Tax: The purpose of a tax is to raise revenue. Ideally, you want the tax to bring in the same amount of revenue every year.
Fine: The purpose of a fine is to punish bad behavior. Ideally, you want to bring in no revenue for a fine, because the bad behavior people are being fined for stops.
Fee: A fee is an opt in which raises money for a program. If no one uses the program, you don't collect the fees, and the program likely stops being offered.
One of the worst things we have is taxes sold as fines, fines used to raise revenue, and fees as ways to either alter behavior or raise general revenues (not for specific programs).
This "flab tax" should not be called a tax. If it is a "flab fine" or a "flab fee" it should probably go to programs to reduce obesity, and not in the general fund. Of course, Republicans want to end Medicare and Medicaid, so it won't be used to improve the program in these ways.
"But I know my wife would not watch a show that dated, though she is a science fiction fan herself and enjoyed a few seasons of Torchwood. "
Here's the thing, I'm not going to recommend Pertwee or Baker to anyone who has a problem with things that are dated. However, if you were going to watch the Eccleston series I suggest you find the time to watch Terror of Autons (Pertwee) and Genesis of the Daleks (Baker) on your own before you start watching the new show with your wife.
Look, people need to understand something about this stupidity. Leading beigocrats like Ebert mean something stupid when they talk about Art (pretentious capital letter implied by the beigocracy). They mean, "Art that doesn't offend anyone that matters." Often, this is Art made by people who are long dead, although in film it includes films that win Academy awards.
Often, Art that is dismissed as garbage when it comes out, but which still becomes influential will be inducted into the canon. Stuff like a A Clockwork Orange which was scary when it came out but is now safely confined to a small number of film buffs. The important thing is that it has to be safe.
Now, with video games, beigocrats like Ebert are still comfortable dismissing the entire form. So, they can make stupid claims like video games are not capital 'A' Art. Ebert will even argue, stupidly, that video games are not small 'a' art, just out of sheer bloody minded beigian fanaticism.
Ebert is offended by the entire videogame form, and he speaks for enough of the beigocracy, for the time being, that he is safe in dismissing all videogames. Really, though, all he's doing is what some people's parents do when they say, "That's not music, that's noise. Now the Beach Boys, that was music," just on a much larger scale.
Congress has a responsibility To support America's richest fatcat aristocracy from upstarts and mushrooms. Puppets work for those who pull their strings.
That is what it exists to do these days.
They don't want anymore Googles. They'd rather such things were strangled in their cribs.
There really isn't any reason to hang out at a company that is giving you Mandatory Unpaid Overtime (either as a mandate or through various forms of pressure).
You won't get any recognition for it, since by working mandatory unpaid overtime you are still just doing the minimum expected. When layoff's come, inevitably, you'll be plugged into the layoff formula which won't be taking your Mandatory Unpaid Overtime into account.
Lot's of MUO means the company will likely either have layoffs or close. You might not even get your last paycheck!
If anything, a Klingon Christmas Carol would have Bob Cratchit haunted and the ghosts would have convinced him to kill Tiny Tim and take over Scrooge's operation by kicking his ass.
That sounds more like the version they do on Ferenginar.
Of course, in the Cardassian version, Tiny Tim is an operative for the Obsidian Order who liquidates Gul Scrooge...
The problem with giving boardgames is my own misspent youth. I love boardgames, I have stacks and stacks of them.
Fury of Dracula, Black Morn Manor, Sky Galleons of Mars.... you get the idea.
Most of them can't be played solitaire and thus remain unplayed. (I did manage to get in a few games of Black Morn Manor and 221B Baker Street over the years.)
I never got the chance to show him how folks at Princeton's eating clubs peppered other eating clubs with water ballons launched from funnelators (giant sling-shots, made with surgical tubing).
Hmm, there was an episode of Malcolm in the Middle about that...
1. Tin Whistle 2. Games You Can't Lose by Harry Anderson 3. The Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett 4. The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Wii) 5. Juon: The Grudge (Wii) 6. Sega Sonic Racing with Wii Wheel (Wii) 7. Samba De Amigo Wii with Wii Maracas (Wii) 8. Ace Attorney Investigations Starring Miles Edgeworth (DS) 9. Super Scribblenauts (DS) 10. Wii Points Card 11. The Bernie Mac Show Season 1 12. The Simpsons Season 6 13. Willie Wonka and the Choclolate Factory with Gene Wilder (to go with the tin whistle) 14. 8 GB SD card 15. 16 GB USB Flash Drive 16. Wii Component Cable
I took the shotgun approach this year.
I've done better when she was younger. I remember I got her a candy lab and the Korg Synthesizer for the DS. Still, a Tin Whistle (She already plays the cello) and Games You Can't Lose (Find the red card, it's totally not hard!) should keep her busy.
I still need to get her something for Kwanzaa though.
It's less boring than what I'm getting her Mom though, $300.00 for clothes and I Can Do Bad All By Myself [Blu-ray]
Slashdot Mirror
Wow, this got rated 2 - Informative.
We are truly living in a golden age... of knowledge!
I look forward to hearing about the finer points of birth certificate legitimacy from this poster... or one of the guys who modded him informative.
I just assumed that was deliberate. I mean the symbol for BSD is a Devil after all, why not make an OS named after a Lovecraftian monster?
I use EasyPeasy though. Maybe I'll switch.
Seriously, Slashdot is linking to the Washington Post? As if it were a reputable news source?
Let me put it this way, does Bat Boy have any comment on China's High Speed trains?
China banned Death Notes a while back, too.
Tax: The purpose of a tax is to raise revenue. Ideally, you want the tax to bring in the same amount of revenue every year.
Fine: The purpose of a fine is to punish bad behavior. Ideally, you want to bring in no revenue for a fine, because the bad behavior people are being fined for stops.
Fee: A fee is an opt in which raises money for a program. If no one uses the program, you don't collect the fees, and the program likely stops being offered.
One of the worst things we have is taxes sold as fines, fines used to raise revenue, and fees as ways to either alter behavior or raise general revenues (not for specific programs).
This "flab tax" should not be called a tax. If it is a "flab fine" or a "flab fee" it should probably go to programs to reduce obesity, and not in the general fund. Of course, Republicans want to end Medicare and Medicaid, so it won't be used to improve the program in these ways.
"But I know my wife would not watch a show that dated, though she is a science fiction fan herself and enjoyed a few seasons of Torchwood. "
Here's the thing, I'm not going to recommend Pertwee or Baker to anyone who has a problem with things that are dated. However, if you were going to watch the Eccleston series I suggest you find the time to watch Terror of Autons (Pertwee) and Genesis of the Daleks (Baker) on your own before you start watching the new show with your wife.
Aaaah!
Look, people need to understand something about this stupidity. Leading beigocrats like Ebert mean something stupid when they talk about Art (pretentious capital letter implied by the beigocracy). They mean, "Art that doesn't offend anyone that matters." Often, this is Art made by people who are long dead, although in film it includes films that win Academy awards.
Often, Art that is dismissed as garbage when it comes out, but which still becomes influential will be inducted into the canon. Stuff like a A Clockwork Orange which was scary when it came out but is now safely confined to a small number of film buffs. The important thing is that it has to be safe.
Fight Club is another one of these movies, Ebert claimed it was fascist when it first came out. By his low score review and his claim of fascism, he was basically claiming it was not Art.
Now, with video games, beigocrats like Ebert are still comfortable dismissing the entire form. So, they can make stupid claims like video games are not capital 'A' Art. Ebert will even argue, stupidly, that video games are not small 'a' art, just out of sheer bloody minded beigian fanaticism.
Ebert is offended by the entire videogame form, and he speaks for enough of the beigocracy, for the time being, that he is safe in dismissing all videogames. Really, though, all he's doing is what some people's parents do when they say, "That's not music, that's noise. Now the Beach Boys, that was music," just on a much larger scale.
My favorite trailer is the one for "End of the Innocence" (about the Iran/Iraq War). It's entertainingly odd...
It's illegal to export those to the US, due to US laws. The most popular game over there for a long time was Prince of Persia.
Iran has a halfway decent computer industry, they even make computer games:
http://www.questofpersia.com/main/index.html
I wish that Anonymous could pool their money and buy them, at firesale prices.
ROEDECKER: The LMU 83 will override their override very nicely. It's a little more James Bondian but we are living in a more Blofeldian world.
-- Millennium, "Sense and Anti-Sense"
Bug bomb searching, Thodin!
The article is a spoiler regarding the plot of Danny Dunn Invisible Boy
Ask Phil Hartman about crazy stalker ex-wives.
Oh, wait... you can't.
Congress has a responsibility To support America's richest fatcat aristocracy from upstarts and mushrooms. Puppets work for those who pull their strings.
That is what it exists to do these days.
They don't want anymore Googles. They'd rather such things were strangled in their cribs.
"I long for the dumpster."
Tony: I am afraid the time has come for you to pay us.
Krusty: Look, I'm cleaned out. Just take the Clown College.
Tony: We have already taken it.
[at the college]
Man: Kids have a lot of money these days. So after you finish your
performance, you might consider robbing them.
There really isn't any reason to hang out at a company that is giving you Mandatory Unpaid Overtime (either as a mandate or through various forms of pressure).
You won't get any recognition for it, since by working mandatory unpaid overtime you are still just doing the minimum expected. When layoff's come, inevitably, you'll be plugged into the layoff formula which won't be taking your Mandatory Unpaid Overtime into account.
Lot's of MUO means the company will likely either have layoffs or close. You might not even get your last paycheck!
That sounds more like the version they do on Ferenginar.
Of course, in the Cardassian version, Tiny Tim is an operative for the Obsidian Order who liquidates Gul Scrooge...
The problem with giving boardgames is my own misspent youth. I love boardgames, I have stacks and stacks of them.
Fury of Dracula, Black Morn Manor, Sky Galleons of Mars.... you get the idea.
Most of them can't be played solitaire and thus remain unplayed. (I did manage to get in a few games of Black Morn Manor and 221B Baker Street over the years.)
I never got the chance to show him how folks at Princeton's eating clubs peppered other eating clubs with water ballons launched from funnelators (giant sling-shots, made with surgical tubing).
Hmm, there was an episode of Malcolm in the Middle about that...
Christmas Gifts for a 16 year old girl
1. Tin Whistle
2. Games You Can't Lose by Harry Anderson
3. The Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
4. The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Wii)
5. Juon: The Grudge (Wii)
6. Sega Sonic Racing with Wii Wheel (Wii)
7. Samba De Amigo Wii with Wii Maracas (Wii)
8. Ace Attorney Investigations Starring Miles Edgeworth (DS)
9. Super Scribblenauts (DS)
10. Wii Points Card
11. The Bernie Mac Show Season 1
12. The Simpsons Season 6
13. Willie Wonka and the Choclolate Factory with Gene Wilder (to go with the tin whistle)
14. 8 GB SD card
15. 16 GB USB Flash Drive
16. Wii Component Cable
I took the shotgun approach this year.
I've done better when she was younger. I remember I got her a candy lab and the Korg Synthesizer for the DS. Still, a Tin Whistle (She already plays the cello) and Games You Can't Lose (Find the red card, it's totally not hard!) should keep her busy.
I still need to get her something for Kwanzaa though.
It's less boring than what I'm getting her Mom though, $300.00 for clothes and I Can Do Bad All By Myself [Blu-ray]
If people could do this kind of math, the state lotteries would all have to shut down... ... I mean "Hey, you never know."
Just about nobody would choose the safe version. Millions of dollars of Homeland Security contracts would be at risk... ... I mean, "terrorists! Aaah!"