FolkRockFan

I have an '86 Crown Vic. It's great for getting me from Point A to Point B and back. Mostly, I use it to go to and from school. Which reminds me that I should probably think about putting in a stereo system, seeing as I don't have one in there at all. (It would be nice to have some music on the hour-long drive to campus.)But if I had the money, I would buy a pickup. The added ground clearance and tougher suspension system is almost necessary because I live off dirt roads. Passenger cars aren't designed to go off paved roads like pickups are. Oh, and I haul stuff around, so it would be nice to have more space to put all my junk

I don't think that the government should have any type of welfare program for anybody who is capable of working. It's not Uncle Sam's job to make sure that everybody gets a monthly check just for sucking up air. Now we have FOURTH-GENERATION welfare dependents. That is not cool at all. Why didn't the first generation make sure that their children worked toward careers that would support them? Because it's a lot easier to drop a baby or two and collect a check every month for sitting in front of the TV all day.I'm tired of supporting people who don't want to work. It's not my job. It's not my responsibility to care for somebody I did not bring into this world. I resent having part of my paycheck hijacked for people who won't just get a job already.And it ticks me off that I have to take out student loans and work my way through college...whereas somebody who's messed up her life can waltz in and get free job training...and collect welfare checks while she goes to school. How is that fair? I'm working toward something - and racking up debt to do it - and keeping my life simple (no big bills and no children) while I'm doing that. But somebody who doesn't bother even trying to keep things together gets rewarded? She doesn't have to repay loans? She doesn't have to work through the trade school or whatever? And MY paycheck helps support this? Oh. And I pay Medicaid taxes. That SHOULD make me eligible for some sort of health care, but it doesn't. I have to be pregnant for that to happen. No. Really. That's what the Medicaid employees tell me every time I call or drop in to ask. Why should I go get knocked up with a kid I can't support just so I can get some dental work done? (We're not talking about cosmetic work, either - I need reconstructive-type work so that I can eat solid foods.)The system sucks. It rewards people for not even trying by robbing the people who ARE trying.

The people who come here LEGALLY can get minimum wage, or better, pay for whatever jobs they do. They are being rewarded for coming here through the proper, legal channels. Whether they become citizens or remain welcome guests, they belong here. They have a rightful place here.We don't have to change that aspect of the immigration system because those rewards and benefits are already in place. It's already MUCH better to immigrate LEGALLY. The benefits of being here legally DEFINITELY outweigh the benefits of sneaking in. So why in the world do so many ILLEGALS cross a border to sneak in here? Many are criminals even before they cross. If they applied for legal entrance, they'd be denied. I don't pity them at all. They make a buck fifty an hour picking tomatoes because they chose a criminal lifestyle. Whether they were criminals of whatever type before they came here...or they became criminals by sneaking into this country...they're criminals. I don't feel sorry for them. Period.

My family grows vegetables in our garden. We've never used pesticides or any other junk, so the vegetables are rather tasty. You still have to wash them off, but in our case it's just to remove the dirt :PYes, they go bad VERY fast compared to the stuff that we buy in the regular grocery store (read: not the organic market). But that's why we preserve them. Canning is one way to do it, but we prefer vacuum-sealing and freezing what we won't use in the next few days. Either way works, though. As for Bush: yes, he's made some bad decisions. Yes, he's done some things that I don't like. But no, he's not responsible for every single thing that happens in the United States. We are not a monarchy.

It is none of the government's business - as far as parenting licenses are concerned, I mean.Law enforcement and child-protection services are of course there to deal with abuse. That is how things should be: kids need protection. When you, as a teacher, see abuse, you should report it immediately and be prepared to give further evidence if asked. But parenting licenses? That's not Uncle Sam's job. The government is, ideally, supposed to sit down, shut up, and let each citizen live a free life. Issuing a parenting license would turn would-be mothers and fathers into a "guilty until proven innocent" group...which is totally against what America is all about. We have our freedoms and rights based on the idea that we are capable of handling them. By default, we get to reproduce, join the military, own firearms, whatever. Or we choose not to do those things. It's up to us because we have that freedom.So if you say, "Okay, before you reproduce you need to prove that you're able to be a parent," then we don't have that freedom anymore. Would-be parents are presumed to be incompetent or unable until they prove otherwise...which is just wrong.

If an ad bothers me *that* much, I turn off the TV or change the channel. It's not like anybody is forcing me to watch something that offends or annoys me, after all.

My best advice is to listen to your body - whatever that means for you in particular. When we crave a specific food, or type of food, our bodies are usually trying to tell us that they need something in that food. Vitamin supplements are good if you have a deficiency...or when you can't get foods that contain those vitamins. But as an everyday thing, I think that listening to the body's cravings and feeding it what it actually wants goes a long way toward keeping everything balanced and healthy.Besides: taking vitamins is an added step in the daily routine. You have to eat anyway - your body's not going to stop sending you hunger signals just because you wash down a handful of pills - so why not just go ahead and eat some actual food if you can get it?

Keep in mind that the actual target audience is not the only demographic tuning in. Adults watch all sorts of cartoons - even those of us who don't have children have been known to tune in *smile* Besides...as somebody already pointed out, parents watch TV with their kids.None of this knowledge, however, makes it any less unsettling to see debt-relief advertisements during a block of cartoons. I always wonder if the lil' eight-year-olds watching are worried about credit-card debt, mortgages, or both

Several years ago, I met a toddler named Xena Gabrielle. This was when "Xena: Warrior Princess" was still extremely popular, so it made sense at the time. But man...how does that girl explain her first name to her peers, who probably don't know anything about the show?

Did you know that, when you have a head injury, you set yourself up to make the next one worse? It's a cumulative effect, especially where concussions are concerned. Boxers...and some football players...are good examples of this. As are some of the guys who do extreme sports.As cool as it looks when you pull off a totally unexpected flip and somehow manage to make it look cool...it can really suck later. Do yourself a favor and find a cool helmet. Seriously. It won't prevent every little bump and scratch, but you have to protect what's inside your skull.

LEGAL immigration is necessary - and a very cool thing to see happen, if you ask me at least. I LIKE immigration. I'm the (eventual) product of people who, in the 1800s, stuck it out at Ellis Island so that they could become American citizens. They came here legally: I respect the garbage that they went through to better their lives and, as a direct result, make mine better.But ILLEGAL immigration just ticks me off. If somebody from ANY country cannot follow the immigration laws that we've established, then he or she does not deserve to cross any of our borders. Other people have been through worse things before - but still managed to find a legal way to come here. The immigration process is in place for good reasons. We have to make sure that we aren't letting criminals and other unsavory types show up here. That's just one reason for the paperwork and the waiting and stuff. Besides: many of the illegal immigrants cannot come here legally. They're sneaking across because they're criminals. Drug runners...gang members (ever heard of MS-13? Yeah - they're pretty nasty people)...et cetera. They need to be in prison in their home countries...not living it up in ours.As for illegal immigrants doing the jobs that we won't do: I'll pay more for tomatoes, yardwork, whatever...if it's done by either an American citizen or a welcome guest.

Congrats and good for you! Good luck and enjoy yourself at school.As for me: haven't acted since I was in the first-grade school play. (I was the Angel of the Lord - yes, it was a private school). I was okay, I guess. Not great, but not terrible either. I'm too introverted to get up in front of a bunch of people and play a role, I think. If I had anything to do with the stage or the screen, I'd be one of the writers *grins*

Oh, man. The first 19 of my iTunes top 25 are Distillers songs. Um...yeah. I've been on a huge Brody kick since I reinstalled iTunes a few weeks ago. (All my playlists and stuff were wiped out, so everything reset).Sick of It All...I Am A Revenant...Lordy Lordy...Oh Serena....LA Girl...et cetera.But the REST of the playlist looks like this:Eminem - Ricky Ticky TocFall Out Boy - Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner (the "My Heart Will Always..." EP version)Slipknot - DualityStone Temple Pilots - PlushTori Amos - Silent All These Years (the "Tales of a Librarian" version)Tori Amos - Crucify (from the same album)

Citronella candles work fairly well for repelling mosquitoes. If you don't have reactions to the stuff, you can buy citronella armbands...or little squares that clip onto your shirt (ideally, people who are fishing, hunting, et cetera buy those, but still).Can you use Caladryl? I had a rash of flea bites a few weeks ago (eradicated the sorry little things, though - hah!). I used Caladryl Clear to stop the itching without leaving myself a blotchy, pinkish mess (like the 'regular' formula does). Anyway. The Caladryl Clear is good stuff because it's anti-itch, but also includes an analgesic to make life more tolerable. Highly recommended at just a few bucks per bottle.

The GRE is a good start. I'm not sure of exactly what else you'll need - other than your transcripts, of course.Have you selected a few schools that you'd like to attend? If so, their Web sites probably have information for non-American students.

Vision correction is sometimes necessary, though, because without it some of us would not be able to do jack.I get major headaches if I force my eyeballs to focus on the computer screen, book, whatever, for too long. Hence my recent trip to the eye doctor (first in years).But I have a really great eye doctor. The prescription isn't too strong. My eye muscles still work to focus - if I relax them completely, I can't see any better than I can without the glasses. So I'm still working at seeing. I just don't get headaches anymore.As for the question of why vision correction seems to be getting so prevalent: I think that computer screens have a small part. I also think that each generation spends more time glued to the TV/DVD player/video game system...none of which are good in huge doses.

I don't like exercise solely for exercise's sake. It's not fun for me, so I do other things - primarily because I enjoy them.I like walking, so I do that whenever I can. (When I lived in the city, I didn't even own a car - I could walk almost everywhere I had to go on or near my campus.)When the walk is too far, I ride my mountain bike. And I love baseball, so I go out and play with my sibs in our ball field (we have lots of acreage) when the mood hits me.So...I'm not on a regular, daily exercise routine, but I enjoy what I do and I'm not too out of shape. :)But if I really wanted to work out on a regular basis, my sibs have a home gym (weight benches, pullup bar, free weights, the works) here that I could use whenever I want. I doubt that'll happen, though *grins*

Even though I'm with the only provider that currently works with the iPhone, I'm not buying that overrated thing.It's not that I hate Apple. Some of their ideas are really sweet, after all. (Loyal iTunes user here - even though I don't own an iPod. Heh.)I just don't like cell phones nearly enough to want or need an all-in-one, "do everything in the world and then some" model. I have the free phone that came with my contract. It does more than I need. I couldn't care less about the built-in camera. All that I really wanted was a basic phone that would handle telephone calls, SMS and my own ring tones (MP3 files in my case).So...I wouldn't actually use most of the iPhone's features.And I'm not sure what to think about that gigantic touch screen just yet. Yes, it's cool. Yes, it's neat. But nobody knows how long that thing is going to hold up. It could be a super-tough thing that lasts for years. Or it could fall apart in six months. The first people in line to buy new stuff are basically product testers. Just ask the people who swarmed on the XBox when it was first released (power-cord problems abounded).I can understand why some people want the iPhone. It does a lot of neat things. Because it's an Apple product, it's a built-in status symbol of sorts. And, hey, it DOES do things that no other phone currently does.But I can't possibly be the only person alive who's content with the free contract phone, right?

If you want ringtones (smaller-sized files than the full MP3 songs), go ahead and use an audio editing program to get the part of the song that you want. Then go to mobilatory.com and use that site to send the file from your computer to your cell phone. Free, fast and easy to do.You can't get full songs that way, though, because the site limits the file size.

What a weenie. It's just a good thing that so many criminals are so stupid. Makes law enforcement's jobs easier.

I'm a vet too."Don't ask, don't tell" means that nobody can ask. Your commanding officer cannot ask about your sexual preferences. Your buddies cannot harass you or go on witch hunts to smoke out the gays in the unit. And you can't talk about being gay or engaging in homosexual conduct.("You," by the way, is used in the general sense throughout this post.)In fact: when you enlist, you sign a statement to the effect of, "I will not engage in homosexual conduct." It's longer than that and worded differently, but that's the basic gist.So: it's perfectly fine to be gay and in the military as far as the military is concerned. Just be discreet and quiet about the whole thing. Yeah, you sign the statement, but if you're discreet, nobody will catch you. And as far as the military is concerned...what you *quietly* do when you're off duty isn't a big problem. (You can't write hot checks or rob liquor stores or anything like that, of course.)Confusing? Of course. The military is basically saying, "Officially, don't do this. Unofficially, do whatever but don't get caught." It's one of those "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" type things. It never bothered me one way or another. I'm sure that I was around gay people when I was enlisted. But oh, well. Nobody tried to grope me in the showers, so we all got along just fine.

Well...I can't see how hair can qualify as "gay" considering that it does not have romantic leanings of any sort :)But seriously.The barber shop or salon usually has a stack of books featuring hairstyles. Some are just for men; others are just for women and still others have both. You can flip through the appropriate books to get a good idea of what you want in a hairstyle.Some guys look great with long hair. Others...not so much. It depends on your facial structure, how well you maintain your hair, et cetera. Only you can really decide if your long hair is right for you, though.

There is nothing Unamerican about asking questions. I'm not going to flame you or anything for bringing up points that we should all at least think about.However, I have a few opinions of my own *smiles*Bush is not the perfect President. I seethe and fume every time the immigration debate comes up because I cannot believe he could be so wrong about the whole thing. And I screamed like a banshee about the whole P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act thing. (That one was not entirely on Bush, though, so I reserved plenty of outrage for the rest of the responsible politicians.)But at the same time: politicians have been chipping away at our freedoms and liberties for YEARS. The U.S. Constitution was designed to limit the government, not the people. The document is meant to tell government officials and leaders exactly what they can and cannot do. For the most part, anyway.Is the government authorized by the Constitution to regulate my toilet's flow? Nope. But they do it anyway.Is the government authorized by the Constitution to tell me that I have to wear my seat belt? Nope. But seat-belt laws have been on the books for years.The government does a whole lot of things that it does not legitimately have the power or authority to do. It's why I'm a Libertarian. :)So: while Bush does in fact tick me off sometimes (though I agree that we did need to go to Afghanistan and Iraq and kick terrorist butt on their own soil instead of defending ourselves against them on ours), I have to look at the larger picture. He and his cohorts have contributed to the mess, yeah. They picked up where the last batch of politicians left off.But unless we as a whole start electing politicians (at ALL levels - not just the President) who actually abide by the Constitution, we're going to continue going downhill.

This all depends on what type of site you're talking about. Do you mean the MLM (multi-level marketing) sites? The problem with them is that there are two types: the legitimate kind and the pyramid-scheme (read: illegal) kind. Wikipedia has a decent article about the two. The legit type can be profitable, though not every site/business has succeeded. The illegal (pyramid scheme) is basically the Internet version of the chain letter. You aren't really selling anything but membership fees to users who sign up beneath you. It doesn't work, but it's a nice way for the people who first start the thing to make a few quick bucks. Or a lot of quick bucks. But there are plenty of legitimate ways to make money online. I'm a freelance writer; most of my articles end up on peoples' Web sites. You can do other stuff, like put ads or referral links on your Web site. My best advice about making money online is to realize that few people make loads and loads of cash on the Internet. Heck...not many people make loads and loads of cash in offline ventures, either. The promise of getting rich in a hurry without doing a lot of work is usually empty. As for why people get into these schemes? Well...the thought of making a lot of money can overpower common sense. That's how people are sucked into the Nigerian e-mail scams.

I'm a Texan. I live in the middle of nowhere. My property is so far out that we aren't incorporated into any city. The nearest community is comprised of several very small towns (populations of just several thousand each, if that many) that surround a giant lake. So we have a lot of tourism out here. Weekenders come to play on the lake and visit the flea markets. But we locals don't have much to do. We can go to Wal-Mart or the four-screen movie theater, but that's about it. There isn't even a record store out here, oddly enough.And I love it. For the most part, life out here is peaceful and quiet. We rarely have murder or other serious crimes. The big crime here involves meth. My county has a task force assigned to breaking up meth labs and helping gather evidence to prosecute meth addicts (many of them steal other people blind to fund their drug habits). The task force can only do so much, but at least they're trying.And life out here is better now because the meth lab that used to operate up the road finally moved out a few months ago. The task force never got around to investigating that lab because there are so many others in this part of Texas. But I'm glad that the lab moved because, seriously, the constant "traffic" was getting old. That and the cook was crazy. He thought that everybody was out to get him. He would rip off anything that wasn't welded down. Et cetera. He's in the later stages of addiction too, so...yeah.Overall, the best part about being out here is the space. I live on 13 acres, so there's plenty of room between my place and my neighbors' places. But we're close enough that, if we want or need something, we can go see each other.