UConn James

And, just in time, that great fiscal-conservative-who's-going-to-reign-in-spending shows up in his superhero outfit (aka the black suit) and saves the day! This presidency has been a f-cking catastrophe. Woe be to any man (or woman) who is actually raising and paying out hundreds of millions seeking this job. Bush asks Congress for $700 billion for bailout : Request is part of the largest financial bailout since the Great Depression Essentially, this is nationalizing mortgage-lenders who lent irresponsibly and saving their businesses from collapsing. This is not capitalism. This is weenie intervention and not allowing businesses to die that should die b/c they were doing the wrong things. Propping them up is asking for more industries to come looking for bailouts, claiming national interests. Or wait.... could it be that the financial lobbyists have so many politicians in their pockets they walk with a limp? MAKE NO MISTAKE! Just like the rest of the world, you get into politics to make your friends rich, only the American way is to sometimes wait until you're out of office, and then said friends make you rich. It's just delayed mutual back scratching. My tax dollars are going to funding to make sure none of these companies have to pony up when the "Risk" they charge so much for, banked/made money hand over fist on in good times "suddenly" (I still have a hard time believing they didn't see this coming. Bullsh--.) comes up snake eyes?!?! Yep. There was a spectrum auction earlier this year with more to come, I believe. I don't think they're going to get as much money from it as they were hoping, but Uncle Sam will still probably haul in a few billion, even after providing the digital converter coupons that make such a sale do-able w/o people grabbing pitchforks and torches.

Thanks, guys, but I'm just don't know. I didn't mean that as in 'I don't want to' go through losing a dog again, rather, that I can't go through that again. It just seems to be beyond grief or 'the blues.' My uncle has had standard poodles (this is a hunting/sport breed, not the toy breed), probably six in his life, and after losing the last one in 2002 that really tore him up, he went dog-less for a while. Now, he's got another and says he really hopes he goes first (he's had/has several varieties of serious health problems) so he doesn't have to feel like that again. I almost feel like that myself now, but thing is, I'm not nearing 80. Sorry about taking an intended happy thread and casting a shadow over it....

Yep. And I wouldn't be completely flabbergasted if it turned out that way. New Hampshire, Colorado, New Mexico, and Iowa, in my view, are this year's key. I think Ohio, Florida and the big-electoral states are pretty much settled, it's going to be a grab for these few lone wolves whose electoral count adds up into a swing state.

Yeah, why wouldn't Palin be gang-raped by a bunch of white guys? What's SB suggesting by injecting "black" into the conversation? --- Are all black men rapists? Are only black men rapists? Typical elitist bs, and if this c-nt only knew how little her opinion matters. Keep telling yourself how you're a compassionate, caring person who cares about black people while your words stab them in the back by propagating the stereotype, Sandra. And then what about the option that Palin would smoke them all Dirty Harry style in self-defense with her S&W? To all celebrities, I'm not demanding that you shut up about politics. But, Christ, you people look like absolute retards and you offend at least half of your possible customer base when you spew your various and sundry viewpoints.

Actually, the sale of the lower VHF and upper UHF spectrums are expected to more than cover the costs of the DTV-conversion coupons. Govt may make a few billion $ from it. Which I'm sure they'll piss away in a few seconds. But, yes, Uncle Sam seems to be 'sticking his hand down your shirt and squeezing your tit 'til it's purple!' (to borrow the phrase from one of my favorite movies) more these days than ever before. What's good to boost the collective economy is grossly unfair to your individual economy as it pertains to taxes. Why should individual, many of whom don't have any interest in it, be forced to bankroll Wall Street to make sure that some companies don't die out b/c they made stupid choices? On a sliding scale, does it follow that a restaurateur who served franks and beans and 'Sh-- on a Shingle' should be propped up by a million dollar loan from a town? I sure would love to be in a business that the govt refuses to let not make money. Seriously, where does this sh-- stop?!?! People with cable, iPods, Nikes and two cars getting heating assistance? It's a smack in the face that those who refuse to plan ahead, economize and do without luxuries are rewarded for it. We don't have cable (happier w/o it, too!) and bust our butts doing our own firewood. Cue Dire Straits' "I Want My MTV." The extent of unabashed consumerism and charity giveaways will be what brings this country to its final fiscal ruin. But until the bitter end, you can be sure they'll be passing the check.

This interactive electoral map might be handy. Link.

Blue Fire, is that a Vizsla? Seemed like a nice breed when I met one. Very high energy, tho. Unfortunately, I'm coming off the other end of the spectrum. We had to put my 12-year-old German shorthaired pointer down in late June (abdominal cancer). It happened so suddenly. He was my little boy, my best friend and then my old man. For a couple of weeks it was like that episode of Scrubs when Dr. Kelso can't stop the tears from running down his face: Carla: At least you stopped crying. Dr. Kelso: Not really. My body just can't produce tears anymore because I've intentionally dehydrated myself. It's a risky move, I know, but Dr. Jarvis here said it'd be alright. Carla: There's nobody standing behind you. Dr. Kelso: I'm going to need an IV. I woke up last week after having a Sammy dream and I just cried for a half hour. I have never been a crier but I imagine that when I'm 80 I'll still be shedding tears over him. And this came a year to the day that we had to put our other GSP, his father, down (Lyme/arthritis/tumors). Used to be there was unconditional love waiting for you at the front door. And now you get home and it's just so quiet and empty. You guys are so lucky to be starting off, and really, treasure each day and try not to let the small things like an occasional pee on the floor, etc., bother you b/c they will just seem so petty in the end. We've talked about getting another dog, but not right now. It's still too fresh. And I'm not sure I could handle losing another.

Actually, I read something that the average replay/review takes 47 seconds. But often, the reason it takes longer real-time is b/c of the teevee networks going to commercials for 2:30... so the call has to wait until the Secret deodorant ads are over.

That's kind of what George Orwell was --- and I am --- afraid of.....

Like BRH posted, geographically and socio-economically closer.... and yet, when I think about it, all in all, I'm happy we stayed in the East. I'm happy that we didn't have to adapt midstream to a different sub-conference brand of football and following the style of play in the North, if we make the playoffs, we'd be pretty beat up (esp. RBs). Old rivalries have shifted a bit. Sorry, but the Pats* are our #1 rival now, especially per the Dean's definition of it being a rivalry every day, every week. Look at the posts here. It's always Pats*-hate. Been building steadily since the late '90s, while the Miami one's been on the steady decline in that same period. Can't really remember the last time a Dolphins-hate thread was started when we weren't w/in ~ one-two weeks of playing them. I'm not sure we have any intra-conference rivalries, either. Things like that kind of slow down when you haven't been good in a while... same reason why not much was lost when Arizona moved out of the NFC-East. I'd say the Jags or Denver are the closest possibilities, but nowhere near 'rivalry.' Yet. Give it time, especially as we improve.

More specifically, maybe he was trying to hide his jersey number?

.... Except that the throwbacks were commissioned by Donahoe. I think the only reason that Brandon/front office hasn't switched to the '65 unis is that it would take a lot of $ to redo all the signage, the cushioning at the perimeter of the field, the field logo (I believe the company that made/installed the AstroPlay went breasts-up), new paint everywhere, letterhead, business cards, etc. Hell, even the empty podium (!) would have to be redone to reflect the new brand. I think Ralph/FO are content to ride it out for this franchise re: facilities. Then let the next owner decide what to do. This puts the fate of the team in Buffalo in quite a lurch, tho. If Ralph were to start building a new stadium, that'd be quite a ball and chain to ensure the next owner stays in WNY... but then, that'd also de-values the franchise in prospective buyers' eyes. Long story short, I think we're only getting 2 games a year for the throwbacks 'til something happens.

More like: "Oh. Health care? Hmm. Uhhh.... Hmm. Lots of numbers here. Oh, look, a text message from Andy!...."

Bump.

Yes. The first largely feeding the second. Whence, people fall back on good ol' partisanship.

There was a much more thorough thread on health care earlier this spring/summer with some really good links. It died b/c everyone's too busy calling Obama a covert Muslim and saying there's nothing of substance or saying that JMac insults adolescents, has Alzheimer's and can't turn on a computer. And then people (especially here) have the gall to bemoan that candidates campaign with vagaries. Well, hey, there WAS something of substance to discuss, and yet it was largely ignored, even in a place supposedly devoted to politics. Sad fact that they can't hold Americans' attention spans enough to explain even a modicum of detail, even to those who say they want to hear the details (hint: they really don't). In fact, there was recently an update on the Romney & Massachusetts legislature mandatory health insurance plan that's now getting some positive reviews after some initial bumps in the road. As I remember, McCain's plan essentially encourages businesses to drop health plans and pay people the difference in salaries (As with 'trickle-down' economics I have my doubts about that happening), at which point, people will buy plans on their own initiative and then be taxed for plans over $5,000 (see: everyone who has insurance will be getting a tax increase. Yeh, Republicans!). He also wants to cut service costs (good luck with that) before encouraging enrollment of the un/under-insured. My read is that basically, it doesn't do anything to help the current situation and his taxing plan will likely contribute to the number of people w/o insurance. Obama, OTOH, wants to essentially allow/ensure people continue their employer plans, or get people enrolled (I forget if it'd be mandatory, but I doubt it) and pay into a govt plan, probably with a sliding scale, more or less a nationalization of the Mass. principle, but with certain differences. Then he wants to work on decreasing service costs. This augments the current situation and one would hope decreases the use of costly emergency rooms for routine problems... only question is cost (tho, that's a pretty important question) and if there is the political will in DC to enact this, even small-scale. (Edited)

Well, it's simple, really. 'LH shouldn't express her opinion, but I can express my opinion of her.' In a better world, people would realize that they should keep their mouths shut approximately 90% percent of the time. Doesn't mean that you get the right to be a hypocrite when someone does voice their opinions, political or no. When celebrities or even Earl down the street speak, take it for what it's worth --- roughly, a warm bucket of s--t. If you dislike this commentary or the celebrity culture in general, the best course is to ignore it, not propagate it.

Did Tina Fey out-Palin Palin? I didn't stay up on Saturday, admittedly, but this was

"Hey, wait a minute, this watch says, 'Polex!'"

Dick Butkis? Agreed that it was funny to see --- there's that story/legend about Howie Long turning the earhole into a vision hole for a rookie teammate who pissed him off during camp. This was even better than that. 'Course the only reason we can find this amusing is that no real harm was done. Straps not being on properly might have been the only thing that saved MJD from having a severe neck injury. Otherwise, he's eating his supper tonight with his back toward the table.

My point was that Bly's payoff came several seasons back, and by now --- with the increase in the cap --- those raw $s are probably closer to what Greer will see, especially if he keeps up this level of play. Even average players in UFA get big contracts, especially at the skill positions. I don't think we can justify that.

At least Poz got his money's worth on the facemask. MJ-D was wearing that thing backwards at the end of the play. Don't mean to flippant, b/c that kind of thing could've been serious, but it just highlights the stupidity of this year's all-or-nothing rule change. Guys will go for broke once they know they're gonna be flagged.

The way he's playing we won't be able to justify keeping Greer for what it'll probably take to re-sign him. We let Kiwakee Thomas go for the same reason. Then, when you talk about the UFA market where the money flows like wine, look at what Dre Bly got several years ago and we wouldn't be able to give Greer that. And especially not with a stable of young colts who are chomping at the bit. McGee, Youboty, McKelvin, Corner

I think that's the point. If Youboty keeps it up, he'll be in position to take over next year w/o a hitch. Greer will get a bunch of $ thrown at him in UFA, and good luck to him except when we play 'im. Marv's pick ain't looking too bad now, eh? Took a little while to materialize, but

Doubt this is going over well with the Pakistanis. Especially as their new leadership is already not liking us for the cross-border drone attacks. It may be intended as a slap in the face to Iran. A 'We will go to bat for countries that want to use nuclear for peaceful energy-creation purposes. That's not what Iran is doing.' We do reward those countries that come into the fold and play by the rules, even if they haven't totally done so in the past. But it could also be more selfish. Pollution on the west coast and what drifts over the US comes from China & India. Cut down on their dirty energy as their energy demand keeps skyrocketing and it directly helps us. And we get some brownie points with India --- in the midst of that key region --- at the same time. All in all, not a bad deal even tho it may have taken some browbeating.