2/3     There's a glut of apartments out there. Three units on my floor
        (of a 80 unit apartment) are now vacant, in less than a month.
        The weird thing is my landlord is increasing the rent by $200
        a month, bumping it to $2200. I'm told her about the rate out
        there, and she only budged $100. WTF, is this common? Oh well,
        time to look for another place. I hate corporate managed apartments.
        \_ Where? Berkeley? SF? LA?

2/4     Welcome to Fascism  (and yes, GWB started it)
        http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090204/D964VSP00.html
        \_ Nice try, when you've lived under a dictatorship, come back ok?
           \_ Fascism != dictatorship, one word has different letters and
              less letters than the other.
              \_ fewer
        \_ Corporations are begging for handouts from .gov; .gov caps payouts
           for corporations taking handouts; where's the fascism?
           \_ Government gives money to company, then tells company what to do.
              Gov't has nationalized the company.
              \_ Congratulations, you've described one aspect of
                 nationalization. This is not the same as fascism.
                 \_ And Barney Frank wants more:
     http://www.financialweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090203/REG/902039977/1003/TOC
                    \_ What is your proposal for reducing systemic risk?
                       This one isn't that great, but so far it is the
                       This one doesn't seem so great, but so far, it is the
                       only one I have seen. "Let the invisible hand sort it
                       out" seems to have failed as a notion. Got any other
                       ideas?
                       \_ Uh, invisibile hand means that you need to allow
                          losses.  If you prevent them, you're ignoring the
                          hand.
                          \_ I'll take that as a no, then.
        \_ Could you dittoheads get together and figure out whether you're
           going to call Obama a commie or a fascist?  Your flip-flopping is
           distracting.  -tom
           \_ They're not opposites.
           \_ Marx (commie) -> Stalin (fascist dictator), so ObaMaRX ->
              ObaSTaLIN
           \_ Also Geithner is talking the same tune as Frank, as per the
              article.
           \_ Rush Limbaugh says that Nazis are the same as Socialists, you
              are obviously not a listener.
              \_ Hint, Nazis were National Socialists.
                 \_ So you have been listening to Rush...
                    \_ So you've never read a history book...(Hint: There
                       are reasonable arguments against Nazi=Socialist.
                       Denying the name isn't one of them.)
                       \_ If someone argues the name means they were the
                          same they are obviously too stupid to be worth
                          having a real discussion with.  End of story.

2/4     Is there a reason why my browser keeps going to doubleclick sites
        with all the cookies? What would happen if I map them to some
        bogus IP, will some sites stop working?
        \_ You remember that Google bought DoubleClick, right?  Yah, that's
           why.

2/4     Ouch, that left a mark on Daschle
        http://www.rollingstone.com/blogs/taibbiunbound/2008/12/the-whore-factor.php

2/3     Well said: "What gets people upset are executives being rewarded for
        failure. Especially when those rewards are subsidized by US taxpayers."
        \_ Turns out, he gets it.
           \_ Talk is cheap.
              \_ Freedom is strength.
        \_ Isn't this something like FDR might have said?
           \_ http://www.hpol.org/fdr/inaug
              Practices of  the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in
              the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds
              of men. ... The money changers have fled their high seats in
              the temple of our civilization. We may now restore that temple
              to the ancient truths.
              Obama has a long ways to go to reach FDR's eloquence.
        \_ I'm young and have nothing, thus have nothing to lose
           with Socialism. Bring it on, Socialism is GOOD for us
           Gen-Y and Gen-Z!
           \_ You lie.  We all know you are a bitter old man who is
              convinced his life is hard because he's only in the top 5%.
           \_ Nothing to lose but your FREEDOM!!!!!!
           \_ No, it's bad from Gen-Y and Gen-Z, it's good for baby-boomers.
              Gen-Y and Z have to work to support the older ones. Duh.
        \_ So does that mean the leaders of our failed government will work
           for free? Did Bush turn down his US taxpayer-funded salary for
           screwing the country over? I didn't think so.
           \_ When a President receives a $1m+ retirement package, come cry to
              us.
              \_ They already do.
                 \_ Really? Or are you including book deals, lecture circuit,
                    and think tank stipends?
                    \_ Yes, really.  Here, let me google that for you:
                       http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/98-249.pdf
                       We paid Bill Clinton 1.1 million in 2008 alone (and
                       remember, he's still raking in money from the things
                       you mentioned.  The last I heard, he'd made something
                       like 100 million since leavin office, but I haven't
                       like 100 million since leaving office, but I haven't
                       looked into the exact number).  Then there's the value
                       of the other (nonpaid) benefits, such as the secret
                       service detail assigned to him.
                       \_ Read your own material: we paid him a pension of
                          $200k and then we paid other expenses (including
                          $500k in rent; if you want to argue that this is
                          excessive, fine, I tend to agree, let's cap that,
                          but it's not his pension). We did not give him a
                          goodbye golden parachute of even $1m.
                          \_ Wait -- so we're paying him $1m *every year* and
                             you don't want to call that a $1m retirement
                             package because in your head only the first
                             $200k we pay him counts?  okay...
                          \_ I read and understood it, but apparently you
                             believe that a "retirement package" consists
                             solely of a one-time payment when employment
                             ends?  Clinton has been paid $8 million by the
                             federal government since leaving office.  During
                             this same time period, George H.W. Bush has
                             been paid $5.5 million, and Carter has received
                             $4 million.  I believe these all qualify as
                             presidents receiving "a $1m+ retirement package".
                             They don't work for the federal government
                             anymore (hence "retirement"), and the total
                             they've been paid since that retirement began
                             is greater than $1million (for each of them).
                             Most executive golden parachutes are structured
                             the same way (with some expenses itemized, and
                             being paid in later years).
                             \_ You average retired army sergeant lives another
                                30 years and pulls down $35k/yr. I guess that
                                is a "$1m pension" and obscene, by your
                                standards.
                                \_ Your comment contains my answer.  When
                                   the value of a retirement package is being
                                   expressed across the life of the recipient,
                                   it is usually expressed as one dollar
                                   amount.  When it is expressed as the annual
                                   value, it is customary to describe it as
                                   per year (whether you are a former
                                   president, former CEO, or retired army
                                   sergeant).  Either is simply a factual way
                                   of describing it.  So yes, a $35k/year
                                   pension could also be described as having a
                                   $1 million total value (but no, I wouldn't
                                   describe $1 million over 30 years as an
                                   obscene retirement package for anyone).
                                   Since Bill Clinton's retirement package
                                   can be described as $1 million per year,
                                   as well as (well over) $1 million total,
                                   my initial comment that we already have
                                   former presidents receiving $1 million
                                   retirement packages holds true even if you
                                   are incapable of making this distinction.

2/4     Another business flees California
        http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/04/AR2009020401632.html
        \_ this whole bribe businesses to "create" jobs is a crock of bs imo
           \_ Sure, but the end result is CA loses jobs.
              \_ well, no, it isn't.  Other business replace them.  -tom
                 \_ May I suggest that when you make such asinine comments
                    that you don't sign your name? You're only embarrasing
                    yourself.
                    \_ May I suggest that when you personally insult someone
                       else that you sign your name?  Coward.
                       (And here's a hint: there are more jobs now in
                       California than ever before).  -tom
        \_ what is the point of having jobs in califoria when the state
           government can't get tax from them again?

2/4     http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/washington/10nsa.html?ref=technology
        "Panel to Study Military Eavesdropping"
        [C'mon, it's not hard, just copy/paste the title]

2/4     So, if the state isn't going to give you your tax refund, file an
        amended return for 2008 applying the refund to this year, and adjust
        your current withholdings.  Don't deal with IOU's or delayed refund
        payments.
        \_ If you're still employeed, just stop paying tax from your paycheck.

2/4     psb now you can move to Ireland
        http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-worlds-and-me/episode-guide/series-2/episode-2

2/4     tool academy is best show ever made