StrangeSox

Op-ed on the efficacy (or lack thereof) of "Pay for Performance" hospital models http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/opinion/...ctors.html?_r=0 (can we make this a healthcare catch-all thread?)

Former House Republican Financial Services Chair Mike Oxley says that the failure of the 2005 GSE reform bill to emerge from the Senate committee was not--as Republican hacks and shills maintain--the fault of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Chris Dodd, but of George W. Bush and Alan Greenspan: via DeLong

Former Gov. George Ryan was released from prison today.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 12:41 PM) Decided I'd share Y2HH's workout today (yes, I referred to myself in the third person), which was performed a little while ago. This was today's Chest (major target) and Ab (minor target) workout. I swap from barbell to dumbbells to machines week to week, this was a more dumbbell centric workout, as you'll be able to tell. In every set, I use smooth slow control both on the positive and negative and the final rep is concentrated on the negative over about 5 seconds (about twice as slow as normal). Warmup: Bench Press Machine (uses pullys/cables): 50lbs @12 reps Push Ups: 12 reps Workout: Incline dumbbell bench press: 50 lb db's @ 10 reps 55 lb db's @ 8 reps 60 lb db's @ 6 reps Dumbbell bench press: 70 lb db's @ max reps (9 completed) 75 lb db's @ max reps (5 completed) Fly machine (uses pullys/cables): 10 reps @ 12 8 reps @ 14 I wish I could tell you what the 12 or 14 represented...I can't, but it's not super light, nor is it super heavy. Incline dumbbell fly: 30 lb db's @ 10 reps 35 lb db's @ 8 reps Ab crunch machine (no weight added): Set 1 @ 40 reps Set 2 @ 30 reps Set 3 @ 20 reps Set 4 @ 10 reps Finish: Hammer Strength iso-lateral bench press: 2 45lb plates on each side to failure (4 completed) ----- There you have it...Friday's Chest and somehwhat Ab routine. did a modified (bowflex) version of this this morning, good workout. Mind sharing some of your other routines? I know I've done one other of yours in the past, and my biggest hurdle is coming up with a routine that I can stick to.

a great step, I forgot to ask my gay Eagle Scout brother if he had heard.

QUOTE (Tex @ Jan 28, 2013 -> 12:46 PM) Yes. Which makes summers really nice. My wife bugs me to become a teacher so we can do this same sort of thing

Skiing in Lake Tahoe over Presidents' Day weekend, white water rafting in SW Pennsylvania in July and a week in Glacier in August. Is your SO a teacher, too, tex?

Your only analytic mode seems to be "tu quoque"

The NLRB is currently understaffed to the point that it can't hold a quorum and is not able to function. Which is why Obama made the recess appointments, because Republicans refuse to allow a confirmation vote on anybody for exactly that reason. Note that, if a confirmation vote, or a vote to "advise and consent" were actually held, many or all of these appointments would be confirmed. I don't know if Obama's recess appointments truly are legal, but the system's currently broken. The filibuster is s*** and should be eliminated forever. Elected majorities should be able to govern effectively and institute their policies and appointments with simple majority votes, whether it's Democrats, Republicans or anyone else. I'll be just as in favor of abolishing this non-constitutional subversion of democracy when the Republicans eventually retake the Senate. Even if Obama's appointments weren't legal because of the BS pro-forma fake Senate sessions, the recent ruling is still hack-tacular and essentially removes the Recess Powers from the Constitution. Since the ruling is in conflict with other district courts, this is sure to go to the SC.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jan 26, 2013 -> 10:45 PM) Then follow the rules to make appointments. I don't think you know why he made those recess appointments! The "rules" allow the minority senate party to essentially nullify executive positions through extra-constitutional parliamentary procedures. E.g. the republicans flatly refuse to allow a confirmation vote on anyone for cpfb.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 26, 2013 -> 12:08 PM) OMG! A science fiction movie stretched the truth about things like time travel and physics! Panic! It was more that the plot didn't exactly make a lot of sense, not that there were unique or interesting time travel/physics/science fiction stuff. Sci-fi and fantasy genres aren't an excuse for suspending logical consistency--if you want to establish new physics/rules/whatever, make them interesting and follow them, don't make them arbitrary-and-chosen-to-be-plot-convenient and inconsistent/nonsense. A couple of my friends are a lot more into Star Trek and thought it was a decent sci-fi action movie but not a good Star Trek movie. I dunno, I'm not a huge fan of Abrams and didn't think the movie was anything special. better than EI-III? Sure, but that's not a high hurdle.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 04:07 PM) The Abrams Star Trek film is exponentially better than any of the last 3 Lucas directed films. *shrugs* Maybe so, but the choice isn't Lucas or Abrams edit but at least it's not Michael Bay

Now combine this with the recent DC court ruling on recess appointments (essentially eliminating them through some hack originalism), and you've enabled a minority party in one house of one branch to shut down much of the executive branch. NLRB can't function without a quorum, CFPB can't work without a director, there's tons of other executive and judicial vacancies.

There's some Republicans pushing back against the blatant vote-rigging schemes: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/01...eme.php?ref=fpb

yeah but why would you want to go around saying n***** or f***** anyway?

QUOTE (Reddy @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 10:08 PM) I don't really want Duke banned, I want a level playing field. I want to call posters n***ers and get away with it. Equal treatment. That's all I actually want. What?

bulls***, we all know you do aquatic zoomba

this is me irl with each and every post, including (especially) this one:

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Jan 25, 2013 -> 05:44 PM) I've gotten used to the fact that every time a white person is arrested for a gun crime in this country it will be all over the news. People want to restrict guns exactly because of people like this idiot. The irony is hilarious, though of course I feel bad for his wife and daughter.

lol See, this is what happens when you expand government: nosy “social workers” follow up on perceived threats of violence, reducing the precious freedom of a man to wave a gun at his child to enhance her academic achievement. Indeed, it was the fear of Big government that prompted the purchase of the AK-47 in the first place: See? He checked the chamber. That’s some responsible gun ownership right there. Read more at http://wonkette.com/498494/hero-dad-stands...UAsIbtSRPxjw.99

straight white male telling people to just deal with derogatory terms and let people say them until they become innocuous edit: though I do agree with you wrt banning. I support your rights to say whatever awful things you want, and I support open discussion.

He wasn't calling you a n*****, he meant those other people! And not in a racist way, just look at comedian Dave Chapelle use the word! Would that fly here? I don't think f***** should be treated differently. I don't actually favor suspension-heavy forums rules and I'm happy to see Duke express his disgusting views for everyone to see. But there are some decorum rules here (and the mods do an excellent job (imo) of not abusing their authority, picking on people, etc.), and I'd imagine that crossed the line.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 24, 2013 -> 05:00 PM) How can anyone complain about Abrams directing this series after the absolute drivel Lucas produced in the last 3 films? Heck, Woody Allen would be an upgrade. Because Abrams is kinda s***?

you're saying some kinda dumb stuff even if we know you're not being 100% serious.

Michigan lawmaker explains why his electoral vote rigging wasn't popular earlier in 2012: At least they're being honest about explicitly trying to rig the system in their favor. By the way, the research shows that switching to this system nation-wide is an anti-democratic, biasing idea. http://themonkeycage.org/blog/2013/01/25/w...y-biasing-idea/