mmmmmbeeer

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Dec 3, 2006 -> 02:23 AM) Current books I am looking through in the near future The Essential Chaplin Bill Hicks: Agent of Evolution The Audacity of Hope - Obama We Regret to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families (about Rwanda in 1994) Rationale of the Dirty Joke Love the People (Bill Hicks book) American Scream (another Bill Hicks book) A bunch of books from Disinfo.com Started Obama's new book...seems like a bunch of pie-in-the-sky rhetoric so far. He does write extremely well so atleast he makes it interesting. He definitely comes off as a politician who hasn't been corrupted by Washington yet. To be read soon: *The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party - Ryan Sager * The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How to Get It Back - Andrew Sullivan *The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin - Gordon Wood I had made a post here about it, but I'd really recommend Woodward's "State of Denial", very interesting read.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Dec 3, 2006 -> 09:39 AM) Do suitcase nukes actually exist? I could probably show some initiative and google that for you, but it's a lazy Sunday morning. I just remember reading something about this. I wouldn't think that they'd pack much of a wallop, just due to the size of the weapon, but a nuke is still a nuke. EDIT: It only took a second, so... http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190..._072204,00.html

QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 3, 2006 -> 08:26 AM) It's been a while since I've read anything on the Russian nuclear situation, but it was a very disturbing problem. No money to maintain the buildings, no money to pay security, no money to investigate the people with access. And government scientists, with ties to some unsavory characters from "negotiations", who had been living in the lap of luxury, suddenly without paychecks. I remember coming away from that book, and the title escapes me now, with the nagging feeling we were less safe with the breakup of the Soviet Union than before. The book was written, largely, with information from one of their scientist who had defected, so who knows how accurate a picture he drew. If I remember correctly, there were also a small number ( As far Litvinenko, I have no doubt he was assassinated. There is just too much evidence after reading this continuing saga.

We hooked up some Tortilla soup in the crockpot today. Delish and super easy. Brushed some butter on some flour tortillas and tossed them in the oven for a few minutes and then dropped them in the soup along with a dab of sour cream and some shredded cheddar. Great meal.

Baseball perspective aside, I really don't like this deal. Crede has become probably my favorite player on the team. I really don't like Chone Figgins at all and Ervin has always been one of baseball's most overhyped players in my opinion. It just seems that with this market we could "downgrade" a Santana to an ML-ready prospect and not have to give up Crede. I just assumed that in this market any deal we'd make would be an obvious white sox winner. This proposed deal is far, far away from being an obvious sox winner...if anything, it creates another hole.

Just finished reading this book and gotta admit I was really impressed. I was expecting a scathing commentary on the President but the book went much deeper than I had anticipated. Target numero uno is Rumsfeld. If even 1/2 of what Woodward reported is true, we may see a real change in strategy now that Rummy has FINALLY been pushed out of the administration. I didn't find this a partisan book but I can certainly see why some in the administration wanted nothing to do with it. We all know that there were mistakes in Iraq, but this book just seemed to really get down to the bare bones. The ideas for a smoother post-war Iraq were there, the implementation is what was missing. Anyone else read this? If you haven't, I'd recommend it. The book is fairly long but reads quickly.

I worked for a company where I received 25 days (200hrs) of PTO (paid time off) that was to be used for either vacation or sick days. We also received the standard holidays and 3 IFM days (family medical days). Well, that was a good deal because the company expected you to take 28 days off a year. We got bought out by another company where we now get just 15 days of vacation, 10 sick days, and 3 flex holidays. This is the EXACT same amount of time off but they sneakily place 80hrs worth of vacation as sick time, counting on people to feel guilty, or like they owe something to "the man". I say screw 'em. I'm going to take my 10 sick days each and every year. They do not carry over from one year to the next, so I've got basically one day a month that they can count on me not being there. The large majority of my new co-workers treat this the same, and the supervisors understand that that's just the way things are. The company is trying to get off cheap, as usual. It's up to employees to realize that the company is out to screw them over at every turn, we must do the same and maximize our benefits.

No thanks on Clemens. His numbers have looked good the last couple seasons solely because he was pitching in the NL. He sucked the last time he was in the AL with NY.

QUOTE(redandwhite @ Nov 7, 2006 -> 04:40 PM) Does anyone know if because my fever, headache, and overall soreness is gone, that it might be just a bad sore throat or something? That's really the only symptom I'm having, although it's bad enough to the point where It's tough to swallow or eat anything outside of apple sauce and water. mono is quite a conclusion to jump to...much more likely you just have strept or something similar. I had mono back in high school and you'd know it if you have it.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Nov 6, 2006 -> 02:38 PM) IF all of those kids develop right away. How many times does a touted starting pitcher step into the rotation and realize his potential right away, let alone having multiple starting pitchers do it, all at the sametime. Its one thing to be breaking in one starter, which it sounds pretty for sure we are going to be doing, it makes things even more complicated. Sure it might work 2-3 + years down the road, but odds are in 2007 we do not make the playoffs. Heck, who was even the last team to make the playoffs with two essential rookies in the starting 5. The 2006 Twins.

"The White Sox could take a shot at Rangers shortstop Michael Young as part of a major deal. Young can become a free agent after 2007, and the Sox could elect to take a run at him then. The Sox have thoroughly scouted Texas pitching prospects Edison Volquez, John Danks, Thomas Diamond, Nick Masset and Eric Hurley, and preliminary talks last November broke down when the Rangers were unwilling to part with Danks or Diamond in a multiplayer trade." -- Chicago Tribune http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scor...ex.html?cnn=yes Never knew that we had talked to Texas about Young. I know a Young acquisition has been discussed on here before, and I believe everyone loved the idea. No doubt TEX needs pitching, so we'd matchup with them well as a trading partner.

Is the agent supposed to say that Dave wouldn't fit in here?

QUOTE(Kalapse @ Oct 13, 2006 -> 11:41 AM) I don't see how Buehlre could possibly be a lock at this point, hell his option hasn't even been picked up yet. Once the option is excercised he still isn't a lock seeing how he can walk after the '07 season. There are no locks for next year's rotation, the pitcher's who's jobs are the safest would be McCarthy, Garland and Vazquez then a little ways down you have Contreras followed by Buehrle and Garcia is on the very bottom of the list, here's a visual: Garland | McCarthy | Vazquez Contreras Buehlre Garcia outstanding visual, bro. thanks.

As speculated here, Google may not be done. YouTube had just signed a deal with Level 3 Communications (my employer) for broadband services prior to selling to Google. Personally speaking, I'd love to have this happen because I'd enjoy working for a company like Google. On the other hand, I don't see Google making a move like this. What do you all think?

QUOTE(SnB @ Oct 9, 2006 -> 06:30 PM) huh? google usually makes things better, alot better. Cuban's reasoning for not buying YouTube, and his criticism of any "moron" who chooses to do so, was based on the large amount of copyright infringements which are accessible on the site. He feels that anyone who buys YouTube, apparently Google, will actually be buying themselves an assload of legal proceedings. He stated that YouTube hadn't been sued yet because they didn't have any money, now Google's pockets are open to legal proceedings. Google has apparently thought about the copyright issues and, from what I read, plan on introducing software on the YouTube servers which will filter out copyrighted materials and make then unaccessible. Google is most definitely great at everything they touch, and I have little doubt that they will make YouTube great for users while omitting copyrighted videos. Although I don't have any numbers or anything to back up my opinion, it seems to me that a majority of people are watching music videos and television shows on the site. If you take away those components of the site, regardless of what Google does to jazz it up, will it sustain traffic levels remotely close to what the site sees today? Personally, I doubt it. This was Google's largest acquisition to date and I think it was a mistake.

I guess this is good news for my 401k, but I haven't honestly seen any large jumps in total savings over the past year or so while our economy has been "booming". It'd be great if I had more money to invest in this "booming", "record-breaking" stock market but unfortunately inflation has beaten my wage increases over the past 5 years. I'm somehow able to put a little over 20% of my income (10% 401k, 7% company match, 5% personal savings) aside for retirement, but it's just not enough. You talk to your grandparents and they were easily able to save 40%+ of their earnings because costs weren't near as high...not anymore....unless you're single, a DINK, or actually have a family but earn a shipload of money ($150K+), it's really getting increasingly difficult to put aside much at all. The numbers seem to indicate that many people have a tough time just meeting the company match on their 401k, a 3-month emergency fund is rare in the middle class any more. Lou Dobbs had an interesting commentary on this subject today, check it out. I love his closing lines. Dobbs

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Oct 3, 2006 -> 03:48 PM) He cant? What about that terrorism and border security legislation that passed last week? Just because a bill became law doesn't mean that it was one of the president's initiatives. That bill has been bipartisan from the get-go. I'm talking about Bush's initiatives....social security reform, amnesty program, etc... Bush and the rest of the Executive are pretty much on their own right now. I wouldn't even call it my opinion, it's just politics. Regardless of party, you don't walk lockstep with a president who has a 30-40% approval rating, it's political suicide. Forcing Rumsfeld's resignation would/could go a long way in improving those poll numbers and thus improving his support in Congress. I voted for Bush in both 2000 and 2004. I didn't really want to in '04, but I sure as hell wasn't going to vote for Kerry. I voted in OK and you are not allowed to write-in a candidate nor are there any other parties on the ballot. He's completely lost me as a supporter and soured me on the GOP in general. If he showed the same balls within the ranks of his administration as he likes to display to the rest of the world, I'd actually have some faith restored in the man.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Oct 1, 2006 -> 06:25 AM) Let's see here. Bush says that "mistakes were made" but that isn't good enough. We CAN'T leave now, as much as you people would want us to. So instead of throwing s*** out there and waiting to see what sticks, how about a REAL plan besides running away? It's not a matter of pulling out, it's a matter of accountability within this administration. If I'm Bush, and watched my approval ratings absolutely plummet over the cluster that we're calling a war in Iraq, I would have the heads of those responsible (Rummy target #1) for the failures resign immediately. Maintaining the status quo and just saying, "yeah, there were some mistakes made", does nothing to instill confidence in Bush, his party, nor our government in general. When the man in charge allows these incompetents in his cabinet to run off pure talent like Colin Powell, it's the man in charge who's failed miserably. Push Rummy and pals out of their positions and then we can talk about strategies to deal with Iraq and how to either find success or pull out. QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Oct 1, 2006 -> 09:46 AM) I'm hanging on to the belief that if the current administration (Prez, Congress and military) can just keep things on the brink like this... it can be fixed soon. Congress will become either very close or even split in November, Bush becomes a lame duck, and by 2008 we have recycled the leadership. Since pretty much everyone in both parties (except for Bush's groupies) dislikes the current scenario, someone will change the way we are doing things. That is what I am holding out hope for. The current situation sucks... civil war (which would erupt if we left) is even worse... the only possible good news is a new direction and NOT abandoning ship. Whatever the new direction is, if its different than the current one or withdrawal, it must be an improvement. Bush is already impotent in office; he can't push anything through Congress. Few in his own party want to walk lock-step with the man for fear of hurting their own chances at reelection. If he makes some immediate changes in his administration, he will not only regain the support of some within his party but will also have the opportunity to trumpet effective bipartisanship.

QUOTE(qwerty @ Sep 28, 2006 -> 12:41 AM) All i know is that i hope gload gets a chance some where... Pods didn't just get caught stealing....he got caught stealing by Victor "I've got to move to 1b because I can't throw out runners" Martinez. What an embarrassment.

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Sep 25, 2006 -> 01:59 PM) Well, considering that the SOX will be eliminated from the playoffs on 9/26 (as previously predicted) I see the Twins resting their staff the rest of the week to get ready for the playoffs. Twins vs. Yankees is a real possibility, but if Santana is going game 1, in a short series ? Im thinking Twinks take that series. Book it. Santana got hit hard his only start against NY this year. With that lineup, it doesn't matter who the Twinks throw at them. NY is going to be damned tough to beat in the postseason and will run right over minny. I want the Twinks eliminated first round because Nick Punto and Jason Tyner are pussies. I can't stand Yankee fans. If the A's win it's another 5 years of hearing about freakin' Moneyball. I REALLY don't like DET but I would like seeing another team from the ALC win the championship....so I've got to root for DET.

As much as I'd like to see him rewarded for being a great reliever this season, turning around his past struggles, he's just too valuable in that role to move him into the rotation. Sucks for him, kind of a catch-22 for effective relievers with starting aspirations.

QUOTE(Contreras @ Aug 18, 2006 -> 09:57 PM) That sample size is small enough that it's still just a fluke. Neal didn't look horrible tonight. But as far as the last month or two goes, have you watched the games to see Neal pitch or are you just relying on his splits to back up your case. He's looked really bad against LH hitters for quite some time.

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 18, 2006 -> 09:49 PM) I respect you as a poster...but will you please explain to me how it was a decent move? I'd really like to see a legitimate explanation. I'm also curious where Thornton was at. Mauer just made a fool of Cotts less than a month ago and Oz brings him in to face him again. Even before that, why in the hell is Freddy starting the inning? Neal shouldn't be in a game in a tight spot nor should Freddy be starting the 7th with the way he had been pitching. I can't believe we see the same mistakes so often when they're so freakin' predictable. The other thing I'm curious about is what happened to the approach the Sox took against Verlander and that other DET rookie? Bonser was just flying through our hitters because we helped him out. Against the Twins, it's IMPERATIVE that you run up the starter's pitch count. If you allow the starter to get into the 7th, it's game over with their BP. This team is REALLY looking demoralized.

Sean Casey has been killing the ball this past week...not so much for power, but he's driven in 7 over that time in several low scoring games. Good move by Dombrowski. I'm curious if he'll be moved up to the 2 spot with Polanco out. edit: well, forgot the Tigers game already started so I looked at the lineup...Craig Monroe in the 2 spot? hmmm

QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Aug 16, 2006 -> 06:02 PM) Freddy throwing 88 in the post season? Sing me up!