johnandjulie13 wrote: cnw1995 wrote: John, can you imagine the boondoogle if Chicago got the Olympics - how the money would flow - into the wrong pockets. Interesting how resilient the pols are in the face of a decades-long drumroll of federal corruption indictments. At least they got the former Gov. . .Hello Doug:It's days like these that make me happy that I do not live in Cook County. Where did things go wrong? How does Illinois go from the "Land of Lincoln" to the "Land of indicted Governors?" Just in my life time we have had Dan Walker, George Ryan and now, soon to be indicted, Rod Blagojevich. It is just shameful.Regards,John
cnw1995 wrote: John, can you imagine the boondoogle if Chicago got the Olympics - how the money would flow - into the wrong pockets. Interesting how resilient the pols are in the face of a decades-long drumroll of federal corruption indictments. At least they got the former Gov. . .
John, can you imagine the boondoogle if Chicago got the Olympics - how the money would flow - into the wrong pockets. Interesting how resilient the pols are in the face of a decades-long drumroll of federal corruption indictments. At least they got the former Gov. . .
Hello Doug:
It's days like these that make me happy that I do not live in Cook County. Where did things go wrong? How does Illinois go from the "Land of Lincoln" to the "Land of indicted Governors?" Just in my life time we have had Dan Walker, George Ryan and now, soon to be indicted, Rod Blagojevich. It is just shameful.
Regards,
John
I agree. What happened to the good old days when the pols were smart enough to not get caught.
I just got news from my sister that my very first house (all brick) and detached 2+ car garage (Chicago's NW side), just got bulldozed....new owners going to build a MacMansion, though on a lot 37 feet wide and 125 feet deep I don't see how that is feasible unless they are going to get the square footage by building up to 3 stories. Many of the existing homes in the area have been expanded both up and out, while many more just bulldozed and a new home built. My (RIP) house was built in 1917, and somewhere I have an airial photo of the area showing just 3 houses in a square half mile, dirt roads, forest, and the North Branch of the Chicago River.
A great time for purchasing a home or doing rennovations for those not caught in the terrible real estate or job market squeeze. Interest rates are great, skilled craftsmen competing for work with the dead construction market, a depressed market price-wise, and an inventory of both new and existing homes for sale not seen for decades.....
Prayers for those caught on the wrong end of this. Fortunately, a change of presidents will fix all of this.
Re the Olympics with Chicago as a POSSIBLE venue, maybe John and Doug can open up a hot dog and grits stand near the athletic venues to take advantage of all those folks from abroad who have been dying for some grits, BOTH OF THEM.
Jack
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
RockIsland52 wrote:skilled craftsmen competing for work with the dead construction market, a depressed market price-wise, and an inventory of both new and existing homes for sale not seen for decades.....
Morning all!
A little cooler here today - 93! Get the sweaters out!
Sir James - 0's are good for you!
Chief and LA - Crawdads, Etoufee, and GRITS! Have a safe trip!
Doug - ya wearin' a helmet right?
Jack - Hot Dogs an' GRITS - think you got something there! If folks will eat dogs with sourkraut on them - GRITS are a natural! Maybe we could roll the dog up in a GRITS pancake, slice it up, and call it sunthern suchi!
Well - the construction saga continues - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ - walls ready to be primered and painted. Flooring is in and is acclimating itself to my house (i.e. sitting in boxes - no joke - needs to sit for a while to dehumidify prior to installation). Furniture piled everywhere and this even after we donated the sofa and love seat since we're going to get new ones (to match the floor - natch!). Going to change the dining room we used twice a year into a TV room for the kiddos and their friends to hang out in.
Jim - don't need to call anyone here - throw any metal on the front curb and it disappears within hours.
Chuck - I'm bummed. Fox's NASCAR gig is up for this season - don't have cable. I prefer the Fox commentators to ESPN's (boring).
Don - hope the train show is good.
Regards, Roy
sir james I wrote:Brutus, it doesn't really matter. She goes from "its cold in here" to "its hot in here". Never just right. To hot-to cold thats all there is.
Hey, Sir James! It sounds like our wives are related. That might make us in-laws of sorts.
Last night my wife said she was warm and in the mood for ice cream. Checked freezer. Doug Murphy's law.....son had devoured all of it except 2 spoonfuls and put the empty container back in the freezer, sound familiar? So I ran out and got wife some ice cream DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE RED SOX GAME WAS ON, fights and all.
Good to go? Not quite. 30 minutes later when the Lakers/Celtics game was in full swing, she complained that the ice cream made her cold, so I bolted upstairs to grab a sweater for her. Sat down.
Good to go? Not quite. She was still cold, so I got her a blanket.
Why was I so accomodating? Because I was afraid of what I KNEW was going to be the next request.......no, not what you guys are thinking. She'd want me to turn on the freakin heat, in June!
Yes, Roy, in answer to your question a couple of days back, I have a wife. And she too has a comfort zone that is measured in minutes, not degrees.
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
SPMan
HOWDY
PSA was zero, doc said see you next year.
I was reading through here and an old fact came to mind,women have born traits, too hot- too cold, go to the freezer, go to the store, get me a sweater, they train us a little at a time so we don't realize what has happened till its too late. We are goners. Big parade in Detroit for the Red Wings today,so far no one has been shot, but its still lite out. We are going to the coney island for lunch, I will never learn, actually I have but I go anyway. S.J.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
Prayers and a heartfelt thank you to the veterans and their families that sacrificed so much 64 years ago today on the beaches of Normandy. We will never forget.
ChiefEagles wrote:.......Now to bug the Yanks. Lets see. AH, maybe a shipment of GRITS to the MA Yank. He looks too thin and needs nurishment. Later
Chief......I never eat anything my dogs won't eat.
Dennis.....read your post about the "bad" employee. Too often these types are left to their own devices until the damage they do to others or the organization is serious or, worse, irreparable. I never could figure out why "managers" shy away from taking corrective measures early and often with problem employees. I have found that most of them are salvageable if not otherwise valuable employees when the expectations are clear and the repercussions swift.
Roy....I'd be curious about the energy savings you expect your house r&r to deliver. Way up "nawth," we "yanks" have two temperature extremes to contend with, though we tend to spend a disproportionate amount of attention on holding heating costs down. Illinois has a residential pilot program for electric that charges an hour-by-hour sliding scale on KW usage, based on time of day and day of the week. The hourly usage prices range from $.02 to $.14 or higher per kilowatt hour and change daily. You can view the daily hour-by-hour price forecast on-line or get it over the telephone, but you never know the actual price charged until after the fact: could be higher or lower.
In short, the program is attempting to move residential customers to running high energy draw stuff like laundry appliances and heating/ac to off-peak hours. My father-in-law signed up for the program and is saving a bundle off his previous $.075 per KWH. Mother-in-law wants to kill him because laundry and dishwasher are only run after 10PM. He uses his programmable thermostat to maximize the off-peak hour benefits as well.
Brent....I have to join those that wonder about the expense of a generator and wiring relative to the number of times and amount of time you will actually need one. If there are small kids on the horizon or some elderly, even just for visits, you may have your choice made for you. Similar to others who have commented, I have not had an outage longer than 4-5 hours in my lifetime. We get 1-2 outages a year, usually lasting for 30 minutes or less, whether they be equipment failure or weather related. BTW....make sure SuzieQ tortures and executes the DirecTV techs AFTER they have the problem fixed, not before.
Jon
So many roads, so little time.
Good afternoon,
Talking about Directv, all I have to say is that they at least show up and listen unlike Concast! I may be going back to DirecTV in sept. as I don't think I can afford Concast after then, they are going up to almost $100.00 for just a little more than basic cable! Comcast equals con-artists in my book!!
Worked on my trains a little today, fixed a problem with the trolley and Super Street set up, left a center pin out of one place.
Have to work tomorrow.
Lee F.
dwiemer wrote: Could you imagine if they had a invasion force like that with today's media? The NY Times would have sent a special edition to Hitler to tell him it was going to happen.
Could you imagine if they had a invasion force like that with today's media? The NY Times would have sent a special edition to Hitler to tell him it was going to happen.
Dennis, I have to hand it to you; when it comes to hyperbole, you are without peer. The publishers of the New York Times as Nazi sympathizers... UNBELIEVABLE!
Look, I get it that you have a visceral dislike of all things "liberal". But, surely, even you don't think that the proper role of a free press in a democratic society is to be a rah-rah cheerleader for the government.
Ironically, I myself have been critical of the NYT in recent years, but for entirely different reasons. As the Times has admitted, they, like most other media outlets, failed the American people by not providing a more critical evaluation of government claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Had our free press, both liberal and conservative, done a better job, perhaps 4,000 young American heroes would be alive today.
cnw1995 wrote: I see my Sox (the real ones - White) picked up a 2nd baseman / SS in the draft - good thing instead of a pitcher. We need hitting.
I see my Sox (the real ones - White) picked up a 2nd baseman / SS in the draft - good thing instead of a pitcher. We need hitting.
Doug:
You can never have too much pitching. Look at the Red Sox. However, Beckham (not the soccer player) looks like a real good ballplayer. The ChiSox sorely need some more offense.
Hooray! 1,000 posts!
RockIsland52 wrote: Prayers and a heartfelt thank you to the veterans and their families that sacrificed so much 64 years ago today on the beaches of Normandy. We will never forget.
Let's hope not. One of civilized man's curses is that he too easily forgets the cost of freedom.
edw wrote: dwiemer wrote: Could you imagine if they had a invasion force like that with today's media? The NY Times would have sent a special edition to Hitler to tell him it was going to happen. Dennis, I have to hand it to you; when it comes to hyperbole, you are without peer. The publishers of the New York Times as Nazi sympathizers... UNBELIEVABLE! Look, I get it that you have a visceral dislike of all things "liberal". But, surely, even you don't think that the proper role of a free press in a democratic society is to be a rah-rah cheerleader for the government. Ironically, I myself have been critical of the NYT in recent years, but for entirely different reasons. As the Times has admitted, they, like most other media outlets, failed the American people by not providing a more critical evaluation of government claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Had our free press, both liberal and conservative, done a better job, perhaps 4,000 young American heroes would be alive today.
edw,
I NOT going to get into this, but I will back Dennis 1000%. Yes a free press is 1 of the founding freedoms, but I DO take offence when said freedoms are used at the expense of those who keep us free. Some may not like the current war in Iraq, and that is your right. Faulty intelligence sourced from the gutting of the CIA & FBI by those liberals prior to the current presidency. Some of you may think Mr. Bush is at fault for all of this, including 9/11. We, the USA, are the lone bastion of FREEDOM in this world, and those freedoms are being eroded by the likes of the Clintons and the Obamas (who would take private corporation funds and use them for their own "visions": also known as socialism), keep us from accessing 98% of our OWN petroleum sources, and feed us lies about "global warming and the dying polar bears". Even NASA refutes the global warming statement.
I am very afraid of what lies ahead of us. I'll take your answers off the board. My e-mail is public and I don't mind.
Sorry, I am passionate about what happens here. My family, like many of you, are mostly military, I lost 343 brother firefighters. There is evil happening in this country and many are blinded by the hate of our President.
I'm out, see ya Monday!
I am the monster in your head...And I thought you'd learn by now, It seems you haven't yet.I am the venom in your skin --- Breaking Benjamin
RockIsland52 wrote: Roy....I'd be curious about the energy savings you expect your house r&r to deliver. Way up "nawth," we "yanks" have two temperature extremes to contend with, though we tend to spend a disproportionate amount of attention on holding heating costs down.
Roy....I'd be curious about the energy savings you expect your house r&r to deliver. Way up "nawth," we "yanks" have two temperature extremes to contend with, though we tend to spend a disproportionate amount of attention on holding heating costs down.
Jack - most of the R&R work is just that - 30 year old house is just worn out in some areas and I ran out of energy to do it myself. Galls me to pay 3x my costs - but it is getting done and that makes the other half happy - so I am working on getting happy myself. The big value item was replacing our west facing windows. It gets into the 100's here a lot and I went with low-e and double pane thermal barrier windows. My home office is in one of the front facing rooms and the window is roughly 6 x 8 ft. The heat loading difference is absolutely incredible. I expect a big difference in the winter too (but not like up north) as during the replacement, they were able to do a lot more sealing of the window frames to the structure than was done on the old windows when the house was built.
Good Evening All,
I've done it again. Was on vacation last week and the rain/cooler temps set in this week after we got back.....translation, I didn't get the lawn cut and it is now a jungle. The good news, it will be clearing tonight and I'll be able to mow the lawn tomorrow in the 90 degree heat and humidity like I left behind at Disney. Oh joy.
Jim/Brutus....we get nailed $25 per item by the city and trash hauler for appliance pick-up now. So folks just drive around at 3 in the morning and dump the stuff everywhere and anywhere. The pols in my city call it a fee which is Massachussetts speak for another tax. If I had a truck, I'd dump my washer on the front lawn of the guy who keeps letting his dog crap all over my front lawn.
DougM.....the "real" Sox? I'm torn because I'm from Chicago and now live in Red Sox Nation. Now that you are a biker, do you have leathers and tattoos?
Sir James....I also remember the days when school was out by June 1. We didn't have a/c in the schools or screens on the windows. Bees in the classrooms were a bigger issue than kids with weapons. Snow days? We had none. I do remember once school was closed down because the temps got down to -15 degrees and they were having trouble with the boilers.
RT....I am beginning to worry about you. While we are all very happy that everything worked out excellently on your house and job front, there is curiously no mention from you of what became of your newly acquired train room. Say it isn't so. Please say wifey hasn't taken over that space. I thought so.
Jon....glad to hear you have not been hit with a tornado. I was watching a special on TV the other night that warned the Southwest corner of the basement IS NOT the place you want to be if one hits. If the house shifts off the foundation you get crushed by the debris. They suggested hunkering down under the basement stairs, but I have a lot of my trains stuff stored there. At least the trains will be safe.
Jim S/P....had a chuckle reading how you were bushed after two days in Cincy at the water park with the kiddies. You are no candidate to survive 7 days at Disney in the FLA sun.
Lee.....I can't find anyone happy with their cable or satellite service except for those who have access to Verizon FIOS. I got to thinking the age of all the Comcast cable in my neck of the woods, including in my house, may be 20 years old. I wonder if that age and type of old cable degrades my HD picture. My SIL has DirecTV and I think his HD picture is better. Comcast is the high priced spread around here.
John J&J....you are thinking about Red Sox pitcher and rookie, Clay Buckhotz, pitched a no hitter a few weeks back Or maybe Josh Beckett, got close to the Cy Young last season.
Ray SPMan.....re pit bulls, aka American Staffordshire Terriers. My trainer (dog) has decades of experience with aggressive dogs and says that anyone who fully trusts their dog, regardless of breed, is a fool. The media is filled with stories where the owner opines "My dog never did that before."
phillyreading wrote: Good afternoon,Talking about Directv, all I have to say is that they at least show up and listen unlike Concast! I may be going back to DirecTV in sept. as I don't think I can afford Concast after then, they are going up to almost $100.00 for just a little more than basic cable! Comcast equals con-artists in my book!!Worked on my trains a little today, fixed a problem with the trolley and Super Street set up, left a center pin out of one place.Have to work tomorrow.Lee F.
RockIsland52 wrote: I've done it again. Was on vacation last week and the rain/cooler temps set in this week after we got back.....translation, I didn't get the lawn cut and it is now a jungle. The good news, it will be clearing tonight and I'll be able to mow the lawn tomorrow in the 90 degree heat and humidity like I left behind at Disney. Oh joy.
Brent,
Have you considered Dish Network? We have had their service since late 1999, and haven't had any problems.
EDW,
I never called the NYTimes "Nazi Sympathizers". My statement was in reference to the many times over the last years that they have revealed top secret information and programs to the general public and also to the enemies of this country for their own purposes. I did not bring up anything regarding liberal or otherwise. And, while it would be easy to point to issues regarding the Iraq war effort, I will go to a specific example in which they, using Senator Rockefeller's foolishness to reveal a secret satellite program that had been going on for more than 20 years. They made a big report and this was the first that our "enemies" had heard of it. I am all for the first amendment, but I believe that it comes with responsibilities that they just don't seem to abide by.
Please don't take from my earlier post regarding the the heartfelt "Thank You" to our troops. Remember, going into this thing, the leadership had many doubts about the success of the mission. With so much held in the balance, these guys did it.
Thank You to our WWII Vets and those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
God Bless,
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
ChiefEagles wrote:DULL!!!!! I am standing here and typing on Cabela's Marine Dept's computer. No one in the store. That is OK. I still get my discount on what I buy while I am here. Later.
Chief....Did you scare all the customers away ??????
Dumb ! Dumb ! Dumb !! I am so Dumb ! Maybe I can blame it on biorythums. Yesterday, had the day off to try and recover from my disastrous day in the Train Room last week-end. But, sure messed that all up. I had to get a Smog test on wifes car, that went down with little difficulty. (Local place was offering it for $13.95, however after the hidden charges would be $41.95, went elsewhere.) Got it done for $36.
Then going to take care of front lawns, ready for this one area is 20x20, the other area is 30x16. (Land expensive here !) Decided to put some weed killer on, the bottle has this handy adapter and just screw it on the hose. Then spray, water ciphons out the chemical to the lawn. One bottle will cover 5,000 sq ft. Now this is a lifetime supply. So READ all the directions and it says to turn this knob at the top to "ON" and spray. Ok did that, had previously calculated wind speed and direction, tested the ph of the soil, contacted the meterogical web site for forcast conditions. Doned gloves, mask, helmet, boots, waders, and respirator. Notifed the AQMD, Humane Department, Fire Department, City Planning, got the necessary permits, and posted fliers.
Then what happens, I decide to start in the worst part, (quite a bit of bare dirt, but most favorable starting point given the above concerns.) Finish 90% of the 20x20 area, and the dumb thing starts spitting! Apparently, AFTER you turn the knob to the ON position, you need to adjust it back, to where it is hardly cracked open. (Instructions didn't say that !) So NOW I have enough weed killer for 5,000 sq ft, covering an area of about 350 sq ft, which is mostly bare dirt. All I did was kill the dirt !!!!
On a brighter side, (the highlight of my day) I sent the Big Boy back to Lionel today. So now I don't have a Big Boy !! Fortunately I still have my little one! (MTH)
Regarding the media -- You probably heard about the LA teachers walk out this am, about the budget cuts. NO SYMPATHY ---- Think about it, Calif Education is 56% of the State Budget, Over $46 Billion, this next year they were only going to get $150 million MORE than last year. The cut was in the propossed budget! Actually mounts to 2% less than what was hoped for. One other thing there is 75,000 less students projected for next year including the illegals.
Regarding the issue over Liberals and Conservatives, I took ALL the Liberal trains off my layout, I wont even buy any. I have conservative trains only!
Going to go and have some wine, this is too deep for me. By the way the weed killer was cinnamon flavored.
Don
Good Evening All
Lots of storms all over the place,tornado watch for at least another hour. So I will check in just in case I decide to shut this thing down. Well I ran a few trains tonite and watched WKRP, an excellent old show always funny. It was broadcaast from a Chicago station. Everyone enjoy the weekend. Lots of banilla and root beer but you may have a bumpy ride....S.J.
Don Baker........Forgive me for laughing.... I just read your entire post. The only thing missing, is a picture of you in your spraying attire. That would make headlines. Glad you liked the taste of it. LOL
Chuck
Hello from a very warm basement in Central Ohio.
Bought some nice tomato plants from Sutherland, They are Big Beef, Beef Master, Eraly Girl, Something or other Port wine, and just for Mom a aunt Ruby's German Green tomato it gets pink and yellow on the bottom when ripe. Next year will get them sooner.
I am beat from picking up and delivering stuff, only four stops today but one place had seven tubs/boxes
well post in the morning or when I get up
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