Jake

QUOTE (bmags @ Nov 13, 2012 -> 01:20 PM) Except those people could go on the state insurance exchanges. I talked to my dad, apparently he is pretty sure those people are just going to pay the tax. lol

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Nov 13, 2012 -> 12:14 AM) Talked to my friend who is a world renowned doctor who works on the sickest and most needy people out there and he's "ecstatic" by Obama's re-election. He said he didn't want to go into it, but basically said healthcare is going to become accessible to most of us now and we are so lucky. Just passing on what he told me. My dad runs a small business (trucking company) and has lots of employees that are earning in the range that puts them generally just out of reach of things like Medicaid. There is a company insurance plan and he offers them the chance to be on it -- they could take a small pay increase if they had their own health insurance, basically as a thank you for saving him some money. They would almost without fail take the pay increase, not buy insurance, and respond simply that they could go to the emergency room for healthcare. I think those days are over now.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 13, 2012 -> 08:40 AM) Some numbers on "going over the fiscal cliff" http://www.econbrowser.com/archives/2012/1...g_over_the.html He makes the case that you really should break the "cliff" up into the individual issues. Some will be relatively easy to walk back after January 1st, some will be a bit more complicated. Also, related to what ss2k5 was saying earlier: I agree that everything should be negotiated separately and hopefully some good faith agreements can be reached (you can promise to vote for this in a meeting and you will actually vote for it on the floor). I know that a separate train of thought is a much broader scale tax reform that would effectively address all these issues without directly extending them. I would be okay with modest tax increases on everyone, ideologically -- just like like paying 10 cents more for your pizza or whatever else gets your fellow man health insurance, I can certainly see why everyone and not just the top earners need to share the burden of our debt and the social programs that we all benefit from. I am not sure if it would really harm the economy, though...obviously a big part of this stuff is perception and confidence and if the prevailing news story is tax hikes, we're in trouble because people will horde their money even if they don't have to. As far as spending cuts, I am against them in principle -- if we're cutting funds to the poor, disabled, unemployed, elderly, you name it...I don't see much good coming from that. However, I have to think that there are some inefficiencies out there. Just like I don't expect the Republicans to view every single proposed revenue increase as pure evil without individually evaluating each one, I will be willing to hear the arguments for spending cuts as they come. I won't respond well to "the poor don't deserve my money!" but there MUST be some things worth cutting back on. For instance, I have a side job in the dietary supplement industry and the FDA is raiding people for having technically banned yet benign ingredients, banning even more new things on technicalities, etc. In my view, the FDA need not be spending money on that. There are probably more examples like this.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Nov 13, 2012 -> 10:46 AM) We'll be heading up to Bolingbrook this Saturday for dinner and the light show at the Promenade. And since there's a Binny's there... I'd like to find some good porters or stouts I haven't tried before. The trouble is, I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars in Binny's. A very good app I use is Beer Buddy. It's linked to ratebeer.com, and I've been reviewing beer over there for about four years. The app is nice, as you can check out a beer's info (including fellow drinkers' ratings) right on your phone. I use that too! A Binny's opened in Bloomington-Normal a couple weeks ago, I can't wait to get back home (Pontiac) to check it out.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 13, 2012 -> 07:56 AM) Set up email alerts from Kayak or Hipmunk or the like. It will tell you when the fares change. On top of it. Should I expect rates to drop or more flights to be added as I get closer to the date, or am I about to cost myself money by waiting? I know waiting until the very last minute can get you cheap tix, but I'm not really comfortable with that.

I've never met Urlacher, but I met the Bears' former "other white linebacker" Hunter Hillenmeyer once upon a time and he was really cool

Any chance Hamilton pulls a Boras and signs a lucrative 1 year deal to re-test the waters next year? Risky business at his age, but if he isn't getting anything close to what he wants he might think about it.

QUOTE (Capn12 @ Nov 13, 2012 -> 06:34 AM) Thats just blaspheming....I went through 4-6 Pumpkin beers in the last few weeks, and by far, Pumking was the superior one IMO. Been looking for this one for a while. Am I going to be able to find it when I get to IL this weekend? QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Nov 13, 2012 -> 09:11 AM) I had a Ska Autumnal Mole Stout this weekend. Very interesting and exceptionally tasty beer. It is brewed with chocolate and three types of chiles, as the name mole would suggest. The chocolate is noticeable in the aroma, and it's a bit sweet up front. Finishes fairly spicy. The craziest thing is after drinking it you can feel the heat of the peppers...like you just ate a mildly spicy mole enchilada. I also picked up the Sam Adams Winter Sampler. The Old Fezziwig is one of my favorites, and the Chocolate Bock is outstanding. The White Christmas tastes to me like the White Ale they discontinued a couple years back. Oh, how I love this time of year for beer. I really like the Sam Adams Winter Sampler. My top 3 are definitely the 3 you mentioned. The flagship is of course always a great fallback and the winter lager is just okay for me. Holiday Porter is okay but I don't love it yet either, definitely don't mind having it in the pack though. I've already gone through two of those Winter Classics 12 packs

Fuuuu, the flight that popped up yesterday for $190 on AirTran already disappeared. Back to waiting for a better price, lol

http://www.examiner.com/article/ugandan-le...-christmas-gift Yes, it literally allows the government to give the death penalty to those guilty of "aggravated homosexuality" ... one must hope they can get off easy with "offense of homosexuality," punishable by mere life imprisonment. Thank you, European colonizers and American missionaries. This one's for you.

His couple publicized benders are a really big deal and he himself admits that. Just because it didn't cost him his overall sobriety when it happened, that does not mean he is still at a high risk to lose it every single time he goes out. It's not always a super smooth road to recovery, but you certainly can't pretend that he didn't break sobriety on at least two different nights. It's troubling.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Nov 12, 2012 -> 04:08 PM) I enjoyed the caller on the Score today that suggested Cutler was actually benched by Tice at halftime, and the concussion was just a lie because it sounds better than getting benched. If you don't know anything about any of the people involved, it makes sense

I doubt Headley becomes a bust, but there is a very high chance that you overpay for him. You just have to hope the players you give up fizzle out like prospects often do. Then you have to not give Headley a s*** ton of money

I think I'll be okay having her fly AirTran, but I'll look into bus/train as well. My girlfriend traveling alone will probably have some reservation about being on a bus or train...unfounded or not, I won't push it if she does

QUOTE (RZZZA @ Nov 12, 2012 -> 03:40 PM) *sigh*....6 concussions for Jay Cutler.... why does this injury s*** always have to happen to Chicago teams? I can't even think of a recent season in any major sport that wasn't ruined by injuries any more If this sort of thing leads to a premature end to the Cutler era, all the people that loved to hate him will suddenly herald him as the missing link to a title run that never was. Think Jim McMahon

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 12, 2012 -> 12:26 PM) By what measure is Memphis the highest traffic airport? Certainly not for passenger flights. It is a busy airport primarily because of the FedEx hub, so... unless you want to ship yourself via FedEx, that doesn't help you much. I lived in Memphis for a few years. Back then, there were three airlines running non-stops to Chicago: American, United and Northwest (which is now part of Delta). Northwest had a hub in Memphis. Are you saying no one does that route non-stop now? That would be really hard to believe. EDIT: I just looked. At least three airlines run it non-stop now; American, Delta and United. So I am not sure where you are getting the idea no one does that non-stop. The Southwest rumors have been around for at least a decade. Maybe now that Northwest is no longer, it will actually happen. Must have missed those non-stops due to price (cheap skate me!) And yeah, I just meant in terms of all air traffic. I'd have to guess the passenger air traffic is poor compared to other similarly-sized metros, actually. There is plenty of runway space for expanded air traffic. Southwest met up with the airport people a few months ago, but nobody really said what came of it. AirTran's current presence certainly guarantees some Southwest involvement in the future. I also heard Delta is on the way out here, which would certainly leave a void if true.

While we would probably wheel and deal to dump some salary, I think the only way we get Hamilton is if we're bluffing a bit in terms of how much money we have. If I'm the White Sox, Hamilton or no, I'm probably going to claim I'm up against salary restraints. It gives you some bargaining room with free agents. I'd imagine just about everybody is telling FAs and the media that they're strapped for cash.

"LONDON--A shale oil boom means the U.S. will overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer by 2020, a radical shift that could profoundly transform not just the world's energy supplies, but also its geopolitics, the International Energy Agency said Monday. In its closely watched annual World Energy Outlook, the IEA, which advises industrialized nations on their energy policies, said the global energy map, "is being redrawn by the resurgence in oil and gas production in the United States." The assessment is in stark contrast with last year, when it envisioned Russia and Saudi Arabia vying for the top position. "By around 2020, the United States is projected to become the largest global oil producer" and overtake Saudi Arabia for a time, the agency said. "The result is a continued fall in U.S. oil imports (currently at 20% of its needs) to the extent that North America becomes a net oil exporter around 2030." http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-set-to...dist=beforebell

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 12, 2012 -> 01:18 PM) That's the other rub. The Sox would have to trade big named players to make payroll room for Hamilton. If they were to go after Josh, they would probably have to get rid of at least one of Konerko and Dunn. I'm supposing that the three of them would be together this next season -- PK probably going away after that unless he wants to make less money

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 12, 2012 -> 07:41 AM) Knowing his whole story is part of the due diligence with a guy like Hamilton. If you know his story you know he has a hard-core drug history so there is an expectation that his body should breakdown quicker than most. He is a guy that hurts himself in the name of competition. He is turning 32 next year meaning he is in the stage of his career where natural decline is going to start to happen anyway. His value diminishes if he moves from CF to a corner OF position. He literally could relapse at any time, and moving into a new market, with totally new (or maybe even absent) control systems could lead to a failure of his ability to stay away from drugs and/or alcohol. He could also fall into relapse based on the pressures of a new mega-contract in a new location. Those things aren't about respect, or knowing the guy. Its about the reality of his history and his situation... All things that matter to which ever team shells out a ton of money for him. I was pretty sure a single failed drug test voids his contracts per MLB's agreement letting him back into baseball.

QUOTE (flavum @ Nov 12, 2012 -> 11:58 AM) Yeah, but he probably drooling thinking about being in their lineup. Dude is going to make a lot of cash batting sandwiched between all-stars

Well, AirTran just added a flight that I needed. That will save me at least $100, provided it doesn't go down further/another cheaper flight pops up. Memphis (my current location, getting tix from MEM to CHI) has the highest traffic airport in the USA yet no passenger air options. The fact that there aren't nonstops from Memphis to Chicago seems asinine. Rumor has it Southwest will be expanding here at some point, which should really help. Lots of Memphians drive to Little Rock to fly, but that won't be an option for my girlfriend. Thanks for the tips guys, it looks like just waiting for the weekend to end before looking has already helped.

When I hear that Milwaukee, Baltimore, and Seattle are top suitors for Hamilton...I have to think we ought to jump into the mix.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Nov 12, 2012 -> 08:43 AM) Nate Silver breaks down how all of the polls did over the last 21 days of the election: http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2...sidential-race/ Thank god Rasmussen unskewed the polls

We've got a lot of aging stars, we're not going to go through an indefinite period of trying out random QBs to see if we can replace Cutler with Aaron Rodgers