When I was a USAF officer, age 24 & unmarried, I supervised about 35 or so people (enlisted & civilian) & from time to time I would get to do some 'marriage counseling'.

The way it worked at my base was that if a young airman & spouse are having trouble & need to get some counseling (at the base couseling office), they first had to elevate it thru the chain of command.

That meant they had to first talk with me to see if I could handle it & then if I couldn't, they would go to the unit commander & see if he/she could get them back on the straight & narrow. Only once those hurdles had been crossed, could the airman & spouse head off to the real counselors.

Usually the problems were money. A young airman is not supposed to be married. No allowances are made for any that are (no money to live off base, move household goods, etc.). So you had E-2s (that have an assigned room in a dorm), living off base in an apartment they can't really afford, with the spouse (pregnant or not) having to go work a job or two to make ends meet.

I sorta thought the USAF system I described above was screwy. I probably wasn't much use to those who met with me in my 'marriage counselor' hat.

James Pansulla asked about the $500K donation: ' But since when can I dictate to the board of trustees how I want an employee of the school to get compensated?'

Show up at your local state university with $500,000.00, saying you want to donate it, & you might find there is considerable latitude given to you in saying where you would want the money to go.

stormreject mentioned: 'Make your heart and demeanor open to the scene around you. If you sre in a crowd and don't speak the language, ask aloud, "Anyone here speak English? " Speak to people...'

When you do that (which is good advice), you might want to tell them you're Canadian (might get a friendlier response).

It's not hard to pass, just end all sentences with 'ay'.

Appreciate your feedback :-). I thought your advice was excellent. I personally would think that if you are a young man/woman studying in just about any major city in Europe, you should be able to find something to do instead of watching TV.

I get the impression that the LW is someone who usually doesn't ever do things alone (like go to the movies, etc.)

Ramsese quote: 'So the ACLU basically just perverted the definition of a private club to suit their own interests. Color me unsurprised. That’s standard operating procedure for scum like that.'

I'm a proud member of the ACLU & of course I believe you are 100% entitled to voice your opinion of my fine organization.

That said, I also have the right to give my opinion that you are a whiney piece of shit who would probably be among the first to complain if any of your precious freedoms were curtailed.

God bless the ACLU & the fine men & women who toil there.

Wes comment: 'Texas Tech just had their worst conference loss in school history.'

Hee, hee, Wes I saw that too & was cackling with glee. I'm telling you he resigned when he did, cause he knew if Pat didn't get the job then, he might never (due to the classic 'Postseason Knight Depression' (PKD) all his teams have got for the past 18 or so years).

I've read that she had a 3rd nipple & that was one of the points used against her when she was tried & convicted & executed.

Have any of our English posters heard of this?

I agree with point she made above.

hakim kutta said: 'A drug can either be a poison, a medicine, a means of transformation,a religious sacrament or a way of escape. It's all in the intention. Our kids are not stupid. They look around and see what we have'

Your point (IMO) would have been better made if you had left out Meth from your above quote about the different ways drugs can be beneficial/non-beneficial.

Meth is always bad. Listen to 'Amphetamine Annie' by Canned Heat for a 40 year old take on Meth. I don't even consider it a 'drug', it's more like a slow acting poison, one step up from huffing paint.

I also think that if your kid was able to get in to Berkeley, his HS troubles couldn't have been that bad. Maybe there was an overreaction at some point that made the son want to lash out & also be 'badder than his dad' (who sounded pretty bad, so you have to really start abusing serious shit to get to the 'badder than' point).

how much being able to rig U.S. elections is worth? Evidently Diebold thinks that's worth a lot.

Even if they really can't rig elections, they seem to be fine with the illusion (whatever it takes to get the most money, I guess).

Great QB, 1st ballot HOF. Fun to watch play, a throwback to the 60s - 70s QBs like D. Lamonica & R. Gabriel.

Not the greatest who ever played, but in the conversation. That his last pass was an interception is probably a metaphor for his career.

Pandyora mentioned: 'Heck, he isn't even the best all time Green Bay Packers quarterback. That honor goes to Bart Starr.'

Bart was certainly a wonderful QB. He did, however, have a whole lot more talent on his teams than Favre had on his. Give Brett the punishing ground attack that Bart had (plus the all-stars on defense) & you guys might have had 2 or 3 more super bowls (then, maybe, he'd be higher in the Packers pantheon ;-) )

BrightStar65 stated: 'I don't know if I could take full-on China at this juncture.'

The Central Committee agrees in full that the stated feeling is mutual.

;-)

If Sen. Obama is the man I think he is, he'll be able to rise above this 'Rezko' stuff.