Texsox

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Nov 24, 2013 -> 11:10 AM) Money paid on interest doesn't help your score. Payment history helps your score. Payments typically include interest. I should have been clearer. Bottom line you have to open accounts and use them at least a little to improve your score. That typically means having a balance and paying it off. I agree that there are great advantages with using a credit card instead of a debit card, checks, or cash. But for the vast majority of people credit cards become a way to buy things faster, they replace savings, and in the end hurt a person's finances more than help. It's a terrible crutch. And one way the credit industry sucks people in is with making credit scores something desirable and worth working for.

Part of the Mafia theory is Robert kennedy was aggressivly prosecuting mafia members and they wanted to get Robert out of the way. However, they knew if they killed him first, JFK would have been all over them, so they "cut the head of the snake off" first.

QUOTE (Reddy @ Nov 24, 2013 -> 02:33 PM) The reason the wage earning "middle class" (is there one?) votes conservative is Jesus. The end. But that's another discussion. And yes Balta is right, I think Duke meant lower class. The Catholic and Jewish votes went to Obama.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Nov 23, 2013 -> 01:03 PM) It's funny to me that having less credit cards can lower your score. Your credit score is basically how good of a customer you are for companies who want you to spend $$$$ on finance charges. The more money you pay in interest, the higher your score. The person who actually pays for things immediately instead of taking out a series of micro-loans receives a lower score. Put money in the bank and pay for those new clothes when you buy them, lower score. Take out a $150 loan to buy those jeans, higher score. Best of all, when you have a high enough score, when you take out that loan for dinner, the interest will be lower. You want a lower interest, just not 0% from paying upfront. Again, nice racket and the credit card industry has done a remarkable marketing job as will be witnessed by the following posts that will defend taking out loans via credit cards.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Nov 22, 2013 -> 01:18 PM) The longer this drags on the more it hurts the Yankees. yeah, they may have a lot of money to spend.

I am thinking that for a period of years they didn't know the extent or the benefits totally. Plus the technology got better. I believe at some point it finally came together and they realized guys were hitting 500' home runs because of the juice. At that point I would say they "actively" ignored it. By my count there were 10 - 12 years of hmm, is there something? Then 5 or 6 years of "don't look over there, it's selling tickets". Finally a few years of trying to get it cleaned up. A-Rod has become of target. He's the perfect guy to get tough with. Huge contract to void to help out the flag ship franchise. Most people dislike the Yankees (Yankee$, Yankmees,).

The use of guns ended slavery, put an end to the Nazis and a host of other good things.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 12:12 PM) Having a 20+ year history of actively ignoring drug use and PEDs in their sport. I agree in principle but think the "actively" was much shorter, perhaps 10 years or less.

I was a little surprised the learn the "JFK Death Car" continued in service, with rebuilds and remodeling, through Carter. I now sits in the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. I just assumed it was retired.

Shower shaver also.

Temple Drake may be the one I would pick.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 08:18 PM) Punish success, reward sloth. America, all better now! Seriously, its hard to take you seriously anymore. Now that I know youre just a parasitic drain its not fun, it just kind of makes me ill. Can you leave me alone or something? Like as a favor. I just dont like being reminded you exist. Edit- I'd like remind everyone that I put that very politely as to not offend. Its just a request. It's a shame that discussions here drop to this level. There was some intelligent conversation and ideas being presented on both sides. Look at the post you quoted, I don't see an insult. Instead another poster tried to offer independent evidence and facts to support his claims. You then lower the conversation by calling him a parasitic drain. I would suggest that if you can't take someone seriously anymore (your words) that you cease to respond instead of calling people names to make your case. Better would be a counter argument that someone would actually benefit from reading.

QUOTE (Big Hurtin @ Nov 22, 2013 -> 09:35 AM) Get ready to hear some national guys say "How do we know for sure he was clean?" Which is a valid question now that Frank is making a claim along those lines. There are many reasons to support Frank playing clean so a close scrutiny will only help his cause. About the only time I can remember any discussion about PED and Frank was after his tricep tear and some uninformed writers were speculating along the lines of who the hell tears a tricep? I never really got the first ballot thing, it isn't like a player goes out and adds to his career after not getting in on the first ballot. But I also see the "honor" thing that comes with it. It's kind of the elite of the elite. Frank was the most talented batter I ever saw. He silenced bars, home or away, when he entered the batter's box. I have nerv really had a desire to visit the HoF, and I've been in the neighborhood a few times. I will make a stop after Frank is inducted. If he is never elected, I will never go.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 01:14 PM) Don't buy any luxury items that Americans think are rights and it's pretty easy. We're talking about a living wage - what you need to provide you with life essentials. 15k is MORE than enough. $15,000 less 15% + $870 for taxes = $11,880 http://www.tax-brackets.org/federaltaxtable $11,880 / 12 = $990 (- stare income taxes) Rent? Food? Clothing? Transportation? Health Care? Could it be done? I don't think so for most of America.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 11:48 AM) What's a living wage? Please define it. I consider minimum wage a living wage. You can absolutely "live" on 15-20k a year. Easily. So the next question is, what kind of minimal lifestyle should people have. That's where we all clearly disagree. Really? Would you care to write a budget that allows someone to live self sufficiently on $15,000 in America?

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 11:46 AM) Im going to try my best here to not be insulting. We really dont need you. At all, even if I were using the term "you" broadly to address the many others living near identical lives. We need lawyers (sadly), geologists, truck drivers and sad office drones. We dont need dreamchasing actors. America would keep chugging along in their absence. Theres really no nobility to it either. But if I go further down that road Im afraid Ill have no choice but to insult so Ill stop here. American movies are one of our greatest exports and generate nice incomes for a lot of people. You do have great company in your ideas so I do not want to totally dismiss them. None other than Karl Marx felt that a capitalistic society will devolve into only doing what is necessary and ignore all things like art, literature, etc.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Nov 21, 2013 -> 10:19 AM) I'm not entirely sure what you mean by Fictional Affair. Are you saying you travel into the book to have an affair with the people in said book? If so... I would immediately write a novel containing Emma Watson, Jennifer Lawrence, and Kate Upton. I'm sure there are many others I'd be including in the second book. Sorry, I edited the first post

I was just reading a Woody Allen essay in which he describes a magical box that allowed someone to travel into any novel and have an affair. The protagonist in his essay chose Emma Bovery from Falubert's Madam Bovery. That seems like a really good choice. He was also allowed to pick the chapter. Who would you pick?

I am teaching the Gettysburg Address today and thinking what a cool speech it was. Pretty damn effective as well. In looking at sites and getting some ideas, I discovered a lot of people that had memorized it. That seemed so old fashioned. I'm wondering if anyone here was made to memorize that or any speech? BTW, I annoyed my math teacher when I had our students give math answers in terms of score.

I read a couple web sites about using those and they all seem to create this fifteen minute ritual using the old fashion brush and shave soap. It looked cool, but no way I was going to take that long shaving each morning. The economics and coolness factor are compelling. I did once use a straight razor. That was an adventure in pain. LOL

ESPN is getting into the act as well. Their special is about the Dallas Cowboys and how they were afraid to play the following weeks. America hated all things Dallas. I understand the players drew straws to see who would run out first, some expected that one or more players would be killed.

Actually at least one mob guy, he was serving time in Joliet, has "confessed". His confession was debunked IIRC. The line that always makes sense to me is do you really believe the government could keep a secret this long?

This was really driven by the roster. This has me thinking about Ozzie and his "Sunday lineups".

I tend to believe Oswald acted alone as well. Taking a class based around the popular culture of the time has been very interesting. I was a little uneasy about the course, hoping it wouldn't be endless arguing over conspiracy theories. Instead, in the first minutes of the fist class the professor said "I don't care who shot Kennedy, if Oswald acted alone, whatever. If we go down that rabbit hole we may never come back out." I remember as a kid reading and rereading a book about the Secret Service and thinking how professional and cool they were. Between all the books I've read about the assassination and the controversy from a couple years ago, the Secret Service is as messed up as any.

I looked at that. Does shaving take longer?