You probably hear something along these lines quite often:
“‘So he’s like, what’s up?’, and I’m like, ‘none of your business’, and he’s like, ‘yes it is!’”.
Since when does the word “like” mean “said”?
It’s the grammatical equivalent of wearing pajamas to the mall.
Now, why are strippers referred to as “exotic dancers”?
The definition of “exotic” is: “native to another country; foreign; alien”; or, “strikingly, excitingly, or mysteriously different or unusual”.
The definition of “erotic” is: “of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire”.
So, when a stripper is dancing, removing her clothing in a suggestive manner, which is it? Is she acting like she is native to another country (what country?); or is she “tending to arouse sexual love or desire”?
That’s a rhetorical question. It’s an erotic dancer, you idiot.
Maybe it is because of the dumbing down of America. For example, why people confuse the words “insure” with “ensure”. And why people say, “I could care less”, when they meant, “I couldn’t care less”.
You know what the BBB is, right? They call themselves the “Better Business Bureau”.
Here is my truthful experience with the so-called “BBB”. Because this is truthful, they cannot sue me for libel or defamation.
1) I am a business owner in Northwest Indiana.
2) I received a “spam” (unsolicited email) from the Northern Indiana BBB, inviting me, a business owner, to become a member.
Now, why did I receive an email from the Northern Indiana BBB? Why didn’t I get an email from the BBB of Northwest Indiana? Interesting story.
From what I understand, there was a BBB of Northwest Indiana, based in the city of Gary. They were endeavoring to move their offices to Michigan City. A building owner offered to rent them the building, and he paid tens of thousands of dollars to do so. Then the BBB of Northwest Indiana reneged on the deal. A lawsuit ensued.
Here is the story from the local newspaper, the South Bend Tribune, May 9, 2007:
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START OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
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BBB owes $50K
By Yavonda Smalls, The South Bend Tribune
Building owner doubts he will ever get paid
The Better Business Bureau of Northwest Indiana Inc. admitted in court last week that it does, in fact, owe local businessman Arnold Besse for a failed lease agreement Besse had signed with the BBB.
Besse isn’t holding his breath until he gets the money, though.
“I could’ve asked for a million bucks … they’d agree to anything because they don’t have it to pay,” Besse, owner of Prince Galleries, 726 Franklin St., said Wednesday. “It takes a lot of nerve to do what they did.”
Besse found out last week that LaPorte Superior Court 4 Judge Robert Boklund judged in Besse’s favor and that the Better Business Bureau owes him $50,000.
He has been fighting the BBB for more than a year. He entered into a lease more than a year ago with the then-head of the BBB’s Northwest Indiana division, Morris Cochran, to rent an office in the 700 block of Franklin Street.
Besse owns the building, which is the home of his art gallery and WIMS Radio.
Cochran brought in local contractors to refurbish the office and retrofit it to accommodate the BBB office, which he said was moving from Merrillville to become a regional office encompassing Lake, Porter, LaPorte and possibly St. Joseph counties.
The BBB exists to keep business from taking advantage of customers.
When nearly $40,000 in work already had been done to the office and more than $10,000 remained, Cochran was fired from the BBB, which said it was consolidating its Northern Indiana divisions into the Fort Wayne office.
Besse’s Michigan City attorney, Bill Nelson, said Wednesday that the Better Business Bureau didn’t contest the court case and, in a surprise move, stipulated to the amount Nelson had asked for, which he said included the cost of the work already done as well as missed rent.
“They said we don’t agree, but we know we have a problem,” Nelson said Wednesday. “We set a trial date and when we showed up to set the date, they instead admitted judgment. Then we sent a letter on what we felt the judgment should be and, two days before the hearing, they told me if I put together the paperwork they’d sign it.”
The judgment was for nearly $50,000, and will likely grow to over that amount as it goes unpaid, Nelson said. The BBB has contended in the past that it isn’t responsible for Besse’s situation because Cochran was a contract employee.
Besse said he needs an additional $10,000 to take the office to the point it can be rented to someone else. He paid the contractors’ bills last year to keep them from placing a lien on the building.
He’s resigned himself to the fact that he probably won’t receive a cent of the settlement. Nelson said he didn’t know if the BBB has the authority to pay the judgment, but said he doubts it.
“I don’t know if the operation has finally shut down completely, but I’ve been told there are no assets,” he said, noting the irony he sees in the whole mess. “The Better Business Bureau did to (Besse) what they exist to stop others from doing,” Besse said.
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END OF NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
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So, anyway the BBB of Northwest Indiana eventually dissolved, from what I understand, and was taken over by the BBB of Northern Indiana.
3) Back to my story: I apply to become a business member of the BBB, and sent them my $400. I was told a time frame as to when the approval would take place (two weeks).
4) Three weeks passed, no word. I call my contact (Diana Bookmiller). She was in a meeting, so I left a polite voicemail.
5) No response. After a few days, I call again. Again, she was in a meeting, so I left another voicemail. In this voicemail, I said that if I did not hear from her soon, I wanted my membership dues ($400) refunded!!!
6) A few hours later, I got a response from her. I wonder why? Why did she respond then, but not respond with my first call? Anyway, she told, me by application was “being reviewed”, and I would hear from them in a week or two.
7) Again, three weeks passed. I called my contact. Again, she was in a “meeting”. I asked to talk to her supervisor. He, too, was in a “meeting”. I asked to his supervisor. He, too, was in a meeting. I continued up the feeding chain this until I got to the head honcho (Michael Coil) of the Northern Indiana BBB. But, he, too, was in a meeting.
8) I then continued a series of nasty, nasty emails and faxes, trying to get their attention, trying to get them out of their endless meetings, telling them that I just wanted my money back. ALL THEY HAD TO DO IS TO DO WHAT THEY PROMISED IN THE TIMEFRAME THEY PROMISED. Instead, I just go the proverbial “run-around”.
9) If that was too much to expect of them, at least they could have given me a “heads up” and let me know that there would be a delay.
10) And even if THAT was beyond them, at least they could respond to my calls; I shouldn’t have to use threatening voice mails, faxes and emails to get their attention!
AM I BEING UNREASONABLE?
11) Eventually, I did get my membership application back, although the BBB kept my $50 application fee.
MORAL OF THE STORY
In my opinion, the BBB is a scam. I have read many, many other anecdotes on the web. Here is what I have gleaned:
1) If your business is a member of the BBB, you will always get a good rating which potential customers will see.
2) If not (that is, if you do not cave in to their [in my opinion] extortion tactics to become a business member)… good luck with that.
SUMMARY
Better Business Bureau? Right. Caveat Emptor.
On the acclaimed website, SmartMoney.com, you will find the article: Is the BBB Too Cozy With the Firms It Monitors?. Here you will find the interesting statement:
“Instead of pronouncing a firm ’satisfactory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’ in its reliability reports, the bureau is now issuing a new label, ‘accredited,’ that any business can obtain by becoming a BBB member. Council CEO Steven Cole says the business will still have to meet certain standards, but a number of chapter presidents expressed concern that disturbed companies could use the label to hide problems.”
So the CEO of the Better Business Bureau corporation says that [accredited members] will still have to meet certain standards.”. What standards? That they will have to pay their membership dues on time?
The BBB needs to stop whitewashing the public and come forward with what their real agenda is.
The last statement is entirely rhetorical. In my opinion, I believe I know what the BBB’s real agenda is: to protect the BBB’s bottom line, to assure maximum income for the principals involved (whether it be money or a shiny Mercedes-Benz).
In my opinion, despite their “warm and fuzzy” reputation, the BBB is not working in your real interest. Neither the hard-working businessman nor the hard-working consumer, just trying to find value in his hard-earned dollar, will find any value in the skewed opinions of such an organization.
’nuff said.
I’m sure you know people who have thought, “How in the world could the Germans (during the Nazi years) have ignored the fact that the Jews were being rounded up? Why didn’t they stop it?!?”
Yet the same thing begins here in America. Arizona passed a law where the police can interrogate people who even appear to be here illegally. “Show me your papers”, the police will say. Imagine it with a heavy German accent, like a 1950s movie, if you wish.
So what are you doing to stop this?
This is the proverbial “camel’s nose under the tent”: let a camel stick his or her nose under your tent, and the next thing you know, you have the entire camel in your tent.
What is next? Rounding up Muslims? Rounding up non-Christians? Rounding up non-Protestants? Rounding up non-Catholics?
There is strong precedent for this happening in this so-called “land of the free and the home of the brave”:
Don’t try to deny any of this. You will just end up embarrassing yourself.
“However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” — George Washington
“The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the public counsels and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasional riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions.” — George Washington (farewell address)
“I hate political parties. They stifle reasonable debate, they foment hatred and division and they invite corruption and influence. And they consistently put party loyalty ahead of the interests of the Republic.” — George Washington
It is hard to argue with these statements. What was true well over 200 years ago is true today. No one can deny it. It is not just the Republicans stifling the plans of the Democratic administrations of Clinton and Obama; the Democrats did the same thing under the Republican administration of Bush.
I do have to add something to the debate. I am sure this issue is not localized to my area (northwest Indiana), but it sure is a problem here: during general elections, there is a campaign to just “Push 10″, which means to vote for all of the Democrats running in the election. Kind of a way to exploit the laziness of the common voter. And a great way to vote in incompetent and/or questionable people, who managed to squeak by with a plurality of the vote during the primaries.
A couple of cases in point here in my area:
1) an elected Democratic judge, who, in my opinion, looks (and acts) like a redneck at best and a retard at worst. She allegedly shot herself in the head while drunk during a domestic squabble, slightly injuring herself, then tried to use her influence to get the cops to look the other way. It didn’t work. Charges were filed.
2) One fellow, who unsuccessfully ran under the banner of the Libertarian Party, then suddenly switched to the Democratic Party. Guess what? He won the election to the oh-so-coveted (yet anachronistic) post of Township Trustee.
Were these people put into power by the pernicious leverage of the “Push 10″ movement? It is hard to prove. But, if so, is this a tactic for drunks and Libertarians to get into mainstream office? Relying on the apathy and/or ignorance of voters?
What a sad commentary for the noble concept of Democracy.
Yes, we love to wring our hands at the activities and beliefs of the “evil” Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
But did you know that there was an American Taliban? Yes, it is true. But it is not Islamic, it is Christian.
Just as Islam has its militant, lunatic fringe, so does Christianity.
We have seen its actions in the assassinations of abortions doctors and the bombing of abortion clinics. I, too, am opposed to abortions, but not using violence to stamp out violence.
The “Christian Reconstructionist” movement in America rears its neo-Fascist head. Google it. Wikipedia it. It is the Christian version of the Islamic Taliban, forcefully fomenting its ideals upon others.
The government does not know the true unemployment rate!
How could they? Do they interview every single man and woman to determine their employment status? No, of course not: they base their figures solely on people who are currently filing claims for unemployment. This figure does NOT include those whose unemployment benefits has expired; those who are just entering the workforce and cannot find work (high school and college grads; persons recently discharged from the military; divorcees just entering the workforce); and those who were never eligible for unemployment (self-employed whose businesses have failed, seasonal workers).
Politicians and political apologists should stop using this “unemployment rate” number to their own advantage. I recall during the Bush administration, during the re-election campaign, Rush Limbaugh did just this. I do not recall the published unemployment rate at the time. I think it was 8.2%. Limbaugh counters with something along the lines of “that means 91.8% of the country is employed! That is not so bad!”.
This is a clear example of people using and misusing the “unemployment rate” to further their own twisted agenda.
If you ever read posts online (and I am sure you do; you are reading this post, right?), you will see that atheists, so vocal in their anonymity, are always referring (rightfully so!) to the hypocrisy and nonsense of the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam and Judaism).
Yes, the Abrahamite religions are rife and riddled with narrow-mindedness and encouragement to violence. No one can deny this.
These atheists incorrectly assume that theistic philosophy is wholly owned by the Abrahamites. But this is far from the case. I recall the 60s pop guru, Alan Watts, mentioning that one can be spiritual and mystical, yet still be an atheist. Yet there are strong theistic philosophies in the East that reject the violent, intolerant and exclusivist views of the Abrahamites.
Bottom line: the Abrahamic religions give theism a bad name.
The Abrahamic religions are notorious for their violent streaks.
The Christians had their Crusades and the Inquisition, Salem Witch Trials. These are just the tip of the iceberg. For a comprehensive list, please visit http://notachristian.org/christianatrocities.html. Yes, Christians have toned down a lot of their violent rhetoric lately. Why is this? Did they find something in their Bible that they didn’t notice before, condemning violence? No, of course not. They toned down their violence because they do not have the power they once had. Instead of converting people by force, they must now show a “warm and fuzzy” side to win over converts. Although the Christian Reconstructionist Movement wants to bring a Christian Theocracy into power in the United States… an American Taliban, if you will.
As for Jews, their Bible is overflowing with atrocities. See the Dark Bible’s section at: http://www.nobeliefs.com/DarkBible/darkbible3.htm. Then there is the large number of death penalties. From collecting firewood on the Sabbath, to allowing a non-Jew to enter the Temple, death to them all. At least 26 different “crimes” are listed in the Jewish Bible that call for the death penalty. Many more death-worthy behaviors is mentioned in the Talmud.
And Muslims? They seem perfectly at ease with killing each other, what to speak of their concern for infidels.
So what is the common link?
Well, these three religions are referred to as Abrahamic Religions for a reason: all three spring from the patriarch Abraham.
And what is the defining moment for Abraham? When the biblical god tells Abraham to sacrifice his own son. And Abraham complies.
In other words, god asks, “Will you kill for me?”. And the followers all proclaim, “Yes!”.
As soon as a child is of school age, the parents should be slapped with a recurring bill for that child’s education. If they want the “joys” of raising children, they should accept the responsibility for it. As it is now, in most states, property taxes foot the bill to fund the public schools.
Why should someone who decides not to have children, or who homeschool their children, or who send their children to a private or parochial school have to foot the bill with their property taxes?
I’ve heard people say that not having children is selfish. Which is the most laughable thing I have ever heard.
Having children is selfish. All parents want to do is see little reflections of themselves running around. All they want to do is to live vicariously through their children. Which is the epitome of selfishness.
First and foremost, health insurance should be for illness or injury only. Absolutely nothing else. Make this limitation, and the cost of insurance should drop. And it would drop, if the profiteering insurance companies were to do the right thing.
But as it is, almost all insurance covers items besides illness or injury. Pregnancy and childbirth is a classic example. Pregnancy is not a disease. Childbirth is not an injury. Why should the other policy holders have to chip in (via insurance premiums) just because a couple felt the urge to reproduce? It’s not like there is not enough people in the world!
Did you ever notice that there are no cures for diseases anymore? There are only treatments. Got high blood pressure? Sorry, we can’t cure it, but we can treat it! Just take this pill for the rest of your life. Got high cholesterol? Sorry, we can’t cure that either, but we can treat it if you just take this other pill for the rest of your life. The list goes on and on and on. All of the commercials you see on TV for pharmaceuticals (and there are plenty of them) are all for treatments, not cures.
Why is this? Because if a patient is cured, there is no more money coming in to the drug companies. But to treat someone for life assures a regular source of income and profit.
I was listening to the radio one day, and this fellow was talking about his time on Wall Street. He ended up quitting when he realized that he was profiting from others’ misery.
It came to a head on September 11, 2001. You remember that day, right? Anyway, his colleague turns to him and says, “Gosh, it is terrible about what happened, but believe you me, we’re going to make a (financial) killing off of all of this!”. Upon hearing that statement, the protagonist of that story left the financial world for good.
I’m surprised that he was surprised at this epiphany. Futures markets make money on the misery of others. Orange crops fail due to a freeze? Sure, farmers are wiped out, but orange prices rise and speculators get rich off of this. There are many other examples of this. But I think you get the picture.
Sure, speculators can’t control the weather, so they aren’t really guilty of making the farmers fail. But why do they get to profit? It is the farmers who assume the risk, and get little reward.
But who is to say that speculators can’t control other events, using wheeling and dealing, to make a profit off of the suffering of others? For example, selling arms to a nation that threatens another nation, wiping out the other nation’s coffee crop, sending coffee prices rising, and pure profits for the speculator.
People point out that “capitalism works”. But it is a sad commentary in that the reason capitalism works is because it relies on the greedy nature of mankind.
The United States Military needs to reinstate the draft.
Why?
Because a draft is more fiscally responsible. Or “less fiscally irresponsible” is a more correct phrase to use.
Sure, the U.S. government just loves to piss the people’s money away. From bailing out bankers and incompetent car companies to wasting money in war, the government doesn’t care. Remember when the U.S. sent $12 billion in cash (in shrink-wrapped $100 bills) to Iraq, and the money just disappeared? Just another day at the office.
With a draft, the government wouldn’t have to pay recruits top dollar, plus offer them a free education, just to attract new recruits. The savings would be enormous.
Because it is socially responsible. As it is now, most of the recruits are from the lower rungs of society, unable to find work, and join out of desperation. That just isn’t right, to have the sons and daughters of the poor to do the dirty, dangerous work for the rest of us.
Because it would prevent wars. With a draft, with the sons and daughters of the rich and powerful (the so-called movers and shakers) joining the ranks of the military, maybe we, as a country, would be less inclined to race to war. It’s one thing to let the poorer classes be the cannon fodder for a nation, another thing if Brad and Buffie Harrington were to start coming home in flag-draped coffins. There would be sad faces in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
But the U.S. will never have a draft again. Because our representatives lack the testicular fortitude to see it through.
Representative democracy, especially as is known here in the West, is at best a farce, and at worst, evil.
If a Republican is in power in the White House, then the Democrats want this President and his policies to fail. Democrats gleefully cheered on the demise of the failed WMD in Iraq and the economic collapse.
If a Democrat is in power in the White House, then the Republicans want his President and his policies to fail. Witness the events surrounding Obama and the Republicans’ efforts to stymie him.
Bottom line: the Representatives and Senators of Congress are more concerned with the good of their party than the good of the United States.. That is a sad and pathetic comment to make, but it is true.
The representatives are in the pockets of lobbyists and special interest groups.
The only solution to this nightmare is 1) Term limits and 2) forbid representatives from receiving gifts and/or donations from special interest groups and other lobbies
The Dalai Lama is a Flesh-Eating Veal Lover
According to his own official website, “the Dalai Lama is not necessarily a vegetarian, at least not outside Dharamsala.” The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (May 15, 2007 edition) (and many others) reports that the Dalai Lama loves to eat veal: this so-called incarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, valuing his taste buds over the suffering of others, unable to control himself, just loves to devour veal, the most cruel of foods.
He claims in his own autobiography (Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama) that he experimented with vegetarianism, and found it highly spiritually satisfying; but then claims that he needed to eat meat to follow his so-called “doctor’s” orders (for Hepatitis B). Yet authentic doctors recommend that someone with liver disease should minimize meat-eating. And there is no nutrient in meat that cannot be found in a vegetarian diet! There is no disease in which the treatment requires the eating of meat! And even if there were such a disease, at least show a little moral fortitude and eschew eating the most cruel of meats, veal!
Buddhism (and Hinduism) teaches us that “giving up something you love” is beneficial for spiritual advancement. It does not teach us to “give up something you hate”… everyone does that.
Even better, live up to your teachings that selfish, temporary sensual gratification is a major cause of suffering in this world, and give up meat-eating altogether.
Becoming a vegetarian is not a great sacrifice. Millions around the world have done so, even for selfish reasons such as for their own health. Why not you?
We understand that vegetarianism may be difficult to practise when living in Tibet, high in the barren wastelands of the Himalayas. But elsewhere, where grains, vegetables and fruits are in abundance, there is no excuse to choose cruelty over compassion.
I remember the first time I heard a reference that Jews swung chickens. “Oh, right”, I thought. Just another urban myth, like Jews having horns. But it turns out this “myth” is absolutely true and active here in 21st century America. PETA (the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is currently working on shutting down the cruel chicken-swinging centers (14[!] at last count) of New York City.
Even worse than voodoo, believe it or not, is the absolutely cruel, hideous and utterly barbaric Jewish “tradition” of Kapporot, which entails swinging a live chicken or rooster around oneself (no doubt painfully breaking wings or legs in the process), in order to relieve the swinger of his own sins, before being ritually killed, saying, “This is in exchange for me, this is instead of me, this is my atonement. This rooster (or hen) shall go to its death, and I shall enter in and go to a good, long life and to peace.”
I am utterly confused as to how causing the excruciating pain, suffering and death to another sentient living entity relieves the sins of the one causing the suffering or death of the other. How does one atone if one does not suffer? Don’t put the suffering on an innocent if it didn’t sin!
There is some major irony here, as well: the tormentor wants to be released of his or her own sins, yet commits a horrific sinful act in the process. Go figure.
Then there is also the utterly selfish action of causing the suffering of another (”this rooster or hen shall go to its death”) for the sake of the happiness of the tormentor (”and I shall enter in and go to a good, long life and to peace”).
Please note that kapporot is not an obscure ceremony, practiced only by a few hardcore wackos or the lunatic fringe. There are over 14 kapporot centers in the New York City area alone, according to an online article from JTA, “The Global News Service of the Jewish People”.
Them chicken swingers.
Ain’t they grand?
Swingin’ them chickens
With their hands.
I’ll admit it, I voted for Obama.
Once upon a time, I was ambivalent. Although I usually vote Democrat, I thought John McCain was a good, honorable man, by far the most reasonable of the Republicans. I would have been happy if he were to win. Then he announced that the bubble-headed Sarah Palin would be his running mate. Given McCain’s advanced age (he would have been the oldest President elected, ever), there would be a strong possibility that the Vice President would someday be in charge. But a winking, grinning, “you betcha” VP appointed as President? No way, in my book.
So, for the first time in my 50+ years, I put up yard signs and bumper stickers announcing my support for a political candidate. And I was glad he won.
But what has Obama accomplished? It took him TWO WEEKS just to pick out a dog.
He has accomplished NOTHING. And this is with a “super majority” in Congress! The Democrats have complete control over both the House and the Senate. And he has accomplished nothing. And he has no excuses.
Yes, he barely got a watered-down “Health Care Reform” bill passed. Bottom line, this bill eliminates the problem of uninsured Americans by making it illegal to NOT have insurance! Great solution.
He sure is a good talker, that’s for sure. But that is it. This country needs doers, not talkers.
For many, many years, I always understood that “Islam” meant “submission”.
Yet I remember Dubya Bush saying that “Islam” meant “peace”.
So which is it? Did the Arabic to English Dictionary get changed somewhere along the line?
I have noticed lots of news stories where Muslims are at the heart of killing. Even killing each other. What is that?!?
And in history, we see the barbarity of Muslim fanatics against the Sikhs and the Hindus. The history of India during the Mughal Empire is rife with horrendous atrocities that make 9/11 look like a walk in the park.
Please explain.