Middle Buffalo

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 21, 2016 -> 08:06 PM) My bad. I'm calling for an emergency meeting called by Obama of all police stations in the country. Our cops are out of control and I want Obama to lecture them on it. I said out of each cop station I want one black cop, one white, one Asian, one Hispanic, etc. Four or five cops from every police station in the U.S. Rent a speedway and have a couple sessions of 150,000 cops per session. Let's keep the speedways open for left turns only. A few months from now, when this country is great again, this police brutality will all be a bad memory.

I am usually pretty forgiving when it comes to Cutler's play, but that INT was ridiculous. He didn't even attempt to set his feet. That said, I can't believe a guy like McPhee thinks it's ok to get in his face afterward. He's not exactly earning his paychecks right now. Bears suck. Sox suck. I seriously wonder why I even care.

QUOTE (SpankyEaton @ Sep 16, 2016 -> 05:46 AM) Let me ask you all this. Is there, or should there be "Chicago fans," where people are loyal to one team but cheer for the other in the postseason if their team is not there? And, if your wife/girlfriend/family/friends are Cubs fans or have ties to being Cubs fans, how would you approach what is about to happen this October? My approach right now is to just not address it and say they are having a hell of the season. I wish them well but I am not actively cheering for or against them. I really can't see anyone but the Nationals having a legit shot beating the Northsiders in the postseason. I don't cheer against them, but I will be happy when (please) they lose. Most,if not all, of my friends who root for the Cubs are good fans. It's not them I worry about. It's more the collective douchiness of their fans and the media slurping that sickens me. I hate that their fans are so proud that they are the majority of the crowd at some away games. it just seems that a good number of their fans care more about being part of the fan group than they care about the actual team. It's like the people who are on social media who only care about how many friends or followers they have.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Sep 17, 2016 -> 08:36 AM) That's a pretty misleading headline and story. Almost all of the $18b figure comes from an estimate on how much of a "gift" only allowing the usps to use mailboxes is worth, and when describing the reasons that the usps "loses" money there's no mention of the huge pension prefunding requirement put on them in the mid 2000's. Yep. "American taxpayers give an $18 billion dollar gift to the post office every year." $14 billion of that gift is an estimate of how much having a monopoly on first class mail and exclusive delivery to mail boxes is an economic advantage to the post office. True or not, that $14 billion dollars is the result of sales made, not taxes paid by citizens. It also makes no mention of the fact that the post office has to have an act of congress to increase rates. So, when the price of gas shoots up and stays up, competition can react with price increases, delayed delivery times, etc. The post office can't charge more or change delivery schedules, it has actual delivery requirements that it is supposed to maintain. $2 billion is savings from not paying real estate taxes, vehicle registration, etc. I'm pretty sure that's the deal for all government agencies. And the rest is savings the post office gets from borrowing from the Treasury at a reduced interest rate. Borrowing hardly qualifies as a gift from the taxpayers. I believe that means the money has to be paid back.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Sep 14, 2016 -> 10:49 AM) USPS and Treasury department donating to the DNC, likely with tax payer money. USPS doesn't get taxpayer money. It's self sufficient. The USPS unions are pro-Democrat especially after the Republicans tried to cripple the USPS with the Retirement Health Care pre funding mandate in 2006. That's why it's always reported that the USPS is losing money.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Sep 13, 2016 -> 11:41 PM) People didnt know how ambassador jobs work? Ironically Strangesox posted an article today about the ambassador to Denmark. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archiv...denmark/497543/ If this is the worst that they found, then honestly the Democratic party is a lot cleaner than I would have expected. Ambassador positions have always been this way. George W Bush. UK Ambassador- Robert Tuttle He had raised more than $200,000 for Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and inauguration ceremony. He also held the post of United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from July 2005 to February 2009. Other examples are Canada, David Wilkins, Sweeden, Teel Bivens, etc. Its so common, it actually has a name: Patronage Appointment. And if anyone thinks that Clinton or Trump wont make them, I have a really big bridge in Brooklyn that is for sale. In fact, you probably couldnt pick 2 candidates who were more likely to make patronage appointments. They both love nepotism. Anyway, I think theres a cliche, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The more they hack, the more I wonder what their true motivation is. Because I just dont believe that hackers are trying to do what is best for me. Maybe I am an old cynic, but something just seems odd about hackers all of a sudden becoming altruistic. I'm not really sure what I'd do with it, but I kinda like the idea of owning a bridge. How much?

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Sep 13, 2016 -> 07:55 PM) Same here, mostly with the LA comedy scene, though I find the episodes with guests I'm not familiar with tend to be great none the less, but it's hard to commit. Sometimes you don't immediately recognize a name but you realize right quick that it's some one you do know and they're hilarious. That's what I like about Never Not Funny. I often don't know the guest, but Pardo does a good job of integrating them into the show. It's not an interview, they just goof around. I recommend Daves of Thunder as a comedy podcast. It's from 2010 and isn't recording anymore, but it's not really topical, so it's pretty evergreen. It's consistently funny, though it might take a few episodes to "get."

I tend to cherry pick comedy podcasts based on the guest. I've probably listened to all of them a few times.

I had a pigeon problem at my old house. They nested under the eaves and made a mess of my entry walkway with their droppings. My wife was always complaining about it and looking up different scare tactics on the computer. So, I tried the plastic owl. No good. I hung fishing line (because they fear getting their wings entangled). Didn't work - and a huge pain to do. I glued plastic spikes to the roof. They would land and walk right between them. I had surveillance cameras (due to a wacky neighbor - different thread), so I saw them doing it. They'd land and weave between the spikes to their nest. One even pecked and broke my camera lens. Nothing really worked until I started going up and knocking down the nest every few weeks. Finally they left. So, figure out why they're there (nesting or feeding), and eliminate that problem.

I used to be able to listen to almost 10 hours a day of podcasts because I worked alone the majority of the day. I listened to Steve Dahl, ESPN 1000 (Waddle, Silvy, Carmen, Jurko, Harry, Mac), various comedy podcasts, and some NPR type programs. I hardly ever listen to sports with callers now. I almost can't believe I ever did (although I still think the early years of the Score were pretty great). I work in an office now, so my listen time is way down, but I still listen to several shows during the week. Anyone else out there listen to podcasts? Which ones? I just started listening to "In the Dark." It's about a child abduction in Minnesota. Really good. Unlike Seriel, I feel like this will be a little more satisfying. Seriel left more questions unanswered than answered.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Sep 12, 2016 -> 04:47 PM) I think we should trade Cutler to the Browns. Just saying. There's no reason for the Browns to do that.

Real late to the party, here. Brendan had nothing to do with it, I'm convinced. Steven, not sure. One thing, I thought his lawyers were great. I did find it odd, though, that they didn't make a bigger deal out of the lack of a crime scene (I'm specifically referencing the lack of Halbach's blood) on Steven's property. She supposedly was tied up, stabbed, throat slit, and shot. And no blood? I also don't understand how they seemed to have one set of facts for Steven's trial and another for Brendan's. I get that it's two trials, but the evidence should basically match. Since the documentary is edited, there's a lot we didn't get to see. However, based on what I saw, I feel it was a total set up by the police to convict someone they believed to be guilty. Once they found their suspect, they did everything to make him be guilty. Prosecutor was a dbag. I hated seeing and hearing him. Everyone involved in the prosecution was pretty unlikeable - including Brendan's first defense team. Lots of bad looks in the Avery family. I like that almost no effort was made to dress up for court.

QUOTE (bmags @ Sep 6, 2016 -> 12:35 PM) and Greta Van Sustern resigned. Insulted she wasn't harassed.

I'm going to be in Chicago in October, and my daughter is dying to go to anHawks game. Of course, it has to be opening game. I was thinking about getting SRO tickets so I can take my son, too, but I've never done SRO. Anybody have any feedback for me? What's the SRO experience like? Where do you stand? Can you see? Do you spend the entire game moving out of people's way?

Hillary said Trump choked when he had a chance to tell the President of Mexico that Mexico would be paying for the wall. Trip, of course, responds. Have to love the prospect of a President who can't take criticism. https://gma.yahoo.com/exclusive-trump-says-...topstories.html Trump is the definition of a guy who can dish it out, but can't take it. I can already picture him going after private citizens who are critical of him. "Middle Buffalo - such a loser. Do you see what he posts? And he's a Sox fan. Such a loser. No, it's the truth."

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 2, 2016 -> 01:16 PM) I thought I read or heard on O'Reilly that whites were no longer a majority in terms of numbers. You probably did.

QUOTE (hi8is @ Aug 26, 2016 -> 01:31 PM) Comiskey Park by Guaranteed Rate Doesn't sound great, but I would like it if the sponsor just called the place Comiskey and then just dominated the signage throughout the park, live ads read by the announcers, etc. At some point, the identity of the company that sponsors the naming rights (United, US Cellular, Wrigley) gets lost. I don't think of United Airlines when the announcers at the Bulls game say "live from the United Center...." I know that maybe it's there subliminally, but I'd say a more overt message like "this 20 second timeout is brought to you by United Airlines..." Is more effective.

Look around the next time you're at a game. Most fans barely pay attention during the anthem - never mind actually standing at attention. Very few actually sing (if they even know the words). Of course, if you're a Blackhawks fan, you stand a scream during the anthem, because that shows support for our military. And it doesn't just happen in Chicago. Hawks fans do it at road games, too, if they make up a large amount of the crowd. Remember, they're cheering to support our military, not because they are Hawks fans. Oddly, the same fans don't show their support for the military by screaming through the anthem at other Chicago sports events. Don't see it at Wrigley. Not at GRate field. Not at Soldier. Same fans, but they don't honor our military the same way as they do at Hawks games.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Sep 1, 2016 -> 02:24 PM) Ya I agree. Im certainly not giving him any credit for doing it, its a pretty empty gesture for someone with his money. I just think its wrong for people to claim he shouldnt have the right to do it, not that that was what you personally were saying. He is sitting to draw attention to an injustice he sees. That's been a success. People are talking about it and why he's protesting. Will it change anything? Probably not, but maybe it furthers the discussion of police brutality and gets other people involved. I'd sure rather have a guy sit out the anthem than walk up to a cop and shoot him.

QUOTE (GoodAsGould @ Aug 31, 2016 -> 07:19 PM) Went to my first Cubs game in probably 15 years if not more(it's been so long I wasn't aware they had no stadium parking until we got there), have to say the atmosphere at the game was so much cooler than anything I've experienced at a sox game. I know they are a great team this season which helps but it was also just a regular season game against an opponent they had crushed all season long. Go to a Sox game when they have a winning record and a full house - same experience.

A Green Beret defends CK. https://www.armytimes.com/articles/nate-boy...hem-protest-nfl

1. The Wire. My wife & I binge watched the whole thing in a month or so. I've been thinking about going back and watching it. 2. GofT. I love 90% of this show, but I'm sure I'm in the minority in not liking the Mother of Dragons storyline. And I thought Dinklage had a bad season. 3. Really, probably number 2, but I moved before the last season, and I've still never seen that season. Another one I want to revisit. I came back in to add that Sopranos was so revolutionary that it might suffer a little compared to some modern stuff, but for its time it was really, really great. Much like athletes, it's more fair to compare these shows to how they stacked up against tv at the same time.

Athletes get criticized when they don't take stands (Michael Jordan) and when they do (Muhammad Ali). Whether they are correct or wrong, it is their right to protest. That is one of the freedoms that our soldiers have afforded us. You can disagree with him. That is your right. The flag represents both things.

QUOTE (Brian @ Aug 26, 2016 -> 11:05 AM) Coverage is diminishing in Chicago. Both the trib and suntimes are now bare bones with little to no freelancers. Daily Herald is probably best for coverage now. Kind of sad Agree, very sad. I loved the high school coverage in the Sun Times in the mid-80s into the 90s. They covered Cathilic league, city, and suburban pretty well. Scores and features. It's too bad that that's gone away. Almost all sports coverage just stinks now. I'll give the podcast a listen. Good luck with it.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Aug 27, 2016 -> 07:28 AM) Colin Kapaernick didn't stand for the National Anthem because he doesn't want to support a flag/country who oppress black people If that's a protest he wants to make, good for him. That's one of the freedoms the flag represents.