Letters to the Editor
Malusinka
Published Letters: 350 Editor's Choice: 49
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Reconsider small claims court.
[Read the article: My ex-con neighbor owes me money]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First, gather all the evidence. Sales receipts for the car parts, detailed description of work performed, etc. Get an estimate from two garages for similar work. Next, your word against his? You are, I assume, an average guy and he's an ex-con. I think you've got the credibility.
If you don't go to small claims court, you can send him an invoice in the mail. Make it look official. Tack on a comment about interest being due if payment isn't made on time. Call him up a week or two later and say your accountant is pressing you to sell the bill to a bill collector, but you want to do right by your neighbor. Quote Cary's spiel about brotherly love and the holiday season and waive the interest and promise not to send the bill collectors if he pays up promptly. I wouldn't give high odds for this technique working, but you have nothing to lose.
Next, if you're going to run a successful business, you need to learn better business practices. Make them automatic, as even if you end up with a better clientele than an ex-con, if you are dealing with someone with cash flow problems (and this can be an upstanding businessman who looks wealthy), they put off paying their bills as long as possible. Most small business owners have been burned -- and generally not by people they know are ex-cons. Go to your library and find a book about running a small business. A good book will tell you a lot more than I can do in a few paragraphs.
I'd take the guy's threats seriously, unless you really know that he never follows up. If you go to his house again (after a phone call) make sure you take back up.
Good luck
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Actions speak louder than words
[Read the article: Judge: 10-year-old "probably agreed" to sex]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What the judge said: 'All of you have to understand that you cannot have sex with a girl under 16. If you do, you are breaking the law, and if you are found out, then you will be brought to court and could end up in jail.'
What the offenders understood: If you have sex with a girl WAY under the age of consent and you're brought to court, you don't go to jail.
Question: What are these 9 men going to do the next time they find some jail-bait they can bully into sex? What's your guess?
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Sizing bras isn't rocket science
[Read the article: Busting out]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Measure around your chest and back right under your breasts. That gets you the number (32, 40, etc) Measure around your chest and back where it is the widest (ie right over the sticky-outest point of your breasts). Subtract the first number from this (as in 38-32) Each inch is a cup size. If you're 38 at the widest and 32 under your breasts, that is a difference of 6 inches, giving you a size of F (sixth letter in the alphabet). A DD is the same as E and F is DDD.
Brands differ, but try on the bras. Most large chested women end up with a larger cup size and a smaller band size than they had been wearing.
My complaint is that I hate hate hate underwires and there are very few bras for larger sizes that don't have underwires.
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On the nickle
[Read the article: Judge: 10-year-old "probably agreed" to sex]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I used the term 'Jail-bait' to imply that the girl was almost certainly recognizable to a casual observer as someone below the age of consent. Or, at the very least, someone who was on the borderline.
I did not mean to excuse the men.
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Statutory rape laws
[Read the article: Judge: 10-year-old "probably agreed" to sex]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In Maine (The only state I've checked) the statutory rape laws are fairly complex. And the age of the girl and the age of the man count a lot. Depending on the age of the underage girl, statutory rape only occurs (in consensual sex) if the man is more than 3, 5, or 10 years older. If forget the details, but before you wail about the laws, it's worth looking them up. Or qualifying your laments to say in which states the rules hold.
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You can't have a good, long-term relationship without trust
[Read the article: I left an abusive marriage, and now I'm in love with a thief]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Bottom line: You don't trust him. If he's a good guy, the lack of complete trust will harm your relationship. You can say you trust him. You can act like you trust him (hand him your credit card) but if trust isn't there, he'll feel it. Assuming he's a good guy. If he's scum, it's another story).
Note: Trust is belief, not hoping, wishing or wanting to believe.
The relationship might be better than your last one. And you might think it is good enough, but you (and he) deserve better.
So, even if he's the guy you hope he is, I'm not seeing happily-ever-after. My advice, don't move in with him and cool your relationship.
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We're old hags, we women over 45
[Read the article: No man? No hajj]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And won't tempt the weak, frail men on their pilgrimage to Islam's holiest site.
It has nothing to do with recognizing women of whatever age as adults.
You can view the decision as a very insulting comment on the average male muslim.