NorthSideSox72

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 30, 2010 -> 06:32 AM) The Two Hearted Ale surprised me. I didn't know what to expect, but I was quite impressed. Wonderful aroma of sweet grapefruit and pine...very representative of an IPA. The flavor is remarkable smooth for an IPA and one with a 7% ABV. A sugared grapefruit entry fades to a nice pine bite. If you're an IPA fan, this one should be high on your list. I'm not a big fan of IPAs, but this one is one of my favorite beers overall. For the most part, all of Bell's beers are pretty good. When they started distributing Bells again to the Chicago area it was a big deal. I can see why. They make some good beers. That's the only one in this next set that I haven't had, and I definitely want to try it.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 06:30 PM) You know how some of us keep saying "No one cares about the former half term Alaskan governor"? Even fewer people should care about the failed Senate candidate from whatever East Coast state she was in. I admit it, I should be mature enough not to care. And I did eventually do that with Palin, because she got SO much attention, I stopped talking about her. But I also admit that some part of me enjoys the schadenfreude of watching someone who was so clearly, so obviously unfit for office, and who has said she'd probably run again, get her ass handed to her. This will be beneficial in the long run, hopefully keeping her out of office.

*waits for witch hunt jokes*

Remember those rumors about Christine O'Donnell possibly being flat broke and using campaign funds for her own expenses? Well, the Feds are now investigating.

I have to side with Y2HH here - the idea that the inflation in oil prices is JUST tied to currency fluctuation, or that its JUST tied to ANY single thing is sort of ridiculous. There are any number of factors at play here.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 03:25 PM) Because their currency is tied to the dollar? By the way, everyone in the modernized world wants China to release its currency from peg. And eventually, due to its own issues, they will have to. That alone will help the rest of the world.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 12:49 PM) The bolded is where I disagree. The gas price spike in this country was associated with the final bursting of our real estate bubble and the collapse of the banking system. Right now, there's every reason to believe that China is sitting on a monster of a real estate bubble of its own. Europe, meanwhile, is 1 bailout away from running out of bailout moneys, with 3-4 possible candidates still sitting there. And in this country, the only place that has genuinely expanded is the same place that imploded last time; the financial sector and the stock market. No reason at all to think that conditions are more stable than they were before the US housing bubble burst. There is no compairson, the conditions are vastly different. You think the real estate market is headed for another 40% tumble? Not even the biggest doomsayers are on that line. You think we're going to have a markets collapse, toxic unwind, and firm collapses like we had in 2007-2008 again in 2011? Incredibly unlikely. You think the Chinese housing market bubble would have anything like the effect the US one did? Not even a remote chance. You think we're going to nearly double unemployment again next year? To 20%/35%? When every economic indicator shows growth in 2011? Europe's debt crisis is the only one that has a similarity. Everything else is vastly different.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 12:43 PM) Here's the question though...how high does it need to go before it re-does all the damage to the global economy that the last price spike provoked? Because if $4/gallon does what it did last time, then it'll drop back to $2 before it gets to $5. There's still more than enough instability, especially in Europe, that a gas price spike could easily resume the global bank runs. I think you are missing the overall trend here. It spiked from like $2 to $4, then back to like $2.50, and is $3 now. If it spikes to $4, you may see a pull-back, but the economic conditions are different so probably not as much so. So, maybe you go to $3.50, then back up towards $5. Its an overall upwardly moving trend, which pretty much everyone agrees is the direction we are going. Buy up them DBO shares now, folks.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 12:29 PM) I think this has already taken place, especially in light of the recent cash for clunkers where you trade up to a more fuel efficient model and receive a tax refund...the fact that people went through every cent of that shows that a LOT of people did update their cars. Even if they're only getting a few more miles per gallon, that adds up with everyone that took advantage of the program. Definitely, and that trend will continue. We're solidly over $3 here now, and all indications are its likely we'll be paying $4 or even $5 in the next couple years.

Wanted to have an ongoing thread for this. So, Emmanuel is officially on the ballot. Davis, Mosley-Braun and a handful of others as well. And I just want to point out, racism is alive and well in Chicago politics. Danny Davis pulls out the race card and threatens Bill Clinton with it. Why is racism like this considered acceptable to ANYONE?

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 12:07 PM) That's not alternative energy. It's petrol based therefore it's still fossil fuel/oil. It's more efficient yes...but it's not alternative. Its also more polluting. But, in general, people going over to more fuel efficient cars can be a big part of the short range solution. Less fuel consumption, and more drive for innovation from American car companies.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 11:56 AM) But then the problem isn't the ACA, it's the broken system itself. Lots of systems are broken. I still feel as though we could have made the system better (not perfect - better) by spending a very small amount of money, and then moved onto things that really do take larger amounts of money but that pay for themselves multiple times over later.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 11:46 AM) We're not spending money on the health care overhaul. We're spending money on a crappy and expensive health care system. So we replaced those costs with other costs that still don't fix the main problems. Not helping.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 11:34 AM) Really though, if what I think is at least possible comes true, and every time the global economy tries to grow it produces an energy-price-spike recession, then we're going to have to find a way to speed things up...because otherwise, we'll never get out of that 8-9% unemployment valley we're currently in. And I love biking. I bike to work every day from May through September. See, the great thing about the alt energy stuff to is, its got the added benefit of not only adding a lot of good paying jobs (oil would to an extent too, though less of the high paying kind)... but creating industry to EXPORT our technology globally, which is what the US needs to propel real, serious growth. I feel like a broken record, but I really think we are missing a great opportunity here. We're spending stimulus money on road construction, tax cuts mostly benefiting the people who are already rich, and a crappy attempt at health care overhaul. Putting the US as a leader in alt energy is, IMO, far more valuable for the long range health of the country than any of those things.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 11:11 AM) I'm positive if it were as easy as that, it'd already be done on a massive scale. That said, a lot of money IS being spent on alternative energy research and development right now, and in the years to come you will begin to see the fruits of that labor, albeit small fruits. It's not something that will happen overnight, and most of these newly researched technologies will fail to produce any actual worth, as most will prove to be less efficient than their predecessors. Until something can be more efficient and available on a massive scale (easy to get/refuel, etc), it's all talk and while interesting topics of discussion, it's nothing more. Electric cars will continue to suck until they require less batteries which are also made out of rare earth materials, the batteries stop losing the ability to recharge and store the same amounts of energy, are able to recharge in minutes (not hours), have the same power or more than internal combustion engines, and the infrastructure to recharge them exists all over the place, such as gas stations. I don't recall ever saying it was easy, and the reasons its not being done more massively are simple... cost, and political defensiveness (often rooted in corruption). Either one - more drilling to operational status OR better alternatives, are time-consuming. No way around that. We are not going to dodge price increases in 2012, at least not very much of them. Gas demand has already been showing small signs in the past couple years of not rising as much as population justifies, and part of that is the presence of more efficient vehicles and energy methods. But certainly we are a long way from seeing it be a big part of the equation.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 10:20 AM) [/b] Which is why we are looking at predictions of $5 gas. I'd say its the other way around - $5 gas is a reality period, which is why we need to do something. Since drilling more AND increasing use of non-fossil fuels will both have a positive effect, but one is clearly the better long term alternative (because it actually creates high paying jobs, pollutes less, and costs us a TON less in the future), the choice should be crystal clear.

QUOTE (quickman @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 09:16 AM) Oney behaving like this, sends a signal to the rest of the whitesox. Can't go to ozzie with your problems or when Oney is around you need to shut up, because Ozzie and his idiot sons can't keep there mouths shut. They will need to find someone else to talk to, which is ashame. A player should be able to go to his manager, as a leader, mentor and coach and share an issue that maybe affecting there play. That said, I am sure Bobby is not out of his problems and these will re-surfice once again fortunately not for the whitesox. I agree, this sets up a bad situation for the players and other coaches. Ozzie's son is causing some significant problems here.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Dec 29, 2010 -> 08:06 AM) This will never happen, at least not in our lifetimes. Of course not. Most people don't give a s***, and the BIA is a disaster even by governmental agency standards.

Two very interesting pieces of financial news I just saw - one good and one bad... First the good news... CareerBuilder survey indicates growing optimism for increased hiring in 2011, along with modest wage increases. Now the bad news... former President of Shell is predicting $5 a gallon for gas by 2012. His answer is of course to drill more - which will of course only make the slightest of improvements. Are people really still thinking that heavy investment in alternative, renewable energy is not worthwhile? There are few other things the government can invest in at this point that will have a bigger effect.

QUOTE (fathom @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 11:29 PM) I hate to see this come true, but I called this a while ago. If Oney was right and Jenks started drinking again and was having marital issues during the season, it explains the bereavement leave as well as KW and Ozzie said they were disappointed in Jenks on and off the field. There's still a lot more to this story, so Jenks needs to just be quiet. However, Oney is so ignorant for airing this dirty laundry. Good post. Jenks acting like a whiny little child, but Oney went up another two levels of asshole from there. We're basically watching two spoiled immature brats fight it out on the interwebs. Its sad, and it does NOT reflect well on the White Sox.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 09:48 PM) Without knowing all the details, clinical psychology seems like a discipline where Grad School would be largely paid for out of research funds, is that accurate? QUOTE (Tex @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 09:52 PM) That's what I am believing, but what kind of support and how much would be considered average or usual? I understand tuition and fees being covered but what kind of stipends would be possible beyond that? What is a "typical" package a student could hope for? I am also looking at any books or websites that offer a decent overview, but so far too much "search overload". My wife got a PhD in I/O Psych (Experimental - not Clinical). She received an assistantship which covered her tuition and school costs, and provided a very, very meager salary. She could live on it, barely, but if anything ever went wrong, she'd have been quickly buried financially. In I/O, people can be successful with a Masters, but a PhD is obviously better.

Bell's Oberon and the Alpha King are excellent choices. And if you want a good summer Mexican beer, I'd much prefer Dos Equis Amber or even a Negro Modelo, which are both far superior to Corona in my view. Corona is on par with Miller Lite.

The longest paper I wrote in undergrad, for a senior/grad level Poli Sci class called Federalism and Federation, was a study of Indian Reservations, the Dawes Act and how the existing legal structure is basically keeping things bad for the native populations. Its been my opinion for a long time that at this point, the best thing we could do (if anyone really cared enough about this issue, which most people don't) is to get rid of the reservation system entirely. This will be painful, and at first costly, but will end up being beneficial and a huge savings in government spending in the long run.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 03:02 PM) This is yet another symbolic political fail. Imagine that. Eh? The symbolic part is the one part that seems a success. Some of the push for other programs might be too. The problem is in the details.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 02:25 PM) LOL Latest Right-Wing Freak-Out: Obama Wants To Give Manhattan Back To Native Americans I'd actually agree that it is probably a mistake to sign onto this resolution. As stated in the piece, Article 26 states: Now of course, this won't be truly binding... but what it does do is give a legal avenue for AmerInd tribes or individuals to pursue, and that will cause costly litigation for them and the US. I despise John Bolton and he's generally full of s***, but I agree with him here: He's right, unfortunately. The more feel-good parts about recognizing and respecting culture, and trying to provide better cohesion into society and better access to education and health care... nothing wrong with that at all. But that Article 26 is problematic, and its just not a good idea to sign onto that aspect at this time. No matter how s***ty a situation we put these native groups in (and we did - one of the two worst things in the country's history IMO), this is not a path that will help anyone. ETA: Not that this excuses the laughable outrage from some of these hyper-conservative talking heads, which is all pointless of course.