Rex Kickass

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Feb 12, 2009 -> 01:04 PM) Latest update wrt mass transit: Improving the Amtrak network would do so much for jobs and our economy. I think it would be wonderful, and I wish we'd see more mass transit improvement.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Feb 12, 2009 -> 12:13 PM) The gist of your comment is correct, we do allow a fair amount of contaminants in our food. Specifically to ground beef, quietly, thanks to the fast food industry, regulations were changed to allow ground meat to enter this country. Prior to that, the smallest you could bring in were subprimals. And of course prior to that it was primals. So the slippery slope concept was alive and well in those regulations. US beef, has a much smaller chance of the poop in your burger. There are very few slaughter operations that also process at that level. I actually did a little research a while back on meatpacking with ground meats, and now I don't buy ground anything meat anymore. The risk of contamination is just too high for me to justify the risk. So I buy boca crumbles or some other fake ground meat. Doesn't make my sloppy joe taste any different.

Don't hate on Lazer Liza. Way more fun than Lazer Pink Floyd, ya know.

His diet should be exclusively peanut butter sandwiches on peanut bread all from his factory. This is the kind of behavior we expect to see coming from Chinese food factories, not from the US... but it happens more than we realize. You'd be surprised how much cow poop is in that burger you had for lunch for example.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 12, 2009 -> 11:18 AM) Its dry even for someone who has worked in the industry forever. As for the other Ave Maria! Bloomberg has more journalists in their stable than the New York Times and the Washington Post combined. Crazy, huh? I almost worked there, the building is amazing on the inside. They are super impressive to me. I love the fact that its all substance, no style.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 04:43 PM) So, he is saying that highway projects are stimulative, but mass transit isn't. Which of course is laughable. But what he really is doing is serving his constituency. Mass transit isn't a big thing in most of Missouri. He'd rather have highway money. Only where the people are, like KC, St Louis.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 01:44 PM) Like I said... for such a controlled campaign, his administration/transition team sure does seem sloppy. Not really that sloppy. I bet they knew and thought they could slip it past. Maybe they were banking on that liberal media we hear so much about these days...

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 01:16 PM) Yeah, I pointed it out a few posts back. And actually, I was pretty happy about the creation of the position. Its akin to a plan I have suggested in this forum a few times over the years, to make the government less wasteful. The good news is, there are probably hundreds of people in the management consulting world who would be good candidates for this job. That is something which is kinda BS too. She quit over a 900 dollar tax lien which was corrected five months after the lien happened. Not saying that the lien should have ever happened, but five months was probably the time it took for notification of the lien. I understand Daschle getting blown out for his hundred thousand dollar plus tax cheat, Geithner too. But the CPO nominee looks like a real tax mistake, not anything else.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2009 -> 01:12 PM) lol. So the HHS gets shot down for tax problems, but the person who is overseeing the checkbook is cool... Nice. This is an embarrassment. Tom Daschle is the embodiment of a typical 1990's era Democrat. Finding a way to lose, even when there isn't an election.

Using the term "third world" to describe lesser developed countries is also erroneous. The term was initally coined to describe the non-aligned countries of the world who didn't necessarily align with American or Soviet interests. The Third World terminology was meant to empower these countries to find their "third way." Or something between the capitalism the US encouraged and the strict planned economy that the Soviets wanted. In many respects, China does represent the third world ideal, at least in terms of economy.

I think they may be the only one left to be frank. I don't think China counts anymore in that way.

I believe Cuba is technically one of the few "Second World" countries that actually remain.

QUOTE (Athomeboy_2000 @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 12:36 PM) I should note, that after the transition, some channels will be broadcasting stronger and on a different frequency (channel 2 in chicago is moving to channel 12). So, that will help some. As for the delay... yea, if you dont know about it, you;re a fool. It's been badgered for the last 6 months. Shame on you! but, a 4 month delay isnt that big of a deal. but no more delays. It's not about people not knowing about the DTV transition, its that there are tens of thousands of people who are on waiting lists for set-top box coupons. They hit the 1.3 billion dollar ceiling on the coupons in early fall... they expect that waitlist number to grow to hundreds of thousands...

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 02:17 PM) I don't necessarily agree. Letting them limp along only means they will go bankrupt later, which will stall the recovery, and cost money that will never get back into the economy. Fruthermore, the longer they limp along, the longer they are pummelled by their foreign competition, the weaker market position they will have, which makes the even worse case scenario that much more likely - shutting operations entirely. And that would be far more disastrous than a bankruptcy. Bankruptcy gives them a chance to truly re-tool and start as a stronger business set. Maybe, unless the vendors they work with start demanding COD for supplies as a result of the bankruptcy filing. And indications are that's what would happen. And that would basically make a Chapter 11 turn into a Chapter 7 super fast. I don't think GM or Chrysler could get the financing necessary right now to make a Chapter 11 work for them at the moment. So a bankruptcy, in my opinion, would probably be the end for either of these companies. Although that might not be the worst thing for Chrysler, it would be for GM given how large the company is. And that would be bad for Ford in the medium term. Although it does have enough cash reserves to make it through the next couple years provided the Big 3 stays intact, a major automaker default would change that situation too, and not for the better.

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 10:56 AM) And it pushes the inevitable bankruptcies of these elephants out a few more months. This is assinine. Let them fail. Let them heal. Let us prosper. Pushing the timeline out will not save these companies. The auto industry as we knew it is DEAD. Accept it deal with it and move on with a leaner more efficient industry. Lowering 0% financing from FICO 725ish to FICO 600 is a great way to get back in black. Just ask WAMU, CFC, WAB, NCC. People with 620 FICO scores are not going to get a 0% loan. They are just going to get a loan, which is something GMAC wasn't offering in the last four months.

QUOTE (kapkomet @ Jan 15, 2009 -> 11:50 PM) Everyday Thomas, yes, they would... but then again, everyday Thomas wouldn't be making this kind of money. Since he makes this kind of money, and it's just an "oversight", of course it'll get glossed over. Now if this were a Republican, he would have had to withdrawl his name... There are so many people that want this guy in this post, he could have done anything short of pulling Ben Bernanke's beating heart out of his chest and showing it to him before he dies and he would still get confirmed.

It's my understanding that the investigation had been out there since August and didn't seem like anything was going to come of it, until the Blago indictment which kind of changed things. Tapper was on GMA this morning and talking about how the Richardson nomination was kind of forced because the Obama camp was feeling pressure for a prominent role for a hispanic in the administration. It sounds like this cabinet appointment was given, mostly to mollify latino interest groups.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 4, 2009 -> 08:06 PM) I'd like to know your thinking on the bolded. Why would he have been good for State, but bad for Commerce? One thing Richardson has done well in NM is bring new business and jobs. Plus he has foreign policy experience. Seems to me like either would have been a good fit, resume-wise. He's not a good cabinet secretary. He wouldn't administrate a department very well, imho. The difference with State is that his primary responsibility would be more about state to state negotiations where he excels. His foreign policy positives outweigh his cabinet history negatives in State and only in State.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 2, 2009 -> 03:46 PM) BTW, we sure hit 9k on the DJIA, and then some. Punched through and now at 9063. Liza Minelli rang the closing bell on Friday, by the way. Coincidence?

From what I understand, after hearing some stuff on the BBC about it is that Richardson is expected to be fully cleared of any wrongdoing or unethical behavior. The reason for the withdrawal is that they don't think that the grand jury will make that announcement until after Jan 20 and Richardson did not want a scandal to hang around the neck of Obama at the start of the administration. That being said, I'm kinda glad he bowed out because I didn't like him in any position except State.

I forgot that vampire weekend was 2008. That album was really really good, even if they do look like the people I hate on the subway.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 30, 2008 -> 08:17 PM) I've found it interesting how little either Obama OR Bush are saying, or doing (in Bush's case) about it. Neither wants to touch that thing. I think its wholly appropriate for Obama to keep mum on this at this point, especially since his policy will likely differ fairly greatly from the current president.

Given that the last time in Iceland, I was able to start a singalong of the Good Times theme song on the street in the middle of the night (True Story) this would not at all surprise me.

The reason Burris accepted this? It's the only way he'd ever get there. If he isn't implicated by name in the indictment or investigation, he should be seated. There is some legal question whether the Senate can deny seating a member on any reason other than constitutional qualification for the seat.

There was an embarrassment of riches this year and lots to choose from. I'd say there were easily 15 to 20 albums that I really enjoyed this year. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust Portishead - Third Santogold - Santogold Q-Tip - The Renaissance Sigur Ros - Med Sur I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalust Honorable Mentions: Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun The Breeders - Mountain Battles Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree Nada Surf - Lucky MGMT - Oracular Spectacular