bmags

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 21, 2010 -> 04:33 AM) So anymore doubting if Omar is worth the 1.375 million dollars this year? If nothing else, the effect that he has had on Alexei was worth it, let alone the play that Vizquel has brought in the last 6 weeks. that was a pretty positive response to that signing.

QUOTE (kev211 @ Jul 21, 2010 -> 04:06 AM) I was watching a random Thursday night football game in like November this year and my roomate asked me if I was watching the Super Bowl, and he was dead serious. i mean does the dude/girl watch sports at all. When i think of dumbass fans i think of the people that just like talking/arguing without bothering to care to know what they are talking about.

also: fisted.

omar - alexei ninth back to back outs were just unreal.

they aren't building a mosque on the site of 9/11 anyway. They are building a community center and place of worship in the city they reside. I sure as f*** hope there are no churches or YMCAs anywhere near the OKC bombing site.

weird.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 20, 2010 -> 06:56 PM) Well 2 blocks is nothing in terms of distance, and I think the people telling the NYC folks how to feel would be making the same hissy fit if it were 6 or 8 blocks away because they seem to have no problem with putting their noses in the business of other people anyways. eh, in a dense city something two blocks away is completely unrelated. Put yourself in the position of actually walking in the city, in the middle of hundreds of buildings, you probably wouldn't even put 2 and 2 together.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 20, 2010 -> 07:03 PM) The middle paragraph in there is a bit of a stretch since it seems to compare an oil spill and urban sprawl to 9/11, but I agree it's a local issue, and as I said in the last post, I think that the group attempting to build the mosque/community center/whatever you want to call it in that spot absolutely has the right to do so. I'm just saying people shouldn't be surprised that there are people who are not thrilled with the idea. Unfortunately, one of the first things a lot of people still think of when they hear mosque or muslim is terrorism. I actually find that to be very sad, but a lot of people are still at that place mentally. It's also 2 blocks away. But the main point is the I would also be as annoyed as this man/woman-new-yorker telling them what to be offended about.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 16, 2010 -> 11:11 PM) why isn't that a valid concern? People downstate pay for their roads and the rails up here with their tax dollars, but only use the roads. People here pay the same, but use both. They're paying for something that they never use. I get that you can't have a tax system that covers ONLY what each person uses, but when you add in the corrupt political machine up here, plus the waste of money this city goes through, I can relate to their anger about having to cover those costs. I don't use the roads. But perhaps they should think to realize that our rail system has brought in a lot of population and business to that city, which provides the vast majority of money for this state.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan101 @ Jul 19, 2010 -> 07:31 PM) Somewhat OT, but I bring it up since Balta posted a link a few posts ago referring to the story: I'm a bit bewildered as to why anybody is surprised that the idea of a mosque (although it sounds more like a center than a mosque) in the shadows of ground zero is controversial. I think a group certainly has the right to put a mosque/center wherever it chooses, but putting one in that spot is a really sticky situation for a lot of people to deal with, regardless of how unfortunate that might be. from TPM reader from New York:

seriously, he's awful, so awful now.

part 2 http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-sec...l-security-inc/ unfortunately I woke up late and likely won't be able to read this until after work. But I'm anxious to talk about it then.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 19, 2010 -> 10:21 PM) Well obviously it didn't tell me much I didn't already know, but where they are talking about the disorganization and duplication of tasks is absolutely true, I thought that was common knowledge and I was surprised the article gave it so much attention. There are a lot of different reasons for that I could name off the top of my head: Turf battles - not just interagency battles, intraagency battles, and these really aren't going away, it's the nature of bureaucracy. One unit/section/organization wants to have control of a certain mission. This means personnel, funding, prestige, etc. Prima donna/alpha mentality - everybody wants to be doing something important and "sexy." Everybody also wants to be relevant, people genuinely believe in their work and they want to be doing something high-speed. This kind of overlaps into other areas too, like where one agency says their files are too important for another agency to see. Are the files really that important, or do you just think they are? Poor organization/overlapping of similar missions - Analysts produce similar products that someone else is doing, but the organization they work for wants it done a certain way. This also creates unnecessary rivalries. Another organization has a similar mission and the first agency takes offense to it and feels like their toes are being stepped on. Profit motive - self-explanatory. Billing positions is the reason private companies are in business so of course they have incentive to be actively adding value, however that's done. This isn't really that big of a problem though IMO and it can be managed. also I didn't think the article took a negative tone on people in the business, just that the system itself needs to be refocused.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jul 19, 2010 -> 10:21 PM) Well obviously it didn't tell me much I didn't already know, but where they are talking about the disorganization and duplication of tasks is absolutely true, I thought that was common knowledge and I was surprised the article gave it so much attention. There are a lot of different reasons for that I could name off the top of my head: Turf battles - not just interagency battles, intraagency battles, and these really aren't going away, it's the nature of bureaucracy. One unit/section/organization wants to have control of a certain mission. This means personnel, funding, prestige, etc. Prima donna/alpha mentality - everybody wants to be doing something important and "sexy." Everybody also wants to be relevant, people genuinely believe in their work and they want to be doing something high-speed. This kind of overlaps into other areas too, like where one agency says their files are too important for another agency to see. Are the files really that important, or do you just think they are? Poor organization/overlapping of similar missions - Analysts produce similar products that someone else is doing, but the organization they work for wants it done a certain way. This also creates unnecessary rivalries. Another organization has a similar mission and the first agency takes offense to it and feels like their toes are being stepped on. Profit motive - self-explanatory. Billing positions is the reason private companies are in business so of course they have incentive to be actively adding value, however that's done. This isn't really that big of a problem though IMO and it can be managed. I think there are things people just take for granted, things like - "well, i'm sure theres redundancy in our counter terrorism efforts" and then there's the scope and scale. And I think when our budget has tripled in 8 years and people aren't even sure it's made a difference, it's a pretty topical series.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jul 19, 2010 -> 07:21 PM) Yeah, but there was action by the Obama admn to make it more popular - the gigantic stimulus no one wanted to pay for and the overhaul of healthcare to a form most people don't like. And really at the rallies I've been to, they don't really differentiate between Repubs and Dems. Yeah, the people that attend are probably 80% Repubs, but the message is anti-Washington (Congress specifically), not necessarily anti one particular party. Hate them all you want, and continue to believe that the "Obama is a Nazi" faction is a part of the "movement," but they're really not. They're the extreme fringe that shows up. The discussions and lectures are very much in line with 1980's conservative thinking. It's not exactly radical - government is getting too big and needs to get out of my life. I'm guessing most tea partiers didn't care for the way Bush increased the size of government either. anti washington is pretty republican. And if it's 1980s conservative thinking, then no, I don't take the tea party seriously that they are concerned about the budget. (and OMG do they realize that Reagan had actually raised taxes during his presidency? Will he be disowned soon?)

i wish i knew more to use this search function. they should do a web tutorial of some guy whose smart showing how he's searching for s***. If anyone's read todays i'm interested to see what you think.

christ mccartney and ringo could do a tour just playing beatles songs and probably sell tickets for $500 a pop

are we sure it's going chronologically? Perhaps they are going to do some theme based episodes.

As the newspapers die out, I think it's important to acknowledge some pretty incredible work that we likely won't see during the transition http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/ 2 years in the making, and actually tries to challenge a status quo idea that more resources = good. Today was pretty fascinating, i can't wait to see the full thing.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jul 16, 2010 -> 06:03 PM) shut down the roads. the economy will thrive on horse back. it's not that, it's the attitude that dominates springfield that downstate politicians throw hissy fits that their constituents have to pay for the citys rails, when people in the city also pay for the roads down south that maybe %10 of the amount of people are served than are with urban public transport.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jul 16, 2010 -> 03:50 PM) Frankly, despite all the commuting I've done this year, I've been disappointed that I haven't seen more ARRA signs. I-55 is hell. I was stuck in traffic for 40 minutes to go 2 miles in the middle of nowhere

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 16, 2010 -> 02:18 PM) Another possible 11 game-winning streak? Hit me! jinxy mcgee

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jul 16, 2010 -> 01:51 PM) First... these are public schools we are talking about. I'm all for getting parents heavily involved in nearly all things school, but frankly, the school diet will not be helped by most parents. For public schools, the schools need to do something - either independently, or at the state or federal level. Probably best at the state level. Second... If the only people buying oil futures contracts are planning to take delivery, then you no longer have a market whatsoever. Oil prices will go up FAR faster that way, than with having futures markets. there are numerous, numerous studies that ALSO show that kids given a healthy diet performed better on test scores than those on high fat/sugar diets. It's a fantastic investment.

excellent, all these people using gasoline are sucking the teat of the government. the lazy bastards.

"a Magic" sounds so dumb. What a dumb name.