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Boris13c
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it has been warm in my area ... it is summer so that is to be expected ... so why it is a surprise to some baffles me

granted, near record setting heat for a week straight was not the ordinary summer heat, but still should not have been shocking

anyway, one side benefit of the summer heat is it makes people watching on the Metro work commute more palatable ... sunshine, through summer dresses, makes me happy ... and helps the work day begin on a positive note
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Boris13c
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for those who have more money than they know what to do with, the Orsos ... a $6 million man made floating island

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The oval-shaped "Orsos Island" has been designed to combine the mobility of a yacht with the comfort of a house. It offers six bedrooms spread over three floors and 1,000 square meters -- nearly four tennis courts -- worth of luxury living space.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/02/tech/orso ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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wab
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One of my consultants has something similar off the coast of Massachusetts. Not as lavish...but still pretty cool.
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gaba
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What does "nearly four tennis courts" mean?
CAPTAIN MEATBALL!
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Boris13c
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gaba wrote:What does "nearly four tennis courts" mean?

well, multiply this by "nearly four" :
The area need for a tennis court is 120' by 60' oriented north-south. A narrow court can be 120' - 55'.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_ ... z21ZY1K1iB" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
so it is "nearly" 480' x 240'

then you'd have to do some more math to get the "nearly" metric measurements

don't know why they chose to phrase it like that rather than use real numbers ... guess the tennis court reference is so the rich bastards who could actually afford it can understand

twit : "I say Buffy, we only have 2 tennis courts ... more than ample ... but this island boat is much larger ... so this island with motors would be smashing"

buffy : "oh Brad, you're so smart"
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gaba
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Okay... so I misread. I thought it said the boat had nearly four tennis courts. Like... literally painted surfaces with nets and all.
CAPTAIN MEATBALL!
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Boris13c
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"If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside."

Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
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Though barred from combat, women in military service do have de facto roles in combat. Tammy Duckworth, former assistant secretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs lost her legs in combat while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter. “When I’m asked if the country is ready for women in combat, I look down at where my legs used to be and think, ‘Where do you think this happened, a bar fight?’“
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
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I heart baby buffaloes!!
BEAR DOWN!
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Boris13c
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Mercedes Benz and the return of the Gullwing Coupe

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http://www.leftlanenews.com/new-car-buy ... -gullwing/#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

a faster, sleeker version of its historical predecessor

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IE
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Saw one of those at the Chicago Auto Show 18 months ago... cherry red & SWEET!
2023 Chicago Bears... emerging from a long hibernation, and hungry!
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Boris13c
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some good news from the ol' hometown of Chicago
Chicago lays claim to the "greenest street in America" with a new neighborhood streetscape that makes use of sustainable technology from the ground up.

CHICAGO - Chicago, the gritty city of stockyards, broad shoulders and the eternal Chicago Cubs, is building a reputation for sustainable technology thanks to one of its not-so-mean thoroughfares -- what city officials call the "greenest street in America."

On Oct. 9, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) unveiled the project, along Blue Island Ave. and Cermak Rd. in the city's Pilsen neighborhood. The $14 million project includes what CDOT calls the first commercial road use of photocatalytic cement. The material gobbles up nitrogen oxide gases from the surrounding air in a catalytic reaction that is powered by sunlight falling on the road surface. CDOT says about one-quarter of the material for the Cermak/Blue Island streetscape is recycled.

"This project demonstrates a full range of sustainable design techniques that improve the urban ecosystem," said CDOT Commissioner Gabe Klein in a press release. "It provides both mitigation and adaptation strategies by reducing its carbon footprint and integrating technologies that allow the infrastructure to address and adapt to climate change."


full story = http://specials.news.msn.com/americas-g ... -eats-smog" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
that is pretty cool :thumbsup:
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Awesome. I love little stuff like that, and I'm glad Chicago's willing to experiment progressively.
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Boris13c
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father and son?

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a father and son Joker team could have made for an interesting Batman ... too bad Heath Ledger decided real death was a better option
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Boris13c
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happiness is ....

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Portillo's famous Italian Beef Deluxe Pack

it os so nice they ship to Chicago natives outside their normal serving area

I had half of it over Christmas, and was going to save the rest for a Bears playoff weekend ... instead, it is going to be my weekend treat without the Bears
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
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Otis Day wrote:What's the world coming to when neighborhood watch people are carrying guns and following people?

Neighborhood WATCH actually following people!

When we did a watch we may have walked the neighborhood but we didn't confront passers thru. We kept an eye on them and made sure they made their way thru. Or we sat on the porch keeping any eye on things. BUT carrying guns!!!!

Hell, the NRA wants to make our schools safe by having people pack guns in our schools. :roll:
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Boris13c
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Ranch Style Beans

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first had these many years ago, while in Texas ... they are a pretty tasty right-from-the-can bean product ... used to get them regularly even at the grocery stores up north ... now, I can't seem to find them anywhere in my area ... an on-line search shows where you can buy them by the case on line, but the price is pretty steep for beans

apparently others also liked these beans, but can't readily find them ... this blog has a pretty good recipe to make your own ... I soak my beans overnight instead of the quick soak method

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2010/ ... ecipe.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ranch style beans
Ingredients:
16 oz. of dried pinto beans
6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 15 oz. can of tomatoes (or 2 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 cup of water
6 cups of beef broth
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
Soak the beans covered in water—either overnight or the quick soak method in which you place the beans in a pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat and let sit for one hour.

Drain the soaked beans.

In a cast-iron skillet heated up to medium high, cook the anchos on each side for a couple of minutes (or until they start to bubble and pop), turn off the heat and fill the skillet with warm water. Let them sit until soft and rehydrated, which should happen after half an hour or so.

In the pot you’ll be cooking your beans, heat up a teaspoon of canola oil and cook the onions for ten minutes on medium. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Throw the cooked onions and garlic in a blender and add the tomatoes, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, paprika, cumin, oregano, water and hydrated ancho chiles. Puree until smooth.

Add the pinto beans and beef broth to the pot and stir in the chile puree. On high, bring the pot to a boil and then cover; turn the heat down to low and simmer for two and a half hours, stirring occasionally. At this point, I check my beans for tenderness as depending on the freshness of the beans I find that the cooking time can be as short as two and a half hours and as long as four hours. When you're satisfied that the beans are done, salt and pepper to taste.

Feeds four to six.
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wab
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pus wrote:
Otis Day wrote:What's the world coming to when neighborhood watch people are carrying guns and following people?

Neighborhood WATCH actually following people!

When we did a watch we may have walked the neighborhood but we didn't confront passers thru. We kept an eye on them and made sure they made their way thru. Or we sat on the porch keeping any eye on things. BUT carrying guns!!!!

Hell, the NRA wants to make our schools safe by having people pack guns in our schools. :roll:
If they can put armed guards at the entrance to a bank or airport. Why not at the entrance of a school?
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wab wrote:
pus wrote:
Hell, the NRA wants to make our schools safe by having people pack guns in our schools. :roll:
If they can put armed guards at the entrance to a bank or airport. Why not at the entrance of a school?
There was a mass murder at a McDonalds back in the 90's. Guy killed a bunch of people, numbered in the teens at least. There have been a number of instances other than schools, like theaters, malls, especially workplaces.

We can't post an armed guard everywhere people gather in double-digit numbers.
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wab
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I'm not saying that at all. But my kids are important to me. And if they can put an air Marshall on a plane, I've got no problem with them putting a guard in a school.
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Hell, they have armed guards at Social Security Offices!!
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Obama is against having an armed guard in schools. But I can't help but notice that his daughters have secret security officers at their schools. I am reasonable sure they are armed. Just saying.
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wab
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I'n not trying to be a meat-head about this. And I'm not trying to turn this into an argument about gun control. I have a safe full of guns not 15 feet from where I'm sitting right now, but I also realize the need for gun laws. This isn't the wild west.

All I'm saying is that if guns can protect my money and my luggage...they should be able to protect my two kids.
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This is actually a topic that came up recently when it was revealed there was a sniper nest for a member of the local SWAT team at the Super Bowl:

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Some people were outraged while others said it made them feel safer. Personally I'm of the latter but I think that's something that's going to vary depending on everyone's background.
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I kind of agree that they were probably safer but I think its an outrage that we feel it necessary to go to that kind of measure. Its like we're living in a freaking action-adventure shoot 'em up movie in our everyday lives.

Subjectively, if I knew they were up there looking at me through their scopes I would not feel a damn bit safer. I would probably be so pissed off it would ruin the whole thing for me.

I really have a problem with anyone putting me in their sights, even if its "big brother" protecting me from the baddies. :-x
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Boris13c
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interesting underwater vacation spot

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"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
George Carlin
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Boris13c
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On this Day, February 14 1929

Al Capone tried to strike a decisive blow against his Chicago gangland rival George "Bugs" Moran in what came to be known as the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/p/valentines.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Al Capone had the right idea when it comes to celebrating this florist-sponsored holiday.
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It seems that real-life nightmares are happening more often these days, leaving us ever more frequently stunned and appalled when the latest killing spree hits the media.

Then, in between those horrific events, we continue merrily along in our everyday culture of violence: history, games, films, music, television, kill, kill, kill.....

You guys have brought out the hippy in this jarhead. Yer damn right I'm gonna be smokin' weed. 8-)
Last edited by o-pus #40 in B major on Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Boris13c
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we are a pretty unhealthy society when seeing a woman's boob is deemed to be a world stopping criminal offense but seeing bodies exploded and limbs torn off in prime time is just good entertainment
"Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things."
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