Jake

Iraq is a success story for the Obama administration. The only way we could have prevented this from happening is staying there and staying there was a terrible choice. The threat to the US from what is going on in Iraq/Syria is absolutely minute. Let them work out their differences while trying to wield diplomatic and economic influence to deter human rights abuses. The only way we can lower our international standing is getting into everyone else's business again. As far as approval ratings, etc. let's look at it this way. It's 2014 and POTUS has 42/54 approve/disapprove. 38/53 on foreign policy. At this time in Bush's presidency (Mid-2006), he was rocking a 35/60 approve/disapprove. Bush's approval on foreign policy was even worse than that. As far as our standing around the world, there are polls on this topic. In the Middle East, it's pretty mixed. There aren't many changes at all between Bush's presidency in the current one. Generally speaking, approval hasn't gone up with BO in office, but disapproval has gone down modestly. We've lost standing in Egypt (30% positive impression to 16% from 2007 to 2013 - hard to know what to make of that considering they've gone through multiple regimes in that time). We've gone up and down with Jordan who doesn't like us anyway (fluctuated between 15% and 25% approval, both high and low during BO regime). No change in Lebanon. Big boost in Turkey, but they still don't like us (9% to 21%). "Confidence in US president" has doubled or tripled in almost every single Middle Eastern country with adequate data. Huge increases in almost every single country in the world with the data to make comparisons. Canada jumped from 55% positive perception to 68% positive between 2007-2009. At 64 now. Argentina was 16% positive in 2007, 38% in 2009, 42% today. Chile was 55% in 2007, 68% today. Mexico was 56% in 2007 (47% in 2008) and 69% in 2009, 66% today. Britain was 51% in 2007, 69% in 2009, 58% today. Czechs 45% in 2007, 58% today. France 39% in 2007, 75% in 2009, 64% today. Germany 30% in 2007, 64% in 2009, 53% today. Italy 53% in 2007, 76% today. Poland 61% in 2007, 67% in 2009, 67% today. Russia 41% in 2007, 44% in 2009, 51% today. Spain 34% in 2007, 58% in 2009, 62% today. China 34% in 2007, 47% in 2009, 40% today. Indonesia 29% in 2007, 63% in 2009, 61% today. Pakistan - someone likes us less! From 15% to 16% to 11% (big drop after the whole OBL deal). South Korea 58% in 2007, 78% in 2009, 78% today. I just don't see the idea that Americans like the President or his foreign policy less than his predecessor or that foreigners look upon the USA or its president in a lesser light in any data. That seems like a belief you hold and it's false.

If I had to bet today, I'd say Tigers will be only >.500 team in the division come season's end

National Review is a typically conservative publication, but I actually don't mind them. I rarely read it, but everything that I have I've really enjoyed

I would give up Micah, Erik, and Chris Beck without batting an eye

So the girlfriend and I are moving in about 6 weeks and need to line up a place. We had both lived on a college campus because we were working in residence life so this is our first foray into "real" housing. Of course, we have no idea how to avoid being scammed/having a bad experience in this process. What kinds of things should we look for as we look at places - hidden utility costs? Certain features? Some way to figure whether there will be maintenance issues? We'll also be moving to a place that we'll have only spent a few days before we move in; any suggestions for how to evaluate neighborhoods from far away? And if anyone knows anything about Columbus, OH, feel free to let me know anything specific.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jun 18, 2014 -> 03:33 PM) This to me is a better argument for why censoring speech is dumb. Language changes. It doesn't mean the same thing over time. If stigma and connotation can be added over time, why can't it be lost too? Have you EVER heard of anyone refer to an american indian as a redskin? Nope, neither has anyone else still living. We all know it as a s***ty football team in Washington DC. This isn't a matter of censorship, it's a matter of financial insulation. We have no interest as a society to help someone use a racial slur to make money

Eaton has been killing it lately

Phegley's 8th passed ball of the season tonight. Can't believe he's still having these problems. Cannot be a MLB catcher with the passed ball rate he sports every season

Several scholars have been arguing for years that the USA and Iran have very good reason to be allies with one another, due in large part to their mutually strong interest in Iraq's stability

We don't want to be the Heat because we don't have LeBron. One non-LeBron superstar and no bench/depth does not a great team make

I think the larger point is that we don't want to be the Heat. We can see that the best way to build a team is to have good players outside your mega-salary players

At least before he had TJ surgery, Surkamp's stuff was frequently compared to a young Barry Zito. He is and has always been a better prospect than Axelrod. The season before having TJ, this is what he did in AA: 2.02 ERA, 142 IP (22 starts), 165 K, 44 BB, 10-4 W-L. He won the pitching triple crown in his league. The fact that he has the same K/9 this year (10.4) and an even lower BB/9 (2.2) is encouraging. We'll have to see if the spike in hits allowed is flukey or not.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jun 16, 2014 -> 09:08 AM) It happens a lot in very rural areas where FedEx and UPS don't want to spend the time to deliver to. Since USPS is going there anyway... When I lived in Memphis, FedEx didn't deliver to my place as they gave it to USPS. Makes me chuckle as it was their world headquarters.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jun 15, 2014 -> 12:39 AM) For many people gun owner ship equals safety. You can't discount that, despite the many times anti gunners try to. People DO use guns to protect themselves and their families. All the time. As for a few of the other things you mentioned, I am sure many people would think twice about the license plate scanning and all the camera if they were given a choice. Many times those things were implemented without public knowledge until AFTER the fact. You're right, I shouldn't discount the fact that people sometimes feel more protected by the availability of guns. That's part of the debate. More than just freedom, society has to decide whether the utility of gun ownership justifies their availability. The NRA has tried that with the "good guy with a gun" messaging. QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jun 16, 2014 -> 04:02 PM) Some states have that, at least for concealed carry. You have to pass a test in Illinois. There are several states that are more strict and some that have no restrictions whatsoever. One thing you will never overcome is the slippery slope argument, give them an inch, they take a mile. Because you know they will. Temporary income tax hike? Sure it is. Seat belt laws will NEVER be enforced on their own. Border security after amnesty? Yeah, ok, let's go with that...And on and on. What do you base the proficiency tests on? Police training? Harder? Easier? Who gets to decide? here is what you need just to apply in Illinois: A Valid Driver’s License or State Identification card. A valid FOID card. A head and shoulder electronic photograph taken within the last 30 days. Be able to provide the last ten years of residency. Fingerprints – Electronic fingerprints will expedite your application! Specify to the Live Scan vendor that your fingerprint application is for the Concealed Carry application (ORI = IL920707Z, Purpose Code = CCW).NOTE: Applicants will be assigned a transaction control number (TCN) at the time of fingerprinting and will be required to retain that TCN to complete the application. $150.00 payable with a credit card or electronic check. To obtain the Certificate of Completion, applicants MUST attend their required level of training and successfully pass the live fire proficiency exam. The live fire proficiency exam consists of 30 rounds total with a concealable handgun. 10 rounds at 10 yards, 10 rounds at 7 yards and 10 rounds at 5 yards with 70% of the shots hitting the scoring rings of the B27 target. Is that enough for you? If not, what would you consider to be correct? Serious question, not snark. I don't see why not make that the requirement for gun ownership. At least make the proficiency exam as difficult as getting a driver's license.

Carbonell didn't seem interesting at all, but I would have thrown a million at him.

You guys should do some kind of post that gives a glimpse as to how ST is run. What finances it, who is involved in the technical side, who hosts the site, things like that. And if it is needed, I bet that sort of thing could help you get donations.

We do realize that The Daily Mail is basically what you would get if you let Fox News and the National Enquirer have sex, right?

Well this was fun. Let's start the Duncan/Pop/Manu retirement speculation!

This is some of the best basketball I've seen a very long time

Spurs look ready to win again

Add a zero-contact call to make a three-point play for LBJ

Well there has been one foul called on Kawhi guarding LeBron that was complete BS and one non-call on a LeBron foul on Duncan

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Jun 12, 2014 -> 11:01 AM) So here is my rant. Do people not realize that in a free society bad things are going to happen? That the whole entire point of freedom is giving people the choice to make good or bad decisions. That is what being part of a free country is. So even if I think I am right, that I have the best answers, everyone else in America is free to disagree. I hate f***ing defeatists and their mindless followers. You're fixated on what political theorists call "negative liberties." Negative liberties are the types of things where we seek to be free of outside interference. Freedom of speech is considered a negative liberty because it is a natural right to not be prevented from speech. Some feel the same way about property rights, too, for instance (some think property rights are the only natural right and that all others derive from it). Positive liberties are ones that you lack if you lack the societal structures or personal agency to carry them out. For instance, in 1900, women had the negative liberty to free speech. However, they had no real liberty to speech because they were structurally discriminated against and lacked the agency to make their voices heard publicly. In most discussions of women's rights at the time, people would stress those negative rights; hey, they have the right! Their husbands take their opinion into account when they vote! You can never promise all of the rights, positive or negative. But we do have to consider both. At some point we have to ask, "at what does our right to own guns infringe upon our other rights too much?" You can just say "we have the right to own guns and we have the right to do this, that, and the other thing" but at some point, the 300 million guns around this country might start to interfere with our ability to do this, that, and the other thing. When you know that the lived experience of some of our rights are going to be different from our expectation, compromises must be made. How dear do we hold gun ownership in comparison to other things, like safety? You can see how much we sacrifice other rights, like privacy, in cities ransacked by gun violence. Surveillance cameras on every corner? Photographing every license plate that comes into town? Stop and frisk? These aren't necessary measures if the guns aren't there. But we chose guns.

Sox lineup: Eaton 8 Beckham 4 Abreu 3 Viciedo 7 Ramirez 6 Konerko DH Sierra 9 Flowers 2 Garcia 5 No KC lineup on twitter just yet. Screw them anyway. Get a win today, boys!

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jun 14, 2014 -> 11:23 AM) I do this now, on my desktops I've always liked windowing everything, I only like full screen on smaller devices where space is a premium. When I do go 4k, it will be that much nicer (next computer upgrade), which is every 3-4 years or so. I had to sell my desktop with QHD when I moved and I'm currently using a mid-range laptop with 1376 x 768 resolution. It was a rough transition.