Hts121

You're right. What was I thinking. We shouldn't bring up double standards as they surely excuse bad behavior. I, for one, abandoned the two wrongs make two wrongs philosophy a few days ago and joined your camp where the source of the problem dictates whether it is worthy of my ire. Also, I'm sorry for the 'speaking in code' but aren't you the one who aims to 'tread softly' when espousing your true feeling about race? Please refer back to the bird for strength and purpose before responding.

^ and ^^ - You fellas just haven't really looked at or know about the bird.... yet.

Are they still not trimming the palm trees around LA. Last time I was out there, they had stopped doing that and they all looked like sh!te with the dead branches just hangning below the canopy.

... and you called her "stubborn"...

I hear that mafia types don't care much for 'snitches' (I think they call them 'rats'). Of course, that would not fit the intended theme and scope of this thread, but nice try... slipping in the Omerta references fellas.

^Free market at its best... I suppose. Thus, I would call it profiteering, not attention whoring. If true, I doubt he wants much attention at all... just $$$ she wasn't one of The Bangles. Was she?? lol The Bangles - Walk Like An Egyptian family guy: Thats not funny

Well... I 'believe' MTS is getting at an issue that is often overlooked. When you say Muslim to "Real Americans".... say, from Lynchburg, Va..... what is the stereotype? It is that of a woman dressed in full garb and a man beating her with a 'be good' stick. It is a terrorist with wild eyes, full scruffy beard, and sweat dripping from his forehead because he has 10 pounds of C-4 stapped to his waist. It certainly is nothing like my friend Mazen who I have known since I was 4, is a doctor at a major medical institution, who's wife unquestionably 'wears the pants' in the family, and who was born and raised here like so many of us. Or perhaps my friend Ferris who nobodoy on first glance would assume is anything other than a WASP, yet was born in Syria, came here at a very young age, and is fully 'Americanized.' I would say Mazen and Ferris are more typical of 'American-Muslims' than the stereotype. However, these radical fringe groups want to potray people who do not curse the thought of Park51 as somehow standing up for the rights of the terrorist, wife-beater, not my fellow American citizens who happen to be muslim and have the right to practice their religion wherever I am allowed (legally or socially) to practice mine.

The good thing is that it is usually the Browns who are 'sneaking out of the stadium with a win.' The Bucs should feel VERY fortunate to have won that game. Does anybody know what Delhomme hurt? (ankle? foot? toe?). He played terribly once he started limping.... throwing off his back foot for both of his INT's. The right side of the o-line looked terrible and I do not think they used Cribbs nearly enough. Harrison had that one big run but was bottled up on his other 8 carries. Other than that and, of course, the turnovers and game mgt blunders, I did not have any major issues with the way the team played.

We have to get some more speed on the kick teams. That's for sure. Very impressive win though. Should have been a blowout.

Good for him... Boehner backs down, says he would support extending tax cuts for just middle class WASHINGTON — House Republican leader John Boehner says he would support extending tax cuts only for middle-class earners even though he considers it "bad policy" to exclude the highest-earning Americans from tax relief during a recession. President Barack Obama's top economic adviser said Sunday he is happy that Boehner, R-Ohio, isn't willing to hold hostage an extension of tax cuts for those earning under $250,000 a year, or more than 97 percent of earners, to try to gain a continuation of breaks enjoyed by the wealthiest. http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/09/boehner_backs_down_says_he_wou.html

Nothing worse than chain link in the front yard. I'm not against front yard fencing, as I love brick and iron combos with some ivy mixed in, but chain link in the front just screams 'trash' to me.

Now you are comparing the CBC to street thugs. I suppose you just happened to cross by this August 2 article a week after starting this topic. How conveeeeeeenient....

Aside from a couple special teams breakdowns, very impressive win by the Buckeyes today. Game was not nearly as close as the final score (36-24) indicated. We could have easily been up 35-3 at the half if not for two Miami kick returns and a few penalties that negated touchdowns.

Not sure if this is the place to put it.... maybe we should have a thread dedicated to pedestrian bridges? Bridge architect Miguel Rosales lands commissions for three pedestrian bridge projects in Cleveland CLEVELAND, Ohio — Future residents may look back on the next few years as the period in which Cleveland embraced the idea of pedestrian bridges as works of art. Concepts for three slender and potentially beautiful spans are in various stages of development at Whiskey Island, North Coast Harbor and University Circle. All three could be designed by Boston architect Miguel Rosales, making Cleveland the only city in the United States with three signature spans by the nationally admired designer. ................................ .....a 700-foot span that would vault pedestrians and cyclists over a lakefront industrial zone from the Willow Street Lift Bridge north to Wendy Park on Whiskey Island. ................................. Rosales also signed a contract earlier this week with Case Western Reserve University to study possibilities for a pedestrian bridge extending west from the Cleveland Museum of Art over Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to the site of the future CWRU West Campus on East 105th Street. ................................... Rosales started work for the city of Cleveland on proposals for a pedestrian drawbridge at North Coast Harbor in March, 2009, and completed half a dozen concepts in August 2009. FULL STORY WITH SOME IMAGES/RENDERINGS: http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2010/09/bridge_architect_miguel_rosale.html

Actually, Lebron grew up a Florida State fan. He faithfully rooted Yankess, Bulls, Cowboys, Florida State in the 1990's. See a pattern?

And back to Park51... I heard an interesting interview with The Donald tonight. He posed a conspiracy theory that, I have to admit, caught my ear for a minute. I don't know how the ownership structure is set up, and I have read differing reports. But The Donald was talking as if there was one definitive owner that he approached to buy the property outright, with a cash payment and 24 hour closing. He says the guy bought this property for $4.8m last year and is 'open' to selling it. The Donald allegedly offered him the purchase price +25% and to cover all costs to date. But this 'developer' is allegedly thinking he can get $18-20m and turned down the offer on the spot. The Donald then went on a rant about how this seems to have been the guy's plan all along... to create this controversy and then make a killing by selling it to someone with deep pockets who either wants the project to proceed or someone who wants to block it, or maybe even the city or state would step in and buy it to calm things down. If so, he is a piece of sh!t and a master of the free market. That said, I'm not so sure The Donald has good information himself. I am fairly certain that the property is owned by a nonprofit entity called Park51, not some individual looking to (and capable of) make a profit off the sale of the property.

^That makes more sense. If that is your rationale, perhaps this will change your mind? Cleric - “I condemn everyone and anyone who commits acts of terrorism, and Hamas has committed acts of terrorism.” http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/09/imam-feisal-abdul-rauf-ground-zero-mosque.html

Well... I certainly try do my best to make sure my personal opinions have a rational explanation. To each his own.

That's your opinion and your entitled to it.... but can you not see a difference in the intent driving the two actions (putting aside speculative conspiracy theories, of course)? I also have yet to hear a rational explanation as to why the mosque is "dis-respectful". Dis-respectful to whom? The non-muslim victims of 9/11? I guess we are getting back to the question of what would be a "respectful distance".... whatever that means.

^^Sure you can. The law does. If it is an act intended to incite violence or has the unreasonable risk of inciting violence, then it is not a permissible freedom of expression. You can't yell "fire" in a crowded theatre. You can't yell "bomb" on an airplane. You can't say anything to intentionally incite a riot. It was this analysis precisely which made the case about flag burning so interesting from a legal standpoint. But we are not talking about what is and is not permissible.... although the book burning is walking a thin line, especially considering that Secretary Gates even felt compelled to call this numbskull and let him know that his event would put American soldiers in added danger.

Ram.... my man - Are you honestly not able to differentiate between building a community center as an effort (misguided or not) to build bridges and burning a book as a blatant effort to burn (no pun intended) bridges? I highly doubt it. Don't be disingenuous in your argument. Sure, both the construction of Park51 and the book burning 'offend' people... but two gay men kissing in public offends people as well.... lot's of people. However, I am not going to suggest to the gay couple that they maintain a 'respectful distance' because some schmuck on the other side of the room is offended.... or even if most people in the room are offended. On the other hand, my neighbor would be within his rights to hang a nazi flag on his front porch and you better believe I am going to say something. Does that make me a hypocrite? What IS analogous to burning the Koran in Florida is the idiots in Afghanistan (or wherever) who thought it would be best to burn an American flag in protest of the planned Koran burning. If I was to defend that action, yet condemn the Florida pastor, then feel free to call me a hypocrite.

I agree that is a hidden gem... however, are you sure it is in the "Midland Building. I know it is in the Landmark complex, but aren't there three buidings in that complex with Midland being the one in the middle and this arcade part of the western-most building?

Sadly, many muslims around the globe mis-percieve this small, Florida church's leader and followers as typical Americans.... much like many Americans mis-percieve small, violent factions in the Islamic world as typical muslims. Ironic indeed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100910/ap_on_re_us/quran_burning The comments following this story are just downright frightening.... and that was AFTER Yahoo censored some of the most extreme content. Now, I'm thoroughly convinced that proceeding with the Park51 project is, in a way, necessary. We are in trouble as a country if this hate-filled crowd is taught that their intolerable behavior can be rewarded. I do feel somewhat sorry for that crowd though, as it seems that the hate consumes them in a way similar to the way hate consumes most any radical.

The roads projects around me have been slow to finish. Not sure if this is a new technique or if I just never noticed before, but they are ripping up the roads and then setting a layer of new surface a few inches below the drains and manholes. It makes for a bumpy ride. They let that settle in for a few weeks and then finish it off with another layer of surface.