Jim

While I didn't agree with most of what he had to say, you had to appreciate his intellect and wit. The current crop of so-called-conservatives have fallen quite a way down the drain.

PP has company! Bob Boone, the father and assistant GM, drove to work at the Washington Nationals' spring training camp Monday morning with veteran infielder Aaron Boone, his son. Not long thereafter, Bret Boone -- Bob's son and Aaron's older brother -- showed up for a surprise news conference at Space Coast Stadium, announcing he's coming out of retirement to try to make a comeback. He turns 39 in April, and hasn't played in a game since 2005

I ran in college and high school, and continue. When I was a freshman in college I fractured my ankle playing basketball. When looking at my X-ray the orthopedist asked if I was a serious runner. He said it was evident from the spreading of my foot bones and that as I got older it would cause some problems. Like what, I don't know. Other than a minor bout of plantar faciatis I've had no foot problems.

I do have some sympathy for the Mormons because there's little difference from claiming devine inspiration in the middle of the desert or in your back yard in upstate New York.

I've got one of those induction stoves and it's weird. If you turn it on full blast the element goes on and off, keep the pan heated to a steady temperature. It's kinda annoying when trying to heat something up fast, especially on one of the smaller burners.

Grim, grim, grim. The Idiot is leaving quite a legacy.

The SS is not bad for a city of this size, but it's a bit of an internal turmoil and soap opera. Lawsuits and counter lawsuits, harassment accusations. I think it probably time for GS to move along. I think some fresh air would help the group.

If it's not climbing related this is where you post it. Be warned this forum is not for the thin skinned. No pun intended

Well for BB, at least you use it as an excuse to leave work early and sit in the sun with friends and have a brew or two.

True that. I think baseball's motto should be "It could be worse"

You're cracking me up again. I guess you can always argue what is the lesser of the evils - the endless drug scandals of baseball including the recent record holders - or the wife beaters of the NFL. Whatever. Neither one is getting my vote. But man, baseball is just boring as get out.

George Will writing a book on baseball, or any sport, is akin to Joyce Carol Oates and her book on boxing. Gimme a break. Somehow baseball is prime for over-intelluctualizing. It's just a friggin sport. Now one dominated by puffed up druggies and overpaid men paid way too much to hit and catch. Ichiro is one of the few all around talented players.

Classical music is great. I saw Micky Mantle play in NYC and used to go see the Mets and Yanks both. Now I find the whole prima dona game uninteresting. The game is so dang drawn out now. WTF - do you have to adjust your crotch each time you swing? Any sport that can be overanalyzed by the likes of limp wrists like George Will - no thanks.

Baseball: As athleticly challenging as painting. For the spectator as exciting as watching it dry. Less so with the Mariners.

If anything, I'd just write a letter to the HR person explaining it's a crappy way to treat anyone and that you worked with integrity and they should operate similarly. Then move on, which you have. There's just too much bad energy out there - no reason to get caught up in it. Best of luck in your new position. If you manage to get to pubclub before you head to CA we're buying.

Holy cannoli - this is stunning. I'd like to see this slide show.

Long time indeed. Unfortunately The Idiot and his team did believe that Iraq was the first domino. The wingnuts thought that peace and democracy would blossom, which would lead to popular movements in Saudi Arabia and Jordon, then the Palatinians would migrate in mass to these areas and greater Israel would become a reality without those pesky squaters. Take a read of "The Assassins Gate".

Please, for the love of God, take a basic course in economics. How could anyone understand that bad debt hurts the economy and not understand that when people actually pay off their debt that they are helping the economy--especially right now Maybe JayB can correct me on this--or at least refine what I am saying here--but in a time where companies are having to cover their bad debt, those companies are thankful for folks that are paying. I think what he meant was that paying off debt - such as a credit card, will not do much compared to buying some consumer item. Look at it this way. If you pay cash now for a washing machine that's much more a stimulus than if you're going to take your rebate to pay off the credit card you used to buy a washing machine 5 months ago. Frankly the credit card company would prefer you didn't pay it off so they earn intrest. What it would do, supposedly, is then have that money that would be going for interest down the road available to purchase some other tshatshke.

Individuals acting like corporations :tup: Welcome to the reality of the disloyal saavy consumers you've spawned. I think this quote was from the 60 Minutes report from last night. The couple that was quoted - well they gambled and they lost. And the institution that gave them the loan in the first place? Same thing. The folks I felt a bit sorry for were the ones that were really not very educated and took the mortgage company line that they could refinance after a couple of years. My wife thought they were victims of a smart-talking broker. I thought there was responsibility on both sides - even if you don't understand contract language then you should be hiring someone who does - like a lawyer - to spell it out for you. But on the other hand, no one was regulating these lame-o transactions.

Spunk? Do you mean defiance in the face of fact? Pig-headedness is an admirable trait in a linebacker, not a president.

Like I said. Would some accounting oversight help here?

Two years ago I spent 3 wks climbing and hiking hut-to-hut in the Dolomites in July. I think June would be ok for the Dolomites, depending on what peaks you'd be interested in. Some of the huts only open for July and August. Here's a useful link: http://proxy.provincia.ra.it/cailugo/asp/tabelle/frame-tabelle.asp?pagina=tabelle&language=inglese We had a great time. Great limestone walls, great trails, excellent food and wine at the huts, and we only saw one group from the US. Quite a few easter Europeans and Germans. Very friendly folks. I'd suggest reservations for the huts if you're going that route. Feel free to PM me with questions. We also did some via ferrata, which I kinda dissed until we were there. It was a cool way to do some protected high end scrambling.

Kinda looks like that stock market chart from a few years ago.

kk- I think there's two conversations going here - the housing bubble and the subprime breakdown. Certainly there is a share between some folks who took too much risk - and the mortgage brokers just pushing a deal to get the commission. My comments are more aligned to the financial slight-of-hand that has led to the market fallout and credit crunch. JayB's link provides a good thumbnail sketch with reasonable beginnings to more oversight. I guess you could argue that if the bubble didn't burst then there would be no crisis. I'd argue that if the bubble burst without all the financial instutution complicity, it would have been a real estate cycle and not much more.

Clinton initiated this mess through his National Homeownership Strategy. The Clinton administration actions include: Making It Easier to Qualify for Mortgage Loans. The FHA has eliminated unnecessary and overly strict requirements under its loan program that made it difficult for many families to qualify for mortgage loans. It has also given lenders greater flexibility to make homeownership possible for more nontraditional borrowers, and has clarified certain underwriting requirements so they are not applied in a discriminatory manner. With these improvements, thousands more families are eligible for FHA-insured home loans. It also streamlined its underwriting criteria, consolidated operations, and improved its performance. The cost savings from these improvements have resulted in cost savings to consumers. In the end it just drove up housing prices. Got any proof of your assertions? This policy required a minimum of 5% down, waived some share of points, appraisal costs, and fees, and raised the eligible share of income costs from the industry standard of 38% to 45%. Hardly earth-shaking. So what's the link to unfettered bundling and rebundling of mortgage-backed securities into unrecongnizable investments that get AAA ratings?