Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[thesloppy]

Here's a silly, ignorant question that popped into my head whilst reading about corporate tax abuse:

Could American tax payers make an effective protest through the use of income tax withholdings (since we're not particularly effective at 'traditional' forms of effective protest)? Like, if folks basically took home their entire pay and didn't pay their taxes until the deadline, essentially denying the government the use of their money for an entire fiscal year, but without any risk to themselves or their lifestyle, would that loss of immediate capital (or possible interest earned from that capital) be a big enough hiccup to as to actually pose a problem/protest to the government? Clearly an individual effort would be worthless, and any kind of effect would probably require hundreds of thousands of folks to do so at the very least, but it seems like the kind of super-low-risk protest that could possibly take off on social media, in the hands of the right whackjobs/patriots.

Surely someone smarter and more informed that me has probably tackled this idea before, and although the idea of tax resistance has a long history, all the examples I can find of that resistance usually extends to not paying some/all of your taxes at all, whereas this idea is just denying the government your money (and any interest earned from its use) for as long as legally possible.

[stevew]

Just offhand, the big money in taxes is likely paid quarterly whereas individuals paying tax throughout the year from salary received is probably a smaller amount I'd guess?

[albionmoonlight]

I think that you don't have a choice about withholding.

[Lathum]

It's such shit the things airlines get away with.

[SackAttack]

I think that you don't have a choice about withholding.

Yes and no. I think there's certain tax that gets taken no matter what - payroll tax, SSI/Medicare - but income tax withholding you can adjust, I believe.

[thesloppy]

Yes and no. I think there's certain tax that gets taken no matter what - payroll tax, SSI/Medicare - but income tax withholding you can adjust, I believe.

Yeah, in my experience it's usually an HR/payroll issue, brought up once during your initial hiring phase, never to be discussed again....but you should be able to go to HR and change your income tax withholdings at any time.

[corbes]

Oh, sweet.

First game I clicked on: 1991 Saints @ Eagles - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDw4fUZzmow)

Listen to the first :50 at least. Did not recall that.

My god, that defense. What a shame that they were playing Brad Goebel at QB.

[Grover]

Fuck Lowe's and their terrible customer service.

[CU Tiger]

Here's a silly, ignorant question that popped into my head whilst reading about corporate tax abuse:

Could American tax payers make an effective protest through the use of income tax withholdings (since we're not particularly effective at 'traditional' forms of effective protest)? Like, if folks basically took home their entire pay and didn't pay their taxes until the deadline, essentially denying the government the use of their money for an entire fiscal year, but without any risk to themselves or their lifestyle, would that loss of immediate capital (or possible interest earned from that capital) be a big enough hiccup to as to actually pose a problem/protest to the government? Clearly an individual effort would be worthless, and any kind of effect would probably require hundreds of thousands of folks to do so at the very least, but it seems like the kind of super-low-risk protest that could possibly take off on social media, in the hands of the right whackjobs/patriots.

Surely someone smarter and more informed that me has probably tackled this idea before, and although the idea of tax resistance has a long history, all the examples I can find of that resistance usually extends to not paying some/all of your taxes at all, whereas this idea is just denying the government your money (and any interest earned from its use) for as long as legally possible.


The problem is if you end up owing more than a certain amount at the end of the year, they actually penalize you and charge you an astronomical fee and mandate you go on quarterly filings the next year.

[digamma]

The penalty is minimal in the grand scheme of things.

[thesloppy]

Removing the idea of protest or resistance, it also seems like you could save yourself a few thousand dollars every year by taking all your money home and investing/depositing those dollars for the year, for your own profit, rather than immediately handing them over to the government....which probably lends credence to the idea that it's not entirely feasible, because if it were folks would already have done it long ago.

[Logan]

Removing the idea of protest or resistance, it also seems like you could save yourself a few thousand dollars every year by taking all your money home and investing/depositing those dollars for the year, for your own profit, rather than immediately handing them over to the government....which probably lends credence to the idea that it's not entirely feasible, because if it were folks would already have done it long ago.

Saving "a few thousand dollars" is only going to happen if you're investing that money. A married couple filing jointly that has $100K in income owes about $17K in federal taxes, so you're talking about earning roughly a 20% return on that money to get that level of benefit. And the first time the market tanks and you find yourself with a massive tax bill at the end of the year that you can't pay just by liquidating your portfolio, that's when it probably stops.

Beyond that, this is basically the approach everyone who isn't in the "tax refund = forced savings/vacation fund" already takes.

[Grover]

Seeing ISIL destroy 2,700 year old Assyrian statues is just... ugh. I don't have any words for it.

[Suicane75]

Now they've gotten out of hand.

[corbes]

Sears said they would deliver my new washing machine between 4pm and 6pm. It's now 10:50pm. Should I keep the light on for them?

[stevew]

Sears is the worst. I bet the douches complain about your water lines and refuse to install it.

[stevew]

The problem is if you end up owing more than a certain amount at the end of the year, they actually penalize you and charge you an astronomical fee and mandate you go on quarterly filings the next year.

Plus you'd need millions(tens of millions?) of people to join up to make it any kind of thing.

[NobodyHere]

Here's a silly, ignorant question that popped into my head whilst reading about corporate tax abuse:

Could American tax payers make an effective protest through the use of income tax withholdings (since we're not particularly effective at 'traditional' forms of effective protest)? Like, if folks basically took home their entire pay and didn't pay their taxes until the deadline, essentially denying the government the use of their money for an entire fiscal year, but without any risk to themselves or their lifestyle, would that loss of immediate capital (or possible interest earned from that capital) be a big enough hiccup to as to actually pose a problem/protest to the government? Clearly an individual effort would be worthless, and any kind of effect would probably require hundreds of thousands of folks to do so at the very least, but it seems like the kind of super-low-risk protest that could possibly take off on social media, in the hands of the right whackjobs/patriots.

Surely someone smarter and more informed that me has probably tackled this idea before, and although the idea of tax resistance has a long history, all the examples I can find of that resistance usually extends to not paying some/all of your taxes at all, whereas this idea is just denying the government your money (and any interest earned from its use) for as long as legally possible.

I don't think the government will care over a little deficit spending until the tax revenues come in.

[Honolulu_Blue]

My office looks right out into a hotel and it finally happened today...

There I was, reading a memo on the implications of European competition law on one of general terms and conditions in our supplier contracts, I look up in thought and... BOOM! There's a naked dude walking around in his hotel room right across from me. I only saw a glimpse of his backside before I quickly looked back at the memo.

[cartman]

Friday afternoon company meetings with beer are awesome

[PilotMan]

My office looks right out into a hotel and it finally happened today...

There I was, reading a memo on the implications of European competition law on one of general terms and conditions in our supplier contracts, I look up in thought and... BOOM! There's a naked dude walking around in his hotel room right across from me. I only saw a glimpse of his backside before I quickly looked back at the memo.

Sorry....


...not really.

;)

[NobodyHere]

It's amusing to watch a gamer moan about how some kickstarter game was delayed and then watch a gamer moan about how some game released by a publisher was released too soon.

[NobodyHere]

I just watched Robocop 2 and I can't imagine why such angelic views of Detroit never came to pass.

[AENeuman]

Police to man crashed on our stoop, "is that moonshine? Where did you get that?"

[Lathum]

Was just at Costco and heard a guy pleasuring himself is a stall.

[Kodos]

They have very good prices.

[Lathum]

It makes no sense but I always feel like my clothes get cleaner if I wash them inside out.

[Grover]

Was just at Costco and heard a guy pleasuring himself is a stall.

When I was a manager for a local supermarket I had to deal with a special needs teenager who was pleasuring himself at our job kiosk located 15 feet from the service desk and in plain view of anybody walking by.

[albionmoonlight]

When I was a manager for a local supermarket I had to deal with a special needs teenager who was pleasuring himself at our job kiosk located 15 feet from the service desk and in plain view of anybody walking by.

Store managers do not get enough credit for how hard their job is. I worked as a bagboy/stockboy at a grocery store in high school. And, from what I could tell, the manager's job was to (1) have every bitchy customer in the store directed to him, (2) actually keep the store running, and (3) deal with all of the random stuff (like above) that came up that there really is no way to deal with and that's why you got the manager.

People do not realize how much creative energy that job takes on a day to day basis.

[Suicane75]

I worked for a veterenarian when i was 15, i used to whack it in the kennells. His assistant was a pixie little blonde about 35 or so, I couldn't help myself.

Got an ex girlfriend who's been in jail for a year, looking at a long ass prison term, i'm tempted to write her but don't know what to say, haven't spoken in 15 years. Ugggh. Part legit concern, part lonlieness.

[molson]

I was in a downtown Vegas Casino bathroom and a guy was jerking it in the stall. You couldn't hear him, but the bathroom light created a shadow of him - and his activities - that you could see outside the stall.

[albionmoonlight]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Big Congrats to Judge Judy on signing her contract extension thru 2020 from a Devout Fan!</p>&mdash; Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachJim4UM/status/572877119480459264">March 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I love the idea of Harbaugh lifting weights at 3AM, watching cable, and yelling at the TV "You Tell 'Em, Judy! Yeah!"

[Chief Rum]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Big Congrats to Judge Judy on signing her contract extension thru 2020 from a Devout Fan!</p>&mdash; Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachJim4UM/status/572877119480459264">March 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I love the idea of Harbaugh lifting weights at 3AM, watching cable, and yelling at the TV "You Tell 'Em, Judy! Yeah!"

Must not be a Lasertag night.

[Grover]

Store managers do not get enough credit for how hard their job is. I worked as a bagboy/stockboy at a grocery store in high school. And, from what I could tell, the manager's job was to (1) have every bitchy customer in the store directed to him, (2) actually keep the store running, and (3) deal with all of the random stuff (like above) that came up that there really is no way to deal with and that's why you got the manager.

People do not realize how much creative energy that job takes on a day to day basis.

Absolutely. I do not miss the position one bit.

[molson]

I entered the top 24 FOFC posters who were active as of this week and entered them into a Hunger Games Simulator. Here were the results:

Day 1
Radii killed by stevew
QuikSand killed by EagleFan
sabotai killed by hoopsguy
EagleFan killed by muttation attack
ISiddiqui killed by muttation attack
Mizzou B-ball fan killed by JonInMiddleGA
molson killed by Ben E Lou
Young Drachma killed by Poli
Poli killed by Eaglesfan27
SirFozzie killed by stevew
Chief Rum killed by MrBug708

Day 2
Kodos killed by MizzouRah
MizzouRah killed by Danny
Ben E Lou killed by Abe Sargent
JonInMiddleGA killed by environmental disaster
Alan T killed by Eaglesfan27

Day 3

Day 4

Danny killed by Eaglesfan27
cartman killed by hoopsguy
MrBug708 killed by stevew
Lathum killed by Abe Sargent

Day 5

Day 6

Abe Sargent killed by food poisoning
stevew killed by environmental disaster
Eaglesfan27 killed by hoopsguy

The victor is: hoopsguy

Ripred.Net - Hunger Games Simulator (http://ripred.net/gsadvanced.php)

Obviously I didn't bother with the male/female category distinction. I might do another one with "alliances" later.

[britrock88]

I entered the top 24 FOFC posters who were active as of this week and entered them into a Hunger Games Simulator...

So silly, I L'd-OL.

[stevew]

Shit, I have a good body count.

[Lathum]

lol.

I sat around doing nothing for 4 days only to get killed.

[cartman]

lol.

I sat around doing nothing for 4 days only to get killed.

I think you and I were playing heads up poker the whole time :D

[CU Tiger]

Least surprising result ever?

Mizzou B-ball fan killed by JonInMiddleGA

lol

[Kodos]

Curse you, MizzouRah.

[Chief Rum]

No way Bug would kill me. We're much more likely to form an alliance.

[Logan]

I'm such an idiot. Until I got to the very end, I was trying to figure out how I missed a guy named "environmental disaster" being such a long time poster here.

[molson]

Curse you, MizzouRah.

Well, it looks like you at least put up a fight and left MizzouRah in a weakened state, allowing Danny to pick up the scraps and put him out of misery shortly thereafter.

[jeff061]

I'm such an idiot. Until I got to the very end, I was trying to figure out how I missed a guy named "environmental disaster" being such a long time poster here.

I'm still trying to figure out who killed environment disaster.:confused:

[molson]

I kind of want to change my username to "environmental disaster". If I knew I'd be posting here 13 years later maybe I would have put more than 1 second of thought into my username choice.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I kind of want to change my username to "environmental disaster". If I knew I'd be posting here 13 years later maybe I would have put more than 1 second of thought into my username choice.

Seriously. I would've never used the underscore.

[cartman]

I'm still trying to figure out who killed environment disaster.:confused:

manbearpig

[jeff061]

Cereally?

[Barkeep49]

Does liking a candidate's Facebook page equate to an endorsement? How about a friend request?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Does liking a candidate's Facebook page equate to an endorsement? How about a friend request?

Not automatically IMO. I've liked/followed a candidate's page or social media while I'm still in the determining my choice phase of a race. Now once I've eliminated them from consideration I typically unfollow but for informational purposes I don't see an issue with the connection.

[ISiddiqui]

Damn you muttation attack :mad:

[NobodyHere]

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

[thesloppy]

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

Personally, I find the aftertaste to be the difference with sweeteners. Sugar's sweetness decays very quickly with the cleanest, and least aftertaste. Corn syrup's sweetness and taste is similar to sugar, but the aftertaste is a bit more cloying, and sticks around on my tongue a little bit longer, and almost all artificial sweeteners have an aftertaste that is too long, and tastes a bit off/chemical.

[stevew]

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

I think the Glass Bottle Mexican Coke is great but the Pepsi flavors with natural sugar and the Mt. Dew throwback flavors aren't that great.

I do like Jarritos a lot.

[path12]

I just got an internal email that starts with:

Cheery Greetings Valued Team!

Jesus Christ.

[B & B]

I think the Glass Bottle Mexican Coke is great but the Pepsi flavors with natural sugar and the Mt. Dew throwback flavors aren't that great.

I do like Jarritos a lot.

I hereby declare stevew to be 2/3 mexican

[Suicane75]

So I've finally tried some cola with natural sugar after hearing for years that it is sooooooooo much better.

It tastes on par to me with the artificial sweetener.

Pssst...wanna try some cocaine?

[lighthousekeeper]

the weather channel website might just be the most frustratingly, tabloidy awful website in existence.

[timmae]

Note to self: You need to print you boarding pass at least 45 minutes prior to your flight departure in order to check your luggage. Failure to do so will result in needing to switch your flight and waiting an extra 5 hours in the airport.

[Lathum]

the weather channel website might just be the most frustratingly, tabloidy awful website in existence.

This.

Not only is it cumbersome as all hell, but the stories they have on there are so far from weather related its absurd.

I usually just use the app, much better.

[Lathum]

I always sleep in eithe pajama pants and a t-shirt or gym shorts and a t-shirt. Unless I have sex with my wife, then I always sleep without a shirt.

Up until recently I always wore underwear under my shorts or PJs, but lately I haven't been and I have to say I am enjoying the freedom.

[britrock88]

weather.gov, everyone.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Or wunderground.com

[Logan]

I don't care what weather website you use as long as it doesn't lead to you posting about your state of nakedness after taking your wife to Pound Town.

[Honolulu_Blue]

This is a good point. I pretty much always sleep in just pajama bottoms - either full length or shorts. I rarely, if ever, wear a t-shirt because I over heat easily.

Luckily, now I will always think of Lathum taking his wife to Pound Town when I get ready for bed.

Thanks for that!

[Lathum]

This is a good point. I pretty much always sleep in just pajama bottoms - either full length or shorts. I rarely, if ever, wear a t-shirt because I over heat easily.

Luckily, now I will always think of Lathum taking his wife to Pound Town when I get ready for bed.

Thanks for that!

Well thats all I think about when getting ready for bed!

[Suburban Rhythm]

I always sleep in eithe pajama pants and a t-shirt or gym shorts and a t-shirt. Unless I have sex with my wife, then I always sleep without a shirt.

Up until recently I always wore underwear under my shorts or PJs, but lately I haven't been and I have to say I am enjoying the freedom.

Since you worded it that way, safe assume you wear something else?

Like a ball gag?

[Lathum]

Since you worded it that way, safe assume you wear something else?

Like a ball gag?

leather

[Suburban Rhythm]

leather

obligatory saldana reference

[Dutch]

Just got to experience a landing so smooth I wasn't convinced we even touched down until we started breaking....and the pilot didn't even come out for high fives. Also got to see a rocket taking off from the Cape from the plane!

[timmae]

Hey Dutch!! I am in your city buddy... Need to swing by ybor on Monday to grab some sticks!!

[Dutch]

I'm a travellin' man....in NC on Monday. Friday...Saturday...Sunday...if you're around then. :)

[cartman]

A buddy of mine in California has just finished his new racing project. He somehow shoehorned a Viper V10 into a Honda S2000.

[Dutch]

I wonder if the power to weight ratio makes it crazy to drive....and steer?

EDIT: Stupid smart phone...

[Buccaneer]

In my on-going fascination with generation gaps and trends, I enjoyed this opinion piece (enjoyed, as in made me think about it)

Silicon Valley to millennials: Drop dead - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/18/opinions/wheeler-silicon-valley-jobs/index.html)

David R. Wheeler is a writer and journalism professor living in Lexington, Kentucky. Follow him on Twitter @David_R_Wheeler. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN)We have no problem taking Wall Street executives to task for decisions that leave American families financially devastated, yet we give Silicon Valley billionaires a pass when they do the same thing. America needs to realize that instead of creating jobs, Silicon Valley is erasing them, leaving millennials financially stranded before their careers can get off the ground.

Silicon Valley is tossing millennials aside like yesterday's laptop.

The commonly held belief is that with hard work and a good education, a young person in America can get a good job. But despite falling unemployment, college grads age 22 to 27 are stuck in low-paying jobs that don't even require a college degree. The percentage of young people languishing in low-skill, low-paying jobs is 44%, a 20-year high.

David Wheeler
David Wheeler
Only 36% of college grads have jobs that pay at least $45,000, a sharp decline from the 1990s, after adjusting for inflation. Perhaps most depressingly, the percentage of young people making below $25,000 has topped 20%, worse than in 1990. In other words, those with a bachelor's diploma were better off before the digital revolution.

If this comes as a surprise, that's because images from popular culture push the idea that young college graduates are shrugging off bad employment prospects with their do-it-yourself attitude. In our collective imagination, millennials are saying, "No jobs? That's OK — I'll create my own!" And then they solve their own problems by heading to Silicon Valley with little more than an iPhone and an idea to create the next hip app that supposedly will turn them into overnight millionaires.

A fictional example of this new breed of young idealistic entrepreneur would be Mike Bean, founder of Internet behemoth Gryzzl on the show "Parks and Recreation." Played by Blake Anderson, Bean might best be described as "barefoot and pregnant with ideas." The bumbling entrepreneur conquers the world practically by accident, armed only with his digital savvy, a can-do spirit, and a penchant for invading users' privacy. You get the idea that his success came easily.

Privacy concerns aside, the Mike Beans of America are just about as rare as the Mark Zuckerbergs. In fact, the percentage of people under 30 who own private businesses has reached a 24-year low. Garages across the country are not exactly humming with millennials launching tech startups.

But wait — won't the digital economy eventually lead to better jobs? After a period of adjustment, won't things get better? Unfortunately that's not the path we're on. One of the biggest misconceptions about the digital economy is that for every middle-class job rendered obsolete by technology, there's a new, equally good (or better) job created by Silicon Valley.

But exactly the opposite is happening. The digital economy is vaporizing the good jobs and replacing them with two kinds of jobs: minimum wage jobs (think Amazon warehouse employees) and so-called "sharing-economy jobs" (think Uber drivers).

The sharing-economy jobs are even worse than minimum wage jobs because they offer no stability or protections for workers. Sharing economy jobs aren't really jobs at all; they're freelance gigs.

Sure, Silicon Valley doesn't owe America jobs. But something is wrong with the picture of a handful of tech billionaires overseeing a kingdom of falling wages, decreased worker protection and zero job security.

This "winner-take-all" digital economy is not sustainable. People on both sides of the political spectrum are worried. Liberal luminary Robert Reich, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and former secretary of labor under Bill Clinton, calls the sharing economy the "share-the-scraps" economy. Speaking of tech companies that utilize on-demand labor, such as Uber, Instacart and Taskrabbit, he says, "The big money goes to the corporations that own the software. The scraps go to the on-demand workers."

Meanwhile, conservative columnist Ross Douthat fears a dystopian future in which "a rich, technologically proficient society will no longer offer meaningful occupation to many people of ordinary talents."

Put simply, Silicon Valley's utopia is the rest of America's dystopia. And those who are punished more than anyone else are recent college graduates, whose lifetime earning potential has already suffered an irreversible setback.

And if you think your own job is safe, think again. New research predicts that nearly half of all jobs are susceptible to automation over the next two decades. This is a giant leap backward, but it's deceptively described as technological "progress." As anyone who's talked to an automated system on the phone lately can attest, "automated" usually means "worse."

What can be done? How can we fight this slide back toward the Middle Ages? If we take no action, we're headed toward a kind of digital world feudalism where there are a handful of kings, a lot of peasants and no middle class.

There's no easy fix, but we can do three things immediately. First, we can stop glorifying tech titans and start talking openly about Silicon Valley's questionable tactics and its real job creation record (i.e., just follow the numbers). Second, we can encourage more lawsuits against the abusive practices of "sharing-economy" powerhouses. Third, we can elect leaders who are vocal about holding Silicon Valley accountable for their power over the entire American workforce, including white-collar employees.

The fictional Gryzzl's tagline borrows some millennial slang: "Wouldn't it be tight if everyone was chill to each other?" Indeed it would. And if we want a better future for millennials and the generations after them, we need to challenge the prevailing Silicon Valley ethos before it's too late.

[JonInMiddleGA]

In my on-going fascination with generation gaps and trends, I enjoyed this opinion piece (enjoyed, as in made me think about it)

Silicon Valley to millennials: Drop dead - CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/18/opinions/wheeler-silicon-valley-jobs/index.html)

In the end, it really keeps coming back to "too many people", population that is surplus to needs.

[Lathum]

Grown up decisions suck.

[timmae]

Grown up decisions suck.

Go with the 24 pack. (Sorry about whatever it is that is tugging at you..).

[Easy Mac]

I think I get more joy in life from putting my boss in his place than from like 95% off everything else I do in life. Maybe if I didn't constantly get thrown under buses, I wouldn't take such joy out of it.

[ColtCrazy]

So the news ran a story about how the city just 5 miles north of ours is now an HIV infested hell hole of drugs and prostitution. Couple that with my state governor's idiotic ideas, and my wife has decided this is all the last straw and wants to move. Currently polishing up my CV to apply for a position at the school in England where I used to work in the summers.

[ColtCrazy]

On a lighter note, came back from my history conference in St. Augustine (great city center). Took a side trip to Jacksonville to take the wife shopping and I was impressed with the city.

[Chief Rum]

So the news ran a story about how the city just 5 miles north of ours is now an HIV infested hell hole of drugs and prostitution. Couple that with my state governor's idiotic ideas, and my wife has decided this is all the last straw and wants to move. Currently polishing up my CV to apply for a position at the school in England where I used to work in the summers.

I understand wanting to move because of that, but all the way to England? That's your best option is leaving the country altogether?

[molson]

Maybe that shithole needs a quality educator more than England does?

I think like that when people talk about how Ferguson would never have any quality police applicants ever again. But I think plenty of people who are motivated by public service would love such a challenge. I've always thought that if you really hate bad police officers or prosecutors, the best thing to do to improve the situation is to become a good police officer or prosecutor. Depending on our motives, etc, we should consider running towards, not fleeing away from, difficult situations.

Obviously its more complex than that, especially if you have other considerations like kids and stuff. Just a random thought. For the random thought thread.

[Dodgerchick]

I think I get more joy in life from putting my boss in his place than from like 95% off everything else I do in life. Maybe if I didn't constantly get thrown under buses, I wouldn't take such joy out of it.

I don't blame you, a lot of bosses are asswhites. It's a good thing you put him in his place, most wouldn't dare.

[Easy Mac]

Salt n Pepa performed Push It on American Idol tonight. That song came out over 27 years ago. 27 years before the song came out, the Beatles just started performing together.

Time is old

[molson]

Salt n Pepa performed Push It on American Idol tonight. That song came out over 27 years ago. 27 years before the song came out, the Beatles just started performing together.

Time is old

We're also now 30 years from Back to the Future, in which Michael J. Fox traveled 30 years back in time to 1955.

[Groundhog]

The Philadelphia Sixers have a lot of Biblical/Christian-ish names on their roster

Jakarr Sampson, Ishmael Smith, Jerami (derived from Jeremiah) Grant, Nerlens Noel, Isaiah Canaan, and stretching it a bit too far Joel (derived from Hebrew Yo'el - Yahweh is God) Embiid.

[stevew]

They're still a godless abomination.

[korme]

This quote from 68-year-old Tom Coughlin using his GPS has me rolling:

"Two weeks ago I'm trying to get to a roller hockey game that my grandson is playing in, so Marc Ross [the Giants' director of college scouting] had showed me how to talk to this phone," Coughlin said. "I don't trust the lady in GPS, I don't trust her, because they don't send you the right way. I hit the button and I go 'Park Ridge, New Jersey.' And she comes back on, she's giving me directions. So now I figure out where I am. I hit the thing and I said 'Thank you very much, I know exactly where I am now.' And she comes back and says, 'You don't have to thank me.' I swear to God that's what she said. And then I couldn't get her to shut up. Every turn. 'Take a right here.' I know where I am. I know where I am. I'm a block away from my house and she's telling me where to go. I said 'I know where I'm going.'"

[MikeVic]

The result of that recent plane crash just ruined my day. People suck.
Germanwings plane crash: Co-pilot 'wanted to destroy plane' - BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32063587)

[ColtCrazy]

I understand wanting to move because of that, but all the way to England? That's your best option is leaving the country altogether?

Honestly, not sure. The big bonus to it is they have two position which my wife and I are suited. That'll be a consideration regardless. It helps I have a connection there, but I still think it's a bit of a long shot so I'm not convinced it'll work out.

[Chief Rum]

Honestly, not sure. The big bonus to it is they have two position which my wife and I are suited. That'll be a consideration regardless. It helps I have a connection there, but I still think it's a bit of a long shot so I'm not convinced it'll work out.

Hey, if it works for you guys and you're not opposed to leaving the US, then go for it. I would be surprised if there isn't someplace you could both find good jobs and that is nice in the US, but if you liked it there and it's a good opportunity and community, then good luck.

[Lathum]

City mourns first active-duty firefighter death in 12 years (http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/03/26/madisonville-fire-weve-got-a-lot-of-people-yelling/70474302/)

Cincinnati is mourning today over the first loss of a firefighter in the line of duty in 12 years. One of my best friends out here is a Cinci firefighter. Knew the guy, worked with him sometimes, said he was a good guy. I can tell my buddy is a bit shaken, taking him out tonight for a few beers and the games. I can't imagine the reminder it is for him that it can all end in a hurry. He has two young kids at home, yet he puts his life on the line every day for complete strangers, he is a true hero.

We lost a true hero today.

[bob]

I was expecting some conversation of the Germanwings crash or the Bergdahl desertion charges on here...

[stevew]

Are Under Armour shoes any good?

[CU Tiger]

Not according to one former SC qb who was punished for blaming UA for their rash of foot injuries.

[Grover]

My local credit union can suck it. I love that buying a house 3 months ago and getting a new (better paying) job last year means they won't give me a small personal loan.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Either espn.com is playing a helluva an unfunny April Fool's joke OR they turned their website re-design over to a group of 10 year olds & told them to try to guess what drunken 20 year olds would like to see for site layout & design.

What an inglorious clusterf.

CBSsportsline as the replacement I guess? Or does someone have a better suggestion for a simple site with headlines by category & a nice workable score ticker?

[Lathum]

looks for real

ESPN.com redesign: It's a whole new website (http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/page/AnniversaryLaunch/whole-new-website)

[jeff061]

It can only be an improvement..

[stevew]

Oh man. That redesign is horrible

[Logan]

It can only be an improvement..

I HATED the old site and never went to it. This looks much cleaner at least. Seems like they could have done some things to fit more stories on the left side but overall I like the look.

[jeff061]

Same. Every once in awhile I'd try, but no, I couldn't do it. It was really really bad. This new one seems a lot better.

[Draft Dodger]

add me to the list of people who never ever went to the old site because of the design (and also because ESPN sucks). I still won't go there (because ESPN sucks), but I do think the design has improved tremendously (but ESPN sucks)

[Logan]

Yeah I don't plan on going there either. I actually don't end up visiting many sites home page because I tend to go to articles directly through links (mostly Twitter) and then click around from there if necessary.

[Buccaneer]

For many years now, I have refused to go to espn.com, it was an unreadable mess - much like their over-hyped, over-produced philosophy on everything. I do agree that this is cleaner but I will stick with cbssports.com as I have for years.

[NobodyHere]

This is probably the best april fool's page I've seen so far today.

Urban Meyer: Browns 'fantastic' at pre-draft scouting - NFL.com (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000482915/article/urban-meyer-browns-fantastic-at-predraft-scouting)

[Barkeep49]

A forum that I check in on is autocorrecting the to teh for April's Fools Day. I can't stand it.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I don't know that I've ever considered ENORMOUS chunks of whitespace as "cleaner" web design.

Virtually the entire right third of the page is empty, at least when I view the page. The center is not a lot better either. It's mostly a string of stories (with stupidass embedded video that I'll watch maybe 1 time out of a million) down the left frame.

And the whole "neverending page" design thing is a particular hate point of mine anyway.

I'm sure I've seen a design I hate more, I just can't remember when.

[cartman]

https://com.google

[albionmoonlight]

I'm going to argue in front of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals for the first time this spring -

Here's some essential advice. If it is good enough for the Supreme Court, it is good enough for you:

An important message from the Supreme Court - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/04/03/an-important-message-from-the-supreme-court/)

[molson]

Here's some essential advice. If it is good enough for the Supreme Court, it is good enough for you:

An important message from the Supreme Court - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/04/03/an-important-message-from-the-supreme-court/)

HA - I'm definitely more worried about breaking some courtroom rule or policy than I am about the actual argument. Things are very casual at my state appellate court that I've argued at many times. I'm expecting a much more uptight scene at the 9th Circuit.

[Coffee Warlord]

Seriously, how is it that smoke detectors ONLY low batter chirp in the middle of the fucking night?

4:30am, I'm wandering the house trying to track down the culprit.

[PilotMan]

Ping Lathum lol.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qqm2rY6dy1w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Lathum]

Fraud costs the U.S. insurance industry an estimated 80 billion a year.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Seriously, how is it that smoke detectors ONLY low batter chirp in the middle of the fucking night?

4:30am, I'm wandering the house trying to track down the culprit.

Seriously.

I think I have all of one smoke detector left working because of this. The chirping sounds also freaks my dog out like nothing else and lots of things freak him out. But when he hears that chirp he is a shivering mess for a good half hour.

[stevew]

Get the hardwired option or the one with a 10 year battery ffs

[PilotMan]

Lol, I've got them hardwired too, but when the backup batteries quit they still start chirping and he's right, it's always in the middle of the night when they start.

[CU Tiger]

Any new-ish house (say last 25 years) is required to have hardwired smoke detector with backup batteries.

If they are installed correctly the smoke detectors should also "network" and if one battery is dead they all should beep.

Just a few nerd smoke detector facts

[Honolulu_Blue]

Lol, I've got them hardwired too, but when the backup batteries quit they still start chirping and he's right, it's always in the middle of the night when they start.

Mine are just like PilotMan's - hardwired, but chirp when the backup battery quits.

I had one go out on me last week. The chirp woke me up around 4:45 am and my poor dog immediately started to freak. Luckily, I was able to identify the culprit on the 3rd chirp, remove the battery and pull it from the ceiling.

I do need to go out, buy a bunch of new batteries and re-hook some of them up at some point.

[lungs]

I do need to go out, buy a bunch of new batteries and re-hook some of them up at some point.

Trust me, it's a good idea :)

[Easy Mac]

Am I the only one who refuses to respond to people when they use multiple question marks in an e-mail? Especially in a work setting. Just confirms my feeling that you're a dick.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Am I the only one who refuses to respond to people when they use multiple question marks in an e-mail? Especially in a work setting. Just confirms my feeling that you're a dick.

My old boss used to forward me e-mails and his e-mail would contain only this: "?".

So, I would have to go back through the forwarded e-mail chain to try to determine what exactly his question was. It was super awesome.

[Chief Rum]

Am I the only one who refuses to respond to people when they use multiple question marks in an e-mail? Especially in a work setting. Just confirms my feeling that you're a dick.

To me, it depends on their point? If the attitude is in line with the issue, I wouldn't have an issue with the multiple question marks thing.

[Chief Rum]

My old boss used to forward me e-mails and his e-mail would contain only this: "?".

So, I would have to go back through the forwarded e-mail chain to try to determine what exactly his question was. It was super awesome.

Seems efficient to me. Probably why he is the boss. ;)

[stevew]

All these guys being named Shaquille in sports makes me feel very old. I suspect 5 years from now there will be a ton of draft prospects named Kobe. Also probably a ton of 9-12 year olds named LeBron in the pipeline as well.

[britrock88]

All these guys being named Shaquille in sports makes me feel very old. I suspect 5 years from now there will be a ton of draft prospects named Kobe. Also probably a ton of 9-12 year olds named LeBron in the pipeline as well.

Related: the kenpom.com blog (http://kenpom.com/blog/index.php/weblog/entry/prepare_for_the_kobe_invasion)

[stevew]

Oh wow. That's hilarious. I just noticed 5-7 Shaqs in the nfl pool and didn't realize people did data on this.

[albionmoonlight]

One of my co-workers has been posting on facebook how this terrible stomach virus has been going through her family. And she got it bad. But she's managed to drag herself out of bed and get to work today.

I HATE when people do that. Just stay home. Don't spread the virus. Work from home if you have to.

(FWIW, my office is very cool about covering for sick people. This was not a case where she had to come in for her job. She just felt some need to prove that she was tough enough to make it in.)

[Draft Dodger]

there are some illnesses I will work through depending on severity. stomach bug is not one of them.

[21C]

Being a confirmed loner, I don't have very much self-confidence and self-esteem these days. For those reasons, I never felt comfortable talking about my trip to Chicago - until now (I've been here a week and have one more week to go).

I came to Chicago to see the opening games of the Cubs (didn't get to the restroom-challenged Sunday opener) and White Sox. I'm even going to Milwaukee for a day to see the Brewers.

[Barkeep49]

Hope you've been enjoying Chicago. It's a great place to watch baseball and do a bunch of other things.

[sabotai]

I loved Chicago when I went a few years ago. Not even a baseball fan but still went to Wrigley to check the stadium out.

[timmae]

Hey 21! Hope you enjoy chi town! I have been here 10 years and spent the previous 10 in Milwaukee. Let me know if you need any pointers!

[timmae]

Wrigley is great... Except for the troughs.

[21C]

I'm staying in the middle of Wicker Park so there is plenty around here. I really enjoyed the Art Institute yesterday. Had some trouble finding the Polish neighborhood (I have Polish heritage) but found a church at Easter with mass in Polish (haven't done that in years) and a nearby Polish restaurant (Staropolska) which I have been back to for a repeat visit.

Anything not in the guide books worth checking out?

[timmae]

Yes, staropolska!! I live 2 miles north! Been there a few times. There is a very cool restaurant in a former bank basement at Ashland and Division, The Bedford. Cool place to eat. Into soccer? There is the globe pub on Irving park. Best BBQ in the city is smoque on Pulaski. Any live music at schubas on Belmont is awesome. Also beat kitchen on Belmont. Chicago history museum on Clark st downtown is awesome. Go to the fine arts building and take the hand operated elevators to the 10th floor. Walk the lake from the was end of Monroe south to the sheds aquarium and then around the aquarium. Awesome vistas. Irwin Reis cigar shop is a step back in time... Tell chuck (gray haired owner) or Kevin (chucks son) that Architect Tim sent you. What are you interested in?

[timmae]

Oops... East end of Monroe. Around the shedd aquarium.

[21C]

Thanks for all of that. Apart from the baseball, I like going to art galleries - went to the Contemporary Art one which was only OK. Not much for the nightlife (see earlier post :)). I did a similar trip to NYC two years ago and spent the days in galleries and nights at ball games.

[timmae]

I haven't been to it bit the Pritzker family has a War Museum around 100 s Michigan ave. Might be worth checking out. River North neighborhood has a few art galleries. The district is near Franklin St and Huron St. Walking around there may be fun if you like art and design. There are also art galleries in the Fulton Market district on Fulton. Not sure when they are open normally but I have done art crawls there a few years ago. Pilsen on the south side also has some local galleries... Around 16th and Halsted maybe. Oh, I think there is a new Greek museum that opened up last year on Halsted St near Jackson St. That area is greektown.

[timmae]

Oh, the great hall at Union Station is kinda cool to see. Our version of Kings Cross or Penn Station I guess. Unfortunately it is little used currently. A shame really...

[timmae]

For architecture check out the rookery building and the monadnock downtown. They started the highrise trend. Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has a self guided house tour in oak park which is fun if you like architecture. Ok, I will stop now.

[Easy Mac]

5 year old soccer can be fun, unless the other team has Ronaldo playing for them. Not that we keep score, but it was 7-3, with one kid scoring all their goals and taking all their shots. When he wasn't on the field, we won 3-0. We also played 4 on 5 most of the game, as two of my kids were too nervous to play in front of people. I tried to coax them out, but left their spot open if they wanted to come out.

[21C]

For architecture check out the rookery building and the monadnock downtown. They started the highrise trend. Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation has a self guided house tour in oak park which is fun if you like architecture. Ok, I will stop now.
Thanks. I'll definitely check some of them out.

[britrock88]

Yes, you're in a great town for architecture. Just wandering around downtown should avail you of some great structures.

[NobodyHere]

I just realized that thanks to shows like Rifftrax and MST3k that I've watched movies like 'Plan 9 From Outer Space (http://www.hulu.com/watch/261362)' more times than classics such as 'Citizen Kane', 'Casablanca' and other such classics combined.

[Barkeep49]

I would back-up the Smoque recommendation for good BBQ.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Nearly, what, 20 years on the board now? Today was as close as I've come in that time to being a headline in your news tomorrow.

I love dining out, truly I do.

[timmae]

And the headline would have read...

[stevew]

Most likely, Man makes reasonable request for pretty overpriced food order, employees, who are probably unemployable people,look at it, ignore it almost altogether, and then smugly don't give a fuck.

Man gets angry cause there is no justice in this world.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And the headline would have read...

Angry diner murders restaurant manager in cold blood

[Vince, Pt. II]

My initial read of that post anthropomorphized a restaurant, so that's cool.

Edit: I have this tendency to read threads backwards, and my imagination builds up what might possibly have led to the last post. I was totally going with a new manager who was running a classic diner into the ground, and the sign hanging over the door fell on his head as he walked in one day.

[Lathum]

I hate that new Klondike commercial where the candy and ice cream make sweet love.

Not because the commercial, but because the guy is some fat schlep with a molester mustache and his wife is smoking hot.

[booradley]

I hate that new Klondike commercial where the candy and ice cream make sweet love.

Not because the commercial, but because the guy is some fat schlep with a molester mustache and his wife is smoking hot.

That's funny - this is my current fave commercial simply because this is the tack I'm gonna take whenever someone asks me "Where did this come from?" :)

[Radii]

My last class out in Chapel Hill was tonight. I had talked briefly with a rather cute woman in the class each of the last couple weeks and asked her out at the end of class tonight. She is already seeing someone (or said that to be nice, but whatever, that's ok), a little disappointing, but I was really only at a point where I felt there was a little spark and a desire to get to know her better, no worries.

Anyway, point is, I haven't actually asked someone out face to face since college (online escapades/online dating in my 20s), and HOLY SHIT ITS SO HARD TO DO. Was it this difficult when I was young and really stupid? I'm so fucking happy that I followed through.

Also... I have had zero interest in dating since I got divorced, that has been a really long time. I haven't been actively avoiding the idea, just have not found the idea appealing, so I guess that's changing now. Ugh. Not giving a shit about any of this was a lot easier and nice while it lasted :)

[path12]

Yeah, it's tougher the older you get. I was around 40 when I met my wife and that period of dating before then was a time where I learned an awful lot about myself.

So it's hard, but good that you followed through. It is worth it.

[albionmoonlight]

Don't have it in me to start a 2016 election thread . . . but I think that Rubio has a real shot at the GOP nomination. Using my conservative facebook friends as a barometer, I have seen no real enthusiasm for any other the other GOP hopefuls who officially or unofficially announced (Jeb, Paul, Christie, Cruz). Nothing negative about them. Just silence.

But they are all about how much they love Rubio right now. He seems to be the guy they've been waiting for.

[JonInMiddleGA]

But they are all about how much they love Rubio right now. He seems to be the guy they've been waiting for.

I've done my first round of basic positions review, I'm a fair bit away from saying "he's the guy" ... but I'll give him credit for being closer than most (if not all) thus far.

[molson]

I'm going to Japan next week and did a random search here to see if anyone's ever posted a Japan travel thread. Nope - just thread after thread of massive earthquake and radiation posts. I forgot how ridiculous 2011 was there - 6 over 7.0 and the big one at 9.0.

[oykib]

I'm going to Japan next week and did a random search here to see if anyone's ever posted a Japan travel thread. Nope - just thread after thread of massive earthquake and radiation posts. I forgot how ridiculous 2011 was there - 6 over 7.0 and the big one at 9.0.

Where in Japan are you headed? I've only been to Tokyo a few times. But I lived in in the Kinki area of Kansai (Kobe - Osaka - Kyoto) for nine years. One piece of advice, although it may be too late if you're leaving next week, is to pick up the seishun 19 kippu (the youth 18 ticket). It allows you to ride all the Japan rail trains for a single low price. It used to be about $300. That's about the price of one round trip on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo. It can easily pay for itself in a weekend.

[Izulde]

Anybody else arguing about Cheryl's birthday?

[molson]

Where in Japan are you headed? I've only been to Tokyo a few times. But I lived in in the Kinki area of Kansai (Kobe - Osaka - Kyoto) for nine years. One piece of advice, although it may be too late if you're leaving next week, is to pick up the seishun 19 kippu (the youth 18 ticket). It allows you to ride all the Japan rail trains for a single low price. It used to be about $300. That's about the price of one round trip on the bullet train from Osaka to Tokyo. It can easily pay for itself in a weekend.

I'm staying somewhere near the Yokosuka naval base for about a week (probably going into Tokyo most days from there), then we're doing 3 days in Osaka. My girlfriend's best friend married a navy guy that's now stationed there and we're staying with them on the front end of the trip.

I would have loved to get the rail pass but the trip has been complicated by trying to follow the itinerary of my girlfriend's friend and her husband, who I'm getting incomplete information from. She booked herself and her husband on the faster bullet train line that isn't covered by the rail pass, and we have to go with them, it's a whole thing. I can't complain, it's amazing that they're putting us up in such an expensive part of the word, but trying to organize all this with 3 different people who have different travel philosophies than me is a very different experience than my solo trip to the Balkans last year.

The other fun challenge is that most of this trip will fall in the middle of Golden Week. I don't know exactly what that is, but I know everything will be crowded.

So if you have any must-sees for Osaka (or Kyoto), I'd love to hear them!

[britrock88]

Anybody else arguing about Cheryl's birthday?

There's an argument? I figure either you get it or you don't.

[Eaglesfan27]

On a business trip in a limo, we rear end a car on the Schuykill Expressway and our driver says, "this happened on my last trip." I am thinking it is time for him to consider a new career.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola... This was after 3 close calls in the last 3 hours of riding.

[oykib]

I'm staying somewhere near the Yokosuka naval base for about a week (probably going into Tokyo most days from there), then we're doing 3 days in Osaka. My girlfriend's best friend married a navy guy that's now stationed there and we're staying with them on the front end of the trip.

I would have loved to get the rail pass but the trip has been complicated by trying to follow the itinerary of my girlfriend's friend and her husband, who I'm getting incomplete information from. She booked herself and her husband on the faster bullet train line that isn't covered by the rail pass, and we have to go with them, it's a whole thing. I can't complain, it's amazing that they're putting us up in such an expensive part of the word, but trying to organize all this with 3 different people who have different travel philosophies than me is a very different experience than my solo trip to the Balkans last year.

The other fun challenge is that most of this trip will fall in the middle of Golden Week. I don't know exactly what that is, but I know everything will be crowded.

So if you have any must-sees for Osaka (or Kyoto), I'd love to hear them!

It depends on what you like to do. The number one tourist attractions are Kiyomizu and Kinkakuji in Kyoto. They'll both be somewhat crowded even on normal days. Kinkakuji is a more spacious, placid environment and you'll notice the crowd less there.

Osaka has a good night life. I recommend the area in the southern part, around Amerikamura. There are a lot of bars, restaurants and clubs. Everything is pretty close together. Plus, you can take the standard pictures in front of Glico man. He's positioned above the Dotonburi, the river/canal that Hanshin Tiger fans used to jump into whenever they won the pennant.

Kobe is probably not worth the time to visit if you are only in the area for three days.

If you're with some Japanese friends, it's probably worth it to spend some time at karaoke. They have private boxes that always have a fair selection of English songs. Karaoke boxes are fairly cheap and are all-you-can-drink. They're all over the place. They make a good stop if you're out past the last train at other night spots.

A lot of the nicer hotels have an all you can eat lunch buffet that has a pretty good price. You might want to look up the ones near the area you're staying. I remember the one in Namba, where I used to work, I think it was the Swissotel, was famous for its desert selection. They always employed one famous pâtissier or another to maintain their reputation. Other hotels have similar claims to fame in various cuisines or particular dishes.

Those are the general suggestions.

Osaka is famous for octopus balls and kushikatsu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushikatsu).

Kyoto has a lot of restaurants famous for traditional Japanese cuisine.

If you are into games, anime and the like, you can spend a bit of time in Akihabara in Tokyo or Nipponbashi in Osaka.

I'd have to know more about your interests to be more helpful.

[JonInMiddleGA]

For you long time FOFC regulars, here's a quick public service announcement destined to make you feel old:

My son turns 17 today.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Random thoughts:

1. Once somebody unfriends me on Facebook, they're basically dead to me and I don't speak to them again unless I'm paid to do it. It does actually happen that I am paid to speak to these zombies.

2. Speaking of Facebook, I'm surprised that a couple of my former clients stay friends with me on Facebook after some of the shit I post. They had only known me professionally, and now they know... everything else.

[stevew]

For you long time FOFC regulars, here's a quick public service announcement destined to make you feel old:

My son turns 17 today.

Were you begging the wife to have him on your B-Day? Was a narrow miss

[JonInMiddleGA]

Were you begging the wife to have him on your B-Day? Was a narrow miss

Nah, didn't want to have to compete with THAT (he was a first grandchild on her side)

We were just happy to avoid sticking him with a Tax Day bday, missed that by less than 2 hours.

[Chief Rum]

For you long time FOFC regulars, here's a quick public service announcement destined to make you feel old:

My son turns 17 today.

Shit. I better go buy my cemetary plot lol.

[Kodos]

Shit. I better go buy my cemetary plot lol.

Better hurry.

Baby Boom Will Lead to Shortage of Cemetery Space - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/30/cemeteries-are-running-out-of-room/baby-boom-will-lead-to-shortage-of-cemetery-space)

[Chief Rum]

Better hurry.

Baby Boom Will Lead to Shortage of Cemetery Space - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/30/cemeteries-are-running-out-of-room/baby-boom-will-lead-to-shortage-of-cemetery-space)

Fuck it, I'll get cremated.

[rowech]

Remove old fence, put new fence in exact same spot, have BP tell you that you can't put a fence there because of a pipeline. What absolute nonsense. Can't replace a fence with a fence? How did the first one get approved?

[Grover]

Remove old fence, put new fence in exact same spot, have BP tell you that you can't put a fence there because of a pipeline. What absolute nonsense. Can't replace a fence with a fence? How did the first one get approved?

I think you should....

https://jennelala.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/david_caruso_sunglasses.jpg

Picket.

[NobodyHere]

Picket good.

[Kodos]

That's of-fence-ive.

[stevew]

The goal of fencing is to parry your opponent's advance.

[Lathum]

It doesn't matter what alcoholic beverage I am drinking I love the sound of ice clinking against a rocks glass.

[rowech]

It doesn't matter what alcoholic beverage I am drinking I love the sound of ice clinking against a rocks glass.

Arguably my least favorite sound in the world. As soon as I hear it, it reminds me of my dad's alcoholism and all the stuff that came with it when I was growing up and all the baggage I carry today because of it.

[Logan]

Arguably my least favorite sound in the world. As soon as I hear it, it reminds me of my dad's alcoholism and all the stuff that came with it when I was growing up and all the baggage I carry today because of it.

http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/353/279/e31.jpg

[heybrad]

I'm on a crusade to put an end to the phrase "perception is reality". No it's not. It's either your laziness or inability to find out the actual truth. You know.. actual reality.

[NobodyHere]

I'm on a crusade to put an end to the phrase "perception is reality". No it's not. It's either your laziness or inability to find out the actual truth. You know.. actual reality.

I hope your efforts end well.

[Qwikshot]

I hope your efforts end well.

Corporate life doesn't believe in reality, only results perceived or otherwise.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yesterday morning I willingly walked into a burning building for the first time. I can totally see the allure of being a firefighter, that adrenaline rush is amazing.

[Chief Rum]

Yesterday morning I willingly walked into a burning building for the first time. I can totally see the allure of being a firefighter, that adrenaline rush is amazing.

Umm...more details please.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Yesterday morning I willingly walked into a burning building for the first time. I can totally see the allure of being a firefighter, that adrenaline rush is amazing.

I've been in two

One was a controlled training burn when I was, hmm, 11 maybe. (Dad was a volunteer fireman, chief of the local volunteers in fact). I was safely on the periphery of an old business that was donated to be burned, watching the inside go up from the relative safety of the sorta inside porch. That was very cool.

The next time I was probably 15 or 16, when the neighbor's house caught fire, the response was delayed and I wasn't letting him go inside alone to look for the 3 yr old we thought was inside. Kid was fine, wasn't even home ... but there was pretty much no fun or even adrenaline from doing that room to room search of a three story house (2+finished basement)

Maybe later, but at the time I just didn't want either of us (or the kid) to die.

[Easy Mac]

A subdivision down the road built around a lake have hired hunters to shoot the migratory geese population that comes through once a year. They've been licensed to use shotguns.

We have 40-50 geese come through each year to the pond a few hundred yards from our house, and it's annoying, but killing them seems extremely excessive.

[CU Tiger]

A subdivision down the road built around a lake have hired hunters to shoot the migratory geese population that comes through once a year. They've been licensed to use shotguns.

We have 40-50 geese come through each year to the pond a few hundred yards from our house, and it's annoying, but killing them seems extremely excessive.

Geese do an unbelievable amount of property damage.
And Ive traveled as far away as Nova Scotia to hunt them...so getting paid to kill them sounds like fun, but...

Some friends in Charlotte founded this company: Index (http://www.gogeese.com/Index.html)

That is a better way and cheaper!

[Vince, Pt. II]

Umm...more details please.

I'm a gas serviceman for the local utility company, so part of my job is being a first responder - for gas leaks, carbon monoxide scares and for structure fires. Typically when we show up for a structure fire, the fire department has already turned off the gas and I'm there to verify cause, damage done and any injuries. Once it's safe, I secure the meter. Typically these are extremely boring calls.

This time it was a restaurant, and the fire was not yet contained. The restaurant had done what we call an overbuild - they had added walls and roofing to put the gas meter inside the building. To make matters worse, because of the overbuild, the firefighters couldn't get any leverage on the valve to shut off the gas meter, so when I got there the gas was still live. The fire was above us in the attic, and as I was getting there the fire department was putting people on the roof to demolish the tiles so the fire fighters could get at the wooden substructure that was still burning. Walking into a room filled with smoke with a pair of wrenches...that was an experience I won't soon forget.

[Lathum]

Not to be a downer but one of my best friends is a professional firefighter for Cincinnati.I consider him a true hero. A couple weeks ago one of his brothers was killed when he fell down an elevator shaft trying to save people in a burning building. My buddy knew the guy well. My friends adrenaline rush is when he comes home to his wife and two kids. Running into a burning building is not a fun part of the job.

[lungs]

You really appreciate fire fighters a lot more when you need them.....

[molson]

Geese do an unbelievable amount of property damage.
And Ive traveled as far away as Nova Scotia to hunt them...so getting paid to kill them sounds like fun, but...

Some friends in Charlotte founded this company: Index (http://www.gogeese.com/Index.html)

That is a better way and cheaper!

That looks exactly my dog.

There's a big park here that gets overrun by geese at certain times of the year, and the city begs dog owners to use the park to keep the geese at bay and make the park a little less desirable for them. There's nothing quite like watching a border collie disperse a huge flock of geese.

[terpkristin]

Yeah my smoke alarms are hard-wired but they manage to only chirp for new batteries at 2 am. When I was on IV antibiotics, I was getting antibiotics every 4 hours via a pump. The pump needed a new 9V battery every day. The medical supply company sent me ~10 batteries per week, so now I have lots for when it happens.

/tk

[Vince, Pt. II]

"Jimmy Butler's great playoffs continued as his 31 points helped Chicago take a 2-0 series lead over the Bucks."

The fact that his 'great playoffs' consisted of one game prior to this game makes this sentence annoy the hell out of me.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Yeah my smoke alarms are hard-wired but they manage to only chirp for new batteries at 2 am. When I was on IV antibiotics, I was getting antibiotics every 4 hours via a pump. The pump needed a new 9V battery every day. The medical supply company sent me ~10 batteries per week, so now I have lots for when it happens.

/tk

That is an insane amount of battery usage, jeez.

[Buccaneer]

My son turned 18 yesterday. Still coming to grasps with that.

[albionmoonlight]

My son turned 18 yesterday. Still coming to grasps with that.

Congratulations. And, yeah, I have no idea how I will handle that.

[QuikSand]

I don't think it's a good idea for a business to use the "Since [year]" or "Est. [year]" add-on to its logo, sign, or name -- unless the year is impressive.

If your plumbing company spans three generations and has been around a long time, then I like the message "Since 1946." Fine.

If your food truck was repainted in October, then don't brag with "Since 2014." No.

[Lathum]

My son turned 18 yesterday. Still coming to grasps with that.

Has he enrolled at UW yet?

[Buccaneer]

We begin that process in the fall but that's still his dream school.

[Lathum]

We begin that process in the fall but that's still his dream school.

atta boy!

[PilotMan]

My son turned 18 yesterday. Still coming to grasps with that.

Awesome, mine oldest turned 20 a couple weeks ago.

[terpkristin]

That is an insane amount of battery usage, jeez.

Yeah, well, the pump was going all the time. When it wasn't actively dosing (every 4 hours), it was on a continuous positive-pressure thing, dosing a tiny amount to keep the vein open (I was on a PICC line).

I don't recommend needing long-term IV antibiotics if you can avoid it. 12 weeks was enough. Lyme patients often get 1 dose a day for a year or more. Still no fun, but at least then they don't need the pump. :\

/tk

[rowech]

A week ago I knew nothing about easements but thanks to trying to take down an old fence and put a new one up, I know I hate every aspect of them. You own your property except the part you don't. The farmer in 1950 better have been paid pretty damn well for forking over his propery rights. The developer of our subdivision from the 1980s better sleep well at night knowing he completely ignored this easement, allowed fences, sheds, pools, and everything else within the easement and right on BPs pipleine knowning it would be a problem at some point for this entire neighborhood. Maybe I'm just too much of a rule follower.

[Chief Rum]

A week ago I knew nothing about easements but thanks to trying to take down an old fence and put a new one up, I know I hate every aspect of them. You own your property except the part you don't. The farmer in 1950 better have been paid pretty damn well for forking over his propery rights. The developer of our subdivision from the 1980s better sleep well at night knowing he completely ignored this easement, allowed fences, sheds, pools, and everything else within the easement and right on BPs pipleine knowning it would be a problem at some point for this entire neighborhood. Maybe I'm just too much of a rule follower.

Did you get title insurance? This should have been shown in your policy, if it wasn't. You can go after the title insurer for damages if they did not disclose it.

[Buccaneer]

You can typically build temporary structures on easements, just know that they can be torn down if needed.

[rowech]

Did you get title insurance? This should have been shown in your policy, if it wasn't. You can go after the title insurer for damages if they did not disclose it.

We are definitely researching this. It's very possible we lost something along the way being young and stupid but what we do have shows nothing regarding the easement.

[Chief Rum]

We are definitely researching this. It's very possible we lost something along the way being young and stupid but what we do have shows nothing regarding the easement.

Lmk if I can help. I work in title insurance, although I am out in CA (so I don't know if I can look at your property chains with the tools I have). But I might be able to look at what you have and tell you what you have there.

[rowech]

Lmk if I can help. I work in title insurance, although I am out in CA (so I don't know if I can look at your property chains with the tools I have). But I might be able to look at what you have and tell you what you have there.

Thank you very much for your offer.

[FrogMan]

For you long time FOFC regulars, here's a quick public service announcement destined to make you feel old:

My son turns 17 today.

my son turned 18 a couple weeks before yours, sigh...

FM

[Honolulu_Blue]

my son turned 18 a couple weeks before yours, sigh...

FM

Wait. That little karate guy is 18?!?!

[albionmoonlight]

You would want to talk to a property lawyer, but there are doctrines in the law (such as adverse possession) that basically say that if property is used in a certain way for long enough, it actually reverts to the people using it and not the owner.

Now, it is a bit of a hail mary shot to win something like that, and BP probably put what it needed to put in its easements to stop it. But if you have a whole subdivision affected, you might want to pool your money and talk to a lawyer.

Also, if you don't have documentation that the people who sold it to you told you about it, then I would see if you could sue them for the damages.

[Chief Rum]

You would want to talk to a property lawyer, but there are doctrines in the law (such as adverse possession) that basically say that if property is used in a certain way for long enough, it actually reverts to the people using it and not the owner.

This is known as prescriptive rights.

I am not sure if this would work here, but I suppose it is worth a shot.

Prescriptive rights usually relate to access easements over neighboring land, where if you use someone else's land for your own purposes for a certain length of time, without that owner exercising his property rights, then you have essentially been granted an easement for the use of that property in the manner in which you have used it.

Now, pipeline easements are a little different. Since rowech didn't know about it, I am presuming the pipeline is underground, and if BP protested the fence, then they are presumeably still using that pipeline, which removes possible reversionary rights (i.e. if you're not using the pipeline, you don't need the pipeline, thus you lose the easement for the pipeline).

Unless the fence posts go particularly deep into the ground or the pipeline is unusually close to the surface, I would presume that BP is protesting to the fence on the basis of a restriction of access to maintain the pipeline. Usually it is acceptable to continue normal use of the surface of the property over the easement, so long as that use doesn't interfere with the possible maintenance of the pipeline. So you can usually put things like swing sets and fences over easement areas, but not actual structures, which would restrict access.

I am wondering if rowech could work out a deal on this if it comes down to access. Approach BP and ask to arrange some modification of access rights for the pipeline that would allow for the fence to be built. I would guess BP would be amenable to reasonable modications. Of course, rowech needs to get a copy of the prior easement agreement (which should be available in the public record).

Of course, if it is not public record (never recorded as an official property document), then rowech has much more leg to stand on with respect to suing the prior owner and also to contest the easement. And if it was recorded, and it wasn't disclosed by his title insurance policy, then he can go after the title insurer.

rowech definitely has options here. A property lawyer is not a bad idea. I would definitely look into all the specifics first, though, and then contact the lawyer before approaching BP.

[Butter]

This certainly doesn't deserve it's own thread, so I present it here:

“Butter Of ’69â€� is a catchy trifle from the alternative era · Hear This · The A.V. Club (http://www.avclub.com/article/butter-69-catchy-trifle-alternative-era-218005)

[rowech]

This is known as prescriptive rights.

I am not sure if this would work here, but I suppose it is worth a shot.

Prescriptive rights usually relate to access easements over neighboring land, where if you use someone else's land for your own purposes for a certain length of time, without that owner exercising his property rights, then you have essentially been granted an easement for the use of that property in the manner in which you have used it.

Now, pipeline easements are a little different. Since rowech didn't know about it, I am presuming the pipeline is underground, and if BP protested the fence, then they are presumeably still using that pipeline, which removes possible reversionary rights (i.e. if you're not using the pipeline, you don't need the pipeline, thus you lose the easement for the pipeline).

Unless the fence posts go particularly deep into the ground or the pipeline is unusually close to the surface, I would presume that BP is protesting to the fence on the basis of a restriction of access to maintain the pipeline. Usually it is acceptable to continue normal use of the surface of the property over the easement, so long as that use doesn't interfere with the possible maintenance of the pipeline. So you can usually put things like swing sets and fences over easement areas, but not actual structures, which would restrict access.

I am wondering if rowech could work out a deal on this if it comes down to access. Approach BP and ask to arrange some modification of access rights for the pipeline that would allow for the fence to be built. I would guess BP would be amenable to reasonable modications. Of course, rowech needs to get a copy of the prior easement agreement (which should be available in the public record).

Of course, if it is not public record (never recorded as an official property document), then rowech has much more leg to stand on with respect to suing the prior owner and also to contest the easement. And if it was recorded, and it wasn't disclosed by his title insurance policy, then he can go after the title insurer.

rowech definitely has options here. A property lawyer is not a bad idea. I would definitely look into all the specifics first, though, and then contact the lawyer before approaching BP.

This covers all of it really. If nothing else, I'm anal about research to exhaustion and will continue looking for stuff about this. It really is an amazing cluster. The only thing I found similar was a town in Indiana in 2007 but I've been unable to find how that one ended.

[FrogMan]

Wait. That little karate guy is 18?!?!

sure is... with a freaking full grown beard!!!

We did Movember and he shaved on December 1st and has not shaved since and now he's got this big beard, freaky I tell ya... :D

FM

[Easy Mac]

I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't understand why everyone is getting bent out of shape over this Affleck slavery thing.

[Grover]

I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't understand why everyone is getting bent out of shape over this Affleck slavery thing.

I'm in the same boat with you.

A few points on why I can see people are upset with it:
It's a great redemption story. Leaving it in the interview would have probably looked much better for him, especially since his mother is/was a Civil Rights' worker.

What makes it look really bad is that he used his privilege and his power to get something, really rather innocuous removed from the final cut of the interview. I get that he was embarrassed and ashamed of his greatx3 Grandfather, but it was 150 years ago. Everyone is past it. It's not his fault that it happended.

[ColtCrazy]

So here's a good story for you all.

My wife teaches 4th. She recently gave a writing exercise where the students needed to describe a time they were doing something difficult, how they didn't give up, and why it was all worth the effort.

One of her girls describes a time when her step dad locked her in her room and she tried really hard to get out of the window. It was worth it because the dad was cheating on her mom with another woman.
:eek:

So the dad locks the girl in the room so he can bang his mistress. Father of the year there.
This happened some time ago, and dad is no longer in the picture (thankfully).

[molson]

Dropping the dog off at the kennel is always tough, especially when it's for a longest time he's ever been boarded - 12 nights. Had to do that today. Of course, I deal with my guilt by using the best, priciest, doggie-day-care-style place in town, and paying extra for walks and nightly kongs with peanut butter. On the upside, there's nothing better in dog ownership than the kennel pickup. When I get back from Japan we'll share a steak.

[Ryno]

Probably a long shot, but does anyone happen to have a copy of the player editor for Front Page Sports Baseball 98? I found an old folder that has what appears to be the source code, but I can't get it to compile, and it uses some wizardry that's beyond my ability to fix.

[mckerney]

Dropping the dog off at the kennel is always tough, especially when it's for a longest time he's ever been boarded - 12 nights. Had to do that today. Of course, I deal with my guilt by using the best, priciest, doggie-day-care-style place in town, and paying extra for walks and nightly kongs with peanut butter. On the upside, there's nothing better in dog ownership than the kennel pickup. When I get back from Japan we'll share a steak.

I felt awful for having to leave my dog at the vet for a couple of hours so they could get a urine sample from her.

[Easy Mac]

My dog always looks like a POW after I get him from the kennel. I think the longest he's been cooped up was 3 days, but you would have thought he was tortured.

[jeff061]

We have a place near our house that is basically a free roaming indoors and outdoors playhouse for dogs. Last time our dog sat outside for about 3 straight days.

Same price as a kennel. We bought a huge block of days and sometimes just drop her off for the day so she can hang with other dogs.

[Easy Mac]

I hate my stomach. I've had cheerios, chicken, and fingerling potatoes today. Nothing that should upset a normal human stomach... but nope.

IBS really makes trying to lose weight feel pointless when it continues after you're making progress.

[Alan T]

I hate my stomach. I've had cheerios, chicken, and fingerling potatoes today. Nothing that should upset a normal human stomach... but nope.

IBS really makes trying to lose weight feel pointless when it continues after you're making progress.


I actually have begun to think myself that I have a slight chicken allergy. Every time that I eat chicken, I have stomach issues fairly soon afterwards (been that way for quite a while).

[Grover]

Am I the only one who kinda digs Jared Leto's Joker reveal?

[mckerney]

I'm still disappointed by any Joker that isn't Mark Hamil.

[stevew]

This joker looks like some fanfic wet dream. Also, like an emo NasCar.

[NobodyHere]

Ugh, woke up this morning to find that my laptop is dead.

[INDalltheway]

Plug it in.

[NobodyHere]

Plug it in.

Plugged it in, plugged it in w/o battery, nothing, not even any indicator lights.

Maybe I should head over to the laptop buying thread or perhaps just upgrade my old PC.

[Lathum]

Went to the zoo today with wife and kids. Cincinnati zoo is not in a great area. We are in the lion area which is like a catwalk that goes n a circle raised above the lions. If you look east it looks out into the neighborhood. All of a sudden we hear 2 pops, someone yell " he shot him" and 2 seconds later a kid in a gray hoodie running up the street. We high tailed it outta that section.

[Lathum]

Police on scene for reported shooting near Cincinnati Zoo - Cincinnati News, FOX19-WXIX TV (http://www.fox19.com/story/28901327/crews-on-scene-for-reported-shooting-near-cincinnati-zoo)

[PilotMan]

My wife and kids were there too! She didn't say anything about that though.

[Lathum]

My wife and kids were there too! She didn't say anything about that though.

I would be surprised if most people even knew. The only reason we did was we heard the shots then saw the suspect running away. TBH if I had just herd the sounds I would have thought it was fireworks.

[cuervo72]

I would be surprised if most people even knew. The only reason we did was we heard the shots then saw the suspect running away. TBH if I had just herd the sounds I would have thought it was fireworks.

My son and I were less than 100 yards away (probably 50, really) from a shooting a couple of months ago and while I thought the pops might have been gunshots, I didn't really know until I saw mentions of it on FB/in the news.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Went to the zoo today with wife and kids. Cincinnati zoo is not in a great area. We are in the lion area which is like a catwalk that goes n a circle raised above the lions. If you look east it looks out into the neighborhood. All of a sudden we hear 2 pops, someone yell " he shot him" and 2 seconds later a kid in a gray hoodie running up the street. We high tailed it outta that section.

Sounds like something that woulda happened around Zoo Atlanta (the park side of things)

[Qwikshot]

Am I the only one who kinda digs Jared Leto's Joker reveal?

I gotta admit, it looks like a 90's version of the Joker, who'd hang out with Limp Bizkit and Juggaloes.

They really "poochied" him up.

[Chief Rum]

So, there's a girl in the office who always dresses a little bit racy.

Today, she was wearing a leather skirt that was a bit too tight and too short, and she had on what amounted to stripper heels.

Thank you, Lord.

[NobodyHere]

So I looking at computer parts and came across this Intel processor (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JIJUBAS/ref=s9_wish_gw_d58_g147_i1?ie=UTF8&colid=1JENSMTD45FI&coliid=I237KJ9TQLL8LY&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-2&pf_rd_r=0W6XA935D54R23EPZ27C&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079342162&pf_rd_i=desktop)

One of the blurbs on the page reads:
"Compatible with Z87 and Z97 motherboards. Z87 motherboard users may need to apply a BIOS update for compatibility. Not compatible with Intel Motherboards."


How is an Intel processor not compatible with an Intel motherboard?

[timmae]

So I looking at computer parts and came across this Intel processor (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JIJUBAS/ref=s9_wish_gw_d58_g147_i1?ie=UTF8&colid=1JENSMTD45FI&coliid=I237KJ9TQLL8LY&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-2&pf_rd_r=0W6XA935D54R23EPZ27C&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079342162&pf_rd_i=desktop)

One of the blurbs on the page reads:
"Compatible with Z87 and Z97 motherboards. Z87 motherboard users may need to apply a BIOS update for compatibility. Not compatible with Intel Motherboards."


How is an Intel processor not compatible with an Intel motherboard?

Did the us govt take over control of Intel?!

[Kodos]

So, there's a girl in the office who always dresses a little bit racy.

Today, she was wearing a leather skirt that was a bit too tight and too short, and she had on what amounted to stripper heels.

Thank you, Lord.

:)

You have to appreciate the little joys in life that help make things seem more worthwhile.

[PilotMan]

WTF is wrong with Texas that they have to call out the National Guard for 2 months to monitor military exercises.

[albionmoonlight]

WTF is wrong with Texas that they have to call out the National Guard for 2 months to monitor military exercises.

Seems like a situation where political incentives work against leadership incentives. Some paranoid folks with internet connections come up with a conspiracy theory. Governor decides that there is no real harm in publicly coming out in support of them. And probably polishes up some of his "Texas v. the World" credentials in front of the next election. So, for his political fortunes, it seems like a low-risk, possible-reward situation.

The problem is that it gives legitimacy to people's fears. I feel sorry enough for folks feeling legit anxiety over the idea that armed American soldiers are going to stage a military coup and take over their lives and homes. That must be a very stressful thing to believe.

To then have the governor of your state effectively whispering in your ear "You know, you might be right. They might be coming to get you." would seem to make it that much harder to get to sleep at night.

[Easy Mac]

What I find odd about this this (or at least one part of it) is that everyone is always saying how much the military hates Obama, yet they'd just go along with this because...? Was their hatred just some sort of smoke screen or long con?

[stevew]

WTF is wrong with Texas that they have to call out the National Guard for 2 months to monitor military exercises.

That Jade something or other 14? Couple that with the closed Wal-Mart conspiracy and there's a lot of darkness out there for people.

[stevew]

Dola, its the Texas State guard, which does not answer to anyone higher than the gov apparently.