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raison de arizona
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Post by raison de arizona »

Trippy.
Fascinating @fasc1nate wrote: A termite track (top) and an ant track (bottom), each protected by its column of soldiers who face each other without attacking.
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Post by AndyinPA »

We could learn something from them.
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Post by MN-Skeptic »

Ok folks… if you haven’t gotten your flu vaccine yet, do it now,

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Post by RTH10260 »

Four states voted to abolish slavery, but not Louisiana. Here's why

Published 1 day ago
By Max Matza BBC News, Washington

Four US states have voted to remove language from their state constitutions that said slavery is legal as a criminal punishment.

But Louisiana voted to keep the slavery exception after the legislator who had sponsored the ballot initiative turned against it.

Edmond Jordan said he had realised that the measure could have inadvertently expanded slavery.

Advocates of the initiative say it is needed to prevent prisoner abuse.

They hope to remove the same exemption from the US Constitution's 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery but kept a loophole.

Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee and Vermont all voted on Tuesday to remove exemptions allowing slavery or involuntary servitude from their state constitutions in an effort to ban slavery entirely.

But with all ballots counted from Tuesday's midterm elections, six out of every 10 Louisiana voters opposed the amendment.

The outcome could enable prisoners to challenge forced labour in the criminal justice system, say legal experts.

Some 800,000 prisoners currently work for pennies, or for nothing at all, according to experts. Seven states do not pay prison workers any wage for most job assignments, and prisoners can be punished if they refuse to work.




https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63578133
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Post by pipistrelle »

MN-Skeptic wrote: Fri Nov 11, 2022 3:03 am Ok folks… if you haven’t gotten your flu vaccine yet, do it now,

That belies the myth that flu has something to do with cold weather.
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Post by Phoenix520 »

Mr520 and I just exchanged our Christmas gifts. :lol: We decided we’re not buying things for each other anymore, only experiences. So the week before Christmas we’re going to the high desert. We booked a couple of nights at my favorite place, 29 Palms Inn, just outside of Joshua Tree park and we’re seeing Tommy Emmanuel Saturday night at Pioneer Village and (this one’s for me) the Squirrel Nut Zippers Sunday night!!
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Post by Patagoniagirl »

Phoenix520 wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:07 pm Mr520 and I just exchanged our Christmas gifts. :lol: We decided we’re not buying things for each other anymore, only experiences. So the week before Christmas we’re going to the high desert. We booked a couple of nights at my favorite place, 29 Palms Inn, just outside of Joshua Tree park and we’re seeing Tommy Emmanuel Saturday night at Pioneer Village and (this one’s for me) the Squirrel Nut Zippers Sunday night!!
What a wonderful way to spend the holidays. And you are the 1st person in years who has brought up SNZ!!!
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Post by Phoenix520 »

For you, PG :lovestruck:

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Post by neonzx »

Can't stop chuckling over this. A local lady on Nextdoor visited a comedy club. Ended badly for her. :lol: She was looking for sympathy. She didnt get much from commenters.
Screenshot_20221112-175537-213.png
Screenshot_20221112-175537-213.png (283.21 KiB) Viewed 503 times
Lesson: Don't heckle the comedian... Always ends badly. :biggrin:
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Post by bill_g »

Why is there this crazy sense of satisfaction every time the checkbook balances to the penny on the first crack through the monthly statement?
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Post by Maybenaut »

Phoenix520 wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 4:07 pm Mr520 and I just exchanged our Christmas gifts. :lol: We decided we’re not buying things for each other anymore, only experiences. So the week before Christmas we’re going to the high desert. We booked a couple of nights at my favorite place, 29 Palms Inn, just outside of Joshua Tree park and we’re seeing Tommy Emmanuel Saturday night at Pioneer Village and (this one’s for me) the Squirrel Nut Zippers Sunday night!!
:lovestruck:

I’ve seen him a bunch of times. He puts on such a great show!
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Post by bill_g »

Pro tip: You can make those low fat heart healthy turkey sausages taste a lot better by frying them in lard.
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Post by keith »

bill_g wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 7:51 am Why is there this crazy sense of satisfaction every time the checkbook balances to the penny on the first crack through the monthly statement?
What is a checkbook?
Has everybody heard about the bird?
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Post by bill_g »

keith wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 8:40 am
bill_g wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 7:51 am Why is there this crazy sense of satisfaction every time the checkbook balances to the penny on the first crack through the monthly statement?
What is a checkbook?
Sorry. I'll spell it in the Queen's King's English: Chequebooke.

A booke of banque cheques. A convenient method of executing one's financial responsibilities via the post. On a regular basis, total the sums, and compare them to the banque records to ensure they have done their duty correctly.
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Post by RTH10260 »

A booke of banque cheques.

Now what is that :think:


Gone out of fashion in Switzerland, and I guess in most parts of Europe. Preferred methods of payment is credit card or a form of bank transfers, or direct debit. Cash to be had at any ATM machine, or with a surcharge at own bank counter. The bills sent by vendors contain the payment information (bar code, qr code) to be scanned into the own banking app on smartphone or web browser (or typed in).
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Post by MN-Skeptic »

:confuzzled: Checkbook?

I tossed my pads of ledger paper when I started using spreadsheets decades ago. My check registers got thrown out when I bought Quicken. As long as I inputted data correctly, the computer is perfect at doing the math.
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Post by bill_g »

RTH10260 wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 10:03 am A booke of banque cheques.

Now what is that :think:


Gone out of fashion in Switzerland, and I guess in most parts of Europe. Preferred methods of payment is credit card or a form of bank transfers, or direct debit. Cash to be had at any ATM machine, or with a surcharge at own bank counter. The bills sent by vendors contain the payment information (bar code, qr code) to be scanned into the own banking app on smartphone or web browser (or typed in).
I also consider it my "keep the post office fully employed" action. I don't do paperless or autopay on anything. If you want my business, you have to send me a monthly statement in the mail. I'll write a check, and mail it back. I buy my groceries with a check too, though it is becoming more common for me to find a cashier that doesn't know how to run a check. Thankfully I know the process, and can guide them through it.
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Post by AndyinPA »

RTH10260 wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 10:03 am A booke of banque cheques.

Now what is that :think:


Gone out of fashion in Switzerland, and I guess in most parts of Europe. Preferred methods of payment is credit card or a form of bank transfers, or direct debit. Cash to be had at any ATM machine, or with a surcharge at own bank counter. The bills sent by vendors contain the payment information (bar code, qr code) to be scanned into the own banking app on smartphone or web browser (or typed in).
I've particularly noticed that every country in Scandinavia would rather take a credit card than cash, even for very small purchases.
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Post by MN-Skeptic »

Let's see... I pay my dentist by check because I get a discount if I do that. I pay my lawn service by check because it's just a single guy. I give gifts by check. The couple of magazine subscriptions I still have I pay by check - there's no way I'm giving them my credit card information and allowing them to renew at higher rates. I guess there are a few other things I pay by check, but I avoid it as much as possible. I don't want my bank number and account number in the wild... that's all a person needs in order to make an online charge against it.

I have a main credit card which I use for virtually everything, including most online orders. The company has been great if a bogus charge appears.

I have several credit cards in my Wallet app on my iPhone and Apple Watch. That's the most secure form of paying at any store.

I pay all my bills online if I can. I would never use autopay for my credit cards. I track those charges closely. But I do have autopay set up for my utilities, streaming services, etc. I also track those closely so there are no surprises.

I eschew paper bills or paper bank statements or paper investment statements. I download all those documents and make sure I back them up to an external hard drive. Years ago I bought a document scanner and scanned in all the documents I had kept - as a former accountant, I seemed to keep all my financial documents. It was great being able to shred those pages just taking up space in boxes.

I'll have to ask my 20-something nieces how they handle their money. Times are changing. By the way, I'm an almost 70-year old former accountant, so that's formed how I handle my finances.
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Post by sugar magnolia »

The last time I had to write an actual paper check it took me 4 tries before I got everything in the right place. The only reason I even had a paper check is because a friend in NC and I share an account and the electrician didn't take plastic.
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Post by MsDaisy »

This jiggled a memory about a check in my brain bone that made my face smile. When I got “grown” and was about to buy my first car all on my own AND I was going to get that price down 3 thousand dollars or I was just going to have to look somewhere else. Well the dealership called me back the next day and met my price, I was so proud of myself and my dad was very proud of me too. He died in 1986, mama died in 92. My mother kept everything, receipts, cancelled checks; all sorts of stuff tied up neatly in little bundles with bits string.

After my mom died and I was looking through all her little bundles I found that my father had written a check to the dealership for 3 thousand dollars on my car. He never said a word and I would have never known but for that check. I busted a tear or two when I found that. He was such a sweetheart :lovestruck:
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Post by Kriselda Gray »

MsDaisy wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 11:33 am This jiggled a memory about a check in my brain bone that made my face smile. When I got “grown” and was about to buy my first car all on my own AND I was going to get that price down 3 thousand dollars or I was just going to have to look somewhere else. Well the dealership called me back the next day and met my price, I was so proud of myself and my dad was very proud of me too. He died in 1986, mama died in 92. My mother kept everything, receipts, cancelled checks; all sorts of stuff tied up neatly in little bundles with bits string.

After my mom died and I was looking through all her little bundles I found that my father had written a check to the dealership for 3 thousand dollars on my car. He never said a word and I would have never known but for that check. I busted a tear or two when I found that. He was such a sweetheart :lovestruck:
Your dad sounds really cool. I almost choked up a bit!
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Post by Maybenaut »

My check story:

When my brother died in an accident (may he RIP), one of the women who worked in his office pulled my sister and me aside at the funeral and told us that an old girlfriend had stolen his checkbook, and had also “borrowed” a car and refused to give it back. The office woman said he was pretty upset over these things. Apparently the girlfriend lived with him for a short period of time.

My sister and I went through his bank statements - he still got the paper checks back in the mail after they cleared. We found all of the checks that had been cashed out of sequence. They were all made out to her (about $10K over four months). We also found a sheet of paper that she practiced his signature on. What a dumbass.

Then we found out where her mom was living (the address was written on the back of one of the checks) was and took a drive out there. There in the driveway was my brother’s little sports car. My sister (who’s such a badass) went to the door and asked for the keys. The girlfriend claimed that the car was hers and he had given it to her (she didn’t know we had the title). My sister was like, “Look, the last any of us knew, that car was in his driveway. And if you don’t hand over the keys right now, I’m calling the police to report it stolen.” She handed over the keys, but then called my other brother every couple of days trying to get the car back.

That brother turned over the checks and the signatures to the estate’s lawyer, who contacted her and told her that the estate had no current plans to press charges for the theft, but if she didn’t quit calling about the car, that could all change.

That was the last any of us heard from her.
"Hey! We left this England place because it was bogus, and if we don't get some cool rules ourselves, pronto, we'll just be bogus too!" -- Thomas Jefferson
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Post by MsDaisy »

Kriselda Gray wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 11:42 am
MsDaisy wrote: Sun Nov 13, 2022 11:33 am
Your dad sounds really cool. I almost choked up a bit!
He was very cool and extremely cute, whenever someone would comment on photos of him in his younger years as ”looking just like Paul Newman”, he would correct them and say that “it was Paul Newman who looked like him! :lovestruck:
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Post by Maybenaut »

My check story:

When my brother died in an accident (may he RIP), one of the women who worked in his office pulled my sister and me aside at the funeral and told us that an old girlfriend had stolen his checkbook, and had also “borrowed” a car and refused to give it back. The office woman said he was pretty upset over these things. Apparently the girlfriend lived with him for a short period of time.

My sister and I went through his bank statements - he still got the paper checks back in the mail after they cleared. We found all of the checks that had been cashed out of sequence. They were all made out to her (about $10K over four months). We also found a sheet of paper that she practiced his signature on. What a dumbass.

Then we found out where her mom was living (the address was written on the back of one of the checks) was and took a drive out there. There in the driveway was my brother’s little sports car. My sister (who’s such a badass) went to the door and asked for the keys. The girlfriend claimed that the car was hers and he had given it to her (she didn’t know we had the title). My sister was like, “Look, the last any of us knew, that car was in his driveway. And if you don’t hand over the keys right now, I’m calling the police to report it stolen.” She handed over the keys, but then called my other brother every couple of days trying to get the car back.

That brother turned over the checks and the signatures to the estate’s lawyer, who contacted her and told her that the estate had no current plans to press charges for the theft, but if she didn’t quit calling about the car, that could all change.

That was the last any of us heard from her.
"Hey! We left this England place because it was bogus, and if we don't get some cool rules ourselves, pronto, we'll just be bogus too!" -- Thomas Jefferson
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