Maybe... LOL This is the one in CO? I think my attorney would poop a brick if he heard of me even talking about even preliminary discussions on Slashdot. I kind of like Colorado a little bit. The mountains are majestic there. Where I live there are mountains, I am in them, but they are old and wise - having been around since forever ago. The Rockies are majestic in their rebel-filled youth. They spire high and with purpose. Mine are tamed and have seen the many ice ages and lived to tell the tale.
Where is this property located more specifically? You never know. I may be interested. The closest thing I have to CO is in Henderson, NV. That is not a rental though it was an investment. I use it when I go out to Vegas and I allow family to use it when I am not there and when they are headed out that direction.
Anyhow, a description or whatnot would be interesting. I have never had a seller turn down cash. If I were you AND the tenants were sane then I would consider keeping it so long as it has a return percentage higher than your other investments. I would also make damned sure to pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible including making extra payments where you can. You can request (they hate it) - no demand - that they apply extra payments directly to the principal. Banks are sneaky bastards and will apply them in a manner that best suits them. You have a right (so far as I know this is applicable in every state) to pay the principal down when you are paying more than the monthly payment.
Pay that down, get it all paid off, then sock some money away and let it grow at a steady rate in something solid like the DIA or even Berkshire Hathaway. Let it grow and dump more money into those savings. When you have enough capital buy another rental property. By the time you are on the third or fourth rental (just from my own calculations based on information I found online at the time I was curious) you will actually be able to stop working assuming you make the median income. The key is to get those first few properties tucked under your belt and have them fully paid off.
The major risk, as near as I can tell, is something catastrophic. Insure the hell out of them - if nothing happens then you are lucky but if something does happen you will be damned grateful. My limited research, actually I did a bunch, suggests that the loss of a single property or a single major lawsuit at the start would be the most crushing blow one could suffer unless they are cash wealthy. Right now you would probably be considered (by most) to be cash poor and land wealthy. Getting those to balance would be nice. My guesstimate suggest striving to have enough liquid assets to be able to replace any one single property would be a good starting point. Well, not a starting point. More like a good spot to begin to relax and feel more comfortable.
Then, when you retire, you can do a couple of things... You can keep the properties and have a very nice steady income as everything should be pure profit (minus obvious expenses) or you can unload the property onto someone else and have a lump sum to play with. As the properties may be getting a bit old and you may wish to have less stress in your life at that age you may just want to unload it and buy yourself a small island in the Caribbean.
I suspect, however, that I am preaching to the choir so to speak and that you are already aware of these things. Be nice to your tenants and they will, generally, be nice to you. Let them know, for example, that you have to raise the rents due to whatever reasons you want, and then ask them how much more they can safely afford to pay. Then raise the rent, over a two year period, to less than what they said they were willing to pay. Let them know that you are going to do that and that it will be less than they could pay. They will win and you will win.
Anyhow, ya never know... LOL I have not once considered buying property from anyone in a forum type of environment - well, not land. I have bought other things from these types of t
That is really unfortunate. It truly is. Again, I have no idea exactly how the system works over there BUT I know some basics so the following may be true... (Actually, I think it may well have been you who was kind enough to write up a synopsis about UK law so that I could understand it better.)
Now, at your local council and at the other council send them your request for a formal hearing (or such). Have it sent with a secure format - in other words make sure that it is signed for so it can be used as evidence. In the past, I have found just leaders knowing that they are being monitored has a greater impact than simply making requests but you may need confirmation anyhow.
In the case of your relatives, have them send the same/similar request. Just request a hearing and point out how dangerous it is. If you can provide evidence (should not be hard) then that is great. It should be commonsense but, really, commonsense is not all that common. Make a few phone calls - again, be specific about your complaints and why you are complaining. Be polite but firm. Make sure you get the name of the person on the other end of the line - email is also good. Basically, you want to track and be able to prove that you have made multiple attempts at getting the system changed.
What we are going for is accountability and being able to prove willful negligence. So track everyone you talk with. Note the date, the time, their name, and even how they sounded emotionally-wise when you spoke with them.
If and when there is a tragedy find the victims and give them the evidence. With that evidence you can sue (perhaps - again, your legal system is a bit different) but I would not sue for damages. You would be suing for the public outcry and capitalizing on that. Don't attempt to sue for gobs of money or anything - sue to get them to turn the lights back on.
I live in an unincorporated township (there are six full-time residential families but this is not actually a town) and we have a total of two streetlights. Both are at the end of an official road (not a tote road or a long driveway) and that is it. If they were to turn them off then I would consider and petition the government to actually undertake the task of paying for them on their behalf. Yeah, I know, that is what I paid taxes for but sometimes they get drunk and spend the money on hookers and blow.
I would consider working on some careful wording (you can petition your government as I recall) for a petition and have your neighbors sign it, post it at the stores, collect signatures and whatnot. It should not take a lot of work and you do not need to be a lawyer - it can likely be in plain English. Just something along the lines of, "We the people of ______ accept the accountability and wish to petition the governing body in order to have them reconsider turning the lights off at _____. We would prefer the lights remain on during all hours of darkness. We are aware that this means some other services may need to be cut or that some taxes will have to go up but this is a matter of safety and we would rather be safe. Our kids and elderly depend on a safe community and it is our responsibility to provide them with such."
You know, something like that. I am not sure how well it will be received so be creative with your verbiage. Collect and replace the papers often so that they are not lost in the wind. When you have a bunch of signatures turn photocopies of them in. I'd suggest, strongly suggest, that you not even consider just filling in the information with people from the phone book or anything like that. That is immoral and probably illegal.
Again, have your friends in a different neighborhood do the same thing. It is true - costs have to be considered where safety is the goal. Spending money that serves little in the way of achieving safety is a waste. However, the value added by lights is likely higher than the value achieved by disabling them. If you have a rational council (and that is a big "IF") then you may get somewhere. If you
I like Mint. It is my favorite current distro. I call it Linux for Retards because, well, it is. You can just install and be done with it on every single configuration I have tried. There is something to be said for that. I also like CentOS lately, but that is a bit bloated.
Yeah, I read the abstract and glimpsed at the study. Given my older resources I could almost certainly provide proof that it is an absolutely absurd conclusion to be made based on that data. Inconsistent lighting is bad for drivers and bicyclists. Dark sections are horrific for pedestrian traffic and bicyclists. This is a known truth - at least in my country and we are not that dissimilar.
If you do decide to take this on and need some studies I can probably access some of the paid journals (if need be) through my old business. I doubt that they would do you any good - if your council is anything like our political system they will simply not be read. Anyhow, if you do then the email address listed is working.
I tossed the email up to see what would happen as far as spam goes. So far? Not a noted increase in quantity or filtering. I've done this with GMail in the past and had worse results. I am kind of surprised that Outlook (Microsoft) is doing this well. Of course, I have no idea what they are dropping silently.
Well... You're going to need a strong stomach, a baklava, and bat... You know what to do.
I do not know how your legal system works in these regards BUT petition the hell out of your council. Old people vote, have them protest too. It probably will not be as effective as pushing them off the curb and stomping on them but it certainly is nicer.
VNC maybe? Still going to need a laptop at that point. I think VNC (Vino or RealVNC or even the FOSS TigerVNC) and a wireless HDMI connection may just be the ticket. It is the best solution I can come up with at this point.
This is one of those times where what really mattered is what made you happy at the time. Those times are too few as we are part of a society. I am glad you enjoyed it and the person who replied to your original post probably does not understand. A lady friend and I, no honeymoon - we did not wed thankfully, celebrated in a car instead of even taking the RV. We spent about 8 months packed into the car, staying at hotels when the mood struck, and never really with a destination in mind.
We'd hope on a highway and get off whatever exit struck our fancy at that moment in time. We went anywhere we wanted, zig-zagging across the country (back and fourth and up and down many times) while having no itinerary. We never really reserved a hotel room - instead we would call ahead before we rolled into that area and hope for the best. Many nights were spent in the car and many photographs were taken. Some days we would muster up the courage and drive straight through. A number of days had more than 1000 miles logged - some a few hundred higher than that.
Why? Because it made us happy. The end result was well over 30,000 miles as I recall. We went and did anything we felt like at the moment. We had no destinations really. Once, in the panhandle of Florida, we decided to visit Roswell, NM. Our first stop on that journey was way down in in the tip - to Dade County and Miami and then out to the islands for a single evening. Sure, it added something like 1300 miles to the trip but, frankly, that was the point.
There are times and places where opinions do not matter and where what you want is what is best. Cherish those moments. I will trot out the tired, old, cliché. You only live once.
That is why I said that if they wanted to do it on their own then let 'em. We can not always change what the council does and we can not do it quickly. Until then? Get out and give them a hand if they need it or want it. If they do not want help then, yeah, let 'em go.
I hope, when I am 80 (not so very far away), that I am still chasing skirts and having a hell of a good time - if I am alive, of course. I hope I will not have to rely on folks. I'd also like to know that help was there if I want it. I currently sort of live by this model though I am more a helper than not. I do have a lady that I pay a salary to. She does my cooking (most of it), cleaning, and shopping. She works about 20 hours a week.
I pay her $400/wk. I offered her a raise a month ago and she declined it. I think I am just going to start having her take extra out of the ATM and then just giving it to her. (She has her own card and PIN. I trust her completely and, frankly, I would not know if she stole from me.) She tells me when the account is getting low and I go get more put into that account. My accountant hates me for it, I like being his source of ire.
Anyhow, yeah... Petition the council to change back and, in the meantime, help 'em out if you are able. Get on your neighbor's case and have them help. Unfortunately, things are unlikely to change unless there is a drastic event that makes them change back to keeping the lights on. You're going to have to have someone fall and break a hip, get drastically beaten in a robbery, or just get worked over by thugs.
I am not suggesting that you help them do this. But... If tipping old ladies is your thing and you want the lights back on...;-)
My other suggestion is just as worthless... It involves getting them all sparkled scooters and fireworks. It is best that I not type it out.
I will have to try that. I am a Buddhist (but not a fucking monk, damn it) so I am always trying to be mindful. I am also an atheist so it is not like I worry about my soul. The best of both worlds I suppose. Anyhow, I shall be mindful of my play when I try it again. Should I note an improvement I will remember to reply in another thread when I see your moniker.
I could compile a couple of studies and show (I suspect) that all urban streets should be well lit at times where there may be pedestrian or bicycle traffic. We just need to make sure that we are grounding this on facts and not hyperbole. I am almost 100% certain that I can show the benefits outweigh the negatives (there are few and they are trivial). Areas with inconsistent lighting are actually worse than none or sporadic lighting. This is, in part, what I based my career on. The standard recommendation is 150' apart or as close as existing poles allow for dense urban streets. Few places adhere to the standards. Some over, some under... Nobody seem to listen to the advice they paid good money for.
No, it predates Kennedy. However, after JFK is when it got its derogatory meaning. Of course, this could be conspiracy and not Wikipedia or Wikipedia could be in on the conspiracy... Maybe you should try editing the Wikipedia article to find out.
The "Big Dig" in Boston paid us 4.2 million USD. That is not an exaggeration - that is exactly the sum paid - to the penny. This was, of course, prior to the official start of the project. We gave them a list of 120 items, some with specifics that numbered in the hundreds. Some of those were, to be precise, how to actually do the project without interrupting the flow of traffic.
This is not public record so no names...
"If we do not interrupt traffic, how will they know we are doing something?" "Your promise, you specifically, was to the people. You would not be interrupting traffic." "Yeah, they forget that. That BS won't get me re-elected. However, pointing and showing the work will."
Everything down to where to place supports for temporary roads to NOT impact traffic... Everything. They incorporated a few items which had line-items that maybe numbered in the thousands instead of the many many things they could have done.
"Consider this the last time we will work for this city. It is a shame, too. You are the city that got us started and we operated at a bare budget, almost a loss, to do this work for you in appreciation."
Not quite verbatim and still not the worst. I drove back to NC the following day and had someone else take over the on-site presence. I have considered a book but, frankly, I now have aspirations for public office and I suspect I will be better served without having published such.
You are a lucky SOB. I try... I just can't capture the magic again. I lost it and, like a balloon, it was gone. Don't get me wrong - I still jump in mud puddles. I still throw snowballs. I have even gotten on a skateboard at my age (I was still able to ollie - imagine that - with some practice). It is just not the same...
I used to be able to spend hours out in a field playing with bugs. Hours - all day even. Maybe some catch - in the street - with friends. I have a baseball mitt. I've used it twice. I am bored after an hour in a field - if that long. I end up on my butt poking at my phone. I peek at the sunset but I have not watched on in 40 years. They do not seem to have changed. It is I who has changed.
I am reminded of Puff The Magic Dragon. (I am that old.) I could probably buy an amusement park (not kidding, I probably could but I have no idea what it would cost though I am sure I can get credit if it exceeds my net worth) but I doubt I would enjoy it.
Do not get me wrong... I laugh, I cry, I sing, I should, I dance wildly in the wind. I am free-spirited and love life and all the wonderful things in it. I am in a unique position where I can truly enjoy all that life brings me. I just can not bring back the joy that I had for things I was once so very fond of. At best, at level best, I get a fleeting glimpse. Hmm... Now I am reminded of Pink Floyd. How very true...
I envy your magic, if true, and would sell my soul for it. I suspect that would be a trick though, without the proverbial soul would I enjoy it? Sorry to wax philosophical but I am not sure there is another way to approach such a subject.
As an aside, I have just made arrangements with my lawyer to contact Ms. Francesca Lowe's agent to purchase #3 oil on canvas and Lust. So, perhaps, I have not lost the magic after all. Perhaps it is just manifest in new and different ways? However, I still pine for the pure, unadulterated, happiness that goes with youth. I suspect, strongly, that it is also partially effected by one's tendency to expect too much and view one's past with rose tinted glasses.
I am not the least bit worried about buying a home. I have one.;) I had it built to my strange specs too. It is a salt-box envelope house with passive and active solar.
Anyhow, you mentioned owning two - I was suggesting that if you have gone that far you may want to go further and start renting out to people if you are interested. It appears to be a rather good investment and, I suspect, is likely to remain a sound investment for the foreseeable future. I would ensure you have either a line of credit or cash on hand as bad things could cripple you pretty quickly without such insurance.
Finally, yeah... I got fairly lucky in life. Eventually I sold my business and retired at a fairly early age. My business (consulting mostly with modeling vehicular and pedestrian traffic) was surprisingly profitable and considered mature (20 years old) when it sold. To be quite frank, I do no think I can actually easily spend all of my money without doing something absurdly stupid. I live off interests, dividends, all capital gains. I make money doing nothing really. I have more than I had last year which seems odd to me, really. Meh... It just means I can donate more this year.
They are only available for a certain portion of your youth. You must find the parts and assemble it yourself. I hear tell of some adults who can make them still but they are rare and few are able to really revert to their youth.
When I was in such a state I used tubes from bicycle tires cut to size (without safety scissors - I live dangerous!). I attached them to trees sometimes and used choke cherries inside of them to splatter cars passing. I do not recall ever hitting a car and cars were a rather rare site on that particular road at that particular time.
If you did not build one, and go to make one today, I am not sure you will get the same joy. I think it is a passing thing and the time must be exactly right for one is only in that state of mind for a very short time. It is a mystical, curious, time... It is somewhere between child and youth - but not before, nor after. If you can recapture that time then you are a blessed individual but, try as I might, that state of being has passed and any attempts to recreate it leave me with a realization that some things are better left to the memory than to be forwarded to today.
I wonder, with enough practice, how well a person trained in combat would actually do? I suspect not that well as combat veterans are veterans because they are risk adverse and that may not be a valid game strategy. Maybe I should learn how to play an online FPS? I am, by no means, an expert (just a grunt pretty much). In fact, contrary to popular opinion, we were not trained to be heroes - quite the opposite really. You'd think we were a bunch of ninnies if you saw how long we sat in place to determine the next move. However, I would imagine a video game trained group of Force Recon with a sniper attached might do well as a group and one of the major benefits would be their communication. I imagine they would be well served if they had advanced intel such as topography.
Did you know that you can enter more than one URL into your browser's address bar? Seriously... You *can* do this. Ask for help if you need it. We do not have flash games here either, is that also a problem?
The very second you drive it off the lot you have lost at least 30% of its value. That quickly... It is now a used car and its value is that of a used car. I have owned a number of brand new cars over the years. One way to buy them (and the only way, in my opinion) is to pay cash. You get a great bonus in pricing and you have no interest. Otherwise? You might as well lease it.
Three years ago, I purchased a 48 unit apartment building. I have a building manager who lives there for free - he works as an HVAC dude as well. He also has a plow truck. I give him free rent. That is it. That is what he wanted. He had the same arrangement with the prior owner. He is a moderately skilled carpenter and I can do the rest. We have an electrical company contracted.
I paid cash for the building (I actually rented a small apartment there for a spell as it was closer to the real world than my house is) and was happy with the price. It has paid itself off entirely and is now making a tidy profit and has for almost four months. Everything is insured. I do not bother doing background checks or credit checks, it is a great area. Everything is up to code so those who are on Section 8 or other subsidized housing can now stay there. I have already been offered more than twice as much as I paid for it by a company that is putting in a retirement community on adjacent land. Heat, electricity, and hot water are all included.
I have been trying to contract with DirecTV to get them satellite - wiring already exists and they were smart enough to put in large conduits and raceways when they converted it from an old hospital. I paid about 550k for the property. Taxes run around 40k/year all told. The standing offer is 1.2m currently. It would make sense for them to buy it - I sunk a bit of money into it when I purchased it. Rent averages about $620/mo. I estimate that I spend ten hours a month being business-like. I do not do much unless I am bored. Seth takes care of the rest.
I was going to mortgage it at first - figuring that I made more money with interest and gains than I would and the banks all had loan officers nearly jumping out of their seats to throw money at me. As I was improving the property (which included some narrow infrastructure improvements) the town also threw money at me in the form of tax breaks and taking care of arrears. This is my sixth rental property, though I am retired and have no need of more income - it keeps me busy, and they are all much the same. I have only had a couple of bad residents so far and they are poor so they settle out of court.
One had to have slammed a window on their hand as we could not reproduce it. The other slipped and fell on the ice and mysteriously got better with a small cash payment. The one with the broken hand was a junkie - I had used with them in the past and we paid medical plus 6k to get them out of the building. The total amount was 6k and that included hiring them a moving company and paying the deposit at their new place.
I think the most important thing is, if you are going to rent, you need to have cash on hand. This is important especially when first starting out. You need to have some wealth in order to generate wealth. You also need to be vigilant and not lazy but those are a given. Hell, even needing wealth to get started is a given. Anyhow, if you are in a position to gamble then rental property is a nice source of income.
I drive a BMW (most of the time, I suppose) so they tend to get it right the first time.;-) Any 'updates' have not, thus far, changed a damned thing important or even fixed a bug that I'd noticed. I have not, yet, noticed a bug of any type. In three more weeks my new one will be ready (custom 640Li) and I expect it to be the same as my two year old 740Li. I am not trading in my old one, I already have someone to buy it at a very fair price. The reason for the 640 instead of the 740? Well... ~650 ponies under the hood is why. For every dead dinosaur you do not burn, I am going to burn two.
When the oil runs out? I am going to set up my own factory squishing babies for more oil. I am not even going to waste money with pain relief or euthanasia. I will finally find out if the racist jokes about Mexicans or Italians is true - if so I will pay to import them into my baby squishing factory for a better ROI. Then I am going to strap three extra engines on the outside of my car. They will not serve any function other than burning dead baby oil. They won't let me go faster but they will show the world that I mean business.
Why? Umm... Other than the fact that I am talking sheer nonsense (other than the new car which actually gets pretty decent mileage and the updates) I am Republican (I am not) and that is the way of our kind.
Considering the quality of power from your average consumer generator, I am going to recommend against that. Seriously.... That is an unwise option - you have been warned. I do not know how well the cars, themselves, clean power but I suspect it is not designed for such. Your best choice is to get towed home. You'll get cleaner power from a 100' extension cord than you will with a generator designed for portability and home use. I have read no schematics nor taken one apart but I suspect they are a bit more delicate than your average stove. I'd really suggest ensuring that you use power with very little fluctuation. Scope a generator sometime. Even Honda is not immune and they make some fine generators.
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Maybe... LOL This is the one in CO? I think my attorney would poop a brick if he heard of me even talking about even preliminary discussions on Slashdot. I kind of like Colorado a little bit. The mountains are majestic there. Where I live there are mountains, I am in them, but they are old and wise - having been around since forever ago. The Rockies are majestic in their rebel-filled youth. They spire high and with purpose. Mine are tamed and have seen the many ice ages and lived to tell the tale.
Where is this property located more specifically? You never know. I may be interested. The closest thing I have to CO is in Henderson, NV. That is not a rental though it was an investment. I use it when I go out to Vegas and I allow family to use it when I am not there and when they are headed out that direction.
Anyhow, a description or whatnot would be interesting. I have never had a seller turn down cash. If I were you AND the tenants were sane then I would consider keeping it so long as it has a return percentage higher than your other investments. I would also make damned sure to pay off your mortgage as quickly as possible including making extra payments where you can. You can request (they hate it) - no demand - that they apply extra payments directly to the principal. Banks are sneaky bastards and will apply them in a manner that best suits them. You have a right (so far as I know this is applicable in every state) to pay the principal down when you are paying more than the monthly payment.
Pay that down, get it all paid off, then sock some money away and let it grow at a steady rate in something solid like the DIA or even Berkshire Hathaway. Let it grow and dump more money into those savings. When you have enough capital buy another rental property. By the time you are on the third or fourth rental (just from my own calculations based on information I found online at the time I was curious) you will actually be able to stop working assuming you make the median income. The key is to get those first few properties tucked under your belt and have them fully paid off.
The major risk, as near as I can tell, is something catastrophic. Insure the hell out of them - if nothing happens then you are lucky but if something does happen you will be damned grateful. My limited research, actually I did a bunch, suggests that the loss of a single property or a single major lawsuit at the start would be the most crushing blow one could suffer unless they are cash wealthy. Right now you would probably be considered (by most) to be cash poor and land wealthy. Getting those to balance would be nice. My guesstimate suggest striving to have enough liquid assets to be able to replace any one single property would be a good starting point. Well, not a starting point. More like a good spot to begin to relax and feel more comfortable.
Then, when you retire, you can do a couple of things... You can keep the properties and have a very nice steady income as everything should be pure profit (minus obvious expenses) or you can unload the property onto someone else and have a lump sum to play with. As the properties may be getting a bit old and you may wish to have less stress in your life at that age you may just want to unload it and buy yourself a small island in the Caribbean.
I suspect, however, that I am preaching to the choir so to speak and that you are already aware of these things. Be nice to your tenants and they will, generally, be nice to you. Let them know, for example, that you have to raise the rents due to whatever reasons you want, and then ask them how much more they can safely afford to pay. Then raise the rent, over a two year period, to less than what they said they were willing to pay. Let them know that you are going to do that and that it will be less than they could pay. They will win and you will win.
Anyhow, ya never know... LOL I have not once considered buying property from anyone in a forum type of environment - well, not land. I have bought other things from these types of t
That is really unfortunate. It truly is. Again, I have no idea exactly how the system works over there BUT I know some basics so the following may be true... (Actually, I think it may well have been you who was kind enough to write up a synopsis about UK law so that I could understand it better.)
Now, at your local council and at the other council send them your request for a formal hearing (or such). Have it sent with a secure format - in other words make sure that it is signed for so it can be used as evidence. In the past, I have found just leaders knowing that they are being monitored has a greater impact than simply making requests but you may need confirmation anyhow.
In the case of your relatives, have them send the same/similar request. Just request a hearing and point out how dangerous it is. If you can provide evidence (should not be hard) then that is great. It should be commonsense but, really, commonsense is not all that common. Make a few phone calls - again, be specific about your complaints and why you are complaining. Be polite but firm. Make sure you get the name of the person on the other end of the line - email is also good. Basically, you want to track and be able to prove that you have made multiple attempts at getting the system changed.
What we are going for is accountability and being able to prove willful negligence. So track everyone you talk with. Note the date, the time, their name, and even how they sounded emotionally-wise when you spoke with them.
If and when there is a tragedy find the victims and give them the evidence. With that evidence you can sue (perhaps - again, your legal system is a bit different) but I would not sue for damages. You would be suing for the public outcry and capitalizing on that. Don't attempt to sue for gobs of money or anything - sue to get them to turn the lights back on.
I live in an unincorporated township (there are six full-time residential families but this is not actually a town) and we have a total of two streetlights. Both are at the end of an official road (not a tote road or a long driveway) and that is it. If they were to turn them off then I would consider and petition the government to actually undertake the task of paying for them on their behalf. Yeah, I know, that is what I paid taxes for but sometimes they get drunk and spend the money on hookers and blow.
I would consider working on some careful wording (you can petition your government as I recall) for a petition and have your neighbors sign it, post it at the stores, collect signatures and whatnot. It should not take a lot of work and you do not need to be a lawyer - it can likely be in plain English. Just something along the lines of, "We the people of ______ accept the accountability and wish to petition the governing body in order to have them reconsider turning the lights off at _____. We would prefer the lights remain on during all hours of darkness. We are aware that this means some other services may need to be cut or that some taxes will have to go up but this is a matter of safety and we would rather be safe. Our kids and elderly depend on a safe community and it is our responsibility to provide them with such."
You know, something like that. I am not sure how well it will be received so be creative with your verbiage. Collect and replace the papers often so that they are not lost in the wind. When you have a bunch of signatures turn photocopies of them in. I'd suggest, strongly suggest, that you not even consider just filling in the information with people from the phone book or anything like that. That is immoral and probably illegal.
Again, have your friends in a different neighborhood do the same thing. It is true - costs have to be considered where safety is the goal. Spending money that serves little in the way of achieving safety is a waste. However, the value added by lights is likely higher than the value achieved by disabling them. If you have a rational council (and that is a big "IF") then you may get somewhere. If you
Yes. You should sign up again. It will work this time, for sure. Make sure to complete ALL the offers. *nods*
I like Mint. It is my favorite current distro. I call it Linux for Retards because, well, it is. You can just install and be done with it on every single configuration I have tried. There is something to be said for that. I also like CentOS lately, but that is a bit bloated.
Yeah, I read the abstract and glimpsed at the study. Given my older resources I could almost certainly provide proof that it is an absolutely absurd conclusion to be made based on that data. Inconsistent lighting is bad for drivers and bicyclists. Dark sections are horrific for pedestrian traffic and bicyclists. This is a known truth - at least in my country and we are not that dissimilar.
If you do decide to take this on and need some studies I can probably access some of the paid journals (if need be) through my old business. I doubt that they would do you any good - if your council is anything like our political system they will simply not be read. Anyhow, if you do then the email address listed is working.
I tossed the email up to see what would happen as far as spam goes. So far? Not a noted increase in quantity or filtering. I've done this with GMail in the past and had worse results. I am kind of surprised that Outlook (Microsoft) is doing this well. Of course, I have no idea what they are dropping silently.
Well... You're going to need a strong stomach, a baklava, and bat... You know what to do.
I do not know how your legal system works in these regards BUT petition the hell out of your council. Old people vote, have them protest too. It probably will not be as effective as pushing them off the curb and stomping on them but it certainly is nicer.
I am thinking...
VNC maybe? Still going to need a laptop at that point. I think VNC (Vino or RealVNC or even the FOSS TigerVNC) and a wireless HDMI connection may just be the ticket. It is the best solution I can come up with at this point.
This is one of those times where what really mattered is what made you happy at the time. Those times are too few as we are part of a society. I am glad you enjoyed it and the person who replied to your original post probably does not understand. A lady friend and I, no honeymoon - we did not wed thankfully, celebrated in a car instead of even taking the RV. We spent about 8 months packed into the car, staying at hotels when the mood struck, and never really with a destination in mind.
We'd hope on a highway and get off whatever exit struck our fancy at that moment in time. We went anywhere we wanted, zig-zagging across the country (back and fourth and up and down many times) while having no itinerary. We never really reserved a hotel room - instead we would call ahead before we rolled into that area and hope for the best. Many nights were spent in the car and many photographs were taken. Some days we would muster up the courage and drive straight through. A number of days had more than 1000 miles logged - some a few hundred higher than that.
Why? Because it made us happy. The end result was well over 30,000 miles as I recall. We went and did anything we felt like at the moment. We had no destinations really. Once, in the panhandle of Florida, we decided to visit Roswell, NM. Our first stop on that journey was way down in in the tip - to Dade County and Miami and then out to the islands for a single evening. Sure, it added something like 1300 miles to the trip but, frankly, that was the point.
There are times and places where opinions do not matter and where what you want is what is best. Cherish those moments. I will trot out the tired, old, cliché. You only live once.
That is why I said that if they wanted to do it on their own then let 'em. We can not always change what the council does and we can not do it quickly. Until then? Get out and give them a hand if they need it or want it. If they do not want help then, yeah, let 'em go.
I hope, when I am 80 (not so very far away), that I am still chasing skirts and having a hell of a good time - if I am alive, of course. I hope I will not have to rely on folks. I'd also like to know that help was there if I want it. I currently sort of live by this model though I am more a helper than not. I do have a lady that I pay a salary to. She does my cooking (most of it), cleaning, and shopping. She works about 20 hours a week.
I pay her $400/wk. I offered her a raise a month ago and she declined it. I think I am just going to start having her take extra out of the ATM and then just giving it to her. (She has her own card and PIN. I trust her completely and, frankly, I would not know if she stole from me.) She tells me when the account is getting low and I go get more put into that account. My accountant hates me for it, I like being his source of ire.
Anyhow, yeah... Petition the council to change back and, in the meantime, help 'em out if you are able. Get on your neighbor's case and have them help. Unfortunately, things are unlikely to change unless there is a drastic event that makes them change back to keeping the lights on. You're going to have to have someone fall and break a hip, get drastically beaten in a robbery, or just get worked over by thugs.
I am not suggesting that you help them do this. But... If tipping old ladies is your thing and you want the lights back on... ;-)
My other suggestion is just as worthless... It involves getting them all sparkled scooters and fireworks. It is best that I not type it out.
I am fluent in typo. It is all good.
I will have to try that. I am a Buddhist (but not a fucking monk, damn it) so I am always trying to be mindful. I am also an atheist so it is not like I worry about my soul. The best of both worlds I suppose. Anyhow, I shall be mindful of my play when I try it again. Should I note an improvement I will remember to reply in another thread when I see your moniker.
I could compile a couple of studies and show (I suspect) that all urban streets should be well lit at times where there may be pedestrian or bicycle traffic. We just need to make sure that we are grounding this on facts and not hyperbole. I am almost 100% certain that I can show the benefits outweigh the negatives (there are few and they are trivial). Areas with inconsistent lighting are actually worse than none or sporadic lighting. This is, in part, what I based my career on. The standard recommendation is 150' apart or as close as existing poles allow for dense urban streets. Few places adhere to the standards. Some over, some under... Nobody seem to listen to the advice they paid good money for.
I knew you lived in the UK but I was starting to wonder if, maybe, you had started life in West Virginia, United States. ;)
No, it predates Kennedy. However, after JFK is when it got its derogatory meaning. Of course, this could be conspiracy and not Wikipedia or Wikipedia could be in on the conspiracy... Maybe you should try editing the Wikipedia article to find out.
It is a matter of public record so...
The "Big Dig" in Boston paid us 4.2 million USD. That is not an exaggeration - that is exactly the sum paid - to the penny. This was, of course, prior to the official start of the project. We gave them a list of 120 items, some with specifics that numbered in the hundreds. Some of those were, to be precise, how to actually do the project without interrupting the flow of traffic.
This is not public record so no names...
"If we do not interrupt traffic, how will they know we are doing something?"
"Your promise, you specifically, was to the people. You would not be interrupting traffic."
"Yeah, they forget that. That BS won't get me re-elected. However, pointing and showing the work will."
Everything down to where to place supports for temporary roads to NOT impact traffic... Everything. They incorporated a few items which had line-items that maybe numbered in the thousands instead of the many many things they could have done.
"Consider this the last time we will work for this city. It is a shame, too. You are the city that got us started and we operated at a bare budget, almost a loss, to do this work for you in appreciation."
Not quite verbatim and still not the worst. I drove back to NC the following day and had someone else take over the on-site presence. I have considered a book but, frankly, I now have aspirations for public office and I suspect I will be better served without having published such.
You are a lucky SOB. I try... I just can't capture the magic again. I lost it and, like a balloon, it was gone. Don't get me wrong - I still jump in mud puddles. I still throw snowballs. I have even gotten on a skateboard at my age (I was still able to ollie - imagine that - with some practice). It is just not the same...
I used to be able to spend hours out in a field playing with bugs. Hours - all day even. Maybe some catch - in the street - with friends. I have a baseball mitt. I've used it twice. I am bored after an hour in a field - if that long. I end up on my butt poking at my phone. I peek at the sunset but I have not watched on in 40 years. They do not seem to have changed. It is I who has changed.
I am reminded of Puff The Magic Dragon. (I am that old.) I could probably buy an amusement park (not kidding, I probably could but I have no idea what it would cost though I am sure I can get credit if it exceeds my net worth) but I doubt I would enjoy it.
Do not get me wrong... I laugh, I cry, I sing, I should, I dance wildly in the wind. I am free-spirited and love life and all the wonderful things in it. I am in a unique position where I can truly enjoy all that life brings me. I just can not bring back the joy that I had for things I was once so very fond of. At best, at level best, I get a fleeting glimpse. Hmm... Now I am reminded of Pink Floyd. How very true...
I envy your magic, if true, and would sell my soul for it. I suspect that would be a trick though, without the proverbial soul would I enjoy it? Sorry to wax philosophical but I am not sure there is another way to approach such a subject.
As an aside, I have just made arrangements with my lawyer to contact Ms. Francesca Lowe's agent to purchase #3 oil on canvas and Lust. So, perhaps, I have not lost the magic after all. Perhaps it is just manifest in new and different ways? However, I still pine for the pure, unadulterated, happiness that goes with youth. I suspect, strongly, that it is also partially effected by one's tendency to expect too much and view one's past with rose tinted glasses.
I am not the least bit worried about buying a home. I have one. ;) I had it built to my strange specs too. It is a salt-box envelope house with passive and active solar.
Anyhow, you mentioned owning two - I was suggesting that if you have gone that far you may want to go further and start renting out to people if you are interested. It appears to be a rather good investment and, I suspect, is likely to remain a sound investment for the foreseeable future. I would ensure you have either a line of credit or cash on hand as bad things could cripple you pretty quickly without such insurance.
Finally, yeah... I got fairly lucky in life. Eventually I sold my business and retired at a fairly early age. My business (consulting mostly with modeling vehicular and pedestrian traffic) was surprisingly profitable and considered mature (20 years old) when it sold. To be quite frank, I do no think I can actually easily spend all of my money without doing something absurdly stupid. I live off interests, dividends, all capital gains. I make money doing nothing really. I have more than I had last year which seems odd to me, really. Meh... It just means I can donate more this year.
Shared Source Initiative. You can access Microsoft's Windows code if you want to sign an NDA.
They are only available for a certain portion of your youth. You must find the parts and assemble it yourself. I hear tell of some adults who can make them still but they are rare and few are able to really revert to their youth.
When I was in such a state I used tubes from bicycle tires cut to size (without safety scissors - I live dangerous!). I attached them to trees sometimes and used choke cherries inside of them to splatter cars passing. I do not recall ever hitting a car and cars were a rather rare site on that particular road at that particular time.
If you did not build one, and go to make one today, I am not sure you will get the same joy. I think it is a passing thing and the time must be exactly right for one is only in that state of mind for a very short time. It is a mystical, curious, time... It is somewhere between child and youth - but not before, nor after. If you can recapture that time then you are a blessed individual but, try as I might, that state of being has passed and any attempts to recreate it leave me with a realization that some things are better left to the memory than to be forwarded to today.
I wish you luck.
I wonder, with enough practice, how well a person trained in combat would actually do? I suspect not that well as combat veterans are veterans because they are risk adverse and that may not be a valid game strategy. Maybe I should learn how to play an online FPS? I am, by no means, an expert (just a grunt pretty much). In fact, contrary to popular opinion, we were not trained to be heroes - quite the opposite really. You'd think we were a bunch of ninnies if you saw how long we sat in place to determine the next move. However, I would imagine a video game trained group of Force Recon with a sniper attached might do well as a group and one of the major benefits would be their communication. I imagine they would be well served if they had advanced intel such as topography.
Did you know that you can enter more than one URL into your browser's address bar? Seriously... You *can* do this. Ask for help if you need it. We do not have flash games here either, is that also a problem?
The very second you drive it off the lot you have lost at least 30% of its value. That quickly... It is now a used car and its value is that of a used car. I have owned a number of brand new cars over the years. One way to buy them (and the only way, in my opinion) is to pay cash. You get a great bonus in pricing and you have no interest. Otherwise? You might as well lease it.
Three years ago, I purchased a 48 unit apartment building. I have a building manager who lives there for free - he works as an HVAC dude as well. He also has a plow truck. I give him free rent. That is it. That is what he wanted. He had the same arrangement with the prior owner. He is a moderately skilled carpenter and I can do the rest. We have an electrical company contracted.
I paid cash for the building (I actually rented a small apartment there for a spell as it was closer to the real world than my house is) and was happy with the price. It has paid itself off entirely and is now making a tidy profit and has for almost four months. Everything is insured. I do not bother doing background checks or credit checks, it is a great area. Everything is up to code so those who are on Section 8 or other subsidized housing can now stay there. I have already been offered more than twice as much as I paid for it by a company that is putting in a retirement community on adjacent land. Heat, electricity, and hot water are all included.
I have been trying to contract with DirecTV to get them satellite - wiring already exists and they were smart enough to put in large conduits and raceways when they converted it from an old hospital. I paid about 550k for the property. Taxes run around 40k/year all told. The standing offer is 1.2m currently. It would make sense for them to buy it - I sunk a bit of money into it when I purchased it. Rent averages about $620/mo. I estimate that I spend ten hours a month being business-like. I do not do much unless I am bored. Seth takes care of the rest.
I was going to mortgage it at first - figuring that I made more money with interest and gains than I would and the banks all had loan officers nearly jumping out of their seats to throw money at me. As I was improving the property (which included some narrow infrastructure improvements) the town also threw money at me in the form of tax breaks and taking care of arrears. This is my sixth rental property, though I am retired and have no need of more income - it keeps me busy, and they are all much the same. I have only had a couple of bad residents so far and they are poor so they settle out of court.
One had to have slammed a window on their hand as we could not reproduce it. The other slipped and fell on the ice and mysteriously got better with a small cash payment. The one with the broken hand was a junkie - I had used with them in the past and we paid medical plus 6k to get them out of the building. The total amount was 6k and that included hiring them a moving company and paying the deposit at their new place.
I think the most important thing is, if you are going to rent, you need to have cash on hand. This is important especially when first starting out. You need to have some wealth in order to generate wealth. You also need to be vigilant and not lazy but those are a given. Hell, even needing wealth to get started is a given. Anyhow, if you are in a position to gamble then rental property is a nice source of income.
The person you are replying to obviously has never mated with anyone of the opposing gender. They will not have children. We can be grateful.
I drive a BMW (most of the time, I suppose) so they tend to get it right the first time. ;-) Any 'updates' have not, thus far, changed a damned thing important or even fixed a bug that I'd noticed. I have not, yet, noticed a bug of any type. In three more weeks my new one will be ready (custom 640Li) and I expect it to be the same as my two year old 740Li. I am not trading in my old one, I already have someone to buy it at a very fair price. The reason for the 640 instead of the 740? Well... ~650 ponies under the hood is why. For every dead dinosaur you do not burn, I am going to burn two.
When the oil runs out? I am going to set up my own factory squishing babies for more oil. I am not even going to waste money with pain relief or euthanasia. I will finally find out if the racist jokes about Mexicans or Italians is true - if so I will pay to import them into my baby squishing factory for a better ROI. Then I am going to strap three extra engines on the outside of my car. They will not serve any function other than burning dead baby oil. They won't let me go faster but they will show the world that I mean business.
Why? Umm... Other than the fact that I am talking sheer nonsense (other than the new car which actually gets pretty decent mileage and the updates) I am Republican (I am not) and that is the way of our kind.
Considering the quality of power from your average consumer generator, I am going to recommend against that. Seriously.... That is an unwise option - you have been warned. I do not know how well the cars, themselves, clean power but I suspect it is not designed for such. Your best choice is to get towed home. You'll get cleaner power from a 100' extension cord than you will with a generator designed for portability and home use. I have read no schematics nor taken one apart but I suspect they are a bit more delicate than your average stove. I'd really suggest ensuring that you use power with very little fluctuation. Scope a generator sometime. Even Honda is not immune and they make some fine generators.