Texsox

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 24, 2015 -> 06:47 AM) Although I do like the slate-pitchiness that alpha hit. Here we are thinking of ways to make college more affordable by tax breaks and public funding. But, boom, there it is: Why don't we just make college cheaper by making it less effective? Here is an insiders thought on what we have done to education. We have jammed the High Schools full of "other stuff" that wasn't present 50 years ago. Health classes, computer classes, career readiness, standardized test remedial classes, etc. that to receive the same core subject education as the grandparents of today's students received, the students now have to attend two years of college. We talk about an Associates Degree being the new HS Diploma. I can honestly say I am working much harder for my money as a HS English teacher than I did as a corporate VP. The stress is different and arguably less. I will have ten students next semester who if they do not pass their state test in English will not graduate with their class. These are English only speakers who just do not have the skills and confidence to pass the test. I am very worried about them. I can tell you heart wrenching stories that a few of my students are going through, eating disorders, parents making decisions that negatively impact their kids, students without food at home, one kid right before Christmas slept a night on the bench at a jail because his mom was arrested and he was afraid to go home alone. Some teachers can block that out, I can't. The disconnect as I see it is between employment and education. For the past decade or two our economy has been growing in lower paying service jobs while our expectations of education are increasing. We are demanding our children learn more and more then accept less and less in employment. We complain about immigrants taking our lowest paying jobs while accepting immigrants who take the highest paying jobs. Why? Because of the nature of the businesses who employ them. Huge tech companies bring in programmers from all over the world or ship the jobs there. They have political power through huge donations and access to politicians. The small farmer who needs a 100 seasonal employees or the restaurant who needs a couple dishwashers doesn't have that pull. Plus, the immigrants taking the minimum wage jobs do not speak English. They are easy targets. We are saving those minimum wage jobs for our children so they can go to work for the immigrant doctors and skilled labor we allow to immigrate.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jan 23, 2015 -> 11:48 PM) Do you guys just read the words or sentences that really pop out at you or something? I pointed out that her political qualifications were being 'smart' enough to stay married to a cheating husband so she could ride his coattails with name recognition into a Senate job with zero previous legislative experience. She was a crappy lawyer who marrie right, then carpetbagged her way into a cushy Senate job just because of her name and husband, rode THAT to a Presidential race and cabinet job and now wants to be President. I guess she did hold office longer than Obama did. edit: And Newt was a pretty slimy guy. But once again, just because the 'other side did it too' doesn't make it right. Alpha as always has me typing away. Let's start with the bold. Here's a big rhetorical hug, hand shake, and high five. I really wish we could stop that. Now the stuff that I think you are repeating stuff the GOP press uses to attack her. What evidence do you have that she was a crappy lawyer? Name recognition has landed a lot of candidates into a lot of positions. In fact in major American politics today, everyone is expected to start there. Also, you really insult American voters. I understand for example that most of the strong hardcore GOP voters on this board are pretty damn smart. For me to say they elected someone based on name recognition is silly. I believe all of us here have similar hopes for America, we just differ in the path to get there. For example starving children, social safety net or let churches, drug testing, and hard work take care of it. Either way no one wants to starve children. Where to live after leaving the White House. Of course politics came into it. But remember Bill left office a young guy with business and humanitarian projects still on his plate. Settling in NY made sense. Try doing that from Arkansas or Wyoming. World figures tend to live in world cities. They left the White House with her favorable rating higher than his. I believe he was a determent to her campaign which was why, if you recall, he kept a really low profile. She also received accolades from Senators on both sides of the aisle for her hard work as a Senator representing her state. She then ran a Presidential campaign that had many, many, Americans voting for her. Again, that is an insult to a lot of the voters that they only saw the Clinton name and voted for her. I'm not a big Hillary fan, I was happy Obama received the nomination, but she is not as we say in Texas, all hat and no cattle.

Getting his autograph was one of the highlights of my childhood. Sunny day game at Wrigley, all the kids rushing down by the dugout railing. 83 Years young and never saw a Cubs World Series. I was looking at some of the pictures the media was using. Tears in my eyes. If he had stayed healthy and with the Sox I believe Harold Baines was the Sox player that had the best chance of being Mr. Sox in the same vein as Mr. Cub. It would be a magical season on the northside if they win something with #14 on their jerseys. My God how that would suck.

I'm with Jenks, punish the guilty to the fullest extent allowed, but not the innocent.

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 11:03 AM) Worries with what? Rigged games. Paid off officials. Paid off players.

For the times they are a changin' Dylan

The paid guys got to have their say, what say you? The economy is looking much better than it has in years. Our war situation is greatly improved. Seems like we're doing pretty good as a country right now.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 09:42 PM) All I will add is that Mexico and Latin America in general, has been particularly terrible at capitalizing on their numerous natural resources over the last several centuries. Not sure this would have changed the course of history as much as you suggest. Ultimately, we'll never know. Possibly not as much for Mexico, but definitely for the US. I'm interested why so many people dismiss the entire southwest US as being unimportant to our development. The wealth that we gained from that war was huge. It was the second largest landmass that we added after the LA Purchase. Our west coast would be a sliver up in Oregon. The western border would have been Kansas. That's a huge change for the US.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 06:51 PM) are you saying the texas annexation was b/c of gold, what about the mexican cession. Sorry I used the wrong word. I am talking about the cession in 1848. Gold was found a few months later. The Mexican-American war was started over Texas, but the impetus was really Manifest Destiny and Mexico turning down several offers to sell much of their country.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 08:38 AM) So we're the same as virtually all other modern nations. Except that our warring is relatively new and recent in comparison. Exactly. The greatest warring nations were despised in their day as well. We've reached beyond what anyone else has managed. It is hard for anyone to match the power of dropping an atomic bomb.

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 10:35 AM) That's a load of bull. They STILL have tons of oil yet manage to f*ck that up because of graft, corruption and incompetence. You don't think that all the land that became Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nevada, and California changed the course of both countries? It was the second largest land acquisition in US history. Shortly after the annexation gold was found on the former Mexico land. How much wealth changed hands because God meant for the US to extend from sea to shining sea.

Eisenhower delivered a great farewell speech at end of his term which I believe was the first time the military industrial complex was mentioned as having gotten too powerful. It has only gotten more powerful since then.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 22, 2015 -> 06:40 AM) ahh that is sooo true. the british hated us for that, b/c it was against the code of chivalry of war at that time. It is easy to understand why around the world other countries form a very negative opinion of the US. We are a warrior nation. War has been very good business for us. To fulfill manifest destiny we force a war with Mexico and took land that was later discovered to be covered in gold with lots of oil underneath. If Mexico had somehow held onto that land we might not have had such a poor neighbor to the south and west of our border.

Any worries about the corruption in Int'l soccer?

QUOTE (Alpha Dog @ Jan 21, 2015 -> 06:50 PM) And he promised 'free stuff' to 90% of the country, so the results are not surprising. Kind of like the "you won't have to pay taxes" promises that the GOP makes.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 21, 2015 -> 07:41 PM) I quit watching the State of the Union 10+ years ago when I realized it was basically an episode of Whose Line is it Anyway. Everything is made up, and the points don't matter. A friend of mine posted the exact same thing in Facebook . . . I gave it a "like" there.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Jan 21, 2015 -> 09:43 PM) POW's are a different story, obviously. I'm talking specifically about a sniper shooting an enemy. A sniper looking through his scope at an enemy combatant who doesn't have a gun in his hand at that very moment can still shoot him. I'm wondering how they determine it is a combatant from so far away. We won our independence by using snipers to target British officers, something that was against the usual rules of war. We've rarely been behind the curve in using new tactics and weapons.

Yesterday I was thinking this thread would be dead by morning. Now I am humming "Don't Stop Believing". How about once around A-Z just song lyrics?

Thanks everyone. From my early research travel in the pre Eisenhower Highway days was a challenge. Basically you would be connecting local and state maps to find a route. I am looking into the history of AAA. My grandparents were members and I remember the big trip planner maps they would use when I was young. Every adventure started with a trip to AAA. (with my family it should have ended at AA)

It parallels a sporting match. Cheer for your team, ignore or boo the other team. Ties instead of face painting is about the only difference.

Spring training is a better way, or Soxfest

I joined the forum, awaiting a mod's approval. Damn, I hope that site isn't as slow as Soxtalk.

QUOTE (LDF @ Jan 21, 2015 -> 06:51 AM) you and caulfield12 do have a point and i will not dispute it. i come from a family of vets, from my grandfather in WW2 to uncles and immediate family. there is no denying what he did to serve his county. yeah every once in a while we will have to put up with self indulgent people like him. but i will refuse to label all of them b/c if this person. no matter what, 4 tours and the most kills. save many lives. Which is exactly my point. I apply it to both good and bad examples. I also do not believe that every Vet should be given a heroes position because others earned it. It works both ways in my mind. It also lessens what the truly "heroic" have done if serving anytime anywhere and doing anything means you are a hero.

Oh really?

QUOTE (HickoryHuskers @ Jan 21, 2015 -> 09:50 AM) I belong to this message board http://www.aaroads.com/forum/ and if you join and post your question there somebody there will most definitely have it. EDIT: The interstate highway system didn't exist until 1956, so there were no interstates in 1950, though some freeways currently designated as interstates may have been built pre-1950. Thank you. While I knew the interstate act in '56 were a major beginning point, I hadn't considered that the word was coined in 1956. That may have been a major stumbling block. QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 21, 2015 -> 10:34 AM) Have you tried Ebay? I know I have found some amazing historical items like this from my hometown all of the way back to the 19th century. It is hit or miss, but that might be a place to look. I did. But my problem may again have been wrong search terms. I noticed that as I was searching it was all state maps that showed up. I doggedly kept looking for a national map. But that may not have been available until post 1956. Interesting.