Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 01:17 PM) My current car is coming up on 200K miles so I'm going to be looking to get a new one after the winter is over. I'm kind of interested in going up to a slightly larger car, like a crossover or smaller SUV. Does anyone have experience and/or opinions on ones they've owned in that category? I enjoy my Escape (2010). It's a little over 5 years old with close to 90k miles and i've only had a few non-routine things that i've had to fix: Some gasket issue in the fuel tank/cap that was causing a seal error, the water pump and both sway bar links. I assume that's not terrible for a car i've had for that long with around 100k miles. One thing I am pissed about is some rust on both rear tire wells, right on top, totally noticeable. It's just starting to show through the paint in a few spots, about the size of a dime or nickel. Of course the 5 year rust warranty didn't cover it (there has to be an actual hole in the metal, not just surface rust). Other than those issues, it's a good starter car for a family. We can comfortably fit my son and boston terrier with all their crap. We've taken a bunch of road trips and it's been just fine. They changed the design in the last few years, so i'm not sure how those models compare. Obviously the tech in the last 5 years has gotten a lot better.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 12:39 PM) The White House condemned the killings of the 21 Coptic Christians. What else do you want them to say? It was pretty obvious why they killed those 21 people. It's not the first time they've killed Christians. They have attacked all kind of religions. Mostly Muslim. I can't help but feel like this is some sort of "Obama hates Christians because he is secretly a Muslim!" Doesn't Newt Gingrich have a history of accusing the President of being a Muslim? He's crazy. Again, white cops are purposefully killing black teens because they're black and they admit it. Obama calls those actions "random acts of violence." That's acceptable to you? Because it's not to me. Even if it's widely known, i'd still like the mouthpiece for our entire country/people to actually state the facts and not be concerned with offending anyone while doing so. This really has nothing to do with the nonsensical "is he a muslim terrorist/sympathizer" crap. It's a double standard when responding to racially charged issues here in the states versus abroad. He condemned the triple homicide in North Carolina and immediately stated that people shouldn't be targeted because of what they look like or who they pray to (doing so with the knowledge that a white dude killed 3 brown people, that's it). If what The Atlantic author is saying is true, that this intentional, I cannot understand the logic behind it. It doesn't make the situation worse by stating the fact that extremists target specific religious people.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:44 AM) If he is on the team, he will be the starter, or it makes no sense. IMO, these comments basically mean they are trying to trade him, and won't cut him. I agree, he will be unless they trade him. But at least they're talking the talk. They're not going to deal with his bulls*** like previous coaches, so if he sucks early he's going to be benched. At least that's my wishful thinking. The Marshall stuff literally boggles my mind. The guy has done nothing but produce. Why on earth would you let that guy go, even if he was annoying in the locker room? Players can deal with it if he plays well.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:51 AM) Get in your tahoe in front of your 3M mansion on your way to the Bahamas. Makes sense. I've been looking hard at the Denali and Escalade for 2015 but at this point I'm better off waiting for a lightly used one. And look at all that space for your one suitcase and 2 carry-ons! Check out the Durango Citadel. Mid to high 40's for what I think is a better looking car. Can't speak to the quality inside (will know this weekend), but for 20-25k less I'm sure it's more than acceptable. edit: actually truecar says you can get an AWD Citadel with the tech package and V6 for $40k. The V8 R/D is only $42k. So maybe less if you take that number to a dealer that wants to play.

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:40 AM) For the same reason we didn't parade Osama bin Laden's body around the streets of NYC. Because it would only create more antagonism and bring in numerous new terror recruits. btw, what specific Muslim terrorists are you arguing that Obama is trying to pacify by not calling them out for their actions? Basically, you want the George W. Bush or Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds) aggressive and "in your face" style of confrontation...instead of Mandy Patinkin's more cerebral/passive approach. Neither is absolutely, 100% right or wrong...you have to utilize both approaches to be effective. Always being the aggressor in foreign policy will lead to widespread loss of life. OTOH, if your enemies don't fear you and call your bluff because they don't believe you have the guts to do what it takes in order to stop them, that elicits confidence on the side of fear and terrorism. No matter what Obama has said publicly, the extreme increase in drone strikes shows that he really hasn't broken much at all with his predecessor in regards to the war on terrorism...many Democrats fault him for going back on a number of his foreign policy promises and have been greatly disappointed. I don't see how calling out these guys for their motives, when they admit their motives, is in anyway similar to parading our victory kill of OBL. Nor do I see how reporting the facts would help recruitment. It doesn't have to be "in your face," necessarily, why can't it just be truthful and accurate? I see zero benefit to being all passive about it, pretending like it doesn't exist. Let's flip the switch - you have cops in this country actively shooting black teens because they're black (and admitting such to the press/media). You think it would be acceptable for the President to describe those attacks as "random?" What good comes from that? What harm comes from NOT doing that?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:21 AM) The Denali is 70k+ Absurd. I love the photo they have on the Tahoe website. So realistic!

Pace with similar comments re: Cutler - still evaluating, no decision on whether he'll be the starter. edit: I'm glad the Bears have finally taken the key to the franchise away from Cutler. The last 4-5 years have been basically "whatever you want, Jay." Not anymore.

Part 2 was also pretty good. Talked about real life PD's in Florida and Vegas, one that is doing well, the other not so much.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:13 AM) honestly though who follows newt gingrich on twitter? I do. He's a decent follow and gives a lot of good historical tidbits from his experience in Washington. I don't agree with everything he says, but I agree with a lot of it.

QUOTE (Tex @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 11:09 AM) I'm not going to pretend to speak for the President. Here is a possibility. Two different speeches in different contexts. Random in the sense of it happening in Denmark. Denmark!? Isn't that random? I can't think of anything happening in Denmark before. Random in the sense that there were thousands of Christians in the country and these were the ones captured. Newt is deciding that the President meant random in the context of the motive of the killers. That could be true, maybe it isn't. We can't know without understanding the complete speech. In the first case listing things that he failed to mention could fill volumes. He failed to mention police shootings, WW2, the Vatican, the history of Christian missionaries being killed around the globe. Without knowing the full speech and the venue, and the occasion, putting significance in what wasn't said opens every speech to every negative judgement you want to make. Or we could go with he hates all Christians and is on the side of Muslim extremism. Of course those same people also believe he sat in a Christian church because he believed 100% with everything that pastor was saying. I don't think he's anti-christian and pro-muslim. I think he's just a gigantic p**** when it comes to this stuff, fearful of offending anyone outside the US (Muslims) but not really concerned about offending anyone here at home. Here's The Atlantic's entirely too-long take on this whole thing: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archiv...rrorism/385539/ In essence: not blaming Muslim extremists and citing to their obvious objectives in these sorts of attacks is done purposefully, so as not to offend the non-extremist Muslims out there. A moronic policy IMO, but at least that's an explanation. Still, why no qualms with immediately citing hate and race when speaking about the killer of the three Muslims here in America, before anyone knew what really happened? Why is he so measured in responding to actual, admitted, deplorable hate, when the other is still questionable and may not even exist? Same with the Trayvon Martin "he could have been my son" nonsense. Why so quick to jump to that one side without knowing the facts, but in situations where you KNOW the facts, you can't call MUSLIM TERRORISTS WHO ADMIT TO KILLING FOR SPECIFIC REASONS out directly?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 10:53 AM) The new Yukons/Tahoes are really nice inside. They finally fixed the dated interior and have cool features like noise canceling. You better get that for 50-60k

We checked out a GMC Acadia and really liked it. My parents have the Buick Enclave, which is the same car with different logos. I've never been impressed with any Chevy product really. Everything inside is cheap plastic unless they've changed in the last few years.

It's still a Chevy though right? Not sure I'd buy anything from Chevy but a truck.

QUOTE (Iwritecode @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 09:25 AM) Can anyone explain the rush for bread and milk when bad weather hits? If you’re going to be stuck inside for a couple of days with no power you would think there would be a rush on things like bottled water and canned goods like tuna, vegetables or soup; peanut butter and crackers; nuts, trail mixes or granola bars. Not two perishable items, one of which requires refrigeration and they don’t even go together. Milk sandwiches anyone? Kids. And if you're losing power because of bad cold weather, you can always throw that stuff outside to stay cold. But I agree. 90% of that stuff, especially in major metro areas, is overkill. You're stuck without power for a few days at most. Now, if you're out in the country by yourself for miles? Yeah, then it makes some sense to stock up. But anywhere close to a city? Nah.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Feb 18, 2015 -> 08:26 AM) Does anyone know how to watch seasons 1 and 2 of 'The Americans'? I tried finding it yesterday when I was home sick and it was unavailable On Demand, on Netflix or on Hulu Plus. Amazon prime.

QUOTE (Soxbadger @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 04:45 PM) I wear a hoodie, jeans and a graphic t-shirt a lot of days when I dont go to court. I hate expensive things so I get my ties at Nordstrom Rack (youd be surprised how many people ask where I get them), my suits are from random Macy's sales and my shoes are from DSW.

QUOTE (pettie4sox @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 03:52 PM) Thank god I'm a scientist. But seriously, I have extremely wide feet so I can't shop for dress shoes like most. I generally don't need to dress to impress in my field as you are in a lab coat, slacks, and a nice polo most of the days. I would like to invest a nice pair of shoes and a good suit, but my weight is fluctuating these days (mostly downward) so I'm afraid of making a huge investment like that. I feel ya. I'm down 15 lbs on a trek to get down about 40. When i'm done i'm going to need a whole new wardrobe. Not looking forward to that.

I wear suits 2-3 times a week and while it sounded awesome as a kid, I f***ing hate it now, especially in the summer. I own 7 suits - (in order of purchase) navy (#1 purchase no matter what for any interview), dark gray, dark gray pinstripe, light gray, light gray pinstripe, black and a white/black checkered patterned one that I rarely wear. Haven't yet jumped into the tan and browns yet. I also have three sport coats, two navy and one light tan to go with jeans. All purchased at Mens Wearhouse/Joseph A. Bank. My cheap suits there ("buy ONE get THREE free!") last every bit as long as the real expensive stuff, which is a waste of money IMO. I buy cheap ass dress shoes. 40-50 dollar kenneth coles on amazon. They last 1-2 years and then I buy again. I go through dress shoes too quickly to buy anything nice. I bought a nice pair a few years ago, like 200-250 and they were basically done after one year and the cost to repair them was like 100 bucks. f*** that jazz. I own a ton of white collared shirts, and more collared shirts with some shade/pattern of blue than I care to admit. I have a decent tie selection/collection, although the ties I bought 10-12 years ago (at age 20) are now out of date. I'm officially old. I despise clothing. I despise "fashion." Not that I don't enjoy looking nice or seeing my wife in a gorgeous outfit, but frankly for all the money and comfort and everything it's just not worth it. If it were socially acceptable I would wear the same thing every day.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 17, 2015 -> 02:43 PM) Speaking of the Pilot, the new version of that car (due in stores in summer I think) is premiering there right now. If you are looking at the Durango, you should really look at the Pilot too, along with the rebuilt Highlander. Yeah the Pilot's on the list too, although it's not rated very highly from Edmunds, US News, Car and Driver, etc.

Anyone else heading to the auto show or have already gone? The wife and I are going Saturday to check some stuff out. Two on the list are the Dodge Durango (3rd row family car. Love the re-design in 2014) and the Mazda 6 (commuter car but sporty, also a nice redesign in 2014).

So according to Newt Gingrich on my Twitter feed, Obama had some remarks about the recent terrorist attacks and failed to mention that the people beheaded by ISIS were beheaded because they were Christians (something they admitted), and he called the recent attack on Jews in Denmark "random," despite the attacker stating that he was deliberately targeting Jews. Can someone explain why he's fine jumping the gun about motive for attacks here in the states, but not elsewhere? I normally don't give a crap about these sorts of statements/non-statements, but in this case it all happened within the last week or so and the responses from him were not similar at all.

I blame you. You probably bought gas in the last week.

I'm at work. The law never rests! Well, unless you're the judges, court clerks, court personnel, etc.

Whelp, big game against MSU looming.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 15, 2015 -> 12:18 PM) Bill Maher and Sam Harris are two godless liberal atheists who nonetheless speak more strongly against Islam than other religions. I mean, have you been reading the news the last decade?