the fastest way to get a degree is on the web, from Thunderwood College, a genuine unaccredited institution. They will not lie to you and tell you they are accredited by some unrecognized accrediting body.

You can choose your field of specialty and print out the diploma in minutes, with tools you probably have around the house.

http://thunderwoodcollege.com/

I got my Doctor of Divinity degree this way, from another fine institution. My Ph.D. is honorary, from the Millard Fillmore Institute, but I had to earn it the old-fashioned way, I had to win an essay contest.

there is simply not enough time or money to try every case. The justice system would collapse under its own weight and no one would get a speedy trial. The system depends on plea bargaining. You wouldn’t want to have to pay what that cost, in terms of money and justice delayed.

Jury Duty, even the waiting around, is necessary and useful. Even if you just sit around, the fact that the court can assemble a jury on short notice helps move the justice system along. Many defendants (or their lawyers) will seek to plea bargain rather than face a trial by jury.

So, by waiting around you are serving a purpose.

In Massachusetts, the county courts have a one-day / one-trial system. Most jury duty obligations are for one day, and you frequently get released early, after all the days trials have settled.

After that, you are prohibited from being called again for three years. I have at least seven more months where I don’t have to worry about being called.

I get called every 5-10 years, but never complain about it. I’m glad to have the option of trial by a jury of my peers, and it’s really a small price to pay.

can I start such a store?

sell real estate.

don’t believe the hearsay that you need to drink tons of water, even if you’re not thirsty.

Unless you have a sensory disorder or are elderly, your thirst should tell you when you’re in need of more water. Listen to it.

I don’t know where the hydration bullies came from, but this myth is rampant even among health care professionals. There is very little scientific evidence that you are aided by drinking any more water than your body craves.

I know I’m going to hear otherwise from many people, but please, back your refutations with proof, such as scientific studies.

Famous interview with Dizzy Dean, oddly loquacious baseball player from the 30’s and 40’s, noted for his lack of mastery of spoken English:

Mr. Dean, don’t you know the King’s English?

Sure, I do. And so’s the Queen.

someone named Moshe is looking for a minyan at that conference on http://www.godaven.com

I always bring fresh eggs from our hens. We seem to always get reinvited, so they must be appreciated. They are very delicious.

I am admiring the Japanese technicians who are reentering the damaged nuclear power plants in Japan, risking their own lives in order to try save the lives of others.

why?

dear popa, don’t be lured by that propaganda, either. The subsidy only covers less than 1/3 the cost of the loan, you’re still paying out the other 2/3 or more from your pocket. If you run the figures, you will see that the CURRENT income tax situation favors homeowners, but you must adjust the costs to find the true cost, not make bad decisions because of the deduction.

I have been in the real estate business for about 20 years, and am a financial planner.

The water is muddied by propaganda from the real estate industry that tells you that you SHOULD buy a house, then a bigger house, then another bigger house. Don’t fall into the trap without running the numbers.

Here’s the real skinny: Housing is a commodity – you need it, and you must acquire it somehow. You can buy a home, rent an apartment, live with your parents, live in a homeless shelter, live on the street.

Each method of acquiring shelter has its own costs and its own benefits. Our job, as consumers of shelter, is to try to get the maximum benefit for the minimum cost.

As for rent vs. buy – renting is NOT throwing your money out the window. It is an excellent way to acquire shelter. It has many advantages: you don’t have to repair the roof, you can move on short notice, it doesn’t take much capital to rent an apartment. It is a very reasonable way to procure shelter.

Buying is generally more costly upfront, gives you more autonomy (some of it imagined) and has many responsibilities. In the short- and medium-term, most people spend a lot more buying shelter than renting it.

If you don’t believe me, just look at my checkbook: $300 for my Home Depot card payment. $350 for insulation at the plumbing supply store. $8000 for a new boiler. $1500 for the replacement of a small part of the roof. Need I go on? If I were a renter, I would just pay, say, $1500 per month, and I wouldn’t have all those extra expenses.

The most expensive way to buy shelter is the way that most people (including many real estate pros who should know better) is to buy homes for short-term stays. Buying a “starter-house” could be the most expensive housing you ever buy.

Every time you trade-up to a newer home, 10% or so of the value of the house disappears into the pockets of real estate agents, brokers, lawyers, bankers, movers. You don’t even know that the money is gone, but it is.

Figure that you buy a “starter” for 250k-live there five years. You think your cost is only your mortgage, taxes and insurance, but no, there’s an additional $25,000 or so in overhead, divided over five years that’s over $416/month going to support the real estate industry. (not that I’m against that, I’m in the real estate industry, I just like my clients not to have to pay that.)

Compare the cost of buying that house with buying a house you can live in for 30 years-there is a much smaller monthly cost for this overhead.

In general, most people here are right. It will be much less costly, in the long run, to buy a home. But, buy the right home, buy the one you can stay in. Don’t buy those short-term homes.

It’s also not only money. People live better in homes they own. It’s harder to lose the home and people feel much better about their home when they own it. But make sure the home you are buying will give you good utility and last for a long time.

The worst trap I see is when young couples are pushed into buying apartments when they really should be renting apartments. They don’t intend to stay once the kids go to school, so it’s usually short term. So, you can buy the apartment, pay the taxes and mortgage and the extra overhead for only $2500/ month when you can rent an apartment in the same building for $1500? It’s better to save up more money for the down-payment on a real house rather than buy-sell-and buy.

I’m an INFP, and mildly proud of it.

Rahm Emanuel / Sandy Koufax

boston.

I wish I was an Oscar Meyer Wiener.

dogs are social animals with emotions very close to human emotions. They have developed survival mechanisms that make them very endearing to humans.

Dogs and cats and other small mammals have high cheekbones that appeal to us as human baby’s faces appeal to us. THey’re very cute.

When a human strokes or pets a dog (perhaps cats, too) oxytocin, neuromodulator, is released in the human and dog body. Oxytocin is believed to play a role in pair-bonding (such as mother/child), social recognition, trust and love.

But, forget the science. They’re cute, they’re fun, they’re loyal, they’re enthusiastic and they love you and all the people you love. What’s not to like?

You can always count on your dog to be excited to see you, no matter how despicable human society says you are.

Dogs have been living with humans for perhaps 10,000 years. Humans seem to get a lot out of it, since we keep doing it. 1/3 of all Americans live with a dog, so it must be doing something for them.

I have wonderful memories of 14-years with my dog.

When people who use anxiety-control methods think of a pleasant place to quiet their minds. Many people think of the beach or something. I just call my dog’s name quietly, close my eyes, and remember her running to me, and that puts me in MY happy, calm place.

dear aries, my weight watchers leader would say, “nothing tastes as good as slim feels.”

I am the walrus. I am he and he is me . ..

all traffic jams and obstructions are the work of one fiendish organization that is determined to keep you away from where you’re going . . . the Anti-destination League.

Come on over to the L&M side…

Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch.

To a smoker, it’s a Kent (happiness is).

At manly times like these… (L&M)

Call for Phillip Morris!

Cool and refreshing as a summer shower. (Newport cigarettes)

You get a lot to like with a Marlboro: filter, flavor, pack or box.

It’s not how long you make it, it’s how you make it long. (Winston Longs)

Why don’t you pick it up and smoke it sometime? (Muriel Cigars)

Come up to the Kool taste, the coolest taste in any cigarette. (Kool cigarettes)

It’s what’s up front that counts – Winston

The consistently happiest person I ever knew was my stepfather. He was very pleased by everything that anyone would do for him. He didn’t stay mad at anyone very long. He was always happy to be there, wherever there was. He was always pleased by his wife, family, situation, etc. I only very rarely heard him complain.

how civilized camps have become in the last 40 years, I am happy to read that good information.

Be assured, too, that the problem will pass. I haven’t thought about it in at least 30 years now.

When Mitt Romney ran for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002, the Democratic party brought a similar suit challenging his residency. Mr. Romney had been living in Utah for several years, organizing and steering the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The Democratic party tried to convince the court that Romney was not a Mass. resident, since he had lived most of the previous three years in Utah, due to his job.

The court ultimately found in favor of Mr. Romney.

The Romneys maintain their residence in Massachusetts during his period of absence.