Lurker > Houston

If you're choosing between 20k or 75k towards retirement, 75k is the way to go. There's only a 10% penalty fee for spending your retirement money early, should you have to go that route.

I like booths.

emblem boy posted...

I'd say since late last year. I recently got a blood pressure machine for my partner and I'd occasionally take mine as well.

Prior to this, I took it when my company would have those yearly health screening stuff and they'd check your vitals and give flu shot and stuff.

Nothing new except for what I mentioned in the original post.

So maybe since you've recently gotten the blood pressure machine and started taking it, was when you noticed it was higher than you were previously used to? I'm assuming you haven't utilized those company health screenings in awhile.

As you mentioned, your activity over the past couple years has also declined. That could definitely play a roll, too.

I think you should continue to monitor, but overall you mentioned you are still exercising and eating relatively healthy and your diet hasn't changed. Unless you really notice something, don't stress too much. I'm not a medical professional, though. I do know that sometimes people's blood pressure can be higher when in certain settings or know that they are fixing to take their blood pressure. So it very well could be that, too.

If the Tower Spa Suite is also a "stay well", wouldn't it have the same things as a "stay well" Executive King?

Personally, I'd choose the Tower Spa. But that's just me. None of the "stay well" stuff you mentioned in the Executive room would be very important to me or appeal to me, and it sort of sounds some of those things aren't necessarily a make-or-break to you, either.

How long has this been going on for? Have you taken anything recently or tried something new you've never had before?

Also, did you usually take your blood pressure regularly before? Or did something cause you to check your blood pressure?

pogo_rabid posted...

I went to McDonalds, got 2 of the "land sea and air" sandiches, then went to wendys and got 2 bacon cheeseburgers and 2 large fries.

I'm like 15% of the way through and already am getting stuffed.

Why would you want to gorge yourself? Do you even finish everything when you "go hard"? Fast food doesn't seem great as a leftover......

CDC Guidelines state that if someone is not up to date with their vaccines, meaning must receive a booster if they are eligible, then those who are not boosted (but eligible) should also wear a mask indoors.

So if they were going to enforce anything, I guess it would make sense to follow CDC guidelines and check for Booster status, now, too.

assboobsgames posted...

https://twitter.com/JerryDunleavy/status/1491105615132856320?s=20&t=wDrAewQUeiay42kwXT606A

Whoops.

Hah. Wow

averagejoel posted...

it's not at all clear that this is actually the case

I'm not saying it is, just making an observation. Norway has a different culture, different demographics, much less population size, etc.

/shrug

I'm not a big expert when it comes to various types of governments, but I would imagine the social services Norway has in place is a lot easier to implement with a population of 5 Million versus 320 million in the U.S.

0x4B616E6A6F posted...

Just saw the latest episode. Matt and Trey have zero clue why we need to wear masks in the first place.

Do you think it makes a lot of sense to wear Pajamas into a restaurant just to take them off when you're seated?

Kombucha posted...

I'll just give it to you. YOU WIN an internet cookie.

This was taken right after it turned 2004, a few days after the new year.

Hurray! *nom nom*

2003

bsp77 posted...

Look, I get the tipping situation actually hurts everyone

I would disagree. I think tips as a majority of someone's wages is good in many cases (but maybe not all). In general, people who earn tips are trying to give someone a really good experience and great service in scenarios that are beyond the day-to-day for many of the people who are customers or guests.

As an example, I don't really expect my grocery store cashier to give me an amazing experience. It's nice if they smile and are talkative, but it really won't hurt my feelings as I'm just there trying to buy groceries.

I do, however, want to have a really great experience when dining out with friends on a Friday night or for a special occasion. I want it to be seamless and flawless. I want the server to be friendly and helpful.

If tipping wasn't a thing, I could easily see people doing the bare minimum to keep their job. No extra friendliness. No extra nothing. Just bland, bare basic service. In some scenarios, people want a really good experience and people who work on tips know what they need to do if they want that extra money.

I don't want to go out to a restaurant (or participate in other tipping scenarios) and be faced with someone who has no incentive to make the experience as enjoyable as possible for me.

mustachedmystic posted...

Also, how would an employee steal money off a gift card?

People are able to pay with a gift card, and the receipt would also show a tipping section (people can use gift card balances to tip). So, all it would take is a dishonest server to enter in a tip amount when the customer never actually did. This would result in a further decrease in balance on the card.

ExtremeLuchador posted...

People alter card tips all the time. When my brother delivered pizzas multiple co-workers of his got fired for altering tips on credit card orders.

That is true. Your gift card receipt tip would have showed zero, but if she wanted to (and wrongly so), she could have simply entered in a tip amount after the fact into the computer system

Is there a reason you didn't tip her, though? If it wasn't astronomically bad service, you really should tip your servers.

Xatrion posted...

Change?

I guess wash could have been more specific. But I thought change would sort of be implied I mean washing your sheets.

Let's see where CE stands.

"Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is facing backlash over the weekend after she visited an elementary school and posed maskless with a room full of young children who were all masked because of a school mandate."

"Abrams visited Glennwood Elementary School outside of Atlanta this past week to kick off the third annual African American read-in, where she met with young students and teachers. The principal, Dr. Holly Brookins, took to Twitter after the visit to post four pictures on her Twitter account of Abrams' visit, which included three pictures of Abrams without a mask, despite the Decatur City Commission reinstating a mandatory masking ordinance last month.

"The picture that went viral was Abrams sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and smiling without a mask on while the dozens of children and adults behind her were all wearing masks. Abrams quote tweeted the picture and told Brookins that her visit was "spectacular, delightful, and outstanding."

"As of Sunday morning, Brookins' Twitter account appears to be deactivated and Abrams' quote tweet is no longer on her Twitter account, but that hasn't slowed down the backlash as the picture spreads across social media."

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/stacey-abrams-receives-backlash-for-posing-maskless-with-room-full-of-young-masked-children

meestermj posted...

There is no differing viewpoint.
The vaccine works.
Period.

Ok.

Kolibri X posted...

We were right again, bros. Freedom is back on the menu.

*finger snapping*

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/13/politics/supreme-court-vaccine-mandate-covid-19/index.html

:)

MrPeppers posted...

It'd be a lot better if he brought on actual experts to discuss the risks, benefits, alternatives, and projections when he brings on individuals with fringe experience. We have people in this topic who watch Rogan, and because of their preconceived notions, are willing to buy into whatever a self-proclaimed expert says because the snake oil lines up with their narrative. Unfortunately, people who listen in on these kinds of things lack any understanding of research, medicine, appraisal of data, etc. and Rogan tends to throw away his journalistic integrity for the sake of exploring his own personal curiosities. So many people walk away from these types of things going "Hmmm", and there really needs to be a disclaimer and prominent reminder that this is not currently accepted science and is pure conjecture.

I dont know if I'd consider Dr Malone to be "fringe". Look at his credentials.

Or check out the podcast.

What is that

Why did "paying it forward" at Starbucks become a thing?

VipaGTS posted...

I bet all the 90 year olds were laughing hard at that one.

"Among viewers 25-54, the key demographic valued by advertisers, Tucker Carlson Tonight finished October in first place with a total audience of 483,000 viewers, followed by The Five (435,000 viewers), Hannity (420,000 viewers), The Ingraham Angle (359,000 viewers) and Special Report with Bret Baier (345,000 viewers).
MSNBCs highest-rated show in the key demo was The Rachel Maddow Show (250,000 viewers), which placed 12th overall."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjoyella/2021/11/02/fox-news-channels-the-five-becomes-the-highest-rated-show-in-cable-news/?sh=6d9a4ab05d15

Why would she be going to party in Florida without a mask during a pandemic after all she's "stood for"?

In terms of face to face interview:

6/9 or 66.6% success

Does look good. Salmon is your go-to though? There's better tasting fish out there. Trout, Redfish, Snapper, swordfish.

Keep us updated on what happens next

Antifar posted...

Define short.

20 years is definitely short for murdering someone in cold blood. I'm not sure what the new sentences for armed robbery would be, but if it's now considered a misdemeanor, I don't see how it could be more than a few years, if that.

These are really serious crimes we're talking about.

Intro2Logic posted...

Those are your feelings; the facts are that countries with shorter prison sentences than ours also tend to have lower rates of recidivism. Per this review (https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/715100) of studies that have been done on the matter, "custodial sanctions have a null or criminogenic effect on reoffending when compared with noncustodial sanctions such as probation. Although a small number of factors moderate effect size estimates (e.g., research design, type of reoffending measure), we find no conditions under which custody reduces reoffending."

Should we base policies on the facts, or your feelings?

I think it would depend on what the crime is and how those studies were conducted. I agree that there are certain crimes that should carry a much less sentence, and maybe some of those crimes were included in the study.

I don't think giving people short sentences for things like rape, murder or armed robbery is a good approach. Those are things people are flat out just not supposed to be doing and should be kept away from society.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Well, many say that crime has been falling over the years. But we have seen quite a bit of an uptick recently.

From the article:

"A Manhattan police supervisor said: The identical platform has not worked out in San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

I would have to agree. I don't think providing next to nothing sentences or even no jail time for violent crimes is such a great idea.

ZMythos posted...

I think that's perfectly fine. 20 years is a long time. Hopefully that person feels remorseful for what they did. The best justice is when someone admits they were wrong and tries to make amends for their wrongdoing.

Making amends or admitting guilt doesn't seem like a prerequisite to obtain a 20 year or less sentence for murder, though.

I don't think it's justice for the victim or their families. Taking someone's life in a non-defense situation is a pretty big deal. I don't feel comfortable knowing people who murdered someone in cold blood would be let free again, particularly so soon.

Skinwalker_Rnch posted...

By contrast, in 2020, for the first time in Californias recorded history, the state reported a population decline. It also lost one congressional seat.

I wonder why....

ZMythos posted...

OK? And?

Good thing I'm not in charge of sentencing then, since it sounds like my grieving state of mind would cause me to think and behave irrationally

How do you see it that someone who takes someone's life should be released in 20 years or less?

Flauros posted...

The eternity of death for their victims is longer

And for their families, too. Imagine someone killing your loved one and getting out in 20 years or even less (since the article said it would be a LIMIT... not necessarily a guarantee of 20).

"In a stunning reversal of traditional law enforcement procedures, Bragg sent a memo stressing "diversion and alternatives to incarceration" in prosecutions. The exceptions to the no-jail time offenses include murder, some sex offenses and white-collar corruption crimes. Several serious crimes, like armed robbery, are being reduced to misdemeanors."

"In the case of murder, Bragg says his office will limit sentences to 20 years. He is refusing to seek the state-mandated "life without parole" for murderers, who would include terrorists, cop killers and even serial killers."

"Armed robbers who use guns or other deadly weapons to stick up stores and other businesses will be prosecuted only for petty larceny, a misdemeanor, provided no victims were seriously injured and theres no genuine risk of physical harm to anyone."

In Braggs Manhattan, you can resist arrest, deal drugs, obstruct arrests, and even carry a gun and get away with it, DEA president Paul DiGiacomo said in a prepared statement."

"The head of the NYPDs largest union, the Police Benevolent Association, also expressed serious concerns about the message these types of policies send to both police officers and criminals on the street.
Police officers dont want to be sent out to enforce laws that the district attorneys wont prosecute, PBA president Patrick Lynch said.
And there are already too many people who believe that they can commit crimes, resist arrest, interfere with police officers and face zero consequences.

https://nypost.com/2022/01/04/manhattan-da-alvin-bragg-to-stop-seeking-prison-in-some-cases/

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/manhattan-da-ending-prison-sentences-for-most-crimes-was-backed-by-jerry-nadler-other-prominent-democrats

pegusus123456 posted...

Not really any different than being at the mercy of a boss though

If someone has a marketable skill or trade, another employer would be looking to hire them. Not sure how easy it is to switch websites or apps and retain a streaming fanbase, but it seems a little more risky.

I have the choice between two flights. One would require me to wake up around 4:30AM but I would save $90. The other I would spend $90 more but the plane leaves several hours later and I'd be able to not feel tired or rushed.

I can afford both, but always like to put things into perspective so I don't always throw away money. Also, both times work just fine logistics wise.

Full time would probably be the better deal if this is your only job. In most cases, you would be guaranteed consistent full time hours each week. Part time would not be guaranteed a certain number of hours and they wouldn't get medical benefits. Sure, $16 hours is better than $13.50, but if you're only given 10 or 20 hours a week and have to supplement your income elsewhere and be flexible, it's not really that great at all.

whitelytning posted...

Why wouldnt that matter though? I mean, if Covid is bad because it sends people to the hospital or kills them wouldnt a lower hospitalization rate due to increased vaccinations be relevant to the conversation?

Shh, shh. No. It's a case. Lockdowns and mandates must go on, possibly indefinitely

Does this account for population size? The U.S. is quite large compared to most countries.

"Amazon's Alexa has been developed over the years to offer ever-improving access to information and knowledge.
However, the voice-enabled assistant recently gave some dangerousadvice to one user that went viral on social media.
According to a tweet posted byKristin Livdahl, Alexa told her 10-year-old child to touch a penny to an exposed plug socket.

"My 10 year old just asked Alexa on our Echo for a challenge and this is what she said," Livdahl tweeted on Sunday.
Livdahl shared an image of Alexa's response after her child asked the device for a challenge.

"Here's something I found on the web. According to ourcommunitynow.com: The challenge is simple: plug in a phone charger about halfway into a wall outlet, then touch a penny to the exposed prongs," Alexa's response read.

"As soon as we became aware of this error, we quickly fixed it, and will continue to advance our systems to help prevent similar responses in the future," the statement said."

https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/29/business/amazon-alexa-penny-plug-intl-scli/index.html