Balta1701

The trick there is the phrase "downstate and suburban". The largest tax dollar amounts tend to come from suburban areas that consider themselves part of "Chicagoland".

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Mar 4, 2014 -> 02:30 PM) Wouldn't the mere fact that we aren't invading them make us look like a better option? Not for the people in Ukraine who are in favor of a strong relationship with Russia.

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Mar 4, 2014 -> 12:23 PM) Trade and travel restrictions are diplomacy. And the energy solutions are something that should be done anyway but this situation is providing urgency. Yes, stuff should happen within 48 hours. Sends a message that we are serious. Just to stress...almost all of those are irrelevant unless Europe goes along. The U.S. and Russia simply don't trade that much directly, and blocking Russian travel to the U.S. will simply mean their rich people will visit Europe. As of right now, the European nations aren't showing much willingness to go along with those type of restrictions.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 10:29 PM) their standing army is double the size of ours... So? They still wouldn't be able to hold the Ukraine against a population that didn't want them there.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 06:32 PM) I think Putin is afraid of Ukraine joining the EU and losing the free access to the oil lines that run through the country that RUSSIA set up back in USSR days. It's not unlikely that he's looking into re-annexation as the ultimate end-game... It seems extremely unlikely that Russia has the military strength to occupy and pacify the parts of the Ukraine that just toppled te government. They were able to do this step because they didn't have to fight. They could beat the Ukraine in a straight fight against their army but they don't have nearly the level of resources it would take to pacify the state afterwards.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 06:09 PM) Does Crimea have a right to independence from Ukraine? Not under any reasonable definition of "right" based on some variety of law, but it's worth stressing that the territory was basically given to Ukraine as a bookkeeping operation when both areas were part of the USSR and beforehand this area would have been considered part of Russia.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 05:06 PM) Its more than Georgia/Ossetia. I think that Russia is going to back down, but they are definitely testing their power right now. How so? There was a heckuva lot more shooting in the Georgia campaign than there has been in this one.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 09:36 AM) Are you guys registered for the Tribune digital thingy? It's making me pay to see the article. I believe if you register you can get a certain number of free views per month and if you clear out cookies from the tribune after reading you can extend that. But basically I just stopped reading.

Did it seem to anyone else like the entire show was having teleprompter reading issues?

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Mar 3, 2014 -> 01:09 AM) Um... http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baske...,4598481.column So Anthony just didn't know of a good way to bring his stash on the plane and knew who to talk to. big deal.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Mar 2, 2014 -> 03:29 PM) On the plus side, he's throwing a lot of strikes Any idea of velocity?

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry this morning. John Kerry voted in favor of a resolution authorizing the United States to invade Iraq.

Might have missed it being posted somewhere else, but 20 year old phenom Miguel Sano of the Twins will miss the full season for Tommy John Surgery. He's generally in most top 10 prospect lists for MLB somewhere.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Mar 2, 2014 -> 01:56 PM) Jo with 9 assists in the first half...Wonder what the record is for assists by a center. 11 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds in 24 minutes.

QUOTE (scs787 @ Mar 2, 2014 -> 01:56 PM) I read somewhere that the contract is just for this year, no options or anything next year. Jo with 9 assists in the first half...Wonder what the record is for assists by a center. If the bulls wanted to keep him would they be able to use any sort of bird-rights or would they have to use their MLE/Veterans exemption moneys

QUOTE (Jake @ Mar 1, 2014 -> 08:48 PM) I know a lot of Kings people think that Jimmer was mismanaged badly and that they may not have even glimpsed the kind of player he might be Anyone have a clue what his status is for next year contract-wise?

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Mar 1, 2014 -> 07:30 PM) Game changer for the industry. Unfortunately we peasants will most likely never have access to it. I think we'll get the end products at some point.

More

75 or fewer.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 28, 2014 -> 10:32 AM) They're already bringing Adolfo to the states? I figured he'd spend a summer in the Dominican league and come over next year. He already spent some time hanging out with Bristol getting the routine down, traveling with the team, and taking BP for several weeks last year. IIRC he's a year older than some of the youngest guys signed out of there, so it seemed like it made sense to me.

I think there's at least one person here who will enjoy an article entitled "The incredible stock-picking ability of SEC employees"

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 27, 2014 -> 02:46 PM) Because those people would be outed and out of business quickly. As I said a while ago, the "market" and society would drive the change, not the government forcing people to do something they don't want to do. I was almost waiting for you to say this, because it needs to be pointed out that this completely, utterly, 100% failed. We waited 100 years for Jim Crow laws to go "out of vogue". They didn't collapse because of the market, they collapsed because the government imposed their collapse (with significant violence provoked in response, btw). Quite similarly, the only reason why anti-sodomy laws aren't still enforced in multiple states is the Supreme Court ending them (they remain on the books, unchallenged, in several states btw). This statement completely disagrees with every bit of American History on this subject.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 27, 2014 -> 02:07 PM) I agree with everything you say here except the wedding cake/photographer. You're forcing someone to support something they don't believe in. How is that not infringing on their religious beliefs? And that's not exactly some made up out of the sky thing. It's not "my religion tells me black people are the devil." It's a legitimate, well known issue for people. Based on this statement, would you support a business owner refusing to serve black people?

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 27, 2014 -> 12:57 PM) No. Of course I would think if you want to blame Ventura for De Aza getting thrown out on the bases 11 times and picked off 6 times, you should blame Cooper for Dylan Axelrod getting lit up. I don't blame either. Tyler Flowers not being able to make contact wasn't Manto's fault. The errors both physically and mentally weren't the guys sitting in the dugout's fault. It was on the guys in the field, at the plate, on the mound and on the bases. These aren't 8 year olds. They are grown men. For everyone who blames the manager in this situation, I really hope someday they get to manage a bunch of incompetent people in whatever line of work they are in, that no matter what you try won't make them better, and then have their failure blamed on them. I bet most would see that an entire different way. I'm not asking for them to be the best in the league. I don't think it'd be unreasonable to request that they not be the worst, or at least that they show some signs of improvement (which is the opposite direction of last year, when the same players got much, much worse on those issues).

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 27, 2014 -> 12:51 PM) Hey Socrates, I've never said otherwise. But when you get down to it, you being fearful of a person shooting you because they have a gun on them is never going to be considered valid or legitimate enough to curb their right to carry a gun. I dunno where that line will be drawn, but I really doubt it's going to be every single business. And even I would say I have no issues with "some businesses" allowing guns. It'd be hard to ban them from a gun store/gun range, for the obvious example. But if you're going to accept that some places don't need them, then it no longer is a matter of "freedom" whether you're able to carry them or not.