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Post by denisdman on Jul 1, 2016 9:24:02 GMT -6
I am fairly convinced that public schools across this country are in bad shape. It's been alleged that Texas' are very bad, but I don't think Illinois is doing much better.
In any case, when you look at International test scores, our country should be ashamed. For the amount of money poured into education, we get terrible outcomes.
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Post by denisdman on Jul 1, 2016 8:54:16 GMT -6
I enjoy these tales of DMan. My next one also has newspaper proof. The title of the article in the Daily Illini February 1993 is, "Trash n Burn". Oh the memories from the Six Pack Dorms......Garner 4th Floor represent.
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Post by denisdman on Jul 1, 2016 8:16:37 GMT -6
I'm back, and as promised, here is a tale about my first driving experience. To set the scene:
We lived in Hoffman Estates with a house that backed up to Higgins Rd just east of Roselle Rd. If you're familiar with the area, it is a wide roadway with huge ditches. Back in the 70's, the area was not congested, and Higgins amounted to a county highway with 55 MPH speed limits. Basically cars would zip down it. My parents had a three bedroom ranch with a detached garage and a car port. The yard was decent sized and was at a long distance to the road.
I was quite the rascal, so I am told. My mother had me buckled into a car seat in the rear part of the car. She started the car and left it running in the driveway. The garage door was closed as she was planning to leave. She had to run back into the house to get something. In that short time period, I managed to escape from the car seat and jump into the driver's seat. In those days, the cars had long handle shifters that did not require one to step on the brake to engage. So as any 18 month old would want to do, I shifted the car into drive and it idled away. The car (and me) went clear through the garage as my mom chased after us. The garage door landed on her, and she ended up in the hospital. I continued on my journey out the back of the garage, through the fence, across the east bound lanes of Higgins road and into the ditch on the other side. The car continue to idle along in the ditch until a passerby stopped his car and proceed to rescue me. The guy was a lawyer from Hanover Park.
I have a copy of the August 1975 (not 1976 as I said above) Daily Herald where the events are described in a blurb titled, "tot drives car through garage". It was on page two of the paper. I also liked that the front page of the paper shows a combine harvesting corn in Schaumburg as the area was largely rural back in those days. I drive past our old house on Higgins every day to work. It makes me smile to think of such a strange thing occurring when I was 18 months old. Unfortunately, I have no first hand recollection of the event. My parents have a few old Polaroids of the garage door. I am still proud that I drove and made the newspaper at 18 months old. I thought about reaching out to the lawyer who saved my life. I haven't done it yet.
Next up: A tale of petty crimes and property destruction on campus.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 29, 2016 7:54:11 GMT -6
It's #HeteroSexualPrideDay today! Everyone go out and bang some chick! Mind if I wait until the Peta Poke 'Em Event? Something cute and cuddly sounds like fun.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 28, 2016 11:59:10 GMT -6
Speaking of Teslas, I have two maxed out, and one on its way to max level. With 5M more gold and an open builder, I will get the last one on its way to max level.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 28, 2016 11:57:31 GMT -6
Ok enough with the wrestling, baseball, and other sports related chatter. In this thread I will share stories of various odd things I have encountered in my otherwise boring suburban upbringing. Today, I will take you back to the early 90's in the burgeoning Schaumburg landscape.
Early in my high school days at James B Conant High School, I acquired a car and a most valuable parking lot pass. I had earned plenty of money from a paper route, so the car was easy to get. The parking pass was more difficult because the student lot was somewhat space constrained. In any case, those facts are merely incidental to the story on one morning drive into school.
I was driving north on Plum Grove Road toward Conant. I had just passed Weathersfield Way. Between Weathersfield and Schaumburg Roads, there are several residential streets where folks need to join northbound traffic but do not have a stop light or stop sign. Of course during the morning rush, there is a fair bit of traffic on Plum Grove Road, so people turning left onto Plum Grove have to speed out into any break from the all the cars.
I am traveling at the typical 45-50 MPH. There were plenty of cars in both directions. In my peripheral vision, I see a Black BMW queued up to turn left onto Plum Grove. The BMW proceeds to pull out in front of southbound traffic in a very small gap, and misses. It gets slammed into by a Cadillac traveling southbound. The BMW was completely pitchforked mid body by the Caddy. As we all do when we see an accident occur around us, you kind of jump and then quickly rubber neck. Both cars were heavily damaged. But it is what happened next that makes the story a tad unusual.
So I am staring at the car accident. I recognize the BMW as an acquaintance at the high school named Ross. While I am looking at the accident, both the Caddy and the BMW speed away from the scene of the accident in opposite directions. BOTH cars flee the accident. It was surreal. Now Ross was a pot smoking moron, so it didn't overly shock me. But the late model Caddy, that was another matter. Was he driving without a license? Did he have an arrest warranty outstanding? He clearly did nothing wrong as he had the right of way. Well, the world will never know about the Caddy driver.
When I get to school, I was still in shock. I could not wait to find Ross to see what had happened. During lunch I tracked him down to see what happened. I asked him if he was alright among other pleasantries. Then I was like, "Dude, you hit that guy and drove away. Why did you do that?" In typical Spicoli fashion Ross says, "I was running late." Ok, but you hit the guy. So I follow up, "Did you get in trouble?" Ross says, "Yeah the police tracked me down." Beyond that, I don't really know what else happened or what became of Ross. He had a hairdo like Shemp from the Three Stooges.
Next time, we'll explore my first driving experience as a youth. It made the Daily Herald in August 1976. Yes 1976.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 28, 2016 10:47:59 GMT -6
You have those Julie DiCaro like public transportation problems! Anyone steal your snacks? I'm salty snack free. I'm a white male so it would be my fault to Julie. I resemble that remark. Unsalted peanuts are my snack of choice, when not eating cherries or grapes. I like needing a belt to hold up my 32 inch waist pants.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 28, 2016 10:21:00 GMT -6
You have those Julie DiCaro like public transportation problems! Anyone steal your snacks?
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Post by denisdman on Jun 28, 2016 10:05:37 GMT -6
I was at an open air bar in Wrigleyville about 10 years with a guy playing music with a guitar just like that. Mostly well known pop stuff, all covers. I went up to him and asked him if he knew any Dave Matthews songs, to which he replied simply "no".
Ouch.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 28, 2016 7:13:00 GMT -6
Greatest one year run in history. Golden State Warriors in 2015?
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Post by denisdman on Jun 28, 2016 6:52:07 GMT -6
I am certainly sorry to hear about Ryan. However, I am not looking forward to 85 Bears talk. That entire team and era needs to go away only to be revisited when the Bears win the Super Bowl again. It was lots of fun with the Shuffle and all, but it is a team that should have done so much more.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 27, 2016 12:27:28 GMT -6
Just seeing that picture, wow is he heavy. I always liked those two. Good for them.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 25, 2016 13:02:55 GMT -6
Sorry I can't contribute on racing or wrestling. I don't have an interest in either. Baseball's my thing.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 24, 2016 12:52:05 GMT -6
And inside the remaining EU, the populist right is going to rise up and demand independence akin to the UK. I think the whole thing crumbles based on the migrant crisis and fiscal irresponsibility of certain member states.
The EU has a chance to respond and make thing right for the other 27 countries, but here's guessing they are too dumb to do that.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 24, 2016 8:02:27 GMT -6
I suspect it will lead to the break up of the UK. We'll see leadership contests in both the Tory and Labor parties (as you noted the PM already resigned). They'll probably need to be new parliamentary elections.
Moreover, it will lead to the rise of the populist right in other EU countries, most notably France. The EU has a good shot of breaking up from here unless Brussels takes major action to be more accountable. The backlash against the political elite and globalization has come to a head. It is going to reorder the political spectrum in most first world democracies.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 23, 2016 12:11:21 GMT -6
Any activity in Baltimore in the wake of the verdict?
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CFMB
Jun 22, 2016 13:25:51 GMT -6
Post by denisdman on Jun 22, 2016 13:25:51 GMT -6
I am not sure I ever saw such a barrage of comments trying to swing people to one side of the fence. Much of the the dislike seems to originate from events that happened outside the scope of the public message board. I am not sure how someone would expect me to take their side of the story hook line and sinker about events that I did not see or read.
For instance, all the hand wringing about KS. I don't know the first thing about it. I honestly don't care. That is between KS and the guys that feel aggrieved. I never had an issue with the guy. People here welcome me even though I only post sparingly.
I did witness some things from BF that I did not care for, but I also saw a lot of folks push the rules and needle at him. It's not for me to say whether he had enough cause to ban them. I never got banned, and I post all the time. I felt it prudent not to directly attack the board admin. I tend to treat others with respect, and only playfully attack in an obviously joking manner.
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CFMB
Jun 22, 2016 11:31:22 GMT -6
Post by denisdman on Jun 22, 2016 11:31:22 GMT -6
Way too much hate and grudges these days among members and former members. I have been battling that yesterday and today. I'll keep posting in all three places as I just try to get along.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 9, 2016 15:24:24 GMT -6
Interesting. I guess the writing was on the wall. We need him back on the sports talk circuit. I bet he teams up with North.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 9, 2016 6:38:39 GMT -6
Ok as promised, I am listening this morning. Just looking for an acceptable listen.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 8, 2016 14:07:18 GMT -6
I was listening for quite a while. I can't recall who advocated it, TP maybe? Overall, it was fine. I can't stand the Score anymore, and ESPN is too bland. I'll give it a listen tomorrow. Cubs are on now...
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Post by denisdman on Jun 8, 2016 13:38:00 GMT -6
I haven't listened to this station in a while. I can't stand anything local but for M&H. I don't know if I want to go back to 105.7.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 8, 2016 8:43:08 GMT -6
That would be a Republican Party most people could get behind. denisdman for President! I want what is best for this country and all its citizens. I am not some well off guy who wants to stay that way by pushing other people down. I want opportunities for all, and that starts with education, tolerance, and a strong economy. It does us no good to have Chicago Public Schools "educating" kids at a level where they can't find career opportunities. I am hoping the Republicans get slaughtered in the fall for the disgrace in the way they ran Congress. Then they can have a come to Jesus moment where they need to decide how to win broad public support. Right now they are pandering to the lowest common denominator of about 35% of the population. They don't have any realistic solutions to what ails a fractured society.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 8, 2016 8:32:41 GMT -6
I voted for Kasich in the primaries. Originally I wanted Rubio, but he proved to be unprepared for the big stage. As a Libertarian leaning Republican, I will vote with my heart and vote Libertarian this year. I did the same thing when McCain ran. I am at the point where I hardly recognize the Republicans. They are so focused on fighting social change like gay marriage at the expense of small government, free markets and trade, and fiscal prudence. Instead, they'd rather fight wars all over the globe, cut taxes while the deficit balloons, and worry about bathroom usage.
The Republicans need to unify around core principles. Otherwise, you are pandering to media whores like several Tea Party guys who have caused trouble in the House and Populists like Trump. I don't even know what it means to be a Republican anymore. If I had my way, these things would become core principles: -Leave bedroom issues in the bedroom. The Supreme Court has already decided on abortion and gay marriage. Stop trying to turn back the clock and just live and let live. -Project power with the military but from a defensive posture. The tone should be, if you attack us or our allies, we will come after you hard. This approach instead of intervening in places like Libya and Syria. We created the mess in Iraq and Afghan. No more of that. -Balanced budgets. I hate taxes and government spending as much as the next guy, but it is much worse to spend money we don't have. We need sound money and a balanced fiscal approach. -Reduce the Federal Bureaucracy and regulation. The EPA, SEC, CFPB, Fed, NLRB, FCC, DOL and FTC are strangling business. -Reform and harmonize tax laws. The corporate tax regime is a mess with so many loopholes like S Corps, MLP's, LLC, REITs and other pass throughs as well as the territorial system. The entire AMT regime is a joke too. I am a CPA and can barely file my own taxes. We need to make the U.S. the number one place to do business. -A huge emphasis on education. While I prefer a local approach to most issues, I want to see a "man on the moon" approach to educating all children. They includes technical training, core learning, setting high expectations of parent, teacher, and students. -Immigration reform and outreach to minority groups. Stop pandering to racist whites and older voters. The party needs to be inclusive. Immigrants add skills and richness to our culture. Embrace these freedom seeking individuals.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 6, 2016 15:11:31 GMT -6
I am not a music guy, but I love Pearl Jam, STP, and Bush. I never cared for Nirvana.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 6, 2016 14:20:06 GMT -6
Uh yeah. He's one of the good ones. I am conflicted about a lot of folks right now, but TP is not one of them.
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Post by denisdman on Jun 6, 2016 13:32:32 GMT -6
TP is an eternal optimist. Plenty of hope left in those old bones.
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CFMB
Jun 5, 2016 4:45:23 GMT -6
Post by denisdman on Jun 5, 2016 4:45:23 GMT -6
Well it looks like they finally killed it. I took a beating for telling folks not to engage with the former leader. Too many egos, and now they tanked the whole site.
Reading Ryan's post above, and it is so true. Too much trolling. Too many personal attacks. Very little serious discussion or real sports debates. Yet I still love it.
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CFMB
May 13, 2016 8:12:05 GMT -6
Post by denisdman on May 13, 2016 8:12:05 GMT -6
Yes and raises hand. While there are some real ass hats in that place, I have come to enjoy the banter and speculation. Although the trolling pisses me off.
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CFMB
May 13, 2016 7:41:58 GMT -6
Post by denisdman on May 13, 2016 7:41:58 GMT -6
I joined last time the board went through a fit from the Downer's Grove hacker. I'm just going where the action is. While Hawg and TP are great, they are not enough to keep me here on their own. Right now, this place wins by default. I wouldn't say it's like getting stuck with the last girl at the bar, but more akin to hanging out with an asexual woman- you don't get consistent satisfaction.
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