Soxy

My college roommate and I also took a day trip to see this gem.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Jul 1, 2005 -> 11:21 AM) What do you guys think with regards to length? (Bite your tongue steff) It's not as important as width.

QUOTE(Steff @ Jul 1, 2005 -> 10:05 AM) Go back to doing what we did before cell phones. I agree they shouldn't be used. I'm nto an excessive user and rarely when driving anyway.. but when I see someone looking down to dial that scares the s*** out of me. I don't understand it either. I won't answer my phone while driving or call. And I really hate it when you're going 65 (cough80cough) down the interstate and some fool is yapping away or messing with his/her phone. I'm really sorry, but no one is so busy or important that it can't wait until you're home, or at least pull over. Interesting PDF article about issue

That's hot. Good job and congrats!

'05 Toyota Corolla Averages 35 mpg, fill it up once every other week for less than $25. I

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jul 1, 2005 -> 08:47 AM) Its pretty stupid actually. Studies have shown that it isn't really the act of getting the phone, it is the talking on the phone distracting you from driving that is the problem. A couple of studies have shown that talking on a cell phone makes peoples reaction times equivilent to being moderately drunk. Ah, yes, the wonderful contribution of the Psychological study of attention to real world applications. Anyway, I also think there should be a wholesale ban on cell phone use while driving and this is just an ill-informed piss poor attempt.

Link Minn. Government Shuts Down; 9,000 Jobless By BRIAN BAKST, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 13 minutes ago ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota's government shut down Friday for the first time in state history after lawmakers failed to pass a temporary spending plan and left 9,000 employees jobless and highway rest stops unattended for the July Fourth weekend. The shutdown came at midnight after lawmakers failed late Thursday to pass a temporary spending plan to keep the government up and running. The Senate adjourned 20 minutes after Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he hoped the two sides could agree on a stopgap measure to keep the state's doors open for 10 more days. "I'd like to say I'm sorry to the people of Minnesota," said Republican state Rep. Rod Hamilton of Mountain Lake. "This is disgusting." Many states often miss their deadline for enacting new budgets. But Minnesota, unlike other states, has no law that automatically extends spending past the end of its fiscal year if a new budget is not approved. Earlier Thursday, the Senate passed a temporary measure with no time limit, which the governor and Republican leaders in the House said they would not accept. Most Republicans opposed the bill, saying it would create incentive to drag the budget debate deeper into the summer. House Speaker Steve Sviggum, the Legislature's leading Republican, indicated he would not allow a House vote on the stopgap bill unless legislative leaders first reached a tentative deal on the full budget. "The Senate wanted to shut down government from the beginning," Sviggum said. The governor said Democrats wanted a government shutdown to embarrass him in the run-up to his 2006 re-election campaign. "The Democrats turned and left tonight when Minnesota needed them most," Pawlenty said at a late-evening news conference. Dean Johnson, leader of the Democratic majority in the Senate, said the sides had whittled the gap to less than $200 million in a two-year, $30 billion budget. But with the new fiscal year looming Friday, lawmakers remained deadlocked over issues including school funding and health care for the poor. Eliot Seide, who heads the state's biggest employee union, lashed out at state leaders. He said it will be state workers — not lawmakers or the governor — who will have to pay the price for their failure to pass a budget. "The services that they provide, the jobs that they do, the families that they care for ... , all in jeopardy because chicken was played in the Legislature by the governor of this state and the Legislature of this state," he said. Minnesota had never before had to suspend services because of a budget dispute. The last state government shutdown was in Tennessee in 2002. A judge earlier this month ordered Minnesota to protect essential services relating to health, safety and property — including state police patrols, nursing homes and food inspections. Services that were closed included highway rest areas and the issuing of new driver's licenses. But the most significant pain would be felt by the roughly 9,000 employees who were locked out without some deal or stopgap spending plan. Lawmakers hurried through a compromise bill to keep state parks from closing, eliminating the risk the parks would be unavailable during the Fourth of July weekend. The governor signed it and ordered park employees to report to work Friday.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Jul 1, 2005 -> 06:25 AM) commas, are a good thing Meh, overrated.

Hooray Canada our (gay, environment, but not gun) friendly neighbor to the north!!!!!

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 06:19 PM) What is with the servings of food here? Yeesh. I'd gain more than 20 pounds in a couple of months over here. When I studied abroad in Europe malls and coffee shops sold those huge monster muffins--and called them American Muffins (as opposed to the regular sized muffins).

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 11:51 PM) I never know either with your grammar and spelling. BURN!

QUOTE(danman31 @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 10:55 PM) I know a friend going there. I'd never heard of it until he mentioned it. Awesome. He'll probably like it. (And he'll like it even more if he likes blondes, ha!)

I e-mailed the link to this to my dad--and he is now obsessed with it and thinking of buying some upgrade. I guess he keeps showing (read: irritating) my mom with stuff from there.

So, I thought I would ask around for people's craziest family vacay destinations. I have a couple (and let it be known now that my family was HUGE into the educational vacation): 1.) Spam Museum in Austin, MN. Yep, I've been there and my mom has the pictures to prove it. When you walk in you're greeted by a Spambassador and get free samples of Spam throughout. Finish by going to the gift shop. 2.) We went on a day trip to a bog somewhere in Northern IL. Horrible, there were snakes and it smelled bad. We had lunch at a resturaunt that was made out of a decommissioned train. That also was really sketch 3.) Civil War Diarama in Atlanta, GA. Literally a 360 painting of scenes from the Civil War. I can't remember a lot more, but, uh, I'm sure they're more....

QUOTE(Benchwarmerjim @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 08:11 PM) but I havent met an Nels yet Lol, well uff da, that's surprising.

QUOTE(Benchwarmerjim @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 07:18 PM) I even know his last name is not pronounced Johnson, but 'yo-han-son' Of course you know that! You live in Minnesota with all the Oles and Svens and Lenas and Lars and Nels. As a graduate of St. Olaf College I am allowed to make jokes about Minnesota, dontcha know.

QUOTE(jerseysox @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 07:12 PM) i don't think this is a national exposure. I saw it in New York yesterday. I think it is a national spot.

Wooooooooooohooooooooooooooo!

QUOTE(iWiN4PreP @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 03:16 PM) mayb u f***s need life? just go www.ebay.com and search L-I-F-E. ugly nerds suck a dick and die on it bastards lil f***ing bastard s*** bastards Knock it off.

QUOTE(Steff @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 02:50 PM) LMAO!! That will show him. Soxy, initially you were going to wait till video.. did ribbie's review change your mind..? I was going to wait from what some of you said but I think we'll go now because of the positives we've heard about it. Yeah, I was going to wait until the $2 theatre, but it sounds really good, and there isn't much else out that I'm interested in seeing, soooooooo.....

Booooo! I just found out the guy I'm going to the movies with on Friday won't see War of the Worlds because of Cruise's idiotic remarks about prescription drugs. Curses. Well, I'm sure he'd like Bewitched muuuuuuuch better anyway. *evil laugh*

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jun 30, 2005 -> 12:52 PM) Venus Williams smashed defending champ Maria Sharapova today in straight sets to advance to her first grand slam final in 2 years. I just saw this on ESPN--HURRAY! Go Venus.

Nice story Would-Be Bride Throws Homeless a Party By The Associated Press 2 hours, 53 minutes ago EVERETT, Wash. - When a would-be bride called off her wedding 12 days before the big event, she threw a party anyway — and invited the homeless. Residents of the Interfaith Family Shelter attended the bash thrown by Katie Hosking, 22, a medical assistant, and her parents. "They had a DJ and really good music. It was a warm, friendly atmosphere. The food was delicious. It was a nice break with people not worrying about anything for one night," shelter manager Carol Oliva said. One homeless woman got her son out of a wheelchair and danced with him. "It was a beautiful sight," said Susan Hosking, Katie's mother. "It was an eye-opener." The almost-bride would not say what led to the breakup, only that it happened 12 days before the scheduled June 6 date of her nuptials. Her parents knew they'd be stuck with the bill. More than 50 family members and close friends were joined by about 40 homeless people, shelter workers and volunteers. The shelter staff arranged rides to the venue, a country club. Instead of a wedding cake, a strawberry shortcake was offered, topping off a menu that included baron of beef, salmon, shrimp cocktail, fettuccine and fruit. "Oh my gosh, we had so much fun," Katie Hosking said.

Belgians looooooove their beer No beer? No lunch! Thu Jun 30, 9:13 AM ET BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A lunch meeting between a leading parliamentarian in Belgium and counterparts from Iran has been canceled because the beer-loving Belgian could not stomach a ban on alcohol. "Even for the tolerant Herman De Croo, that was a bridge too far," De Croo, a Dutch-speaking Liberal, told De Standaard daily Thursday. De Croo, president of parliament's lower house, had been due to entertain the speaker and members of the Iranian parliament Friday during their visit to Belgium -- famous for its diversity of beer brands. But he said lunch had been canceled because the Iranians, who as Muslims do not drink alcohol, wanted their hosts to do the same. "I did not receive such demands in writing. But ... I was indirectly asked not to serve alcohol," said De Croo. The visit ran into further trouble after Iran's parliament speaker Gholamali Haddadadel insisted he would not shake hands with the female president of Belgium's Senate. Anne-Marie Lizin, a Socialist, then canceled their meeting. She said in a statement that Iranians should respect local customs in Belgium, just as Belgians should in Iran.