BigSqwert

QUOTE(minors @ Feb 20, 2006 -> 10:54 PM) Oh you should make a trip down here to the south if you think I am bad I think I'll pass but thanks for the offer.

By the way, "Because the bible says so" isn't a theory.

QUOTE(minors @ Feb 20, 2006 -> 10:51 PM) I do understand but have to wonder why it is unacceptable to at least present other theories do exist Which theories are you referring to?

QUOTE(minors @ Feb 20, 2006 -> 10:48 PM) So all the bible and all of history is all made up? All of the modern day miracles are all lies? Jesus was nothing but a lie? What exactly would you consider a modern day miracle?

QUOTE(minors @ Feb 20, 2006 -> 10:35 PM) I am going to end this discussion by saying that I will be praying for you. I am scared to live in the same country as you.

QUOTE(iWiN4PreP @ Feb 20, 2006 -> 10:33 PM) If anyone likes rap at all, I suggest downloading Shook Ones Part II. By Mobb Deep, its one HELL of a song. That's an old track. It's actually in a mix I made last year. Let me know if you want a copy. PM me.

Happy Birthday!!!

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 19, 2006 -> 11:01 PM) Anyone have any quick comments about Hostel before I go see it??? Takes a while before the real action starts. The movie is over shortly after it starts getting good. Bit of a disappointment.

Just finished House of Sand and Fog. Definitely not a feel-good movie.

QUOTE(bmags @ Feb 18, 2006 -> 09:13 PM) i just finished watching requiem for a dream and now i'm shaking. I've yet to finish and Aranofski film without being shaken at the end. That said he sets up his shots soo f***ing beautifully. Contrasts colors so wonderfully from the beginning of the film to the end. ANd forces you to take in the reality of the situation. The mother was brilliant. Everyone did a brilliant job. One of my all time favorites.

Wonder if Gumble thinks Shani Davis is an athlete? http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/olymp...ll=chi-news-hed

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Feb 18, 2006 -> 01:54 PM) Is that from the Onion?? No s***, dolphins aren't smart outside their natural habitat. Yes. Onion article.

Come on. How is this not funny?? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/02/17/s...on_n_15887.html

Study: Dolphins Not So Intelligent On Land February 15, 2006 | Issue 42•07 GAINESVILLE, FL—Although dolphins have long been celebrated for their high intelligence and for appearing to have a complex language, a team of researchers at the University of Florida reported Monday that these traits are markedly less evident on dry land. According to study researchers, a group of 25 bottlenose dolphins removed from their holding tanks failed 11 exercises designed to test their basic cognitive abilities and reasoning skills. "The dolphins were incapable of recognizing and repeating simple gestures," said study co-author Dr. Scott Lindell. "Their non-verbal communications were limited to a rapid constriction and expansion of the blowhole, various incomprehensible fin motions, and heavy tremors while they lay prone on the lab table." After capturing the dolphins from the ocean, Lindell and his colleagues tagged them and placed them under the intense, high-wattage lights of a moisture-proof lab. The researchers then administered an extensive battery of tests designed to measure everything from the dolphins' self-awareness to their aptitude for writing and reading comprehension. "Dolphins have a popular reputation for being excellent communicators," Lindell said. "But our study group offered only three types of response to every question we posed: a nonsensical, labored wheezing, an earsplitting barrage of unintelligible high-pitched shrieks, and in extreme cases, a shrill, distressed scream." Even the dolphins' proven ability to navigate through a form of sonar called echolocation was ineffective on land. "The military has claimed great success in training these mammals, utilizing their echolocation skills to detect mines that have been placed underwater," said Lindell, who conducted a similar experiment in a concrete parking lot. "We were unable to replicate this finding ourselves." Lindell added: "In most cases, the dolphins succeeded in finding land mines only when we placed them directly on top of the mines." A dolphin performs poorly in a University of Florida land-based locomotion test. In another test, several pounds of mackerel were placed on the ground, separated from the test dolphins by only 20 feet of concrete. The dolphins were unable to reach the food and feed themselves. Despite their failures in the initial series of tests, the animals were given further opportunities to demonstrate their intelligence on land. The dolphins were unable to display novel behaviors, use a map to pinpoint their location on campus (spatial reasoning), or complete a simple obstacle course and wall climb. "Their learning curve was actually negative," Lindell said. "The more time we gave them to complete basic land-based tests, the more pitiful their efforts became, with many of them opting to bask in the sun rather than perform a simple task." "In some cases," Lindell added, "the dolphins appeared to be looking directly into our eyes, as if pleading with us to help them perform better in these tests." Many scientists believe these findings may help to explain why dolphins, for all their vaunted intelligence, have never developed technology or agriculture, or harnessed the power of fire—skills still exclusively in the domain of Homo sapiens. Said Lindell: "Their failure is a great disappointment to all of us who once felt an intelligence-based kinship with these majestic animals."

Link Judge's order temporarily blocks procedure By Judy Peres Tribune staff reporter Published February 18, 2006 A Cook County judge Friday ordered a mother not to circumcise her 8-year-old son until the court can hear arguments from the child's father, who opposes the operation, and decide whether it is in the boy's best interests. The mother, a 31-year-old homemaker from Northbrook, says two doctors have recommended the procedure to prevent recurrent infections. Her ex-husband, a 49-year-old building manager who lives in Arlington Heights, calls the operation an "unnecessary amputation" that could cause his son physical and emotional harm. The Tribune is not naming the parents to protect the child's privacy. Circumcision, in which the foreskin of the penis is surgically removed, usually before a newborn leaves the hospital, was extremely common in the U.S. during the last century. But the percentage of U.S. babies being circumcised has gone down from an estimated 90 percent in 1970 to some 60 percent today. The American Academy of Pediatrics no longer recommends routine neonatal circumcision but says the decision should be left up to the parents. In recent years, the procedure has come under fire from a small but vocal group who believe it is the equivalent of female genital mutilation. They argue, in an increasing number of legal challenges, that the procedure is medically unnecessary and morally indefensible. There are no published U.S. opinions to serve as precedents for the current case. Both sides appeared Friday in Cook County Circuit Court, where the father asked Judge Jordan Kaplan for a temporary restraining order against his ex-wife. His attorneys, John D'Arco and Alan Toback, argued that the couple's divorce agreement provided that the father had to be consulted before any non-emergency medical care.

QUOTE(Milkman delivers @ Feb 18, 2006 -> 11:31 AM) I didn't even laugh inside. I just stared blankly at the computer screen. Like this girl...

And the U.S. is still the only Western civilized country with capital punishment. I guess those other countries have unbelievably higher murder rates since our precious capital punishment serves as a wonderful deterrent.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 10:19 PM) Such a happy-go-lucky guy. Makes me warm inside.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 03:10 PM) Gumbel is a f***in douchebag. He's an idiot. Likes to hear his own voice. Has nothing of value to add.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/17/business...r=1&oref=slogin On Private Web Site, Wal-Mart Chief Talks Tough By STEVEN GREENHOUSE and MICHAEL BARBARO Published: February 17, 2006 In a confidential, internal Web site for Wal-Mart's managers, the company's chief executive, H. Lee Scott Jr., seemed to have a rare, unscripted moment when one manager asked him why "the largest company on the planet cannot offer some type of medical retirement benefits?" Mr. Scott first argues that the cost of such benefits would leave Wal-Mart at a competitive disadvantage but then, clearly annoyed, he suggests that the store manager is disloyal and should consider quitting. The Web site, which Mr. Scott uses to communicate his tough standards to thousands of far-flung managers, gives a rare glimpse into the concerns that are roiling Wal-Mart's retailing empire, from the company's sagging stock price to how it treats its workers. Judging by the managers' questions, Mr. Scott has an internal public relations challenge that in some ways mirrors the challenge he faces from outside critics.

QUOTE(kevin57 @ Feb 17, 2006 -> 08:03 PM) Oh, joy. Bill is sooooooo funny. :puke Good point. He gets a deal on the biggest cable network because nobody thinks he is funny whatsoever. I'm still scratching my head over that. EDIT: Admins...maybe this should be moved to the Dems Only thread?

Bill Maher's hiatus was too long. I'm glad his show is back on tonight. Guess I don't get enough pseudo news from comedy central.

So I just get back from lunch and a doctor's appointment. Turned on the Score to check in on George Offman's White Sox report on Murph's show. I was listening to the supposed White Sox report and they were talking abut Greg Maddux for 10 minutes so I turned it off. What the hell. That douchebag Murph has to talk Cubs even during the White Sox spring training report. So annoying.

QUOTE(iWiN4PreP @ Feb 16, 2006 -> 09:23 PM) Is the cubs/sox games Sold out already? Or are they just going on sale later time? ? Pretty sure they are.

QUOTE(Steff @ Feb 16, 2006 -> 03:30 PM) That would be something wouldn't it.. I could see it happening. Especially if they play up to expectations.