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QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 14, 2012 -> 06:17 AM) My friend who works in the cps system posted this: http://liveandknot.wordpress.com/2012/09/1...hers-narrative/ That's a pretty good read.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 14, 2012 -> 08:15 AM) Republicans finally admit that government spending actually can create jobs: Of course it can. The issue, however, as with most government spending, is when one time money is used to create jobs, they are inevitability temporary jobs. Government investment into construction, however, can and will create jobs. The problem is, most of these are union jobs...which you can see on display right now if you drive down i55 to Central Ave. I pass by that area on my way to/from work, 3 days a week, and it's pretty common to see a few clusters of workers, and in each cluster, 2 are working and 3 are watching them work. If that's the kind of jobs we are creating, do we really need to create more of that kind?

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 14, 2012 -> 07:25 AM) Got mine pre-ordered. One black and one white. What carrier did you go with? And are you jumping from Android to iOS? I thought you had a Sumsung Galaxy?

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 14, 2012 -> 02:19 AM) False. Your one word answer of 'false' sure showed him! All you did there was prove him right, because you had nothing else to back it up with to actually refute what he said. Do me a favor, honestly. Contribute something of worth to the technology discussion or make like a tree...and get outta' here. Seriously, I think you'd have some interesting insights into the tech world if you cared about anything other than trolling people about Apple and actually posted something about the discussions at hand that contained some substance or some legit opinions on what technologies you use and why you like them. This rabid anti Apple act is pretty tired now, since you've backed it up with next to nothing along the way.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 11:14 PM) Real problem is that the GSIII does have the capability on Verizon because they added an antennae. I haven't used the feature in 2 years (except on a couple of occasions where I found it too clunky to bother with anyway), but for other people, it is clear evidence that Apple is still behind. This is a bit of a misnomer that they're "behind". If they didn't choose to be behind, they wouldn't be...but they do so for design and engineering reasons which competitors and ignorant fanboys tend to ignore in their comparisons. You know what you're getting when you buy an Apple device -- a compromise between specification and design. There are many LTE phones that support simultaneous voice/data, however, adding a second radio hurts battery life/size, so it's a compromise. The issue is a CDMA deficiency that can't stream both at once, while GSM networks can. LTE will be able too, but not until the implement VoLTE. At the moment, carriers "cheat" by using LTE strictly for data, and continue to transmit voice communication over their older 2G/3G networks, and doing this requires phones to have two transmitters. When they eventually do roll out VoLTE, this won't be an issue, as the second radio/antenna wouldn't be necessary anymore. Choosing to support this means having to add extra antenna/radio into the device, making it bigger and more power hungry in the process. With the device the size of a GSIII, for example, this isn't much of an issue since they have a ton of space for massive batteries, which help cover the battery life issue. For people that REQUIRE both, they should either go with AT&T, OR a competing device on a different network, such as an Android or Windows Mobile 7/8. This is a glaring example of why having choice is good. For me, specifically, I've never used both at the same time in all the years I've had a cell phone, not even with WiFI available, which IS supported. Apple has never and will never be a 'system spec leader', not with their computers, nor with their tablets or phones. If and when they are, it tends to be short lived as they were merely first to market, IE. Retina Displays. A lot of Android/Windows users tend to compare pure system specifications when weighing their devices versus Apples, which is a fair comparison if that's all they consider important. Apple, however, has notoriously felt that a compromise between system spec/system design needs to be met, in terms of size, weight, materials used, etc. This is why Apple devices tend to feel of higher quality (because they are), and they tend to be thinner/lighter/smaller than their competition. However, the drawback to this means they won't be the fastest/newest. But let's not pretend, as consumers, that this is a secret. Also, don't confuse higher quality materials with higher durability, another thing people tend to do on purpose when trying to make a biased comparison. Want the latest greatest stuff available jammed into a box, don't buy Apple. It's that simple. Is having the latest/greatest/fastest chips and most features available the most important thing to you? At the moment, I'd recommend you buy a SGIII or a HTC One X.

The iPhone 5 will NOT support simultaneous voice/data on Verizon or Sprints LTE networks. They can do simultaneous voice/data if WiFi is available, however. This is a confirmed design decision by Apple to not add a 2nd active radio chip to accomplish this, complicating their build process in that they'd have to build separate Verizon/Sprint versions of the phone and affecting battery life/phone design, which would add an additional radio chip instead of the single chip design they use now. This is how other manufacturers work around Verizon/Sprints CDMA network deficiency. By adding a second radio, they are able to broadcast calls over CDMA and transmit data over LTE simultaneously. AT&T accomplishes this by dropping you off their newer LTE network and down onto their 3G GSM network, which can do simultaneous voice/data, as everybody knows. From what I understand, foreign LTE networks are rolling out support simultaneous voice/data via the use of VoLTE (Voice Over LTE), a function that hasn't been rolled out into US LTE networks yet. As it stands, LTE networks are by and large data only networks, and voice is still transmitted over older 2G/3G networks. Until VoLTE is rolled out, phones that do not have multiple radio chips on CDMA carriers will not be able to do both at the same time, unless they are GSM based. So buyer beware if you were considering an iPhone 5 on Verizon or Sprint and require simultaneous voice/data.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 04:21 PM) Tom the Dancing Bug has some great cartoons. His "Lucky Ducky" series is probably the best. Well, that wasn't one of them.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 03:04 PM) I didn't say park anywhere. The Red Top ones on Madison are separated by a fence, or are across the street. Park at the corner of Damen and Madison, there's a Red Top lot 20 feet from the UC lot. Cheaper, but much easier to get out of. And that one is closer to the UC than some of the official UC lots. Unless you go parking blocks upon blocks away, it's not dangerous. It's the equivalent of church parking at the Sox game, not exactly risky, just easier. He already has to get back to Wisconsin, I'm sure he doesn't want to sit in the lot an extra 45 minutes. He's going to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse...not U2. I'm sure he won't have much of an issue getting out of the lot in a timely manner.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 01:33 PM) I lived near the Blue Line in Oak Park and I made that trip all the time. Never had a problem. Then you got lucky. Telling an out of towner to wander around that area is irresponsible.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 01:39 PM) :lolhitting :lolhitting It's just too easy. You can do this with any technology. And editing makes jokes like this possible, which of course, you will ignore to get your Apple hating agenda across. It's funny, but I don't like laughing at morons like this.

QUOTE (lasttriptotulsa @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 01:04 PM) Hey, just looking for some advice as an out of towner that's gonna make my first trip to the United Center here in a few weeks. I'm going to see Neil Young and Crazy Horse October 11th and have never been to the UC. The gates open at 6:00 and I would like to be there a little before that. It takes me about three hours to Chicago from the SW corner of WI and not real sure how long its gonna take to get to the UC from the 'burbs and what times are best to drive through the city. I'm from a small town and not real familiar with the big city or cities in general. Also, any advice on parking and anything else is much appreciated. Well, being a Thursday, you will have to deal with rush hour traffic, and there is almost no way around this... If you want to get there by 5pm, I'd leave at around 12:30pm-1pm to give yourself enough time counting rush hour. Coming from Wisconsin, the only real means you have to drive is via i90...take that to i290. i290 will bring you directly to the UC, there is an exit for that. The traffic may very well be bad, but it's your best direct route to the United Center. Park in one of the pay lots around the UC, and don't wander around that neighborhood. It's pretty safe right around the UC, but don't wander too far away from that.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 12:28 PM) It's the American Way!!! The word is universal, not American.

QUOTE (CrimsonWeltall @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 11:13 AM) Looks like the test changed around 1990. The average was about 19 before then and has been around 21 since then. http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d98/d98t135.asp I only scored a 22. I remember most of my scores were around 18, but I scored like 30 in Science.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 11:10 AM) Or people have gotten better at understanding what is on the test. I see what they did to raise the average. They now only count "graduates" scores. So if you never graduate high school or get a GED, I believe your score isn't counted anymore...which would probably make sense enough to raise the national average by 3 points. I think this is statistical manipulation...part of the problem of our school system to begin with.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 11:03 AM) The national average last year was 21 and that includes people who take it and get a 10 or something and don't go to college. For a subset of professionals to be at a 19 is pretty bad...but just googling shows that the number is probably right. I think the national average of teachers they hired was 21...not everyone. When I was in high school, the national average of everyone taking the test was 18...so if it's 21 now, that means education improved...when we know it didn't. Edit: Looked this up...I'm just not buying this as fact. Either they made the test easier, people are cheating, or students have gotten smarter...which I refuse to believe. If anything, I think education in this country has gotten worse...not better, especially to the point that the national average is up 3 points.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 10:35 AM) For most other jobs, that's not exactly that same level of public interaction on topics as important to people as the ones education touch. What scores? What are you measuring? How sure are you that you're accurately and precisely measuring what you think you are? Does it make sense to compare language arts scores to math scores? That doesn't seem like a particularly good way to evaluate teachers to me. Then don't be a teacher.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 10:28 AM) Its not necessarily that simple. Just because I can get an A in any history/writing class without even opening a book, doesnt mean I can get an A in a calc class with the same preparation. That really isnt the teacher, thats just badger being badger. And life is unfair, too. Do what private schools and colleges do to evaluate performance... It's pretty simple. But do it. Oh, wait, we can't. We have s***ty outdated and useless unions defending s***ty teachers in a s***ty school system churning out useless citizens.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 10:18 AM) Part of the problem is who defines what's good and what's bad? (from digby, towards bottom) I think this can be said for any job. The issue is, with other jobs, people DO define what's good/bad. And you deal with it. If all of your students always suck in the classes you teach, but these same students perform better in others, it's probably you. I don't get why people think it's so hard to judge a teachers performance. Take all of the students they teach, and take the average scores. Now take those SAME students scores from other teachers...are they higher/lower or the same? That's a pretty damn easy way to figure it out. I've had good teachers in the past, and bad ones. It's not that the bad ones are stupid...they simply don't know how to teach what they know.

QUOTE (G&T @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 10:13 AM) Something is suspicious about that. Are they zeroing people who didn't take the test? Can you get into college with an ACT in the teens? 18 is average, so I'm sure.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 09:57 AM) But they made firm decisions in the 8 months. Dumb ones. They should be faulted for that. And they are faulted for that. But making mistakes when you have to make quick decisions is expected...the expected part of that equation is what you're conveniently ignoring to make your point. I think it would be a bit different if they had 4 years to vet this information and STILL messed it up versus entering office and BAM.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 09:49 AM) The Secratary of Defense was aware of a key policy goal. It's not a reach to say that they made important decisions, such as focusing on regime change in Iraq, prior to entering office. PNAC's policies were publicly available, and Bush's administration included members in key positions (Cheney, Rumsfeld, "Scooter" Libby, Wolfowitz, others). What I'm saying is that, if you're going to give them an excuse on making important decisions only 8 months into the administration, then you have to heavily fault them for making the decision to focus so heavily on Iraq. Which, really, is the point of that article; they were blinded by their focus on Iraq to any other possibilities. Taken as a whole, I do fault them. But I won't fault them over 8 months of decision making time while a presidential regime change was occurring. I just think it's an unfair critique.

QUOTE (farmteam @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 09:51 AM) I was going to point this out about your earlier post. You and I were very, very lucky in where we went to high school. I went to Bogan High School of all places...and I didn't see a problem with teachers back then, either...I saw a problem with students that were raised to simply...not care are education.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 09:46 AM) I was thinking about this.. part of the reason we are seeing different things is just sample size. If we all know a few teachers, we will inevitably have different experiences. But I also think this is partly a function of where they teach. I went through some very highly considered schools as a kid, and it may not be a good sample of the whole. This is most likely true... I think the bottom line about the CPS system is that...well...it's bad. It's poorly run from the top down. And not necessarily because of the teachers or students, but because of the sheer number of corrupt individuals they have in administrative positions throughout. It seems like we fire the head of CPS once a year now...amongst others...yet it never gets better. That points to a systemic problem with the way the system is operated...not who's running it. Unless, that is, we just keep hiring really bad people to do a job they are incapable of doing because they know the right people/are connected...which in Chicago, is of high probability.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 09:36 AM) Secretary of State Powell’s awareness, three days into a new administration, that Iraq “regime change” would be a principal focus of the Bush presidency I am not reaching. edit: I'm also not blaming Bush for 9/11. I'll say it again, maybe the pieces couldn't have been put together. I'm blaming him for being incompetent, though, and indirectly for lying us into a war with Iraq because that's what they were focused on from at least Day 3, if not Day 1. So one guy was aware...that's still a small fraction of an entire administration that's being blamed here. I'm not saying GW made the right moves here... I'm ONLY saying that given the timeline, I think you're being a bit unreasonably unfair.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 13, 2012 -> 09:33 AM) The people he chose for his administration had well-known policy preferences and would have begun forming policy goals during his campaign and certainly during his transition period of late-December to late-January. By Day 3, Colin Powell was aware that regime change in Iraq was a top priority. Clearly, decisions had been made, and those decisions were stuck to regardless of any new information. After a President takes office, it takes months to construct his cabinet and appoint people to important positions. You're just reaching now.