Nightingale

But what if 10% of the money currently spent on prohibition was instead spent on education? Or even 50%? Fewer people are smoking now, and a lot of that is directly related to education. People are figuring out that smoking is, well...really bad for you. Fewer people are starting to smoke, and more smokers are quitting. There's enough hard data about why most drugs are really bad for you to convince most people to never try them. Also, drugs currently fund most gang crime... I wonder what would happen to the gangs and the crime if the black market drug money went away because people could buy them legally?

In a situation such as this, a lot of who lands and who doesn't is going to depend on timing... who arrives when there is a free runway, who has been circling the longest, along with what's needed most, where, and when. Simply having fresh water and food is insufficient in a situation like this. You need methods of distribution, and you need to be able to secure those supply lines. You need a way to get the aid to the people that need it, otherwise you might as well not have those doctors and aid workers and supplies at all.

I guess I am going to find out all about that then. Super You can always go see a tax attorney or CPA prior to getting married to find out what the financial consequences may be in your unique situation, and make a decision about whether to marry in the eyes of God only or God and Uncle Sam after you have all the information. It's nice that you have that option. Not everyone does.

Sucks! Because they are so much fun to ride! Well enjoy your new bike!

Yeah, but then I'd still have to keep making payments on it!

I've already taken the MSF course and I've got good gear. Just because the Vespa's a scooter doesn't make cagers any less dangerous. The Harley dealer here is willing to let me retake just the riding portion of the MSF anytime I want as a refresher for really cheap, because the Vespa doesn't have a clutch or footbrake, and I'd like to remind myself how those work before I go testing any motorcycles. I'd like to be able to focus on how the bike feels rather than "OMG I'm going to stall this thing and look like a total noob!" Unfortunately, I don't have room to keep the Vespa and a bike, so the Vespa's going to be a trade-in or sold. I've just got a carport, so I only have room for my car and one bike parked in front of the car. The Harley dealer here has an 08 Sporty that's only got 700 miles on it for a pretty good price, and he's willing to take the Vespa as a trade-in. I've got a credit fraud issue to straighten out on my credit report (dealt with, just have to wait til it shows up on the report), and provided the bike's still there when I can get the financing lined up, I'm probably going to get the Sporty as long as I like it. I know it'd probably be better if I just sold the Vespa privately, but that seems like a PITA.

Thanks for posting this! I'm currently looking at the Sportster. My Vespa is fun, but I'd like something a little more freeway friendly.

The issue really comes down to "separate but equal is inherently unequal". It doesn't matter what word we use to define the granting of legal status on a relationship, but we have to use the SAME word for all relationships. When we get into the semantics of "you can't have THIS, but you can have THAT." we get into equal rights issues. (I can't drink out of this fountain, but I can drink out of that one...) We currently have a problem largely because we're using a single word, "marriage", to mean two entirely different things. One is a religious sacrament with a lot of history behind it (along with a lot of emotions). The other is a legal status conferring a lot of rights and privileges along with it. The government has no business recognizing a religious sacrament, and religions should be free of government interference and regulation of their sacraments. If the government must be in the business of recognizing relationships, let people go to the government for a civil union, and to the church for a marriage. People can then have one, the other, or neither as they see fit. Churches can perform only straight marriages, or perform straight and gay marriages without any interference from the government, and the government can recognize gay and straight civil unions. As for changing the laws, government codes are re-printed every year anyway. Having to change the wording is not an excuse. A grandfather clause would take care of the status of the current marriages.

All that stuff can be taken care of with private contracts. No need for the state to impose those things at all. Try telling the military that your death benefits should go to your same-sex SO because you have a contract that says so. Ideally, it'd be nice if we could take care of those things privately, but in today's world, we can't.

I have a papillon due to their size, temperament, and intelligence (I have to worry that he's training me if I'm not careful), but when I get in a position to buy a place with a yard, I'll definitely be looking at pit/staffordshire or rottie mixes from the shelter (probably Best Friends in Utah, since my parents have a place right near there, so it's easy to visit). They're really wonderful dogs!

Whenever I've needed AppleCare, I usually take the computer into the Apple store, just because I'm hesitant to trust shipping it... I figure if the store ships it, I have a receipt with somebody's name on it, so I know who to yell at. =) I've always had a wonderful experience, and sometimes the problem is something simple, like a part that the genius bar people can swap out right there, or a software issue they can fix on the spot. I took my iBook into the genius bar when it was out of Apple Care warranty... it wouldn't boot at all. Just kept giving me this screen of random text. Turns out I had something missing in the part of the software that makes the computer recognize the OS. The guys at the genius bar had this thing they plugged into my computer that rebuilt the OS for me, and they did it for FREE! My computer wasn't under warranty, they knew it, the manager knew it; he was standing right there and had them fix it for me anyway at no charge, which is apparently pretty standard for anything they can do in the store that doesn't require parts. I would've paid them to do it and probably would've forgotten all about it, but what they got instead was one very happy customer who remembers this and now that I do need a new laptop, since mine is five years old and getting a little slow, I wouldn't dream of buying anything other than another mac.

Nah... they're easy enough to get here, so why go through the hassle? =)

It looks like you're just looking at right now...When is she going to see her family again? If it's going to be a long time and she's going to be spending the foreseeable future with you, I don't blame her for wanting to spend a few extra days with her family. However, if the two of you are going to be separated again after the holidays, you should have priority and have a right to be pissed.

I'll be in Europe next year, but I don't mind leaving my guns at home while I'm there. Europe's a nice place to visit. Europeans sure make some wonderful firearms, too. I love my H&K.

Generally, making changes with online travel agencies is easy, but the amount of hassle and fees involved depend on who you're flying with, when you're flying and where, and how booked the flights are, as well as what kind of tickets you bought. First, try to make the changes with Expedia at 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-800-397-3342) or 1-404-728-8787. They are your travel agent, and you should start out by working with them. if you don't like the answers or options they give you, you can try going directly to the airline, but the airline may send you right back to Expedia, and the options they give you may not be any better.

Only if you have a level 3 or 4 plan. I asked for a quote on my nine year old cat and got the following with the continuing care option checked. All options have a $100 deductible with 20% co-insurance. I had the "continuing care" option checked. The max per-incident benefit for Level 2 (accident and illness) was $1500, with a cost of $230/year. The max per-incident benefit for Level 3 is $3500, with a cost of $394/year. Level 4 is $5000 and $743. The last time I looked at pet insurance from VPI and another provider there were laundry lists of injuries/illnesses and what they'd pay for each one with the most expensive problems capped at $1500. I figured that with only one such problem every five years I'd be coming out ahead if I self-insured. I have a level 4 plan. I didn't go with VPI exactly for the reason you listed: the laundry list of illnesses and caps. What ASPCA does is they actually survey vets in your area and pay 80% of average. In my experience, this truly is 80% of average, because my vet is one of the more expensive (and also one of the best, which is why we go there...it's a veterinary trauma center), and they usually pay right around 80%. There's no laundry list, and everything my vet has recommended has been covered, and we've had a few emergencies over the past three years, both with the cat and the dog. My vet actually stopped advertising VPI because so many people were unhappy with it. I've been extremely pleased with ASPCA. They even covered lyme and rattlesnake vaccines for my dog when I took him up to Lost Prairie.

Personally, I have pet insurance for both my critters through ASPCA (http://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/). That way, I'm not put in that kind of financial bind, because if the cat needs a $4000 surgery, it's covered. I also have pre-arranged financing through CareCredit that gives me up to 12 months at zero interest, so I never have to worry about how to pay the vet bills while I'm waiting for the insurance check. When you adopted an animal, you took on the responsibility to do what is best for the animal, not what is most practical for your wallet. When it is best for the animal to treat the illness or injury, treat it. When it is best for the animal to let them go in as painless a manner as possible, do that.

I see this argument made often by Christians, and I'm curious, since I frequently see the same Christians (not the original poster, just in general) condemning homosexuality, but not the other acts forbidden in the old testament. Is there anything in the new testament that speaks specifically towards homosexuality?

I'm sorry. (((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))

$70-$75, including unlimited web and email, 400 minutes, and text messaging, and insurance.

electric motorcycle gloves and new boots. someone else to tune the damn piano because I'm sick of doing it.

If you like that, try Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling. =)

Chateau MadJohn! Also, some of my other favorites: Downing Family Zinfandel Jermann Pinot Grigio Badger Mountain Organic Riesling Martin & Weyrich Moscato Allegro

Oh, man. Why? You could have just written in Ron Paul. I don't know how it would have worked in his state, but a write-in vote for Ron Paul wouldn't count in California, because Ron Paul hadn't declared as a write-in candidate, and the vote would be completely wasted. You mean as opposed to "partially" wasted? I mean as in wouldn't even be counted, as opposed to be counted towards a candidate who did not have a chance of winning as a way to make a political statement.

Oh, man. Why? You could have just written in Ron Paul. I don't know how it would have worked in his state, but a write-in vote for Ron Paul wouldn't count in California, because Ron Paul hadn't declared as a write-in candidate, and the vote would be completely wasted.