Jenksismyhero

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 4, 2011 -> 09:10 AM) <!--quoteo(post=2503512:date=Oct 31, 2011 -> 09:52 AM:name=Balta1701)-->QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 09:52 AM) <!--quotec-->Conan O'Brien may officiate a same-sex wedding on his show later this week. Kinda sad he's forced to do "stunts" like this. Not that his show didn't have these sorts of bits before, but this seems more like a "beg for headlines" move.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 2, 2011 -> 03:09 PM) They dont recruit that position all that well until recently. (And I hope besides him excluded Santonio). ILL has Benn and Brandon Lloyd in the NFL. They really put alot of defensive guys in the NFL and some lineman but thats about it. Total count is 47 active players, tops in the Big Ten. However you'll see a school like Iowa that doesnt recruit all that well comes up pretty close with a bunch of NFL'ers. http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/2011/0...ve-rosters.html http://espn.go.com/nfl/college/_/letter/o Looking back on that ESPN list I dont know who you would call WR U from the conference. Maybe MSU? Kinda surprised Illinois has around 20. Pretty good for the 2nd or 3rd worst team in the league the last decade.

Ha, really cool basketball tradition at a small school: This would be cool at a big arena.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 2, 2011 -> 09:50 AM) I think the real answer is "We don't know." There's good reason to believe that even in Europe, the governments don't know who all has exposure to Greek debt. The U.S. almost certainly has very little direct exposure to Greek debt, but if it was just an issue of Greece then the Germans could pay them off and be done with it...the U.S's exposure to italian banks, spanish banks, etc., is probably larger...but the French and German exposure to those banks is again much larger since they made them all the bad loans. So the question we're really getting to is...what is the U.S.'s exposure to the French and German banking industries? In that one...the U.S. probably has significant exposure somewhere in there. The MF collapse, for example, was in no small part based on Corzine's company betting that Europe would get its act together and bail out some of these Italian and Spanish banks. How things would cascade through...there's a good chance that any of these popping would be like Lehman popping for us, except this one wouldn't directly happne here. I guess i'm just wondering if the EU fails, then Europe's major markets are screwed for years to come. And while we might also get screwed and dip back into a recession, ultimately it would be short lived since we'd have the world's strongest and safest economy to invest and do business in, getting us to a position of dominance we were at in the 50's.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 2, 2011 -> 08:13 AM) Terra Nova RIP. It is being deleted from the DVR. So freaking cliche. Yep. Totally lame. I was really excited for that show too. It could have been the next Battlestar Galactica. Instead it was some awful version of Star Trek Deep Space Nine. So many easy fixes could have saved it - have a mini-series style start to establish the entire world of Terra Nova. Instead they wasted about half to three quarters of the 2 hour premiere on bulls*** family drama that wasn't necessary; Generate an interesting and believable major plot-line. Instead they have this stupid "sixer" mystery mixed with the son's illogical and unreasonable attempts to get his GF there. Show much more of the main families older daughter. She's hot. (probably not a real complaint, but still) Ugh. So much potential. Just ruined by poor writing. I'm shocked that executives couldn't see this coming after the third episode.

Question - What's the US exposure for this? I'm sure we have our hands tied with the EU, so a drop of a country or two would hurt investors and banks here....but how much? Wouldn't the dollar have a really solid period of growth so that long-term it would be a benefit for the US? Or is that totally wrong?

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 2, 2011 -> 08:21 AM) Here's the problem with your metaphor though...You're shrinking the size of your shovel at the same time as someone else helps you fill in the hole. Greece cannot pay off the debt it has relative to GDP while everything is denominated in Euros. If you shrink the debt, it might be able to pay off a portion of that debt...but only if the economy doesn't shrink as well. Continued contraction of the Greek economy will feed back into Greece being once again unable to pay off the new debt amount. And every single thing you said about what might happen if Greece doesn't take the deal is already happening. They have no capital. They are paying 200% interest rates on 1 year loans. They have no stability, they have no outside investment, and they have no prospect for any of that changing at any point in the future even after accepting that deal. That's why I keep asking what the endgame is. Every response has been, including yours..."Look how bad things might get if they do default!" But that still doesn't give a path out. Add to that the type of culture that Greece has - i'll work 3-4 days a week and not buy anything or pay any taxes - and it compounds the problem even more.

QUOTE (Brian @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 09:31 PM) Illinois ended up outscoring Wayne St like 30-6 Just came out tight and probably nervous for their first game. They ended up shooting about 50% after shooting only 29% in the first half. Nice to see Leonard near 20, with about 5-6 dunks.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 02:18 PM) Wayne State @ Illinois tonight. Unfortunately it's only being streamed on some subscriber plan. No thanks. I'll watch the youtube highlights. Excited that basketball is finally starting though.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 03:22 PM) Now my bill is probably going to go up $10 more a month. that's the "benefit" of directv though, you lock in your rate until your contract is up

On a somewhat similar note, anyone catch the 60 Minutes piece on the Madoffs? Pretty interesting. The son came off really well I thought. It's hard for me to believe he didn't know what was going on, but at the same time it sounded as though Bernie had a private side to his life that even his family didn't get to see. At some point the numbers just become numbers, so maybe they didn't really know. And it was clear that he was pissed and truly despises his father over it. The fact that his two sons turned him in I think speaks to a little of that. His wife I thought came off as less sympathetic, mainly because she stuck by his side for so long. I mean, I guess at some point Bernie is also sympathetic, as everyone at certain points in their life commits a wrong and the wrong continues to compile and it's difficult to make it right again. But this was just pure greed. Dude had all the money he'd ever need and he just wanted more and more. He could have stopped but chose not too. His wife claims she'll never see/talk to him again, but she isn't getting a divorce. Her whole life was ruined, so I guess I can sympathize a little, but it's odd she backed him for so long.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 01:34 PM) I hated that thing in the test drive. The CRV was way better, which was what the wife ended up getting. Really? What about it? We got the V6 4x4. Plenty of power, 6 speed so it's smooth. I dunno, I love it. The only other one we considered was the Kia Sorento, but Ford was offering up 5 year, 0% financing.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Nov 1, 2011 -> 10:10 AM) Like Y2HH said, get the car you need. If you are looking small and fuel efficient, remember, you have a kid now. You need the space in the back seat, as those car seats take up amazing amounts of it for such a small child. Some small cars have excellent rear leg room for that - the Prius for example, is surprisingly roomy inside. Others not. So whatever you buy, take the baby seat with you and stick it in the back, to make sure it works, with the front seats in the spots you will have them. We drive a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid - it is an SUV, but a smallish one, and gets around 30 mpg. We like it, but are trading it in, because oddly enough, the rear leg room is really not enough for kid seats if there are two (if one, you can put it in the middle, and it isn't so bad). Some of the cars we are looking at that have MORE leg room in the back than our SUV include the Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion (Hybrid, but the regular one should be the same or even bigger), Honda Civic (Hybrid, but again, same as regular), and Toyota Camry (hybrid or not). As for fuel efficient, how much that matters depends on your driving. If you put 100 miles a month on it, honestly, a few points of MPG don't matter much. If you put a thousand a month on it, it starts to matter a lot. Hybrids are a nice choice, but keep in mind that for many models, the tax rebates no longer apply. Price difference for hybrid vs non-hybrid varies, so your payback period varies. Could be a year, could be five years. Just look at the cost and the fuel savings, do some math, see what makes sense. We have the 2010 Escape, non-hybrid (mr. fancy pants). I love it. Big enough for me (a "husky" guy) and not too big for my wife. We do lots of camping/road trips and while it gets just ok mileage (20-22), the space for the two of us + dog is perfect. The thing about the car seats in the back is interesting. I never thought about that before. We might run into the same problem in a few years.

Wow, so Homeland from Sunday was pretty amazing. Easily the best new show of the season, and becoming one of the best shows on television period.

Can't deny though that he's given Denver a ton of money and attention. Maybe that was part of it. They knew they'd be bad for a while, so why not stay in the headlines. See also the Ozzie Guillen Guide to Public Relations During a s***ty Season.

QUOTE (kjshoe04 @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 03:58 PM) What makes him an underdog? That he's bad at football? He was ranked like a top 3 QB coming out of High School and was a 1st round pick in the NFL. You may well be right that he just simply sucks and he'll never be good, but all this started back in his junior year of college.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 01:44 PM) I think it's the opposite. The people that really like him, only do so because he's religious. There really is no other reason to be chanting his name like that. He has a cult. I don't hate him. I'm just sick of hearing about a below average football player. He's had three times as many articles written on him than Aaron Rodgers. A qb who may break a ton of records this year. No one likes an underdog story? I think that's the vast majority of the "positive" interest. I see your guys' point about the coverage. It has been insane. But unlike say, Favre, it's not like he's creating the coverage just to get the cameras on him.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 01:43 PM) It's not because of Tebow himself but the fellation he receives from some of the media; "he changes your life" or articles about how he's the first nice guy to play football ever and signs autographs for middle-aged fans! (who will sell them on eBay) and how he's just so amazing! It makes me want to throw up. Kurt Warner is super-religious but people didn't hate him for it because the media didn't portray him as a saint because of it. I guess I just see a lot of "hate" aimed at him personally, as if he's murdering children every time he's on the practice field. I don't think the guy is very good, i'm not overly religious myself, but the fawning over him goes both ways - there's ridiculous (and probably unwarranted) praise and there's over the top criticism. Dude's started 5 games. He's a rookie. He has no weapons worth a damn around him. He's on second set of coaches. Kyle Orton, whose proven to be at least a serviceable QB in this league, was also terrible with this team. Kurt Warner is a different story. He became a superstar before anyone knew who he was or what his private life was like. That stuff came out, and his wife especially caused a lot of reaction later in his career.

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 01:33 PM) Yes we all hate him because he likes Jesus. Come on. Why else "hate" someone you've never met? He's religious, he shows it and he doesn't apologize for it. Might not be the total explanation, but it's a big part. The abortion ad certainly didn't help.

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 01:15 PM) How anyone can say Koenning has been useless is mindboggling. Koenning has been awesome this year. Illinois is 9th in the country in total defense and out of the eight scoring drives the defense has allowed in the last 3 games, 4 of those drives have been 25 yards or less. If the special teams and offense wouldn't have completely f***ed up the last 3 games this team would be 8-1 or 9-0. Useless is too strong, but the offenses that Illinois have played aren't exactly world beaters. I'm just pissed about the last drive in the Penn State game. I dunno how you let them score a TD in that situation.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 12:41 PM) He got s*** because of his performance, which was understandable. Tebow wont get that for awhile, which is bulls***. However the worst is Cutler who gets s*** for his facial expressions. I think we were at that point before he started. There have been plenty of "omg are you serious? are they really starting him" players in the NFL, and none have gotten the criticism Tebow gets/got. It all comes down to him being a "controversial" (he's religious! stone him!) figure. I think Tebow is going to be a guy like Orton. He's gonna manage the game and in the right situation he'll makes some plays and help guide a team to some wins. He'll play for 6-8 years, make his millions and then move on with his life.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 11:23 AM) Anyone else going to check out the new AMC show Hell on Wheels or whatever it's called? I'm gonna give it a go. Looks interesting and I like the idea. Depends on how they execute it though.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 10:21 AM) There is your mistake right there. It's a Zook coached team, always keep your hopes on guard. Even the Rose Bowl year they had that awful loss to Iowa right after beating two ranked foes. I really hope he gets demoted to Recruiting Coordinator. I'd be fine keeping him at his current salary in that position too. Lord knows he can recruit (even if he doesn't get the flashy top 15 recruiting classes, it's pretty clear he has an eye for talent that others simply don't see. He's pumping out a couple of NFL caliber players a year from a pretty s***ty program). Let someone else take over the game management decisions. The problem is I'm not sure who you hire. You'd have to scrap the entire coaching stuff (unless you promote Koenig or Petrino, but really both of them have been pretty useless once Big Ten play started) and start all over again. Hopefully they can finish 2-1 and end up with an 8-4 record and go to a decent bowl.

QUOTE (Brian @ Oct 31, 2011 -> 04:41 AM) Good Luck to the people who enjoy The Walking Dead. Hope it keeps entertaining you. I think I am out. I gave it the first season and the first 3 episodes and it just hasn't pulled me in outside of that Herd scene in the premiere. Acting is awful and most of the characters are uninteresting. Time for me to see other people. I'm gonna give it another episode or two, but I'm about over it as well. The first episode was ok, the second was awful, and last night was better but still pretty meh. It's too damned slow. I don't expect them to be chased by zombies and have incredible escapes EVERY episode, but geez, enough with Rick and his wife sobbing and crying. I had enough of that last week, why did they have to do it AGAIN? Every time they started talking I checked out and surfed the net on my phone. SO BORING. At least this episode they tried to cover some of the other characters, but so far these three episodes could have been combined into one. I agreed with Sepinwall too - the show needs to figure out the zombie rules. One scene they're running full speed, the next they can barely walk at a normal pace. Be consistent!

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Oct 28, 2011 -> 12:40 PM) Video of Scott Olsen, moments before and after the attack, including police using a flashbang to clear out protesters coming to his aid anyone know why these guys were on the other side of the barricades from the rest of the "movement?"