3/25    Do pregnant women in the last couple months of pregnancy get irrational
        or have mood swings?  A co-worker of mine is getting more and more
        annoying these days.  She picks on every single technical or management
        mistake that other people make and makes a very big deal out of it.
        And she sends long mail to the person right in the next cubicle to
        discuss technical stuff instead of just going over and talk.  It is
        getting very difficult to work with her.  I'm wondering whether this
        is due to her pregnancy or she's beginning to show the real side of
        her after being in the company for a while.  (We're in a software
        engineering dept.)  My current strategy is to avoid any communication,
        work- or non-work-related, with her at all unless absolutely necessary.
        I even try to avoid running into her in the hallway by listening for
        her footsteps first before I leave my cubicle.  Thanks.
        \_ http://images.shareapic.net/fullsize2/006801160.jpg
           \_ Hot!  Thx.  But what does she have to do with pregnant women?
              \_ she looks pretty pregnant to me!
                 \_ With that flat stomatch???
        \_ Just a typical woman.
        \_ I know this sounds sexist but this is why we don't hire
           women in our company. I mean, I'd feel sorry for the guy
           she married, but actually, I feel sorry for most married guys
           with preg wife or kids. Yes this is pretty typical. Let it pass,
           it's just hormonal and it's not her fault.
           \_ It not only sounds sexist, it's illegal discrimination.
              \_ Federal laws exempt companies with less than 15 employees.
                 \_ that doesn't make it any less wrong, just not illegal.
              \_ It not only sounds sexist, it is sexist.
           \_ I sure hope it'll pass.  Hope she gets back to normal after her
              3-month maternity leave.  -- OP

3/25    New warnings about entitlements shortfall
        Medicare unable to pay full benefits by 2019, Social Security by 2041
        http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23796483
        Bush wanted to fix the problem but could not convince the Democrats
        to change. Damn the Democrats!
        \_ Um, wasn't Bush the one primarily responsible for making the
           Medicare problem worse?
        \_ Bush taps a guy to lead social security privitization.  Every year
           the dude releases reports that say "DOOM!  DOOM!"  But gee, he has
           a vested intrest in shouting doom.  Every year his numbers don't
           really hold up that well.
        \_ Bush and the Republicans conspired to make the Medicare problems
           much much worse.  Their "solution" to Social Security will destroy
           it while enriching Wall Street.  Social Security is in much better
           condition than many other parts of the federal goverment.
           \_ It's true, it's Bush's fault Social Security is an untenable
              pyramid scheme, raided by Congress for unrelated expenses.
              That some parts of the government are WORSE is not really a
              good defense.
                \_ There's a great quote by Warren Buffett about how
                   politicians are sounding the alarm about Social Security
                   running a small deficit 40 years from now, and yet a
                   $400 billion deficit today doesn't bother anyone.
                   Social Security is fine for something like another 40
                   years as long as BushCo and the Republicans don't get
                   their greedy paws on it.
                   \_ It's true, the democrats in Congress totally kept their
                      paws off the social security pot.  Idiot.
                      \_ You have such a convincing debate style. Idiot.
        \_ Social Security is fine: the GOP has predicting its demise since
           the 30s (no joke), but Medicare is in big trouble. The entire
           medical system is in trouble, in fact, since medical costs keep
           going up much faster than the GDP and we have demographics working
           against us to boot. Only a sea change in our health care management
           philosophy, combined with some pretty serious rationing, is going
           to possibly reverse that trend.
           \_ Plus, you know.  Figuring out what actually helps.  We need
              personalized medicine, current statistics-based medical
              research is shit.

3/25    Obama is Dubya's cousin!
        http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080325/ap_on_el_pr/candidates_genealogy
        \_ Nth cousin means "is human" and not much else.

3/25    Hillary channels Rush Limbaugh
        http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_558930.html
        A major donor of hers goes even further:
        http://preview.tinyurl.com/yqyk5q [tpm]
        \_ She's just a typical white person.
           \_ And you're a typical troll, wee!
        \_ Rush Limbaugh doesn't appear on either link.  WTH are you talking
           about?

3/25    So where is the "Iraq is happiness and light" guy now?
        \_ Well, the media started covering Iraq again.  So obviously, things
           will get worse.  Expect things to get better as soon as the media
           spotlight moves onto other things.
           \_ This is a superb example of correlation != causation. Also see:
              http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0326/p01s13-woiq.html
              \_ Your sarcasm detector is lacking.
                 \_ Try <sarcasm></sarcasm> tags. Your point is not self-
                    evident.
        \_ Which guy was that?

3/25    Hillary channels Rush Limbaugh
        http://preview.tinyurl.com/2rwf8r [Pittsburg Tribune-Review]
        A major donor of hers goes even further:
        http://preview.tinyurl.com/yqyk5q [tpm]
        \_ She's just a typical white person.
           \_ And you're a typical troll, wee!
        \_ Rush Limbaugh doesn't appear on either link.  WTH are you talking
           about?

3/25    How much are you guys expecting from GWBush's tax rebates?
        \_ $0.  Combined income of my wife and me is probably over the limit.
           \_ So you're the wealthy?
        \_ $600, a whole lot of money for a poor grad student..
        \_ $1200 tax deduction, which, since we already overpaid through
           withholding, means a $1200 bonus to our refund.
        \_ $0.  My income is too high.
        \_ How do you figure this out based on your income?
           \_ More than $75K if single or $150K if married and you're
              probably getting nothing. I imagine most s/w engineers are
              getting nothing, like me.
              \_ 75K taxable income.  (Post 401k, post all deductions.)
                 And it doesn't go away at 75k, although it does go down
                 pretty fast.  If you have a house you probably will get
                 a refund.
                 \_ You mean if you have a MORTGAGE with a lot of interests
                    to deduct?
                    \_ Yes I did.  See you knew exactly what I meant.
                       \_ ...the fact that it is wrong notwithstanding
                 \_ No, it's based on adjusted gross income. No mortgage
                    (or other itemized) deductions.
                    \_ None of you have actually explained how I would
                       calculate it.
                       \_ Learn to use google.
        \_ Nothing. We make too much.

3/25    I'm trying to think of an easy (and free) way to remember everyone's
        birthdays. Ideally it will be with a program or utility, and I thought
        Google Calendars would be perfect (ubiquitous, easy to use, etc.)
        but I can't get it to notify me via email of the birthdays; I think
        it's because the birthday is an event that lasts "all day". Any
        ways around this? Or, any other solutions than Google? Thanks!
        \_ Just enter birthdays as a meeting lasting one hour at 7 AM. That
           is what I do.
                \_ Not bad. Thanks!
        \_ Do you have a cell phone with calendar function?
        \_ If you have a Mac, I am fairly sure that you can do this using
           Automator and iCal

3/25    Nancy Reagan endorses McCain!
        \_ I'm shocked, SHOCKED I tell you.
           \_ More and more I wonder which McCain we're going to get.

3/25    what's a good type of suit for hot muggy weather?
        ok tnx.
        \_ Seersucker!
        \_ Bathing
        \_ Linen
        \_ Birthday suit.
        \_ Birthday
        \_ 100% Cotton.
        \_ Whatever type of suit tends to fit you well and look good on
           you, made from a tropical weight worsted wool.

3/25    Oh shit, more housing bust!
        http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23796366
        \_ Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will almost assuredly come to the
           rescue of all of those whose mortgage is resetting after '08.