AURex

On 5/12/2024 at 9:07 AM, JMWATS said:

 

There is no such thing as free.  Somebody is paying.   As I recall in America there is this thing called an academic scholarship where "higher education is free for those who make the grades and pass the exams".

 

In a lot of those countries where higher education is free to the student the rest of his or her peer group will not have an opportunity for higher education as the system has identified them as not worthy.       

 I think you missed the implication of free to STUDENTS. It is not a scholarship. It is free admission, coursework, materials, etc. There is no equivalent in the U.S.

As for "the rest of their peer group," well the same is true in the U.S. The younger people who do not pursue higher education, or who are just not smart enough to make a run educationally, are "not worthy" in the U.S. educational system either.

I started out in Architecture at Auburn, although I ended up in a different degree program.

Auburn is one of the top schools of architecture in the country. So why build an urban architecture program in Birmingham? Why not NYC or Chicago?

Yes, I see the local money thing. I am just curious about the overall academic thing.

Hayek and his compatriot in the Austrian School von Mises are heroes in the ultra-right capitalist cabal. I bought into that extremist philosophy as an undergrad at Auburn. It is fantasy. There is no connection to the real world in this economic machination. The notion of "methodological individualism" proposed by Hayek and others is really just preposterous.

The alternative is obviously not pure socialism in the Marxist vein, which has proven ludicrous as a socioeconomic system and horribly dehumanizing socially and politically. The same can be said of other autocratic sociopolicicoeconomic regimes.

If one looks at the real world of economies that are actually functioning, by which I mean governments that are actually pursuing policies that benefit their citizens (top to bottom citizens), it is the social democracies that blend policies that benefit corporate success, with policies that support individual freedoms and rights, health and prosperity.

I'm not convinced that his notion of "progressive capitalism" really ties in with social democracy. Conceptually, social democracy (to me) tends to emphasize human rights and social well-being founded upon a quasi-capitalist economic foundation that is subservient to the public good. The countries functioning within the social democracy ideology seem to outpace other economies worldwide as well as support for human rights.

The U.S. is not among those countries and seems to have moved steadily away from the social democratic ideals of the Roosevelt era in the direction, in recent decades, towards oligarchic economics and restriction of individuate rights.

So, however attractive the theories of Stiglitz, I just don't perceive the potential applicability of his notions in the real world. Socioeconomic theories are often pretty on paper, but ugly in practice.

This discussion seems to ignore the preseason. We don't know too much about the pre-conference schedule yet, but With UNC, Mich State and UConn, Maui could be ugly.

I really do not see this happening unless the athletic department is willing to PAY teams to come play a spring game in Jordan Hare. It woukd end up being kinda like a Fall game against a lower level opponent like Troy, Jax State, some directional school.

I do not think any G5 team would be interested even if it as home and home. Why? Because even though it woukd be a Spring game, it would affect media perceptions and preseason rankings.

Would Auburn want to pay a lower level team megabucks to come into Jordan Hare for a Spring Game? Personally, I'm skeptical of the entire idea.

Would I pay to attend? Nope. Would it really turn out to be a good workout for our depth players? I'm not sure of any real benefit.

Well, ya know, the American education system sux big donkey balls. In the countries we consider our economic and social equals, higher education is FREE for those who make the grades and pass the exams. And based on standardized exams, their younger populace beats the crap out of U.S. students in maths, history, geography, languages, reading comprehension, etc, etc.

And furthermore, not mentioned in this thread, there is a societal benefit to paying off the student debts of our younger generation. 

Well, thing is, QB problems last year were largely due to (1) crappy OL and (2) crappy WR. Personally, I think The Thorne is better than his stats and better than he seemed. Same as the s**t Bo had to endure at Auburn. But with a decent OL and some decent receivers and some decent coaching - well look what happened with Bo at Oregon.

Of course, I do not know that The Thorne is in the same elite league as Bo. But I do think he can do a lot better with decent offensive players around him. Coleman and the other WRs are going to be a force. If the OL this year is worth a crap, I', sayin' look out.

The big concern is the DL. IMO, the DL will determine Auburn's W-L record for the year. If they are bust-azzz good, Auburn goes 9-3. If they suck donkey balls, Auburn goes 7-5. If CHF is running the same O and calling the same plays as he did a decade ago, Auburn is in deep doooooodoooooo.

I am really trying top be optimistic. I really hope our Tigers make a big step forward this coming season.

He was always one of my favorite players. I wish he had more years to play.

I'm sure Robby is a really fine young man and there is no doubt that he is a truly excellent athlete. But he can't hit the broad side of a barn from 2 feet away in slow motion. I am so disheartened that coaches continued to feed his desire to be a QB rather than forcing him to move into a position where he could actually succeed. The coaches did a disservice to him and now it is too late for him make a real mark as a fb player in some other position.

On 5/8/2024 at 5:57 PM, NoALtiger said:

I mean Travore was an unproven kid. Achor is the opposite. You see what he did to Kansas in the tournament game?

Travore was rated as a 5 star recruit. CBP believed he was going to be a great addition to the team. He turned out to be a dud.

I do not doubt CBP's abilities as a motivational coach. He can get buy-in and effort from everyone on the team. I do question his dedication to recruiting tiny guards and unproven lower tier players. But then, I'm not a professional evaluator of talent and I'm inclined to go along with CBP - at least in the beginning. But he's definitely made some questionable recruiting decisions.

I'm not questioning Anchor's cred. I'm just saying that, if he can't make the grade for Auburn -- for ANY reason -- I'm not going to be slashing my wrists.

Improved OL?
Improved receiving corps?
Solid RB group?
Amazing placekicking!
Improved gameday play calling?
The Thorne surrounded by upgrades everywhere

I actually see the possibility of 9-3. On paper. With smokes. And with mirrors. And with inappropriate cheerleader inspiration. And of course with no important injuries. Could it turn out better than that? Wow, I hope! Could it turn out worse than that? Well, I hope not.

Everyone thinks I'm some sort of negga-nellie, but I am truly RAH-RAH War Damn Eagle, gimme some CHF magic!

Not surprising that CBP is once again looking to lower-division players hoping for a gem in the very deep portal trough. Achor seems to have done well at Samford. Those guys are always (according to CBP) hungry and that's why CBP likes them. I hope he is a Cheney and not a Travore. And if he is anything like Williams, I'll gladly eat a whole flock of crows, bc my man Williams was a true Auburn stud.

Okay, not intending to be negative. He is a good player. And CBP wants him, I want him!

Bama with or without Sears ...... They are pulling in 5 star players. Arkansas ... with Calipari they are pulling in 5 star players. Tennessee ain't going away. Florida ain't going away. Texas and Oklahoma coming in with solid teams.

I love CBP idea of pulling in guys from lower bracket teams with the idea of "they are hungry". But the thing is, a group of hungry players is not a;ways equal to a bunch of 5 star players. Just sayin'.

3 hours ago, JuscAUse! said:

He wants to fire everyone. In every sport. If you don't win the natty every year...."you're fired!".

I do NOT want to fire everyone in every sport. And I do not expect to win a natty every year.

What I do expect is *competitive* teams every season. Given the huge amounts of money Auburn brings in every single year, I have to ask where is it going and why are so many Auburn teams struggling to be even mediocre in SEC play?

And FYI, I played baseball, but instead competed in swimming. You got a problem with that?

3 hours ago, AUFAN78 said:

https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/4625253-on-alvin-bragg-and-the-art-of-not-taking-the-law-too-seriously/

Nope! The conservatives really want to try to dump this into a federal court so Trump can kill it if he is re-elected. But this is absolutely a NY STATE case. He can't axe this one. Conservatives are whining to no avail.

1 hour ago, Tiger720 said:

I feel like Pearl is going after players that he's hoping doesn't ask for much NIL money. His hands are tied due to NIL funds and that's a shame.

Most of the NIL is going top FB, but CBP has some money coming in. The return of Broome is evidence of that.

That said, CBP does like to pull in guys from lower divisions or who have not been given a lot of respect, because he thinks they are more "hungry" and want to prove their cred.

Fact is, he cannot throw the kind of NIL money at players the way Kansas, UNC, Duke, UK, Texas and now Arky can do. IMO, he is doing the best he can with what he's got.

Ans WDE - He's done an awesome job here at Auburn!

It does no good to counter the crazoid wingnut propaganda with actual factual information. I've given up even trying. They are lunatics.

Waiting to see who else CBP pulls in. The current lineup is maybe top 20 but definitely not top 12.

Please PROVE. ME. WRONG! I hunger for crow!

Anywhere else? Nope! Auburn mediocrity? Not sure Auburn would axe him, because mediocre is good enough and hiring new coaches costs nickles.

EDIT -- I need to try to remember to slap a huge sarcasm emoticon on my exaggerated posts, because obviously it is not clear without pictures.

As per my OP, I am not thrilled with the total mediocrity of Auburn sports. Yes, there are exceptions -- golf, equestrian, men's basketball, um ...?

But Auburn is pulling in sports revenue that is among the very top in the country. As pointed out previously, it is NOT going to the various athletic programs.

As for NIL, well, that is mostly going to FB and some to men's basketball. As for NIL to other sports, well, let me count the dimes on my fingers.

With Texas and Oklahoma coming in, and Bama and UGA and TN and LSU actually competing for dominance in the SEC and Nationally, welp, Auburn ain't there. Auburn is in the mid-pack for FB and BB and not even competitive in gymnastics, Track & Field, Swimming & Diving, all Women's sports,

Where are we?

I was a student at U of Illinois when the guys created Mosaic, which they later commercialized as Netscape. Alas, my Mosaic browser doesn't load any Auburn web content anymore.

That said, the problem isn't Firefox. That;s my default browser and it works just fine -- better than Chrome and not as slimy intrusive.

Just because students protest against a U.S. policy does not mean they are enemies of the U.S. or terrorists. I was active in the civil rights protests and I protested against the U.S. Vietnam War. I was not a terrorist. I was not un-American. In fact I supported our military fighting in Nam and after the war have always supported our Veterans. But I protested the war.

Check your U.S Supreme Court rulings regarding the American flag and the presentation of flags of other countries. A different flag is NOT a terrorist act. Even hoisting a Russian or North Korean or Chinese flag is not a "terrorist act" in our country.

Wingnut propaganda gets you nowhere with this crap.

1 hour ago, JuscAUse! said:

Definitely not the dumbest thing I've ever done. I've been married twice...  😆

Hahaha -- welp, me too, but the 2nd one stuck. 45 years now and counting.

Hey, no prob, man. I make a lot of posts that others decide to whack me for. I been slapped up and down -- as have a lot of AUFamily. Occasionally I even admit that I effed up! hahaha Good on you, my friend.

1. The issue here is that peaceful protests are a Constitutional right of all Americans (yes right wing and left wing), but violent protests are not protected speech (including both right wing and left wing). Once protests (right wing or left wing) become violent (taking over buildings, destroying property, destroying property, killing people), it is justifiable to use force to curtail them. Whether neo-Nazis in Charlotte or protesters at Columbia, violent protest is not acceptable.

2. You cannot deport U.S. citizens. Yes, I know, Trump says you can. He is wrong.

3. A protester is NOT a terrorist. That is right wing extremist crazoid rhetoric. Look up the definition of "terrorist." That ain't protester, even if the protester has a sit in or breaks a window. And Bragg's office will prosecute those who broke the law as his office does for all other crimes in NYC. 

Yes, I know you hate Bragg because he is prosecuting your orange god, but the fact is, all crime is down in NYC despite what is trumpeted and Bragg is doing his duty at all levels in this huge city.