Thank you very much for the thoughtful and informative comment. I've actually moved onto a lower carbohydrate diet, although I do find it difficult, it's not nearly as hard as it was originally. I'm not experiencing any ketosis, but I am experiencing a decent amount of weight loss, so that's good!
That guest is right: While state laws can vary, the government does expect folks to track and report bartered goods. I don't know how they'd go about tracking it either way but it's still something good to be aware of!
No offense Matt but Vonage is WAY overpriced and although my experience in the US was average, Vonage.ca was a ROYAL FLOP - I received repeated busy signals when no one was on the phone. There were constant lapses in service and as IT for my company, I can guarantee it was NOT out internet as their rude customer service continually blamed. When you call tech support and inform them this is running on a FULL BLOWN T1 connection, not some residential cable or DSL connection and they do not even know what a T1 is, you need some new tech support or a service that actually works so we can bypass tech support all together.
MJ in my opinion is worth the minimal fee. YES we do get some calls that have that "hollow" badly comprssed sound, but they are maybe 1 in 10. We've never had any PC troubles due to thier software. Being IT I did a little bit of hosts file work and blocked their stinky ads :) WHICH I should note would prevent their 411 and 911 form working, but we only use this as a long distance solution, and so our teenagers can tie up a lin for hours without ti being the main home phone.
I remember eating oven a friend's house, and when his mom pulled a meatloaf out of the oven I had no idea what it was. See, my mom's meatloaf was basically a beef donut that was cooked on a plate in the microwave. I guess that was more of a time-saver than anything else. And as mentioned in the list, expiration dates meant nothing.
It's all worth it for the stories though. Sha la la laaaaa.
I did take that picture. It was taken in Denmark, near Kronborg Castle in Helsingør (also known as Elsinore, the setting for Shakespeare's play Hamlet). It was taken in 2003, on a free day during a business trip that had brought me to Copenhagen.
Beth: This list came out of the Great Depression. It's not a modern one, so if you're above a certain age group, no, it probably wouldn't apply to you. I'm pretty darn poor and my friends are too, and we're all frugal by force, and a lot of the list doesn't apply to us either, simply because of the modern times.
Absolutely true. A budget really is a working document. In many cases, its more of an exercise which causes us to focus on the reality of our financial situation than something we are able to live by on a day in and day out basis. My favorite resource for this is mint.com. A great tool, especially for those who use credit and debit cards for paying bills, shopping, etc.
Actually, since the "bush era" tax cuts were set to expire, you could argue that it IS a tax cut deal. The taxes would have risen if Obama hadn't compromised with Congress (particularly Republican Senators) you'd be paying Clinton era taxes again!
But the real question is why are you so short-sighted. Here's why unemployment benefits are important:
1. Many people were recently employed and are now out of work.
2. The lifestyle they cultivated while they were gainfully employed is what drives the economy forward.
3. They can only maintain UI benefits if they can prove that they are actually searching diligently for a job so we're not subsidizing unemployment.
4. In order to maintain the economic recovery, consumers must continue to spend money to fuel growth.
5. Without UI benefits, people who have the lifestyle of say, a software engineer, who are now unemployed will no longer be able to contribute to the economy.
6. You should be getting the picture by now. Untill we fix the fact that there is a huge amount of what is basically artificial unemployment in this country, we need to support our economy or it will continue to shrink. It is morons like you and thinking like yours that got us into this mess in the first place. You had 8 years to screw everything up, please shut up now while we fix it.
Sincerely,
your friendly neighborhood UI benefits Civil Servant
I know I'm late on this discussion, but I'd like to weigh in.
First, I am going to find these noodles! I've heard of some of the alternatives to wheat/rice like kelp and mushroom, but haven't tried them. I've already tried Dreamfields, and they are good. I was concerned that they might be hard to digest, because carbs that can't be used (read fiber and cellulose) can cause digestive challenges. Over all, neither my husband nor I were bothered by consuming them. I stressed to him that portion control was extremely important to our little experiment. Thanks for publishing your reviews:)
Next, I'd like to weigh in on the ketosis/Adkins issue. Ketosis and diabetic ketoacedosis (DKA) are two very different things, though they sound similar. Let's have a mini-biochemistry lesson, and yes, I am a professional chemist. Your body has to complementary hormones: Insulin and glucagon. Insulin works to make your cells UPTAKE glucose from your bloodstream. Glucagon is the antagonist hormone, and causes the RELEASE of stored glucose from your cells (first your liver, then the conversion of fats to sugars from your fat cells). DKA is a set of symptoms that usually occurs in type 2 diabetics (but type 1 can be affected also), but is severe enough to become toxic to the individual and results in damage to the kidneys, liver, blood vessels etc, and causes the body to become severely dehydrated in attempt to balance the chemistry that is occuring. Read the WebMD link for more detailed information, or the Mayo Website: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/118361-overviewhttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetic-ketoacidosis/DS00674/DSECTION=....
Throughout history, people have had times of plenty and hunger, and they were as cyclic and predictable as the season changes. In times of plenty, people would store more fat, which would carry them through the hungry times (eg. winter). They would naturally go into ketosis and burn their reserves. The were also working harder to live.
In contrast, we don't have to work that hard to live, and we are constantly in a time of plenty. Ketosis based diets are not for everyone, and Atkins didn't get it all right. The principles of ketosis are very solid, and apply to all weight loss: burn more, consume less.
Many people feel great after the initial part of the diet. I have personally put myself into ketosis, and MY experience was this: as I went into ketosis (about 2-3 days) I felt horrible. I knew my body would be screaming as my glycogen stores were used up from my liver. As soon as I was in ketosis, I felt pretty good. I increased my water intake to help my kidneys filter my blood. I also kept my intake to about 800-1000 fat and protein based calories. So, portion control is still important (this is one point I disagree with Adkins on). Because the volume of food is different, sugar-free fiber supplements are a necessity as your body adjusts, and I took one.
I did this to support my husband, who needed to drop some weight for a back surgery. He is not really heavy, but being lighter would help his recovery, and he was borderline diabetic. Genetics are not on his side for weight and diabetes, and he must consider every bite he consumes. I am active/athletic build, and weight is not an issue in my family, but insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes & PCOS) is. I am not overweight, and have never been, but eat a reduced carb diet, due to genetics, not to any current disease.
Nice menus/recipes. I'm sure I will try something at some point. But Thanksgiving and Christmas are about memories, and honoring the ancestors by carrying on their traditions. They are not just meals to be dumped because someone thinks they are "boring." My mother's cornbread dressing brings her to our table with sweet memories of the turkey she kept on our back porch (in town) until he met her axe. My former mother-in-law's marshmallow topped sweet potato pudding, complete with bourbon, evokes for us memories of how hard and how hard much she sacrificed to keep her family's secrets tucked away so we could believe. She was a courageous woman; more so than I. And of course there is former mother-in-law # 2 who brought edible turnips into my life even as she said, post divorce, "You will always be our daughter."
To serve other than "our" Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners might be a option, but not one for me and mine. On those days, the dining room table is not just a dinner table; it is an altar on which we place loving gratitude for the ancestors gone before who made this day possible for us.
What you've written in this post is what I've tried to explain to many people. I may be a bit spoiled to say this, but I have never felt that a job is hard to get. However, to make a living doing work on your own terms is not as easy as just plugging into the "normal" society and serving a corporation. Anyway, I'm working towards financial independence from the corporate machine, because I know I am just a replaceable pawn. I need to be a profit center for myself, and not someone else's company.
Yet, without "guaranteed issue" some people would be even worse off. As a student, when I aged out of my mother's health plan, I was unable to get even a high deductible plan because I had hurt my neck a couple years earlier. I spent over $550/month as a young adult. How is that any better than the "guaranteed issue"? At least with guaranteed issue I could have insurance for as long as I wish, COBRA is only 18 months.
How is the authoR of this irresponsible for stating the truth? From her profile it looks like she is in her twenties like me. Why should we pay into a system that will give us no return? Also I don't understand how this is a "conservative trick" like you say. It looks like this cut was endorse by Obama to replace the making work pay credit he handed out last year.
Did you even read the article? the tax cuts were extended for EVERYONE, not just the rich. All this rhetoric about the tax cuts only benefitting the rich is pure BS. Check out the marriage penalty before the bush tax cuts and you'll see that even families making 40000 to 50000 are affected. Not to mention that the child tax credit can't even be claimed by families making a bit over 100k. Please check your facts before regurgitation stuff you read on huffpo. I think this wise bread article is very fair reporting.
Just so you know, that's not true. Although laws may vary by state, the federal government still expects people to report bartered exchanges. Here's a link about tax responsibilities when bartering: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=188095,00.html
Please site your source. Where did obama say this was a bad idea or that it was to get unemployment out from the thumb of the GOP. I'm not in favor of the tax cuts being extended, or the social security tax cut, but I haven't seen anything to support this claim. It was a negotiated deal, but not a ransom.
Its also worth noteing that even with these tax cuts the top 25% of pay 97% of the taxes in this country. Its funny that everyone always wants to rais there taxes and thinks its unfair and that they get out of paying taxes in spite of the fact that there is no evidence what so ever to support it. You want to see more jobs lost go tell the person paying your paycheck he/she is going to loose another 2% of his income.
The fact is people making over $200,000 a year pay for almost all of the social services that everyone making less then that takes advantage of.
P.S. I make well under $200,000 a year, so I thank those that pay to keep my taxes down. God knows I couldn't afford to pay my rent if we all paid the same percentage.
Darn,
I was hoping for an intelligent discourse, instead I get a 'we are all bad white people/Americans' rant. While I wonder about all the questions she raised, rolling up a newspaper and hitting us on the nose with it is not the way to go about it.
Thank you very much for the thoughtful and informative comment. I've actually moved onto a lower carbohydrate diet, although I do find it difficult, it's not nearly as hard as it was originally. I'm not experiencing any ketosis, but I am experiencing a decent amount of weight loss, so that's good!
Cal,
That guest is right: While state laws can vary, the government does expect folks to track and report bartered goods. I don't know how they'd go about tracking it either way but it's still something good to be aware of!
Ha, good luck! And thanks!
I think that's a great suggestion! Thanks for sharing!
No offense Matt but Vonage is WAY overpriced and although my experience in the US was average, Vonage.ca was a ROYAL FLOP - I received repeated busy signals when no one was on the phone. There were constant lapses in service and as IT for my company, I can guarantee it was NOT out internet as their rude customer service continually blamed. When you call tech support and inform them this is running on a FULL BLOWN T1 connection, not some residential cable or DSL connection and they do not even know what a T1 is, you need some new tech support or a service that actually works so we can bypass tech support all together.
MJ in my opinion is worth the minimal fee. YES we do get some calls that have that "hollow" badly comprssed sound, but they are maybe 1 in 10. We've never had any PC troubles due to thier software. Being IT I did a little bit of hosts file work and blocked their stinky ads :) WHICH I should note would prevent their 411 and 911 form working, but we only use this as a long distance solution, and so our teenagers can tie up a lin for hours without ti being the main home phone.
I remember eating oven a friend's house, and when his mom pulled a meatloaf out of the oven I had no idea what it was. See, my mom's meatloaf was basically a beef donut that was cooked on a plate in the microwave. I guess that was more of a time-saver than anything else. And as mentioned in the list, expiration dates meant nothing.
It's all worth it for the stories though. Sha la la laaaaa.
Thanks for the kind words!
I did take that picture. It was taken in Denmark, near Kronborg Castle in Helsingør (also known as Elsinore, the setting for Shakespeare's play Hamlet). It was taken in 2003, on a free day during a business trip that had brought me to Copenhagen.
Excellent info. Great post. And Philip, did you take that awesome photo? Wondering what/where it is.
Beth: This list came out of the Great Depression. It's not a modern one, so if you're above a certain age group, no, it probably wouldn't apply to you. I'm pretty darn poor and my friends are too, and we're all frugal by force, and a lot of the list doesn't apply to us either, simply because of the modern times.
So very true!!
Absolutely true. A budget really is a working document. In many cases, its more of an exercise which causes us to focus on the reality of our financial situation than something we are able to live by on a day in and day out basis. My favorite resource for this is mint.com. A great tool, especially for those who use credit and debit cards for paying bills, shopping, etc.
Some points
Payroll tax has been reduced, hence tax cut.
Taxes were scheduled to increase, now they are not... hence tax cut.
The death tax hasn't gone anywhere, nullifying your point.
Cutting off unemployment in this economy would make things worse.
Actually think, when you make a comment.... it might help in the future.
Actually, since the "bush era" tax cuts were set to expire, you could argue that it IS a tax cut deal. The taxes would have risen if Obama hadn't compromised with Congress (particularly Republican Senators) you'd be paying Clinton era taxes again!
But the real question is why are you so short-sighted. Here's why unemployment benefits are important:
1. Many people were recently employed and are now out of work.
2. The lifestyle they cultivated while they were gainfully employed is what drives the economy forward.
3. They can only maintain UI benefits if they can prove that they are actually searching diligently for a job so we're not subsidizing unemployment.
4. In order to maintain the economic recovery, consumers must continue to spend money to fuel growth.
5. Without UI benefits, people who have the lifestyle of say, a software engineer, who are now unemployed will no longer be able to contribute to the economy.
6. You should be getting the picture by now. Untill we fix the fact that there is a huge amount of what is basically artificial unemployment in this country, we need to support our economy or it will continue to shrink. It is morons like you and thinking like yours that got us into this mess in the first place. You had 8 years to screw everything up, please shut up now while we fix it.
Sincerely,
your friendly neighborhood UI benefits Civil Servant
I know I'm late on this discussion, but I'd like to weigh in.
First, I am going to find these noodles! I've heard of some of the alternatives to wheat/rice like kelp and mushroom, but haven't tried them. I've already tried Dreamfields, and they are good. I was concerned that they might be hard to digest, because carbs that can't be used (read fiber and cellulose) can cause digestive challenges. Over all, neither my husband nor I were bothered by consuming them. I stressed to him that portion control was extremely important to our little experiment. Thanks for publishing your reviews:)
Next, I'd like to weigh in on the ketosis/Adkins issue. Ketosis and diabetic ketoacedosis (DKA) are two very different things, though they sound similar. Let's have a mini-biochemistry lesson, and yes, I am a professional chemist. Your body has to complementary hormones: Insulin and glucagon. Insulin works to make your cells UPTAKE glucose from your bloodstream. Glucagon is the antagonist hormone, and causes the RELEASE of stored glucose from your cells (first your liver, then the conversion of fats to sugars from your fat cells). DKA is a set of symptoms that usually occurs in type 2 diabetics (but type 1 can be affected also), but is severe enough to become toxic to the individual and results in damage to the kidneys, liver, blood vessels etc, and causes the body to become severely dehydrated in attempt to balance the chemistry that is occuring. Read the WebMD link for more detailed information, or the Mayo Website: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/118361-overview http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetic-ketoacidosis/DS00674/DSECTION=....
Throughout history, people have had times of plenty and hunger, and they were as cyclic and predictable as the season changes. In times of plenty, people would store more fat, which would carry them through the hungry times (eg. winter). They would naturally go into ketosis and burn their reserves. The were also working harder to live.
In contrast, we don't have to work that hard to live, and we are constantly in a time of plenty. Ketosis based diets are not for everyone, and Atkins didn't get it all right. The principles of ketosis are very solid, and apply to all weight loss: burn more, consume less.
Many people feel great after the initial part of the diet. I have personally put myself into ketosis, and MY experience was this: as I went into ketosis (about 2-3 days) I felt horrible. I knew my body would be screaming as my glycogen stores were used up from my liver. As soon as I was in ketosis, I felt pretty good. I increased my water intake to help my kidneys filter my blood. I also kept my intake to about 800-1000 fat and protein based calories. So, portion control is still important (this is one point I disagree with Adkins on). Because the volume of food is different, sugar-free fiber supplements are a necessity as your body adjusts, and I took one.
I did this to support my husband, who needed to drop some weight for a back surgery. He is not really heavy, but being lighter would help his recovery, and he was borderline diabetic. Genetics are not on his side for weight and diabetes, and he must consider every bite he consumes. I am active/athletic build, and weight is not an issue in my family, but insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes & PCOS) is. I am not overweight, and have never been, but eat a reduced carb diet, due to genetics, not to any current disease.
Nice menus/recipes. I'm sure I will try something at some point. But Thanksgiving and Christmas are about memories, and honoring the ancestors by carrying on their traditions. They are not just meals to be dumped because someone thinks they are "boring." My mother's cornbread dressing brings her to our table with sweet memories of the turkey she kept on our back porch (in town) until he met her axe. My former mother-in-law's marshmallow topped sweet potato pudding, complete with bourbon, evokes for us memories of how hard and how hard much she sacrificed to keep her family's secrets tucked away so we could believe. She was a courageous woman; more so than I. And of course there is former mother-in-law # 2 who brought edible turnips into my life even as she said, post divorce, "You will always be our daughter."
To serve other than "our" Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners might be a option, but not one for me and mine. On those days, the dining room table is not just a dinner table; it is an altar on which we place loving gratitude for the ancestors gone before who made this day possible for us.
What you've written in this post is what I've tried to explain to many people. I may be a bit spoiled to say this, but I have never felt that a job is hard to get. However, to make a living doing work on your own terms is not as easy as just plugging into the "normal" society and serving a corporation. Anyway, I'm working towards financial independence from the corporate machine, because I know I am just a replaceable pawn. I need to be a profit center for myself, and not someone else's company.
I have to pay SECA rather than FICA tax...will my rate be reduced by 2% as well?
it dosent need to be cleaned use a koolaid juice straw and push it in and tug it left or right it should work it worked on my wii
Yet, without "guaranteed issue" some people would be even worse off. As a student, when I aged out of my mother's health plan, I was unable to get even a high deductible plan because I had hurt my neck a couple years earlier. I spent over $550/month as a young adult. How is that any better than the "guaranteed issue"? At least with guaranteed issue I could have insurance for as long as I wish, COBRA is only 18 months.
How is the authoR of this irresponsible for stating the truth? From her profile it looks like she is in her twenties like me. Why should we pay into a system that will give us no return? Also I don't understand how this is a "conservative trick" like you say. It looks like this cut was endorse by Obama to replace the making work pay credit he handed out last year.
Did you even read the article? the tax cuts were extended for EVERYONE, not just the rich. All this rhetoric about the tax cuts only benefitting the rich is pure BS. Check out the marriage penalty before the bush tax cuts and you'll see that even families making 40000 to 50000 are affected. Not to mention that the child tax credit can't even be claimed by families making a bit over 100k. Please check your facts before regurgitation stuff you read on huffpo. I think this wise bread article is very fair reporting.
Great idea - thanks for sharing! I am a big fan of e-cards, and I'll definitely be checking out both sites.
Cal,
Just so you know, that's not true. Although laws may vary by state, the federal government still expects people to report bartered exchanges. Here's a link about tax responsibilities when bartering: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=188095,00.html
Please site your source. Where did obama say this was a bad idea or that it was to get unemployment out from the thumb of the GOP. I'm not in favor of the tax cuts being extended, or the social security tax cut, but I haven't seen anything to support this claim. It was a negotiated deal, but not a ransom.
Its also worth noteing that even with these tax cuts the top 25% of pay 97% of the taxes in this country. Its funny that everyone always wants to rais there taxes and thinks its unfair and that they get out of paying taxes in spite of the fact that there is no evidence what so ever to support it. You want to see more jobs lost go tell the person paying your paycheck he/she is going to loose another 2% of his income.
The fact is people making over $200,000 a year pay for almost all of the social services that everyone making less then that takes advantage of.
P.S. I make well under $200,000 a year, so I thank those that pay to keep my taxes down. God knows I couldn't afford to pay my rent if we all paid the same percentage.
Darn,
I was hoping for an intelligent discourse, instead I get a 'we are all bad white people/Americans' rant. While I wonder about all the questions she raised, rolling up a newspaper and hitting us on the nose with it is not the way to go about it.