one to embrace conspiracy theories, but it seems to me this whole incident is being choreographed including the big build up to the airing of the videos showing the dastardly deed, along with the subliminal references to the idea of rioting in the streets. Meanwhile, young black perpetrators continue to make themselves fresh meat for the slave catchers.

@Pioneer1 Read the whole post before you make the usual irrelevant comments that expose your Attention Deficiency Disorder. As the cross dressing, cherry pickin' strawman prone to false equivlencies and non sequiturs, you continue to provide evidence to prove your obnoxiousness.

The reason why i am able to outplay the robots I compete again in Bridge is because they do not take chances. They play strictly by the rules, never going against the odds. That's how they are programmed. So their play soon becomes predictable and you can defeat them because you can anticipate what they are going to do. As far as the bidding goes, everyone who critiques the site complains about their robot partner not having common sense. So you just have to adjust to their quirkiness and bid crazy yourself. Needless to say, these tin hats are not up to speed when it comes to AI. But this is not to say that they can't also defeat you because the odds they depend on can be in their favor in accordance with the law of averages. These challenges are what keep things interesting.

@Rodney campbellWith my advancing age, which i am ever aware of, l am now pretty much living in the past, which is why I go off on these reminiscing tangents. For some reason, I have never gotten into journaling which is strange because writing is my first love.. But I am inhibited by the attitude of young people, in particular, who are notoriously ageist, displaying little interest in the past. I have actually been a witness to a broad spectrum of history. But I must confess that I was a spectator, and never an activist, living up north in a passive little suburb of Chicago, a college drop-out married with kids, watching MLK's "I have a dream" speech from the comfort of my living room, convinced that the pen was mightier than the sword, a notion that motivated me to fire off militant letters to the op-ed pages of Chicago's newspapers. @Delano Yes, I vividly remember things that happened 70 years ago, but in the present, my short term memory loss is vexing. @DelanoWhen reading the cards for friends, i would shift into a psychic mode aided and abetted by the answers to the questions i asked and gleaned information from.

I've heard of Pinochle. It and Gin Rummy are very well known games here in the midwest. i used to know how to play it, but I'd have to refresh my memory to play it now. i do remember having to have a special deck with cards no lower than a 10 spot. And my mother used to "read the cards" using a standard deck. She actually had a regular cliental who would come to the house. for readings. i dabbled in doing this a little, but again i've forgotten what the cards stood for. I do remember that was the wish card was the 9 of hearts and if it was upside down, you weren't going to get your wish. That was another thing i used to do at the U of Illinois instead of hitting the books; read the cards and just make up things because i didn't half know what i was doing But girls were so eager to find out things they sought me out. The Jack of hearts represented their boyfriends, and the Queen of Spades was an evil woman. Diamonds, of course, represented money. Those were the days... Back when Illinois was a Big 10 powerhouse and their athletic teams took first place in every sport and our mascot was Chief lliniwek before political correctness dictated that this was offensive to Native Americans so they retired him, and the fightin Illini were never again a dominate force to be reckoned with. zzzzzzzz

@Delano i have twice made reference to semantics during the course of this discussion because semantics figures into why we are disagreeing. Here is what I consider an appropriate definition of the word semantics, one that will offer some insight into our being at odds. "Semantics is the study of the relationship between words and how we draw meaning from those words. People can absolutely interpret words differently and draw different meanings from them." Language is fluid and is not an exact science. It is actually more akin to art. To me, a claim has to be proven before it can be defined as evidence. Once the claim is proven true after it has been made, it then become evidence and, as such, is synonymous with the word "proof", making them interchangeable. These 2 words, are what they are. And, of course, the more proof presented, the stronger the evidence. That's how my mind works. Yours works differently. So be it. Google the word semantics for a longer more detailed definition.

Well when paired with its binary twin "evidence", "proof" is a noun. The contention is that "evidence" and "proof" are not the same. not "evidence" and "prove". We have to disagree because i maintain these 2 words are interchangeable and that they define each other. Can you come up with a better synonym for "evidence"? ( A word, not a phrase or sentence.)

All of these presidents and vice president have nothing on me when it comes to newly-discovered documents. After all of these years I can't believe that I never paid any attention to the symbols at the top of this site; the bell and the envelope notifying me that someone is trying to make contact with me. Why I never checked these out, i do not know! Maybe because I never sign out of my account because i have such a frustrating time trying to get back in because I can't ever remember my pass word or user name and all that crap that gets co-mingled and entangled.. For some reason, I can't even sign in from my Android phone which is a pain in the ass because i have to come to this old outdated computer if i want to post. The bell and the envelop were just things that never registered with me especially since i wasn't focused on the top of the screen. Today when I just happened to investigate them and the numbers beside them - for some reason, I discovered messages dating as far back as 2010!!! Requests and questions from people i never responded to, or acknowledged. Amazing! I feel bad that these folks thought i was deliberately ignoring them. And i apologize. And just think, if I croak, I'll still be signed in here haunting the place. My life gets crazier by the day. Lord knows what death will bring! And be forewarned, taking the "cuff it" challenge to Beyonce's song is on my bucket list and if I can get it down pat, my kids want to post it on Tik Tok and maybe I'll even put it up here for your delight and amusement. Wnoooooooooa - no fools, no fun!

You are mixing "proof' with "prove". They are 2 different parts of speech. Proof is the name of something; a noun. Prove is a verb that shows action.

But "proof" is not a verb. "Evidence" and "proof" are both nouns that had to be modified with adjectives within a sentence.

@Rodney campbellAs you may or not may not know, Hoyle was a Bridge Master who established his own system of playing Bridge, and this is how the expression "according to Hoyle" originated when players would preface their reason for making what might be considered an unorthodox play, with that phrase.. Charles Goren was another Bridge Master and is the one whose "convention" I adhere to.

@Delano Lots of people are walking the streets because they beat the rap and were found "not guilty" of a crime they did commit. They are not "innocent", but benefitted from an effective defense. This is an example of how loaded words are; semantics.

If you're not "lucky", I don't know who is.

@Delanowhen the court clerk reads the verdict, he or she doesn't say "proof", for the simple reason that this word has to be elaborated upon and put in context. The same with "evidence" which is its synonym. That's what i am contending, but what you are blurring. You frequently pull things out of the air and assume people know where you're coming from but they don't because you haven't put things in context. You have to be nudged to do this. Language is a tool that attempts to encapsulate reality and translate it into information that will hopefully be comprehended. But it is a very subjective method and therein lies the problem, and why communication frequently gets lost in the process. All of this is one reason why journalists will briefly recap the story they are reporting, so readers or listeners will know what they're talking about. Another semantic bind is that, in a court of law, a person found "not guilty" is not necessarily "innocent".

@ProfDDo you play mind game with your girlfriends? A lot of bachelors do.

@Del StrachenBut the intrinsic meaning of the words are the same. It's only when they are put in the context of a sentence do they become qualified. "Guilty" or "not guilty" is the verdict, not "proof". it's about semantics.

Evidence and proof are interchangeable. and both come in degrees. In a court room, they can either be overwhelming or adequate. A judge or jury decides whether there is reasonable doubt. In pioneer's world whatever he says, goes.

@Troyin my world of bridge, there was obviously a substantial black participation in this game - which is actually a spin-off of whist = a game that black people have always played. And of course, black folks brought all their flair and guile to the game. Or was there a shortage of male players, who could be very intimidating and competitive, - not surprising. @DelanoAll card games involve an element of luck. Randomly dealt cards ensure this. Whether you win or lose, depends on the hand you re dealt and the "lay of the cards". Skill takes a back seat to a bad hand.

The Hindus talk about the Emerald Tablets. which are like the WOO domain, the idea being that there is an answer to every question. Which shuts me up. i can accept the idea that there is an answer to every question; We just don't know it...

The situation in Chicago is ridiculous!. Each day newspapapers and nightly news stations give an accounting of how many were killed for the day, like war casualties. Not a day goes by where people aren't shot to death, many of them school kids or innocent bystanders or people inside their homes. They are predominately black, with a few Hispanics mixed in. Illinois just passed a law to ban assault weapons and the Sheriff of one of Illiinois' counties has declared he has no intention enforcing this law, that it's unconstitutional. NRA people are claiming that "assault weapon" is just a term that is made-up, that these weapons are just rifles. car-jackings and street robberies are running rampant, and people are now arming themselves, firing back and killing the perpetrators, which i think is almost funny. It's surreal. i don't know what's going on in the heavens, but Earth is turning into Hell.