Texsox

What is ComEd's pricing? With open competition here in Texas the range is .12 to .16 or so. All the lines are maintained by the same monopoly that always maintained them, but you can buy the power from anyone. Electricity is a major expense here, no one has natural gas, but a few people will have propane delivered.

Down here the biggest concern would be mold. Many insurers have removed mold from their policies. It's a huge issue in the south with many people basically having tens of thousands of dollars in remediation.

I was a member waaaaay back when they were offering (12) 8-track tapes for $.01 :-) Check to see if they ship the selection of the month if you don't send in the card. That's what nails most people.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 04:59 PM) By virtue of them being a monopoly, they act like an extreme liberal in taking the money I pay them to fund things that THEY think are worthwhile. If I wanted to fund the arts, I would fund the arts, not send my money to Com Ed to distribute to worthy causes for me. I donate enough to charity, just lower my damn electric bill. playing devil's advocate here, because you own your business as a sole proprietor, would it be fair then for your customers to say just lower my damn printing bill? After all it's the extra profit you make on their bill that allows you to make those donations. And, forgive me if I am wrong, but don't they answer to an elected public utilities board who sets the rates they charge? It would seem that if they donated a greater percentage than most other companies, that board would step in.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 04:29 PM) No. Fair enough. Another point. Shouldn't those companies that have a monopoly be among the greatest proponents of the community good and set the best example of corporate behavior? In other words shouldn't they be the examples for other companies to follow?

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 03:18 PM) I still value it. But ComEd is a monopoly, and therefore, I have no consumer influence over their spending. Therefore, I cannot endorse it without competition. If you learned that the Public Utilities Board, or whatever over site there is in Illinois, mandated that a portion of their profits be returned to the community in this way, would that change your mind?

QUOTE(bmags @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 03:59 PM) I see. i'd still prefer to see our artist of the year go to someone not as well known to get more notoriety. Maybe if kanye had first broken on the scene, but it looks like they were thrown on there for credibility. At some point an act becomes regional or national and shouldn't really be included. Joan's website

QUOTE(greasywheels121 @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 03:44 PM) by texsox Chicago Feb 7, 2006 Maybe that was me

Looks like our old buddy Juggernaut made the urban dictionary, of course it might be someone else . . . http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?...id=0&page=3

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 02:52 PM) So they are saying its OK to remodel a house that was emerged completely in water for a long period of time? I guess that means they don't need nearly as much aid as they though they did then do they? Its much cheaper to remodel than to rebuild. That does seem like good news. I imagine there is a cross over point where they have to rebuild, but this would seem to preserve the neighborhood to a greater degree than rebuilding. But the chicken and egg conundrum seems to be happening with businesses like child care. Not enough business because not enough people, not enough people because no businesses.

QUOTE(bmags @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 02:21 PM) kanye didn't even have an 06 album, why not give it to chin up chin up? Most of the voting seems to be live shows and other works, not just album or song of the year stuff.

There was a time when giving back to the community was valued, held in high esteem. Where personal involvement with charities was considered a noble thing. Sadly, I guess that has gone away. Do you know how many civic and cultural opportunities would fold if not for these donations? From sports leagues to fine art exhibits. Texas is deregulated, we can choose from a wide range of companies. I happed to choose mine based on several factors other than price. Their environmental impact is something I watch closely, their community involvement. That is why I am a member of an Electrical Co-op.

I will watch it. It will include reasons why a timetable will not work. It will include some poison pill where in if the Dems start to muddle too much, they will have ca ca on their faces if it fails, while assuring he looks good regardless. (A Dem would do the same thing) It will include why Iraq is closer to controlling their own destiny. He'll mention Nuke by name and say with him there, it's about over. It will include a dozen examples of how were helping ordinary Iraqis who love us. He'll applaud how Iraq gave SH a fair trial before hanging him. It won't have any images of him landing on an aircraft hanger with Mission Accomplished in the background. That was so years ago.

QUOTE(SpringfieldFan @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 12:11 PM) You can call this the stupid post of the week, but I was just wondering...Instead of deals like 5/75 or 6/96, would Buehrle take...say...1yr/20 mil? Would the Sox offer it if he would? Perhaps it is ridiculous thinking, but what kind of one year contract would he accept? 1/20? 1/22? 1/25? *and now the trolley heads back for Mr. Rogers' living room* SFF While anything is possible, the smart money guess is Mark is looking at the total dollars on this contract. It will probably be half or more of what he'll make as a MLB pitcher. Some of the intangibles will be no trade clauses, the amount of differed money, etc. He's going to have to compare a 6/96 versus a 4/80 type of thing.

I was just reading a letter from a friend who had this happen when he was visiting his girlfriend's parents. He quietly told his girlfriend was was happening and she hollers across the house, "hey dad, the toilet is overflowing again, when will you fix that damn thing?". He about died from embarrassment as her dad defended the toilet. As I was reading I almost choked.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 10:53 AM) Just to play devil's advocate for a moment...so why would people want to move into an area where there is no access to business? If you have to drive a half an hour to buy milk because every grocery store in the area has been looted, vacated, and collapsed, couldn't you have all of the gas, power, and phone service you want and still have people with no desire to move into an area? And why do people move into an area when the businesses are all gone if those businesses are a main source of employment? People have homesteaded far from conveniences before. Some do it for the solitude, some are attracted by lower costs. I grew up in Lake County, way before the housing boom. We were a ways from the nearest grocery store, etc. but very close to a lake. When people asked why I lived in Wildwood and drove to Schaumburg to work (an hour many days) I replied I drove an hour to live. I like the spaces. In this particular case, it would be lower housing costs. The higher costs would be closer to services, the cheapest the furthest away. Once the conveniences came, those homes would appreciate in value at a greater pace than the ones build closer in.

Linked More at link

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 08:24 AM) With today's market, 5/75 isn't even a starting point for a guy like Buehrle unless he has a terrible 07. We are talking about AT LEAST 6/96 if not more years and dollars. And trust me, someone will pay it. And IMNSHO, a good gamble at 6/100. I'd bet the rational is they would hold him to just under 200 innings a year. I look at the Braves dynasty and their starting rotation and damn it, Buerhle and Garland are a great start towards that. Those guys stayed together for more than the 4 year horizon the Sox work with. But how many bullets did we dodge by not offering up $$$$$ when $$$ worked as well?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 09:38 AM) That is assuming they got real value on their insurance claims. If I had to guess the business claims were no different than the personal claimes, which means they most likely got screwed for the most part. A business will fail without customers. Using a McDs as an example, if the rooftops are gone, they could rebuild the greatest McDs ever, and it will close without customers ringing the cash register. Infrastructure in a sane, systematic, efficient manner > residents > businesses I don't see how you can take this out of order.

It's a loooooong offseason.

Voting has begun for the 2007 Chicago Music Awards. Deadline is January 10th. Pop Entertainer of the Year includes an amazingly talented friend of mine, Joan Hammel along with Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, R. Kelly, and Ladi Lyke. The awards encompass a wide range of music, venues, and productions. As you can imagine, against some "names" Joan probably doesn't stand a chance, but to be nominated a couple years in a row is something to be proud of. We went to college together and she was my Feature Editor when I was Managing Editor of my college paper. I have had the pleasure of listening to her for the past couple of decades and hearing her voice mature and depth grow is really neat.

Just for PA, cool National Park in China

QUOTE(knightni @ Jan 8, 2007 -> 01:56 AM) Happy 2nd birthday CAAT! I can't believe we accumulated two years of stuff in here. I started a new for 2007 CAAT to help those whose computers take forever to load this monster. Great stuff to look through from the beginning.

The original Catch-All Anything Thread has become too big for some users to open. Get your last look before it moves to the archives.

QUOTE(NUKE @ Jan 7, 2007 -> 11:09 PM) Small minded huh? Read the Koran and see what it says about the treatment of women and what should be done with those who do not follow the prophet Mohammed. If you're going to make stupid comments like that I suggest you have your ducks in a row first. I have yet to see a religious text that couldn't be "translated" to fit the author's agenda. Nuke, you seem to be the Koran expert here, which language do you read the Koran in? There are dozens and dozens of translations of the Bible, are there as many with the Koran? Forgive my ignorance, I have never tried reading the Koran.