5/25    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12975777/from/RS.3
        More signs of a housing bubble. If you still have variable rate
        mortgage, you're fucked.
        \_ I thought more people bought houses, and GDP increased 5.3% during
           the first quarter
        \_ I've heard this statistic before (foreclosures up 72% over same
           time last year) but I also know that foreclosures have been
           very low for the last 5 years.  So is the current rate higher
           than average?
        \_ Having an ARM and being fucked has *nothing* to do with any
           housing bubble, real or not.  It has to do with rising interest
           rates which have been pushed up each time the Fed has met over
           the last 2-3 years.  If housing prices dropped 90%, an ARM buyer
           would be in the same position as 30 year standard loan buyers so
           long as rates didn't rise.  This is pretty basic stuff.
           \_ Not quite.  The ARM buyer will want to get into a fixed loan and
              can't, because he'll get really shitty rates b/c he has no equity
              \_ Why would the ARM buyer want to get into a fixed loan if the
                 rates weren't going up?
                 \_ The hypothetical given didn't exclude rates going up.
                    \_ Did it include rates going up?  Since it was my
                       hypothetical I'm pretty sure I know what I meant since
                       I said "so long as rates didn't rise".

5/25    http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,95496,00.html
        Lt. Gen Paul Van Riper sank half the American fleet in a wargame
        using unconventional tactics like motorcycle messengers and
        converted speedboats.  The Navy's response was to make him do it
        again with convential tactics.
        \_ I saw a documentary about this and Van Riper claimed the
           enemy country was supposed to be Israel, not Iran.
        \_ Saying bad things about Rummy?  Someone won't be asked to the
           next war game!
        \_ This sounds like business-as-usual for the Bush administration:
           make the facts fit the desires.
        \_ I don't understand one thing. He achieved his results by a
           surprise attack. I think this is useful in a war game, because
           it alerts commanders to the possibility (and the results if
           one were to occur). However, it was hardly military genius
           to fire a bunch of missiles off at ships steaming into the Gulf
           preemptively and would probably be incredibly stupid in a real
           situation were you, say, Iran. For all he would know, it wasn't
           a preemptive strike at all but an exercise and now he started
           a war against a more powerful opponent who has world opinion on
           his side. In short: they make too much of his apparent success
           in this war game. I'm sure the US wasn't too concerned about
           rehearsing to prepare for an Iranian preemptive strike, because
           that would be the best possible situation for the US. Hell,
           maybe they should strike Right Now. So it's fair for the people
           running the war game to want a "do over" with some rules in place.
           \_ Does the U.S. have world opinion on its side, even acknowledging
              how Ahmadinejad has been lately?
              \_ It would if Iran launched a bunch of missiles at US naval
                 warships preemptively and sunk half of them, killing thousands.
                 \_ You would have U.S. opinion, but you still sure about
                    world opinion?
                    \_ At that point who cares about world opinion?  It would
                       be an unquestionable act of war requiring an
                       overwhelming military response, not a UN vote.
                       \_ the guy below said it better than me
                          \_ if our fleets are attacked and ships are sunk
                             we'll respond militarily.  we will not seek
                             UN approval or worry about world opinion.  world
                             opinion and 5 bucks gets you a cup of coffee.
              \_ I'm not so sure.  If we keep up with the "all options are on
                 the table" rhetoric and showed up w/ a fleet in the Gulf,
                 somehow I doubt Iran striking military targets would elicit
                 much sympathy for us from countries that weren't already our
                 allies.
                 \_ I disagree strongly. I think only Iran's close, close
                    allies (probably not even China/Russia) would side
                    with them. Look at who sided with the US when the US
                    launched a preemptive strike against a despised
                    dictator - practically no one. If Iran launched a
                    strike then every developed nation would oppose them,
                    much as when Saddam struck against Kuwait.
                    \_ I'm not the guy you responded to, but the question is,
                       is it realistic to imagine a case where the U.S. would
                       go in for a full-scale invasion on Iran a la Iraq?
                       Iran may perform a preemptive strike if it's convinced
                       the U.S. is coming for them, but not otherwise, since
                       they're getting everything they want right now without
                       firing a shot.
                       The most I see in the near-term, and even that is highly
                       doubtful, is conventional surgical strikes.
                       Much more likely is sloppy sanctions while China and
                       Russia reap all the benefits.
           \_ What's telling here is not his use of lo-tek to achieve his
              goals but the Fleet's utter inability to counter it. Even in a
              wargame, it makes sense to be prepared for this level of attack.
                 \_ You would have U.S. opinion, but you still sure about
                    world opinion?
                    \_ At that point who cares about world opinion?  It would
                       be an unquestionable act of war requiring an
                       overwhelming military response, not a UN vote.
                       \_ Yes, I agree, who cares.  But you still sure about
                          what you originally said about world opinion?
              \_ What I wonder is what they're doing about it.  The article
                 implies they "cheated" and forced artificial constraints on
                 the "red" outfit (isn't that what US war games call the bad
                 guys?)  However, it also mentions that further outcomes are
                 classified.  One can only hope that part of that classified
                 info is "oh shit, let's fix this."  -John
                 \_ Nice try, classify is the new buzzword for "We don't want
                    this to be publicly known because it is rediuclous and
                    we're never going to fix it." -mrauser

5/26    http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/54921_energy18.shtml
        "Enron has been the largest single doner to GWB"
        Is this really true? I thought Walmart was.
        \_ Kenny who?

5/26    Can public defenders choose which clients to defend, or are they
        assigned?
        \_ Assigned.
        \_ Depends on who's on duty at the PD office.

5/26    I keep getting the Forefront magazine from the College of Engineering
        as well as massive desperate spam mails asking me to donate money
        to college of engineering, as well as to the general Berkeley
        campus itself. I'd like to 1) stop getting all useless publications
        that fill my mail box, 2) stop getting spam mails from the College of
        Engineering, 3) stop getting spam mails from Berkeley itself.
        How did they track my real address, and how do I do make them
        stop? Thanks.
        \_ Why don't you donate, just to the Gold fund (the one where
           they want 1000 alumni to donate $25). y
           they want 1000 alumni to donate $25).
           \_ I am not the op.  But every time I get these, the
              fact that Berkeley disapproved my in-state recidency
              3 times on the ground that I went home for Xmas and
              Thanksgiving always makes me think twice about donating.
              \_ probably rejected u cuz you can't spell or write english
                 or figure out how to properly work the system like many
                 others have easily done to get residency.
              \_ Well, if you "went home" then I guess they were right.
                 You realize what residency means, right?
                 You realize what residency means, right? -dim
                 \_ None of this home/not-home shit has anything to do with
                    him donating or not.  If he hated UC he shouldn't donate.
                    If he liked it and had a great time, he should consider
                    donating.  -- paid in-state, hated UC, won't ever donate
                 \_ Don't be an ass.  "Going home" does not mean "having
                    your residency there", and as an out of state student,
                    his tuition difference was a lot more than $25.  -John
                    \_ If his home wasn't here then he's not a resident. Period.
                    \_ If his home wasn't here then he's not a resident. Period. -dim
                       \_ dim wit
                       \_ moron, my mother still says she went "home" (to the
                          midwest) for christmas.  She has lived in california
                          for over 30 years, do you think she is not a resident?
                          \_ She might say that, but it's not technically
                             true. If it was, then she's not a resident either.
                             My mom says she goes 'home' to Holland, because
                             she grew up there, but it's just a figure
                             of speech.
                             \_ dim wit
                       \_ I've not lived in CA since 1997.  I'm not legally
                          a resident anymore.  My home, however, is there,
                          capisce?  Also, UC admissions disagrees with you:
                          http://tinyurl.com/fycbf  -John
                          \_ How can your home be in CA when you haven't
                             lived here for 10 years? Also, I read the
                             UC page and you'll have to point out there
                             UC page and you'll have to point out where
                             it disagrees. I don't see it.
                             \_ fucking dim wit
                             \_ My mom lives there.  I grew up there.  I can
                                always go back there.  Ergo, it is home.  And
                                the UC definition lays out the conditions
                                pretty clearly.  Visiting your family over the
                                holidays does not contradict "relinquish(ing)
                                residence in other states."  It's not that
                                difficult to understand.  -John
                                \_ And, yet, the guy above says that's what
                                   UC told him. My guess is that it's
                                   because he didn't merely "visit family over
                                   the holidays" like he says.
                                   \_ Well then that's a different story and
                                      not what we're discussing :-)  -John
                                      \_ I just think the use of the phrase
                                         "went home" is telling. That phrase
                                         is often not used literally and
                                         can mean "visited my family" but
                                         in context (guy is applying for
                                         and then denied residency) I think
                                         it's to be taken literally. He
                                         never intended to establish residency.
                                         I wonder if he still lives in CA.
                                         \_ Jesus Christ dim wit, you must
                                            have the the word don't you?
                                            Just admit you're an idiot and
                                            move on.
                                            \_ Yes, I must have "the the word".
           \_ You think donating will encourage them to stop?
        \_ Why don't you write them to tell them to stop? The address
           is in the spam mail.  Then they will stop. Give them 4-8 weeks
           to update records though.  Also remember that engineering dept
           and alumni house might have different databases, so if you
           continue to get spam, then just write another letter or
           call. Be patient. Finally, don't be a fucking cheapskate and
           donate something, give something back, make UCB better, you can
           specify what fund/program you want to donate to.
           As for how they track you: they got your SSN, DOB, last known
           addresses and more. Figure it out, college graduate.

5/26    A friend of mine's dad had a stroke yesterday and is still in
        intensive care. The problem is, he just came to the US and is
        in the process of becoming a green card holder.  (kind of like
        fiance visa, came here first, then apply for permanent
        residence..) the problem of course is he does not have medical
        insurance. The medical bill might be astronomical.  What
        options do they have? Will applying for insurance out of
        pocket now help in any way? If he really doesn't have the
        money to cover the expense, what then? I don't want to talk
        about money with my friend now, but in case he asks me in the
        future, I would like to have some useful information for him.
        Thanks.
        \_ Negotiate with the hospital, they can usualyl half it or more.
           But in all honesty, ignore the bill, what are they goign to do
           send collections on him? Sorry to sound so cold.
           \_ Yes they will.  And they will keep hounding him.  When he dies
              a lien will be put on life insurance and any assets that would
              be transfered.  His wife may be responsible for his debts as
              well.  This is why medical insurance is so fucked up in this
              country.
           \_ I wish this would work, but it doesn't work that way in the US.
              Read the forms and small prints you guys signed. Someone's gonna
              pay for the bills and anyone involved will have to pay for it,
              in terms of time (trying to clarify issues) or money, or both.
              Hospitals are better at collecting money than IRS. Trust me,
              I've been there and I'm pretty pissed too. I'm really sorry
              about what happened. I'm not so crazy about the state of
              health insurance in the United States either. This is one of
              the reasons why many Asians (esp. HK people) went to Canada
              instead of the US after the communists took over-- smaller,
              kinder, more efficient and more humane social services.
        \_ http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=consumer&id=3718626
           "by offering to pay cash in advance ... Sandi got her obstetrician
           to drop his price from $3,000 to $1,900 ...
           'Unfortunately, someone who is uninsured or under-insured gets
           charged 5, 6, or 7 times what an insurance company would pay for
           exactly the same service' ... Many doctors and hospitals are willing
           to make a deal, but unless you ask you'll never get one"
        \_ Not sure if it will help, but what country is he from?
        \_ Hospitals are open to negotiations, so try that. Also, what
           kind of hospital is it, a private or county hospital?
           \_ Thanks everyone.  This is Santa Clara valley medical
              center on S Bascom Ave in San Jose. This person just
              came from China. His wife is a permanent residence, and
                                                       \_ "yo mama's so big..."
              his son probably is the one signed all the stuff at the
              hospital. Does that mean they'll go after the son if
              they cannot pay? I'll tell him about the negotiation part..
              \_ When I have had family visit for longer trips, we took
                 out visitor insurance for them.  Did your friend not
                 even think about/know about this, or did he consider
                 it and then decide not to bother?
                 \_ He didn't know about it. I guess I didn't know
                    about it either until now.
                 \_ I didn't know. Who do you go to for "visitor insurance"?
        \_ one of my coworkers told me a story that sounds similar... her
           mom was visiting from India and ended up in the hospital with
           complicated medical problems. The bill was huge and would have
           required a second mortgage on their house etc and caused her
           incredible amounts of stress for almost a year. What ended up
           happening was the bill was paid through some kind of emergency
           financial assistance arranged through the hospital, but it was
           not easy to get, they had to go through tons of bureaucracy -
           not easy to get, they had to go through tons of beaurocracy -
           long and complicated forms, different financial and background
           checks and they went through an appeal process at least once.
           checks and they had to go through an appeal process at least once.
           In the end they got the money though. I wish I could be more
           specific but I don't really have the details.

5/26    Anyone have a link to the Meat Loaf / McPhee duet?
        \_ there is probably one on http://youtube.com by now.

5/26    Hallaluja, I'm back on the motd.  Where's motdedit?
        \_ /csua/bin/motdedit
           \_ *now* it is, can we get a "me" softlink to that badboy too?
                 k,tnx.

5/26    Alien image found inside of duck:
       http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/26/BAGVCJ28RM33.DTL
        \_ Nice:
           "Unusual characteristics are commonly on display among male
           mallards during the spring mating season, according to Travers.
           Their testicles, for instance, grow to three times the size of
           their brains, but they have never been known to sprout an
           alien head, she said."

5/26    postfix has milter support --Jon
        http://www.postfix.org/MILTER_README.html

5/26    "Mr. President, Pentagon officials have talked about prospects for
        reducing American forces in Iraq to about 100,000 by year's end ..."
        "That's some speculation in the press that I -- they haven't talked
        to me about. And as the commander in chief, they eventually will talk
        to me about it. ..." -Dubya (May 25, 2006)
        "I think the political people who give him advice will say to him,
        'You don't want a Democratic congress. You want to keep the Republican
        majority. And the only way you're gonna keep it, is by reducing
        substantially the troops in Iraq'" -John Murtha (Jan 15, 2006)