Rocky

$4.149/gallon at the station closest to my home. I also have been taking the bus a great deal and therefore cutting down drastically on the amount of gas I use. I'm looking at ads for motorcycles and scooters... perhaps in the fall, I'll buy one of those two wheel contraptions to expand my transportation/time flexibility while minimizing my consumption of petroleum distillates.

Clearly, umps have been missing calls regarding home runs this season. This should help. In terms of anything else, I'd have to agree with the "purists" for the most part... BUT... This will evolve, depending on the experience with the system... AND let's not forget the problems now facing the NBA regarding the integrity of the referrees. I suspect that IR will eventually be used in every way or for every type of call for which it becomes feasible.

On this day that Interleague Play resumes for the 2008 season, MLB is NOW "pushing to put instant replay in use by August" MLB pushes to put instant replay in use by August By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer 1 hour, 39 minutes ago NEW YORK (AP)—Instant replay might be coming to Major League Baseball in an instant. Moving faster than expected and coming after a rash of blown calls, baseball wants to put replay into effect by August for home run disputes in hopes of fine-tuning the system by the playoffs. MLB and the umpires’ union need to reach agreement before replay can be tried, and the sides have started talking. Previously, it was thought replay would get its first look in the Arizona Fall League and then the 2009 World Baseball Classic. “The game needs it and I think it does need it soon,” Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lieber said Friday before a game at Toronto. “With technology the way it is today, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be a part of the game.” Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB’s executive vice president for baseball operations, is pushing for replay by Aug. 1; Rob Manfred, MLB’s executive vice president of labor relations, suggested Aug. 15. (continued) also from that article: "Commissioner Bud Selig will ultimately decide when MLB wants to put replay in place. A staunch opponent in the past, a spate of missed boundary calls— fair or foul, over the fence or not—last month left Selig leaning toward its limited use."

Robi, Your post reflects a great deal of thought and experience. That insight will be a shining light for your family in the days ahead. Your sister will, no doubt, be helped and comforted tremendously by that.

The thing that comes to my mind is that what your sister and nephews need now is NOT teaching. They need gentle words of comfort and hope. If anything, be watchful of those others who might be judgemental and be ready with soft, but if and when necessary firm, words of comfort and hope. No teaching will take away any pain, emotional or physical, at a time like this. Hugs and assurances of God's love and your love can bring a touch of comfort. But for the pain to subside, time is the only other thing that will help. Grieving, as you know from experiencing the loss of loved ones in the past, is inevitable. And trust that you already have the bottom line knowledge of the hope to share with your family.

I can... it goes like this... "Barry WHO?"

FOX showed the gatorade cooler throwing several times... Thanks for the idea... I DID register... and indeed, if I get tickets, I'm going right to Stubhub to sell them... for a premium, of course.

Talk about setting up some high expectations!!!

Didn't I play that for you on my DVR? It was on Countdown with Keith Olbermann last year... and I kept it... when you come over to paint my roof, I can show it to you again... :D

Wasn't it YOU who proclaimed that Gore wanted to make it a religion? Or submitted replies framed in terms of Global Warming as religion? I won't deny being too clever for you, but will say that I don't have any compelling need for anyone to actually believe it. :D

Well, Bob Walk did have a pretty decent Major league pitching career... Can you imagine what it would have been like for Bob Walk if he had played at Chase Field, B4 it was called Chase Field? I remember, maybe it was last year, seeing a game on TV with that guy pitching... I can't imagine any game broadcaster (for the opposing team) NOT making a big deal about the name Grant BalFour... at least until it gets old... or they do it enough times to where it's no longer a novelty. Well, despite having an amazing month of April, the Diamondbacks have been sucking big time lately.

Okay... you started to reply. You apparently saw two possible "religions" and seemingly answered the actual question with regard to one of them... then regarding the other possibility (of religion) you again made it about Gore. I appreciate that you recognized some ambiguity in the question, but would have preferred that you actually answer the question for both possibilities... SOOOOOOOOOO, what does that make YOU? An agnostic or an atheist? Just wondering. :)

So, does that make you an atheist or agnostic in this new "religion?"

Hmmm. Interesting. Insightful. Inciteful?

Along with a Texas judge ordering reunions of children and families today, the current cult leader apparently proclaimed publicly that they will no longer allow marriages involving girls until the girl reaches the age of consent in the state of residence. While that proclamation might not mean anything (if there's no accountability), it could mean something good ultimately will come from the terrible situation. Further, I heard tv news reports that said some of the mothers being reunited with their children are choosing not to return to the YFZ compound so that they can more easily cooperate with Texas child welfare officials as things develop. One such provision was for the parents to attend parenting classes. Given the potential for disaster (for the individual children, especially emotionally), it sounds like many of those involved will alter the way they raise the kids... I hope it works out.

I agree, Socks. And then I'd play some Michael Franks music for him... because I've got One Bad Habit! (the CD).

I took care of that typo for you wRonG...

However, it IS typical of his blather.

You were ASKING, right? Bickley -- getting umps to speed up the game Well, he IS always smiling, isn't he?

Within one 12 month period, beginning with last October... technically. Perhaps we should ask Scott McClellan -- What Happened?

Indeed. btw, that specific news copy (text) has been carried by numerous online news outlets (Associated Press), as opposed to being a Fox News exclusive (even though the link provided by rhino is to Fox News).

Depends on which government. The US federal govt.? No, I don't think so. Arizona state government, at least in some kinds of situations, yes.

Even though it's a tangent, yes, indeed, most of life's hard questions require complex thinking and diligent inquiry.

Duh! Like it hasn't happened before?!?

Clearly, Texas law regarding child abuse and severance of family relationships does NOT cover the kind of situation that those kids were in. Texas law, probably like many other (most?) states, allows state child protective services agencies to remove children ONLY when immediate harm can be demonstrated or found to either have happened or be imminent. Texas CPS did NOT meet that burden. And given that the raids were initiated based on fraudulent reports from an unstable person, I doubt they could have justified the raids anytime soon. And given the logistics of that cult, I can't imagine a state agency would ever be able to make that kind of case. If the TX state appeals and supreme court would have sanctioned those raids, they could reasonably have been labeled as ACTIVIST. For sanctioning those raids based on the (reasonable) understanding of the practices of that cult would have been the equivalent of those courts MAKING laws. Now, do I believe those kids were in danger? The pre-adolescents were NOT in danger, based on what we do know about the practices, of sexual abuse. Were those kids, boys and girls, subject to unreasonably strict (read: abusive) discipline? We do NOT know. Were (are) teen girls subject to a culture that strongly promoted (sexually) abusive relationships and practices? Most likely. However, the job of making laws belongs to legislatures, state and federal (Congress). And any such laws any legislature in the US were to try to pass would take immense degrees of political will to overcome natural opposition from any and every flavor of religion and religious organization in the US. Only the most narrowly constructed laws would be possible, even if there is enough political will. The process would be arduous, any ambiguity would be subject to unbelievable scrutiny, both lobbying/activist activity in legislatures AND legal (constitutional) challenges in courts all the way up to the US Supreme Court. By the time anything like that would be finished with the process(es), it would easily be more than 5 years and maybe decades. I believe the way the state of Texas handled the situation was appalling. And I do believe that Texas caused much more harm than they will ultimately even be able to claim as good resulting from what they did. Should something have been done? I wish something constructive could have been done. But I also believe there has been NO social worker or agency with experience that would have given them insight to do it without causing tremendous emotional harm to the hundreds of kids involved.