Recent comments

  • Use only what you need   17 years 25 weeks ago

    A friend of ours owns a popular downtown eatery that usually has leftover's from their homemade "soup of the day". Due to fluctuations in traffic flow, she sometimes has 2 or 3 gallons left, and due to the health act, cannot re-use it or freeze it. A simple solution to this waste, she thought, was to donate it to either the local homeless shelter, or to the food bank. Both instituions declined because they are not allowed to accept "un-labeled" foodstuffs. What a waste!

  • Could the last person to leave America please turn out the light.   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Forgot to mention,
    Once Martial Law is declared in the US, (and it will)
    There's no leaving, going to the bank, getting your money and flying out of the country. You are a number, nothing more.
    Check this link:http://www.freedomfiles.org/war/fema.htm
    600 fully operational concentration camps in the US. Staffed, armed and ready.
    But they're empty!
    We don't put on condoms unless we're going to do it.
    Please get out now. The strong won't survive, the smart ones will.

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    A lot more capable for corporations to merely employ men. Obviously the augmented blood stream to women's brains has an unfavorable result on their output.

  • Musings inspired by the crappiest of films — Demolition Man.   17 years 25 weeks ago

    It is one of my favorite cheesy movies ever.

    The line about the Schwarzenegger Presidential Library used to be a lot funnier before Ahh-nuld became the govenator.

    But I do wish they would explain the 3 seashells

  • 10 Things to Do With Leftover Halloween Candy   17 years 25 weeks ago

    I couldn't breathe I was laughing so hard...thanks for the laugh...and the visual...lol!!

  • Healthy, frugal eating   17 years 25 weeks ago

    [ Lettuces and some of the components of salad are very calorie and nutrient poor.]

    They are calorie poor but extremely nutrient dense. They also provide more cancer protection than any other foods.

    refs
    PMID: 15066921
    PMID: 18208790

    Nobody should do without a salad based on raw green vegetables daily, but such salads are expensive.

  • Three Unique Subscription Services that Might Save You Money   17 years 25 weeks ago

    I've gotten 4 year mag subscriptions for $1.

    Most magazines are heavily ad-supported and desperate for subscribers.

    Hence all the ebay deals.

  • Use only what you need   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Residential water users are far more efficient than either industry or agriculture.

    Rice grown in the western U.S. deserts, anyone?

    Think of the waste from current irrigation practices.

  • Emergency belt-tightening   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Are still the biggest consumer consumption expenditures.

    If you can cut down in either of those categories the savings dwarf "eating cheaper meals" - try not to get emotionally attached to your car(s) or housing.

    And learn to fix at least some things yourself.

    I've never met a dryer (or toilet) that couldn't be fixed by replacing a few parts.

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Just a possibility, A, that those fields you have mentioned have adopted diversity practices already; the link to Barbara's clients shows these clients (sampling):

    • Tech: IBM, Compaq, Microsoft
    • Criminal Justice: Department of Justice
    • Healthcare: none that I could see
    • Publishing: Prentice Hall, Pearson Education

    And here is a link to Michael's presentation to the folks at Google

    And, you know Wilson, it can be more efficient in the short-term to hire people who act like everyone else in the corporate culture (whether it is same gender, same college, same race, same hometown, whatever), but the contention is not that being diverse is easy or worthy in itself but that it yields better financial returns.  

     

  • Use only what you need   17 years 25 weeks ago

    You just figured this out..?

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    This is a book review.  Julie reviewed it so you wouldn't have to.  Instead of being angry with her for telling you what the book is about, direct your ire towards the author of the book.  Or better yet, just be thankful that she saved you from having to read it yourself.

    She certainly didn't do anything but a service to those who find the topic offensive.  Geesh.

    Linsey Knerl

  • Could the last person to leave America please turn out the light.   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Hey Hope fiends
    How much writing do you need on your walls? If you wait until it is too late,..It's too late!
    Everything that is happening in America is Biblical, and you're running out of pages. By the time you figure out who's write or wrong, a gun will be pointed at you and your family.
    I pray that as many people as possible leave the US.

  • What If Everyone Suddenly Became Frugal?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    If everybody became frugal, Corporatism would end, and we would all be free again. Without any bribe money, Corporations won't be able to control the politicians. Don't worry though, it will never happen. Buy Buy Buy!

  • Could a Divorce Improve Your Finances?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    My husband and I are deeply in love with eachother, we have two beautiful children together. We rarely argue... we "discuss" anything that is ever an issue. We're responsible adults and parents...

    long financial downward spiral story shortened - since we married 3 years ago, our finances have been a disaster... we've lived together and had our finances combined for 7 years total. Marriage accomplished one possitive thing for us... it showed the holy union of our devotion to eachother in front our family and God. however, we married in a courhouse, to save money, no lavish wedding expenses what-so-ever. We're not spenders... we're practical penny-pinchers... yet we are payday to payday based on some medical issues w/ one of our two children, a loss of a job a few years ago, and having to utilize all savings to get through it all, not to mention a disasterous money-pit house we bought a few years ago to remodel and sell... we modestly remodeled it and we finally sold-it... didn't make a penny as we sold it one year ago, bad timing w/ the economy. We're renters now and have basic utilities. No credit cards any more... just a lot of debt incurred from the circumstances listed above...

    Our moral and ethical backround is that of people 100 years ago... we're a very conservative couple grounded in our religious beleifs... but there's a 'but'...

    Next month... December 2008, our Christmas present to eachother is going to be a divorce... on paper... legally... but NOTHING else will change... our love for eachother and our children stays the same... our living arrangements stay the same... our family and friends and especially our children will not know that we've 'divorced'... nothing is going to change EXCEPT our finances... for the better. And this will be in many aspects...

    we have so much debt that we would really like to go bankrupt, as much as both of us are against bankrupcy it's our only option... unless we were willing to live in our car for about 10 years... our financial disaster will be with us until death do us part... left for our children to inherit... I do not want our children to inherit a financial disaster that was brought upon their parents in their mid 20's due to unexpected circumstances... we've done everything 'right'... so why has it come to this point? We tried hashing out the 'why'... it goes no-where, the 'why' for us has been unexpected circumstantial event after event after event... which has put us deeper and deeper into financial turmoil...

    there's a catch to bankrupcy though... my new career will abruptly end if we go bankrupt. If my husband and are 'divorced' he can go bankrupt without my ccareer being jepordized as our credit will no longer be 'combined'. Most of the dept is in his name so this will really help the cause.

    There's many more aspects that will help financially as well. I will go on state aid for daycare and food assistance for 6 months to a year, to in-turn use the extra available money to pay off my debts. With my husband going bankrupt after we 'divorce' his extra money will catch up our rent and utilities and then go to savings and retirement funds. We will however most likely re-marry once we've regained our financial stability and savings... however the possibility reamains that we could remain 'divorced' for the long-term tax break. I will be receiving a guarenteed pay increase in just less than one year and I will also be done with school... this is where I will also not have to utilize any further state assistance.

    In five years I will be making enough that my husband could stay home or work part-time, plus our youngest will be in school and that means no more child-care costs...

    We have written out our VERY detailed financial plan for the next five years and through retirement. The 'divorce' aspect will reverse the speeding train and get the ball rolling in the right direction.

    It's sad that taxes and expenses in which the government and society have created do not fully support the traditional marriage... they punish us for having values and morals and wanting to be a traditional 'family'. They make life much easier for the 'broken' and non-traditional family... it's so backwards....

    Enough stated.

  • Bar Stool Economics   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Comment 40 above was probably the most intelligent one I read on this thread. My wife and I work our butts off putting our kids through college. According to Joe Biden et.al, we're in the AGI bracket +150k that should do their patriotic duty and pay more in taxes. I don't go out for beers, we don't go out to restaurants, I drive a beater 11-year old truck that overheats like crazy anymore to fund these college expenses and, AND, we tithe more than 10% to our church, charities and to sponsor an AIDS orphan in Uganda. Will Slow Joe be shoveling some of that "revenue" back our way to assist in the college bills, charities, and the AIDS orphan? Doubtful. Truth will probably be only FOBs (Friends of Barack) will be getting the candy he promised everyone. Bottom line is taxes are going to get raised. That's never been good for anyone in the long run. This is going to be a painful 4 years.

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    I'm not sure where others have been spending their time, but this totally represents what I have seen over the years. And yes, I too have made a negative purchasing decision and still continued to listen out of respect. And Linsey, you bring up a good point. David and I are together twenty-four seven now too. I just might need to pick up this title.

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Thanks, Julie for writing this up!  I found it not only interesting, but also a bit scary.  Some of the tips were characteristics were right on with 90% of the workforce I've been exposed too. 

    Even if people don't agree, I'm not really sure how they could get upset -- it's not like you wrote the book.  As far as brain scans, I'm not sure how that data could be fudged, but you'll always have those who disagree that women and men are different in any respect.

    Since hubby and I both own our own businesses, work at home, and like to work together in the most efficient manner possible, I might be checking out this book further.  

    Linsey Knerl

    P.S.  I've been known to

    • decide to kill a deal because of a negative comment but still continue to listen

    so remember that for when someone makes me mad, but I still appear to be smiling.  :)

     

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Much more efficient for corporations to just hire men. Clearly the increased blood flow to women's brains has a detrimental effect on their productivity.

  • Use only what you need   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Waste is an inevitable symptom of plenitude. If you don't always have more than you need, sometimes you won't have enough. This type of "virtue" will be exploited by companies to give you less, e.g. stores will charge you for bags, restaurants will charge you for each ketchup. Then you'll end up paying the same price, but won't be allowed an extra napkin to clean the mayo off your shirt. Companies make more money, while your reward for your asceticism will com in the next life.

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    Seriously.
    I do wonder if it could possibly be true that Michael Gurion actually gets positive feedback about these depressing stereotypes.
    It just doesn't ring true from my experiences in a wide range of fields (from tech to criminal justice to health care to publishing).
    Do other readers here find this material to reflect experiences in their work lives?

  • Three Unique Subscription Services that Might Save You Money   17 years 25 weeks ago

    just to be clear... my comments above were in no way trying to attack anyone's integrity, just mentioning a few things about libraries that people might not realize. Libraries have changed a lot since we were kids, so they might be worth checking out if you haven't for a number of years. I totally realize that all libraries are not created equal though and feel lucky that I am able to live in an area with great services (these are what are tax dollars should be supporting!).

    One more thing to note, in response to libraries not being open evening/weekend hours -- in most cases all of their holdings are online and you can place requests from your home (as easily as commenting on this blog!) to pick up at your convenience (generally from multiple locations).

    Also - to the reader from Maine, most Maine libraries participate in a state-wide consortium called Minerva (http://minerva.maine.edu/) - so you might have access to more than you realize! (I'm from Maine, this is how I know this ;))

    Anyway, i think all of the suggestions are great and I appreciate finding about all of them - free and otherwise.

  • Use only what you need   17 years 25 weeks ago

    When I was an angry young vagabond who sneered at society, I learned to keep an eye on leftovers at restaurants, and keep an eye on trash cans. You can eat a full meal from the garbage on what city people throw away. Entire pieces of chicken, sushi, bread, half-sandwiches, fruit, cake, all get tossed.

  • Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?   17 years 25 weeks ago

    ...if you are considering the differences in the chemical composition of the brain when engaging a member of the opposite sex, please seek help.

  • How (and Why) to Start an Investment Club   17 years 25 weeks ago

    You have a very good idea with the world economic situation at this time, it's very good support