KarenFla

Congratulations on the graduation! I'm sorry your family is acting this way. Unfortunately, we don't get to pick out our family members, and sometimes they do suck. I speak from experience. My own mother didn't attend my college graduation or do most things mothers do as I was growing up. For the first 17 years of my life she was an undiagnosed and unmedicated manic depressive with explosive and violent mood swings. She refused to seek help for decades. It was my father's threat to leave her and a surprise home visit from my high school guidance counselor that finally forced her to get help. (I'm not crazy...you're all crazy!) LOL! Anyway, she was diagnosed and medicated by the time I turned 18, but she still refused to take part in most things important in my life...including college graduation. Come to think of it, I don't even think she went to my high school graduation...witch! This is your special day and you need to celebrate it! You do what you want to make yourself happy. Throw a party with friends and screw the relatives. Let them stew in their own petty little juices. Now get out there and party like a rock star! You earned it!

Yes Correct Take it from a fellow cat allergy sufferer. Cats have put me in the emergency room a couple times. Once was through 2nd hand exposure. I was sitting in a chair in a non-cat house; however, another visitor in the house had draped her sweater over the back of the chair. Unknown to me, the sweater had cat hair and dander all over it. Within 20 minutes I started to feel itchy and starting getting wheezy. 20 minutes later I was on the floor in full anaphylactic shock...and this was after 5 years of allergy injections which did little or nothing. Cats have a protein in their sebaceous glands and saliva which is extremely sticky and takes months (some estimates are 3 to 6+ months) to break down even after a cat is no longer in residence. Cats are continuous self-groomers. Every time a cat grooms itself with saliva, the microscopic proteins in their saliva becomes airborne and stick to everything...furniture, clothing, walls, flooring, rugs, drapes, air ducts, etc. Even if confined to one room, once the the protein enters the air ducts it is spread throughout the house. It is also carried by other members of the house on their clothing and person, and then everything becomes contaminated. A little over a year ago, I bought a house in foreclosure. The tenant in the house had 2 cats. I couldn't stand to be in the house longer than 20 minutes at a time. Before I could move in, I spent just over $20,000 having every single room/hall repainted, all the carpet/flooring replaced, all the blinds replaced, the duct work cleaned and professional cleaners who cleaned and wiped everything down from floor to ceiling (windows/windowsills, doors/door frames, cabinets, counters, switches/outlets/light fixtures, baseboards/woodwork, etc.) The only reason I was willing to have all this done is because I did get a fantastic deal on the house since it was a foreclosure and it was actually the only house I really liked after 3 months of looking. If you are allergic to cats, a cat does not belong in the house. Some good basic info at the following links: http://www.allallergy.net/fapaidfind.cfm?cdeoc=2926 http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/cat-al....html?pageNum=2 http://www.catsofaustralia.com/allergy_to_cats.htm

As an auto insurance adjuster for 20+ years, I can tell you we pay for "stupid" all the time. As long as it was truly an accident, the claim will be paid...whether or not there was any pelican involvement. LOL! Over the years I've handled more claims than I can remember of single vehicle accidents where the driver ran off the road...foot slipped, hands slipped, sun in my eyes, dropped the cell phone, unknown vehicle cut me off, reached down to change the radio station, turned my head to check on the kids in the back, animal darted across the road, bird flew in front of the car, hit the gas instead of the brake, yada, yada, yada...pick one! Because of the amount of money involved with this claim, it's likely the insurance company will conduct an investigation using in-house SIU (special investigations unit), law enforcement and the NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) to determine if the owner may have intentionally swamped the car due to financial or personal problems.

Check out Empire State College which is part of SUNY (State University of New York) and is fully accredited. They offer a BS in Human Resources which can be completed on line. Degrees can be earned on campus or totally on line. Tuition is affordable...less expensive than many in state brick and mortar universities. Current tuition for both NY state residents and out of state residents is $207 per credit hour plus some nominal fees. My niece graduated from their brick and mortar campus a few years ago. She's now a security analyst for Dow Jones working on Wall Street. Link to their online/distance learning site: http://www.esc.edu/esconline/online2.nsf/h...nelearning.html

Exactly. They're photo props. If you flip through my family's photo albums, you'll see... 1) My uncle as an infant propped up on the sofa with a pipe in his mouth looking at the Wall Street Journal 2) My brother as an infant propped up at the dining room table holding a royal flush poker hand with a cigar in his mouth 3) Me as an infant swaddled up and laying inside a large commercial washer at a commercial laundromat and my mother acting like she's putting coins in the money slot to start a load of wash 4) My sister as an infant propped up behind the wheel of the family car (while parked in the driveway, of course) 5) Me as an infant swaddled in a green blanket and laying among the cabbage heads growing in my grandfather's garden (the original cabbage patch kid...LOL) 6) My sister as a toddler wearing my mother's high heels, a fox collar and rhinestone tiara. I'm sure there are many more that I can't remember offhand. OMG...how we all managed to grow up without severe emotional scarring can only be attributed to a miracle! Get over it people...they're photo props!

I've used the discount codes a few times from this site with success: http://www.rentalcodes.com/

A Godparent has no legal rights or responsibilities to a child. Being a Godparent is a religious relationship. Many Godparents are also relatives. Any rights a relative Godparent would have would be because they are a relative, not because they are a Godparent.

19+ year automobile insurance adjuster here. If it's a valid plate, your insurance company will be able to locate it through ADD123 or Accurint as long as the insurance company has a commercial account with either ADD123 and/or Accurint, and a legitimate business reason to access the information (insurance company investigating a motor vehice accident is a legitimate business reason). Autotrack is another locator/info verification application used in the industry, but is not always as up to date. If the plate is not found by your insurance company representative, it's either not a legitimate plate or the person keying the information into the ADD123, Accurint or Autotrack application made a typographical error in doing so. Before you can ask, sorry, but no...I cannot run the plate for you as I am not specifically investigating the accident you were involved in and have no legitimate business reason to do so. Good luck! Driver's Privacy Protection Act below: Drivers Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. §2721 et. Seq.) PROHIBITION ON RELEASE AND USE OF CERTAIN PERSONAL INFORMATION FROM STATE MOTOR VEHILCE RECORDS Sec. 2721. - Prohibition on release and use of certain personal information from State motor vehicle records ( a ) In General. - A State department of motor vehicles, and any officer, employee, or contractor thereof, shall not knowingly disclose or otherwise make available to any person or entity:( 1 ) personal information, as defined in 18 U.S.C. 2725 ( 3 ), about any individual obtained by the department in connection with a motor vehicle record, except as provided in subsection ( b ) of this section; or ( 2 ) highly restricted personal information, as defined in 18 U.S.C. 2725( 4 ), about any individual obtained by the department in connection with a motor vehicle record, without the express consent of the person to whom such information applies, except uses permitted in subsections ( b )( 1 ), ( b )( 4 ), ( b )( 6 ), and ( b )( 9 ): Provided, That subsection ( a ) ( 2 ) shall not in any way affect the use of organ donation information on an individual's driver's license or affect the administration of organ donation initiatives in the States. [*](b ) Permissible Uses. - Personal information referred to in subsection (a) shall be disclosed for use in connection with matters of motor vehicle or driver safety and theft, motor vehicle emissions, motor vehicle product alterations, recalls, or advisories, performance monitoring of motor vehicles and dealers by motor vehicle manufacturers, and removal of non-owner records from the original owner records of motor vehicle manufacturers to carry out the purposes of titles I and IV of the Anti Car Theft Act of 1992, the Automobile Information Disclosure Act (15 U.S.C. 1231 et seq.), the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), and chapters 301, 305, and 321-331 of title 49, and, subject to subsection ( a )( 2 ), may be disclosed as follows: (1 ) For use by any government agency, including any court or law enforcement agency, in carrying out its functions, or any private person or entity acting on behalf of a Federal, State, or local agency in carrying out its functions. (2 ) For use in connection with matters of motor vehicle or driver safety and theft; motor vehicle emissions; motor vehicle product alterations, recalls, or advisories; performance monitoring of motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts and dealers; motor vehicle market research activities, including survey research; and removal of non-owner records from the original owner records of motor vehicle manufacturers. (3 ) For use in the normal course of business by a legitimate business or its agents, employees, or contractors, but only -(A ) to verify the accuracy of personal information submitted by the individual to the business or its agents, employees, or contractors; and (B ) if such information as so submitted is not correct or is no longer correct, to obtain the correct information, but only for the purposes of preventing fraud by, pursuing legal remedies against, or recovering on a debt or security interest against, the individual. [*](4) For use in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative, or arbitral proceeding in any Federal, State, or local court or agency or before any self-regulatory body, including the service of process, investigation in anticipation of litigation, and the execution or enforcement of judgments and orders, or pursuant to an order of a Federal, State, or local court. [*](5) For use in research activities, and for use in producing statistical reports, so long as the personal information is not published, redisclosed, or used to contact individuals. [*](6) For use by any insurer or insurance support organization, or by a self-insured entity, or its agents, employees, or contractors, in connection with claims investigation activities, antifraud activities, rating or underwriting. [*](7) For use in providing notice to the owners of towed or impounded vehicles. [*](8 ) For use by any licensed private investigative agency or licensed security service for any purpose permitted under this subsection. [*](9) For use by an employer or its agent or insurer to obtain or verify information relating to a holder of a commercial driver's license that is required under chapter 313 of title 49. [*](10) For use in connection with the operation of private toll transportation facilities. [*](11) For any other use in response to requests for individual motor vehicle records if the State has obtained the express consent of the person to whom such personal information pertains. [*](12) For bulk distribution for surveys, marketing or solicitations if the State has obtained the express consent of the person to whom such personal information pertains. [*](13) For use by any requester, if the requester demonstrates it has obtained the written consent of the individual to whom the information pertains. [*](14) For any other use specifically authorized under the law of the State that holds the record, if such use is related to the operation of a motor vehicle or public safety. [*](c ) Resale or Redisclosure. - An authorized recipient of personal information (except a recipient under subsection (b )(11) or (12)) may resell or redisclose the information only for a use permitted under subsection (b ) (but not for uses under subsection (b )(11) or (12 ). An authorized recipient under subsection (b )(11) may resell or redisclose personal information for any purpose. An authorized recipient under subsection (b )(12) may resell or redisclose personal information pursuant to subsection (b )(12). Any authorized recipient (except a recipient under subsection (b )(11)) that resells or rediscloses personal information covered by this chapter must keep for a period of 5 years records identifying each person or entity that receives information and the permitted purpose for which the information will be used and must make such records available to the motor vehicle department upon request. [*](d ) Waiver Procedures. - A State motor vehicle department may establish and carry out procedures under which the department or its agents, upon receiving a request for personal information that does not fall within one of the exceptions in subsection (b ), may mail a copy of the request to the individual about whom the information was requested, informing such individual of the request, together with a statement to the effect that the information will not be released unless the individual waives such individual's right to privacy under this section. [*](e) Prohibition on Conditions. - No State may condition or burden in any way the issuance of an individual's motor vehicle record as defined in 18 U.S.C. 2725(1 ) to obtain express consent. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit a State from charging an administrative fee for issuance of a motor vehicle record. Sec. 2722. - Additional unlawful acts ( a) Procurement for Unlawful Purpose. - It shall be unlawful for any person knowingly to obtain or disclose personal information, from a motor vehicle record, for any use not permitted under section 2721(b ) of this title. ( b ) False Representation. - It shall be unlawful for any person to make false representation to obtain any personal information from an individual's motor vehicle record. Sec. 2723. - Penalties (a) Criminal Fine. - A person who knowingly violates this chapter shall be fined under this title. (b ) Violations by State Department of Motor Vehicles. - Any State department of motor vehicles that has a policy or practice of substantial noncompliance with this chapter shall be subject to a civil penalty imposed by the Attorney General of not more than $5,000 a day for each day of substantial noncompliance. Sec. 2724. - Civil action (a) Cause of Action. - A person who knowingly obtains, discloses or uses personal information, from a motor vehicle record, for a purpose not permitted under this chapter shall be liable to the individual to whom the information pertains, who may bring a civil action in a United States district court. (b ) Remedies. - The court may award -(1) actual damages, but not less than liquidated damages in the amount of $2,500; (2) punitive damages upon proof of willful or reckless disregard of the law; (3) reasonable attorneys' fees and other litigation costs reasonably incurred; and (4) such other preliminary and equitable relief as the court determines to be appropriate Sec. 2725. - Definitions In this chapter -(1) ''motor vehicle record'' means any record that pertains to a motor vehicle operator's permit, motor vehicle title, motor vehicle registration, or identification card issued by a department of motor vehicles; (2) ''person'' means an individual, organization or entity, but does not include a State or agency thereof; (3) ''personal information'' means information that identifies an individual, including an individual's photograph, social security number, driver identification number, name, address ( but not the 5-digit zip code), telephone number, and medical or disability information, but does not include information on vehicular accidents, driving violations, and driver's status. [1] (4) ''highly restricted personal information'' means an individual's photograph or image, social security number, medical or disability information; and (5) ''express consent'' means consent in writing, including consent conveyed electronically that bears an electronic signature as defined in section 106(5) of Public Law 106-229

I recently required major surgery and was hospitalized 7 days. I had a morphine pump the first 4 days after surgery. I did not experience any mental effects from the morphine. I wish it would have made me "stoned" so that I could have managed the pain better or at least not cared...LOL!

Systemax shareholders update: http://syx.client.shareholder.com/released...eleaseID=385725

If there is a mortgage on the unit, the lender would require the individual unit owner to maintain their own insurance which would include personal liability. I certainly can't speak for all policies, but the master policy with my HOA does not cover the individual unit owners personal liability for damage to other units.

I am speechless! Full story here: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/06/Pri...61561241619399/

Yes it involves 2 separate phone numbers, and what a pain in the butt it was! You get twice the telemarketing calls and twice the wrong numbers. It nearly drove me insane, and I cancelled after one month.

Comp USA is still in business? Besides, they have (or at least used to have) a very limited selection. But they were good if you need something on the fly. Tiger Direct (a SystemMax company) purchased CompUSA in 2008 and re-opened some of the best performing CompUSA stores...including 3 in the Tampa Bay area where I live. The outside signage used to have a Tiger Direct banner underneath the CompUSA regular store sign. I've noticed they've recently taken down the Tiger Direct banners outside, but there are still references to Tiger Direct inside the stores. The CompUSA website also used to say "CompUSA powered by Tiger Direct". Now it just says CompUSA. I asked an inside sales manager why they were removing the Tiger Direct references and he said it's simply because most people are more familiar with CompUSA and the Tiger Direct signs were confusing to some consumers. Although their selection is small, their prices are the best...at least locally. News on the Tiger Direct acquisition of CompUSA here: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2008/0...tigerdirect.ars http://consumerist.com/351677/tigerdirect-...-compusa-stores

Don't know who your FIOS provider is, but Verizon installs a battery backup as part of the standard FIOS package. It's about the size of a shoebox and is installed next to an electrical outlet on an outside wall. I have a plant in front of mine hiding it from view. From Verizon: http://www22.verizon.com/Residential/FiOSInternet/