rich-c: test
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to George rich-c: hello George George: Hi Rich rich-c: hows life down in Philly today? George: crazy rich-c: in short, as usual, you mean? George: i guess rich-c: how is the weather treating you? George: achy rich-c: that sounds like cold and damp with precip coming George: mus b George: must be rich-c: we have it fairly sunny at teh moment and temp up to almost 40 George: fingers skipping out on me rich-c: it happens to all of us - you'll notice mine can't spell the George: it just did rich-c: that's because I distracted their attention and slipped it by them George: my birds went crazy and woke me at 3:00am. rich-c: tomorrow should be decent but for Monday they are quoting high 12F and low -8F George: i don't know what spooked them rich-c: you have some budgies or something, don't you? George: yes 3 George: 2 born here George: the mom died rich-c: your budgies breed, then - interesting rich-c: maybe you should trade the offspring for an unrelated pair George: i didn't think both babies would survive rich-c: are you going to credit good luck or your good care? George: their happiness rich-c: I guess that adds up to good care rich-c: I am extremely worried about our wild birds here rich-c: normally my feeder is a playground and needs refilling every 48 hours rich-c: this winter one filling is lasting three weeks and more George: they have strong vibrant personalities rich-c: never had a cage bird myself but I gather they do show individuality George: very much so rich-c: since many at our feeder are regulars, even in teh normal crowd some stand out rich-c: we have had some sort of disaster with teh local chickadees rich-c: usually there is a steady relay all day long between our neighbour's crabapple tree and our feeder George: our complex installed guads to keep the wild birds from nesting now we have no wild birds rich-c: I havent seen or heard a chickadee since late October rich-c: the city's Christmas bird count only turned up 29 - in 200 square miles of city George: not good rich-c: we should have English sparrows, house finches, chickadees, cardinals as regulars in quantity rich-c: irregulars are bluejays, nuthatches, woodpeckers, the odd robin, goldfinches and some others George: abundant wildlife is sign of a healthy area rich-c: you are right and I am very concerned about our environmental health rich-c: right now teh crows should be so noisy you can't avoid them anywhere - instead none to be seen or heard George: lack of wildlife scares me rich-c: even teh flocks of pigeons seem to have taken a big hit rich-c: yes, it is getting me increasingly worried too rich-c: we are seeing our squirrels but not as often, and havent seen the racoons for months George: it was nice to see some hawks a few years ago rich-c: I have a growing suspicion that teh West Nile virus is far more fearsome than we have noticed so far rich-c: Wesst Nile is supposed to be especially deadly to crows and bluejays, but it looks like we're losing everything George: well with the human population it was bound to be spread sooner or later rich-c: I gather birds, not humans, are teh vector for West Nile George: no, humans bring the stowaway mosquitos rich-c: nevertheless we have had a lot of human cases (known) including fatalities that are now into triple digits George: just as they brought the zebra mussels on ships rich-c: likely right, since few if any birds migrate across the Atlantic rich-c: we have a big stink here now as the confirmed fatality figures are getting totalled up rich-c: the greenies are dead set against spraying against mosquitos rich-c: and teh local board of health has a number of left-wing greenies on it rich-c: there is a suspicion they have been downplaying teh risk instead of owning up to the hazard George: had a big flap about letting Brits in over mad cow rich-c: yes, until they had it cleared, every one coming here from England had to walk through a dish of disinfectant rich-c: there were all sorts of rules about clothing and how it had to be handled rich-c: didnt matter when it just affected cows, but when they found it could jump to humans, that was something else George: i went fda.gov and got the Canadian food service rich-c: I can't guess how that might have happen3ed rich-c: the Canadian one should be hc.gc.ca/food or something similar George: the pages must be crosslinked rich-c: yes, maybe you accidentally hit a link while the page was loading rich-c: all Canadian government sites are basically gc.ca George: how can you tell? the way the US government sets up their webpages rich-c: well, gc. of course is teh equivalent of your gov. rich-c: at least when paired with teh ca. national domain rich-c: then major ministries get a division, eg ec = environment canada, thus ec.gc.ca gets it George: you go to the US site for nutrition labels and you get a page on car tires rich-c: well, they would likely be in the same administration rich-c: you likely just clicked on a link adjacent to the one you wanted George: HUH? rich-c: where it comes to rules about labelling, they may all get lumped together in one department' George: they aren't even related rich-c: rules is rules, doesnt matter what they govern rich-c: if there's an agency charged with administering all rules, they will have links adjacent on their website, most likely George: how many people eat tires? rich-c: probably some agency essentially responsible for consumer protection rich-c: means regardless of product, you complain to one place when someone breaks the rules or things go wrong George: FDA only deals with food and drugs solely rich-c: that would be my expectation; maybe they have ads for other services on their site? George: we are supposed to have separation of agencies rich-c: just because they can't poach on one another's turf doesnt mean they can't talk to each other rich-c: it isnt a constitutional thing like teh separation of church and state, after all George: that comes under the heading duplication of services which is forbidden under US law rich-c: it's likely a principle of administrative law and may relate to states rights, but I dont think it is applied too rigidly George: that was phased in under Reagan rich-c: the states have teh right to tell the feds to butt out if they try to take on a duty reserved to teh states rich-c: yeah, sounds like some stupid Republican doctrinaire thing George: it has nothing to do with states rich-c: as I mentioned, it may also restrict turf wars between federal agencies rich-c: but it does not mean that agencies with parallel duties cant cooperate in areas of common interest rich-c: for instance, separate agencies set teh safety and emission standards for cars rich-c: but they liase on certification methods and standards and documentation George: Colorado enacted an antigay law the US supreme court stck it down saying the State had no right to enact laws that dimish the US constitution. rich-c: yes, the Bill of Rights is a part of teh Constitutiion and so federal authority rich-c: you have two areas of conflict - peer to peer and subordinate to superior George: that's why i can't get liheap because i get SSI and that would be a duplication of service rich-c: what is liheap? George: it is an energy assistane program George: assistance rich-c: is it a state or federal program - assume it helps with your heating bills George: yes rich-c: in short, you can't get a bonus since it's already rolled into your SSI George: i got several rejection letters rich-c: well, SSI is assumed to give you all you need to live under reasonable expenses rich-c: the liheap is for people who have problems but don't get help like you do George: even though i comes from the State of PA. Yet i can still get rent rebate rich-c: you expect politicians and bureaucrats to be consistent, even make sense? George: even when i have rent assistance rich-c: you probably shouldnt be getting that, either - I'll bet that's what Bush and his buddies would say rich-c: I'm surprised if you get rental assistance they don't cut back on your SSI to match George: they sent it having full disclosure of the rent assistance as i declared it. rich-c: no doubt eighteen months down teh line some burteaucrat will discover he's made a mistake George: this is now 12 years rich-c: then he'll demand a refund, all at once, with interest - and your SSI will be stopped till the "debt" is repaid George: they were fully informed rich-c: guess then all that you can do is cross your fingers and hope no one notices rich-c: maybe they were informed; you think they'll admit that? rich-c: and even if it was their mistake, that wont let you off the hook George: welfare did the same thing and tried to collcet but the judge said i made full disclosure and welfare could not have the money back rich-c: you actually beat teh government on a money matter? I'm impressed George: sometimes it works if you keep your nose clean and honest rich-c: it should work that way but my experience is that it rarely does George: i alway make it a policy to stay in strict accordance with regulations rich-c: don't we all, but unfortunately political people respect what serves their interests, not the law or what's right George: the welfare queen didn't George: she took the system to the cleaners rich-c: politicians hate anyone who is on welfare for any reason, however legitimate George: and she got hardtime for it rich-c: I am surprised they didnt try to frame you - or maybe your beating them in court stopped it rich-c: doesnt mean I dont knw about welfare cheats - I've met a couple rich-c: and yes we have them and prosecute them, sometimes viciously George: my fater told welfare to go to hell and got thrown out of the program permanently rich-c: guess he didnt know how to fight the system George: it messed up his medicare rich-c: bureaucrats dont make mistakes, its all your fault rich-c: if you dont believe it just ask them George: olny when the judge tells them then they do admit mistakes rich-c: you're getting the message George: at least they have to me rich-c: of course if teh bureaucrats were trustworthy and conscientious, you wouldnt have to go to court George: just having they admit they were wrong is good enough for me rich-c: I am not about to suggest this was merely a small victory George: at least then they come clean rich-c: but you need citizens and lawyers and courts that will stand up to them rich-c: "for evil to triumph it is only necessary that good men do nothing" George: and Nixon must have had a guilty reactive mind to resign or he would have fought it as Clinton did. And i think he may have prevailed rich-c: you obviously have no idea whatsoever as to teh nature of their misbehaviour rich-c: Mixon was a crook and essentially a traitor to the Constitution and his oath of office rich-c: Clinton was simply a guy who got caught doing what most politicians and many other men do in their private lives George: oh, so you have some juicy morsels rich-c: what do you mean? everyone knows Clinton had zipper troubles, but so what? George: no, he was just getting it stuck rich-c: oh - I see what you're getting adid you know there was an academic study done of "A sexual profile of men in power"? rich-c: i5t wasp ublished some time ago; you can find it in teh Library of Congress catalog George: send me the vidoes rich-c: anyway, the findings were simply that top dogs in business and politics are generally sexual rogues, often with kinky tastes rich-c: if you want that sort of video, George, just boot up Google and search "sex" George: i could only think of what Bush is doing in the Whitehouse George: i got to take the filter off rich-c: the point is, the so-called "impeachment" of Clinton was a cheap political trick based on a perversion of the US justice system rich-c: you don't know what Bush is doing and would likely be shocked if you did George: i'm filtered rich-c: so turn the stupid filter off - I don't know why you stand for it in the first place George: just like what they are doing to the public library rich-c: given teh number of kids using teh library computers, they likely need "Net nanny" or something rich-c: not that the kids would be shocked, they'd just nevr getbthe work done the computer was provided to do George: grand dadies use them too rich-c: yes, they should really provide unfiltered computers for adults rich-c: but there would have to be some awfully severe time rationing then George: how do you think they got to be grand dadies? rich-c: not by sitting staring at a computer screen, I reckon George: no putting pics into practice rich-c: I suspect it was just a matter of doin' what comes naturally George: that too rich-c: especially since when grandparents wre busy starting teh process, there wre no computers George: no but they weren't far behind rich-c: oh yes they wre - I doubt if there are many if any porn sites that started before 1993 on the 'net George: and older people were some of the first people i saw using computers George: not kids rich-c: the general rule until teh last year or two has been that the elderly don't use computers rich-c: that hass changed very drastically over teh past 36 months, but I was a freak in my age group for years rich-c: when I retired in 1990 the Board still hadnt decided my library needed a computer even for administration rich-c: and few teachers had computers of their ow and hardly any students had home access rich-c: general access to computers is strictly a phenomenon of the last very few years George: i think my great aunt at age 90 was the first person in our family to use a computer rich-c: seriously good for her, but hugely unusual rich-c: most friends and neighbours my age still dont have them George: she took to it fast rich-c: probably found it did good things for her rich-c: anyway I see it is getting late and I can smell dinner cooking George: and my father won't look at a computer rich-c: got to go down and choose the wine to go with it rich-c: its white meat so white wine which will need chilling George: ok, have a good dinner rich-c: you too - see you on Wednesday, I trust? George: yes, bye for now rich-c: OK, bye
rich-c left chat session George: poof
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