Richard D

I keep getting spam from http://echo.topnotchgifts.net/ - yahoo hosts this site. They spam like crazy and are a known scam. Yahoo bounces abuse complaints, and I can't see any area to complain about this issue. Anyone know where to send a complaint?

Example: I'm in Cook County, Illinois. My taxes went up almost 40% this year. I filed an appeal. They reduced the increase by 1%. So I had a net 39% increase. At the same time, my home value dropped almost 22%. They are not talking about dropping the home-owners exemption - that saves me around $2200 a year. If that happens, I'll be paying $700 per month for a 1300 SQFT home with a teeny-tiny yard.

My income is down - thanks to the "changed" economy. Business has dried up. The county's tax base is not producing, so they nail the homeowners. This effects everyone. Rent? Look for a huge rent increase. Mortgage? Look for a large monthly payment increase.

Are my taxes too high?

Oh yea.

Ever had a bad meal but still answered "fine"? Or do you answer honestly? I recently had a really bad meal at a local restaurant - as did everyone else at our table. We complained to the waitress. We complained to the manager. The result - too bad, that's what you ordered. The chicken was like leather, the soup cold. The waitress did a great job, but the food was inedible.

We charged it and told the manager to expect a chargeback - I did file a complaint, and eventually won.

The restaurant went out of business a few weeks later. Was it because of really bad food, declining quality, or because customers never answered honestly? "How was your meal?"

Well, it trully sucked. When did you start serving swill and warm dog treats?

Come on - tip jars at a hot dog stand? Starbucks? Even at a 7-11? Are people just getting greedy, or do they deserve a tip for doing their job?

Wait-staff - I think tips should be based on service, not %age. Great service, great tip. Lousy service, lousy tip. I start at 20% and usually peak at 30%. I'll go as low as a buck for really bad service. I once left 2 cents and a note that they were in the wrong business. I then complained to the manager.

Mailman? Why? He's making $45,000 a year and has fantastic benefits!

What's next? Tollway booth worker tips?

Examples: Someone with a credit score of 500 asks why they can’t get a loan. I answer that it takes a lot of work and screw-ups to get a score that low and that no one will touch him. He files a complaint and I lose 10 points appealing the bizarre removal on the answer (It did not violate any Yahoo Answers policy.) FYI, 1% of the country has a score that low. So, yes, it does take a lot of work to achieve a 500. I used the word “entitlement” in an answer. Another complaint. So it appears that Yahoo sensors honesty. Comments?

The L.A. Times announced they have a tape of Obama sitting down to dinner with a known terrorist - Rashid Khalidi, a known PLO member. Ayres was also at the same dinner.

Sure it's five years old - but here we go again - ANOTHER terrorist supported by Obama.

Yet, as seems to be the typical "hands off Obama", the Times refuses to release it.

Some say the tape shows Obama supporting Khalidi, others says it does not. Let us decide for ourselves!

The Democrats and Obama have spent 300% more on negative ads, have openly hateful ads, and when their ads backfire, blame someone else. Joe the Plumber? Obama supporters are now under investigation by the FBI for releasing private (illegally obtained) information about him in an attempt to discredit him.

Why? He made Obama look bad (as if that takes a lot of work.)

Now Obama claims that the Republican party and McCain have more negative ads - an outright lie. Can anyone give a rational explanation for this behavior?

I don't like either one of them. I think I'll write in Foghorn Leghorn.

Examples:

Palin states "I can see Alaska from my back door" - they send a crew to Alaska and air it for days.

CNN runs a story about Palin's husband having influence over her (Duh, he is her husband.) An hour later, they run a story about him being affiliated with an anti-government group.

Obama - we all know he hung out with home-grown terrorists. Nothing on CNN about it - ever.

Obama - His ties to Soros (elitist anti-civil rights nut), Acorn , Rezco (Crooked Illinois fund raiser) - again nothing.

If Palin or McCain had such affiliations, CNN would be all over it.

Obama's radical minister. I little air play, down-played, then swept under the rug. Did CNN send a crew? Nope. Do any followup? Nope.

Obama's "I was raised in the slums of ..." CNN ignored this as well. He was raised by a wealthy relative in Hawaii. Where's the NCC news crew on this blatant lie?

Then they run a spot on TV coverage of the election. All the Palin and McCain clips they selected were negative. All the Obama clips were positive.

And it goes on. Why not just admit it, and slap up Obama posters all over the CNN studios?!

I've had CNN on for for five hours today. EIGHT anti-Palin pieces, two anti McCain stories. Not a single mention of Obama or his nameless VP.

It's a sad day when FOX news has better and fully unbiased coverage than CNN.

Since you are commander and chief, would it not make sense that you actually understand what it is you are the commander and chief of?

ManSquito? Snakehead Terror? Mad Mad House?

And what's planned for the future? How about these losers: Rise of the Gargoyle, Hellhounds, Swamp Devil , Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon, Malibu Shark Attack, The Immortal Voyage of Captain Drake - all crap!

Cancels StarGate, even though it was still one of the most popular cable shows. Ditto for FasScape.

Dropped the Anime from it's lineup, added it back, then crapped on it.

The only decent series are produced by outside studios, but SciFi tries to eliminate all out of house production. Even the decent shows are milked - BattleStar - what the hell is a "mid season finale?!!"

Sanctuary - some of the worst green screen I have ever seen - almost gives me a headache to watch. Tracking, perspective, lighting - it's all off. And what's with Amanda Tapping's fake british accent? It's too fake and has no point!

It used to be a cool station - now it's just garbage. What do you think?!

Yahoo Answers

Too much time take

from my life

I'm really tired of this double standard. If a Caucasian tried to hold an all white Ms America, or start a White Entertainment Television network, or start the White Only College Fund - what would happen?

One group tried the latter as an experiment. There was outrage, death threats and more.

How can anyone, any politician, any group expect equal treatment when society responds this way?

Has her spacecraft hidden nearby. He knows what's going on, but has little say in the matter. I remember it was pretty funny and had some good fight scenes.

Just think - you could live of the interest, from the interest, from the interest, from - well - you get the idea. What would you do with this obscene amount of money? Be inventive, be greedy, be philanthropic.

Me - Mission to Mars with a lunar base as a stepping stone. The patents on all the new technology will keep it funded for generations.

My sweet tooth is akin' for some Scottish treats!

:)

We're back - as usual - to voting for the person we hate the least. I don't want another four years of bush politics with the Bush clone. I don't trust Obama - his ties to the Weather Underground (U.S. from the 1970's terrorists - this is legitimate and verified) or the fact that he can't answer a simple question without a teleprompter or que cards.

If Perot was running today, he'd have my vote!

I just went to my DVR to watch these - and here I had the Dubya blathering on about how it's not his fault. To little, to late. You've recked the economy, but now you have to ruin my evening TV as well?

Just movies he wrote.... So many to select from...

Young Frankenstein (Frau Blueher!)

Silent Movie

The Producers

Blazing Saddles (One move and the n*****r gets it!)

SpaceBalls (ludicrous speed!)

History of the World Pt.1 (Oh so many - "Hey Torquemada..." "The jig is up...")

Dracula: Dead and Loving It

Robin Hood: Men in Tights

High Anxeity

My favs? Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.

Examples: Verne's 20,000 Leagues. Submarines and Scuba gear, but could not envision wireless communication.

Heinlein - pre 1970: Space travel, aliens, remote control, but did not foresee computers - it was all slide rules and cameras.

Suddenly we had all types of predictions with technology - holograms, weapons, communications, ship design and more. But - all the original ideas seem to be used up - most of the "big" authors just rehash old plot lines. Niven, Weber (especially Weber), King's occasional SciFi are total rip-offs, Stirling and most other modern authors can't seem to think of an original plot to save their lives.

Look at the original thinkers and creators/foundation of modern SciFi: Asimov, Heinlein, Wells, Verne, Shelly, Silverberg, Card, Mathewson - and many more. Wells and Verne invented the genre. Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke perfected it.

When do you think this happened? Can you think of any ORIGINAL modern SciFi?