bmags

QUOTE (MurcieOne @ Sep 17, 2008 -> 06:37 PM) I have a sneaking suspicion that Richard may get lit up tonight. naw, you can't spell clayton without CY

I could've told you the timeline guys, you just needed to ask.

My money is on Clayton Richard's 3rd step to becoming cy young.

from the article, had me dying: "Sarah Palin was also the mayor of a very small town. To tell the truth, this is where my qualifications begin to outstrip even hers. I have never been the mayor of anything. I can’t even spell right. I had help with the above, but now— Murray, note to Murray: do not correct what follows. Lets shoe the people how I rilly spel Mooray and punshuate so thay can c how reglar I am, and ther 4 fit to leed the nashun, do to: not sum mistir fansy pans. OK Mooray. Get corecting agin! Thanks, Murray, you’re fabulous. Very good at what you do. Actually, Murray, come to think of it, you are so good, I suspect you are some kind of Élite. You are fired, Murray, as soon as this article is done. I’m going to hire someone Regular, who is not so excellent, and lives off the salt of the land and the fat of his brow and the sweat of his earth. Although I hope he’s not a screw-up. "

it'll have you busy for a while, that's for sure. Hint, though: Do read the foot notes, they are sometimes tedious but other times awesome. not foot notes end notes

this is way tooo funny. Please read this. i've never laughed harder at print in my life. http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2008/09/22/...currentPage=all

I'd tell them to go read a damn paper.

That's so cool that you had him. Infinite Jest just blew me away, I've never laughed so hard or felt so badly for characters as I did in that book. I think it would be amazing to have a teacher like that. In the journalism school I do have some really good writers and some really interesting people as well, though. God damn it. I'm gonna go read consider the lobster again tomorrow.

wouldn't the dream scenario be that we win out the rest of the year?

Well I think we are seeing eye to eye now. I understand now what you were saying with the pendulum. Mizzou changing to a dry-campus has done wonders for it in terms of beauty on campus and improvements to the Greek community. I understand that with that mired past comes the reputation with that past. It's just even when I see the joke that you made, it is annoying. At the very least, I find it encouraging the reputation my non-Greek friends associate now than when we first arrived, when I had the same associations, and in fact could never see myself being in one. It's harder, once you intimately get to know the system, like I did, or just intimately get to know people in it, like my friends, to continue those negative thoughts when you have positive ones confronting them. I'd be curious to see what it looks like in 10 years.

2008 soxtalk fans - trying to give up on the team since April 1st. jkjk...kind of.

I agree, but that alone is astonishing. In 10 years when we aren't heated over the current election, people are going to look back in awe, that the greatest political machine in one of the two major US parties, was taken down by a 1st term senator with little national and next to no name recognition. IN addition to that, he was our first major minority candidate with a crazy name. It really was unbelievable, and the primary campaign that obama ran was so fun to watch, with Plouffe and Axelrod quietly gathering up as many delegates as they could even in losing efforts, while everyone else focused on wins, until people realized it was impossible for Hillary. THere's no way Obama could've won with Hillary's style of campaign. What an interesting primary to study for a political science major.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Sep 16, 2008 -> 04:06 AM) Again, I don't want to leave the impression I am anti-Greek. I can list a whole lot of good from Fraternities. Most have been mentioned here. IMHO things swung too far away from the stated Mission Statements and now are swinging back (again IMHO) in a better direction. But y'all are kidding yourself that some fraternities don't pride themselves on throwing the biggest parties, more so then the biggest service projects. So call me wrong, but I think (even) less partying, more positive programs, equals glory days returning for Greeks on campus and the possible end to the portrayal of frat guys as drunk perverts. Again I ask you guys in fraternities, when was the last time you debated who has the better fraternity based on parties and when was the last time you debated who did more for the community or who got better grades? That's some of the reason the negative stereotypes exist. I understand what you are saying Tex, I just disagree with it. I understand the perception, but my reality is different. I have a problem with fraternities that haze. My fraternity doesn't haze. So, what I can control (what my fraternity does), I do control. And on Mizzou's campus, you'd be surprised when talking about what houses are looked down upon. For instance, the two times of the year when the big blood drives, can drives and collective service projects are done is during our Homecoming and Greek Week. Houses that do nothing but party and don't contribute are not attractive partners to be paired with. And some of those houses are slowly dying out, while some just have too large of alumni base to go for a while. For instance, my fraternity sets a goal to get our members to get involved in campus organizations, and move into leadership positions in those. We use the people that have been in these organizations from our house to alert everyone when applications are due, tips for their interviews, letters of recommendations. And in turn, besides the individual benefit to the members in getting in leadership positions, provides great P.R. for our house and helps network us with more recruits. Houses that do nothing but party are there, and they will be there. But they are laughed at. Not looked down upon, but not really taken seriously. So it sucks that there are fraternities that haze physically and mentally. But there are many houses that don't, and in not are inherently trying to combat that behavior. These same houses are also forming organizations for rape awareness and Gamma (greeks advocating something management of alcohol) to educate about alcohol abuse, and are fighting the very stereotypes you are presenting. So I just resent your notion that we are enabling these poorer houses by being in the system. We are actively trying to move the system away from that. However, it doesn't have to be extreme. Because they are solely focused on drinking and the like does not mean we then have to advocate a dry house and no drinking in greek town. We can have the same social experience that every other college student who chooses to is having, without the stereotypes. And maybe unsurprisingly, it is hard to spread word through the media about THESE groups and projects, because that is seen as propoganda and misleading people from the real truth, that we are all womanizing drunks paying for friends.

Not much besides trying to oogle all the hillary voters.

you don't consider using a story that had nothing to do with fraternities hazing to call out fraternities taking a pot shot at them? Once again, I wish I could take a high ground. But on the weekends I tailgate and go to the bars. I wish my stories of studying really hard on Sunday were as interesting as the two nights previous, but to me and my friends, recalling the fun we had together over the weekend I don't think should be the defining moment of our character.

Former Illinois State professor by the way.

My favorite writer, David Foster Wallace, most famous for his epic novel "Infinite Jest" which portrayed our modern country in both humor and tragedy, an endless cycle of pleasure-seeking we couldn't get out of. sad day. Apparent suicide.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Sep 15, 2008 -> 04:55 PM) Both. But from what I've seen and heard, the fraternity system encourages and in some cases required "exploration" beyond responsible levels. Forced consumption of alcohol for example. I don't believe we need to examine news stories of hazing? That sort of ritualized behavior goes beyond what would occur for non Greek students. The excesses of the past, which has led to deaths and University policies and laws against these behaviors are in part because members did not acknowledge any problems in the 70s, and 80s. As the behaviors continued to escalate, Fraternities and to a lesser extend Sororities, were given a huge black eye. I have spent time on three University campuses with both large and small Greek Societies, and perhaps on your campus fraternity members brag about the people they helped, but I've heard a lot more party tales. No doubt there is a larger social value in Greek Society. Both inward and outward for the members. As I posted before, the pendulum is swinging, as witnessed by what you wrote, and that is a good sign for everyone. But you can attribute these things to the societal expectations of college in general. In a small area, you are packing in tens of thousands of 18-22 year old students with little responsibilities and hormones raging. Go to a football game tailgate and pick out the responsible ones. And if you are asking people to brag about their community service, I think you'd be finding someone that does it for the wrong reasons. I certainly don't brag about my community service, funny anecdotes that happen I'll tell my family and friends, but I don't wear it as a badge of honor. I see it as a chance to use my privilege in productive ways, as do most around me. I think college students getting together and exchanging drinking stories just is what we do. We go to boring classes, and a lot of college students to explore themselves socially and blow off steam go out to the bars and meet people and act irresponsibly. I've had very funny stories happen to me at the bars. I think you have to, if I remember the fight thread. I don't think these stories should be defining outlooks on a persons character, any more than an obscene joke a remark on a persons moral code. In essence, I see you take pot shots at fraternities too much. The system has it's problems, but moreso due to corrupt people than a corrupt program. The greek system might have in fact put some positive influences in an otherwise unruly person, where without he would have been the same without these influences. For instance, I know many eagle scouts. Some of them are in jail right now. But the one whom I grew up with and has me in awe of the program is the one who in his junior year of college with a good job that was going to get him salary-position as soon as he graduated, promptly joined the marines because he felt a sense of duty of service. That's a testament to the people and lessons he met as an eagle scout. So perhaps those of us that are making a positive affect on the community around us, the many many thousands of us, through our fraternities and sororities could start sticking in your mind more than the tales of immaturity that you've used to condemn the system.

I hope he has a Bob Green-esque first article and it gets him canned (Of course bob greene's didn't get him canned, so maybe Marrioti can accelerate to the part where he sexually harrasses young girls.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Sep 15, 2008 -> 05:52 PM) Javy over his last 7 outings: 2.27 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 8.75 K/9, 1.86 BB/9, 0 HR, .540 OPS against. In his last 5 outings he's received, on average, 2 runs of support per game. reminiscent of 2006 no?

Just one thing, often posted here was a table showing the amount of money donated to democrats and republicans from major news organizations. What I think makes that hilariously inept, is that Fox news donated more money to democrats than republicans, making the presumption of the poll (political contributions show liberal bias) false, in my opinion.

some interesting articles I'm about to post: I'm very interested in Teach for America, so I'm wanting to read this book. http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/..._would_it_take/ and I'm gonna edit in another link from a blog by University of Missouri students that sums up freaking perfectly how I feel McCain specifically used the woe is me blame the media during his convention to set up his post-convention spree of complete lies. http://carpemedia.net/2008/09/15/media-you...ack/#comment-99 Attacks on Palin Spur Criticism of Media, but When Will the Tables Turn on McCain’s Ugly Spin? Jump to Comments Beware of losing your head to political spin this election season. Beware of losing your head to political spin this election season. by John Hendel The media’s feeling some heat these days. Particularly partisan heat. A fireball of controversy has exploded in the last few weeks and centers primarily around Governor Sarah Palin and her appearance at the Republican National Convention. First, we had the repeated swipes against the media at the Twin Cities convention. Then we had accusations over the media’s sexism and its “unfair” coverage of Gov. Palin. When CNN’s Campbell Brown asked McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds some tough questions on Palin, McCain cancelled an appearance on Larry King. And now, aside from the now-infamous Charles Gibson interview, the McCain camp is playing politics over allowing Palin any press access. So what’s new? One friend of mine says he associates “journalist” with sleaze. He’s not alone. For a lot of people, “journalist” conjures images of a sneaky, effete punk, a son-of-a-b**** liberally biased and bound for deception and misperception. A Harris poll from this past March suggests a distinct lack of trust towards the media; 54 percent said they tended not to trust the press in general. Fair enough. That sentiment has been floating around since the days of yellow journalism and scandal sheets more than a century ago and is unlikely to change for some people. Interestingly, that same poll revealed a partisan divide. Only 19 percent of Republicans expressed any trust towards the press, compared with 43 percent of Democrats. It’s this divide on which many prominent Republicans were capitalizing at their convention. “I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone,” Palin remarked during her convention speech. And for a senator who had a previously chummy relationship with the press, McCain has been notoriously terse with some members of the media recently. That disdain serves two purposes. The first is to rally conservatives over a natural and long point of contention: an alleged liberal media bias. In many instances, this may be true. Over at Investor’s Business Daily, William Tate analyzed reporters’ political donations earlier this year and found that 235 gave to Democrats and just 20 gave to Republicans. Then there’s the question of how affiliation translates to coverage. Researchers at the Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University found that ABC, NBC, and CBS covered Senator Obama more harshly during the first six weeks of the general election—findings contrary to the conventional wisdom. The studies go on and on, with no clear answers in sight. In the end, belief in a liberal media has flourished and fueled alternative sources for conservatives. (Rush Limbaugh’s talk radio revolution turned 20 years old last month and draws 14 million listeners each week.) That’s not the real problem, though. Far more disturbing is how McCain has used this war on the media in the past month. The strategy? Slander the mainstream press, say they’ll distort your words, and then repeat your own (distorted) case a million times over. Facts go out the window as claims about kindergarten sex-ed, taxes, Gov. Palin’s record and lipstick sexism run rampant. Political spin is natural on the part of politicians, but this crosses the line past mere spin, shamelessly and demonstrably entering the territory of lies. Even after repeated media corrections, the false claims continue ad nauseam. Bear with me and consider the range of sources agreeing on the deception: the Washington Post, the Columbia Journalism Review, Time, factcheck.org and even the Associated Press. (There are even lies about factcheck.org, says the site: read more.) Political bias—a variety of inclinations—seeps into the press. Journalists are hardly perfect and are usually quick to acknowledge this themselves. But to use that as a scapegoat for slander? To exploit conservative emotion to blatantly ignore facts and promote lies? Please. The public knows better, and the media will keep asking the tough questions. Reporters see what’s happening, and with tensions rising, there won’t be any free passes for this kind of stuff. At least, I sure hope not.

Good, he ruined this country.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 15, 2008 -> 07:30 PM) Of course, a lot of Republicans/ Obama haters used this moment to heavily criticize Biden. meh, I think it humanizes him.

I'll just paraphrase it. It was in a NYTimes article last week. So, he's in Columbia on tuesday and together with Him are Judy Baker, running for 9th district for congress and Chuck Graham, running for state senator. When he first gets up, Biden says "And how great is Chuck Graham? Stand up here Chuck, let everyone get a good look at ya, stand up!" Of course, Chuck Graham has been in a wheel chair for much of his life. Upon realizing this Biden looks horrified and says "Oh God what am I saying! God love ya! Oh boy"