StrangeSox

Only one I saw was from Disney World, probably 12-15 years ago. Didn't see the actual lift-off, but did see the shuttle and the contrail in the sky.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 16, 2011 -> 02:47 PM) I didn't say get rid of social security. I said make it an elective investment vehicle. The tax would still be in place, though ideally it would be WITHOUT a regressive cap (which should make you happy), and at a lower overall rate as a result. You then give people options on what they want to invest in: US gov't debt, fixed income, a few different options, all of which would need to be conservative. And it absolutely has to do with the current deficit, since we are borrowing from it to pay the bills. It's not an investment vehicle, nor should it be.

If police shoot a suspect resisting an arrest with a warrant, it's still described as a crime scene, no?

CHICAGO.BOWLS.

I just don't get how you can keep unquestionably supporting them when they just stab you in the back. This is a perfect example.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 14, 2011 -> 02:24 PM) Remember when I responded by noting that your vote would help the rest of Alaska get torn up, and as such you have no right to complain? Yeah, I remember that being a pretty terrible argument!

Go Indiana! Court: No right to resist illegal cop entry into home

Remember when we argued that Obama was a weak president who gave in to Republican demands as the starting point of any negotiation and never pushed for any real progressive agenda?

You could film a re-enactment and post it on youtube!

QUOTE (Felix @ May 14, 2011 -> 01:32 PM) I bet "Derek Rose" would beat both of those duos alone. This is who I meant, anyway! That's what I get for typing emails (to someone named derek) while watching the game.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ May 13, 2011 -> 08:07 AM) Second, it seems like the populations are healthy enough for hunting, and that the problem isn't that - its the LEVEL of hunting that is at issue. And there I agree that it seems like killing off 40% a year is a stupid number for any species. Likely that number will be challenged in court, and possibly (hopefully) reduced. It's kinda f***ed up that the first move after spending a significant amount of time and money and effort to re-introduce wolves after we slaughtered them all to a stable population level is to start hunting them again at really high levels. And yeah, the whole "unsustainable hunting levels based on seriously flawed assumptions" is the point of "why this is a bad idea." Just like over-fishing.

QUOTE (greg775 @ May 13, 2011 -> 01:30 PM) It's a common perception nowadays that wins mean nothing. I don't know how this perception took hold, but it's ridiculous. To be 0-6 is embarrassing. A pitcher could give up 1 run per game and pitch 9 every game and still go 0-20 on the season. Can't really fault the pitcher for that.

Balta, I almost feel like you're gloating, just a little, with these Republican candidate announcements.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 13, 2011 -> 03:01 PM) Yeah, TNT overdrive. I do that when it's available, but it's sort of a pain to watch. 3 of the camera angles are pretty wretched and the 4th is the top of the backboard camera. Plus no replays, which in a game involving Rose (and now Wade and Lebron) is pretty key. It's certainly better than nothing, but it's not nearly as good as the tv broadcast. It was a good 10 minutes behind the radio broadcast when I tried it the other day, but that could just be my terrible internet connection.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 13, 2011 -> 12:53 PM) Yeah, once my wife and I bought a house and moved to the burbs last year we decided to stop watching so much TV and ended our relationship with cable. We really only watch sports and the occasional AMC/HBO dramas. This is the only drawback I've seen since dropping Comcast. Not sure why the NBA is broadcasting all of their playoffs on cable with no local access, but it does suck, especially with ChannelSurfing shut down.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 13, 2011 -> 05:58 AM) If you really want to play with credit, go with something that can't be used for general expenses. A department store, finance a computer through Dell, something like that. See how fast you pay it off. But if you goal is to keep opening up charge accounts to build your credit so you can get higher and higher credit limits and to get more and more cards, well that leads to having balances and making a lot of interest payments. Why else do you want the cards? I know all that sounds like work, and is not as much fun as having lines of credit equal to your annual salary. You will feel more successful opening your wallet and thinking "which card should I put this on". Soon some of you will be opening you mail thinking it is your lucky day because another bank will open up an account for you, and since you just maxed your first or second card, you will have it "just for emergencies". And as Rex mentioned, with each step the cycle gets worse. This is only true if you can't manage credit. Replace "credit" with "alcohol" here, and you could be giving this same speech to a drunk, but it doesn't apply to everyone who drinks. I've come close to maxing out my card thanks to several thousand dollars in work expenses, but I never carry a balance. My parents have been the same way for my entire life, so I was lucky enough to have a very frugal and responsible mother to pick up household finances from.

QUOTE (Tex @ May 13, 2011 -> 06:07 AM) http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/lesson9/ Other sources have credit card debt at over $10,000 for the average American. Mean vs. median. Yes, that's the average debt, but a good chunk of Americans have little or no debt while another chunk has very, very high debt. http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/200...am-weston-.html

Wolf hunting to re-start in the Rockies http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog...cies-protection Why this might be a bad idea

QUOTE (QuincyStandback @ May 5, 2011 -> 11:14 PM) A new show on HBO started a couple of weeks ago called Game of Thrones. It's only three episodes in, but definitely worth watching. It's based on a book series called A Song of Fire and Ice, the first book being Game of Thrones.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ May 12, 2011 -> 11:24 AM) As an attorney that works in this area (defending), the safety protocols are beyond the norm because of regulations. I just did a plant visit a month or so ago and saw it first hand. I was surprised that they didn't have signs all over the place reminding workers to breathe given the other safety measures in place. Seriously, it's ridiculous at times. Mind if I ask what plant you were at?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 12, 2011 -> 08:59 AM) No, but it certainly supports my contention that this business is run no differently from any other on Wall Street, despite the fact that it needs to be. Hmm, no it doesn't actually, because it is run significantly differently. Even the large utilities that own nuclear plants split them off in their own bastard division because of the exponential increase in rules and regulations over any other industry. edit I'd be fine with nationalizing the industry, but fwiw the most safety-conscious plant I've seen was privately run, not one of the TVA sites.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 12, 2011 -> 08:48 AM) Well, at least you think nuclear safety is a joke. No, just your arguments against it! A CEO's tasteless presentation has no impact or effect on how the plant is actually run and inspected. And although the NYT article you posted a couple of days ago raises legitimate concerns about the relationship between a regulatory body and the industry it is regulating, I also have a couple of years of first-hand experience from plants around the country. I can't imagine an industry that is more heavily regulated and more safety-conscious. It's almost to the point of causing a paralysis because there is so much paperwork, meetings, checks, walkdowns, re-checks, etc. to get anything done. For industrial workers, it'd be hard to find a safer workplace. One plant is freaking out and banning all adjustable wrenches because one loosened the other week, which caused the wrench to slip off the nut and the guy to injure his elbow. When I see stuff like this first-hand, I just have to shake my head at some of the criticisms of the industry.

that's an incredibly lame "attack" on the nuclear industry lol New York Post

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ May 12, 2011 -> 08:05 AM) You know, I disagree a bit here...even though I'm good with mine, I still fear them, because I know that the issuer will try to screw me the first chance they get. For people who aren't careful with their purchases, they need to be even more scared. Fear is, at least for me, part of the motivator to cover all my bases on those cards and watch them constantly. You can also maim or kill yourself if you improperly use tools, but I don't "fear" my saw or blowtorch. You respect the danger, you keep up your guard and you stay safe. That's different than what Ramsey preaches, which is to never use credit (of any kind) ever.

Not to mention that more and more places check your credit. Renting an apartment, car insurance rates, even employment in many cases now and anywhere you have to get security clearances. Ignoring the realities of credit in the modern world and treating them as some fearful taboo isn't the way to go, imo. Just like some studies show AA actually has higher recidivism than no treatment at all with various other treatments that don't stigmatize and demonize the drug to the point of idolization, the same is true of credit or any other vice, really.