Texsox

During a down time, businesses will have a greater pool of potential workers for any openings. The candidate that offers the best option for the company gets the job. Of the two friends I have left looking for work, one has a college degree one does not. Both could probably be working today, but the one with a degree would be seriously underemployed, the other seriously underpaid. My friends with a HS diploma finds that companies will not pay him close to what he was earning before. 25 years experience in one industry and he's back to entry level every place he applies.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 2, 2011 -> 12:36 PM) Or, you keep your mouth shut after you leave. Or the enforcer pays you a visit. Nothing like a little organizational retribution to keep the workers in line. Even better if the organization can stand back and say, it wasn't us.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Dec 31, 2010 -> 07:28 PM) A few points.... • I wonder if twitter would go away if the media didn't keep quoting things people say on twitter. How many people actually use the thing? • I don't see why anybody would give a f*** what Oney Guillen tweets. What does he have to do with anything? If he wants to reveal Bobby's problems, I guess somebody could ask Bobby to comment on what Oney is saying, but it's pretty irresponsible for anybody to quote a nobody like Oney Guillen's twitter posts. Who cares what Oney Guillen has to say on twitter? • I don't see how this involves Ozzie or your feelings about Ozzie at all. This is his kid. He has nothing to do with another grown human being over 21 years old. Why anybody thinks any of this reflects badly on Ozzie is beyond me. If you play for the Sox, you have to expect your worst moments / secrets to be shared with the world. Seems like something you don't have to expect with other teams. Some people are cool with that, I suspect some people would have a problem with that.

QUOTE (beckham15 @ Jan 1, 2011 -> 08:01 PM) i like it but dont see how we could afford it unless it is a 1 yr deal with performance incentives Incentives cost real money as well. The team would have to be prepared to cough up the dough. I'm glad at least the team hasn't made a blanket "no Boras client will be signed" statement. Just as long as KW doesn't look Boras in the eyes, because then Boras will mesmerizer him.

Polar Bear Swim was a lot of fun.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 1, 2011 -> 01:17 AM) I spent New Year's Eve with my grandparents. Wouldn't have it any other way. Yeah, I'd love to go out and get hammered and have fun, but they won't be around forever. I miss mine so much.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Dec 30, 2010 -> 09:55 AM) I enjoyed it up until the guy really got heavy into the social commentary. I loved the factual work, yawned at the rest. The premise, as I felt it was, that we tell a heroic WASPY version of history and that is bad, did lend itself to that.

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Dec 30, 2010 -> 08:04 AM) Lies My Teacher Told Me - James W. Loewen Very interesting read. I enjoyed reading it last year and it has influenced how I teach US History.

My mother bought a few books for #1 son and I. She thinks we read "weird books". I just finished The Killer Angels a nice work of historical fiction about the Battle of Gettysburg and started The Known World a slave narrative. Both are Pulitzer prize winners. #1 son is reading Gravity's Rainbow in-between Kafka short stories and Yeats poems. I guess my mom believes the latest Baldacci thriller would be better I am waiting for my gf to finish The Padre Puzzle, a new fiction work set on South Padre Island.

Thank you, everyone. He already has a lot of tools to be a successful grad student. He has mastered living cheap. The one skill he really needs to asking people for information.

Seems like I will be enjoying the Polar Bear Swim on Saturday. I hope the Gulf is warm.

west Texas is scary

QUOTE (The Gooch @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 10:11 PM) I am a graduate student in Industrial Organizational Psychology right now. I sound a lot like your son actually, I had a bad freshman year, really good final 3 years. I don't plan on going for a PHD however, as it is not necessary in I/O psych like it often is in clinical. Options for student aid that does not have to be paid back is usually in assistantships. These are usually for full year tuition or half tuition. They usually require research help for professors, teaching lower level undergraduate classes, and/or grading papers. Assistantships can be very competitive. Otherwise student loans are the way to go. I am taking out student loans for the majority of my education. PHD programs are much more competitive but they are MUCH more likely to pay for some if not all of tuition with an assistantship of some sort. Overall, I enjoy grad school for psych, but am baffled at how much school costs nowadays. Thanks, and Brian too.

Wouldn't the student loans be differed until out of school? I assume then that you didn't have a car? I am leaning toward urging him strongly into a PhD program from the start, but he has his goals set on UT-Austin.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 09:48 PM) Without knowing all the details, clinical psychology seems like a discipline where Grad School would be largely paid for out of research funds, is that accurate? That's what I am believing, but what kind of support and how much would be considered average or usual? I understand tuition and fees being covered but what kind of stipends would be possible beyond that? What is a "typical" package a student could hope for? I am also looking at any books or websites that offer a decent overview, but so far too much "search overload".

#1 son is starting to stress over the finances of grad school. Specifically he is looking towards a PhD in Clinical(probably) Psychology. He's worrying about how to pay for an apartment, tuition, fees, buy a car, maintain a car, etc. Also, he does not believe he would currently be accepted into a top PhD program and believes he should earn a Masters somewhere and then apply to UT Austin or equal. Currently he has a 4.0 in Psy, but is still working off a disastrous freshman year that found him on academic probation and affecting his overall GPA. I know we have a number of posters here who have traveled this path, any tips? Thanks

fancy words in this thread

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 08:29 PM) We'll be staying on Lantana right off Padre Blvd. Anything good in the area? You are north of the bars by about a mile or so. Five blocks from Whataburger. The Wave will make it easy to get to the action. Padre Island brewing Company is about 6 or seven blocks south and then there are a steady line of bars the rest of the way. You will want to either catch the Wave down to the beach near the Isla Grande (was the Radisson), that's where the major corporate sponsors will set up entertainment. You could just hit the beach a block or two from your condo and walk on down or catch the Wave. Parking for the beach access points will be tough and the hotels guard their access for guests only. The entire beach is public.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 08:14 PM) Fantastic. I appreciate it. By "walk everywhere," do you mean parking is a b**** to find? I mean everything is going to be really close. From "whatever they are calling Tequilla Frogs now" to Steamers (the "entertainment district") is well less than a mile. From bay to surf is less than a half mile. Most condos are across Padre Blvd from the district. Plus there is the free WAVE public trans and the Baptist Church has shuttle vans going everywhere. But there is no street party, open liquor areas. The cops shut that down hard and fast.

Zzzzz later.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 07:26 PM) We've leased out a condo of our own for the week. And ya, I've heard that Texas Week is insane, but we'll make the best of it. And no, I haven't looked much into what we'll be doing while down there. Any suggestions? The second biggest week is the week you are coming. Pretty cool week with people from further away. This will be the first time I recommend strongly *not* to go to Mexico. Usually I am a big fan. But the randomness and severity of the violence in Matamoros is just too much. If you do want to go to Mexico, Progresso, a longish one hour is so drive is safer. Walk every where. Never have open liquor, even walking. The wrist bands that get you past the longer lines are not as big of a deal your week. The booze cruises are generally a waste of time. Too many drunks, not enough bathrooms. If you do, take Murphy's boat. Don't get sunburned. Rinse all the salt water off or you'll be looking like John Wayne stepping off a hoss. I know a few places to get away from the crowds if that's what you are looking for. Louis Backyard and the rest down the bayside have all the biggest parties. Chaos is usually a cool hangout. When you want to kickback PadreRitaVille (fiend owns it) will be more lowkey, but usually great singer/songwriters. If you think of it, send me a pm when you are ready to leave, I'll have some up to date info. I am there all summer and a weekend or two every month during the rest of the year. Except March. Too hard to spend $150 for a room I booked for $29.99 the previous month. lol

QUOTE (iamshack @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 06:32 PM) I think Ozzie needs to muzzle the kid. The White Sox cannot continue to have someone with this much personal information about the players spewing it uncontrollably via Twitter. Eventually, it's going to have a major negative affect on the White Sox, including having players refusing to play for Ozzie Guillen because his son can't keep his mouth shut and respect their privacy. this. A real world organization would be blasting letters from attorneys to him.

Useless to argue with some people.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Dec 28, 2010 -> 01:27 AM) 2nd week of March. We'll be there the 5th through 12th, I believe. You are a week early. The next week is "Texas Week", when the crowds really hit. Where are you staying? Have you signed up with any of the tour operators?

The first step was organizing the major bowls and sharing the title game -- done. Now organize the bowls into a playoff format. That will take some tooling. You would need seven bowl venues s to get started, or some bowl venue would do double duty some years. 4 bowls 1st round with 8 teams 2 bowls 2nd round with 4 teams 1 bowl Championship Round. I have a retired Division 1 AD in the next room, I think I'll get his input.