Azalin

The takeaway for me was that Uyger resorted to dogma much more frequently than did Shapiro. Yeah, insulting your audience and resorting to "google it" a couple of times isn't generally conducive to winning hearts and minds.

:lol:

Yes, that's perfect example of what I mean. We already have the Enquirer. We don't need CNN to emulate them. Unsubstantiated reports from anonymous sources should never be trusted. You cite Trump jr's Russia meeting as an example to justify that kind of reporting, but I would remind you of the scores of other such reports that have amounted to absolutely nothing. You appear to be supporting a method of news reporting that ultimately yields 95% innuendo and 5% fact. Like I said above, that's not news, and that's not how reporting works.

That's not news, and that's not how reporting works. That's gossip, and it's what fuels entities like The National Enquirer.

Awesome. More unsubstantiated rumor from anonymous sources.

Godwin with dragons - that's a first.

That was good - thanks for posting that link. You couldn't pay me to debate Shapiro, but then again he pretty much speaks my language anyway.

I very rarely go to the more famous barbecue places for exactly that reason. Nothing makes a long wait even more miserable than 104 degree weather to stand in line in. I get Rudy's regularly - once every week or two I have GrubHub deliver a load of pork ribs, chicken, and 'nanner puddin'. Next time you're in the area and have a little extra time, give me a holler and we'll enjoy some tasty margaritas.

I know you're not endorsing any of it, and I don't mean to come across in such a combative manner. I'm just venting some of my irritation over the whole debacle. You're one of the more knowledgeable posters on the subject, and while I appreciate that, it's especially disheartening to see you using words like "inevitability" with regard to the impending implementation of a single-payer system.

Well, I suppose 63 tequila shots might be manageable if you start early enough and have a few sensible meals. Cheers!

I had added a link in the thread for The Strain season 4. I could see it on my computer at work, but not here at home. I just now added the "s" back to the http and now it shows up as a link, but I can't get it to embed like before.

So insurance companies will actually be allowed to participate in their own industry? How very magnanimous our federal benefactors can be. Look, I understand you're taking a realistic and pragmatic view of what's going on, and I know that it would do me good to just get used to it. It's just that it seems really stupid to turn to the government to fix something that was largely, if not completely, screwed up by the government in the first place. See above. The current disarray of both the insurance and medical fields are due to government interference, not to mention the current policy battles in Washington. I personally believe that it's a lose-lose for us as a nation if we wind up with something comparable with even the most efficient European single-payer system. I also realize that this is my problem and that there's nothing I can do but accept it. It does feel good to $#%@ about it though.

I believe that was a major part of it, yes. There were also comparisons drawn to Governor Romney's state health care legislation. For what it's worth, I'm okay with individual states implementing programs like that if they wish. I prefer to keep governments out of industries, and I consider health care and health insurance to be two completely separate industries, and I am 100% against the federal government taking over either one.

Thank you!

They weren't trying to help anything, they were trying to get their hooks into an entire industry that was screwed up due to their decades of meddling, oversight, and regulation. If they were indeed trying to actually do some good, then they probably wouldn't have had to pass the legislation in order to know what was in it.

Another great tip - thanks! I had a pretty decent gyro at a downtown food truck not long ago - it's impressive that some of these trucks can turn out such good food!

I agree, and considering that we're only 2 weeks in, I like season 4 so far. They've apparently scrapped the ending from the novels, so there's no telling how it will end. So you didn't enjoy the Comic Con clip?

They did this for Comic Con https://youtu.be/dVg6nahsdBg

I was thinking along similar lines. Specifically with regard to the wisdom of training people with possible mental health issues to be killers, not just arming them.

My only disagreement with you is with regard to the availability of equipment used for pro-grade recording. There are several DAWs out there that you can use to get a great recording at home. I believe you are correct though with regard to getting a professional mix and master. A proper acoustical environment and a trained ear are both necessities that most people in home recording lack. The rest of your post I agree with completely. There has been great rock music out there since the 50's, but you have to dig for it. Very little of what's either new or popular has any originality to it at all. There's too much money to be made in the industry for many labels or promoters to bother taking a chance on something that hasn't been focus-grouped and tweaked for public consumption. So much so that "Indy" stopped being "Indy" a long time ago.

If you can manage to hang in there playing Zigeunerweisen, then you've got skills for sure! A big revelation for me was that I had no clue that Placido Domingo is a professional-grade conductor. Until now I only knew of him as a tenor. Perlman always kills. The man is a freakin' machine. Gil Shaham, as well. I had not heard of him until now - thanks!

I started out as a drummer in 4th grade. I was a band nerd, playing in the school bands and orchestras from grade 6 through 10 - mostly snare and timpani. I also started taking guitar lessons in 6th grade, taking two years of basic and classical styles before bailing on the training. I quit drums by 11th grade and kept playing guitar, so I've been at it for 49 years now. I don't play professionally, but I have performed a lot - Austin is full of musicians, and only a few manage to make a comfortable living at it. Professionally, I'm a tech for a massive telecom company, which basically means that I can play any kind of music I want. I can tell you that if I had it all to do over again, knowing what I know now I'd have learned the violin. I have a hell of a lot of respect for a competent violinist. For my tastes, it's the most beautiful instrument on Earth. I'm sure you're already aware of her, but here's another favorite of mine (both the soloist and the composer): http://youtu.be/pwe-ST36KaM