Forza 6 NASCAR Denver Broncos Vinyl’s

One of the hobbies I’m into is video game motor racing. I like driving in the Grand Touring races and the F1 Races the most. But I made the jump and bought the NASCAR expansion pack for Forza 6 about a month ago.

I’m not into NASCAR Racing at all on TV, I haven’t watched a race for maybe 20 years. I appreciate the skill the drivers must have to compete at that level but when most of the races only require the driver to go fast and turn left it’s not as exciting to me as a Grand Touring Race or Road Rally Race.

At any rate one of the things I most enjoy about video racing is doing the custom paint jobs or "Vinyl’s" as they call it for the cars. I’ve spent hours creating Vinyl’s over the last 3 years. First with Forza 3, then Forza 4, Forza 5 and now Forza 6. You’ll find my paint jobs there if you own any of these games. I enjoy the creative process and It’s one of the few activities that will take my mind off everything for a few hours.

All of the Vinyl Groups I’ve created are a variation of the Broncos Color schemes. They’re either the new orange, dark navy blue and white colors or the pre-1996 orange, mid-blue and white colors. I just finished up painting all the NASCAR racing cars yesterday. 

There are 24 cars in all if you have the Forza 6 NASCAR expansion pack. Each car I painted is dedicated to the great Denver Broncos from every ERA. Each individual car is named for that player and has his number on it. If you’re a Broncos Fan and you’d like to download these paint jobs onto your NASCAR’s go to the search feature and type in my gamer tag which is “Matriculator” or type in the individual player’s name to download the paint job.

Here’s the complete list of the players and the cars I painted for them:

Chevrolets:

John Elway
Craig Morton
Tim Tebow
Floyd Little
Karl Mecklenberg
Haven Moses
Louis Wright
Champ Bailey
Tom Nalen
Rod Smith
Von Miller
Dennis Smith

Toyota Camry’s:

Peyton Manning
Terrell Davis
Rick Upchurch
Tom Jackson
Lionel Taylor
Al Wilson
Bill Thompson
Jason Elam

Ford Fusion’s:

Randy Gradishar
Paul Smith
Gary Zimmerman
Shannon Sharpe

I’ve had a lot fun making the vinyl groups if you’re a Broncos Fan and own any of the Forza Games feel free to load them on your cars.

Miscarriage of Justice in Brock Allen Turner Rape Case

Brock Turner’s mugshot from the night of his arrest in January 2015. (Stanford University Police)

I woke up early this morning and read the 13-page statement from the Brock Allen Turner rape victim. I honestly didn’t know the details of the case until this morning. It angered and inspired me to write about it. Her letter was a long read, but I couldn't stop once I started. It is one of the most powerful and heartbreaking pieces of personal narrative every written. It genuinely moved me, enraged, sadden, repulsed and sickened me. Click below to read the statement:

13 Page Statement of Turner Rape Victim

It made me wonder how many rape victims wish they had the will to put into words the unbelievable pain and shame she so eloquently and tragically described.
 
The justice system failed in this case, no one in his or her right mind would disagree. The judge that give this disgraceful 6-month jail sentence should be removed from the bench permanently. I'm glad so many people have called for his removal. He should serve some time in jail too for being such an incompetent and insensitive moron.
 
Part of the reason I became a Police Officer was because I wanted to serve and protect people. Call me old fashioned but I believe our country is a country of laws not of men. When laws are broken and a serious crime, such as a felony rape or any serious crime for that matter, is perpetrated on a helpless victim there must be justice and consequences. I've believed this all of my life; it didn't just start when I put on a badge and gun.

One of the reasons my personality was molded into what it has become was because I was a victim of severe bullying as a young child and was also a child of an alcoholic father. At an early age I had low self-esteem and felt powerless to control what was happening in school or at home. I learned early in life to have an intense hatred for bullies.
 
My curse was I had to wear thick glasses from the time I was 3 years old. I remember walking home from the first day of school as a 1^st grader when for no reason other than being different looking I was chased down, tripped and beaten by the biggest boy in my class. When he tripped me my glasses fell off of my face and as I went to the ground I fell on top of them breaking them in half. Thankfully no one else was around to see the indignity, shame and the embarrassment I felt in that moment.

From then on my childhood innocence was gone and I become very self-conscious about my glasses. A lot of the kids in school give me funny looks when they laid eyes on me, teased me and called me names. It seemed like every other day in school I was in a fight with some kid, mainly because I was just “weird” looking.

It wasn’t until I was sophomore in high school when things changed.  I got into a fight one day in the school swimming pool when one of the biggest boys in the class came up behind me and dunked me in deep water. I went into a blind rage and immediately punched him in the face maybe 10 times before he realized what was happening. It took 4 guys to get me off him. After that I no longer heard any more comments about my glasses, at least to my face anyway and the bulling and the fighting stopped in school.

The fight didn’t stop my me from feeling different about myself because every morning when I got up I still had to put on my thick glasses to see. It took years for me to finally understand that my glasses didn’t define me nor was I weird or ugly for wearing them.

What that fight did do for me was give me a sense of empowerment in my life when I didn’t think I had any. As a young adult I started to believe that I was the captain of my own ship and I didn’t have to take crap about what I looked like from anyone nor when I knew I was right about something.

Today I wouldn’t change a single thing about my childhood because it’s helped me to become the tough and sensitive man that I’ve become. It drove me to become an over achiever at work and at play. At the same time, it gave me an overwhelming need to control too many things that are beyond my control and that’s been one of the personality defects I’ve had to work to change.

The White Horse mentality and getting into fights to correct what my ego considers wrongs has consumed me at times. I feel a strong personal desire to stand up to bullies, support the underdog or win a political debate when I know I’m on the right side. I’ve had to learn that sometimes being right doesn’t justify dying on a hill for it.

But here in this particular instance this is a hill worth dying on. This is unacceptable behavior and the crime should not be excused or apologized away because he was drunk, too young to know any better, came from a good family or went to a prestigious school like Stanford. It doesn’t matter that he had no criminal record prior to the rape, he deserved the harshest punishment available under the law.  

His Father made this statement aloud in court. “His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.” This is one of the most contemptable statements I’ve ever heard after a felony rape conviction. What about her life, and the price she paid?

No matter where she goes or what she does the rest of her life this violation with haunt her.  I send her and her family my prayers and I hope she’ll be able to find the coping skills to have a happy life.

Shirley Ann Higbee Jacques

Shirley Ann Higbee Jacques, of Powell, WY, died on Friday, February 26, 2016 at the Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA of pancreatic cancer. She was 79. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

She was born on August 25, 1936 in Arkansas City, KS to Denton and Wilda Higbee of Dexter, KS. She attended high school in Dexter, KS and graduated in 1955. On August 23, 1959 she married Harry “Bud” Denton Jacques of Tribune, KS. She's survived by Bud and their 3 children, Jeffery Todd Jacques of Astoria, OR, Peggy Sue Jacques Blasdell of Powell, WY and David Lee Jacques of Spokane, WA.

She’s also survived by Jeff’s children, her grandchildren, Nicole Jacques of Albuquerque, NM in addition to Morgan and Kaitlyn Cousins of Laramie, WY and her 3 sisters Kay Higbee Crow of Dexter, KS, Patty Higbee Duffy of Manhattan, KS and Billie Higbee Ochsner of Tribune, KS.   

Shirley lived in Powell from 1969 until her death in 2016. She worked as a Cook at the Powell Valley Hospital in Powell, WY for 23 years and retired in 2002.  She will be remembered as a very dedicated and devoted Mother to her 3 children. Shirley’s hobbies included sewing, crocheting, quilting, bird watching and Trout fishing on the Buffalo Bill Reservoir in Cody, WY with her husband Bud.

Her greatest love of all outside of her children and grandchildren was reading. Shirley was a vivacious reader; there wasn’t a day that went by in Shirley’s life that she didn’t have a book in her hand engrossed in a fiction or non-fiction book. The Librarians at the Powell Branch Library knew Shirley well as she patronized it every 2 weeks for 37 years. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations may be made in Shirley’s name to the:

Park County Library Foundation

P.O. Box 775

Cody, WY 82414

(Please stipulate that you want your check to go the Powell Branch Library in Shirley’s name.)

A grave site memorial service will be held for Shirley at the Crown Hill Cemetery located at 678 Lane 9 in Powell, WY August, 25 2016 at 2 PM. Following the memorial service there will also be a celebration of life gathering at 3 PM at a location yet to be determined. The family has asked that if you wish to attended either event that you email Jeff Jacques at jacquesjeffery@gmail.com.  

Astoria City Council should reject a new Library

The Astoria City Council led by Ex-librarian Arline LaMear is attempting to push through an expensive new library construction project with costs projected between $29.7 million and $38.7 million. We all know that if $38.7 million is the initial estimated cost it will be much higher, public construction project costs always are.

During the Mayoral debate in the last election cycle when LaMear was running for Mayor it seemed very convenient that the woman picked to ask questions for it had 2 regarding a new library. It was an omen of things to come, once elected the new library was going to take on a forward momentum of its own.

Today here we are with the Council considering whether to approve and pay for it despite the wisdom of such a decision. All this will do is take much needed resources from infrastructure projects that the City desperately needs, and put it into a new building that’s rarely used by most Astorian’s.

The Library meets the needs of patrons.

The Council should turn its focus to other issues that really matter to taxpayers. I’d bet my library card that most of taxpayers, if actually consulted, would like to see better city streets, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, housing projects and the parking situation improved.

Ask people going to and from Astoria and Warrenton last summer what the biggest infrastructure problem is and they’d say 101 and the Young’s Bay Bridge, not a library expansion.

The Council should address this issue head on and begin a planning process to widen the bridge to four lanes or make another along side with a four lane highway from the bridge to Seaside. Obviously this would require the City to get State and Federal funding to proceed.

It’s a multi-million dollar project but the longer this is ignored by City, County and State officials the more expensive it will be when it MUST be done. Sooner or later it will have to; Clatsop County is not going to stop growing. The argument to move on this now is 10, 15, 20 years down the road this size of a construction project won’t get any cheaper, it’ll come at an astronomical expense.

Better streets, sidewalks, parking, roads, bridges, housing projects or moving forward on a Convention Center on Port Property would be time well spent by the Council. A modest Library remodel is fine, let a developer buy the Merwyn, tear it down and build a small housing or parking structure instead. Then maybe the Council can focus their time and attention to projects that will really improve Astoria.

Super Bowl 50 was less about Manning and all about Defense

I'm so happy the Broncos get to put another Lombardi in the trophy case with the other 2. They earned it fair and square with grinding Defense as it happens so many times in Super Bowl games.

I didn't really want to write anything about the game on Sunday or Monday because I just wanted to enjoy the gleam. Victory in these games has been very difficult for the Broncos in the SB. They've made the trip 8 times and won it just 3 times.

In the 3 they've won each Broncos team had a great Defense with this year’s version being the best ever. I hope the NFL historians, the media and Broncos Fans understand that years from now.

So let's be blunt here and break the SB and the Broncos season down. If you’re a hard core Manning fan you should stop reading here.

Leader of the greatest D in franchise history.

Frankly I was a little upset after the clock hit triple zeros and every media person on the field immediately flocked to Manning. Von Miller and the entire Broncos D deserved the media mob far more than Manning did. Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips deserved it too.

Phillips deserved a ton of credit for returning to Denver after a being a failure as Head Coach for them back in mid-90's. His story alone is one of most amazing in franchise history. These should have been the main bullet points immediately after the game, not Manning riding off into retirement (he hasn't announced it yet but he must) as a SB winning QB.

This may hurt the Manning faithful but the Broncos won the SB despite Manning not because of him. Manning was a turnover waiting to happen for almost the entire game. It’s an amazing feat that the Broncos D was able to hold the league’s MVP to just to just one touchdown. Time after time the Broncos defense held the Panthers in check and never broke ranks.

Manning did make a few pass plays in the game but he and the Broncos offense had a dreadful performance. The Broncos offense set a record for 3 and outs in a Super Bowl. Manning had a horrible game and the running game did almost nothing.

The Super Bowl win just like the regular season, postseason and the AFC Championship wins rests solely in the Defense’s court.

A check of the stat sheet showed Manning was the lowest rated QB in league when he went out with injuries. When he came back he wasn't much better. The only game Manning can hang his hat on and say he played well in was the Packers game early in the season. The others were all won with stout defense and good special teams play. Pinch hitter Brock Osweiler did an outstanding job in his absence as well.

There’s a very good argument to be made that Oz could have stayed in the Chargers game and won it had Manning not been called into service. The Chargers win had less to do with Manning coming into play and his audible prowess than it was the entire offense unit being humiliated and embarrassed for not playing well up to that point.

Oz threw for 232 yards in the Chargers game, including a 72-yard TD pass to Thomas on the game's second play. But he was victimized by 5 turnovers, including 2 interceptions that weren't his fault and a fumble by Emmanuel Sanders at the 10-yard line after a 46-yard reception.

One of Oz's interceptions went off receiver Norwood’s hands. His arm was hit by a linebacker on the other, and his day was done after a fumble by Anderson on the second play after halftime.

Kube hit the panic button after that and Manning came in. The truth is we’ll never know if Oz could have closed the deal in the Chargers game. In my mind he could have and as I’ve said more than once he earned and deserved to be the starter the rest of the way.

Manning had the worst regular season stats in his career in 2015. In 10 regular season games he had 331 pass attempts and just 198 completions for 2,249 yards. He had just 9 TD’s passes and 17 interceptions which lead the league. He only averaged 6.8 yards per pass which indicates he wasn’t getting the ball deep. Worst yet 34 QB’s qualified in the passer rating sweepstakes and Manning finished dead last at 67.9%. Keep in mind QB’s like Nick Foles and Blaine Gabbert were ahead of him.

I know some of the apologist’s will say his injuries were a factor and blame the offensive line but it just doesn’t wash. Even if that were partly true that’s all the more reason Kube should have taken him out of the lineup and let Oz finish the season.

Manning’s career comes to a close now and in the future when honest Broncos Fans look back they’ll have to say his career with the team was a mixed bag. He was a great regular season QB, maybe the best ever of all the greats but in the post season (14 wins vs. 13 losses) he was one of the worst.

That said I have all the respect in the world for Manning as person and a player he’s had an amazing career. I’m also happy that despite being a non-factor during the playoffs and the Super Bowl this year, I’m glad he’s going out a winner if he retires which he surely must do.

He’s been a class act and conducted himself professionally and no one can take that away from him.

Thank you Football God’s for blessing my team with another Championship it was one hell of a ride. GO BRONCOS!!

Sarah Palin is a Benedict Arnold

Some Republicans won't like what I say here but it needs to be said.

The full title of Daily News headline should have been, "I'm with stupid because I'm stupid."

It's official, Palin has endorsed Trump. She's thrown the entire Conservative movement and the Tea Party under the bus.

Palin as it turns out is a fraud, her ego is writing checks it can't cash and whatever she's done in the past to help Conservatives is completely undermined by this one incredibly unwise endorsement.

There is no real home for people that call themselves Conservatives today as it turns out, not in the Republican Party and now certainly not in the Tea Party.

I'm trying to remember the last time something made me this angry politically. Every day a Conservative could have a meltdown by picking up the newspaper or watching the main stream media but this?

Love me or hate me but this is a complete betrayal, Palin is a Benedict Arnold.

In the primary season Conservatives, if you truly call yourself a Conservative should vote that way. In the general it's a different story. If Trump wins the nominee I will hold my nose and vote for him because he'll be the lesser of 2 evils but I don't trust him anymore than Hillary or Sanders. Trump is not a Conservative anymore than McCain or Romney was.

It's incredibly frustrating that in this election cycle we had the best field of Republican candidates maybe ever and Trump is the choice? Really?

Granted many of them are flawed on certain issues and don't tow the line on government spending and immigration but almost all of them would be a better choice than Trump.

Cruz, Santorum, Carson, Jindal, Rubio, Fiorina, Kasich and Christie in that order all would be acceptable and good Republican Presidents even with their flaws.

Pataki, Huckabee and Paul would be on the bottom of my list with Graham being dead last.

I think the only way I would vote for Trump was if Graham were the only other GOP candidate running in the primary.

So Trump has blown the whole thing up and now Palin has steamrolled Conservatives by endorsing him.

I hope and I pray that voters ignore the Trump sideshow, the polls and vote their conscience in the primaries. You may not like Cruz for whatever reason but there's no denying he is the best Conservative running.