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Man, Phil Rogers sucks. BUt are we the drama queens or the spend and purge management?

jeeze packers fans seem to be as soft as their offensive line.

i hate to bring up his doubles again.

QUOTE (1977 sox fan @ Oct 3, 2009 -> 03:11 AM) i admit there rotation would be very good but in todays game a good bullpen and good hitting is needed to win . i mean the sox this year had more quility starts then any team in the american league and were under 500 so the rotation wasnt really the problem this year and with or without buehrle wont be the problem next year . You should keep your strengths a strength, we don't REALLY have anyone knocking at the door and considering how our 4/5 performed this year, seeing an awesome 4 is something you should keep. If we had a few arms to try out/the market was fine for backend starters I might try it. But great starting pitching can mask a lot of the other deficiencies.

So now that I've had some time to digest this, some thoughts: It sucks. 2. I'm really happy Rio got it over Madrid. Tokyo is a pretty cool city and they could've shown off a lot. Rio is a beautiful city. However, I'm really kind of scared/apprehensive about how they are going to take care of the crime rate. We talk about Atlanta shipping the poor to new mexico, well, Rio has many many more poor people and a damn near militaristic drug trade. It already has a reputation for being a high-theft area for tourists, already a high murder rate. So, I worry what they'll do. BUT, the good news is perhaps these upgrades to infrastructure, and money can help bring more and more business and that money can be used to educate the favelas and provide some chance of mobility. Either way, Rio is kind of a gamble where stuff could go wrong.

QUOTE (vandy125 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 08:29 PM) Insurance companies favor reform as well, just not the type that will end their business. What would you spend for the survival of your industry or on something that heavily involves you? Would you just sit on the sidelines and watch? Well, no s***. The reform so far is forcing millions to enter their business as customers.

Weird, didn't know they were setting up this position. Is this a true head (at the top) or does it still go through that harry-potter esque council?

QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 08:04 PM) He's just being honest. Anyone who is not a lawyer who can read that bone-dry legalese and actually comprehend it on their own is lying. There's a reason they have staffers. The problem with this "create a bill that a 6th grader can read and understand" is it could/WOULD be overly vague and that would lead to unconstitutional rulings, likely. The more leeway you leave in unspecific language, the more chance it has of being abused. Which i guess is the irony of people saying they are using CRAZY language to push things through people don't understand.

We really need to focus on LEGAL immigration reform as well. It's ridiculous right now. No reason it should've been as hard for my sister-in-law to stay in the US.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 06:07 PM) Welcome to the 2016 games in Rio! Don't wander into the favelas or you will die. Enjoy your stay! Well hopefully this will do that city a whole bunch of GOOD. Brazil could be a powerful ally for the US with their huge oil stockpile found and amt of US businesses heading there. It's a bunch of great people, beautiful scenery. But I'm worried about what they plan on doing to quiet down the favelas. Perhaps paying off the drug lords to sit quiet would be effective. No, not joking.

Cool, good job Rio.

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 05:38 PM) I was really hoping, when the election happened... that politics would get boring again. And it wouldn't be all screaming and outrage all the time. I don't know if the media, which seems to need it to survive these days, will allow it. Yeah, there was a funny article about 6 years after stewart went on crossfire saying those shows are bad for america, if he did harm, since they took of hannity and colms for...hannity. And now instead of debate shows of screaming it's just a one man show crying.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 04:35 PM) Having Daley around will not help anyone's case. Pains me to say that about a whitesox fan. Bollocks. I think the continuity was something the IOC would welcome. Look at China, their authoritarian style was raved about in terms of putting on a good event

QUOTE (Rex Kicka** @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 05:32 PM) In case what happened happens. It was a pretty unprecedented step for the US. But I think, a good one nonetheless. Say what you want about where I stand on the issue, but I love the idea of a high ranking government official try to win support for an initiative that would bring a lot of new jobs to the US in a time where employment is such a big issue. And I think I'd like that no matter who was in office. I agree. I liked what that person said in my post above, how rarely do our leaders come out in support when it's a pretty common thing. We expect our government to get our citizens out when they're in trouble, i'd like them just as much to help out to get someone to succeed.

This is from a reader at TPM: Id prefer to not have my name published if you post any of this, but I wanted to give you some inside perspective on the Olympic planning as I had the privilege to work and help with some of the architecture and planning proposal for Chicago's Bid. Mainly, this is just an email to say that regardless of the headline on Drudge, and your comment that the IOC might not enjoy being "big-footed" by Obama, that is not the case. In fact, it was probably helpful, even though we were voted out in the first round. Almost every other country has their leader making personal appearances in support of major international architecture and planning endeavors, but the American president. There have been a number of projects, New Mariinsky Theater in St Petersberg, Russia (for example), where all the finalists, were supported by the leader of their country in having a call placed to the committee, however, the US architect/planner never receives that level of support or interest from the President. So it can only be refreshing to have the President support its country in these types of selections. A few months ago, (getting back to the Olympic selection) it was made clear to us that Chicago was going to have some difficulty in gaining the selection for a number of reasons including that we have had a large percentage of games hosted here, but most importantly, that we do not have the best international reputation at this time, and it well known that it is a frustrating and difficult process compared to the other host countries for travelers to gain admittance into the US. There was not a lot that could be done with our planning about this, but it was still brought up as an unofficial "official" concern of the IOC. I think Obama's visit was prob in some effort to help remove this concern from the selection committee. I would say from knowledge of work on this bid, as well as having produced work to assist with London's planning effort for Foreign Office Architects in London (before starting my own practice in Chicago) that there was little chance that the decision would be able to be changed this late in the game, and that at this point (the last week), most of the IOC already knows their rankings, and are just discussing the top two. So, again, regardless of Obama's influence (or lack of), at best, all he would have been able to do was help push over the top, or slightly hurt, but not much more. The decision was most likely already made that Chicago would not host it a few weeks ago by the IOC.

QUOTE (Nixon @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 05:24 PM) The IOC has always held that they look at cities not continents. the IOC is full of s***.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 04:08 PM) We couldn't even come together for an olympic bid. There is no way they would come together on something huge anymore, unless it became necessary. I'm starting to believe tex, that things have changed, and we're all ready to tear each other down. Can't really believe the fighting that occurred over trying to secure the olympics. I mean, to give this forum credit, i haven't really seen fights in here spread out of this forum. I think it's agreed we all generally like each other as posters, and don't lend a whole bunch of creedance to political philosophy as a mark of character. But it's starting to really feel like a person's politics are now entirely defining. It's getting annoying. I'm not one of those people that leaves America and comes back "oh my god it's so much better in xx". In fact one of the things I like about Brazil is the similarities in personalities to America, which i find the west in general has a lot in common with each other. I really wanted Chicago to get it because I love Chicago and love to see it's skyline everywhere, films, sports, etc. And I'd love for the US to get a chance to show off a city like Chicago. And i'd love for us to make a huge leap with an exploration like the moon landing was. We really need something to rally around. And if it's a god damn war I swear it proves we are on a path that's hard to uproot ourselves from.

QUOTE (ChWRoCk2 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 04:25 PM) Since when was anyone talking about the Monday night game that you had to come into the thread and bring your s*** opinion in? Tired of seeing all the s*** posts like this ragging on GB, we get the point, you don't think they are that good. I don't think the Bears are that good but I don't say jack s*** about them, no. What do you expect, Favre is the best player in the game and he is playing his former team. Anything beats watching ESPN hype the stupid Cowboys and their stadium, bit sick of hearing analysts talk about how good that team is and Jerry Jones and the gang. I think the Monday night game "might" be close, do I expect GB to win, no, but I would be stoked if they do, but I wasn't expecting them to win wk 1 or even lose wk 2. The game ultimately hinges on both teams offensive lines as they are not that great. Who knows, emotions can change the game, Favre I'm sure would like to beat GB and I'm sure GB would love to stick it to Favre. You're on a chicago sports team's message board.

QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 05:01 PM) We should do another World's Fair. 1893 was pretty badass. Best idea of the thread.

You really should separate Summer from Winter olympics. But, it's getting kind of old, Europe getting all these Olympics.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 04:53 PM) So what is Chicago's future in all this. Do they ever make a bid again or was this a one time thing? it'll probably be a while. Pisses me off that Atlanta can secure an olympic bid and we can't. Atlanta sucks.

QUOTE (Nixon @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 04:48 PM) That definitely put them over the top I think. The prime minister's presentation was also very good and not in the same rah rah rah go team vein as all the other heads of state. I think 85% of the infrastructure for this would already be in place too, though Brazil's big stadium will be renovated for World Cup 2014 so I suspect all of that will be up to snuff in time too. I do wonder if Brazil's estimate is 15 bill, if that's realistic, or if it's going to balloon. They have a ton of infrastructure work to do. They have a ton of cleaning up to do. It's going to be interesting. Luckily for Brazil, they kind of just faced zero growth as opposed to a dip in the recession. They were poised pretty well through this debacle besides a minor currency crisis.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 04:47 PM) You're just a homer for Spain. LOL i forgot about that.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 2, 2009 -> 04:45 PM) Olympic Profit > Helping the lowly poor. How do you draw this conclusion? This profit, this money, even if at net even, would've put a lot of money in a lot of blue collar workers pockets.

Now, I'll be absolutely FURIOUS if RIo doesn't get it. The Eastern Hemisphere does not need another summer olympic games.