Balta1701

Stealing another writer's words out of laziness...

Link

MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Fox News's Brit Hume and Tony Snow were all tapped to serve at a fundraiser for one of Abramoff's shady charities. Link 1 Link 2.

“Mr. Abramoff says he has information that could implicate 60 lawmakers” - WSJ.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 09:19 AM) Its a crap site, bascially they just make up rumors. Pretty unreliable and a pretty far-fetched rumor IMO. Still, Boston is in desperate need of a CF, and the odds are Dusty still doesn't want to play Murton or Pie in the OF, so it's at least plausible. If I were the Cubs I'd make sure to get some money along with that though.

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jan 4, 2006 -> 09:23 AM) Shutup...your going to jinx it. We are way overdue. Actually, I think I'd disagree with the statement that "we're way overdue." Roughly speaking, the L.A. Basin should probably expect 1 magnitude 6+ event every 10-20 years. That's for the entire L.A. Basin area...each and every one of those blind thrust faults combined. The last one right here was in 94, Northridge, but there were also 2 major events out in the Mojave in the 90's, so statistically speaking the 90's were pretty active. Doesn't mean that there won't be a magnitude 6 event in the near future, but also doesn't mean there will be one. In terms of the San Andreas...well, there could be one now, or the next one could happen 150 years from now. The remarkable thing about recurrence intervals is that in almost every fault section in the country, they do exist, but they have margins of error on the order of 100% of the recurrence interval. So on the San Andreas, if there was a big quake in 1857, and its recurrence interval is 100-200 years, then you could very well go 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, or 400 years between major movements, entirely based on the mood of the fault. The San Andreas will rupture again, and the odds are it will be within my lifetime, but we're also not "Overdue" for one on it. We would be overdue in about 2100 if there hadn't been one yet, because we would be greater than the estimated recurrence interval.

The piece you linked to is wrong on several accounts, most notably the rant about people needing life-saving surgeries having to either wait months or flee to the U.S. That is simply a myth. In fact, the reverse happens even more often, with Americans heading to Canada for things like Eye surgery, which is cheaper up there. Canada can have fairly long waits for elective surgeries, but for things which are actually medically necessary, the waits in Canada may even be less. Secondly, the writer concludes with this Which leaves me to wonder whether the author has ever had to experience spending time without insurance in this country while actually needing medical treatment, and discovering that virtually no one anywhere will admit you, and the only places which will admit you will both cost an absolute fortune and probably screw things up badly, which is something my family has experienced recently, and is as close to Hell on Earth as you can get. A right to health care? You compare that to seeing a person hunched over on your couch unable to move because of extreme pain and there not being any doctor willing or able to treat that person, and you'll wish to God that America considered it a right. Third, the author rightfully takes Mr. Krugman to task for selectively choosing which health data he cites, but then he does exactly the same thing. He attacks Krugman's choice of life expectancy and infant mortality as methods by which the health care systems can be judged, but then decides to cite different metrics (rates of die-off with certain diseases) without either judging any other diseases or examining whether there's an additional factor, such as an environmental or lifestyle issue, which could also impact those numbers. I can do the same thing. Watch. Of course, this statistic also is probably incomplete, because it also fails to take into account lifestyle factors which could impact those numbers. The simple answer is that there is no simple answer. If you want to find one statistic that sums everything up, you're not going to do so.

Tom Donahoe is reportedly out as President and GM of the Bills, and Marv Levy will reportedly be taking at least part of his job. Mularkey has also been told he has his job for 1 more year, but the owner Ralph Wilson says he plans to take a more active role in looking at assistant coaches. All things considered, the Bills still are in a decent spot...they have a lot of talent at key positions, some decent draft picks, and supposedly are doing fairly well with the cap. They need to build an offensive line more than anything else, and they need their defense to stay healthy and figure out what went wrong last year..

Well, he'd sure cost a lot less than Matsui, and even though his production would probably be worse, it wouldn't be THAT much worse.

Great, another state which will draw resources from the war on terror by putting marijuana plants in the hands of those dastardly cancer patients! I would have put that in green, but well...we do keep diverting resources to arrest medical marijuana users.

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 05:33 PM) All the "experts" are saying that Leinart would pull an Elway/Manning and refuse to play for New Orleans if they selected him, so it is possible he could go to TEN, NYJ, OAK, or BUF. I wonder what will be left for the Bears to pick at #32? Buffalo would make Matt Leinart rapidly look like David Carr. They have a QB right now that they're developing in Losman, who they should at least give another season or 2 to develop. They have VASTLY more important needs. Their Defense, which was one of the best in the league the last 2 years, fell apart when Spikes got hurt. Their Offensive line is still absolutely offensive. And they may well lose a very good veteran receiver in Eric Moulds because the coach doesn't get along with him. Buffalo should try to focus on O-Line, but should take the best talent available unless it's a running back. If that's Leinart, try to trade down for extra picks.

Personally, the more I think about it, the more I would rather use Contreras to try to rebuild a fairly depleted farm system, especially in the pitching staff, since we traded so much of that away this year. Right now, our next 2 FA pitchers will be Buehrle and Garcia, both who are FA's after 2007. We absolutely must keep Mark Buehrle. God Help KW if he loses Buehrle. But will we have the money to keep both of them? That I doubt. I would really like to find a very high level pitcher or 2 from the A ball leagues if possible, someone who we could hope would be ready in 2 years to fill in for Garcia, so that we can make absolutely certain we have money available for Buehrle (Buehrle's contract + Garcia's contract = Buehrle's new contract?) Right now, the only candidate I see in our minor leagues who could fill in for Garcia if he does depart as a FA would be Broadway, and that still may be early for him, depending on how he performs next year. I still don't think that trading for another outfielder, even a young one, is a good idea at all. We have a ton of outfield depth. If Anderson fails, then its not going to hurt us that badly - think about Oakland and Nick Swisher, who didn't have a stellar rookie year last year, but was still well above adequate. Anderson's bat is not going to be the most important thing on this team...anything he gives us beyond what people here have said his low side would be is just going to be a bonus. Anderson's job next year is to catch the ball and throw out a few more runners than Rowand did. He has a better arm than Rowand and he's faster than Rowand, from all accounts. He should be able to steal a few more bases than ARow, and he's got a pair of great teachers (Podsednik and Raines) on that account. He's got more power than ARow. He'll strike out a lot and not walk much, but Rowand didn't either. And once again, we now have Thome's bat instead of Everett's, which will make our offense vastly more potent (and probably help Konerko too, because PK will get more rest or more times to DH). If Brian Anderson ends up costing this team a chance at the world series, that basically means that either Thome or Konerko got hurt, because that's the only way we'll be dying for offense from Anderson. Give the kid a shot. He's cheap, he's fast, and he can catch the ball. We can build a better system without focusing on the outfield right now.

QUOTE(Steve Bartman's my idol @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 07:25 PM) It wouldn't! You hope. Don't forget, we'd probably be looking to replace Garcia @ the same time. And Iguchi is a FA that year as well. I'm not sure about Uribe & Podsednik.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 07:10 PM) No, Taveras is gone. You are also forgetting Mike Lamb, Jeff Bagwell, and most importantly Chris Burke who is going to play somewhere. Burke did play some 2b last year also? Still, I think the Stros do have to move someone for pitching, especially with the Rocket likely gone.

QUOTE(Rowand44 @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 04:02 PM) 12-0 Florida is beating up on 0-10 Morgan State. That doesn't seem like a fair game. 92-49 final score. Sounds like the game Duke always seems to put up in round 1 of the Tourney.

We've been out-rebounded 33-22. With 2 big guys that just shouldn't happen. On the bright side, IU does have 4 people in double figures this game. Oh, and a 6 point lead with :42 left. Edit: Thanks to free throw shooting by Strickland, IU has 5 people in double figures for this game.

After a pair of Roderick Wilmont 3 pointers, Indiana is up 54-45 with 7:50 to play.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 04:07 PM) I'd love to see either of these coaches coach the Chiefs. Don't underestimate the chances of Edwards ending up there...the Jets have thus far refused to give him a contract extension beyond next year, and Vermiel himself dropped Edwards's name as a possible replacement a couple of weeks ago. If the Jets weren't enthusiastic about keeping Edwards around after next season, which again may be another rebuilding year, especially with holes at RB, QB, and WR, then they may decide whatever compensation KC would offer would be worth the coaching search.

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 03:32 PM) I heard he had a really good 40 time when he ran away from the scene of the crime. The witnesses said he had some really good moves too. Just like some of the other thugs in pro sports today (Jamal Lewis), I am sure he will get another chance and sign on with some desperate team. Dude, TO will get another chance. Why? Because he has, um, what' the word...talent? The guy was drafted by Denver, way higher than he should have been. Name a better place for a running back than Denver. Denver couldn't figure out a way to turn him into anything. No one else will either.

Norv Turner is officially out as Raiders coach. Turner needs to go back to being an offensive coordinator. He did a dynamite job of that in Dallas, and he's been a poor head coach everywhere he's gone.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 03:10 PM) Cubs opening day lineup: 1. Grissom (CF) 2. Perez (SS) 3. Lee (1B) 4. Jones (RF) 5. Ramirez (3B) 6. Mabry (LF) 7. Barrett © 8. Walker (2B) *laughs aloud* Expecting Pierre to retire?

ThinkProgress has a very nice, succinct, yet detailed summary of almost all of the tentacles of this scandal.

I just find it very interesting that this thread is supposedly "Good sox jokes" and every single 1 posted thus far is an insult directed at the Cubs. Not complaining, just stating a fact.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 02:45 PM) Well, OK, via equlibrium. Better?

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jan 3, 2006 -> 02:29 PM) I think we're talking about two different things. Since the air is mostly (~ 80%)nitrogen gas, let's assume that a 300-foot hole in the ground contains pure nitrogen. If somebody displaced 50% of that nitrogen volume with argon via a pump, I was thinking that the argon would slowly settle towards the bottom of the hole. Of course, the Ar content wouldn't be anywhere near 100% at the bottom, but it'd be measurably higher than at the top. That's all I was saying. I don't think I like saying the Argon would "Slowly settle towards the bottom of the hole"...but aside from that you're correct. What would happen (and depending on the temperature this could happen very rapidly) is that the argon and the nitrogen would each establish distributions based on their molecular weights, the size of the column, and the temperature, where the Nitrogen was measurably higher at the upper end, and the Argon was measurably higher at the lower end.