Y2HH

Saw it last night, Darth Vader and Darth Maul both die.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 17, 2015 -> 07:10 AM) Is it normal for our doctors to suddenly not be covered by Blue Cross starting January 1? We received the notice to update our plan, but I never got around to confirming our doctors were still in the network. I assumed they would stay, but suddenly our pediatrician and my wife's doctor are no longer in network with Blue Cross. The only one they both are on is Land of Lincoln, whatever that is. Is that normal to just change like that? Luckily, the marketplace deadline was extended two days so I can still pick a new one today. I preface this by saying this my personal observation/opinion... A lot of insurance providers are contracting their networks in order to keep their premiums down, in addition to other things such as raising deductibles and out of pocket expenses, a smaller provider network will also decrease the premium. What happened was some of the assumptions made with the ACA didn't pan out, for a number of reasons. It was predicted that prices would be kept down (or the same) by the young generation picking up health insurance as to avoid the "fine" (tax)...but what actually happened was only older people signed up...causing payouts from insurance companies to skyrocket. Since the younger healthier people never bothered (hopefully this will change), there was nothing to cover the new expensive portion of the population (older/sicker people that actually use insurance a lot). The fine was too slow to implement, and frankly, too small to matter. If I were 21, I'd basically pay the fine it's so small, because insurance prices are too high for what amounts to near useless insurance. If you are young and have a massive deductible combined with massive out of pocket maximums, you essentially have what amounts to a VERY EXPENSIVE catastrophic plan. Since the ACA doesn't allow "catastrophic plans" anymore...all the insurance companies did was jack the expenses to the point that that's essentially what most bronze plans are...only they cost about 20X what an older catastrophic plan cost.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 07:29 PM) Since we were talking about toddlers in school, my almost 3 year old had a "lock down " drill at her school today, where they practiced all quietly hiding in the bathroom . That's the world we live in now and it makes sense to practice it, but it was still a shock at first to hear about it. Although she thought it was so fun and keeps yelling "lickdown!" Is this really any different from kids hiding beneath their desks like we did back in the day because of threat of World War 3? At least in this case, hiding in the bathroom can actually help. Hiding beneath your desk doesn't stop a multi-megaton intercontinental ballistic missile from melting you.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 05:13 PM) And I never said public programs would be 100% free of corruption and in fact never mentioned corruption, so I still don't know what set you off in the first place. Any government program would have some level of fraud/corruption (so would any large private program, it's the nature of large programs!) and would also have oversight mechanisms in place. I never said or implied otherwise. So, in the end, neither way is perfect. That was my point.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 05:05 PM) Robust as in wide-ranging and encompassing everyone in need; strongly funded, resourced and staffed. I don't know why you think robust implies free from corruption (though, again, plenty of private charities have corruption problems). There's no feigned ignorance there, there's just you insisting that your idiosyncratic definition is the right one and is obviously how someone else must have used the word. I never said private charities are free of corruption. I don't think robust implies that a given program would be free of corruption, but it does imply oversight to prevent it, or at the very least, curtail it. I doubt there is a single instance in the history of government where you won't find corruption when oversight doesn't exist.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 04:59 PM) Weird, my posts don't have anything about "corruption" when I see them on my screen. Maybe I should get my monitor checked? As for discrimination in government programs, yes, it happens, but legally it shouldn't be happening and generally speaking, the programs are structured in non-discriminatory ways. There are, on the other hand, a lot of private groups that are explicitly discriminatory. When one uses the word "robust" to describe a government program, they're often including "with strict oversight as to avoid corruption" as part of the "robustness" of that program. So nice try on the feigned ignorance. "Derp, I don't see that word on my monitor...derp." Go play dumb with someone else...or stop using the word robust.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 04:42 PM) The narrative is that you're a s***ty person for tossing out women and children because some women might be having sex with some men at the shelter. eta: good lesson in why relying on private charity instead of robust, nondiscriminatory public programs is not always the best idea, though! Because when the government runs things, it will be free of all corruption and discriminatory practices!!! What a joke.

QUOTE (3GamesToLove @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 01:00 PM) Age, track record beyond one season. Upton is 28, Cespedes is 30...they're less than 2 years apart in age. And still incorrect. Upton: 2012 WAR +2.1 DWAR -0.4 2013 WAR +2.6 DWAR -1.5 2014 WAR +3.3 DWAR -0.9 2015 WAR +4.4 DWAR +0.2 Cespedes: 2012 WAR +3.4 DWAR -1.1 (rookie) 2013 WAR +1.7 DWAR -0.5 2014 WAR +4.1 DWAR +0.7 2015 WAR +6.3 DWAR +0.7 In either case, Upton still isn't better...and he sure hell isn't better "by a lot". Edit: Better numbers in bold.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 12:41 PM) Upton. Not even close either. How so? Cespedes: DWAR+0.7, WAR +6.3 in 2015 Upton: DWAR+0.2, WAR +4.4 in 2015

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 11:13 AM) Oh yeah probably not but it's related to this season and I guess is a 'potential' spoiler? I don't think actual news reports (of things that are happening in real life) are spoilers...

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 16, 2015 -> 08:17 AM) What browser are you using? On my imac my chrome browser sucks at watching streaming videos as it has constant judder while firefox is smooth as ice. That sounds like a different issue...he's experiencing bandwidth issues, not stutters from processor, etc. You shouldn't be having this issue, either...I can stream in any browser, Safari, Chrome or Firefox without problems on my iMac and it's from 2011.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Dec 15, 2015 -> 09:41 PM) I just watched a video on IGN that seemed to stream fine, tried YouTube and still the same issues, in fact I got the blue box under the video asking me if I was experiencing delays, ect. ect. Browsing the internet on my laptop doesn't seem to have any issues, just media streaming at the moment. Again, it's not that I can't do it, just very slow. And I am using home wifi, yes. Sometimes these streaming issues come from people trying to use OpenDNS or Google DNS servers instead of the ones their internet provider gives them by default. If you are using 8.8.8.8 (Google), try swapping it to the defaults and see if the issue goes away.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 15, 2015 -> 09:32 PM) SB 1 is the pension reform act not the school funding reform act. Here is a IBHE power point summarizing the proposed bill. It says that the state will raise the % of local property tax that goes to the state to 95% from 44%. http://www.isbe.net/budget/FY15/fy15-sb16-ppt.pdf SB16 got shot down, it's now part of SB1.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Dec 15, 2015 -> 09:14 PM) I've noticed at night my internet speeds, specifically Youtube seems to suffer long load times and constant buffering. Right now, my download speed is registering at 21D/4U Is it Youtube, or my ISP? What causes these issues? Could be a number of factors, from your internet supplier to your modem, to wifi if involved...way too many variables to guess. To debug something like this we would need a lot more information.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 15, 2015 -> 08:22 PM) That's not going to pass in the way you state. Even in that model most of your local taxes will stay local while some will go into a pool of which special needs and low income schools get the lions share. We have a government in place now that have taken money from special needs programs already so it's clearly not a priority. Second. Won't ever happen. You aren't going to steal from the rich suburbs and give to Chicago in this state. I wouldn't bet on that second part...this is IL after all.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Dec 15, 2015 -> 05:55 PM) This will be changing soon with the proposed changes to the school funding system. Your taxes will no longer be going to your schools. Most of it will be going to schools outside of your district. Can you elaborate on the tax changes? Where did you get this info?

I'd just like to point out that I went to public school in Chicago for both elementary and high school...and I turned out fine...so it wasn't the schools...it's the parents/kids. For full disclosure, I went to: K-9 - Kanoon on 22nd Kedzie HS - Bogan on 79th Pulaski You know what I didn't do? Major in ancient nobody gives a f*** poetry and got a degree that's actually useful.

This seasons content just doesn't intrigue me in the least. Was hoping for more interesting subject matter...just don't care about this guy at all.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 10, 2015 -> 02:57 PM) I don't get overly upset because it's a movie, but... that change dramatically altered the tone of the scene. It undercuts the potrayal of a key character. It changes the landscape, and Lucas' recent excuse for it (that he saw Solo as a John Wayne type) was bizarre (much like the rest of what he's done as his career has gone on). Exactly this.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 9, 2015 -> 05:03 PM) He's a got a $1 bet with someone to see just how far he can go and still stay in the lead.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2015 -> 04:22 PM) Now you're just trolling. No one here is taking what he says any more seriously than you are. Well, except maybe greg. Well played.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Dec 9, 2015 -> 03:28 PM) Yeah,we're all idiots for caring about the rhetoric and support that the months-long GOP frontrunner represents and you're so smart for simultaneously saying he should be ignored and also that he'll get lots of votes. I'm glad you see it, too.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2015 -> 02:45 PM) You just accused the entire board of being played, by pointing out things you supposedly know, that everyone else does too. Thus I find that the appropriate response. Because you have been played by taking the Donald seriously.

QUOTE (Whitewashed in '05 @ Dec 9, 2015 -> 02:50 PM) Unfortunately I see this happening more and more often. I've seen some pretty big Android fans migrate to Apple due to performance and security issues with Android including myself. It's really a shame because Android is a good OS now. Android is a great OS that's ruined by OEM's tinkering with it and a combination of having to do too much with too many different components. It also has an inherently sub-par support structure because it's 3rd parties you'd deal with, not Google. If I have an issue with my iPhone, I bring it to any number of Apple stores, and it's taken care of...depending on the carrier/OEM that makes your Android device, you'll probably have to send it in and wait to see what they say...which may be, "go to hell". Personally, I choose to use Apple's iPhone/iOS combined with a number of Google services...I'm not a huge tinkerer these days, I just wan't my devices to work...but that's not to say Google doesn't make some good software. On my iPhone, I use the following: Google Maps (yes, Apple maps is fine, most of the people I know use it...but it's just not as good as Google maps yet) Google Drive Google Inbox Google Photos Google Docs Google Now (Yes, I still use Siri for things like setting timers/alarms, as a matter of fact, that's ALL I use it for, and no, I don't use the 'Ok Google' Google Voice features, though yes, you can.) I feel iOS is a more stable, fluid, well supported operating system, and I feel running a few Google Apps on top of it gives you the best experience of both worlds...without the security/stability compromises that come with Android. No, I'm not claiming Apple is without fault...but iOS 9 has been out a few months, and we've already received the following: iOS 9.0.1 iOS 9.0.2 iOS 9.1 iOS 9.2

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 9, 2015 -> 12:49 PM) lol lololololol Excellent comeback.