Sunday morning recap
I ranted the other night about drunk drivers. In the news late Saturday was an item from Nevada. The state that probably has more drivers under the influence at any time per capita, than any other state. The 18 year old driver of a SUV struck the back of a van with seven members of one family inside of it. Five of the seven were ejected when the van rolled over. Five of the seven died. The two survivors are both in critical condition at this hour. The driver of the SUV and his passenger survived. Beer bottles were found in the SUV.
Five lives wasted because someone got behind the wheel while too drunk to drive. That's the conclusion I'm leaping to and I'll apologize if some evidence comes to life to disprove my conclusion. But it reminded me of a case that took place when I was living in Las Vegas and working at the news radio station. A cocktail waitress for a hotel/casino had gotten off the graveyard shift, had too many drinks and then ran down and killed a five year old boy. She was sent to prison but was released after serving too few years. Is there a sentence that's long enough for depriving parents of their child permanently? There was no clear intent to kill the boy, but the intent to put him in danger is obvious.
Regular theater, 3D or IMAX 3D? That's the question for me in seeing "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and the answer is regular. Not worth the extra bucks for this one. How many of you know, without looking it up, the origin of the term "G.I."? I'll give you a hint. There's at least one school of thought that says it doesn't stand for "Government Issue".
The L.A. County Sheriff's office wants to prosecute Justin Bieber for spitting on one of his neighbors. I wonder if he had a cup of the Lindsay Lohan Kool-Aid. He seems to be spiraling out of control. If he's as big a jerk as he's being portrayed in the media, it's well-deserved. Big IF though.
There's an article out today about some things you should never put on your credit card. I happen to agree with one of them. Income tax bills. It's tempting. Make Uncle Sam or Uncle Moonbeam just go away by charging the bill. But the "processing fee" added by the outside vendor that handles your payment will add two to three percent to the bill. Then, unless you've got a great credit card with a low interest rate, you'll be paying more than you would have by getting a payment plan with the IRS or Franchise Tax Board. Explore that alternative first before saying "charge it".
Want to claim deductions for your dog? The stock answer is you can't. But there are some interesting exceptions to this. One is if you are caring for a "foster" pet (dog or cat in this case) on behalf of a legitimate, recognized charitable organization. Another is if your pet is a service animal, or a guide dog. The last one is really unusual. If you get a dog to provide security at your place of business, expenses for the care of that dog may be deductible. But don't try deducting your chihuahua as a guard dog.
This Date in History:
On this date in 307, Constantine marries Fausta, since he had divorced his wife Minervina.
On this date in 1492, Queen Isabella issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering the Jewish and Muslims under her rule to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.
On this date in 1889, the Eiffel Tower is officially opened.
On this date in 1909, construction on the doomed HMS Titanic begins.
On this date in 1918, Daylight Savings Time goes into effect for the first time.
On this date in 1931, Knute Rockne and seven others die in a plane crash.
On this date in 1951, Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the U.S. Census Bureau.
On this date in 1985, the first WrestleMania was held in Madison Square Garden. The main event featured Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in a tag-team match against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
On this date in 1992, the USS Missouri was decommissioned. Does anyone reading that immediately think of a particular Steven Seagal movie?
On this date in 1995, Selena was murdered.
Famous Folk Born Today:
Rene Descartes
Johann Sebastian Bach
Joseph Haydn
Octavio Paz
Cesar Chavez
Lefty Frizzell
Gordie Howe
Liz Claiborne
Miller Barber
Richard Chamberlain
Shirley Jones
Herb Alpert
Barney Frank
Christopher Walken
Gabe Kaplan
Al Gore
Rhea Perlman
Ed Marinaro
Angus Young
Pavel Bure
Five lives wasted because someone got behind the wheel while too drunk to drive. That's the conclusion I'm leaping to and I'll apologize if some evidence comes to life to disprove my conclusion. But it reminded me of a case that took place when I was living in Las Vegas and working at the news radio station. A cocktail waitress for a hotel/casino had gotten off the graveyard shift, had too many drinks and then ran down and killed a five year old boy. She was sent to prison but was released after serving too few years. Is there a sentence that's long enough for depriving parents of their child permanently? There was no clear intent to kill the boy, but the intent to put him in danger is obvious.
Regular theater, 3D or IMAX 3D? That's the question for me in seeing "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and the answer is regular. Not worth the extra bucks for this one. How many of you know, without looking it up, the origin of the term "G.I."? I'll give you a hint. There's at least one school of thought that says it doesn't stand for "Government Issue".
The L.A. County Sheriff's office wants to prosecute Justin Bieber for spitting on one of his neighbors. I wonder if he had a cup of the Lindsay Lohan Kool-Aid. He seems to be spiraling out of control. If he's as big a jerk as he's being portrayed in the media, it's well-deserved. Big IF though.
There's an article out today about some things you should never put on your credit card. I happen to agree with one of them. Income tax bills. It's tempting. Make Uncle Sam or Uncle Moonbeam just go away by charging the bill. But the "processing fee" added by the outside vendor that handles your payment will add two to three percent to the bill. Then, unless you've got a great credit card with a low interest rate, you'll be paying more than you would have by getting a payment plan with the IRS or Franchise Tax Board. Explore that alternative first before saying "charge it".
Want to claim deductions for your dog? The stock answer is you can't. But there are some interesting exceptions to this. One is if you are caring for a "foster" pet (dog or cat in this case) on behalf of a legitimate, recognized charitable organization. Another is if your pet is a service animal, or a guide dog. The last one is really unusual. If you get a dog to provide security at your place of business, expenses for the care of that dog may be deductible. But don't try deducting your chihuahua as a guard dog.
This Date in History:
On this date in 307, Constantine marries Fausta, since he had divorced his wife Minervina.
On this date in 1492, Queen Isabella issues the Alhambra Decree, ordering the Jewish and Muslims under her rule to convert to Christianity or face expulsion.
On this date in 1889, the Eiffel Tower is officially opened.
On this date in 1909, construction on the doomed HMS Titanic begins.
On this date in 1918, Daylight Savings Time goes into effect for the first time.
On this date in 1931, Knute Rockne and seven others die in a plane crash.
On this date in 1951, Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the U.S. Census Bureau.
On this date in 1985, the first WrestleMania was held in Madison Square Garden. The main event featured Hulk Hogan and Mr. T in a tag-team match against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
On this date in 1992, the USS Missouri was decommissioned. Does anyone reading that immediately think of a particular Steven Seagal movie?
On this date in 1995, Selena was murdered.
Famous Folk Born Today:
Rene Descartes
Johann Sebastian Bach
Joseph Haydn
Octavio Paz
Cesar Chavez
Lefty Frizzell
Gordie Howe
Liz Claiborne
Miller Barber
Richard Chamberlain
Shirley Jones
Herb Alpert
Barney Frank
Christopher Walken
Gabe Kaplan
Al Gore
Rhea Perlman
Ed Marinaro
Angus Young
Pavel Bure
posted by me at 8:19 AM
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