UConn James

Both the quotes from the auditor and the story imply that these were the line-item costs per foodstuff. He said that they spent $16 on each of the muffins. It then says DOJ "also" spent $600K for the event itself. There was no weaselly language like 'If you take the total cost and divide it per muffin/per cookie/per coffee....' So, we're left with... someone needs to be slapped / publicly flogged. We need people in D.C. who will say that the public-money feeding trough isn't going to be filled as much starting NOW, and departments had better spend the $ on the necessaries rather than the perks and frills.

Link The federal government needs more of your money! C'mon everybody, pass this bill!!!

Pac-12 says no further expansion So Texas, TT, OU and OSU will be staying Big-12(10). Looks like Missouri might be best served to stay there and for them to poach 2. Frankly, I think it would be best for TCU to pull out of the Big East and join that. And if Missouri stays, the SEC will have to look elsewhere to get to an even number... provided A&M still moves there. Geez this gets complicated! Maybe 16 is too big. Maybe 12 or 14 is an optimal number. Regardless, with what's happened, I still don't feel it's possible for UConn to stay in the Big East with whatever permutation is put together. We've got a little bit of time, as BE officials say they will be enforcing the 27-month wait, so PITT and Cuse will be staying thru 2014/2015. So, some of the pressure is off --- but then again that may not be a "good thing" b/c that can often lead to procrastination and getting stuck in a situation. Sometimes it's helpful to be dancing with bullets at your feet to realize what you need to do. Anyway, it looks like, again, it was just a couple of dominoes that fell and only a couple that are still teetering, rather than the whole board going.

According to this article: 1) WV applied to and has been rejected by both the ACC and SEC. 2) Missouri has an offer in hand from the SEC. 3) Mountain-West and Conference USA are in football-only merger talks, with the intent to get a BCS berth. But one of the best points made in it is that the rumored Big 12-remnant and Big East merger would create a conference that is seriously spread out. It's one thing for football where there's 1 game every weekend. It's quite another when a women's field hockey team has to endure (and budget/pay for) travel of 2,000+ miles four times a year multiple times during the school week. It's much different from more traditional regional conference match-ups where travel is more limited. This is one of the more serious concerns I've had, where it would be more prudent for UConn to join the ACC in a pod-conference with BC, Syracuse and, say, Rutgers. Limited travel time and cost. Retains regional rivalries where games can be attended by both sides for a fuller arena (consolidating and maximizing attendance where they can is especially important these days).

Secret recordings raise new questions in ATF 'Gunwalker' operation Giving evidence to those under investigation, missing evidence from the Brian Terry murder scene.... Walk on, people. Nothin' to see here!

AJ, the last number I think I remember hearing WRT purity of Walt's meth was 97% in one of the early Gale episodes.

I mostly watched the show for Jon Cryer anyway. I hope that AK can at least hold his own... but I'm not worried as far as the writing. They're going to have a lot of fun with this. CS's little speech at the Emmy's last night was such bottled crap. I guess he's learned that he's not going to work ever again unless he at least says he has no hard feelings and wishes the show well before he does his 8-balls and lays with whores.

You don't think Jesse knew what was up? No way was he drinking that. But yes, Gus did protect him and that might buy some loyalty for a Jesse who's very much up in the air in that regard right now.

Gotta stay hydrated, Stevie!

More like: "I'm sorry you think I'm a greedy *. I'm not changing a damn thing of what made you leave, but please come back, I like being rich."

Wash. Times: Obama to call for broad tax increases | Wants three dollars in taxes for each dollar of new cuts If it was a question for anyone before, he just cemented his own defeat.

I could see Rutgers in that 16th spot, or C: Maryland, VT, VA, Louisville D: BC, UConn, Cuse, PITT Taken as a whole, a rivalry with BC is the longed-for thing for us. Besides all the general desire to upgrade football, I think it was the idea of that match-up that really drew us into D-1, and then almost as soon as we got there they left. In many ways, it was like a woman who decided to get a boob-job to keep her husband, but he still leaves. We've both seen other people but it just isn't the same. There's no close connection that can replace what we had. And while some things were said at the time that we all regret, we're better together than we are apart. And if BC wants us to move in with them in their new place, well, we've still got the new boobs and they look fantastic...!

The obvious thing being, tho, that there's always surprises --- access to this or that chemical is shut off, this equipment breaks and can't be replaced or a new piece of equipment comes to market and Jesse knows squat about how it can be used. Walt can improvise based on his chemistry expertise. Jesse simply knows the recipe as-is. That said, Walt is a lot more volatile a character than Jesse, has the cancer always lurking, so... it's a judgment call. But, you keep both as long as you can. I could definitely see Ted getting it once Walt and Gus (either through Walt, or more probable, Saul) find out what Skylar's done. Busts of a good many infamous figures in this country have been for taxes, rather than for nefarious criminal activities. Ted seems to have the personality of burning through cash getting people to like him, and he can do one of two things: trade-in the Benz again (notice the contrast that this was the ep when she got Walt Jr. the sensible car?), and pay off the IRS so the story jives and things get quiet, with the possibility of using the Beneke company to launder more of the money.... or he can keep the Mercedes, ask Skylar how she got the money / get nosy, try some blackmail and get fed some of that powder currently reserved for Gus. My guess would go with the second scenario, but then again this is the kind of show where Ted could play ball to everyone's win-win and he could still get axed. That's what's so awesome --- you can see a lot of avenues where the story might go, but you never know which route Gilligan's going to take or, hell, he might decide to veer off-road!

Just a little nod, that even though they hadn't gotten a legitimate chance yet, the official policy to "Job the Bills" is still in effect.

You know, if you cut every guy that gets burned, you soon won't have any CBs left. This is a league where the rules are tilted far in favor of offenses. If you brush against a WR these days, they get a flag and the yardage for sure. I'm sorry, but in the position he was in, McKelvin probably did as much as he could do. And it was George Wilson who didn't even put a hand up in the air as he was chasing. This day and age, you've just got to get back out there with your O and do the same against their defense. This what comes of the NFL wanting teams to score more and changing the rules to enable that.

I can probably get there faster than you.

Responding to a mix of this thread and the one in the college forum.... UConn has apparently begun talking with the ACC (the new U president basically had the AD axed a couple of weeks ago... probably in no small part because he's been intransigent about staying in a dying Big East), and word is that the ACC might also add either Louisville or Rutgers to get to the magic 16. Either way, my alma mater can't stay there. This state/U has invested WAY too much $ (in our nascent 10 years in D-1 football) on a 40,000-seat stadium and a training center on campus that ranks in the top practice facilities nationally to remain in a conference without a BCS tie-in. There's too much riding on it; the Big East as we knew it is done and it's time to move on now.

Don't trust other people with your money. Sadly, especially family and friends because they use the connection to expect to be forgiven when they steal or divert the $ from its intended use. Have had personal experience with this. At least when you have your $ handled by a professional, if you've got even half a brain there is accountability and verification and they risk their career if they do something, not just awkwardness at family parties or whatever token punishment they get after the $'s all gone. This case is just disgusting, but all too common these days. The things people will do for a little bit of money....

You know, that's going to be the media angle until the Bills actually do spend $ on a QB. They will say Ralph pinches pennies until he doesn't, and is worried about having to pay more for good players until he does. Because that's been the general story --- we either say lots and do little, use the leverage to pay guys below their worth (e.g. using Freddie's RFA status at age 30 to sign him cheap) or ship out guys that are expecting paydays. For people who don't know or follow the Bills, that's what they've seen. Granted, the LARGE $ above $7-8M (factoring in signing bonus amortization) should be tied up in performance incentives.

Oh damn.... I wrote that early (and I wasn't a math major)!

Nonetheless, our O needs to eat up a lot of clock to keep the Brady Bunch off the field. If it becomes their TEs against Kelsay and Bryan Scott.... well, we've already seen what happens. It's all well and good to think we're something, but just remember that the Pats* in the recent past are often the ones who've exposed to the rest of the league exactly how to beat us, if it wasn't already obvious at that point.

Walt is gonna be pissed on many counts. 1) Who thought when Gus asked to use the bathroom that he was going to piss in the Don's pool (as Tuco's uncle did) as everyone died? 2) Jesse had and still has the golden opportunity to kill Gus (and Mike) or at least just not help them. But then again, the business and something of a personal bond with them forged over the last several episodes may have been enough to convince Jesse that he's their man. Anyway, after the fight, it's hard to tell where things stand. Given Walt's cry-down and transferred apology to/via Walt Jr., and that Jesse demonstrated he can cook the product on his own, it seems like Jesse is now the jefe in their partnership. Addressing this and the DEA / Hank seems to be the storylines that are left for the season finale and next year's final run. 3) How good was the scene between Walt and Walt. Jr.? It really seems like after that rebuke from his son, this is the point where Walt might opt out, that enough is enough, he needs to take what he's gotten and turn around from what's he's been "this past year." But Skylar giving Ted that money is really going to get Walt's goat. And why do I think that the residual frustration from his defeat by Gus/Jesse is going to just make him semi-snap on his own family?

Am I mis-remembering this or wasn't the reason for the few-day demotion that he was late for a meeting?

Seriously, I think it's my avatar and caption that's doing it.

So, with 4 pod games and 6 other-pod conference games, there will be no room for interconference match-ups? I can't imagine, say, FSU - Florida, USC - Notre Dame, or any combination of the Virginia (and WVU) will be happy with that. They may have to accept it, but they wouldn't be happy. I think it'd be fair, once all of this stuff is done, to give teams 2 inter-superconference games per year to be worked out among ADs. (And, that's if FSU doesn't move to the SEC, which I've seen bandied about.) Also, the UConn to ACC rumors have apparently heated up. Link