Rex Kickass

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Apr 23, 2010 -> 02:52 PM) They didnt bleep out Muhammad in the first half of the episode and people noticed. In TV wars (the previous time Muhammad was going to be shown after 9/11) they never showed him and people noticed. If this was the first episode and they edited for no reason perhaps it was for publicity. But the first episode didnt edit Muhammad in the bear suit, it didnt edit his name, and people noticed. So they didn't bleep Muhammad out in the first episode and people noticed. They did in the second and people noticed more. Yeah, that doesn't smack of anything like an attention getter.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Apr 23, 2010 -> 01:09 PM) They aren't censoring it because it offends people; that show gets tons of complaints. For example, 'scientology' followers are completely offended and super pissed about the show, the guy that did the voice of 'Chef' left the show because he was a 'scientologist'. Or the episodes about mormons, there were a lot of people offended. There are a whole lot of examples. The reason it isn't airing is not because they don't want to offend people, it is because they are scared of terrorist retribution. so basically, terrorism does work when you empower it by giving into bulls*** demands. they are so terrified that they will censor their shows to accommodate demands from that group. but if that's what they want to do, it's their network. they still suck for doing it. Or the worst case scenario is they do nothing and nobody notices and they get no press for playing the anti-free speech villains. I think its all ginned up personally.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Apr 23, 2010 -> 11:06 AM) Comedy Central shouldnt have censored it. Im sorry but the entire point of the episode was to show how ridiculous it is to say "this is off limits" because you are afraid of the consequences. You cant live in fear, you cant let a small group of people dictate how we are going to live because we are afraid they might "bomb us." If we have that fear, we are not truly free and they have already won. What is great about America is that you have the right to have whatever godforsaken opinion you might have. That doesnt mean that you wont get beaten up, that doesnt mean that there are no consequences for being a douche, it just means that if you want to be a douche or a nazi or whatever, you can be as long as you dont physically harm other people. Last I checked, words, mockery, comedy dont physically harm people. No Buddhists were harmed when Buddha did a line of coke, just like no Muslims will be harmed if South Park shows Muhammad, just like no Jews are harmed if other people break kosher or if Cartman says "f***ing Jew" a thousand times over the course of the series. I dont see how this is about hate, I dont see how this is about racism. If everyone is fair game, then you arent a racist. If we want the freedom that America stands for, there are going to be consequences, there are going to be times when extremists are unhappy and try and intimidate us, but we cant let that happen. You have to give respect to Matt and Trey for not being afraid and for standing up in what they believe in (the right to speak freely). However, maybe the owners of a comedy channel decided, in this case, that the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. Or maybe they decided that by doing this censorship thing, it heightens the profile of both the show and the network and helps both equally.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Apr 23, 2010 -> 12:27 PM) So it's ok as long as private companies are the ones picking up these tabs? Higher medical costs will still be coming, because private businesses can't just swallow these losses, they will pass the expense onto you. This bill will do nothing to rectify the rising costs of medical care, which I've said, and repeated, from the start. The flaw in this design is so easy to spot, I'm surprised anyone could miss it. Here is what will happen. Insurance is now mandatory (or will be), so you will either pay a fine, OR have insurance. Simple. Now you will see a sudden rise in "Eagle Man" health insurance companies, with the basic idea as follows. Our dirt cheap insurance will not actually protect you, all it will do is "cover" the fact that you are REQUIRED to have insurance. So buy our 2$ a month insurance, which will make you "legal". Now...when you get sick, or need actual care, be it last minute or not...you call a REAL insurance company like Blue Cross and drop the first months premium -- they cannot deny you -- and since you were legally covered by our crappy insurance, they can't deny you based on the lawful mandate that you needed to have insurance. So. Buy our crappy insurance just so you can be "within the law". But when you need claims paid, go buy REAL insurance, since they cannot deny you anymore. After they pay off your bills...drop them, and come back to our "within the law" insurance plan. Follow me? Rinse...repeat. In the end, that will spell disaster, and accelerate rising medical costs. Except if im not mistaken there are required minimums for coverage, including limits on copays and deductibles IIRC.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 23, 2010 -> 11:51 AM) Frankly...that is actually part of his job. He's been out-managed in game lots of times. If he can't get his team's mental state where it needs to be...then he isn't really doing anything. Exactly. Atmosphere is important, and if its not right in the clubhouse, its not going to be right on the field. And if a manager can't get it right in the clubhouse, how can we expect him to get it right on the field?

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Apr 22, 2010 -> 01:52 PM) As Trey/Matt said though, that was before 9/11. After that the country lost its balls and he suddenly became off limits. Trey/Matt are only going there because it gets them attention.

QUOTE (Tex @ Apr 22, 2010 -> 01:38 PM) I am still troubled by the no pre-existing clause. I see a potential for abuse. If someone decides to not have insurance, then is diagnosed with cancer, they can then buy insurance. Insurance is based in part by having the people that do not get sick pay for those that do. If people just wait until they have a major problem, it runs the cost way up. The problem is, though, that we end up paying to treat these people anyway. If they aren't insured, you pay for it through higher medical costs for yourself when these patients default on their treatment, or the state or federal government ends up picking up much of the check through charity care programs. Further, I don't see this as being something that will be super widespread either. A few years ago, I had a specific health scare and had to have special bloodwork done. (The bloodwork is usually only done on people who are diagnosed with the medical problem that was suspected,) and was advised by more than one person not to submit the 1100 dollar blood test to my insurance because of the very same policies highlighted by this article. So I really identify with these people on a personal level. I think that the Health Care act was a flawed document but definitely a good first step to have some of these policies be a thing of the past.

Wellpoint (Known many places as Blue Cross Blue Shield) apparently has been targeting insurance clients who suffer from breast cancer. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63L2LS20100422

QUOTE (Soxy @ Apr 21, 2010 -> 03:58 PM) Two of my lesbian friends that are getting married this summer were introduced by their pastor. True story. That's a great story actually.

Christian Chat Room

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Apr 21, 2010 -> 10:52 AM) I disagree. This is VERY unApple. They are message control freaks. They like to keep it close to the vest until they get on stage at a press event. If they want to build interest, they have very controlled information leaks through select outlets. But to have a prototype "accidentally" left at a barm then be bought by a blog is not very wise on their part. They do things like this all the time, they're just very quiet about it.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Apr 21, 2010 -> 01:18 PM) He's not going to win the GOP nomination, that's become clear. So if he wants to run for re-election he has no choice but to run as an I. It's not official but I'd say it's pretty much accepted thats whats happening. Unless this Rubio investigation is as bad as some people seem to think it is.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Apr 21, 2010 -> 12:30 PM) Is that official? Not yet, but when your co-chairs are dropping out of the campaign and pulling your endorsement (I.E. Connie Mack), its pretty obvious. That plus if you look at his website, its getting really hard to find the word Republican these days.

So Charlie Crist is going to abandon the GOP primary for Senate in Florida after polls show him turning a 25 point lead into a 25 point deficit in Florida's open Senate seat race. With the GOP all but abandoning him in the last two weeks, rumor is he's going to run as an independent. He has to make an announcement by April 30 according to Florida law. Best part about this for Dems? It's entirely unclear who he would caucus with once elected, and the GOP frontrunner, Marco Rubio? Now under FBI investigation to see if he was using his party AMEX fraudulently while working in state government. Although I like Kendrick Meeks (what little I know about him), I would love to see a situation where the GOP's extreme wings pushed out another moderate in their party for the benefits of a damaged, and ideologically pure candidate who'll just damage their party further.

QUOTE (Soxy @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 03:03 PM) So, um, what else would you want for your birthday? I had this idea but. . . I'm glad you changed your mind, that's what I got you for YOUR birthday!

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 01:39 PM) Well you have to shower either way, just a matter of doing it at the gym or at home. My walk/train commute is 40 minutes door-to-door. Bike is 25 minutes, plus a few minutes walking from the gym to work. Have to get ready in either case. So I guess I'm lucky in that my biking total commute is shorter than my regular one. This is true, but the difference between riding a bike or taking the car is the difference between a 630 wake up call or an 800 wake up call.

QUOTE (SteveB23 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 01:07 PM) They assassinated known terrorists/murderers...I don't shed one tear for them. Seeking to achieve a "lasting peace" at the expense of Israel's national security DOES make one an enemy IMO. If a country has a policy of targeted murder, that's fine. If you illegally forge resources from allied countries without their knowledge to do that, that's a problem. Friends don't fake friends' passports to kill other people.

QUOTE (SteveB23 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 01:16 PM) That money that goes to the PA never gets to the people who need it. The "Palestinians" live in poverty and squalor, due to the greed of their "leaders". But rockets and explosive belts cost $, and this money has to come from somewhere. (Supposedly Arafat's wife is worth several hundred million dollars, of "humanitarian aid".) I don't recall many suicide bombings coming from the West Bank these days. In fact, the ADL doesn't list anything like this coming from the West Bank and the PA since 2008.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Apr 19, 2010 -> 09:50 AM) So last summer, from about mid-May to sometime in September, I rode my bike to work basically every day. Carried work clothes etc. in a backpack, showered/changed at the gym near work. 6 miles each way, on a mountain bike with knobbies, riding as fast as I could ride and still make it home at the same pace (not quite a sprint, but close). That had me losing 20 pounds last summer. Gained 10 back in the early winter, then lost 10 again with diet changes. I plan to be back up to full time riding to work by the beginning of May. Its great, because you have to commute anyway, but this makes good use of the time. 12 miles RT every day at a fast pace on knobbies, and I burn an extra 700-1000 cals a day, enough to lose a pound a week with no other changes. Anyone else going to bike-commute? I've done it once this year, but its different for me. It's 16-17 miles each way, which means leaving two hours early to catch a shower before work. My goal has been once a week, but my schedule has kept that from happening.

I would say its Israel going against the rest of the world, unfortunately. You have them building new settlements in occupied territory, despite agreeing not to and you have the assassination of foreign agents on foreign soil using identity papers forged from the UK, another ally. Friends don't try to get state secrets from other friends illegally, either. But Israel has done it. Just because the United States refuses to turn a blind eye to these kind of diplomatic shenanigans doesn't mean that the United States doesn't stand with Israel. It does, however, mean that the foreign policy initiatives have shifted back to the Poppa Bush regime of honest broker in the region. Seeking to achieve a lasting peace in a region doesn't make you an enemy.

QUOTE (G&T @ Apr 13, 2010 -> 08:08 AM) Conan's audience doesn't recognize the difference. I think he can have as much success on cable as on network. That might mean less money now, but possibly more success/more money later. And I think TBS is a good spot because his audience probably does sit and watch 3 hours of Family Guy. TBS offered a better deal than FOX financially from what I read initially.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Apr 12, 2010 -> 03:06 PM) As usual, ignored until irrelevant. It would have been nice to know this 2 or 3 years ago when Edwards was lying to everyone in the country about how important his wife was to him as a central campaign issue. Or if you're a sitting senator.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Apr 12, 2010 -> 01:16 PM) Sad to say, but with as much air travel the US presidents make, one day a crash or major malfunction is going to happen. There was a major malfunction on the Obama plane during the campaign, one of the inflatable escape ramps inflated in the nose cone, making steering extremely difficult.

QUOTE (Cali @ Apr 12, 2010 -> 01:00 PM) Conan to TBS in November Totally out of left field... Not that out of left field, TBS gets really good ratings in Late Night. Lopez is averaging nearly 2 million viewers an episode, which is about what he was gonna get on Fox - and he won't have to worry about affiliate carriage, etc.

In love with the new Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings album. In absolute love.