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Mary

Member since: Oct 2nd, 2006

Mary's Latest Comments

Blog Activity
Blog# of Comments
Gadling2 Comments
That's Fit3 Comments
Switched2 Comments
Asylum2 Comments
WalletPop1 Comment

Recent Comments:

Ultimate Downloads For Your Computer 4 (Switched)

Oct 12th 2008 2:42PM openoffice.org

Lost in Translation: Awkward Signs from Around the World (Asylum)

Apr 30th 2008 2:10AM Okay, something happened to my second comment. Maybe it’s partially published? I’ll start over.
Re misunderstandings: the favorite British/American seems to be occasioned by young British men telling American women they’ll “knock them up in the morning” (as in, knock on their doors).
Re ellipses: Traditionally, if material is left out before the end of a sentence, it’s . . . with space after each dot. But the material left out may begin at the end of a sentence, as here. . . . In that case, the first dot is actually the period of the sentence. (My authorities, aside from my own editing background, are Turabian, and the Chicago Manual of Style; and if I remember rightly, also the style guidelines for the APA and Harvard law.
But usage is changing; these days, it seems more usual to omit the spaces between the periods. Another example, e.g., is “eg” w/o the periods or the comma, and the same for i.e.
As for spelling: In my opinion, it’s got nothing to do with intelligence, and not too much with education, either. I would guess it’s related to visual memory, possibly on a continuum with photographic memory.

Lost in Translation: Awkward Signs from Around the World (Asylum)

Apr 30th 2008 1:20AM My two favorite signs: 1) on 128, around Boston: Rte 95 N above (or maybe it's below) Rte 93 So
2) on Shelter Island, NY: As you come down a hill to a few feet from the bay, the road ends at a perpendicular road along the water. The sign ahead of you -- on the far side of the road (in front of the water): "dead end."

Spending down debt: The best way to pay depends on your goals (WalletPop)

Mar 16th 2008 1:41AM Not everyone who owes has used their credit irresponsibly. Sometimes circumstances change -- illness, disability, support payments not paid, loss of job, and more.

You can go to Senators and other elected officials for help, including lowering student loan payments. Also try CCCS (reputable group), but you need something to pay with each month.

You can also contact creditors on your own. They would rather have something than nothing! If you just can't, then --

NOTE THIS: after 7 years, IF you pay NOTHING, it should be off your credit record. If not, you can request it be taken off -- seven years after you last paid. (Bankruptcy takes 10 years to come off the record -- but cards love to extend credit if you bankrupt, because you can't do it again for 10 years, so you have to pay.)

They will still contact you! -- but pay nothing, and if they harrass you complain to the state atty. general. Also, give them no info about your current situation.

Not a pleasant result, but if you really have to . . . especially if you have children to feed and keep a roof over their heads. And eventually, with just a bit, you can rebuild credit again -- maybe start with a secured card, store card, gas card. Be sure to pay on time, always, even if only the minimum or by phone.

Do double-check this info, in case it's out of date.

And for everyone who ends up on public support -- disability, welfare, whatever -- keep your pride. And remember, part of why you and your parents have paid taxes is so you will have this support if you need it.

Taming bad breath (That's Fit)

Feb 21st 2008 12:26AM ooth-whitening toothpaste does erode tooth enamel. That is why it
is not ADA (American Dental Association) recommended. You should
look for toothpaste with the ADA

I don't know about baking soda, but you could check toothpaste w
baking soda. If it doesn't have the seal, then I'd avoid baking soda
until you can ask your dentist.

Taming bad breath (That's Fit)

Feb 20th 2008 11:55PM Tooth-whitening toothpaste does erode tooth enamel. That is why it is not ADA (American Dental Association) recommended. You should look for toothpaste with the ADA

I don't know about baking soda, but you could check toothpaste w baking soda. If it doesn't have the seal, then I'd avoid baking soda until you can ask your dentist.

The 88 most unhealthy food items (That's Fit)

Nov 2nd 2007 9:37PM I hate AOL for many reasons.

In this case, the headline is "88 food items to avoid." Had they said it was an article on fast food with trans fats, I wouldn't have looked at it. In any event, there are not 88 food items of any sort here.

Slum Tourism (Gadling)

Oct 16th 2006 6:03PM I have been to a country w great poverty (El Salvador). I went to help, indirectly. I took many photos of the poverty, as well as learning more about that country and what living there is like. The photos were to remind me, and to show others. I gave "report-backs," workshops, and still use it as an example, and help in the small ways I can.

Yes, by all means, photos are a good idea. But remember, in most countries you really need to ask permission to photograph individuals. It's rude, upsetting, and demeaning not to -- even turns people into objects.

There is a documentary on James Nachtweg (I think I have it right), a photojournalist who focuses on poverty. It focuses on five of the places he documents. It's devastating -- especially the people in Indonesia living next (4 inches away, say) to railroad tracks, and the people working in sulphur mines, which look like hell incarnate. Another good film is "Stolen Childhoods" -- which includes some of the migrant labor in our country.

People in these situations don't get aid, and most work as hard as they can to get by, in any way they know of and can. Our own USAID does not make microloans, and has increased the size of the firms they deal with. What happened to direct aid?? I want lots more foreign aid, but used to help people rather than to buttress the power of uncaring and even repressive govts.

(BTW, I'm what you call "pc." Hope it doesn’t invalidate my experiences.)

Seven Kinds of Travel Stories You Should Be Able to Tell Before You Die (Gadling)

Oct 2nd 2006 4:46PM Late 60s, Europe -- depended on where, but 1) awful or no toilet paper and 2) "toilets" sometimes holes in floor (e.g. the public toilet in an apartment building in Milan).

Been to El Salvador recently -- lots of folks so poor, no toilets probably and sometimes no homes. (Some open sewers in the capital.) As for water, many people in the capital don't have any. But guest places have cold-only showers and toilets w seats.

As for guides: El Salvador is so dangerous (repressive politics (right-wing)w feisty opposition (left-wing), poverty, guns, desperation, etc.) that if you want to see a volcano, the National parks will provide free guides! You're not supposed to go alone.