The Stig
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by The Stig on Oct 9, 2009 14:47:57 GMT -5
I will be particularly interested in learning the opinions of Australians who work in the King's Cross section of Sydney. There are some really great "attractions" (ahem) in that part of the city
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The Stig
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
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Post by The Stig on Oct 9, 2009 6:12:53 GMT -5
Maybe in 4-8 years' time, but now seems a bit strange.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Oct 7, 2009 21:23:05 GMT -5
If anybody's really interested in the issue, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has held some really great hearings on this issue. They've done a great job at gathering diverse viewpoints. What's really telling is that well-intentioned and intelligent people have come to very different conclusions about what to do, and some remarkably intelligent and knowledgeable people have freely admitted that they don't know what we should do. To watch the hearings, click on the hearing's name (the big print in blue). You can skip through Kerry droning on and on at the start and just listen to what the witnesses have to say. The Q&A can also be interesting. You can also click on a witness's name to read their prepared opening statement (which is often not what they actually said in the hearing). foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090916p.htmlforeign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090917a.htmlforeign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg091001a.htmlforeign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg091007p.htmlThe first and third hearings were the best, in my opinion.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Oct 6, 2009 21:26:36 GMT -5
Even though I didn't like the end result, that Flyers-Caps game was absolutely terrific.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Oct 3, 2009 15:11:31 GMT -5
#4 with me. I said before he went that it was all about his ego and his search for adulation. Whether you like it or not, the whole story before the selection of Rio was about President Obama and Michelle Obama. The story was "will President Obama be able to secure the Olympics for his home city of Chicago". This is what he wanted, the focus on him and the adulation that accompanied it. He got just what he sought. Even now, many in the press are writing that he made a gallant attempt but it's the corrupt IOC. And, even though they lost, Michelle Obama really wowed the committee with her personal story. So, for me it's #4. I don't like President Obama because, among other reasons, the whole presidency has been him pontificating on the latest "crisis" that must be solved immediately and his donning his professor's cap to instruct the uneducated masses as he spends us to oblivion and intrudes more and more into our lives. So were all the other heads of state (or in Japan's case, head of government) there just to stroke their own egos? Having the Olympics in Chicago would have been a nice economic boost to my home city (Milwaukee). Tons of people would have stayed there, and I'm sure all the proposed infrastructure improvements between Milwaukee and Chicago (more highways, faster Amtrak trains, Metra extension into Wisconsin) would have been finished a lot sooner. The improved Milwaukee-Chicago links would have given Milwaukee a lot of long-term benefits by making it easier for people who work in Chicago to live in Milwaukee.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Oct 3, 2009 9:57:37 GMT -5
For the first time in 3 years, the Japanese Grand Prix returns to the legendary Suzuka Circuit. Suzuka is hugely popular in F1 due to its amazing figure 8-style layout. It has every kind of corner, from fast sweepers to slow hairpins and kerb-hopping chicanes.
This weekend is a crucial weekend for the World Championship. Jenson Button could clinch the Championship this weekend with 2 races still to go, but a bad race for him could also allow his teammate Rubens Barrichello to get back in the fight. That would be big trouble for Jenson, because the next race is at Barrichello's home track in Brazil (Barrichello grew up a few blocks from the track), and the final race is on a new circuit in Abu Dhabi, where anything could happen.
So with that in mind, the Japanese Grand Prix weekend has turned into mass chaos. In qualifying there were 5 crashes among 4 drivers (one managed to crash, repair his car, then crash again), 3 red flags, 2 injured drivers (fortunately neither was serious), and 1 driver who didn't even participate because he'd already written off his car!
Then to cap things off, 7 drivers will get 5 position grid penalties for tomorrow's race! One of the crashes occurred at the end of a session, when a lot of drivers still hadn't set laptimes. The yellow flags came out in that corner, but 4 drivers who hadn't set laptimes ignored them and drove past the scene at full speed, earning them all 5 position grid penalties. Then the driver who crashed got a penalty for trying to limp back to the pits with a damaged car, and impeding other drivers in the process. Then another driver crashed and damaged his gearbox, and a gearbox change is a 5 position grid penalty. Then another team announced that they also had to change their gearbox, getting a similar penalty.
With all these penalties, nobody actually knows what the grid is for tomorrow. FIA rules say that penalties are imposed in the order they were committed, but nobody's worked that out yet. Some journalists have thrown together provisional grids, but they've all gotten different results. Some have Button as high as 9th, while others have him as low as 12th! The final grid will be published later today.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Oct 2, 2009 18:05:04 GMT -5
Leaders lobbying is more common with other countries. For example, Sarkozy and Lula both got personally involved with the Brazilian decision to buy French fighter jets. I also remember Hu Jintao making a speech on the floor of the Boeing factory outside Seattle.
I think it was right for Obama to go. All the other countries sent their heads of state/government, and Obama's absence would have stood out in a big way, especially with his Chicago connection.
As far as the decision itself, it was purely geographical. If it came down to who had the best bid, Madrid would have won easily.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Oct 2, 2009 6:03:14 GMT -5
I think the Chicago bid actually has the lowest government price tag. The plan is for the government to pay for the infrastructure upgrades, while private sector funds pay for the Games themselves.
And this isn't the slam dunk most people are saying it is. Non-American media say it's basically a toss-up, and most of it will depend on how strictly the IOC follows its unofficial rotation policy. Rio has the weakest bid on paper, but South America has never hosted the Olympics before. Madrid is probably the strongest on paper, but the IOC might not want to have three straight games in Europe (2012 London, 2014 Sochi, 2016).
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 30, 2009 6:28:23 GMT -5
Since I confess I don't know the full answer in Afghanistan, I'll just offer up a few points:
- McChrystal is a damn good commander. He's already made a huge positive impact since he got there.
- If you go by the book on counterinsurgencies, we'd need north of 500,000 troops there (over 5 times the amount we have now). Anybody with half a brain (including McChrystal) knows that simply isn't an option in Washington.
- The election fraud hurt, and hurt badly. Any counterinsurgency needs a strong, legitimate partner in the country, and we don't have that now in Afghanistan. That's a huge problem for us.
- The Taliban aren't the same force they were in 1996, when they took the country. In 1996, Afghanistan was in a state of civil war, with all sides committing horrible atrocities. The Taliban were able to sweep to power with lots of popular support basically because all people knew about them was that they'd bring peace and wouldn't rape little kids. After over 5 years of ruling the country, the Taliban had shattered all of people's illusions about them. They're no longer seen as the idealistic young students who will save Afghanistan from chaos, they're seen as the tyrants perpetuating a civil war. Because of that, the Afghan people will be a lot less likely to accept Taliban rule. The Taliban can roam the countryside all they want, but their chances of taking major cities are a lot lower because of that.
- The same phenomenon happened in Pakistan. The Taliban had a lot of sympathy a few years ago, and the Pakistani government refused to fight them. But a few months of Taliban rule in Swat and a video of the Taliban flogging a young girl destroyed most of the sympathy Pakistanis had for the Taliban, and the Taliban push towards Islamabad spurred the government into action. Now the Pakistani military is pushing the Taliban back everywhere, and the Pakistani people are almost all supporting it.
- Even if the Taliban retake power, there's a good chance they won't invite Al Qaeda back. In 2001, an Al Qaeda attack led to the Taliban being overthrown. If the Taliban take power, do you really think they'll want Al Qaeda to turn them into the world's biggest target again?
- The real issue isn't Afghanistan, it's Pakistan.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 29, 2009 18:48:41 GMT -5
I don't think the Olympics will affect the Caps too much. Ovechkin's simply a machine - based on what we've seen he could play 120 games a season and still be the best player on the ice. Varlamov is unlikely to get much playing time with Russia. Anyways, if Theodore isn't traded by then and Neuvirth keeps progressing, the Caps will have three starter-caliber goalies by that point in the season, so Varlamov could get some rest.
What's amazing about the Caps is they have one of the best teams in the NHL, but their AHL team is also LOADED. The Caps have a real boatload of talent under contract, and it's all pretty young.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 28, 2009 21:47:14 GMT -5
The results aren't what's humiliating, it's the product on the field. Our defense isn't great, but they're not bad. Thanks to their efforts, the final scores usually aren't that humiliating. 14-11 is respectable on the surface - certainly not the kind of score that you'd think would have fans calling for the coach's head. They'd be even better if they had a chance to rest between series.
What's humiliating is our offense. Our complete inability to move the ball, the horrific play calling, and the fact that we're apparently allergic to the red zone, make it downright painful to watch. Again, 14-11 isn't humiliating, but getting nothing from 1st and Goal on the 2 after 4 runs up the gut is humiliating.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 28, 2009 18:45:28 GMT -5
Good post 98 (the one earlier on this page). I definitely agree. I'd point out that a lot of things that people are saying now about Kelly are the same things people were saying about Benson in 2005 (he's lost the team, we need a change, poor performance over the last 4 years, etc). So did we just have 2 poor coaches in a row here or are there bigger factors at play? Honestly, I don't know. I also agree with what you wrote about how few people actually care about the program right now. The whole thing seems to really be a mess. I think we need a little more examination on the state of things than to just axe one guy and bring in some other random guy and hope for better. Been there, done that. How do we know that 4 years from now we're not saying the same things we're saying now, and were saying 4 years ago? I think the AD and the administration needs to look at the program, assess how we got where we are, what it will take to get out of the rut we're in, and whether or not we're willing to do what it takes. Either make the investments in the program (coaching, facilities, financial aid etc) to enable it to succeed, or scrap it. If you just want to have a football team to say you have one and to give some kids a chance to play, make it a club sport. It'd probably have almost the same attendance and level of interest from non-area alumni. Or, if you're serious about making something of the program, then find the money somewhere, one way or another, to get a legitimate head coach/coaching staff, improved facilities etc. Put up or shut up time, essentially. Enough of this "well, we don't want to axe the program but we don't want to invest the money to give us a chance to win" stuff. Either play to win or spare everybody's time. I agree entirely with that post. I remember when Kelly first came onboard, everybody thought he was such a breath of fresh air. On the first offensive play of his first game, we lined up with something like 4 wide receivers and tried a passing play. Even though we lost that game, everybody was thrilled because they thought we'd been liberated from the uncreative, repetitive, and ineffective Benson offense. We weren't going to win much that season, but a winning team in, say, 4 years looked like a possibility. Where are we 4 years later? Staring at a potential winless season after 4 straight runs from the 2 yard line got us nowhere. I don't think a simple coaching change is going to fix our team's problems. We either need to give this team the resources of other PL teams (the DFW option) or cut it.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 27, 2009 12:06:11 GMT -5
Why was Tebow even playing after that first quarter?
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 26, 2009 11:13:28 GMT -5
Pardon me for being skeptical when it comes to this administration. You can rest assured, if Russia actually does change it's position, I will be one of the first to offer kudos. But somehow, I have this feeling I won't have to be eating crow on this issue. And no, I am not happy about that. I am very, very disturbed about it. The Russian change in position already happened: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8271990.stmRemember, when the Russians said this, Obama had just told Medvedev about the secret Iranian enrichment facility, but he hadn't revealed it publicly yet. So the Russians were saying that they would support sanctions if there was new evidence, knowing full well that new evidence was about to become public.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 25, 2009 19:12:16 GMT -5
First off, we did NOT scrap our missile defense plans. We switched our missile defense to a system that is better in almost every way (more mobile, based on proven technology, available sooner, more in line with current threats, less troublesome diplomatically).
Medvedev's comments yesterday were actually a big shift in Russia's position. Before they sad that sanctions would never happen on their watch, now they're saying they might be inevitable. That may not seem like much, but in diplomacy-speak that was a huge change.
Of course, we found out today that Obama told Medvedev about the second enrichment site in their meeting yesterday, so Medvedev might have switched positions based on that, and not the missiles. But the missiles couldn't have hurt.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 25, 2009 19:06:37 GMT -5
Do we have an another source for that?
Speaking of Gaddafi, that UN speech/rant was EPIC. Comedy gold.
For everybody else, the UN released a transcript of their speech. For Gaddafi, they just released a video. Say what you want about the bastard, you can't accuse HIM of being overly reliant on the teleprompter!
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 24, 2009 18:46:41 GMT -5
Both those videos show things that shouldn't have happened. The teacher in the Obama song video needs to get the sack.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 24, 2009 18:42:34 GMT -5
Gretzky has quit as Coyotes coach.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 24, 2009 6:04:47 GMT -5
Maybe some of you alum didn't realize that Hrebenak replaced Pirtle around 4 years ago, and although I didn't know the Pirtle Map experience, I can attest that Hrebenak's Map was interesting and informative. I think Map already had the perfect amount of Geography, Hrebenak discussed it when it was relevant and focused on political matters when those mattered more. It wouldn't surprise me if Hrebenak's no-BS style Editeded off the efficient decision-makers that inhabit the Gtown administration; I am still waiting to hear why the personnel change was made. Hrebenak's "no-BS style" was an ode to/imitation of Pirtle. I'm a big fan of Hrebenak (I had Pirtle for his last year of map, but took a different class with Hrebenak), but he could never match the saltiness and Keyser Söze-quality of Pirtle. If the administration was fine with years of Pirtle, they certainly weren't going to be scared off by Hrebenak's version. Did Hrebenak voluntarily give up Map, or was it taken from him? Map needs to be left as it was. It's a cornerstone of the SFS experience, and I've found it to be very useful in life beyond Georgetown. If they want to teach this new physical geography stuff, fine, but do it in a new class, not Map.
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The Stig
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Post by The Stig on Sept 22, 2009 7:52:02 GMT -5
Renault were given a 2 year suspended ban, which is essentially a 2 year probation. Pat Symonds (the technical boss at Renault) was given a 5 year ban from all FIA motorsport. Flavio Briatore was given a lifetime ban from all FIA motorsport. Piquet was given immunity, and thus not punished. The FIA declared that nobody else (including Renault's #1 driver Alonso) knew about the plot. In the end it basically came down to who said they were sorry. The FIA said they were prepared to throw Renault out of F1, but they suspended the ban because Renault admitted their guilt, apologized, and fired those responsible. Symonds got a 5 year ban because he admitted his guilt and said he was sorry, and Briatore got a lifetime ban because he continued to deny his involvement. Article: www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78770Verdict in full: www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/78771
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