TheBigHurt35

Another day, another left-wing, anti-American moron. :sleep

And Israel will do it, too. The precedent was set with Iraq back in, IIRC, the early '80s. And isn't Israel still technically "at war" with Iran?

Interestingly, NWA is the only airline that I haven't had problems with recently. Even my "old reliables" like AA and US Air have given me problems recently. The entire airline industry seems to have gone to crap over the past year or two. You'd be hard-pressed to find a truly "reliable" airline at this point.

Another temper tantrum from the French, as their culture sinks further into irrelevance.

QUOTE(easyw @ Mar 12, 2005 -> 05:07 PM) Sounds like all you, uh, guys, are just a bit sexually repressed. Maybe you're not comfortable with your own sexuality? Being bitter in your 20s cause you're not gettin any is normal. Just save it up for that special lady you marry. Perhaps you haven't considered that some of us already are married. Do the rest of the world favor and try not to spread your diseases around town.

QUOTE(winodj @ Mar 11, 2005 -> 04:10 PM) Actually, you're completely wrong there. Although there was graft and corruption from the Oil For Food program, the total amount of corrupted money related to OFFP was less than 10% of the money that came from OFFP. So, Saddam funneling 10% of the OFFP money ($7-$21 BILLION) into his own pocket is acceptable? The bottom line is that the OFFP was not a viable long-term solution (except maybe for France and Russia, who only cared about the cheap Iraqi oil they were getting). Getting rid of Saddam was. The difference, of course, being that our children are still consuming a hell of a lot more than 1,200 calories per day after that pre-emptive strike. But we'll never know because Saddam wouldn't allow the inspectors in certain sites. If there were no weapons, what did he have to hide? Perhaps the money that he was stealing from the OFFP? In the end, it doesn't really matter what he was trying to hide, as he violated the terms of the agreement that he signed with the UN again and again and again. That's right. Our government is run by a bunch of racists, as evidenced by our efforts to ward off Communist oppression in Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba.

QUOTE(winodj @ Mar 11, 2005 -> 08:24 AM) During the course of OFFP, the average daily intake of calories by Iraqis increased 83%, from about 1200 a day to about 2200 a day. Malnutrition rates dropped from 11% to 4% during the course of the program. Since the end of OFFP, the malnutrition rate has begun to increase again, rated at just under 8% in November of last year. Of course, don't take my word for it... you can always just read the data yourself.. If Saddam hadn't destroyed his own economy by invading two countries, the Oil-For-Food program wouldn't have been necessary in the first place. And now we know that most of the money went into Saddam's own pocket anyway. That's right. We voluntarily pulled them out because Saddam wasn't letting them do their jobs. Big difference. :rolly QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Mar 11, 2005 -> 10:05 AM) Saddam did not have the biological and chemical weapons that devastated the economy Oh, yes he did. We gave him the technology. He even used them against the Kurds and Iranians. Oh, you're using the race card now? You've just elevated yourself to the intellectual level of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 10:10 PM) And which country intensified the Iran-Iraq war, got the death counts much higher, assisted in devastating that economy etc. and then just left like nothing had happened? Yeah, Reagan put a gun to Saddam's head and made him invade Iran. Similarly, Bush was responsible for Saddam invading Kuwait. It's all the fault of the Bush/Reagan administrations. :rolly You crack me up.

QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 09:05 PM) Other than laughing off his points(don't know where he got his facts), do you have anything to rebut with? Well, since you asked... "Halved" from which time period? The period where Saddam ruined Iraq's economy by waging a nine-year war against Iran? Or would that be the time period after Saddam invaded Kuwait, which resulted in UN sanctions against his country, thus causing even more poverty? Saddam caused the malnutrition in the first place, skimmed an estimated $7-$21 billion in the Oil-For-Food scandal, would not cooperate with weapons inspectors (a blatant violation of UN resolutoins), and yet a regime change was not justified? Bulls***.

Joining an academic honors society is a good thing, even if you think it's a bunch of bulls*** at this point. Unless the time commitment is unreasonable, it's worth doing simply to help your resume stand out. And don't worry about someone hiring you just because you have this on your resume... you're going to have to show them a lot more than that to convince them to hire you, especially in this economy. FWIW, I'm going to spend about a week or two working on a research proposal for an NIH fellowship. I'm not going to get paid a dime for doing it and, even if I get it (I have maybe a 50% chance at best), my salary difference will be almost negligible. Having it on my resume, though, will certainly put me at an advantage when I'm applying for my next job.

QUOTE(winodj @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 05:19 PM) Apparently they were. How many WMD were there when we invaded? Oh yeah, that's right - none. Child malnutrition rates were halved as a result of oil-for-food. But that's cool dude, don't let facts get in the way of your argument. Uh, yeah, Saddam was giving the Oil For Food money to the malnurished children. He has a real soft spot for the poor and oppressed. :rolly In fact, that's why he kept kicking out the UN inspectors. He didn't want them to expose him as a "softie" and ruin his "dictator cred."

QUOTE(Texsox @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 05:41 PM) Some of the most amazing people I have met in my life were illegals at one time in their lives. They have raised their kids with a work ethic second to none. I will gladly move over and give them a seat at the bounty that is America's harvest. Well, I certainly have sympathy for them. But that doesn't excuse the fact that they're here illegally and that their employers are breaking the law as well. I'd love to see a system where migrant workers are given visas, but my guess is that won't happen any time soon.

QUOTE(LowerCaseRepublican @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 01:31 PM) Workers are denied the right to organize and the right to overtime pay for overtime work. They receive no health insurance, no sick leave, no paid holidays, no vacation, and no pension. Would that be because they're illegal aliens and they shouldn't even be in the U.S. in the first place? :rolly That said, I agree that the exploitation of these people is disgusting. What's even more disturbing is that this type of "employment" is better than what's available in their nation of origin.

Why is it that everyone I know from Michigan has a cache of guns and knives in their home? Is it something in the water?

QUOTE(Texsox @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 01:24 PM) Sorry, I can't diagnose the injury, but can offer some tips on the stretching. 1. Warm up gradually by walking, to a slow jog, then running. 2. Stretch before, during, and after. The after can be the most critical. This is presumably when you are the most limber. Stretching then will actually help to increase your overall flexibility by going beyond your usual range. 3. When feeling sore or tired, prop your feet, take a rest, and live to run another day. Thanks anyway. I agree that stretching is key. I could get away with not stretching for so long... and it's all crashing down on me right around age 30. Just like Griffey.

I don't know what's more ridiculous: Mr. Jackson's behavior or the fact that it's all over the news.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 10:38 AM) Every business should have a target market in mind with their marketing. Just like cruises do not spend much time marketing to 19 year olds, or Moet & Chandon taking out ads in college newspapers, this company knows their primary market are those individuals who hold our environment in high esteem and willing to pay for the privilege. For the most part, they do not vote Republican. COuld you imagine Rush reading their eco-friendly ads? I believe he calls them environmental wackos. Rush is a drugged-up dolt. I understand the concept of target marketing, but I still think that the "no Bushies allowed" clause in their advertisement is stupid. At the very least, it makes them look petty and elitist. Image is extremely important when selling a product. The belief that people like Michael Moore and Barbara Streisand were affiliated with the Democratic Party (whether it was true or not) probably cost Kerry a couple hundred thousand votes this past November.

QUOTE(Steff @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 10:56 AM) What a moron.. Finally, we agree on something.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 09:03 AM) Then they would not have voted for Bush. Now, Jim, didn't your mother tell you that stereotyping is wrong? :rolly Both my wife and I voted for Bush and we regularly recycle (which is a chore around here, given that we have to drive all the freaking way to the other end of town to do so) and are going to purchase a hybrid car soon. I wouldn't call us activists, but we most certainly do have a healthy respect for the environment. While we're both dissatisfied with Bush's environmental policies, we're even more concerned about our nation's current economic and national security issues. Senator Frankenstein didn't seem like a good alternative for dealing with the latter two.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 07:34 AM) Nice to see someone betting their pocket books on their beliefs. I laugh down here as we promote Eco-Tourism and shuttle people around in Hummers, drive across the beaches, stay in hotels that wash your sheets daily (who does that at home?). The hook for that resort is the environement, seems like good business practice to not crap in your mess kit. It also seems like good business practice to not exclude half of one's potential clientele based on political affiliation. Despite what the knuckleheads who run this resort may think, quite a few Republicans actually do give a damn about the environment.

Maybe they can host a Michael Moore/Sean Hannity smackdown fight. I've got $500 on the Irishman.

QUOTE(DBAH0 @ Mar 10, 2005 -> 06:32 AM) If that was the case, why didn't Bush just say that when they were invading Iraq? That's what the allied nations leaders were telling their people, that they had sent their troops to find these WMD. And why not get rid of Saddam earlier if the UN and America were looking for an excuse to do so? Good question. The answer is that the UN never would've supported an invasion based on those reasons alone (and didn't with the WMD reasons either). Unfortunately, countries like France, Germany, and Russia didn't want an Iraq invasion, regardless of what Saddam was doing, because they wanted to continue to do business with him. When the Oil For Food Program began, Iraq's oil output was limited to 700,000 barrells/day. The three aforementioned governments lobbied hard to raise the limit to 2,000,000 per day. Hell, France and Russia didn't want any sanctions on Iraq's oil exports.

I suffered a foot injury late last week (presumably while jogging on a treadmill), but am not sure exactly what it is. I was wondering if anybody here could enlighten me. Here's what happened... I was jogging on a treadmill last Friday, as I usually do 3-5 times a week. However, my legs didn't feel quite right during my short run (only about a mile and a half) and my calves and ankles felt unusually weak later that evening. The next morning, I had a bit of minor pain in my ankle and by the time the afternoon rolled around, the pain became much worse and "moved" to the outer edge of my foot about an inch in front of my ankle. By the late afternoon, I couldn't walk without limping. I could also feel a little bit of discomfort in my ankle and lower calf while walking. Strangely, the swelling was very minimal and there wasn't much bruising (although the affected area did appear a faint red color). I managed to stay off of it for most of Sunday and it felt better, but it got bad again on Monday and I began to fear that I might have to actually go to a (gasp!) doctor. Fortunately, I was able to fight through it (with the help of aspirin) and it felt significantly better today (and, interestingly, it took until today to really bruise). I have two questions: (1) What is this injury? I'm thinking that it's either a strained muscle or perhaps even a hairline fracture in a bone (although the latter seems less likely). (2) Why the heck did I not feel anything for 12 hours and why did the pain move from my ankle to the outer edge of my foot? I should also mention that I have flat feet but, even after playing sports throughout my teens and 20's, I haven't really had any problems with my feet. Looks like I may need orthopedic soles now. I also typically don't stretch before jogging (although that's going to change now) and am thinking that tightness in my calf and/or hamstring may have contributed to it. If you have any ideas, thanks in advance.

QUOTE(ChiSoxyGirl @ Mar 9, 2005 -> 07:57 PM) Actually grad students are currently eligible for student loans. Up to about 10K a year. Yes, I know from personal experience. I was pointing out that, unlike students, McDonald's employees aren't eligible for student loans and also get Social Security taken out of their paychecks (which is a real pain in the ass when you're scraping by to begin with).

"... and CBS is now projecting Al Gore as the winner of Florida." That'll be my lasting impression of Dan Rather. I've always thought that Dan leaned a little to the left, but not unreasonably so for a news anchor. Unfortunately for him, his subordinates leaned way too far to the left and ultimately betrayed his trust. I'd like to see Dan go to one of the cable news channels. He's got a few good years left and it's not like anybody watches CBS anymore.