Texsox

It is all about resources. As soon as we help one area, another needs help. You are correct that Africa has not been thrust onto center stage. Perhaps if cars were fueled by diamonds we would care. Sadly, I was about to write that I didn't think it was a racial factor, but I do agree. If it was a whiter shade of pale, we would care more.

I have a problem with taking action against a country for the crimes of their citizens. If for example Veigh had bombed a building in China instead of Oklahoma, I would be pissed if the Chinese decided they were justified in bombing the US. I think we need to prove it is official government action before attacking a sovereign nation,

s***, in a panic I almost changed the Topic Title to Beetle

How long does Grilli have to be on the 25 man roster before we don't have to release him to the Marlins? If, for example, he makes the 25-man roster, then gets demoted before his first stop, does that count? I assume at some point he is our property and the Marlins lose all rights? Do we have anyone in another training camp that could be returning? I have never paid much attention to the rule 5 guys.

2k4, why not merge all the JN threads?

The list is just foreign aid, not internal charities. And actually I would think the gap would widen. With the countries being so close together in Europe giving to a neighbor wuld seem more likely. I've also seen lists, but can not find it, that considering all charitable gifts, we are behind most other countries. We do rank better at donating time. Sociologists point to our "keeping up with the Joneses" and "throw away" mentality for spending more on ourselves than we do others.

Most of the world agrees they do. One of the amazing things to me is more countries have not successfully bought or built nukes. I would think with money all things are possible. Oil, more than religion, drives the world's interest in this region. Put these countries in an area without a major resource, and this conflict would be a footnote in world history. It is a testiment to humanity and humankind's inherit goodness, that neither side has annihilated the other. The world has been referee here. I have read predictions that the next World War will begin in the Middle East. The ideology goes deep. The rest of the world needs the oil, and there is money galore to buy weapons from willing manufacturers. The only hope for our planet is both sides learn to live in peace. With all the hatred and mistrust it may take a miracle.

Dude, John died twice? Whoa deep.

I'm thinking as a group. I am assuming they would have continued to innovate, move ahead, and not play Yesterday over and over again. The Stones did a Disco album. I'm thinking early on before Disco became a parody of itself, they may have tried one. After all Rock was dance music in the beginning. Still the best argument would be made for none, based on the evidence of their solo careers.

Anyone else care to predict years out? Hell, its a fun exercise but meaningless. Try naming 5 starters for the Sox in 2007. Crede? Maggs? Lee? none traded?

I always saw Ringo as the disco type. Because what do you call a guy who hangs out with musicians? A drummer.

Interesting, I'm surprised they didn't make Colon wear a bra. His chest was distracting

:puke

While I wish they all lived happy, long lives, I am glad we were spared bloated reunion tours. I believe a huge part of the Beatles success was the backdrop of world events. I'm not certain they could have sustained that power through theboring 70s and 80s. Oh, I have a poll to post.

crybaby pussy There's no crying in baseball. I always like Josh. I wsh he had about 2% more talent. He always sees to be getting 100% out of the talent he has. The difference between a major league player and bouncing around the minors is razor thin.

Sandy, Roberto, can't he platoon? I always felt a solid team was built up the middle. Platooning the dp combo just doesn't seem to make sense. But without a clear cut 2nd baseman, it may be all we can do early in the season. This is going to be a key question for Oz to figure out. Juggling lineups hurt us early in the season last year.

Actually, I thought it had calmed down to a decent conversation.

I do not share your optimism if all Arab countries jumped in. War is money and money is war. Without a strong economy, it is impossible to fight a war and win. I see all the resources that oil money brings and it seems like a one sided fight. But, the world will not abandon their interests and in many ways the Arabs and Israelis are puppets. Oops, I need to add. If it is true that Israel has nuclear weapons, they could take out their neighbors and leave nothing behind.

Of all the solo stuff George's stuff always seemed the most heart felt. His solo works will always be jumbled with his Beatles work. Remember all the Paul lyrics sung at John's eulogies? Their group work has elevated all their solo careers. I will always wonder what music they would have made if they stayed together. It is probably best they did not.

It seems that we are going to have Uribe, Valentin, and Harris seemingly switching on a game to game basis based primarily on the lack a offensive punch against lefties. Is it important to have a regular dp combination? Is the offense more important than the defense? Anyone else wish we had R. Alomar back? 22 Days and counting

I agree that Arafat is a hinderance to the peace process. It seems to me that if all the Palestinian people want is a suitable place to call home and freedom to live, work, and raise families, anywhere, that could be made to happen. I can not see Israel objecting to anyone who wishes to live and be a positive contributor to Israeli society. It all comes down to trust. Neither side has a lot of reasons to trust the other.

Israel, In addition to my questions a couple posts back; What do you think would happen if all countries quit fighting a proxy war here and pulled out? If the EU, Russia, UN, US, etc. decided they didn't have a dog in this fight and went away? I believe a lot of the violence is perpetuated by people from outside the fight. Like you have pointed out, the EU has helped Palestine and the US has backed Israel. What if everybody left. What would the region look like? I believe you mentioned it would be suicide for Israel to lose the US as an ally. Did that mean that Israel would be over-run if the US wasn't there for Israel?

IMHO the #1 reason we give financial aid to foreign countries is to buy our friends. We can control countries when we are giving them millions and millions of dollars. We also are helping ourselves. Look at your local supermarket in January. See all the fresh fruits and vegetables? Those are grown far away. When we build better sewage and water treatment facilites we are helping those people who grow our foods to keep better sanitation. I do not want people squatting to take a crap next to my strawberries. We also help other countries because as Americans we are basically good at heart. I could go on. And by the way, we are not even close to being the most generous country Map & Graph: Economy: Top 100 Economic aid - donor (per capita) Scroll down for more information Show map full screen Country Description Amount 1. Luxembourg $356.69 per person 2. Norway $309.38 per person 3. Denmark $303.6 per person 4. Netherlands $217.83 per person 5. Sweden $191.51 per person 6. Switzerland $150.64 per person 7. France $105.41 per person 8. United Kingdom $75.28 per person 9. Belgium $74.36 per person 10. Finland $73.12 per person 11. Ireland $72.88 per person 12. Japan $71.67 per person 13. Germany $67.27 per person 14. Austria $50.18 per person 15. Australia $45.74 per person 16. Canada $40.75 per person 17. Spain $33.19 per person 18. Portugal $26.87 per person 19. New Zealand $25.51 per person 20. United States $24.59 per person 21. Italy $17.33 per person The above is from the 2002 CIA World Factbook.

s***, if we are going to finish second, Lets Have Fun I wish we had this staff with last year's team. I like the move. Baines will be a Manager someday. I like the way he played and presented himself. I always thought of him as a winner. Let's give a bunch of guys a first chance and see what developes. 22 More Days