Charles Johnson Images • Thu Jan 21, 2010 at 11:16 pm PST • Views: 900
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Four Dead in Dallas Crash Where Problem Floor Mats Found in Trunk
Seems the problem has nothing to do with floor mats.
Scroll down, and click on the video - a "breakthrough case" in which a driver brought his vehicle to a dealership while it was mis-behaving. Also, check out the comments, for example by sjmbandit 12:45 AM and by sickandtired1951 12:20 AM and 12:02 AM.
Watching "Kill Bill Vol. 2" and reviewing my first day in Seattle.
What's happening in your life? I've missed a lot, but I've gathered you were on a cross country drive and stopped off to visit some Lizards. You loved New Mexico, and now what? You live in Seattle, or you're hanging out there?
Amidst the voter anger at Wall Street and Washington, D.C., ABC News has learned that the Senate Democratic leadership isn't sure there are enough votes to re-confirm Ben Bernanke for another term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
I've got a job here for a while at least. Been on Bainbridge Island for more than a week. Today I finally visited Coffee Ground Zero.
I've never explored Seattle. I spent a couple days in Tacoma. I have friends in Bellingham and Whidbey Island and I've never visited. Bad! My brother came back from Seattle with a bag of Space Needle pasta so I made up a dish with salmon that wasn't half bad.
I've never explored Seattle. I spent a couple days in Tacoma. I have friends in Bellingham and Whidbey Island and I've never visited. Bad! My brother came back from Seattle with a bag of Space Needle pasta so I made up a dish with salmon that wasn't half bad.
Was Coffee Ground Zero all you hoped for?
Hell, it was a beautiful day. Actual sunshine.
And you can get a coffee buzz just walking around the streets. That's how many java shops there are.
BTW, it just hailed on me on the walk home. The joys of El Nino...
You can see how much rain we've had in the last week by going here:
[Link: water.weather.gov...]
and select "last 7 days" on the list in the lower left. That is just an estimate based out of SGX, but at that scale it is reasonable. Locally, intense downpours cause large values. The automated rain gauges here:
[Link: www.wrh.noaa.gov...]
present an interesting picture too (select "3 days", the longest over which they sum.) Some gauges are over 10" of precip over the last three days; note that the gauges are not always trustworthy, but in this case I can believe the high figures. Since they don't accumulate over 3 days, the week total is higher than that amount on the map!
I love the rain, just wish it wouldn't happen all at once.
Reading up on Alice in Wonderland. It opens in March. The Cheshire Cat is voiced by Stephen Fry. SlashFilm Blogging the Reel World is where I get my movie news.
Reading up on Alice in Wonderland. It opens in March. The Cheshire Cat is voiced by Stephen Fry. SlashFilm Blogging the Reel World is where I get my movie news.
Saw the preview when I went to watch "Avatar". Looks like fun.
Tir'd with all these, for restful death I cry,
As, to behold desert a beggar born,
And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity,
And purest faith unhappily forsworn,
And gilded honour shamefully misplac'd,
And maiden virtue rudely strumpeted,
And right perfection wrongfully disgrac'd,
And strength by limping sway disabled,
And art made tongue-tied by authority,
And folly, doctor-like, controlling skill,
And simple truth miscall'd simplicity,
And captive good attending captain ill.
Tir'd with all these, from these would I be gone,
Save that, to die, I leave my love alone.
Sonnet LXVI, the which proveth that the poet knows no law of "good style" that cannot be broken with impunity by him who knoweth what he doth, viz. run-on sentences and beginning ten lines with the self-same word.
Sonnet LXVI, the which proveth that the poet knows no law of "good style" that cannot be broken with impunity by him who knoweth what he doth, viz. run-on sentences and beginning ten lines with the self-same word.
In the old age black was not counted fair,
Or if it were, it bore not beauty's name;
But now is black beauty's successive heir,
And beauty slander'd with a bastard shame:
For since each hand hath put on nature's power,
Fairing the foul with art's false borrow'd face,
Sweet beauty hath no name, no holy bower,
But is profaned, if not lives in disgrace.
Therefore my mistress' brows are raven black,
Her eyes so suited, and they mourners seem
At such who, not born fair, no beauty lack,
Slandering creation with a false esteem:
Yet so they mourn, becoming of their woe,
That every tongue says beauty should look so
There are so many great lines from Twelfth Night to be used here and there as the occasions arise. We need to do it more often. Once I get past Malvolio's yellow stockings and actually concentrate on the words, the story's full o gems.
The thing is, these affected vehicles don't use classic mechanical or cable linkages for the "accellerator" function. They use electronic sensors and signaling, and ...software.
I have to wonder what percentage of C programmers understand the subtleties of unsigned, signed, and circular number lines; two's complement versus sign-magnitude, etc.
There are so many great lines from Twelfth Night to be used here and there as the occasions arise. We need to do it more often. Once I get past Malvolio's yellow stockings and actually concentrate on the words, the story's full o gems.
Twelfth Night is so great-- I still have never read it, but saw a production some friends were in. I loved it. I didn't realise just how many quotations come from it (which is almost always my experience when seeing or reading a shakespeare play for the first time-- "hey, so that's where that's from!").
I have to wonder how drivers will like it when cars reach the point where you're obliged to do a software update and a hard reboot in the middle of your daily commute.
Twelfth Night is so great-- I still have never read it, but saw a production some friends were in. I loved it. I didn't realise just how many quotations come from it (which is almost always my experience when seeing or reading a shakespeare play for the first time-- "hey, so that's where that's from!").
Long ago and far away I got to play Maria in a scene at a workshop, so not a full production, but fun and intense.
Its a line I stole from Bert Brecht: "I, a [German] poet, stand above the grammarians."
It means I break my own rules when it suits me.
My wholly invented guess was that it meant "I am an American poet who stands above all others, including grammarians." Yay for inference to the best explanation!
I have to wonder how drivers will like it when cars reach the point where you're obliged to do a software update and a hard reboot in the middle of your daily commute.
Ha! Another serious concern with the proliferation of electronic controls is the growing number of connections. I'd bet most bean counters have not a clue why some dissimilar metals in contact quickly corrode and others don't. And I'd bet most engineers do know --but who gets to decide in such matters?
Had a headlight fail in a 1970s era car. When I went to replace it, turned out to be minor corrosion problem at the connector. Imagine several dozens (hundreds?) of critical connections.
Um...me, myself and I...no...My friend invited my other friend and me...um...me and my friend... to watch Yul Brenner in The King and Me...no, wait a minute, it was The King and I (the other one was Roger and Me - or was that Roger and I?)...shit. What was that rule again?... I haven't slept for two days; I'll figure it out...
Sonnet LXVI, the which proveth that the poet knows no law of "good style" that cannot be broken with impunity by him who knoweth what he doth, viz. run-on sentences and beginning ten lines with the self-same word.
EGO POETA AMERICANVS SVPRA GRAMMATICOS STO
Scanning those lines, I'm reminded of certain songs by Dylan - early period. The same semi-hypnotic rhythmic repetitions and accumulation of ideas and images... It's too early in the morning for me to cite the examples, but I expect to recall a few as the neurons warm up.
The thing is, these affected vehicles don't use classic mechanical or cable linkages for the "accellerator" function. They use electronic sensors and signaling, and ...software.
I have to wonder what percentage of C programmers understand the subtleties of unsigned, signed, and circular number lines; two's complement versus sign-magnitude, etc.
Given that all of the software peculiarities you mention are covered by sophomore year in any computer science curriculum, it's safe to say that the vast majority of C programmers know what they are and how to use them in programs. Most also learn to call them by their proper names, and use 'modular arithmetic' rather than 'circular number lines' when discussing a feature that is built into nearly every programming language, and is easily added if not.
Sounds like it's clearly a mechanical problem from the description in the article you linked. Replacing the obvious suspect parts cured it. I very much doubt Toyota would undertake a recall of 2.5 million vehicles to replace mechanical parts if there was a software problem that could be fixed much more cheaply.
I'd also hesitate to take the word of someone who, by his own description, was clearly panicking when the incident in question occurred. His contribution seems to have been to deliver a real-time example of the problem, but his observations were heavily influenced by adrenalin and probably aren't very reliable.
I'm putting this one in the drawer next to the 'Exploding Pyrex Bakeware' folder.
Appreciate the reply. The thing about a 'circular number line' versus the others I mentioned is that 'overflow' is generally not a concern. I've no problem with the name, modular arithmetic.
Pretty pic. I love the desert, and dessert. Morning People.
It's a dry heat.
Good Morning Lizards. Took my 6 year old to the circus last night. We left at the intermission as he was ready to go home. He had fun though. I really appreciated the PETA protesters outside...Not.
The thing is, these affected vehicles don't use classic mechanical or cable linkages for the "accellerator" function. They use electronic sensors and signaling, and ...software.
I have to wonder what percentage of C programmers understand the subtleties of unsigned, signed, and circular number lines; two's complement versus sign-magnitude, etc.
Sometimes the old-fashioned way is still the better way to go.
I was in NYC a couple years ago and the circus was at MSG. Protesters everywhere. They soon learned they were just in the way. I love New Yorkers. Mornin'.
Not only that, but the government (you know, taxpayers) owns a huge chunk of Citigroup. the taxpayers' stake is now worth over $1 Billion less now. What a dumbass!
Not only that, but the government (you know, taxpayers) owns a huge chunk of Citigroup. the taxpayers' stake is now worth over $1 Billion less now. What a dumbass!
But, but...To big to fail, hope and change. Bernake.
/sorry for your loss (serious 'bout that part)
Not only that, but the government (you know, taxpayers) owns a huge chunk of Citigroup. the taxpayers' stake is now worth over $1 Billion less now. What a dumbass!
I've never had a problem getting money out of my bank...until this year. I'm busy enough that I need to bring in more people and I just picked up a really big job that I'm going to need to buy some machinery to finish. Normally I walk in and tell them how much I need and they cut a check a couple hours later, this time it's like pulling teeth.
Good Morning Lizards. Took my 6 year old to the circus last night. We left at the intermission as he was ready to go home. He had fun though. I really appreciated the PETA protesters outside...Not.
Well fortunately I was all in cash before the crash. Started buying stocks on the way up but still, I'm not happy about giving any back on account of reckless remarks by the President.
Talk about a misleading headline. The fricking engravings were on the fricking aftermarket sights, not the fricking weapon. But hey, why let a little fricking FACT get in the way of a sensational headline.
It's a sad day for me.
Paul Quarrington died yesterday.
He was a prolific author, musician, screen-writer and poet.
Paul loved sports and was crazy about fishing.
He was only 56.
It's a sad day for me.
Paul Quarrington died yesterday.
He was a prolific author, musician, screen-writer and poet.
Paul loved sports and was crazy about fishing.
He was only 56.
Sorry to hear that. I notice on his Wiki page he did some work with Dan Hill. I have a Dan Hill album around here somewhere...
I love him to pieces but, he is an energy-intensive project.
I cannot imagine my life without him.
Ditto only times 3 lol
I love being able to play on the computer and enjoy my coffee before the craziness begins. I love the craziness but I do need some down time to recharge the batteries. My kid hauler was in the shop all week so we have a bit of cabin fever going on around here. This field trip will do all some good!
I love being able to play on the computer and enjoy my coffee before the craziness begins. I love the craziness but I do need some down time to recharge the batteries. My kid hauler was in the shop all week so we have a bit of cabin fever going on around here. This field trip will do all some good!
I am very much a girly girl. I like to sew, cook, pink is my favorite color, wear skirts, etc, so there are many days I wonder what God was thinking giving me 3 boys lol
Cool! I grew up in Missouri. My husband is active duty Air Force and we live on the other side of the river but St. Louis is close and has a lot to offer.
some things never change ... pat buchanan figures out why Scott Brown won in Massachusetts and (you won't believe this) it's all about politicians not listening to white folks!
Do you believe that homosexuals are 12 times more likely to molest children?" attorney David Boies asked.
"Yeah, based on the different literature that I have read," Tam replied.
Earlier in the trial, a Cambridge University professor testified that there is no evidence to suggest that gays are more likely to molest children than heterosexuals. Boies pressed Tam to cite books, articles or authors he had read to substantiate the views, but Tam said he could not remember specifics.
I take no pleasure in this development. As someone who works in the media, it always makes me sad when another potential employer of my breathren goes bust. Granted, AA was a piece of shit with a bad message and poor ratings, but I liked that they were around.
some things never change ... pat buchanan figures out why Scott Brown won in Massachusetts and (you won't believe this) it's all about politicians not listening to white folks!
I suppose it doesn't matter that martha coakley was an awful candidate. In the world of "buchanan the nazi," it's ALWAYS about race.
yep. BTW, I don't know what the official policy is on linking WND but I think it's preferred we not link them directly, so here's the google cache link for you in case yours gets edited:
[Link: 74.125.93.132...]
Kind of what I said, but, you said it with more heart.
i didn't know anyone who worked there, but it's always hard to find good gigs in the media. I suppose AA will soon be forgotten, but at least they can claim they helped put al franken in the senate.
yep. BTW, I don't know what the official policy is on linking WND but I think it's preferred we not link them directly, so here's the google cache link for you in case yours gets edited:
[Link: 74.125.93.132...]
didn't even realize i was linking wnd ... i grabbed it off drudge and did not look at the source. hopefully i didn't introduce any malware or viruses to LGF
didn't even realize i was linking wnd ... i grabbed it off drudge and did not look at the source. hopefully i didn't introduce any malware or viruses to LGF
I think it's a good post and I'm glad you made it; I'm also not sure if the official policy here is to not link to them-- I just provided the cache in case. No criticism of you implied at all!
I think it's a good post and I'm glad you made it; I'm also not sure if the official policy here is to not link to them-- I just provided the cache in case. No criticism of you implied at all!
No worries, Ice. I was not offended. Older Lizards are known for their thick skin.
(Pay no attention to that powdered sugar on my shirt)
FBV -
If you like beignet-style doughnuts - here's a mix - - just add powdered sugar. And don't talk, laugh or sneeze while sitting over a plate of beignets.
FBV -
If you like beignet-style doughnuts - here's a mix - - just add powdered sugar. And don't talk, laugh or sneeze while sitting over a plate of beignets.
I had beignets for the first time two years ago at that famour outdoor coffee place in NOLA when I was at the NBA All Star game ... what is the name of the joint? Those things were like little gut bombs.
I had beignets for the first time two years ago at that famour outdoor coffee place in NOLA when I was at the NBA All Star game ... what is the name of the joint? Those things were like little gut bombs.
I had beignets for the first time two years ago at that famour outdoor coffee place in NOLA when I was at the NBA All Star game ... what is the name of the joint? Those things were like little gut bombs.
And you have to eat them when they're just cooked - otherwise, ew. I bet you got some from a batch that had been sitting a bit.
The good news: Dogs are as smart as 2-year-old kids, can comprehend more than 150 words (although "super dogs" can understand 250), and can count up to four or five. The bad news: They are "consciously deceptive" and trick people into giving them what they want. "And they are nearly as successful in deceiving humans as humans are in deceiving dogs," Coren said. But you knew that.
Here are the smarties:
No. 1: Border collies
No. 2: Poodles
No. 3: German shepherds
No. 4: Golden retrievers
No. 5: Dobermans
No. 6: Shetland sheepdogs
No. 7: Labrador retrievers
Dobies were robbed. They're much smarter than shepherds but you have to be more gentle in their training.
I think I saw a video of him on a euro tv show. They had what looked like a hundred toys in a circle. His owner would call out a toy and he'd run and grab it. Smart, smart dog.
Cool! I grew up in Missouri. My husband is active duty Air Force and we live on the other side of the river but St. Louis is close and has a lot to offer.
St. Louis is a great city. A nice mix of what I consider my 2 hometowns, Detroit and Cincinnati. Big fan of river cities.
The devil assigned him the usual punishment...put him in the mass pit where the heat was melting others. The devil came back sometime later surprised to find the Cajun just sitting around, not even misting, much less sweating. "How come you're not so much as sweating here where everyone else is screaming for relief from the heat?"
The Cajun laughed and said, "Man, I was raised in the bayous of Sout Looziana. Dis ain't nothin' but May in Lafayette to me!"
The devil decided to really put the Cajun through it. He put him in a sealed off cave in the pit with open blazes and four extra furnaces blasting. When he came back, days later, the Cajun was sitting pretty, had barely begun to bead up with sweat. The devil was outraged. "How is this possible!? You should be melted to a shrieking puddle in these conditions!."
The Cajun laughed even harder than before. "Hey, man! I done tole you. I was raised in Sout Looziana. You tink dis is heat?! Dis ain't nothin' but August in Jennings !"
So the devil thought, 'Alright, a little reverse ought to do the trick.' He put the Cajun into a corner of hell where no heat ever reached. It was freezing and to add to the Cajun's misery, he added massive icebergs and blasting frozen air. When he returned, the Cajun was shivering, ice hung from every part of him but he was grinning like it was Christmas.
Exasperated, the devil asked "HOW!? How is it possible?! You're impervious to heat and here you sit in conditions you can't be used to...freezing cold and yet you're happier than if you were in heaven. WHY?!"
The Cajun kept grinning and asked, "Dis mean de Saints won da Super Bowl!"
St. Louis is a great city. A nice mix of what I consider my 2 hometowns, Detroit and Cincinnati. Big fan of river cities.
I grew up in mid-MO and so I was pretty much in between Kansas City and St. Louis give or take a few miles. We always headed to St. Louis for shopping, zoo, science center, etc over Kansas City. St. Louis is a really great city :-)
That's the one! I try to remember who the dog lovers are (because they're just better than cat-people) but sometimes I have short-term memory issues.
What about people who like cats AND dogs?
For the record, I love cats. Sure, they may not be as cool as dogs, but I find them intelligent and self-maintaining (for the most part) animals. Plus, there's nothing like the feeling of passing out on the couch and waking up with a purring animal on your stomach.
When’s the last time you stood at a street corner waiting for the walk sign to blink to life while a blind guy wearing wraparound sunglasses and carrying a cane sidled up to you — miraculously unafraid and NOT bumping into anything or anyone — because of the efforts of his faithful, duty-bound, Seeing Eye CAT? Never? That would be the universal answer.
There is no Cat Whisperer.
A cat could give two catshits if you are in a good mood or a bad mood. The only time he/she/it decides to rub against your lower leg and purr its purry little purr is when it’s
1. Hungry
2. Really hungry
3. Hungry and in heat
Dogs have a snout that breaks into a doggie smile when they greet you. Cats just sit there and glare.
Dogs dream. They run and yelp and spout muted barks of warning — even as their eyes are closed — probably protecting you from some awful, unknown entity.
Cats nap. Hoping that you fall into a deep, deep sleep. So they can then begin their secret, evil rounds.
For the record, I love cats. Sure, they may not be as cool as dogs, but I find them intelligent and self-maintaining (for the most part) animals. Plus, there's nothing like the feeling of passing out on the couch and waking up with a purring animal on your stomach.
Two dogs, one cat. I'm with you on the waking up to purring cat thing (mine prefers to lay down 2 inches from my nose). But I'm allergic to cats, so the effect of this for me is that my wakeups come with 30 minutes of sneezing and I have a box-a-day kleenex habit.
A little over freezing and light overcast here in Philly.
A couple of overnight report jobs went belly-up due to a database issue, so it's scrambling to re-run while getting the initial cup of tea drunk. (Company coffee here is bad, really bad, so I went back to drinking tea for my morning caffeine hit.)
Two dogs, one cat. I'm with you on the waking up to purring cat thing (mine prefers to lay down 2 inches from my nose). But I'm allergic to cats, so the effect of this for me is that my wakeups come with 30 minutes of sneezing and I have a box-a-day kleenex habit.
Well, mine don't usually sleep with me because I rarely sleep on the couch anymore. That'll probably change once I get moved into the new fishbowl and have an actually living room to, y'know, LIVE in.
A little over freezing and light overcast here in Philly.
A couple of overnight report jobs went belly-up due to a database issue, so it's scrambling to re-run while getting the initial cup of tea drunk. (Company coffee here is bad, really bad, so I went back to drinking tea for my morning caffeine hit.)
So your report jobs and the country's jobs report are pretty much in the same place?
I almost always have breakfast and coffee at home before I leave for work. I've gotten pretty good making pseudo lattes. I brew a strong, small cup of coffee in my stovetop moka express and add it to some frothed milk. If I don't have time, I go across the street at work and get a $1.75 espresso from the local sandwich/coffee shop.
A little over freezing and light overcast here in Philly.
A couple of overnight report jobs went belly-up due to a database issue, so it's scrambling to re-run while getting the initial cup of tea drunk. (Company coffee here is bad, really bad, so I went back to drinking tea for my morning caffeine hit.)
I have a cup of PG Tips every morning. Good tea. I also drink coffee when I get to work.
So your report jobs and the country's jobs report are pretty much in the same place?
No. Recovery on my side is much easier to understand and implement. Quite a difference between a country of 300 million people and a large-scale economy and a fairly simple set of financial reports generating under a batch job.
Awhile back we were having a conversation and there were people skeptical that the gov't would deal in illegal substances and put them out on the street just to catch "bad guys". This story isn't about drugs, but they did put 250 million illegal cig's out there to catch smugglers:
Undercover ATF agents in Virginia have funneled more than 250 million cigarettes onto the nation's streets in the past three years through black market sales targeting smugglers, an Associated Press review has found.
Authorities say the flood of government-provided smokes - a pack and a half for every man, woman and child in New York City, the smugglers' main destination - leads them to organized crime rings and can even cut off financing for terrorists. The stings by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have yielded about five dozen federal arrests, albeit none on terror charges.
Many of those cigarettes undoubtedly wind up in the mouths of minors, since black market vendors have no reason to turn away teenage purchasers.
Wouldn't that be nice, but then, pressure would really mount to avoid losing the SB yet again.
I'm not sure who to root for in that game. I'd love to see Brees make it but I'm more confident the colts can beat the vike's. Plus, I'd love to see Freeney/Mathis make Favre look bad.
So distracted by the thought of Vikings on sunday forgot to say good morning and mention the weather is in 'clearing' mode overall. Ventura, CA has seen much rain and wind with a funnel touching down, I'm told.
re: #202 RogueOne
[snip] If you smoke, you're a supporter of terrorism.
Where are you getting that? Some funding for terrorism has been raised by bootlegging cig's - the illegal (untaxed or less-taxed) stuff, typically moved to NYC, where state and local taxes are higher. The feds are going after bootleg distribution channels, partly for that reason.
I'm not sure who to root for in that game. I'd love to see Brees make it but I'm more confident the colts can beat the vike's. Plus, I'd love to see Freeney/Mathis make Favre look bad.
I feel somewhat similarly except for the Favre part. I truly feel the Saints should win handily. The Vikings however, are capable of winning by putting together a good/great team effort. If the latter happens, I'm afraid it would set them up for Manning (who is great) with a predictable outcome.
Never-the-less, I'm a Viking fan because of Favre.
[snip] If you smoke, you're a supporter of terrorism.
Where are you getting that? Some funding for terrorism has been raised by bootlegging cig's - the illegal (untaxed or less-taxed) stuff, typically moved to NYC, where state and local taxes are higher. The feds are going after bootleg distribution channels, partly for that reason.
FTA:
The stings by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have yielded about five dozen federal arrests, albeit none on terror charges.
...
While there have been terrorists who have made money through cigarette smuggling, it's far more common to find smugglers linked to organized crime, said John W. Colledge III, a Nevada-based consultant who once ran large-scale cigarette smuggling investigations for the U.S. Customs Service.
"Unfortunately, terrorism has become a sort of a buzzword," he said. "That's what gets you funding."
99% of the people busted are just trying to get around tax increases.
Brees is an adopted hoosier since he played at Purdue. Plus, the feeling around here is they'd love to see Manning vs. what's really his hometown team and the team his dad played with all those years they flat-out sucked.
I feel somewhat similarly except for the Favre part. I truly feel the Saints should win handily. The Vikings however, are capable of winning by putting together a good/great team effort. If the latter happens, I'm afraid it would set them up for Manning (who is great) with a predictable outcome.
Never-the-less, I'm a Viking fan because of Favre.
I've never seen anyone do some of the stuff Favre is doing this year. He's the best in the game, with the possible exception of Manning (Peyton-style). That's why it's going to be Colts/Vikings. And that's gonna be one hell of a show.
* Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980: Divine wrath was incurred when people were too busy enjoying the natural beauty of Washington state and not spending enough time appreciating God
* Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion, 1986: Ten-year-old Walt Sudul, of Racine, WI, made friends with a Jewish boy at school
* Crash of American Airlines Flight 587, 2001: Though the flight was filled with pious individuals, God was distracted by a masturbating 14-year-old in Boise, ID and was therefore unable to keep the aircraft from falling apart in midair, like all planes would without His loving intervention
* Columbine High School Massacre, 1999: Tinky Winky
* Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004: Newlyweds Todd and Nancy Tate experimented with non-missionary sex during their honeymoon
So how are those 99% (and others who don't buy from smugglers) supporting terrorism?
They aren't. Should I have added the obvious sarc tag? My main reason for commenting on the story was to point out the feds have no moral qualms in dealing illegal substances. The smoking=terrorism line of reasoning struck me funny.
A great PR move on their part would be to issue a statement something like "Sorry Jay, but it appears that our first choice, Conan O'Brien suddenly found an opening in his schedule and was able to appear after all".
Brees is an adopted hoosier since he played at Purdue. Plus, the feeling around here is they'd love to see Manning vs. what's really his hometown team and the team his dad played with all those years they flat-out sucked.
I'm sure Archie is proud of his son's accomplishments. Colts vs Saints in the SB would, I think, be a game the fans could count on as deserving of the Super hype.
I'm sorry... thanks to SCOTUS for upholding the US Constitution? Is that really what you mean?
Really?
The question should be, how come the constitution has been violated for so long if it that simple; and I would add, where is my right as a corporate shareholder to vote on any proposed political donations?
I suppose the latter has no constitutional relevance?/
local knowledge to avoid rookie mistakes in London
Sure, give me a few secs and I'll write some up, designed specifically for Americans who haven't been to the UK or London before. No doubt others will have more to add as well.
BRB
Taking free speech from ANYONE is the antithesis of democracy. Those corporations pay enormous taxes and have every right to support candidates that will do the right thing for those corporations and the PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEIR LIVINGS WITH THEM.
Are you also advocating taking away the free speech rights from unions? Or do those PEOPLE have special rights in your eyes?
Sure, give me a few secs and I'll write some up, designed specifically for Americans who haven't been to the UK or London before. No doubt others will have more to add as well.
BRB
About 323.00 USD. Exchange rate has been hovering around 61 cents to the pound. Some days it bounces up to 63 or so. It's shit, basically. There are a few apps you can install to track it on your desktop or elsewhere minute by minute.
BRB with more
The question should be, how come the constitution has been violated for so long if it that simple; and I would add, where is my right as a corporate shareholder to vote on any proposed political donations?
I suppose the latter has no constitutional relevance?/
Smells of the politics of the day to me.
The court can only take up what has been brought before it.. this was the frst time it was challenged that far. We got the answer, which most of knew was the right one from day one with McCain- Feingold.
It was meant as a qualifier, actually. Mild levels of corporate funding--I can't see causing too much of a problem. Runaway levels--I could see causing a problem.
About 323.00 USD. Exchange rate has been hovering around 61 cents to the pound. Some days it bounces up to 63 or so. It's shit, basically. There are a few apps you can install to track it on your desktop or elsewhere minute by minute.
BRB with more
Taking free speech from ANYONE is the antithesis of democracy. Those corporations pay enormous taxes and have every right to support candidates that will do the right thing for those corporations and the PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEIR LIVINGS WITH THEM.
Are you also advocating taking away the free speech rights from unions? Or do those PEOPLE have special rights in your eyes?
The question should be, how come the constitution has been violated for so long if it that simple; and I would add, where is my right as a corporate shareholder to vote on any proposed political donations?
I suppose the latter has no constitutional relevance?/
Smells of the politics of the day to me.
You have the right not to invest in a company that supports candidates you do not support. Simple.
I've never seen anyone do some of the stuff Favre is doing this year. He's the best in the game, with the possible exception of Manning (Peyton-style). That's why it's going to be Colts/Vikings. And that's gonna be one hell of a show.
If both QB's were 'on' it certainly would be a treat to watch. I'd prefer a close, lead changing game with great line effort on both sides and the final TD caught, juggled, and finally controlled one-handed to overshadow the great helmet-catch of another SB.
Taking free speech from ANYONE is the antithesis of democracy. Those corporations pay enormous taxes and have every right to support candidates that will do the right thing for those corporations and the PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEIR LIVINGS WITH THEM.
Are you also advocating taking away the free speech rights from unions? Or do those PEOPLE have special rights in your eyes?
And again I ask, where does the term "public (owned) corporation" fit into all this? Am I to be forced to ask (and never get an answer) for the political stances of management and how much of my dividends they will use to influence politics instead of business plans before I decide to invest?
Privately owned businesses can do what they want. Public owned business is a different category.
The court can only take up what has been brought before it.. this was the frst time it was challenged that far. We got the answer, which most of knew was the right one from day one with McCain- Feingold.
you got the answer your assinine statement deserved.
Mind letting me know what was asinine about it? I know sometimes I can sound disingenuous, but I talk in all sincerity here. Unless it's time for sarcasm, of course.
It was meant as a qualifier, actually. Mild levels of corporate funding--I can't see causing too much of a problem. Runaway levels--I could see causing a problem.
I see. So who is to determine what "mild-level" is as opposed to "runaway levels"?
Should there be a hard dollar number cap? A percentage of profits? A percenatge of profit margin? Should it be a line item in EBITDA!?!?! A dollar figure multiplied by the number of employees? A percenatge of what that business pays in taxes?
Coming out and stating "runaway profits" without having a clue as to how to "qualify" it?
The court can only take up what has been brought before it.. this was the frst time it was challenged that far. We got the answer, which most of knew was the right one from day one with McCain- Feingold.
4 justices were smart enough to not be literalists only.
I see. So who is to determine what "mild-level" is as opposed to "runaway levels"?
Should there be a hard dollar number cap? A percentage of profits? A percenatge of profit margin? Should it be a line item in EBITDA!?!?! A dollar figure multiplied by the number of employees? A percenatge of what that business pays in taxes?
Coming out and stating "runaway profits" without having a clue as to how to "qualify" it?
I see. So who is to determine what "mild-level" is as opposed to "runaway levels"?
Should there be a hard dollar number cap? A percentage of profits? A percenatge of profit margin? Should it be a line item in EBITDA!?!?! A dollar figure multiplied by the number of employees? A percenatge of what that business pays in taxes?
Coming out and stating "runaway profits" without having a clue as to how to "qualify" it?
I didn't mention "runaway profits" at any point, though. Just runaway funding. I would consider it "runaway" or just excessive if the majority of one candidate's funding comes from one source. Makes me wonder about their true obligations.
I was (obviously) joking about the driving on the right side of the road. But get used to looking right-left-right when you cross the street. Took me a long time to get used to that when I lived in England. And when I finally did, I went to Denmark, where it's normal (left-right-left.) Almost got run over a couple of times in Copenhagen. :)
And again I ask, where does the term "public (owned) corporation" fit into all this? Am I to be forced to ask (and never get an answer) for the political stances of management and how much of my dividends they will use to influence politics instead of business plans before I decide to invest?
Privately owned businesses can do what they want. Public owned business is a different category.
What do people here think of the following? Does the person who said this have a valid point?
I hold that a corporation does ill if it seeks profit in restricting production and then by extorting high prices from the community by reason of the scarcity of the product; through adulterating, lyingly advertising, or over-driving the help; or replacing men workers with children; or by rebates; or in any illegal or improper manner driving competitors out of its way; or seeking to achieve monopoly by illegal or unethical treatment of its competitors, or in any shape or way offending against the moral law either in connection with the public or with its employees or with its rivals. Any corporation which seeks its profit in such fashion is acting badly. It is, in fact, a conspiracy against the public welfare which the Government should use all its powers to suppress.
If, on the other hand, a corporation seeks profit solely by increasing its products through eliminating waste, improving its processes, utilizing its by-products, installing better machines, raising wages in the effort to secure more efficient help, introducing the principle of co-operation and mutual benefit, dealing fairly with labor unions, setting its face against the underpayment of women and the employment of children; in a word, treating the public fairly and its rivals fairly: then such a corporation is behaving well. It is an instrumentality of civilization operating to promote abundance by cheapening the cost of living so as to improve conditions everywhere throughout the whole community.
You have the right not to invest in a company that supports candidates you do not support. Simple.
I was hoping you wouldn't make that obvious response. As per my other post, I should then have the right to vote on the corporate political actions if I am already a shareholder, and I should have the right to know what it is before I decide to invest.
Last I looked, 1 pound British Sterling costs $1.69. That is about the same rate that I paid in 1982. It was much worse 2 years ago at $1.98 for 1 pound Sterling.
Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav made more in one day last week than most of his bosses make in a year.
Zaslav, who oversaw the cable network growth at NBC Universal that CEO Jeff Zucker is now taking credit for, recently took home $34 million, according to a regulatory filing.
The money resulted from stock options vesting and automatically being sold due to an increase in the value of Discovery's shares last year.
The massive one-day payout accounts for more than half of the $55 million Zaslav stands to earn from a new five-year employment contract he signed in September.
I was (obviously) joking about the driving on the right side of the road. But get used to looking right-left-right when you cross the street. Took me a long time to get used to that when I lived in England. And when I finally did, I went to Denmark, where it's normal (left-right-left.) Almost got run over a couple of times in Copenhagen. :)
Obama raised $1,500,000,000,000,000,000,000.00 for his campaign. And no one can really say where most of it came from. That's WAY better than the people who actually drive the economy trying to influence the politics...?
Mind letting me know what was asinine about it? I know sometimes I can sound disingenuous, but I talk in all sincerity here. Unless it's time for sarcasm, of course.
If there was any point trying to explain it to you , I would. The very fact that you asked the question leads me to believe any attempt at explanation to you would be an abysmal waste of my time. I stay away from excersises in futility.
Bummer for you, The constitution says free speech for all. Not for who YOU think should have it.
I'm not so sure the founders had political funding in mind when they crafted the First Amendment. Corporate personhood definitely wasn't around back then, anyway.
I was hoping you wouldn't make that obvious response. As per my other post, I should then have the right to vote on the corporate political actions if I am already a shareholder, and I should have the right to know what it is before I decide to invest.
Do you think either condition is covered?
That is an issue for shareholders to address with the corporation. Write a letter.
I was (obviously) joking about the driving on the right side of the road. But get used to looking right-left-right when you cross the street. Took me a long time to get used to that when I lived in England. And when I finally did, I went to Denmark, where it's normal (left-right-left.) Almost got run over a couple of times in Copenhagen. :)
Yeah, I'm sure the "confusion" in copenhagen was all the fault of getting used to traffic patterns.//
Be careful around the tube stop for Wimbledon. London is a huge city. It ain't all quaint and bucolic. Fantastic, most beautiful and thriving city on the planet.
The new bridge and London eye are great.
Do you like art? Tate Museum and the Courtald Gallery
Do you like history? British Museum: Death masks, Darwin, the library room that has actual pieces of historic writing on display. The huge Leonardo Da Vinci painting. I was near tears after the last two areas.
Trafalgar Square~Don't get pooped on by pigeons
If there was any point trying to explain it to you , I would. The very fact that you asked the question leads me to believe any attempt at explanation to you would be an abysmal waste of my time. I stay away from excersises in futility.
I'm sorry to hear that--I'm here so I can hear opinions that are different than mine.
I didn't mention "runaway profits" at any point, though. Just runaway funding. I would consider it "runaway" or just excessive if the majority of one candidate's funding comes from one source. Makes me wonder about their true obligations.
Okay. Lets try it your way with this scenario
You and I are running for a local level seat, lets say county commissioner in some backwoods Alabama county
I'm a KKK member and raise $10,000 in individual ($25 each and less) contributions
YOU are not a KKK member, but a black male who wants to help the local factory create jobs. Tha company wants to give you $5,000 and you raise another $5,000 from individual contributions
Under your "rules" the company could NOT give you that, so you wouldn't be able to compete ad wise with me!
Be careful around the tube stop for Wimbledon. London is a huge city. It ain't all quaint and bucolic. Fantastic, most beautiful and thriving city on the planet.
The new bridge and London eye are great.
Do you like art? Tate Museum and the Courtald Gallery
Do you like history? British Museum: Death masks, Darwin, the library room that has actual pieces of historic writing on display. The huge Leonardo Da Vinci painting. I was near tears after the last two areas.
Trafalgar Square~Don't get pooped on by pigeons
I'm not so sure the founders had political funding in mind when they crafted the First Amendment. Corporate personhood definitely wasn't around back then, anyway.
well, since they are all dead, and we have only the Constitution they left behind...
Do you think there were no such things as business and political support back then?
They knew what they were doing, and gave the government all the power they wanted it to have, for the good of all. Dont like it? There are plenty of places you can go on-planet that should fit your bill. We are still free here.
I'm not so sure the founders had political funding in mind when they crafted the First Amendment. Corporate personhood definitely wasn't around back then, anyway.
Who thinks it's a good idea to have legislators decide which Americans get to influence elections and which ones don't? Raise your hands!
I respectfully suggest that the management of public corporations were not elected to represent the political views of the shareholders that they work for, and that there is no mechanism to reflect the positions of shareholders in that regard.
To say that one can bug out and not invest blurs the line between capitalism and politics to the point where it becomes meaningless.
Holy fuck. If Exxon decided to spend a mere two or three billion dollars of their excesss profits in 2012, we really could have a President Palin.
Thanks, SCOTUS.
You do realize that the New York Times Corporation is a corporation right? They're even listed on the NYSE. They get to use their corporate entities to further their own political agenda via their newspaper, but their corporation can spend their money as they see fit on whatever politics they see fit.
And President Obama got $740.6 million from a broad spectrum of people, including many on Wall Street who preferred him to McCain. Funny to see how that worked out.
Ilya Somin has a good take on why restrictions on corporate speech actually reduce political equality - it magnifies the problems elsewhere in the political sphere. Eugene Volokh also weighs in on the notion of free speech in relation to corporations;
But they do show that “liberty of the press” was seen as a right to publish to the world at large using the technology of the “press” (including by using others’ presses, whether for pay or because they liked what you wrote), not as a right that belonged to members a particular industry. The institutional media and other people are on par for purposes of “the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The constitutional protections offered to the institutional media are no greater than those offered to others. And thus if ordinary business corporations lack First Amendment rights, so do those business corporations that we call media corporations.
well, since they are all dead, and we have only the Constitution they left behind...
Do you think there were no such things as business and political support back then?
They knew what they were doing, and gave the government all the power they wanted it to have, for the good of all.
They certainly knew what they were doing at the time. I just think there are situations today they couldn't have possibly foreseen. I only happen to disagree with the SCOTUS interpretation, not that my opinion amounts to much.
Dont like it? There are plenty of places you can go on-planet that should fit your bill. We are still free here.
Like it or leave it, huh? I'd rather stick around and work toward making it better--more fun that way. ;)
big wifey b'day ... she is huge tennis fan ... wanna see Wimbledon and the country ... hope to spend a week or so there.
Terrific! so happy for you both-- some generic info:
If you're in London proper, Mad-Al Jaffee is absolutely right. Driving on the other side of the road isn't difficult, but it will take you surprisingly long to look in the right direction when crossing streets. And that is really important, because people in London drive like people in NYC, or LA, or Boston do. You could get killed. I still wander into streets and cross randomly.
the good news is that unlike the US, the UK has extremely safe traffic crossings. Wait for the pedestrian lights and cross with them.
Take the Tube when you're in London proper.
renting a car: remember, you won't merely be driving on the wrong side of the road, but if you rent anything with a clutch you'll have to shift with the other hand! rent an automatic.
Money: Talk to your bank, and also your credit card companies. As stupid as it is, and unsafe, for a short trip like that you may well want to bring travelers checks, because using a bank card to withdraw money (your US bank card, drawing on a US acct) can carry many hidden fees. Also you won't get the best exchange rate.
Whatever you do, do NOT bring US cash and then change it especially at airport locations or similar. The exchange rate they'll give you and the extra fees they'll tack on make it terrible.
Also, the UK and has now implemented a separate security measure for bank cards. There's now an electronic chip imbedded in the side of most credit cards and debit cards in the UK. you know how we swipe our credit cards or debit cards for payment in the US? The magnetic strip?-- you can't do that any more in the UK. You dip the end of the card into a reader that 'reads' the chip instead.
If you have a US card, some retailers won't take it, and nearly all now have to call the manager, key in your credit card manually, and they'll ask you for other ID. Make sure you have your US driver's license-- the passport won't be sufficient. (They'll want to check your signature as well as your photo) and that isn't on the passport in an official way.
Tipping is very different in the Uk, for example, you don't have to tip in pubs or bars-- google and get a reliable guide on that.
These are the major areas I'm thinking of; I definitely have lots more info for you if you like, especially when you figure out exactly where you'll be going, and I can give you info on cheap flights, hotels, and where to eat as well.
Hope this helps!
I respectfully suggest that the management of public corporations were not elected to represent the political views of the shareholders that they work for, and that there is no mechanism to reflect the positions of shareholders in that regard.
To say that one can bug out and not invest blurs the line between capitalism and politics to the point where it becomes meaningless.
What's next, monopolies are unconstitutional?
They also have free speech rights. Open a savings account. No more problem for you.
Do you think it's the death of Obamacare that is causing the sell off?
No, it's corporate profits not being near where the expectations were, China and some other countries making statements about US debt and which currencies they preferred, and other factors. Obama's statements are down on the list.
I respectfully suggest that the management of public corporations were not elected to represent the political views of the shareholders that they work for, and that there is no mechanism to reflect the positions of shareholders in that regard.
That's not really a problem for legislators to solve. You could easily apply the same concept for any decision made by management.
What's next, monopolies are unconstitutional?
I don't see how this applies, but didn't think real hard about it
My father has been living in Vienna since the mid 90s. He always tells me when I visit that I should use my Visa debit card to get Euros since Visa has the best rates. But I haven't visited him in a few years, so that may have changed.
Terrific! so happy for you both-- some generic info:
If you're in London proper, Mad-Al Jaffee is absolutely right. Driving on the other side of the road isn't difficult, but it will take you surprisingly long to look in the right direction when crossing streets. And that is really important, because people in London drive like people in NYC, or LA, or Boston do. You could get killed. I still wander into streets and cross randomly.
the good news is that unlike the US, the UK has extremely safe traffic crossings. Wait for the pedestrian lights and cross with them.
Take the Tube when you're in London proper.
renting a car: remember, you won't merely be driving on the wrong side of the road, but if you rent anything with a clutch you'll have to shift with the other hand! rent an automatic.
Money: Talk to your bank, and also your credit card companies. As stupid as it is, and unsafe, for a short trip like that you may well want to bring travelers checks, because using a bank card to withdraw money (your US bank card, drawing on a US acct) can carry many hidden fees. Also you won't get the best exchange rate.
Whatever you do, do NOT bring US cash and then change it especially at airport locations or similar. The exchange rate they'll give you and the extra fees they'll tack on make it terrible.
Also, the UK and has now implemented a separate security measure for bank cards. There's now an electronic chip imbedded in the side of most credit cards and debit cards in the UK. you know how we swipe our credit cards or debit cards for payment in the US? The magnetic strip?-- you can't do that any more in the UK. You dip the end of the card into a reader that 'reads' the chip instead.
If you have a US card, some retailers won't take it, and nearly all now have to call the manager, key in your credit card manually, and they'll ask you for other ID. Make sure you have your US driver's license-- the passport won't be sufficient. (They'll want to check your signature as well as your photo) and that isn't on the passport in an official way.
Tipping is very different in the Uk, for example, you don't have to tip in pubs or bars-- google and get a reliable guide on that.
These are the major areas I'm thinking of; I definitely have lots more info for you if you like, especially when you figure out exactly where you'll be going, and I can give you info on cheap flights, hotels, and where to eat as well.
Hope this helps!
I had a terrible time with travelers checks Weasel. The clueless c;erks didn't know what to do with them. My friends took me to banks to cash them.
I love GB and wouldn't mind living there. Great place.
They certainly knew what they were doing at the time. I just think there are situations today they couldn't have possibly foreseen. I only happen to disagree with the SCOTUS interpretation, not that my opinion amounts to much.
Awhile back we were having a conversation and there were people skeptical that the gov't would deal in illegal substances and put them out on the street just to catch "bad guys". This story isn't about drugs, but they did put 250 million illegal cig's out there to catch smugglers:
And your lungs are the principal victims. I changed to cigars a few years back and it worked like a charm: one a week, maximum, and no craving for cigarettes. But it has to be a big, really good stogie.
As for the terrorist thing, I've noticed that whenever some agency or industry has a reason to do a smackdown on whatever illicit activity, they find a terrorist connection to it. It's a great justification. I'm sure there are people on this very forum who would insist that pineapple chunks on pizzas is somehow supportive of terrorism. Just wait and see...
Should have added-- ATMs will work for your cards in the UK no problem, (for now, that will change ina couple of years), but talk to your bank and your credit card co's and find out what you can specifically do to get the fees reduced and the exchange rate they'll give you changed in your favour.
No, it's corporate profits not being near where the expectations were, China and some other countries making statements about US debt and which currencies they preferred, and other factors. Obama's statements are down on the list.
They knew life would change. They were brilliant men, not cavemen. They enumerated the Federal Government with a very limited set of powers for a damned good reason. Left most decisions up to the state, and left people free. You are not required to invest anywhere, and with your lack of knowledge about such simple things as free speech, maybe you should not risk your money.
Corporations have the right, and in fact an obligation to those employees and investors to look out for the best interests of the company and do as well as they can. You don't agree, don't invest. Simple.
They also have free speech rights. Open a savings account. No more problem for you.
You have already made that quip. You seem to think that capitalism should be based on the the politics of corporate management as much as anything else, but if so then there should be mechanisms in place to allow shareholders to vote on the corporate politics as well. Seems to me that is what we vote on legislators for.
So far the only thing you have shown is that you have little to say beyond quips about Civics 101 or bug off, not to mention being a serial down dinger. I can read your comments, the dinging is a cheap substitute for words; but we all have our different styles I suppose..
...whenever some agency or industry has a reason to do a smackdown on whatever illicit activity, they find a terrorist connection to it. It's a great justification. I'm sure there are people on this very forum who would insist that pineapple chunks on pizzas is somehow supportive of terrorism. Just wait and see...
If you'll put pineapple on pizza, you'll strap on a bomb-belt.
I had a terrible time with travelers checks Weasel. The clueless c;erks didn't know what to do with them. My friends took me to banks to cash them.
I love GB and wouldn't mind living there. Great place.
You'll have to change them at a bank, not at a shop. You need to talk to your bank to find out the best way to go. As much as a hassle (and unsafe) as it is, to get the best exchange rate you might need to bring over traveler's checks and then change them at banks.re: #375 Mad Al-Jaffee
My father has been living in Vienna since the mid 90s. He always tells me when I visit that I should use my Visa debit card to get Euros since Visa has the best rates. But I haven't visited him in a few years, so that may have changed.
It has changed. A few years ago I'd have said take the Visa debit card and no worries. That isn't true any more. Not since 2008.
You have already made that quip. You seem to think that capitalism should be based on the the politics of corporate management as much as anything else, but if so then there should be mechanisms in place to allow shareholders to vote on the corporate politics as well. Seems to me that is what we vote on legislators for.
So far the only thing you have shown is that you have little to say beyond quips about Civics 101 or bug off, not to mention being a serial down dinger. I can read your comments, the dinging is a cheap substitute for words; but we all have our different styles I suppose..
renting a car: remember, you won't merely be driving on the wrong side of the road, but if you rent anything with a clutch you'll have to shift with the other hand! rent an automatic.
Having done this, I can recommend having another person in the car to scream "LEFT! LEFT! LEFT!" in your ear as you make a turn.
Thanks! I'll keep that in mind the next time I go to Europe.
if I'm over for a weekend, or a short period, I use the Visa debit card. But it's harder and harder to use a US one in shops, for the reason I gave (the new chip), and the exchange rate and fees can screw you.
It's a tradeoff between security, convenience, and money.
If you're over for a short period I would still say just use the Visa debit card, but depending on a person's financial situation, you may well want to look at other options.
You are not required to invest anywhere, and with your lack of knowledge about such simple things as free speech, maybe you should not risk your money.
Hey now, we're having a civil discussion, aren't we? I don't see where I deserve to be insulted.
Corporations have the right, and in fact an obligation to those employees and investors to look out for the best interests of the company and do as well as they can. You don't agree, don't invest. Simple.
Of course they do, and a corporation acting in its own best interest is neither good nor evil, simply doing what it's supposed to. I've got no beef with that. What I feel leery about is one corporation, aka one "person" having an outsize impact on any politician. If a pol gets most of their money from one corporation, it's very likely they'll be beholden and act in that corporation's interests above and beyond the interests of their other constituents. Campaign funding in the first place makes me queasy--I don't like large individual donations, either. Everyone should have free speech, but why should some people/persons have MORE speech because they have more money?
if I'm over for a weekend, or a short period, I use the Visa debit card. But it's harder and harder to use a US one in shops, for the reason I gave (the new chip), and the exchange rate and fees can screw you.
It's a tradeoff between security, convenience, and money.
If you're over for a short period I would still say just use the Visa debit card, but depending on a person's financial situation, you may well want to look at other options.
One thing I did when I traveled was took a fairly big wadge of US cash and exchange it at the airport. Having euros in hand helped out in a lot of places, and I'm generally not a guy to carry cash around, at least not here in the States.
It is simple. Corporations have a right to free speech, same as you. Period.
Scotus re-affirmed that.
You don't like it.
Sucks for you
There is simply nothing to argue.
And if you're traveling away from where you usually use the credit card (any of them), be sure to contact them so that they don't institute their fraud reduction systems and block/reject your card. It's good to give the credit card companies the heads' up and to also ask them about charges that might be incurred (conversion fees, convenience fees, etc., that might be expected). On our trips overseas, we've been sure to ask so we're not surprised when a card doesn't work.
I actually got freaked out when I got home, because I had called the bank to let them know I was on vacation overseas, but they still sent a suspicious activity notice in the mail. The card still worked, though.
Oh man. As soon as one of them wins a cat beauty show, some jerk supporting a losing cat will show this video to the show judges and get the video cat disqualified.
Phony populism aside, yesterday Mr. Obama introduced his first serious idea into the debate on reforming the financial system. In calling for an end to proprietary trading at firms with a federal safety net, the President showed that he now understands an important principle: Risk-taking in the capital markets is incompatible with a taxpayer guarantee
Of course they do, and a corporation acting in its own best interest is neither good nor evil, simply doing what it's supposed to. I've got no beef with that. What I feel leery about is one corporation, aka one "person" having an outsize impact on any politician. If a pol gets most of their money from one corporation, it's very likely they'll be beholden and act in that corporation's interests above and beyond the interests of their other constituents. Campaign funding in the first place makes me queasy--I don't like large individual donations, either. Everyone should have free speech, but why should some people/persons have MORE speech because they have more money?
Then don't vote for them.
Vote them out.
See how simple it is?
Martha Coakley went to DC one week ago today.
Picked up bagfuls of cash from insurance companies and pharma companies. She lost. That was part of it.
People were pissed.
See how that works?
They started putting in round-a-bouts in my neck of the woods, which was a mistake, just confuses the hell out of hoosiers.
Ah yes, I noticed all the lovely road construction last time I was back in fish country. I didn't like roundabouts when I was in Ireland, and I'm not about to start now.
Ah yes, I noticed all the lovely road construction last time I was back in fish country. I didn't like roundabouts when I was in Ireland, and I'm not about to start now.
yes! especially when making a turn, leaving a roundabout, etc.
Jamaica is a nightmare...if you don't get it figured out immediately, you have no business renting a car and are definitely at risk...roundabouts at high speed are no joke, and you better look right...
And if you're traveling away from where you usually use the credit card (any of them), be sure to contact them so that they don't institute their fraud reduction systems and block/reject your card. It's good to give the credit card companies the heads' up and to also ask them about charges that might be incurred (conversion fees, convenience fees, etc., that might be expected). On our trips overseas, we've been sure to ask so we're not surprised when a card doesn't work.
Exactly-- excellent advice. Very true. That's why I said the first thing to do is talk to your bank and your CC companies.
there are tons and tons of 'hidden fees' that you'll incur, also even if you contact them in advance one of your cards may well be cut off for fraud prevention purposes-- so it's a good idea to bring all the contact numbers for those companies (bearing in mind that a US 800 number doesn't work when dialed from within the UK, so make sure you have the info with you when you leave about who to contact)
Also, as I mentioned, there's this new chip now in UK cards that US cards don't have. If you're in a shop or supermarket or the like, the clerks are usually unaware of all this and will keep pushing the top of your card into the new readers, (not swiping the magnetic strip) no matter that you tell them upfront: this is a US card, no US cards have that chip, you have to key the number in manually.
Do you have something to say on the argument at hand?
Naso I think it boils down to the idea that the government should not be in the business of who can say what, ever. Throw in the fact that it is a pretty disturbing conflict of interest to have elected officials getting to decide who gets to influence future elections. Then it's pretty easy to see why what seemed like a good idea (campaign finance laws) is actually a bad deal.
*chuckle* My family's stomping grounds, ironically enough, are right on one of the local waterways. My mother's father was a fisherman without parallel. Wish I could say it got handed down, but I've only recently acquired the ability to hook anything beyond a simple bluegill.
I grew up with "roundabouts" in and around Boston. We called them rotaries
Out of state freinds who came to visit would absoluttly FREAK when they saw them
Downtown indy is one big round-a-bout, it's been that way for well over 100 years. You would think people around here would get it but they didn't. For weeks people would come up on them and just stop like they didn't have a clue wtf they were supposed to do.
Of course they do, and a corporation acting in its own best interest is neither good nor evil, simply doing what it's supposed to. I've got no beef with that. What I feel leery about is one corporation, aka one "person" having an outsize impact on any politician. If a pol gets most of their money from one corporation, it's very likely they'll be beholden and act in that corporation's interests above and beyond the interests of their other constituents. Campaign funding in the first place makes me queasy--I don't like large individual donations, either. Everyone should have free speech, but why should some people/persons have MORE speech because they have more money?
Says a lot about the politicians doesn't it? If I recall correctly the concept was that they are elected to represent the interests of a particular area of the country (district, state, etc.) If their vote is instead used to represent the interests of those that contributed the most to their campaign, then they really are not doing what they are expected to do. (Aside from the "what is good for U S Steel is good for the United States" view...)
Obama raised $1,500,000,000,000,000,000,000.00 for his campaign. And no one can really say where most of it came from. That's WAY better than the people who actually drive the economy trying to influence the politics...?
It came from the Juice Bankers, Soros and The Illuminati, you silly goose.
It is simple. Corporations have a right to free speech, same as you. Period.
Scotus re-affirmed that.
You don't like it.
Sucks for you
There is simply nothing to argue.
I don't understand your disconnect. What do you think a corporation is?
Last time I looked free speech referred to INDIVIDUALS.
If individuals collectively decide to speak as one, they can form a political party or other political organization, say have a tea party and decide their position.
Tell me where you think that fits with the rights of top management in a publicly owned corporation making politically based spending decisions on behalf of the shareholders, without any mechanism for shareholder voting beyond saying (as you do); "if you don't like it, bug out"?
My perspective of capitalism rests on things like market demands and good business management. I should have the right to invest on that basis without also taking some perverted version of socialist politics of the business into account.
I grew up with "roundabouts" in and around Boston. We called them rotaries
Out of state freinds who came to visit would absoluttly FREAK when they saw them
They're weird enough for many US people who aren't used to them-- so imagine driving through one and having to remember to exit on the 'wrong' side of the road, WHILE shifting with the other hand.
That's why I say, rent an automatic if possible. Sounds silly, but it helps a lot in those circcumstances.
Then don't vote for them.
Vote them out.
See how simple it is?
Martha Coakley went to DC one week ago today.
Picked up bagfuls of cash from insurance companies and pharma companies. She lost. That was part of it.
People were pissed.
See how that works?
You don't know how it works, is becoming apparent.
They're weird enough for many US people who aren't used to them-- so imagine driving through one and having to remember to exit on the 'wrong' side of the road, WHILE shifting with the other hand.
That's why I say, rent an automatic if possible. Sounds silly, but it helps a lot in those circcumstances.
One thing I highly recommend - if you're renting, get yourself a GPS and make sure it's loaded with a European map pack. I got lost in downtown Dublin for about 3 hours because one of the stupid side streets I was trying to find from the map wasn't marked on the intersection.
They're weird enough for many US people who aren't used to them-- so imagine driving through one and having to remember to exit on the 'wrong' side of the road, WHILE shifting with the other hand.
That's why I say, rent an automatic if possible. Sounds silly, but it helps a lot in those circcumstances.
good advice...I love the opposite driving thing tho...makes me feel like James Bond...man, you gotta be on your toes
Rotaries (round-abouts) are pretty easy to deal with as long as everyone knows what to do. (Which is true about most traffic regulations.) I deal with them in New Jersey all the time, but there always seems to be someone who panics when one appears.
Last time I was in England it was a non-issue. Was basically touristing and used a railpass and took trains everywhere. Within a city it was taxi, bus, or the Tube (when in London) if we didn't just walk.
My US bank card worked in ATMs there, but it sounds like that might no longer be the case.
Jamaica is a nightmare...if you don't get it figured out immediately, you have no business renting a car and are definitely at risk...roundabouts at high speed are no joke, and you better look right...
I haven't yet been to Jamaica-- when I do go I'll ask you where to go and eat and what to see.
My first experiences with driving on the 'wrong' side of the road were all in the Caribbean though, and it was pretty scary often, coming off a roundabout, even though those were really low speed and not very busy--especially with random pedestrians and people on bikes around.
I would never rent a car in Jamaica, I don't think. For the reasons you gave.
Having done this, I can recommend having another person in the car to scream "LEFT! LEFT! LEFT!" in your ear as you make a turn.
I really laughed at that.
My friend had a lead foot and she would barrel down the hedge rows in the country at bloody nose speeds.
I asked her what would she do if a cow stepped out into a roadway. She gave me a blank stare.
I suppose GB cows are better trained than those in the good old USA.
Yes. Why are they owned by the public, though? If I want to speak via radio, why should the government be able to prevent me from doing so?
I think the best reply you're going to get is that you are being restricted in the public interest. I think you can take two routes towards this:
1. If publically owned wavelengths seems odd, isn't the concept of a privately owned wavelength even odder? Claimed by something equivalent to copyright? And if this was the case I expect the regulation/enforcement on this area would be a total mess.
2. Assuming that the wavelengths are public domain, why the restrictions on which ones you are allowed to use? Same concept as traffic laws, restrictions and rules are in place to facilitate effective and safe use by all parties. Some wavelengths are restricted to allow their use by emergency organizations only. Some are rented out so that a company can broadcast their signal without interference.
Thailand is practically hallucinogenic. I had so many incredibly trippy experiences while I was there.
One of the least insane: I saw a tree being cut down, and when it hit the forest floor, it pretty much exploded into snakes. It must have been rotted out or something and somehow became a perfect snake-home. They all shot off immediately. It was like they had been created from the felling of the tree.
“The administration has got to be in the forefront now, instead of throwing some meat on the track and seeing what the House can work out,” said New Jersey Rep. Bill Pascrell
If you throw meat on the track in California, all you get is dead coyotes and mountain lions.
I was only 12 when I went to Egypt and Israel. I would love to return go back now.
Thailand is amazing.
I had never been outside of the US until my honeymoon. When I was in college, I met all sorts of missionary kids from different countries - my roommate was an MK from Colombia, in fact. It put the travel bug in me REAL bad. I'm hoping that I can get out and see some of the world before I start having kids and get leg-shackled to the house.
And speaking of California, there's nothing more fun that driving a 7,000 pound car through 3 feet of gutter water for blocks at a time with your kids giggling their asses off in the back seat. :-)
renting a car: remember, you won't merely be driving on the wrong side of the road, but if you rent anything with a clutch you'll have to shift with the other hand! rent an automatic.
Or you could use the Cato Method:
Go stay in Devon with your friend. The second morning, he tosses you the keys to his second-best ride - with stick shift - and asks you to drive down to the train station and pick up his friend, a hot London actress, and her two dogs and take her to the party he's leaving for in the other car. Have him draw you a map because you have no idea how to get to the station or the party. Be sure to tell Dame Hottie when you've got her in the car that this is your very first time driving on the left. Enjoy the glow of light perspiration that appears on her lovely face as you tear down sunken roads so narrow that is doesn't really matter which side you drive on. Because once you get her to the party, she's never going to talk to you again.
When I was there I also went to Phuket. It was two months after the tsunami and they were still rebuilding. Still a great place, with lots of nightlife, great food, beach right across from the street from the hotel, etc.
I haven't yet been to Jamaica-- when I do go I'll ask you where to go and eat and what to see.
My first experiences with driving on the 'wrong' side of the road were all in the Caribbean though, and it was pretty scary often, coming off a roundabout, even though those were really low speed and not very busy--especially with random pedestrians and people on bikes around.
I would never rent a car in Jamaica, I don't think. For the reasons you gave.
sort of adds that 'life and death' element to your holiday...left side, roundabouts, fanatic drivers, pedestrians, goats everywhere...and roads so narrow they are barely fit for two little cars to pass...always a few adrenaline buzzes when I visit
A. There are technical issues at stake. There are only so many frequencies available.
Yes. So, regulation of speech can be necessary to consider, when there's a public property, a public space involved, yes?
Should you be denied the right to buy airtime just because you belong to a group?
Any airtime being sold should definitely be available to all bidders, though I do not think a bidding system is actually the best economic use of the airwaves.
Should some airwaves be reserved for the exclusive use of some groups, and denied to the public?
I had never been outside of the US until my honeymoon. When I was in college, I met all sorts of missionary kids from different countries - my roommate was an MK from Colombia, in fact. It put the travel bug in me REAL bad. I'm hoping that I can get out and see some of the world before I start having kids and get leg-shackled to the house.
Do it while you can! And for at least the preent and immediate future, everyone loves us - you won't have to tell people you're from Canada!
The Obama administration on Friday is posting to the Internet a wealth of government data from all Cabinet-level departments, on topics ranging from child car seats to Medicare services.
The mountain of newly available information comes a year and a day after President Barack Obama promised on his first full day on the job an open, transparent government.
Under a Dec. 8 White House directive, each department must post online at least three collections of "high-value" government data that never have been previously disclosed.
The trick to driving in these places is never make eye contact with the other driver. First one to look loses the right of way.
Exactly. It's like dealing with New York taxi drivers. You have to give the clear impression that you care less about the possible damage to your car than they do about theirs. Whoosh! The let you slide right in front of them. Works every time.
Rotaries (round-abouts) are pretty easy to deal with as long as everyone knows what to do. (Which is true about most traffic regulations.) I deal with them in New Jersey all the time, but there always seems to be someone who panics when one appears.
Last time I was in England it was a non-issue. Was basically touristing and used a railpass and took trains everywhere. Within a city it was taxi, bus, or the Tube (when in London) if we didn't just walk.
My US bank card worked in ATMs there, but it sounds like that might no longer be the case.
The ATMs will still work, but the fees might be shit, and the exchange rate they'll give you, plus your debit card and credit cards might have problems in some shops now.
Well-- they WILL have problems, because they changed the technology and the US hasn't, but they'll be accepted eventually even if you have to get them to call the manager and produce other ID, and explain to them that US cards don't have the chip that UK cards do now. I haven't ever had mine rejected, but it's pretty damn common now to go through that rigamarole. Not in a hotel or restaurant or pub, but elsewhere.
UK has excellent public transport; I highly recommend using it whenever possible.
The trick to driving in these places is never make eye contact with the other driver. First one to look loses the right of way.
I have never actually driven in any of my travels abroad. Except a little bit in Australia, and that was just my friend there trying to teach me how to drive a stick shift out in the middle of nowhere.
Exactly. It's like dealing with New York taxi drivers. You have to give the clear impression that you care less about the possible damage to your car than they do about theirs. Whoosh! The let you slide right in front of them. Works every time.
You guys have never driven in Tijuana.
No traffic rules and the most expensive car loses--no matter what eye contact goes on.
Yes. So, regulation of speech can be necessary to consider, when there's a public property, a public space involved, yes?
No, that isn't regulation of speech it's regulation of the airwaves.
Should some airwaves be reserved for the exclusive use of some groups, and denied to the public?
That isn't something I would necessarily agree with but if the voters around me decided to keep a portion of the available frequencies open to public instead of renting them out to corporations then I can be out voted. It still wouldn't be denying anyones right of free speech.
Exactly. It's like dealing with New York taxi drivers. You have to give the clear impression that you care less about the possible damage to your car than they do about theirs. Whoosh! The let you slide right in front of them. Works every time.
Also helps to drive a less expensive car than the other guy.
Do it while you can! And for at least the preent and immediate future, everyone loves us - you won't have to tell people you're from Canada!
/
I never told anyone I was anything but what I am - a representative of the evil Republic. They dealt with it in various ways. A stony glance and a reference to CIA black sites was usually enough to shut up the really dumb ones.
The site that track stimulus spending has been up for a while now. I suppose it's a nice idea but it mostly just provides critics something to hyperventilate over. I don't know if it has actually produced anything positive yet.
I don't think the exchange rate would be much worse than what the banks give you anyways walking in. IIRC, the exchange rate for the ATM was straight-up since the banks were getting processing fees. (That might well have changed.) I think I exchanged some money at the airport, and then got pounds from ATMs the rest of the trip. Which worked quite well since we were usually using B&Bs to stay in and most of them preferred cash, and many did not take credit at all.
Exactly. It's like dealing with New York taxi drivers. You have to give the clear impression that you care less about the possible damage to your car than they do about theirs. Whoosh! The let you slide right in front of them. Works every time.
Heck, this is the case in a lot of American cities. I run into it up here, and especially in Chicago - the biggest asshole gets the spot, because he cares less about banging up his car than everyone else around him. It's like playing chicken with a train.
My father goes to Thailand pretty much every January. Much nicer weather there than Vienna. He also goes to the seaside in Croatia every summer. And usually Paris (or other parts of France) at least one a year. He has a pretty good life.
I don't think the exchange rate would be much worse than what the banks give you anyways walking in. IIRC, the exchange rate for the ATM was straight-up since the banks were getting processing fees. (That might well have changed.) I think I exchanged some money at the airport, and then got pounds from ATMs the rest of the trip. Which worked quite well since we were usually using B&Bs to stay in and most of them preferred cash, and many did not take credit at all.
Yes-- but that has changed now. Lots of hidden fees. Depending on how long you go though, and where you're staying, it might still be the best bet.
Definitely worth it to talk to your bank and the CC co's beforehand to decide, imo.
The site that track stimulus spending has been up for a while now. I suppose it's a nice idea but it mostly just provides critics something to hyperventilate over. I don't know if it has actually produced anything positive yet.
Also helps to drive a less expensive car than the other guy.
I have not found that to be true. The Lincoln Connie beats most other cars in the "scratch me, I'm expensive" department, but when driven with the attitude of Early Grayce in "Kalifornia", people get the fuck out of your way.
My father goes to Thailand pretty much every January. Much nicer weather there than Vienna. He also goes to the seaside in Croatia every summer. And usually Paris (or other parts of France) at least one a year. He has a pretty good life.
I never told anyone I was anything but what I am - a representative of the evil Republic. They dealt with it in various ways. A stony glance and a reference to CIA black sites was usually enough to shut up the really dumb ones.
After college, a buddy of mine and I decided to take a 10,000 mile road trip through all of mainland Mexico and central America. We ended up in Palenque a year before the zapatista uprising in Chiapas. Two dumb Americans in an expensive jeep speaking in horrible accents driving through who-knows-where with tons of surfboards in the back...they thought we were CIA all the way. Or at least drug dealers.
I grew up with "roundabouts" in and around Boston. We called them rotaries
Out of state freinds who came to visit would absoluttly FREAK when they saw them
Is that the same thing as a traffic circle?
Traffic circles work really for keeping traffic moving IF people know what they're doing when the try to navigate them. Otherwise - fender bender city.
Is that the same thing as a traffic circle?
Traffic circles work really for keeping traffic moving IF people know what they're doing when the try to navigate them. Otherwise - fender bender city.
Is that the same thing as a traffic circle?
Traffic circles work really for keeping traffic moving IF people know what they're doing when the try to navigate them. Otherwise - fender bender city.
Heck, this is the case in a lot of American cities. I run into it up here, and especially in Chicago - the biggest asshole gets the spot, because he cares less about banging up his car than everyone else around him. It's like playing chicken with a train.
If you don't take your space, no one will give it to you. Chicago driving is like watching evolution on the road. Survival of the fittest.
He is. He has something like 3 master's degrees, served a long time in the Navy and government, worked for the UN in Vienna a few years, and stayed there and got remarried when his contract was up. I've been to the UN building in Vienna quite a few times. They don't have a seat for Michael Jordan, like the one in NY does.
But airwaves are a medium of speech. What is the non-speech related part of me setting up a transmitter and broadcasting on a certain frequency?
That isn't something I would necessarily agree with but if the voters around me decided to keep a portion of the available frequencies open to public instead of renting them out to corporations then I can be out voted. It still wouldn't be denying anyones right of free speech.
No, that's not what I mean. I mean that certain bands of radio are restricted for the use of the government, for emergency services, military use, etc.
I've got my iPhone hooked up, syncing and charging.
And I keep hearing "pings".
Is it - FB chat?
Is it yahoo chat?
Is it yahoo e-mail?
Is it regular e-mail?
Is it iPhone text?
Is it iPhone e-mail?
It's occurred to me there are so many ways to communicate that all have the a similar "ping" notification, confusion could cause us to completely fail to connect in any way
Roundabouts are the best way to keep traffic moving. I've never understood how people can have a problem with them. It's, like, if there's no one coming round the circle from the left (or right, if you're in Britland), you can go. As long as you're in the circle you have the right of way. Two simple rules.
Why do Americans feel safer with stop lights? This is the land of the free, dammit!
If you don't take your space, no one will give it to you. Chicago driving is like watching evolution on the road. Survival of the fittest.
Yep. I learned how to drive in the Chicago suburbs, which aren't a whole lot better than being in the city itself. You have to learn how to be an offensive driver out there.
I like the signs in some suburban areas that say "Traffic Calming Area." what do they do to the traffic? Play classical music? Massage it? Give it Xanax?
Yep. I learned how to drive in the Chicago suburbs, which aren't a whole lot better than being in the city itself. You have to learn how to be an offensive driver out there.
Hey, if you wan't to drive with the Big Dogs . . .
Come to NJ; home of the jughandle. Want to make a left turn? Well, you've got to go into the right lane to exit and make it so. Can't tell you how many people screw that up if they're not familiar - and how often a GPS will mess it up too.
Notice how no one doubted my Uma Thurman story from way up-thread. I don't need to make stuff up - my life has been weird from the start.
Didn't see it til now. I have a friend who had a housemate in the 90s who told me he knew her in high school. He said she was one of those weird art chicks who walked barefoot everywhere (even in the snow in New England.) I guess that prepared her for Kill Bill.
Didn't see it til now. I have a friend who had a housemate in the 90s who told me he knew her in high school. He said she was one of those weird art chicks who walked barefoot everywhere (even in the snow in New England.) I guess that prepared her for Kill Bill.
I've got my iPhone hooked up, syncing and charging.
And I keep hearing "pings".
Is it - FB chat?
Is it yahoo chat?
Is it yahoo e-mail?
Is it regular e-mail?
Is it iPhone text?
Is it iPhone e-mail?
It's occurred to me there are so many ways to communicate that all have the a similar "ping" notification, confusion could cause us to completely fail to connect in any way
Actually, you dont have an iPhone, you purchased the newest model of the machine that goes ping. Honest mistake.
Chris Morris's Four Lions: exclusive clip from the 'jihadist comedy'
Four Lions, the eagerly-awaited feature film debut from Brass Eye's Chris Morris, premieres at the Sundance film festival on Saturday. In this exclusive clip, we see how not to buy a dozen bottles of bomb-making bleach
Today's my blogversary. 5 years. For those who care about such things. More than 6,000 posts since I started (blogger can't keep up and only shows the most recent 5,000), and while traffic comes and goes, I'm still posting on the stuff I want to post about and doing things my way. Thanks to anyone that's suffered through my links and comments.
Today's my blogversary. 5 years. For those who care about such things. More than 6,000 posts since I started (blogger can't keep up and only shows the most recent 5,000), and while traffic comes and goes, I'm still posting on the stuff I want to post about and doing things my way. Thanks to anyone that's suffered through my links and comments.
[Video]
Congrats! I like your blog and always appreciate your posts here. Keep it up!
But airwaves are a medium of speech. What is the non-speech related part of me setting up a transmitter and broadcasting on a certain frequency?
No, that's not what I mean. I mean that certain bands of radio are restricted for the use of the government, for emergency services, military use, etc.
The ruling was based on speech, not the medium. I'm not sure of the point you're trying to make.
I've got my iPhone hooked up, syncing and charging.
And I keep hearing "pings".
Is it - FB chat?
Is it yahoo chat?
Is it yahoo e-mail?
Is it regular e-mail?
Is it iPhone text?
Is it iPhone e-mail?
It's occurred to me there are so many ways to communicate that all have the a similar "ping" notification, confusion could cause us to completely fail to connect in any way
It might be an old fashioned phone call, but I doubt it. No one does that any more.
Congratulations and thank you for your valuable blog and comments here which provide us with so much valuable insight. I very much appreciate your efforts.
The point I'm making is that we clearly do limit, regulate, and consider the other effects of speech all the time. There is nothing about money-as-speech that makes it different and not able to be considered as to its ramifications and effects.
Speech of one individual can interfere with the speech of another. Radio waves are an easy example of that.
The point I'm making is that we clearly do limit, regulate, and consider the other effects of speech all the time. There is nothing about money-as-speech that makes it different and not able to be considered as to its ramifications and effects.
Speech of one individual can interfere with the speech of another. Radio waves are an easy example of that.
We do not limit "radio waves." It is allocated for just the opposite reason, the keep free speech from being interfered with.
And with the advent of the internet, there are SO many new ways that someone can get their message out, even with minimum financial investment.
It's a whole new ball game and the typical speech controlling progressives are pissing in their pants about it.
Tough shit. Find some other idiots to fool, it's not playing here.
Downside to getting a free cabin in the woods to live in from your boss: He feels free to drive up whenever he takes the notion. Usually when you're not wearing pants.
Naso I think it boils down to the idea that the government should not be in the business of who can say what, ever.
Exactly. I think the majority summed it up nicely. "The Government may not by these means deprive the public of the right and privilege to determine for itself what speech and speakers are worthy of consideration. The First Amendment protects speech and speaker, and the ideas that flow from each."
Downside to getting a free cabin in the woods to live in from your boss: He feels free to drive up whenever he takes the notion. Usually when you're not wearing pants.
He's in for a shock, I've seen you without pants. Sarah Palin print briefs... eeewww...
Just found out my friend John lost his job yesterday. Major league suckage. Married with a two year old. They were barely making it as it was.
And he's well over 150lbs overweight. He's got a major struggle in front of him.
Light a candle for him if you don't mind.
I will. Literally. A five-day candle if I can get one.
Tell him to sign over his unemployment benefits to his wife, get in his car, and drive around the country until he finds something. Seriously. Worked for me.
He's in for a shock, I've seen you without pants. Sarah Palin print briefs... eeewww...
I had to upding for the pure laugh value, 1, of Cato wearing Sarah Palin anything, and 2, for the idea of Sarah Palin print briefs. Though I don't doubt there are a lot of nutjobs out there having wet dreams about her.
I had to upding for the pure laugh value, 1, of Cato wearing Sarah Palin anything, and 2, for the idea of Sarah Palin print briefs. Though I don't doubt there are a lot of nutjobs out there having wet dreams about her.
I've decided it's the sexy librarian fantasy I guess a lot of people are in to it.
I had to upding for the pure laugh value, 1, of Cato wearing Sarah Palin anything, and 2, for the idea of Sarah Palin print briefs. Though I don't doubt there are a lot of nutjobs out there having wet dreams about her.
Hey, Sarah Palin can cure ED. An angry hard-on is still a hard-on.
I've decided it's the sexy librarian fantasy I guess a lot of people are in to it.
You know, I thought she was kinda cute when she first appeared on the national stage. She seems to have lost a bit of appeal for me, even before she turned out to be a raving lunatic.
You know, I thought she was kinda cute when she first appeared on the national stage. She seems to have lost a bit of appeal for me, even before she turned out to be a raving lunatic.
Willful ignorance is not an attractive quality and Sarah Palin embodies it. And she doesn't fit the librarian model because that would imply that she actually was well-read.
I lost my job three years ago and sat on the couch for two months before the fog cleared.
It is a horrible thing for anyone to go through, but, for some reason, I think that men take it worse.
I think part of it is that men have been more or less bred to be providers and at least mild workaholics. Even the geeks that live in their mother's basement understand the principle of supporting themselves and have some modicum of shame about not doing so. It is a hard thing to lose one's livelihood and be at risk of not being able to maintain a respectable living standard.
Willful ignorance is not an attractive quality and Sarah Palin embodies it. And she doesn't fit the librarian model because that would imply that she actually was well-read.
Oh, yeah. That's what I meant. Manly men with families would rather find out they had cancer than find out they've lost their jobs. At least that's been my experience.
I think that culturally it's a lot more tied into our ego and sense of self-worth. I'm a workaholic. Stuff is all screwed up at work, and I'm the one fixing it all, and it makes me feel awesome to do so. Not just because I'm helping other people who I like and respect out, but also out of some more primal sense of fulfillment.
Which is why in all earnestness I recommend an immediate road trip. Go see family or something. You never know what will come of it.
Truthfully, this isn't bad advice. When I lost my first job straight out of college, I picked up another one from a recruiter I'd given my number to when visiting the lady who would eventually become the Mrs. Fish.
I've met quite a few "sexy librarian" types in my times, and they were nothing like the stereotype. They were real librarians, and very attractive young women who dress like other young women who aren't librarians. Go to a Special Library Association or American Library Association meeting some time. You'll be surprised.
I think that culturally it's a lot more tied into our ego and sense of self-worth. I'm a workaholic. Stuff is all screwed up at work, and I'm the one fixing it all, and it makes me feel awesome to do so. Not just because I'm helping other people who I like and respect out, but also out of some more primal sense of fulfillment.
The stupidest thing I've ever done is not use my various connections to land jobs. Every job I've gotten has been from applying out of the blue. Many friends of mine have said, "I didn't even know you were looking, X would have hired you." Some weird kind of pride has, in the past, inhibited me from doing so.
These days, I think I'd be a bit smarter about it if I had to find another job.
Single women take it just as hard though as single men.
Agreed. This is especially true with my generation. While men stress over the ability to care for a family (either now or in the future) the women I know take an enormous amount of pride in the ability to be independent and take care of themselves without the help of a man's income. If they plan to get married, they want to be sure they are financial equals and do not need to chose a partner based on his ability to make money. Being laid off damages that.
Which probably enhanced her attractiveness to a lot of guys, since they don't pay their women to think.
Thankfully, none of those people are on this blog. They aren't even stalkers, because taking any interest in LGF implies that one is already unusually well-informed about world events.
I'm new to the labor force, having only been out of college for a bit less than four years, so I have no qualms about employing just about any means necessary to get a job. I use Monster and other similar sites, as well as plying my in-laws' extensive family tree for connections, along with recruiters I've met during previous job searches. I still go to lunch with some of them from time to time to keep up on business talk and keep options open. Networking is a lot easier in these days than it was in my father's day, I think.
Can't really argue nos. 1 & 2... but even though I own a pair of the sweetest ever Goldens, you'd have to classify Goldens and Labs as more trainable than innately smart. There are way craftier ( meaning smart, to me) breeds not listed there.
I'm single and I kind of liked being unemployed. But my situation was different. I accepted a severance package instead of being laid off. I had 4 1/2 months of full pay and benefits. When that ran out, I temped for a few months, including a job where I mainly worked from home. When that ended, I was on unemplyment for a couple of months, but I was able to find my current job.
I guess it would have been different if I had been laid off.
I think part of it is that men have been more or less bred to be providers and at least mild workaholics. Even the geeks that live in their mother's basement understand the principle of supporting themselves and have some modicum of shame about not doing so. It is a hard thing to lose one's livelihood and be at risk of not being able to maintain a respectable living standard.
I think that's right, but women also feel shame if they think they aren't supporting the family enough.
I'm no gender essentialist, but I do think there are differences between men and women, and while feminism has (rightfully) concentrated on the ways that our societal and cultural gender rols affect women, what is less attended to is how each affects men.
And men are told from birth (and I think it's also part of their nature) to care for, protect, provide for, those they love.
In our society as its set up, that generally means making money, for men's role.
I think this is destructive for both genders, because it sets up a situation where men are supposed to be judged on (and themselves feel that their worth is about) how they financially provide.
Another (bad) result is that men who are taking on an untraditional role, like being the one who stays home with the kids, often feel like they aren't good enough in some way, simply because they aren't the ones bringing home the money. Or other people make them feel that way.
The sexy librarian with a gun senerio may not work for those here ate LGF, but it seems to be working for quite a few people out there.
Yeah, as DF mentioned upthread, not so much for most lizards or even anti-lizards. Myself, the Mrs. Fish is more of the adventurous, boisterous tomboy type - well-read, naturally curious, and energetic to a fault.
Yeah. It was definitely just me being stupid-- of course networking matters, and of course it should matter. Personal recommendations-- now that I participate in hiring decisions myself-- from someone I know are incredibly valuable, and the best possible predictor of that employee's performance that I've found.
Can't really argue nos. 1 & 2... but even though I own a pair of the sweetest ever Goldens, you'd have to classify Goldens and Labs as more trainable than innately smart. There are way craftier ( meaning smart, to me) breeds not listed there.
some dogs are smart enough to be only as smart as they need to be. Lets them pull the wool over our eyes.
I'd like her to switch to the Japanese schoolgirl look. The psychotic Japanese schoolgirl, à la Gogo in "Kill Bill".
Gogo Yubari
Japanese Businessman: [in Japanese; subtitled] Do you like Ferraris?
Go Go Yubari: [in Japanese] Ferraris... Italian trash.
[Japanese businessman giggles]
Go Go Yubari: Do you want to screw me?
[Japanese businessman giggles again]
Go Go Yubari: Don't laugh. Do you want to screw me, yes or no?
Japanese Businessman: Yes.
[She stabs him in the stomach with a Samurai short sword]
Go Go Yubari: How about now, big boy? Do you still wish to penetrate me?... Or is it I who has penetrated you?
Yeah. It was definitely just me being stupid-- of course networking matters, and of course it should matter. Personal recommendations-- now that I participate in hiring decisions myself-- from someone I know are incredibly valuable, and the best possible predictor of that employee's performance that I've found.
Agreed. I've been in on some interviewing panels, and when they know a guy that works in another department of the company, it makes a difference.
You're just bound and determined to play interwebs psychologist, aren't you? Go ahead.
No, I was adding to your observation. I wasn't talking about you. Interesting you took it that way. Oh, there I go again playing interwebs psychologist.
Chill out, I was agreeing with you and elaborating. I was in and out of work for the last 5 years, not able to get full time employment in my career, which is a Oracle programmer. One of the things I kept running up against was agism.
So, I took a two year career in live theatre, and even that financially didn't take care of all things.
So, now I'm working a full time job, in a furniture department of a thrift store, and I know what you mean. I come home and have a real sense of fulfillment and importance for what I have done to that furniture department, which was in dire need of some help.
Japanese Businessman: [in Japanese; subtitled] Do you like Ferraris?
Go Go Yubari: [in Japanese] Ferraris... Italian trash.
[Japanese businessman giggles]
Go Go Yubari: Do you want to screw me?
[Japanese businessman giggles again]
Go Go Yubari: Don't laugh. Do you want to screw me, yes or no?
Japanese Businessman: Yes.
[She stabs him in the stomach with a Samurai short sword]
Go Go Yubari: How about now, big boy? Do you still wish to penetrate me?... Or is it I who has penetrated you?
Gogo should be the victim of all child molesters.
BTW, the short sword is call a wakazashi. Traditionally, it was worn by samurai when in their homes. The only time a samurai would be unarmed would be when he was
in bed.
(Been wanting to do an 'in bed joke for a while now'."
Boy, insert a family into that and being laid off...
I swear. If I'm told I have cancer, at least I don't feel I am at fault.
Yeah, but like I said, I'm single and I chose to leave my job, with a big cusion of pad time to find new work. I was actually recruited by NSA during that time. I wasn't interviewed until a couple of months into it and I didn't get the job. (or maybe I did and can't talk about it!!!)
Excluding jobs requiring narrowly specialized skill sets, who you know has always been as or more important than what you know. I would have to try hard to think of an exception among my acquaintances.
I think that's right, but women also feel shame if they think they aren't supporting the family enough.
I'm no gender essentialist, but I do think there are differences between men and women, and while feminism has (rightfully) concentrated on the ways that our societal and cultural gender rols affect women, what is less attended to is how each affects men.
And men are told from birth (and I think it's also part of their nature) to care for, protect, provide for, those they love.
In our society as its set up, that generally means making money, for men's role.
I think this is destructive for both genders, because it sets up a situation where men are supposed to be judged on (and themselves feel that their worth is about) how they financially provide.
Another (bad) result is that men who are taking on an untraditional role, like being the one who stays home with the kids, often feel like they aren't good enough in some way, simply because they aren't the ones bringing home the money. Or other people make them feel that way.
It's a problem.
My girlfriend starts medical school in the fall. If we were to marry, she would make much more money than me. I have no problem with that whatsoever.
She told her father I said that, and he said "I could never tolerate making less than my wife." How things change in such a relatively brief period of time.
My girlfriend starts medical school in the fall. If we were to marry, she would make much more money than me. I have no problem with that whatsoever.
She told her father I said that, and he said "I could never tolerate making less than my wife." How things change in such a relatively brief period of time.
I think it's definitely generational. For sure. It isn't a problem now-- not as much.
If we were to marry, she would make much more money than me
That's many years and a few hundred thousand dollars worth of student loans down the pike, for most physicians. You have plenty of time to catch her.//
That's many years and a few hundred thousand dollars worth of student loans down the pike, for most physicians. You have plenty of time to catch her.//
She's actually very lucky. While her parents are far from wealthy, they both make very good money. She is an only child and her parents have been saving for her schooling she was born. So, no student loans for her. :)
I think that's right, but women also feel shame if they think they aren't supporting the family enough.
I'm no gender essentialist, but I do think there are differences between men and women, and while feminism has (rightfully) concentrated on the ways that our societal and cultural gender rols affect women, what is less attended to is how each affects men.
And men are told from birth (and I think it's also part of their nature) to care for, protect, provide for, those they love.
In our society as its set up, that generally means making money, for men's role.
I think this is destructive for both genders, because it sets up a situation where men are supposed to be judged on (and themselves feel that their worth is about) how they financially provide.
Another (bad) result is that men who are taking on an untraditional role, like being the one who stays home with the kids, often feel like they aren't good enough in some way, simply because they aren't the ones bringing home the money. Or other people make them feel that way.
It's a problem.
The problem is that people are judged according to how much money they have, with those making the most money having more value as human beings, while those who make less money or are unemployed, are "untermenschen"
The craziest traffic I've seen has been in Cairo and Bangkok. Bangkok wasn't really that crazy, just busy and congested. Cairo has NO traffic laws.
I read an interview some time ago, with an Egyptian-born imam serving a congregation in NYC. He commented that he was super-impressed with the courtesy and law-abiding of New York drivers.
I make a mental note to never try to drive in Cairo.
See, everybody romanticizes the 'shiner's life, but when you get down to it, it's a helluva lotta work and hassle for cheap-ass corn whiskey. There's a rather inflexible demand for booze, though, and even stew-bums gotta drink.
"baccy, on the other hand, is a real moneymaker. All you need is the know-how and nice judgment to avoid the revenuers on that one. People treat 'baccy like it's gold (which it is), but truth is, most folk wouldn't know what a barn full of the stuff looked like, and would have no idea how to make it smokeable.
Usury requires start-up capital, and is heavily "regulated" by what I like to think of as Non-Governmental Organizations. Still, it's a fairly easy gig, all things considered.
The problem is that people are judged according to how much money they have, with those making the most money having more value as human beings, while those who make less money or are unemployed, are "untermenschen"
Recreational lending... now there's a hobby for ya.
It's cheap; practically pays for itself. There was a time, in my wild bachelor days, when I was cursed with money and simply had no time to spend it anymore. Knew a lotta guys who needed the cabbage from time to time, and so...
on paydays, I'd have steady stream of folks coming by my desk, to make their weekly payments. Bosses told me to knock it off; said it looked bad, or something like that.
Which also is a thing that keep "The Man's" foot on our necks.
/ and not.
I keep telling you, the Hobbits had it all figured out. You live in a hut dug into a hillside, you plant your crops, you smoke your pipe and drink your ale, and all's well till the Shire gets scoured.
The problem is that people are judged according to how much money they have, with those making the most money having more value as human beings, while those who make less money or are unemployed, are "untermenschen"
And then there's Bernie Madoff... from rich to bitch.
on paydays, I'd have steady stream of folks coming by my desk, to make their weekly payments. Bosses told me to knock it off; said it looked bad, or something like that.
Probably just jealous!
/Hey, if there's gonna be a bank in here, we oughta be running it!
And then there's Bernie Madoff... from rich to bitch.
Chris Rock said, (paraphrasing) Black folks ain't rich. Some black folks are wealthy, but they ain't rich. You think Oprah's rich? Bill Cosby? If Bill Gates found out tomorrow that he had Bill Cosby's money? He'd jump out a fuckin' window.
I think it's definitely generational. For sure. It isn't a problem now-- not as much.
I stopped work a day job to raise kids as my wife had the higher income and benefits. I've only caught lip once, interestingly from my mother who didn't understand why I spent 4 years in college just to raise kids. My mom, she brings the love.
I bet that little smirk got wiped of his face pretty quick!
I wish, but when he got challenged to a fight in prison, it was the other guy who wound up decked. Apparently, he did learn to thrown a punch somewhere along the line.
It's cheap; practically pays for itself. There was a time, in my wild bachelor days, when I was cursed with money and simply had no time to spend it anymore. Knew a lotta guys who needed the cabbage from time to time, and so...
on paydays, I'd have steady stream of folks coming by my desk, to make their weekly payments. Bosses told me to knock it off; said it looked bad, or something like that.
I wish, but when he got challenged to a fight in prison, it was the other guy who wound up decked. Apparently, he did learn to thrown a punch somewhere along the line.
But didn't he *ahem* fall off a bed a few weeks back? Earn a night or two in Graybar Memorial Hospital.
Start brewing potcheen and I'll buy a lot. Promise.
See, now that isn't white lightning. Halfway decent poteen is still yards ahead of most corn squeezin's. Like so much of that culture, transplanting it to the Appalachians caused certain distortions, enhancements, and adaptations to local conditions.
So, Irish bootleg whiskey is miles ahead of the hillbilly version, even as hillbilly fiddlin' is years ahead of the Irish.
1) The more you wrap a used item in clear tape to keep smaller parts from getting separated from each other, the more determined the thrift store customer will be to rip it all apart, scatter it and make the item unsalable.
2) If you are walking down the isles of the use furniture department, it is you duty to open every door and drawer on every desk, hutch, dresser and entertainment center and leave them open.
3) If the piece of used electronic equipment has a sticker on it that says "works," that means we extensively tested it in the warehouse (well, we plugged it in). There is no need for you to cut the cord ties, rip the power supply off the nice tape we secured it with and find a plug to plug the whole mess into, AND THEN leave the whole mess on the floor where you examined it.
4) Sorry, older TV's are not digital signal compliant. We test the TV's with a digital/analog convertor antenna in the warehouse, but no amount of poking the buttons over an over will make a picture come in... and don't leave a 30 pound TV on the floor next to the wall plug.
5) Don't rearrange the department for me. I have mops and dusting tools in aisle one, why do you have to bring them to aisle seven, where I have sofas and put leave the mop on a sofa? Is that where you store your mops at home, on your sofa?
6) Finally, the furniture department is not the place to test out the used skateboards, I sell them in my department, but we are not set up to test them out, and no, you can't build a ramp out of the used skis, which I also sell.
Yeah, I bet the bosses weren't too happy with a bunch of their employees walking around with broken thumbs. :)
Funny thing was, I never had a problem collecting. Didn't even have to remind most guys.
If they're in straits dire enough to have to borrow rent money from a co-worker, they're painfully aware of their situation. So long as everyone acts like a gentleman, I don't need to bring in my associate, Mr. Knuckles.
I couldn't work in retail for very long, honestly. I tend toward mild OCD, and I would just be berserk with cleaning up after - and ranting about - annoying customers who never put anything back where they got it.
Yes, Brew some halfway decent potcheen and you'll be miles away...not to mention those who drink it.
Key thing on any still - and don't nobody build a cleaner still than the Irish - is the slobber box. Ya don't got that, ya end up with a bunch o' mother of vinegar messing up the whole run.
Reading up on Alice in Wonderland. It opens in March. The Cheshire Cat is voiced by Stephen Fry. SlashFilm Blogging the Reel World is where I get my movie news.
I used to work at a produce department in a grocery story. Whenever we sold cherries by the pound, pits would begin collecting at the bottom of the barrel. During the summer, peach and nectarine pits would be all over the department. In fact, one guy in grocery found an apple core hidden behind canned spaghetti sauce. I would often see customers give the fruit to their kids, who would eat them in the shopping cart.
I cringe sometimes going shopping with the Mrs. Fish and/or her family. They're the, uhh, "thrifty" sort. What I mean by that is, they aggressively negotiate and aren't afraid to escalate things to the next level if they think it'll get them their way. Me, I've always tried to be nice to the retail servicepeople, especially after working a summer in a small-town hardware store and having to BE the serviceperson.
I couldn't work in retail for very long, honestly. I tend toward mild OCD, and I would just be berserk with cleaning up after - and ranting about - annoying customers who never put anything back where they got it.
I am moderate OCD, and can you imaging working with a used furniture department, where you basically have all manner of stuff coming in daily, and you have to find some rhyme and reason for where to put them, how to display them, how to make them accessible, I mean, we try to keep certain items in certain isles (I have seven), but single chairs, bicycles, golf bags, baby gates, swamp coolers, headboard, mirrors... these are all sorts of items that don't lend themselves to sitting out neatly.
My swing supervisor's wife said the department is as neat as she has ever seen it.
And I don't just get to spend all my time on the floor, very little actually, most of my time is in he warehouse, getting large furniture items sorted, wiped down, priced and dragged out to the sales floor.
Have you ever seen the back of a thrift store, it's organized chaos, stuff coming in hour after hour, special trucks coming in from pickups.
And we become the trash haulers for everyone. We have a policy to take everything, so we do get taken advantage of, people just wanting us to haul and dispose of stuff you couldn't sell ever.
Basic fail at the hard-wired hunter/gather instinct. No buffalo brought home today, no idea where the buffalo herd will be tomorrow, and hunting chipmunks to get by is demeaning.
Bootleggers burned down my granddaddy's house in the 20's. He didn't like them running stills on his land. The story gets more interesting as the white bootleggers tried to blame the black bootleggers at the end of the valley, not knowing that the black bootleggers were 2nd cousins and "wouldn't do that to family".
And Jeff looks up at his dad: black cousins? My old man has some great stories.
Basic fail at the hard-wired hunter/gather instinct. No buffalo brought home today, no idea where the buffalo herd will be tomorrow, and hunting chipmunks to get by is demeaning.
Well, all is not lost. You can't roller skate in a Buffalo herd.
I bought a really nice vintage suit at a thrift shop for around $15 a few years ago. I only bought it for the jacket, but the pants fit me fine.
I bought a jacket for $6 at the Salvation Army. The pocket had a hole, but that is still my favorite jacket. I would be wearing it today if the weather was a little nicer.
Upding in sympathy. I have in-laws that are very unkind to those in retail.
(No, they never worked retail.) I think that it should be federally mandated that everyone work retail as part of their education.
/kidding, but wouldn't the world be a nicer place...
No, it wouldn't. You get a lot of retail positions staffed by people who were unsuited to them and weren't planning to keep them. I've had deal with people who fit that description and more than once I've had to walk out to keep from leveling the jerk.
... these are all sorts of items that don't lend themselves to sitting out neatly.
My swing supervisor's wife said the department is as neat as she has ever seen it.
My dad was a stock clerk at a grocery store for most of his life, and due to this I'm incredibly sensitive to people who decide they don't want an item they've already picked and dropping it anywhere in the store. Don't want that frozen steak? Throw it on the canned foods shelf! And so on. I actually berated some friends once for tossing an entire basket of perishables onto a shelf and heading for the door. You spend a few nights watching your pop clean up after other people, you end up with a better appreciation for where stuff goes.
Good points, to be sure. A good friend of mine, in his late 50s, recently observed (after a rather prolonged and nasty termination of a real pain-in-the-ass individual) that after 30 years of managing and hiring people, he's become convinced of only one truism in hiring:
Hire happy people.
Seems simplistic on its face, but can anybody give me an example from your experience of an unhappy person being productive and non-problematic? Not that this is easy to determine, but it made an impression on me.
Me, I've always tried to be nice to the retail servicepeople, especially after working a summer in a small-town hardware store and having to BE the serviceperson.
I'm working in the Museum one day when there is this gawd-awful SCREAM and the sounds of a fight. Two or three of us haul buggy to try to find out what is going on and this 30 year old woman is hammering our 16 year old volunteer's head. Took two of us to pull her off.
Turns out Volunteer's older brother - who is a real man about town - got this woman in the family way years ago and then split. The 16 year old didn't even know her. He's changing a light bulb and suddenly this strange woman goes apeshit and knocks him off the ladder.
Lawyers got involved and it got to the point that the boss and I both had to give depositions, but it never went to trial. I assume someone settled.
And the 16 year old never worked there again. Can't say I blame him.
Walter does your place only do hardlines or is it also clothing?
Just wait, if you are in a larger city it is almost time for the Japanese pickers to show up looking for vintage.
I think it's called "empathy" and it appears to be in fairly short supply in a lot of areas; mainly retail and restaurants. By the customers that is, not the employees.
Mitchell fails to convince Abbas to enter talks with Israel
The US envoy to the Middle East was holding talks with the Palestinian leader on Friday afternoon, even as hopes that Washington could restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations anytime soon continued to fade.
...
The three-hour meeting between Abbas and Washington's envoy, George Mitchell, came a day after Time magazine published an interview with Obama in which the US president acknowledged he may have overestimated his ability to revive negotiations.
...
Mitchell arrived in Israel Wednesday night from Lebanon and Syria. He met Abbas on Friday after holding talks with Netanyahu on Thursday, and is to leave the region over the weekend. The envoy has said Obama remains committed to trying to broker a Mideast deal, but it's unclear what he could try next.
...
Meanwhile, during a press conference in Washington with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Thursday night, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that while the US would continue to work for Middle East peace, it was ultimately up to Israel and the Palestinians.
Holy moly, that's the mother of all customer service stories. I've heard just about everything now.
The boss dropped the hammer right then, and came down on the side of our guy. Woman got tossed, and the boss tells the kid Go in my office and call the lawyer in town RIGHT NOW.
Ain't nobody manhandling his people, no matter what!
I'll have to dig thru my memory trove...having worked in restaurants, food retail, banking and the gaming industry, I can safely say that the two worst things to have to deal with are people's food and people's money.
[Keeping fingers crossed that I never have to consider employment in portapotty maintenance as an option to homelessness...]
Has any POTUS in the last 40 years not promised to work on peace in the Middle East and then essentially failed to deliver?
But we're talking politicians again. It makes a great talking point to attempt to garner votes, but let's be realistic, the United States (or any other country outside of the region) is not capable of, or willing to, make the necessary steps that could generate a lasting peace there that will have all sides placated.
I'll have to dig thru my memory trove...having worked in restaurants, food retail, banking and the gaming industry, I can safely say that the two worst things to have to deal with are people's food and people's money.
[Keeping fingers crossed that I never have to consider employment in portapotty maintenance as an option to homelessness...]
See, working in the hardware business, the worst you really have to deal with are the know-it-all gits who think they've got a clue how to do their project but are going about it all the wrong way. Those were the cases where the store manager would take me aside and say, "Let me handle this one, you go deal with XYZ over there." Other than that, most people are reasonably friendly, and one of two types: 1) Know bugger-all and looking for advice, or 2) Know enough to be dangerous and looking for more advanced help or confirmation.
The boss dropped the hammer right then, and came down on the side of our guy. Woman got tossed, and the boss tells the kid Go in my office and call the lawyer in town RIGHT NOW.
Ain't nobody manhandling his people, no matter what!
Has any POTUS in the last 40 years not promised to work on peace in the Middle East and then essentially failed to deliver?
But we're talking politicians again. It makes a great talking point to attempt to garner votes, but let's be realistic, the United States (or any other country outside of the region) is not capable of, or willing to, make the necessary steps that could generate a lasting peace there that will have all sides placated.
I'm working in the Museum one day when there is this gawd-awful SCREAM and the sounds of a fight. Two or three of us haul buggy to try to find out what is going on and this 30 year old woman is hammering our 16 year old volunteer's head. Took two of us to pull her off.
Turns out Volunteer's older brother - who is a real man about town - got this woman in the family way years ago and then split. The 16 year old didn't even know her. He's changing a light bulb and suddenly this strange woman goes apeshit and knocks him off the ladder.
Lawyers got involved and it got to the point that the boss and I both had to give depositions, but it never went to trial. I assume someone settled.
And the 16 year old never worked there again. Can't say I blame him.
I train my customers. Once in a while I have to fire one. If they are untrainable, they become customers of my competitor down the street.
Didn't take me long to realize some customers aren't worth having no matter how much business they give you. I was building a large McD's last year and threatened to throw the GC off the roof. Last building I did for him but it was worth it to see how fast he could get his ass down that ladder.
It used to be that only men were judged by this standard, but women were included around the 1970's, when some of the feminists of that time started squawking that stay-at-home moms were worthless.
It used to be that only men were judged by this standard, but women were included around the 1970's, when some of the feminists of that time started squawking that stay-at-home moms were worthless.
Obviously said by someone who didn't do their own laundry, clean their own home, cook their own meals, or pay to have all that done on a regular basis.
Didn't take me long to realize some customers aren't worth having no matter how much business they give you. I was building a large McD's last year and threatened to throw the GC off the roof. Last building I did for him but it was worth it to see how fast he could get his ass down that ladder.
Well, I've never threatened violence. I did chase a shoplifter down the street and recover the goods.
AGREED! One of the best bosses I ever had was tough as hell, demanding all of us be aware, on our toes, attentive to detail and professional -- in what many often took as a "harsh" style. But he was an excellent teacher and mentor as well as being an unflinching critic when required. His best feature was his resolute protection of his crew: anyone from any other department who attempted to directly take any of us to task for an error learned very quickly that it was the only time they wanted to try that. He would listen to concerns/criticisms when they were brought to him, but defended us publicly and (verbally) thumped us privately when needed. Never failed to act, but never failed to make it clear it was HIS action to take, not someone else's.
Didn't take me long to realize some customers aren't worth having no matter how much business they give you. I was building a large McD's last year and threatened to throw the GC off the roof. Last building I did for him but it was worth it to see how fast he could get his ass down that ladder.
Now I'm picturing you as Lawrence from Office Space (since in one scene he said he was doing drywall for the new McDonald's.)
I cringe sometimes going shopping with the Mrs. Fish and/or her family. They're the, uhh, "thrifty" sort. What I mean by that is, they aggressively negotiate and aren't afraid to escalate things to the next level if they think it'll get them their way. Me, I've always tried to be nice to the retail servicepeople, especially after working a summer in a small-town hardware store and having to BE the serviceperson.
I gotta tell ya I have worked both retail and wholesale in the jewelry business for over twenty years and it's gotta be one of the hardest jobs anyone could have. No one wants to pay the price marked, they all think that jewelers are making money hand over fist and everyone wants a discount. I got verbal scoldings and beaten up on a daily basis. I have even been called racist because I refused to give a discount to one customer whom thought that because she was a minority she was entitled to a lower price than everyone else. I can still hear her screaming at me in my sleep, the nightmares these people cause can be disconcerting for years. Then I worked on the phones and that's even tougher! People feel that they can verbally abuse you just because you are on the other end of a telephone. I put one of these wonderful // customers on speaker so my boss could hear the abuse she was dishing out, and let me tell you he went ballistic! After that I just passed those types off onto the boss. The stress they cause is just not worth it. You have to have the patience of a saint to work in that industry, or you'll go insane. I almost did.
The problem is that people are judged according to how much money they have, with those making the most money having more value as human beings, while those who make less money or are unemployed, are "untermenschen"
My husband's brother is much more financially successful than my husband or his sister.
My mother-in-law observed once that she was so proud of all her kids, and so happy that they had each found work that suited them.
I once told someone that I went into computers so that I wouldn't have to deal with people. So I guess I prefer simplistic very fast adding machines to dealing with flesh and bone folk.
I don't respect the computers themselves at all. I respect the programmers for making them do things, and the scientists/engineers that make such wonderfully complex machines out of silicon, plastic, and metal.
"We have tamed lightning, and now use it to make sand think."
Naso I think it boils down to the idea that the government should not be in the business of who can say what, ever. Throw in the fact that it is a pretty disturbing conflict of interest to have elected officials getting to decide who gets to influence future elections. Then it's pretty easy to see why what seemed like a good idea (campaign finance laws) is actually a bad deal.
What I am saying is that there is a difference between speech and financing campaigns.
Corporate management can make all the speeches they want, when they are not working for shareholders, and to the extent that legislation may harm, or benefit, their business they can speak out at work too; but when it comes to spending MY money as a shareholder to support a political party or candidate then we are into territory that does not come under the umbrella of "free speech", the business becomes a political organization with no accountability to shareholders beyond "sell out".
I hear a noise in the background..I think it may be legislators and lawyers working on arguments that there is no reason to leave religious and non profits out of this political free for all either./
The manner in which Americans "consume" music has a lot to do with leaving it on their coffee tables, or using it as wallpaper for their lifestyles, like the score of a movie -- it's consumed that way without any regard for how and why it was made. -- From "The Real Frank Zappa Book" (ch. 11)
Frank says: