No Beaks: The End?

It All Comes Down To This?

What a terrible start to a weekend...  but not a bad ending.  Eh?

First, there is that terrible blown lead in Michigan by my faithful Wisconsin Badgers...  it didn't feel good to watch them lose, but it seems that the further and further away I get from my graduation date, the less Badger losses really affect me.

Then, the Sox lose their fifth straight with the bullpen getting plunked by the Indians in the end of a long week of baseball.

And then...  the sky parted and brought us Sunday!  Oh glorious Sunday!  The Packers get beat by those rough and tough Bucs in Tampa!  The White Sox play there way to a victory over Cleveland, making the make up against Detroit a necessary reality!  And finally, the Bears beat Philadelphia, at a game I got to witness first hand thanks to the people at SpeedyWillie.org!  From hangin' at the bus to that end zone stand to end the game, it was a great Bears win....  As for the annoying Philadelphia Eagles fans, that is a story for a later date?  Or right now...

Seated behind the Squad, his cousins and myself, were the biggest group of douche bag Philladelphia fans the world has ever seen.  After living on the East Coast and working at ESPN during my formative post-college days, I found that Philadelphia sports fans are the dumbest and biggest A-holes in the sporting world.  They are worse than Cubs fans, far more annoying than Yankees fans and less informed than any Packers fan I've ever met.  To top this all off...  most don't even come from Philadelphia, but New Jersey.  They are all dirtbags too! (To note:  I made all of these points to the gentlemen seated behind us...  and offered to wrastle them all in the middle of Lake Shore Dr. after the game.  After the goal line stand and the Eagels loss, they all left the game early.  Douchebags.)

And to conclude...  the Sox won last night thanks to soon to be AL Rookie of the Year Alexi "The Cuban Missle" Ramirez's record breaking 4th grand slam of the season!  Thus, the table was set for a one game playoff with those pirhana's without teeth when they leave the Metrodome, Minnesota Twins!  Bring Em' On!

Now you could've gotten all this information from some sports webpage, the news or the paper, but screw that! 

Go Go White Sox!!!!!

Bye for now...

Who's Depressed?

As one who has done their fair share of study in history...  I find it necessary to stand up and tell you all that there will not be some Great Depression that starts on Monday.  If the government does something or doesn't do something there will be no "day" where we are all out of jobs and living in vans down by the river.

The Great Depression is often described as something that started on Black Tuesday, or a day on Wall Street where stock prices fell dramatically.  This did not create the Great Depression.  In fact no one event created the Great Depression.  It was actually a multitude of economic, political, social and environmental factors which led to an economic downturn for a large number of people around the world...

And that last part is the key word...  world.  The Great Depression actually started because of the economic problems of overproduction that resulted from WWI.  While Europe suffered from a debilitating war economically, the US continued to produce and produce and produce due to deregulation of industry.  To deal with the lack of markets to sell in, the companies laid off workers to keep profits up.  This hurt them even more, because the people they laid off were the only ones buying their products.  The government reacted by passing tariffs and taxing foreign made goods.  This hurt competition in the market place and companies laid off more workers.  Thus, unemployment hit an all time high in the urban industrial areas.

Then...  the unemployment hit the west when the largest drought in recorded history hit the Midwest, creating what is called the Dust Bowl.  While many think this country's power is in their industrial might, the truth is that it lies in its agricultural production.  We are one of the largest producers of wheat and corn in the world.  At the time of the Great Depression...  it was pretty much just us.  When the drought led to a mass downturn in production of crops, farmers lost their land to the banks, the banks sold off parcels to large scale mega- farmers and the rest is history....

So you see...  it takes more than a few financial institutions failing to create a Great Depression.  It usually takes part lack of governmental regulation, which we do have in this economic downturn, and part mother nature, which we haven't had yet, unless you ask Al Gore. 

The government stepping in is not going to fix it or make it better right away, no matter how they step in.  However, what is for you to decide is whether how they step in is good for the America people.  I'm not a fan of the government taking over control of foreclosed homes.  What will they do with these homes?  Re-sell them?  Build parking ramps? 

Anyway, be less scared about a Great Depression happening and more scared about what the government is going to get control of as a result of American fear over a possible Great Depression.  They are probably going to get more control over the economy, and it's usually you and I that lose out when that happens.  And that is simple bipartisan truth...

Seriously... The Sox Just Don't Want It

I have been optimistic all season...  and to be honest, how can't you when your team has remained in 1st place for the majority of the baseball season.  But last night, the last little flicker of optimism burnt out.  We're screwed. 

Like years past, while this Twins team is in no way better than the Sox talent wise, they want it more...  at least when they play the Sox.  When they're playing Tampa Bay or Detroit or New York it seems like they don't want it either.  However, what do you expect with two teams that have bullpens who have yet to see a home run they don't like to give up (i.e. Boone Logan and Matt Guerrierlast night)!

Seriously...  if the Sox lose tonight they will slip closer towards not making the playoffs.  But, even if they are swept in this three game series they will end up only a half game back of Minnesota.  Then, imagine this...  they win all three at home while the Twins sweep K.C. at home.  This puts the Sox .5 games back with a make up game to play with Detroit!  If the Sox win that one they will be in a tie with Minnesota which will require some sort of playoff and a further extension of the season.

This is what a crazy person thinks of when they are hooked on a win and the playoffs.  At this point I've dedicated so much time to this team, to see them give up the 1st place division title and the playoffs is enough to make me want to pack up, move to Minnesota and become a Twins fan!

There...  I said it!

I sent a text to the Squad last night which read, "These ass****s f***in suck!"

His responded, "Agreed."

The End...

Who are Anonymous?

Have you heard about these protesters to everything Scientology?  Now I've had my own stabs at Scientology in the past, but these people seem a little too much into being anti-Scientology...  Case in point.

The Speak-N-Spell voice really has an impact on that video.  But why Scientology?  Not fans of Top Gun...  I guess.  And that movie alone is why I give Tom Cruise a pass on the whole thing.

Anyway, now Anonymous has wielded their protesting ways at Sara Palin by hacking into her private email. Inside they found several recipes for Moose Pie, several email news updates from NHL.com and a welcome evite from Planned Parenthood Anchorage!

Good one right...  just like my other joke, McCain is going to lead us in the White House?  He couldn't even get out of a wood box in Vietnam...  how is he going to get us out of this economy?!?!?

I might have to keep working on that one...

Later!

Alright... I'm going to let it fly here!

I have to admit it...  90210 is the best show of the fall season.  I finally made it through the pilot and I must admit that I'm absolutely riveted.   I can't wait to get to the next episode and the third episode is on tonight!  I love it all!

The Kelly and Brenda reunion was perfect and the best is the Joe E. Tata appearance as the still in charge Nat who is running the Peach Pit and The Pit?  Which also make appearances.  There is also Kelly's younger sister Silver who I believe was the offspring of Kelly's mother's affair with David Silver's father!  And it just keeps coming...

In the first 20 minutes there was the drop in of Andrea's daughter with Jesse when the news is given by a girl who gives her last name as Zuckerman-Vazquez!  You missed that one didn't you?

I know many of you have watched this and are afraid to own up to it!  We loved Beverly Hills 90210.  It was a show that defined our generation.  Every Wednesday night was 90210 night and this new season does just as well or even better with racier language and topics and much better looking girls.  Hell, Kelly looks better than ever now with the full womanly body!  I think she is like 40 now...  right?

Anyway...  give the show a watch on the CW at 7 tonight!  I'm tellin' you...  you won't be disappointed.

Summer of Art Season 5: Fall Vacation!

My 10 week paternity leave has begun!

As many of you may know already, I've filed my papers and taken a 10 week leave of absence from my position as a molder of minds to care for the Lil' Boss.  Today is the first of what should be a truly momentous adventure in the annals of fatherhood.  It's either going to go really, really well or absolutely horrible and I'll be shamed back to work by a disappointed wife and baby!  I'm fairly certain it will be more of the former rather than the latter.

Anyway...  here is what's on tap in the upcoming weeks.  We will be taking several adventures weekly as I plan to show the Lil' Boss a little part of the city once a week.  Our first adventure has yet to be decided...  but I'm working on it.  It depends on whether we'll be having any more monsoon type weather patterns.  Some TBD'd locations are Millennium Park so that the Bean can see the "Bean," a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts on the free Tuesdays so the Lil' Boss can see a Monet, as well as the Museum of Science and Industry to see a Mummy! 

I know she won't remember it...  but what the hell!  So make sure to check out Lilboss.net for these and any other adventures the Lil' Boss and I and Bascom take over the next several weeks! 

Don't worry... you'll also hear some bitching about the Sox and Bears and Badgers and politics and current events and Spencer Pratt as well... right here at No Beaks!

Lata!

Intriguing Ideas

Here are some things I've been thinking about over the last few days...

I think Sarah Palin is the anti-Christ.

There are many different ways one can tell somebody to wash your car and not get the intended result.

Jewish people are usually much funnier than Catholics or others who believe in Jesus.

The Army is much tougher than the Navy.

If you tell jokes and people are laughing, that's much better than telling no jokes.  But if you're telling jokes and nobody is laughing, it's probably better to just shut up.

My boss talks A LOT and never makes sense.

Meetings were created to make anybody's life seem MUCH better than at work!

Babies really don't change your life that much...  I mean not for the worse, only the better.

That's it...  have a good hump day.

The Long Haul...

This is the month of September...  there are 23 games left in the 2008 White Sox season.  As of this afternoon, after a 4-2 victory in Cleveland, the Sox own a .5 game lead over the Twins.  They lost last night just like the Sox.  All in all, it seems like nobody seems very in to winning the AL Central and making the post-season.  Maybe all the Sox players just feel like the Cubs should get their shot and that two teams in the playoffs from one city would be "too much."  Or maybe they are just too involved or interested in the CalebHainey story... to worry about the post-season.  They may just have hurt hands or backs, but lets be honest, when you want to win you just play right through it.  But maybe the team has been influenced by the biggest pussy in MLB history   Tightness in my back!  I mean really...  everyone knows how you get tightness in your back!

Anyway...  here is how I see the season ending up!

We take 2 out of three from the Angels, split with Toronto and sweep Detroit going 7-3 on homestand.  Meanwhile, I see the Twins being swept by Toronto and dropping 2 of 3 in Baltimore as well as sweeping Detroit  and taking 2 of 3 from KC at home.  That puts them at 6-4 over the same time period which puts the Sox up 1 by their 7 game road trip to New York and KC.  They will sweep both of these series while Minnesota will take 2 of 3 in Cleveland but get swept by Tampa Bay.  This puts the Sox up 6 games with 6 to play.  The Sox will get swept by Minnesota at the Dome only to take 1of three from the Tribe at home and clinch the AL Central title on the last day of the season... as the Twins sweep KC at home and finish one game back!

Got it?  Good!  Now go watch.

Are the Republicans just throwing in the towel?

Barack Obama spoke in front of about 100,000 people last Thursday in Denver.  Last night, President Bush and VP Cheney backed out of Prime Time speeches because of Hurricane Gustav.  Is it me or do the Republicans just seem to realize they don't have a shot in the next election?  It almost seems that they've given up before the real election has even begun...  which sucks! 

I was looking forward to some really deeply disturbing attack ads this fall.

Like McCain's, "Yeah, he says he's up for Change!  But C'mon don't you see that Obama's black?!?!?"

Or the Obama response, "I am black, and I thank John McCain for his efforts in the Civil War to set my people free!"

Seriously...  I think we're really going to get gipped this year!  But then again, we've been gipped pretty much every year since 1996...  those of us who turned 18 in '96.  I mean Clinton vs. Dole?  That was an easy one.  And while Bush vs. Gore in 2000 was "controversial" it didn't really pack any big time punches.  This could've been the year for some really down ol' dirty politics.  Black vs. Old,  Young vs. White...  Reality vs. Senility!

Anyway...  just thought I'd share my disappointment.