todd

I have yet to see how this is legal. How the hell can you fire someone who is stupid enough to smoke? It doesn't make sense, unless someone signs a contract WHEN THEY ARE HIRED indicating that they won't smoke. I think smoking is stupid, and everyone who smokes should quit. I also think the ill effects of smoking causes everyone's insurance costs to go up. But I don't see how this is fair for people who allready worked at this place. On the other hand, a company should be able to hire and fire whoever they want,. especially if it enables them to remain competitive. That's freedom for you. I like freedom.

Are you insane? Really, this is a really bad idea.

Well, yeah. The smiths, cure, morrisey, etc didn't really come around until the early 80s, but in high school I knew lots of people who into those bands.

The Zen is still a good product, don't get me wrong.

I think UMASS has a stronger groove. Planet of Sound is all in your face, which is also good. Tough call is right. I feel bad for people who haven't had the luxury of being exposed to music that isn't played on the radio. I'm convinced that the reason people are so obsessed with the same groups is that they just haven't heard much else.

How fair is that? Whenever my wife brings another girl home, I always get to join in.

I considered it because of price, but my 20 gig Ipod is far superior. And the interface is better. And the industrial design is better.

I can't pick just one: 1. fitted shirt, the - Spoon 2. mogwai fear satan - Mogwai 3. ocean - sebadoh 4. the national anthem - radiohead and quite possibly the most rocking song of all time: 5. UMASS - Pixies I have a playlist on my Ipod with songs that "rock me hard."

Rock & Roll McDonalds (repeat, repeat, repeat) RIP Wesley.

I would like the guy's talent on our team, however you shouldn't mention Abraham and Smith in the same paragraph.

You keep harping on this Kendall guy, yet that is ONE example. There are many more examples of where TD made good moves. It's time you buck up and give more examples of TD being a tightwad.

Not true. Donahoe has spent lots of money on good players. Moulds, Takeo, Fletcher, etc. Saying that he is cheap is just silly. It's beyong being wrong, it's just silly.

Yeah, Bledsoe was brutal, but so was the rest of the team. I expect more heads will roll than just Bledsoe. Bledsoe didn't step up when the rest of the team needed him most. We need a QB who will do that.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in a week and a half.

So I'm selfish? Are you actually going to judge my entire economic opinions and personal worth on the merit of one post? You're trying to discredit my opinions, which is fine, but don't think that I feel that material goods are the be all and end all. Truth is you know very little about my thoughts, and whether or not I am materialistic. I've made certain decisions regarding my profession that might lead you to think that I am most certainly not materialistic or selfish! However, by making those decisions it's important that I don't throw $$ away on crap products. And by doing so, I can also tell the American auto industry that there is still work to be done before I return as a customer, which is actually doing them a favor. I am reflecting on the future, just not in a way that is equivalent to charity.

That's great. I buy what benefits ME. It's my money. I earned it, and I get to choose how I spend it. Buying a car is not charity for US auto workers, and doing so would be an injustice to our way of life. There is no viable reason to buy an inferior product. I tried to do it, but found it strained my car maintenance budget too much. I prefer to take the macro view of things. In a capitalistic society, if people don't buy the best product, there's no incentive for the inferior ones to improve. This is basic economics (unless you belong to a union). Let me put this another way -- American cars have been steadily improving since the 80s. Do you know why? Do you think they would have improved if they weren't under tremendous pressure from other corporations building better cars? This is the way the economy works, man. I will never, ever, buy a product just because it was or wasn't built in a certain country. As soon as I see an American car I like and am confident in it's reliability, I will buy it. I haven't seen one yet. I don't buy a car because it was made in Japan, I buy a car because I feel it's the best, most reliable car for the $$. BTW - I worked for Kodak. I saw the "American way" all too well. Inefficiency, waste, sloth, poor products, etc. Kodak isn't sh!tting the bed because of the Japanese, Kodak is shitting the bed because it failed to compete in a global market. There is never any reason to buy a Kodak product unless you feel it is the best available. Buying a product just because it is American is stupid. It doesn't fit the model of what an efficient market really is. Get with the 21st century, man. This is a global economy. Make good products or get out of it. Bon appetit! PS: I don't have kids, and I'm not planning on it.

Can you sue someone for putting a tennis ball down a toilet? :-)

Where do I work? I work in a capitalist society in which the consumer has the option to buy the best product available for the least amount of $$. Where do you work?

To be fair, the American cars I've owned are: 1. Chevy Chevette. Barely made 60K. What a complete POS. Yeah, it was cheap, but I ended up spending tons on the repair shop. 2. Pontiac 6000. What a garbage car. But I still wanted to "buy American." 3. Ford Escort. Ugh. This one may have been a true lemon, as I've known people who did well with Escorts of certain years. My family members have owned: 1. GMC Yukon. Lots of odd little problems, including a myriad of electrical ones. Enough to get rid of it. Oh yeah, then there was the new transmission. 80K miles. 2. Pontiac 1000. 40K miles. 2 clutches. New Springs. New radiator. Head gasket. Ugh. 3. Ford Taurus. Pretty good car until about 40K miles, then began to break down regularly. Certainly not the cream of the crop of American cars, but telling nonetheless. Non-american cars we've owned: 1. '86 Honda Civic. 160K miles. No problems other than the air conditioning. 2. '78 VW rabbit. Quite a few problems. Not reliable at all. 3. '89 Suzuki - Body fell apart before the engine did. 4. '97 Acura Integra. Good car. Never a problem, but way overpriced. My wife bought this one because it was red. Essentially the same car as a Civic. Sold it and got the Subaru. 5. '98 Honda Civic - got this to replace the other Civic. Amazing car. No problems ever. 6. 2003 Subaru Forester. Love it. Never had a problem, and is wonderfully safe and great in the snow. Only 26K miles, so I wouldn't expect any problems to arise yet, although the Pontiac I had started having problem after 20K. Overally, my direct experience with Japanese cars has been excellent, and my experience with American cars has been poor. Just the facts, jack.

Read the post. 105K miles. I've never owned an American vehicle that made it to 90K.

JP- You should change your name to "Crusade," but before you do that you may want to read the board rules. And maybe do a bit of studying on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Hear, hear! I have an Ipod and have evaluated other MP3 players. The Ipod is so far superior it isn't even funny. It's like comparing a computer to a calculator.

I've got a 20 Gig Ipod click wheel. It is the coolest tech thing I have ever owned. It is so much better than any other MP3 player I've ever experienced. I think the new teenie IPOD is a great compliment to it. I plan on getting one so when my wife and I work out we can both listen to our music without having to own two Ipods, or suffer with an inferior product that doesn't compliment what we currently have. The 20 Gig IPOD is amazing. I've got 2493 songs on it so far, and am not close to being full yet. The way it works with Itunes is awesome, and the wealth of accesories for it are great. Best of all, it's interface, including the click wheel absolutely blows away anything else on the market. Sorry folks, that's just the way it is. Based on the latest interview with Bill Gates, Micro$oft is clearly underestimating how much people who have Ipods love them. I don't own a Mac, either. I'm a PC guy, but the Ipod is awesome.

Haven't you ever heard of a fallback plan or a security blanket? Respect yourself, and don't let her do that to you.

Dr. Phil says: Run. Run fast before she starts to like you. I don't have time to type it all, but from personal experience - run. Actually, if you tell her to !@#$ off she'll probably like it, so do it in a nice way. Don't get emotionally involved in a woman who so clearly has issues on multiple levels. You can't fix self esteem issues in a woman, and that's clearly what she has. Run. Run, luke, run.