I realize you and the folks above you are being funny, but there are those of us who look more like Legolas than Gimli and have a bitch of a time finding clothes, specifically pants, since the stores deliberately, consciously and with malice, refuse to carry them in our size.
Yes, I'm looking at you Macy's, The Bon-Ton, Boscov's and all the other stores out there. Until your buyers get their heads out of their asses, I will continue to let everyone know of your discriminatory practices. I hope your stockholders are happy with you deciding to forgo a 5-10% increase in sales.
I can't remember specifically where I heard this (NPR?) but late last week a story came out detailing who would benefit and who wouldn't from the time change. One thing that came out was that by adjusting the time, there would be a longer period of sunlight for people to play golf in. Thus, more people = more greens fees = more profit!
Whether or not this is true I have no idea but here is a link from ABC from back in 2005 which says the exact same thing.
Stable? Doesn't look so stable from where I'm watching...
(Hint: I'm on planet earth.)
Hint: turn on your sarcasm/snarky meter.
I was referring to the comments that we are repeatedly told from the White House and Faux News that things are going swimmingly in Iraq. That the good news isn't being reported because the liberal media doesn't want it to get out.
After all, reporting on things such as electrical towers being taken down to be sold for scrap and the fact that most residents of Baghdad only get four hours of electricity a day (if they're lucky), is a sure sign of the bias in the media.
Thievery and yes, probably because of elephants (think scratching posts).
With the amount of metal that would be in these things and considering the poverty of the countries mentioned, you can be absolutely sure that if the fencing was not electrified, the equipment would be stolen the same night it was installed and sold for scrap metal.
Let's put it this way, even in the stable country of Iraq, entire towers which hold up electrical wires are toppled and sold for scrap. Think what would happen to this equipment if it were placed next to a roadway in one of the three countries and didn't have any form of protection.
Am I the only skeptic or do people actually believe in this ish?
I believe in UFOs but not the other stuff. Why? Because there are UFOs. There are many things we see in the sky and record which, after exhaustive analysis and investigation, cannot be explained. Thus, they are Unidentified Flying Objects.
Even Project Blue Book, for the scam that it was, had a small percentage of cases which could not be explained.
Does this mean that these are crafts from another planet? Maybe, maybe not. All we know for sure is that they are Unidentified Flying Objects.
Besides, what is the difference between believing in UFOs and life on another planet? In neither case do we have proof but in both cases we can say that more than likely, such things exist.
And before you Taliban types start chiming in, in both cases we can test whether either is true. In the case of life on another planet it's simply a matter of finding such a place. In the case of UFOs, we either shoot one down or find one that crashes or, in a neat way to answer both questions, one lands and out steps creatures from another planet.
but what they do want to have happen is M$ come in and fork out some cash to help build 'better' schools in their districts. (and provide kickbacks, extra cash flow, visibility, etc...etc...etc..)
Which is completely correct considering how corrupt the Philadelphia political scene, as a whole, is. The rest of the state funnels tens of millions of dollars worth of subsidies to the city every year to prop it up. For example, the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), which provides bus service for the city, was running short of money, as usual, and wanted to raise rates by.25 cents (that's a quarter for those keeping score).
In his infinite wisdom, and because he's from the Philly area, our governor wanted the rest of us to foot the bill for the SEPTA so the people of Philly wouldn't have to pay that extra twenty-five cents.
Yes, I know. Chicago and Detroit completely outclass Philadelphia in corruption issues. However, since I'm the one whose tax dollars are subsidizing that wreck of a city, their corruption is all that matters to me.
This High Tech High School is no different. Big plans to be funded by the taxpayers and if it fails, oh well, at least they tried. After all, it's not their money.
Then again, since the people of Philadelphia are too stupid to get semi-qualified people into office and demand an end to kickbacks and corruption, they deserve what they get. However, I, and the rest of the taxpayers of the Commonwealth, shouldn't be penalized for their incompetence.
Read what I said again. I never said it was 100 billion years old. I said it was shown to be billions of years old. The 100% means it has been absolutely, positively, without contradiction, shown to be billions of years old.
The only real debate about the age of the Earth is the exact age. It's been creeping upwards for decades as new findings come to light but there is no doubt it is billions of years old.
The GP doesn't make clear what is meant by 'receipt' and you have interpreted it 'a vote report you take home with you.'
Like the OP, I too am from the Keystone State and hopefully I can offer a bit of clarification.
Someone from our esteemed elections bureau made comments, during hearings to find out why PA doesn't use paper trails with its electronic voting machines, to the effect that if a paper trail was used, how a person voted could be found out.
They did not mean that a person would receive a piece of paper to take with them (i.e. a typical receipt) but rather, if the machine printed out the persons vote and dumped it into the hopper on the back of the machine, all one had to do to figure out how a person voted was to count what number person they were to enter the machine then cross-reference to the corresponding piece of paper in the hopper.
If Joe Smith was the fifth person to vote on a particular machine, one could find the fifth paper receipt in the hopper to find out how he voted.
Of course this whole argument is stupid since Nevada has been using a paper trail with its machines and has never had this issue but this is Pennsylvania where everyone subsidises the two kingdoms on each of the state and the New Jersyfication process is well under way.
If something has been refuted, it has been shown to be false based on the evidence. In the case of the continued, wrongheaded stance by the American Taliban that dinosaurs and humans lived together, it has been conclusively shown that the two did not coexist at any time in the past. Every supposed example that has been usedt to show that this event did happen has been shown to be false.
The biggest reason for the refutation is that the majority of these claims are based on the false stance that the Earth is only 6000 years old. It has been shown, 100%, to be billions of years old yet there are those who refuse to acknowledge it and continue to spout nonsense, thereby passing on their ignorance to others.
If DNA isn't the start of something living, then what is? If you say it's an unknown being, then you have to show evidence for that being.
And no, it is not easier to believe in christianity when one considers it is based the idea that a woman got pregant without being touched by a man when we know for an absolute fact the only way for a woman to get pregnat is to be impregnated by a man.
Actually, they are. It is usually in the opening credits that a blurb the the effect that all events depicted in the movie are based on works of fiction. In the Spiderman movies case, viewers are told that the events are based on comics created by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics.
Then again, if one needs to be told that a person who is bit by a radioactive spider can't then spin webs from their wrists or climb walls, that person has other problems.
No, it's not. If you lose $500 playing blackjack, the casino, whether online or off, took in revenue of $500. They have to pay taxes on that revenue.
For your part, if you keep track of your winnings and losings, you can deduct any losses from your winnings on your taxes. After all, if won playing blackack, you have now received income and must report that income.
But why should the government get any part of transfer of money based on chance?
See the example I just gave.
Nothing is put into the economy through this activity,
Oh really? How do you think the folks who work at casinos get paid? What about the folks who operate the online servers? Where do you think they get the money to pay for those servers and bandwidth?
If you think that nothing is created via gambling, you might want to go back to Econ 101.
That article is both funny and bad. It's funny because they continue to spout creationist nonsense, even though everything that is said has been refuted at least a million times, and bad because it continues the propogation of junk science. Specifically, the part about humans and dinosaurs co-existing.
As if to reinforce the continuing spread of misinformation, there is a christian theater not too far from me which is running a production showing men and dinosaurs living side-by-side. Sadly, they're not saying it's a work of fiction.
*sigh* I guess it's easier to believe in a fairy tale than in reality.
No, you can't really deny someone advertisement based on whim.
Let me pile on with the others who have said, yes you can. There are numerous cases where anti-abortion groups wanted to run ads on television showing dead fetuses and such but were denied by the stations in question. The groups claimed discrimination and other things but the courts consistently have held that television stations and such do not have to run the ads.
Here are cases involving billboard companies refusing to run ads because of their content:
Is there an equivalent rule in the US, or can any company invent any old rubbish about their product and have the lies protected by 'Free Speech'?
No, we pretty much have the same rule as you do but since it's rarely enforced, people like Kevin Trudeau can continue to peddle crap which claims to 'cure' dieting even though by claiming such, he is required to submit his products for testing to verify their claims. Since you're not from the U.S., any product which claims to cure an affliction must be tested by the FDA to prove it's claims. If, however, you say that the product helps to relieve the symptoms of X, then it's not subject to medical scrutiny. See this FDA page on how things are supposed to work.
Which he hasn't and never will. The only time the FTC stepped in on his lame ass was when he sold the products themselves. The FTC shut him down based on his infomercials so he adjusted his snakeoil salesmanship to only sell the books which tell you what products to buy. Since his books are protected Free Speech, PROFIT!
See this link and this link for what a con artist this guy is and how he's endangering peoples lives with his lies as well an analysis by a doctor about his claims.
Perhaps that's why the phrase, "In God We Trust" was placed on money in the first place - to remind people to trust in God rather than money.
No, it was put there by christian fundamentalists first during the Civil War on coins and then on paper money during the 50s to try and force the notion upon the nation that it was founded on christian principles (which it wasn't). Read and learn.
Funny how the Founding Fathers, those bastions of christendom that the American Taliban likes to claim, overlooked putting those words on currency when they had the opportunity to do so, no?
Also, as far as the Pledge of Allegiance is concerned, because we all know that will be your next comment, it was developed by a Baptist Minister so that all persons, regardless of their religious persuasion, could pledge their allegiance to both the flag and Republic in a neutral manner. For a more thorough discussion, see this.
Now that I'm at home, I see it is a loan through a state agency. In my case, PHFA (Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency). The bank writes and processes the loan but I pay PHFA.
There are income and loan limits for this program but other than that, it's just like any other mortgage.
Regardless, even when I was looking and the folks were looking at regular mortgages for me (ignoring I'm a first-time buyer), the best rate quoted to me was ~6.25% with 3 points for a 30-year. As things haven't changed that much since I last looked, I'm certain I could get the same rate.
My credit rating is very high. The only thing that is holding me back from getting a higher rating is, ironically, carrying debt on my credit card and having a mortgage. Since I pay off my credit card every month, I don't carry a balance and so my credit score is affected.
See what type of mortgages your state offers. 9%+ for an adjustable is ridiculous considering adjustables are supposed to be much cheaper.
It's been a while since I've looked at the documents so it could very well be an FHA loan. I got everything lined up a while back and am simply trying to find a house at this point. Unfortunately I don't have the documents in front of me and my mortgage lender is out of the office at this point.
I do know that other than getting a really good rate, it is just like every other standard mortgage. No strings attached (other than making payments).
Right -- the best offer I got from a bank was 80% financing with 9.75% 3-year adjustable. (Credit union was more reasonable.)
That can't be right. If you're a first-time homebuyer, you qualify for low loan rates. I should know. I can get a 5.75% with only one point (the max the loan can give) for a 30-year mortgage with 20% down (or in my case, 30%).
I can't remember what program I qualify for but if you want more info, give me a shout.
I don't think the law spells out which forms of documentation you're required to produce to prove your identity.
See this link (pdf) from the Federal Reserve in regards to opening accounts for people affected by Katrina. The answer to the second question lays out what a bank must do to verify a person's identity. It lists some forms of identification which may be used. As a rule, the document presented must be an official form of identification. That is why I qualified my previous statements by saying that a matricula consular card is not a valid document for proving the identity of a person.
Additionally - what does immigration status have to do with bank accounts ?
I had an aunt who, until recently, was a legal resident of the U.S. Both she and her husband (one of my father's older brothers) were not born here. He became a U.S. citizen (and served in the military during Korea) while she continued to be a citizen of their native country, Germany.
She was able to open accounts, run a business and everything else because she did what was necessary to follow the law. In her case, she obtained a tax ID number and other related documents.
The issue is not about immigration status. It's about following the rules that have been set down so that all persons not citizens, are correctly accounted for and yes, taxed correctly.
Since a majority of illegal aliens are paid under the table, their earnings are not taxed and, as I said previously, the money they earn is sent out of the country to be spent elsewhere.
It's not that difficult to obtain legal documents to open an account. A passport or green card will do.
Slashdot Mirror
I realize you and the folks above you are being funny, but there are those of us who look more like Legolas than Gimli and have a bitch of a time finding clothes, specifically pants, since the stores deliberately, consciously and with malice, refuse to carry them in our size.
Yes, I'm looking at you Macy's, The Bon-Ton, Boscov's and all the other stores out there. Until your buyers get their heads out of their asses, I will continue to let everyone know of your discriminatory practices. I hope your stockholders are happy with you deciding to forgo a 5-10% increase in sales.
Now mod me down for being offtopic.
Thanks. I knew I wasn't going insane (yet).
At least that's what the voices keep telling me.
Whether or not this is true I have no idea but here is a link from ABC from back in 2005 which says the exact same thing.
Conspiracy? You decide.
(Hint: I'm on planet earth.)
Hint: turn on your sarcasm/snarky meter.
I was referring to the comments that we are repeatedly told from the White House and Faux News that things are going swimmingly in Iraq. That the good news isn't being reported because the liberal media doesn't want it to get out.
After all, reporting on things such as electrical towers being taken down to be sold for scrap and the fact that most residents of Baghdad only get four hours of electricity a day (if they're lucky), is a sure sign of the bias in the media.
Thievery and yes, probably because of elephants (think scratching posts).
With the amount of metal that would be in these things and considering the poverty of the countries mentioned, you can be absolutely sure that if the fencing was not electrified, the equipment would be stolen the same night it was installed and sold for scrap metal.
Let's put it this way, even in the stable country of Iraq, entire towers which hold up electrical wires are toppled and sold for scrap. Think what would happen to this equipment if it were placed next to a roadway in one of the three countries and didn't have any form of protection.
It was a combination legitimate question as well as snarky question.
Besides, since I'm on dial-up at home, whatever information is sent must take forever to get to them.
you don't go through Microsoft Updates but instead go to their Security Search and manually download each patch?
Since you've never activated WGA, does that mean you're invisible to Microsoft?
True, but if we did shoot one down, it would answer the other question.
It's like anything which is unidentified. Once we figure out (or think we figured out) what it is, it's no longer unidentified.
I believe in UFOs but not the other stuff. Why? Because there are UFOs. There are many things we see in the sky and record which, after exhaustive analysis and investigation, cannot be explained. Thus, they are Unidentified Flying Objects.
Even Project Blue Book, for the scam that it was, had a small percentage of cases which could not be explained.
Does this mean that these are crafts from another planet? Maybe, maybe not. All we know for sure is that they are Unidentified Flying Objects.
Besides, what is the difference between believing in UFOs and life on another planet? In neither case do we have proof but in both cases we can say that more than likely, such things exist.
And before you Taliban types start chiming in, in both cases we can test whether either is true. In the case of life on another planet it's simply a matter of finding such a place. In the case of UFOs, we either shoot one down or find one that crashes or, in a neat way to answer both questions, one lands and out steps creatures from another planet.
Yup, absolutely correct. Definite mistype on my part.
*bow*
Which is completely correct considering how corrupt the Philadelphia political scene, as a whole, is. The rest of the state funnels tens of millions of dollars worth of subsidies to the city every year to prop it up. For example, the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), which provides bus service for the city, was running short of money, as usual, and wanted to raise rates by
In his infinite wisdom, and because he's from the Philly area, our governor wanted the rest of us to foot the bill for the SEPTA so the people of Philly wouldn't have to pay that extra twenty-five cents.
Yes, I know. Chicago and Detroit completely outclass Philadelphia in corruption issues. However, since I'm the one whose tax dollars are subsidizing that wreck of a city, their corruption is all that matters to me.
This High Tech High School is no different. Big plans to be funded by the taxpayers and if it fails, oh well, at least they tried. After all, it's not their money.
Then again, since the people of Philadelphia are too stupid to get semi-qualified people into office and demand an end to kickbacks and corruption, they deserve what they get. However, I, and the rest of the taxpayers of the Commonwealth, shouldn't be penalized for their incompetence.
Not only am I a monkey's uncle, I got his crabs too!
Read what I said again. I never said it was 100 billion years old. I said it was shown to be billions of years old. The 100% means it has been absolutely, positively, without contradiction, shown to be billions of years old.
The only real debate about the age of the Earth is the exact age. It's been creeping upwards for decades as new findings come to light but there is no doubt it is billions of years old.
Like the OP, I too am from the Keystone State and hopefully I can offer a bit of clarification.
Someone from our esteemed elections bureau made comments, during hearings to find out why PA doesn't use paper trails with its electronic voting machines, to the effect that if a paper trail was used, how a person voted could be found out.
They did not mean that a person would receive a piece of paper to take with them (i.e. a typical receipt) but rather, if the machine printed out the persons vote and dumped it into the hopper on the back of the machine, all one had to do to figure out how a person voted was to count what number person they were to enter the machine then cross-reference to the corresponding piece of paper in the hopper.
If Joe Smith was the fifth person to vote on a particular machine, one could find the fifth paper receipt in the hopper to find out how he voted.
Of course this whole argument is stupid since Nevada has been using a paper trail with its machines and has never had this issue but this is Pennsylvania where everyone subsidises the two kingdoms on each of the state and the New Jersyfication process is well under way.
If something has been refuted, it has been shown to be false based on the evidence. In the case of the continued, wrongheaded stance by the American Taliban that dinosaurs and humans lived together, it has been conclusively shown that the two did not coexist at any time in the past. Every supposed example that has been usedt to show that this event did happen has been shown to be false.
The biggest reason for the refutation is that the majority of these claims are based on the false stance that the Earth is only 6000 years old. It has been shown, 100%, to be billions of years old yet there are those who refuse to acknowledge it and continue to spout nonsense, thereby passing on their ignorance to others.
If DNA isn't the start of something living, then what is? If you say it's an unknown being, then you have to show evidence for that being.
And no, it is not easier to believe in christianity when one considers it is based the idea that a woman got pregant without being touched by a man when we know for an absolute fact the only way for a woman to get pregnat is to be impregnated by a man.
Apparently you do believe in fairy tales.
Actually, they are. It is usually in the opening credits that a blurb the the effect that all events depicted in the movie are based on works of fiction. In the Spiderman movies case, viewers are told that the events are based on comics created by Stan Lee and Marvel Comics.
Then again, if one needs to be told that a person who is bit by a radioactive spider can't then spin webs from their wrists or climb walls, that person has other problems.
No, it's not. If you lose $500 playing blackjack, the casino, whether online or off, took in revenue of $500. They have to pay taxes on that revenue.
For your part, if you keep track of your winnings and losings, you can deduct any losses from your winnings on your taxes. After all, if won playing blackack, you have now received income and must report that income.
But why should the government get any part of transfer of money based on chance?
See the example I just gave.
Nothing is put into the economy through this activity,
Oh really? How do you think the folks who work at casinos get paid? What about the folks who operate the online servers? Where do you think they get the money to pay for those servers and bandwidth?
If you think that nothing is created via gambling, you might want to go back to Econ 101.
That article is both funny and bad. It's funny because they continue to spout creationist nonsense, even though everything that is said has been refuted at least a million times, and bad because it continues the propogation of junk science. Specifically, the part about humans and dinosaurs co-existing.
As if to reinforce the continuing spread of misinformation, there is a christian theater not too far from me which is running a production showing men and dinosaurs living side-by-side. Sadly, they're not saying it's a work of fiction.
*sigh* I guess it's easier to believe in a fairy tale than in reality.
Let me pile on with the others who have said, yes you can. There are numerous cases where anti-abortion groups wanted to run ads on television showing dead fetuses and such but were denied by the stations in question. The groups claimed discrimination and other things but the courts consistently have held that television stations and such do not have to run the ads.
Here are cases involving billboard companies refusing to run ads because of their content:
North Georgia
Crawford Texas
Hollywood
Times Square
I know for a fact that Lamar Advertising refused to run ads in my area from anti-Bush people during the last campaign.
Here's a story from last year (2006) when CBS refused to run two ads during the Super Bowl. One was for PETA and the other was anti-Bush. Link
So yes, you can deny someone advertisement on a whim just like a restaurant has the right to refuse someone service for any reason they so choose.
No, we pretty much have the same rule as you do but since it's rarely enforced, people like Kevin Trudeau can continue to peddle crap which claims to 'cure' dieting even though by claiming such, he is required to submit his products for testing to verify their claims. Since you're not from the U.S., any product which claims to cure an affliction must be tested by the FDA to prove it's claims. If, however, you say that the product helps to relieve the symptoms of X, then it's not subject to medical scrutiny. See this FDA page on how things are supposed to work.
Which he hasn't and never will. The only time the FTC stepped in on his lame ass was when he sold the products themselves. The FTC shut him down based on his infomercials so he adjusted his snakeoil salesmanship to only sell the books which tell you what products to buy. Since his books are protected Free Speech, PROFIT!
See this link and this link for what a con artist this guy is and how he's endangering peoples lives with his lies as well an analysis by a doctor about his claims.
No, it was put there by christian fundamentalists first during the Civil War on coins and then on paper money during the 50s to try and force the notion upon the nation that it was founded on christian principles (which it wasn't). Read and learn.
Funny how the Founding Fathers, those bastions of christendom that the American Taliban likes to claim, overlooked putting those words on currency when they had the opportunity to do so, no?
Also, as far as the Pledge of Allegiance is concerned, because we all know that will be your next comment, it was developed by a Baptist Minister so that all persons, regardless of their religious persuasion, could pledge their allegiance to both the flag and Republic in a neutral manner. For a more thorough discussion, see this.
Now that I'm at home, I see it is a loan through a state agency. In my case, PHFA (Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency). The bank writes and processes the loan but I pay PHFA.
There are income and loan limits for this program but other than that, it's just like any other mortgage.
Regardless, even when I was looking and the folks were looking at regular mortgages for me (ignoring I'm a first-time buyer), the best rate quoted to me was ~6.25% with 3 points for a 30-year. As things haven't changed that much since I last looked, I'm certain I could get the same rate.
My credit rating is very high. The only thing that is holding me back from getting a higher rating is, ironically, carrying debt on my credit card and having a mortgage. Since I pay off my credit card every month, I don't carry a balance and so my credit score is affected.
See what type of mortgages your state offers. 9%+ for an adjustable is ridiculous considering adjustables are supposed to be much cheaper.
It's been a while since I've looked at the documents so it could very well be an FHA loan. I got everything lined up a while back and am simply trying to find a house at this point. Unfortunately I don't have the documents in front of me and my mortgage lender is out of the office at this point.
I do know that other than getting a really good rate, it is just like every other standard mortgage. No strings attached (other than making payments).
That can't be right. If you're a first-time homebuyer, you qualify for low loan rates. I should know. I can get a 5.75% with only one point (the max the loan can give) for a 30-year mortgage with 20% down (or in my case, 30%).
I can't remember what program I qualify for but if you want more info, give me a shout.
See this link (pdf) from the Federal Reserve in regards to opening accounts for people affected by Katrina. The answer to the second question lays out what a bank must do to verify a person's identity. It lists some forms of identification which may be used. As a rule, the document presented must be an official form of identification. That is why I qualified my previous statements by saying that a matricula consular card is not a valid document for proving the identity of a person.
Additionally - what does immigration status have to do with bank accounts ?
I had an aunt who, until recently, was a legal resident of the U.S. Both she and her husband (one of my father's older brothers) were not born here. He became a U.S. citizen (and served in the military during Korea) while she continued to be a citizen of their native country, Germany.
She was able to open accounts, run a business and everything else because she did what was necessary to follow the law. In her case, she obtained a tax ID number and other related documents.
The issue is not about immigration status. It's about following the rules that have been set down so that all persons not citizens, are correctly accounted for and yes, taxed correctly.
Since a majority of illegal aliens are paid under the table, their earnings are not taxed and, as I said previously, the money they earn is sent out of the country to be spent elsewhere.
It's not that difficult to obtain legal documents to open an account. A passport or green card will do.