Balta1701

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 01:27 PM) And if I understand it correctly, it is the very levee system that is the biggest source of the problem as it did not allow for the natural deposit of silt in the low lying areas down there, which has contributed to them being further below sea level than they would have been. Ironic. Actually I believe the big problem with the levee system is that it has heavily damaged the coastline of the delta itself, rather than lowering the city...the levees take the sediment carried by the river and pipe it directly into the gulf, when normally it would be dispersed across the delta. When that sediment is out in the gulf, it doesn't come back, but when it is carried out in a normal fashion, it implants itself throughout the delta, giving rise to barrier islands and other more secure channels when it is reworked. The city is subsiding because of groundwater pumping from all that I've heard...the sediment supply is an issue of the coastline and how it functions (barrier islands are a wonderful protection against storm surge when they do exist)

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 01:24 PM) Bienville founded New Orleans where it was because of its accessibility, located right between the Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain. So from that standpoint it made sense. The growth of a settlement to a metropolis on the same site, that was not so well thought out. Truth is, though, there has been a lot of land subsidence since then. The site is worse now then it was ehen it was founded. You should also note WHY the land subsidence happens...the key cause of land subsidence is actually human action...when you pump water from a ground water reservoir, you reduce the pore pressure in that reservoir and thereby cause compaction of the surrounding sediments to get the pressure back up to a point that can support the weight of the overlying strata.

QUOTE(tonyho7476 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 01:18 PM) This is why I will stay in Chicagoland....I know, we have tornadoes...but I'll take that over this s***. It almost sounds to me like a city shouldn't even exist there. Actually...you're well within the range that could suffer damage in the event of another large quake in the New Madrid fault zone...the zone which produced the largest earthquakes in U.S. history in the early 1800's. It wouldn't hit the city itself, but the city is close enough that it would feel a fair amount of shaking, and since the buildings in that area haven't been designed AT ALL to sustain earthquake vibrations...well you get the idea.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 01:06 PM) Who knows what formula they use. If you stop and think about it, right now there are literally thousands of things that people are making studies of, and reporting that if this isn't fixed, some fatal flaw could lead to people dying, and all that it would take it a bunch more funding to fix it. The problem is deciding which projects are truely the most important with whatever cost/risk analysis they are doing right now. I'll tell you one thing, if I am somewhere like LA on the west coast, I am screaming my head off right now for more funding to prevent the samekind of disasterous response after an earthquake. It will be interesting to see if we see a shift into more funding of preventative maintence towards natural disasters, or if we see the same see-no-evil philosophy that has been prevelent in our government for decades. I think that the fact of the matter is actually quite simple...we had a gigantic budget surplus a few years ago and a known set of needs for infrastructure upgrades and maintenance in this country...we chose tax cuts. There are a huge number of things not getting fixed all around the country because of them. The Levees in New Orleans were just 1 item on the list.

QUOTE(LVSoxFan @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 01:10 PM) I thought we'd be better this year, but 35 games over .500? C'mon! What an insanely successful year. Insanely successful? Not yet. An excellent year to be sure...but for it to be "Insanely successful" we need to be 3 games above .500 after October 3rd.

QUOTE(witesoxfan @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 12:59 PM) If Podsednik is getting on base, anybody can drive him in...be it Goochi, PK, Everett, Dye...and it is a run. Podsednik getting on at a .400-.450 clip would almost assure the offense of being top notch throughout the playoffs.While he was hurt for a time...Podsednik's OBP this year is .350. His career OBP is .344. He has had 2 months in his career with an OBP over .400...none since 2003 (although he's at .429 for September. You're assuming that AJP can still be a solid .300 hitter and hit for power at the same time...his power numbers have gone up the last 2 years, but his batting average has hovered in the .270-.280 range. That may be the kind of hitter he is now. During no season in his career has he hit for a ton of power and an above .300 average at the same time.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 12:58 PM) Space Shuttle flights might be delayed for a year, partially because of logistical problems from Katrina, partly because of exsisting problems. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9241242/ Maybe (in this 1 limited case) this is a good thing, just on the grounds that it gives technicians more time to work on that foam problem.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 12:49 PM) How much it would have saved is debatable. The original intent was to always secure the levees to withhold a category 3 storm, it was decided in either 97 or 98 I believe that it wouldn't be cost effective to try to make the levees secure for a category 5 storm. I wonder what the difference would have been, because the basic underlying problems still would have exisisted, and that is the incompetent response of every layer of government in this disaster. When they judge something to be "cost-effective", do you think they judged it to be cost effective relative to how much extra tax dollars would have to be spent on the project, or do you think they judged whether or not it was cost-effective relative to the cost of rebuilding the entire city? Somehow, I doubt that they judged it was cost-effective relative to the value of New Orleans.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 11:39 AM) Bush is set to ask Congress for another $51.8 billion in aid for Katrina. It is estimated that FEMA is spending $1-2 billion A DAY in aid right now. Estimates are also being put at $150-200 billion to pay for this disaster. Quick point. $150-200 billion to pay for this disaster. $1-2 billion 5 years ago to start upgrading the levees. Ignore the loss of lives and just think like an American taxpayer...this is where tax cuts can really hurt you...you cut back in spending in places where you really need it. And the bills can get a lot larger down the road.

(emphasis mine) AP.

I think the most amazing thing about the previous post is that the writer actually seems 100% convinced that he knows for sure exactly where technological development will take us. "By 1960, experts believe man will have established 12 colonies on the moon...ideal for human habitation."

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 11:37 AM) Soriano seems to be always a step away from leaving, so I guess they are trying, but I really could see them biting on a deal. Maybe insted of Sweeney in a deal we throw in Tracey or Liotta or something. Who knows, but Texas I would think is a team to talk to in the off-season. I think that logically they should be a team to talk to in the offseason about a bat in exchange for pitching, but honestly, I think they're just too hesitant about doing it. I think the Twinkies, Mets, and a couple of other teams probably did have offers out for Soriano at the trading deadline this year, but Texas just wasn't willing to pull the trigger. Someone in that organization just seems scared about taking any chances. At least that's my impression. Hopefully they'll realize that a few smart deals can push them past the A's/Angels this offseason, and they'll be more willing, but thus far they're just not doing it. I mean...heck, look what deal they made pre-trading deadline...they actually traded away pitching (Park, even though he's not very good himself) for a bat.

Actually...the 9 passenger heavy vans that my geology department uses are all built by Ford...the division tried getting vehicles from GM a few years ago, but those hardly lasted at all under the pounding we gave them...at least for the ones this division has tried, the Fords have been the best survivors.

QUOTE(ChiSoxyGirl @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 11:56 AM) Was the foreign aid accepted or no? I'm having a brain lapse. Well...yes, foreign aid has been "Accepted"...but hey...funny story...FEMA keeps screwing that up too. WaPo.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 11:50 AM) This is of course assuming that the rumors about his weight gain are not true, or he loses a bunch of weight, quickly. Then again, why would anyone assume this to be the case when Curry has come to camp in shape once in his whole career. I wish the Bulls could find a sign and trade partner for Eddy, but no one is going to give a big uninsureable contract to a guy with questionable work ethic, a weight problem, and a heart condition. I'm actually quite certain that the rumors about his weight gain are in fact true...with any luck however, Curry realized a month or two ago when his insurance was declined that he wasn't going to get a long term contract this year, and got started putting himself back in shape under the realization that this year would in fact be the year where he was playing for his contract.

QUOTE(Jeckle2000 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 11:05 AM) Anyone else get the bad feeling that we could see Curry drop dead on the court one of these days... I seriously doubt any team in the NBA is going to take a chance on a 6'10 center with a heart condition... Especially with no insurance... There is a reason he hasn't been able to get an offer sheet from anyone. He will be playing for the 1 year qualifying offer this year if he plays at all...that is going to be the end of the story. If he's smart about it...he can really turn that into a huge payday for himself too, because he'll be an unrestricted free agent...if he can stay healthy the whole year and gets himself in the shape to have another good year, he can get a bigger contract after next year than he would have after this year if the heart condition never occurred.

At some point...Texas is going to have to try to dump a bat in exchange for pitching if they want to make a run at that division. They have an enormous number of very good bats, and everyone in need of a bat talks to them at the trading deadline. They just never pull the trigger. I'm starting to wonder if there's some element of Cinci syndrome in there...the owner/GM wants to win, but more so the owner/GM doesn't want to be the guy who traded away a fan favorite for a potentially unknown quantity in a pitcher.

My blood donation appointment is noon tomorrow.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 06:14 AM) Then why is everyone so worried about digging up every piece of work he has ever done if his previos rulings are totally irrelevant? There is a major difference between one's rulings...given out publically when the weight of precedent and higher courts constrains you, and one's personal writings...which will illustrate vastly better how he felt during his past about issues he'd be deciding on. His past statement on Roe v. Wade as settled law illustrates only that as a judge he was not willing to try to find mysterious ways to circumvent the rulings of higher courts. His previous writings, however, show his personal views as they pertain to a huge number of issues. And while a person's views certainly may change over time, it is those views which will help him frame his decisions in whatever cases are brought before him.

I keep tellin you guys...30-0 September here we come! I'm also kinda hoping for a 13-0 October. Just a little bit.

Unless the team chooses not to resign Everett and Thomas for salary reasons in the offseason, I just can't see where he'd fit in...Anderson clearly has cemented the #1 up and coming outfielder spot, with Borchard falling into line behind him. I like the kid, I think he has Adam Dunn type potential, and he had a very good 2nd half at AAA, but I think we've probably just run out of time with him.

Go Get em Jose... All I ask is that you don't walk anyone on their team not named Sweeney. (Walk him all you want). RIP EM!!!!!!

QUOTE(illinilaw08 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 09:59 AM) Exactly. With the increase in attendance this year displaying a direct correlation between winning and overall revenue, I can see Reinsdorf increasing the payroll next year to keep the team in contention. That's what I'm hoping for...it really wouldn't take a huge salary increase to keep this team together aside from signing Garland to a 3 year deal for what he's really worth...Konerko's salary will probably go up by $3 million, Everett's will go up by $1 million, AJ's will go up by a few million, Thomas's will go down by at most $5 million...we may very well clear some salary room from our starting rotation by moving the kid into it...so there needs to be a roughly $5-10 million increase in salary to hold everything together if Frank does leave, according to my best guesses.

What happens to Contreras if El Duque isn't around him next year? What happens to our starting rotation if we trade Contreras, keep El Duque, and Duque spends another 2 months on the DL, something I'd consider to be about as certain as anything else for next year. Marte's issue still seems to be mechanical...he doesn't have the follow through he was using 2 years ago, and it's really hurting him. But here's the 1 thing to remember with Marte...Ozzie seems to demand 2 left handed pitchers in his bullpen. That's why Walker came up midseason several times. If Marte were moved...we need to find another left handed relief pitcher, because Walker cannot be considered an option right now. It's also worth considering whether Duque could have value out of the pen...as specifically a long reliever. He would probably throw fewer pitches than he has all year here, could give starters a break when they get in trouble, and it could help his arm. And maybe most importantly...we don't know how things will look after the postseason. If Contreras or Duque comes out and gives up 1 run in like 20 innings in the playoffs or something ridiculous like that, their value could go through the roof in the offseason. Conversely, if they pull a Javier Vazquez or a Kevin Brown and self-destruct against the Yankees or BoSox...there's a decent chance no one out there would want them. Just a few things I'm tossing out...this will be an interesting offseason.

QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Sep 7, 2005 -> 08:42 AM) From what i have read, i gathered that KGJ didnt do much to augment his natural strength. Basically, he just went out and played. He rarely worked out, ran, did stamina excercises. So as he got older, it started to catch up to him. Im not saying this is the reason, but it certainly can be a symptom to his problem with staying healthy now. The way he played the outfield as a youngster had to play a role also...he was all over the place, banging into walls, sprinting everywhere...it was amazing to watch, but his whole body has to have taken a ridiculous beating in the process. He's got an incredible swing...but he seriously belongs in no other role than as a DH right now, just for his own sake.