The whole point of not buying the furniture was to avoid the mess of having to donate/sell/move/divide/store it at the end of an academic year; the whole "who gets what" situation, since roommates usually changed from year to year (Someone graduates / gets sick of living with you etc).
As a general rule the landlords would NOT renew leases from year to year once they realized you were actually a student since most of them also owned the aformentioned "Student Housing" where they could get quite the markup.
I always managed to get a "locals" apartment initially by presenting an ID with an in-town address and showing a paystub from the pharmaceutical company I worked for part time. Was it legal for them to discriminate in this way? Probably not. Was it widespread, yes. At the end of the day, It worked for the three years I needed to play the game while living there.
It serves a useful purpose, if you use it for a short term needs. When I was an undergraduate in upstate New York, the "College Housing" cartels charged more than double the market rate for furnished apartments with shorter-term leases. It made far more sense to rent an unfurnished apartment intended for the locals with a one year lease, and just pay the extra rent for the two months most of us weren't there in the summer. Since most 18-21 year olds don't own furniture, nor wanted to be responsible for moving / storing / dealing with it. we could annually rent a full living room set with a big television - no one was responsible for buying it, we didn't have to split up possessions between roommates at the end of the year, and splitting the cost of all of it between four guys for 8-10 months was reasonable. At the end of the academic term we would call up the rental company and have them pick it all up. Next fall, we'd get the latest and greatest for that year delivered and moved in. rinse and repeat.
I'm a dealer at one of the tribal casinos in Connecticut. The idea that the dealer has anything to do with the outcome of the game is laughable at best. In Blackjack, the dealer is severely restricted in what he/she may do on any given hand, no splitting, standing on all 17s. In fact, the dealer can not make any decision on his own will, violating any of these rules (which are laid out by the Gaming Commission, not the casino) is a good way to lose your gaming license fast. Quite simply, the casino doesn't need a crooked dealer to maintain the house edge; even one loose player on a table full of skilled counters can disrupt the game to the point where everyone loses.
Lets not forget that this article was out of the Boston area. Until recently, insurance costs in Massachusetts were the highest in the nation, partially due to the no-fault insurance law and state-regulated rates, which drove all but two or three insurance companies away from doing business in Mass, and partially due to the fact that people in southern New England always rank among the worst drivers in the country. Even today, with the abandonment of the no-fault system the rates are still considerably higher than the rest of the northeast, as is the case with neighboring Rhode Island.
As a 26 year old adult male in Rhode Island, with a 2003 domestic wagon, no traffic violations and no accidents, I still pay close to $200 a month for comprehensive coverage. If I had a nicer import or a violation or two (as is very commonplace in this area where each individual town has revenue collecti... I mean police departments all out trying to meet their quotas) I could easily see my premiums being in the $350-$400 range.
and I fully expect to be modded down for this reply...
The Obama administration is HARDLY pursuing a socialist agenda. Political Science 101 would teach you that this is not socialism in any way shape or form... Even if it was, whats the big deal? Social Democratic programs can be implemented in ways that create jobs and reduce the cost of doing business. For example; a universal, single-payer health *insurance* system would reduce redundancy, increase the number of potential patients that doctors could see, improve productivity by reducing lost labor hours due to treatable illnesses and eliminate one of the single largest expenses per-employee that businesses currently have. Despite what the generally libertarian-leaning Slashdot crowd thinks, I would prefer a government funded not-for-profit model over the current for-profit system which costs us all more in the end.
New Englanders also order Iced Coffee in December, and in Vermont its not uncommon to wear sandals with socks while there is a foot of snow on the ground.
Beating protesters? Surely you're not from the People's Republic of Cambridge then, as you would know the police force is there to do things like remove unsightly homeless people and squatter-punks from Harvard Square.
From the website of the hamlet of Dildo, Newfoundland
Even though Dildo doesn't have a town council it still has many resources and regarded for its activities. Dildo has it's own swimming pool, an S.U.F. lodge, and Lions Center. Every year Dildo celebrates Canada Day and our own Traditional Dildo Days. These events are held on the swimming pool grounds where there are many activities, such as games, swimming, hot dogs, cold plates, and much more. As you can see Dildo is a very historic and traditional community.
The whole "double payment" system is the reason why I had Sprint disable all SMS transmissions on my account. Telling friends and co-workers "Please... DO NOT TEXT ME. EVER. If its not important enough for a call, it can wait" however, people being thick-headed don't get the message, and after an average monthly increase of about $10 on SMS charges for messages I didn't even want, I had enough.
Doubtful that you'll see anyone but the LDP running things for long time. Prior to the electoral reforms put in place by the coalition government formed in 1993, the multi-member constituencies allowed the LDP to run many candidates in a single district and effectively have each one try to cater to a specific interest group, and generally being able to sweep most if not all seats in the diet. However, as is typical in Japanese political dealings, the LDP generally tried to incorporate the views of the opposition in forming a consensus, so very little opposition formed. Electoral reform, with the new system being a mixture of proportional representation and single-member constituencies, did little to lessen the symptoms of de-facto single-party rule.
The Grey Market in Canada, at least here in Montreal is pretty weak for any sort of goods. People don't seem to grasp the concept of depreciation and try to sell used goods at new prices and aren't open to negotiation. Considering the inflated retail prices relative to the US (which is only a half hour away)and insanely high sales tax (15%) one would think that the grey market would thrive.
But Canada is not asking for new documentation of US Citizens (or Canadian Citizens) to enter/re-enter Canada in the first place.. The "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative" is a US Program.
"But who decides what industries are 'mission critical'"
Drawing a diagram of how inputs and outputs relating to government entities work in the eyes of political scientists shouldn't be needed. Inputs in practice come from the people, from special interest groups, and lobbyists. (What to do about large industrial lobbies is a discussion for another time)
"The government has created the current 'automobile dependence' by subsidizing the building of interstates."
Of course, and it was the automobile industry that killed the streetcar too. Now perhaps spending tons of taxpayer money on light-rail is not the best option in every case, although many older cities, particularly in the northeast were planned with such transit systems in mind.
Skipping over the Nuclear issue and Oil industry for a moment, you do acknowledge that freight rail is making a huge comeback and that the current rail infrastructure is insufficent. Why not then, either through the forms of direct regulation or subsidies, encourage the development of high speed passenger rail along side of any freight projects that may occur? Obviously the airline industry, even with the numerous bailouts it has received from the federal government, is not a feasble model.
"You do realise that our known supply of uranium is smaller than our known supply of coal? Of course breeder reactors could solve some of that problem, but alas the US government won't allow building of such reactors."
Yeah, I'm well aware of that, however, I'd wager that if half the resources spent on searching for more oil were spent searching for more uranium, we'd find plenty. As already pointed out, the US government is subsidizing the oil industry.. all it would take to change this is a fundamental policy shift on energy and transportation (which I noted in my first post)
If a "mission critical" industry is not performing, Nationalize it! Taxpayer money being diverted to provide essential services is a hell of a lot better than being diverted to a for-profit entity. It seems like a no-brainer that a lot of the USA's energy and automobile dependence problems could be lessened with a drastic retooling in the way that people get around.
First, Invest in infrastructure. Build a national high speed rail network and subsidise it to the point that it costs about the same as your average commuter rail ticket. (Compare prices of taking Amtrak, a discount airline, a greyhound bus, gasoline for a car and a chinatown bus between Boston and NYC). Generate the electricity to power this network from a series of nuclear power plants operating solely for this purpose.. Green, and cheaper over the long term!
Second, drasticly improve the public transportation systems in small/medium sized cities. Keep them clean, well maintained, and operating frequently enough where the majority of people will prefer to ride them rather than deal with traffic, parking, and high fuel prices. Install light rail and or electric trackless-trolleys where ridership warrants it, and again, use carbon-neutral/free energy sources where possible.
Third, Give major tax incentives to people who buy fuel-efficient vehicles, transit passes, participate in carpooling programs. Increase taxes on gasoline/diesel to the point where the cost per gallon starts looking more like western europe.
Fourth, move more long-distance cargo onto the rail network, and use diesel trucks only for the "last mile" of delivery.
The initial startup cost would be massive, without a doubt, but in the long run the enviornmental benefits would be massive, and the cost of consumer goods would not be affected as much by fluctuations in fuel costs.
Slashdot Mirror
The area around Block Island has a maximum depth of 60 meters.
The whole point of not buying the furniture was to avoid the mess of having to donate/sell/move/divide/store it at the end of an academic year; the whole "who gets what" situation, since roommates usually changed from year to year (Someone graduates / gets sick of living with you etc). As a general rule the landlords would NOT renew leases from year to year once they realized you were actually a student since most of them also owned the aformentioned "Student Housing" where they could get quite the markup. I always managed to get a "locals" apartment initially by presenting an ID with an in-town address and showing a paystub from the pharmaceutical company I worked for part time. Was it legal for them to discriminate in this way? Probably not. Was it widespread, yes. At the end of the day, It worked for the three years I needed to play the game while living there.
It serves a useful purpose, if you use it for a short term needs. When I was an undergraduate in upstate New York, the "College Housing" cartels charged more than double the market rate for furnished apartments with shorter-term leases. It made far more sense to rent an unfurnished apartment intended for the locals with a one year lease, and just pay the extra rent for the two months most of us weren't there in the summer. Since most 18-21 year olds don't own furniture, nor wanted to be responsible for moving / storing / dealing with it. we could annually rent a full living room set with a big television - no one was responsible for buying it, we didn't have to split up possessions between roommates at the end of the year, and splitting the cost of all of it between four guys for 8-10 months was reasonable. At the end of the academic term we would call up the rental company and have them pick it all up. Next fall, we'd get the latest and greatest for that year delivered and moved in. rinse and repeat.
Then god created Saturn, and he liked it, so he put a ring on it.
I'm a dealer at one of the tribal casinos in Connecticut. The idea that the dealer has anything to do with the outcome of the game is laughable at best. In Blackjack, the dealer is severely restricted in what he/she may do on any given hand, no splitting, standing on all 17s. In fact, the dealer can not make any decision on his own will, violating any of these rules (which are laid out by the Gaming Commission, not the casino) is a good way to lose your gaming license fast. Quite simply, the casino doesn't need a crooked dealer to maintain the house edge; even one loose player on a table full of skilled counters can disrupt the game to the point where everyone loses.
Lets not forget that this article was out of the Boston area. Until recently, insurance costs in Massachusetts were the highest in the nation, partially due to the no-fault insurance law and state-regulated rates, which drove all but two or three insurance companies away from doing business in Mass, and partially due to the fact that people in southern New England always rank among the worst drivers in the country. Even today, with the abandonment of the no-fault system the rates are still considerably higher than the rest of the northeast, as is the case with neighboring Rhode Island. As a 26 year old adult male in Rhode Island, with a 2003 domestic wagon, no traffic violations and no accidents, I still pay close to $200 a month for comprehensive coverage. If I had a nicer import or a violation or two (as is very commonplace in this area where each individual town has revenue collecti... I mean police departments all out trying to meet their quotas) I could easily see my premiums being in the $350-$400 range.
and I fully expect to be modded down for this reply... The Obama administration is HARDLY pursuing a socialist agenda. Political Science 101 would teach you that this is not socialism in any way shape or form... Even if it was, whats the big deal? Social Democratic programs can be implemented in ways that create jobs and reduce the cost of doing business. For example; a universal, single-payer health *insurance* system would reduce redundancy, increase the number of potential patients that doctors could see, improve productivity by reducing lost labor hours due to treatable illnesses and eliminate one of the single largest expenses per-employee that businesses currently have. Despite what the generally libertarian-leaning Slashdot crowd thinks, I would prefer a government funded not-for-profit model over the current for-profit system which costs us all more in the end.
This would be like putting Regular Unleaded in a Porsche
New Englanders also order Iced Coffee in December, and in Vermont its not uncommon to wear sandals with socks while there is a foot of snow on the ground.
Beating protesters? Surely you're not from the People's Republic of Cambridge then, as you would know the police force is there to do things like remove unsightly homeless people and squatter-punks from Harvard Square.
From the website of the hamlet of Dildo, Newfoundland Even though Dildo doesn't have a town council it still has many resources and regarded for its activities. Dildo has it's own swimming pool, an S.U.F. lodge, and Lions Center. Every year Dildo celebrates Canada Day and our own Traditional Dildo Days. These events are held on the swimming pool grounds where there are many activities, such as games, swimming, hot dogs, cold plates, and much more. As you can see Dildo is a very historic and traditional community.
9. ???????????
10. Profit!
Seriously though. Articles such as this, based upon untested hypothesis are the pinnacle of sensationalist psuedo-scientific journalism.
The whole "double payment" system is the reason why I had Sprint disable all SMS transmissions on my account. Telling friends and co-workers "Please... DO NOT TEXT ME. EVER. If its not important enough for a call, it can wait" however, people being thick-headed don't get the message, and after an average monthly increase of about $10 on SMS charges for messages I didn't even want, I had enough.
The longer a discussion continues on a forum, the closer to 1 the probability comes that someone will mention Hitler or Nazis.
Doubtful that you'll see anyone but the LDP running things for long time. Prior to the electoral reforms put in place by the coalition government formed in 1993, the multi-member constituencies allowed the LDP to run many candidates in a single district and effectively have each one try to cater to a specific interest group, and generally being able to sweep most if not all seats in the diet. However, as is typical in Japanese political dealings, the LDP generally tried to incorporate the views of the opposition in forming a consensus, so very little opposition formed. Electoral reform, with the new system being a mixture of proportional representation and single-member constituencies, did little to lessen the symptoms of de-facto single-party rule.
The Grey Market in Canada, at least here in Montreal is pretty weak for any sort of goods. People don't seem to grasp the concept of depreciation and try to sell used goods at new prices and aren't open to negotiation. Considering the inflated retail prices relative to the US (which is only a half hour away)and insanely high sales tax (15%) one would think that the grey market would thrive.
But Canada is not asking for new documentation of US Citizens (or Canadian Citizens) to enter/re-enter Canada in the first place.. The "Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative" is a US Program.
Drawing a diagram of how inputs and outputs relating to government entities work in the eyes of political scientists shouldn't be needed. Inputs in practice come from the people, from special interest groups, and lobbyists. (What to do about large industrial lobbies is a discussion for another time)
"The government has created the current 'automobile dependence' by subsidizing the building of interstates."
Of course, and it was the automobile industry that killed the streetcar too. Now perhaps spending tons of taxpayer money on light-rail is not the best option in every case, although many older cities, particularly in the northeast were planned with such transit systems in mind.
Skipping over the Nuclear issue and Oil industry for a moment, you do acknowledge that freight rail is making a huge comeback and that the current rail infrastructure is insufficent. Why not then, either through the forms of direct regulation or subsidies, encourage the development of high speed passenger rail along side of any freight projects that may occur? Obviously the airline industry, even with the numerous bailouts it has received from the federal government, is not a feasble model.
"You do realise that our known supply of uranium is smaller than our known supply of coal? Of course breeder reactors could solve some of that problem, but alas the US government won't allow building of such reactors."
Yeah, I'm well aware of that, however, I'd wager that if half the resources spent on searching for more oil were spent searching for more uranium, we'd find plenty. As already pointed out, the US government is subsidizing the oil industry.. all it would take to change this is a fundamental policy shift on energy and transportation (which I noted in my first post)
First, Invest in infrastructure. Build a national high speed rail network and subsidise it to the point that it costs about the same as your average commuter rail ticket. (Compare prices of taking Amtrak, a discount airline, a greyhound bus, gasoline for a car and a chinatown bus between Boston and NYC). Generate the electricity to power this network from a series of nuclear power plants operating solely for this purpose.. Green, and cheaper over the long term!
Second, drasticly improve the public transportation systems in small/medium sized cities. Keep them clean, well maintained, and operating frequently enough where the majority of people will prefer to ride them rather than deal with traffic, parking, and high fuel prices. Install light rail and or electric trackless-trolleys where ridership warrants it, and again, use carbon-neutral/free energy sources where possible.
Third, Give major tax incentives to people who buy fuel-efficient vehicles, transit passes, participate in carpooling programs. Increase taxes on gasoline/diesel to the point where the cost per gallon starts looking more like western europe.
Fourth, move more long-distance cargo onto the rail network, and use diesel trucks only for the "last mile" of delivery.
The initial startup cost would be massive, without a doubt, but in the long run the enviornmental benefits would be massive, and the cost of consumer goods would not be affected as much by fluctuations in fuel costs.