Cigarettes aren’t causally related to every kind of cancer. They are causally related to almost every kind of cancer, but there are a few cancers whose risk does not appear to be increased by smoking cigarettes.
Way back in my high school days I worked at the “NICE” restaurant in town, dinners avaraging $13-15 each (back in the mid-80’s). This was in Central Florida. You wouldn’t believe what a mess it was when you went into the back through those big swinging doors, though. I started as a dishwasher and was amazed at the stuff that would go on. One thing I remember specifically is one night when a customer ordered a fish entree, and the head chef realized that all of that fish was still in the freezer. He went out to the freezer and got it. He then unwrapped the fish and threw it into the utility sink full of hot water that I was soaking ALL OF THE DIRTY DISHES IN. The fish floated on top of that disgusting hot water for a few minutes until the chef came, yanked it out, rinsed off all the attached stuff (remnants from everybody else’s dinners), and set about preparing it. I lost a little of my naivete that night. And that head chef, along with everybody else in the kitchen but me, got stoned every night out back. Then they’d all walk around, giggling and smiling while I was busting my ass cleaning dishes.
After seeing how the kitchen operated it was hard to go out front and see all the people dressed in their nicest clothes, couples having romantic nights out, the bigwigs in town impressing clients and stuff like that, knowing how disgusting the stuff on their plates really was.
…but DAMN, those plates were clean!
I work in a medical lab, doing genetic testing. I’m happy to be able to say that we honestly don’t have any dirty little secrets. Everyone I work with genuinely cares about making sure patients get the best possible results as quickly as possible. Sorry.
Just one quick comment/nitpick on netscape 6 and LordVor’s little disagreement.
I’m gonna say you’re both right.
In the sense that “hooking up” means plugging the components in so that they’ll work, netscape 6 is right. A DVD player has the various type of outputs which you much sort out and connect to your TV’s various options and also often connect it to a receiver as well. A Hard Drive and Rom Drive only require a IDE cable and power supply that do not vary and very rarely can be plugging in in correctly.
In the sense that “hooking up” means a complete install, a Rom drive is tougher due to the likelyhood of having mouting issues, driver issues, and the occasionally tricky cabinet access and layout and motherboard arrangement. I have a old IBM Aptiva whose case was a virtual Rubik’s Puzzle the first time you tried to open it. LordVor’s assessment of the DVD setup leaves out the comparable factors in a typical entertainment center. The entertainment centers cabinet layout and placement can certainly create some serious set up problems that far out match the trials of getting into a tower case. Especially a built-in recessed one or a large heavy oaken one pushed against the wall.
However, my final adjudication weighs in LordVor’s favor based largely on the evidence that netscape 6 does not proofread or use caps.
gavel bangs
I used to work in advertising.
A couple of things: most advertisers have no respect for a) their clients, and b) their target audience.
To expand:
a) This disrespect is usually justified. Advertising is usually a ghastly battle between the client and the agency. Many clients bypass any marketing thought - they think in terms of all the product’s features, rather than of the individual, single benefits granted to a consumer by the product. They are also often unaware that making the brand “stick” in the mind of the consumer can be far more useful than expounding on the details of the hard work that the company has been performing for aeons - because frankly, who cares? They’re too close to the wood to see the trees. Hence the need for an advertising agency. Problem is, they’re often not prepared to listen to the very agency they’ve employed. They often see the ad agencies as nothing more than glorified graphic designers. They usually suck.
However, this battle can prove useful, as many of the advertising creatives would crawl up their own egos if given free rein, and end up with creative masturbation that doesn’t promote the product, rather than a decent campaign.
Finally, most creative departments prepare several pitches. The key ones are “the one we are going to go with”, and “the mediocre one we’re going to present first to fool the client”. The reason: the client will almost never accept the first thing they see. They’re also egotists, and they want to prove to themselves and/or their bosses that they’ve had some input into the campaign. Thus the account manager deiberately presents something reasonable, but half-assed. The client says “could it be a little more… I dunno… Hmmm?” The account director says “OK, good point, we’ll go off and think about it”. They then go back to their office, put their feet on the desk, play basketball with bits of rolled up paper, and return to the client a couple of days later with the pitch that they’d originally thought of. “Wow!” says the client. “That’s just what we wanted!” This is a way to get past the battle without having one’s ideas compromised.
b) The agencies think in terms of both the target’s actual socioeconomic circumstances and their self-perception (and aspirations). This is immensely patronising, though effective. Advertising a trashy wine to people who are on the lower end of the strata but aspire to the really tacky end of the jet-set can lead to immensely tasteless advertising. But who cares as long as it shifts units? To exemplify how little respect many agencies have for their consumers, I leave you with the following overheard exchange in an agency - the ad was for a soap powder. The eventual TV commercial was of two women discussing how white their whites were after using the soap powder. The Creative Director was overheard by someone I know to say “Ah, just run a 2CK.” He asked what a 2CK was. The guy replied (obscenity warning):
Two cunts in a kitchen.
Soylent Green is made from… well… people.
In the awful case that someone you love dies suddenly and unexpectedly at home, if you want an autopsy done, the medical examiner will do one if you ask for it. It will be free. It will be fast. You will still be able to have a funeral. You will still be able to have the casket open to see the loved one. The report will be free.
If you don’t want one done, push not to have it done, and it will probably not be done. (Homicides excluded, don’t even ask.)
sultana, is that related to your work? What do you do? It sounds fascinating. (That sounds like sarcasm, but it’s not.)
Yes sultana, that does sound fascinating!
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you forgot one important part. The part where you spend the time hooking it up with your face pressed against the tv cabinet, and hunched over in just the right way to make your spin crawl out and picket you for unsatisfactory work conditions while that @!$%#^! s-video cable will not line up just right to go in. but maybe thats just my experance though.
[quote]
Important personal tip: That complicated, solid oak entertainmnt center will look much less attractive when you have to more it to dump your latest gagdet in. Spare yourself the trouble. OPut your TV in a back and away rom where guests don’t come and forego the niceties.
I have my tv on a metal desk and dvd, satillite, gamecube, ect stacked up next to it. The desk is placed so I can easily walk right behind it. My mom however has this big wooden caninet monstrosity-esc sort of thing. When she needs something hooked up guess who has to go over and hook it up? sigh
It’s hard to believe a piece of wood of could drive me to want to cuss and drink.
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- The grocery store where I work at has a “special” trashcan near the front doors of the store that you can put used platic bags in, that has a poster on it with a “recycling” sort-of-logo and some line about “caring for the environment”. When the special trashcan gets full, somebody takes it back and empties it into the regular trash dumpster, with everything else. I asked guys working at a couple other stores, some even collect egg cartons too, and they said that they do the same thing. There is no local sorted-recycling available, and no recyclers will pay anything for the stuff.
…All the local stores do recycle cardboard, but they don’t have a bin out front for that, because the recycler only wants unfinished paper–short-fiber unfinished paper, like brown cardboard and grey paperboard. Other finished papers like typing paper, magazines and even newspapers make the recycling process more difficult, and since sorting the stuff isn’t economically feasable, they don’t accept paper from the general public at all.
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- The grocery store where I work at has a “special” trashcan near the front doors of the store that you can put used platic bags in, that has a poster on it with a “recycling” sort-of-logo and some line about “caring for the environment”. When the special trashcan gets full, somebody takes it back and empties it into the regular trash dumpster, with everything else. I asked guys working at a couple other stores, some even collect egg cartons too, and they said that they do the same thing. There is no local sorted-recycling available, and no recyclers will pay anything for the stuff.
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Absolutely correct. To add some more about this scam:
The money usually comes from the charge for pictures. Most people fall for this scam for babies. Babies don’t need pictures - they change so fast that they are worthless. Casting directors care a lot more about how the baby behaves when away from its mother than they do about looks - almost all babies are cute. Even older kids don’t need head shots to start - my daughter got a job with a picture taken by a friend.
The scamming agent says they will send your kids picture to casting directors. They do this, but you can do it yourself. Casting directors and agents will look at all pictures that come in, just in case.
When it comes time to get pictures taken, the real agent or manager will recommend several photographers, and scrupulously not push one over another.
Sometimes the crooked agent refers to a kid who got a job through them. This does happen, but check to see i the kid is still represented. These guys know nothing about representing working kids, and the parents soon switch to someone real.
There is an organization of legitimate managers, but you don’t even need to consult the list in most cases.
The next time you eat out, check the underside of your plate. Any dishwasher worth their brown vinyl apron should make sure that there’s nothing nasty clinging to the bottom. I’ve worked with dishwashers that are clearly not apron-worthy.
It’s also worth noting that most consignment stores have very specific policies about the cleanliness of the clothes they take. However, if there are no obvious spots or stains and there is no obvious stench, we cannot tell that a garment has not been laundered. If you buy things secondhand, wash before you wear.
It’s very easy to make a convincing counterfeit of a hologram–convincing to the naked eye, at least. Most people don’t even know there are two different VISA dove holograms. Just because there’s a hologram on a credit card, certificate, or CD case doesn’t mean it’s legitimate; only a machine can tell you whether the hologram you’re looking at is exactly the same one you’re looking for.
In the defense, it is the machine guns that kill. The rifles just protect the guns.
In the attack, destroy their machine guns and they can no longer defend.
Never put a soldier alone on the battlefield. There are a lot of good reasons for this, but the main one is, it is a very, very scary place.
Thanks, Liirogue and Dung Beetle. I’m a forensic pathologist. I am the one who would be doing the autopsy.
Sorry to the list for brief hijack.
That really sucks, Skydive. We badly need laws to protect people against this sort of thing. But I was just wondering: Are you sure the jobs are going to Mexico? Mostly, they send jobs like this to places where there is a pool of highly literate, low paid people like in India. Not that it matters much to you.
I felt justified in doing this because a DVD player functions just as well (in some cases, better, because of airflow issues) sitting on a table, or on top of the entertainment center as it would inside the entertainment center, while a DVD-ROM drive would vibrate itself to the unreadable if you try to use it without mounting it to the case.
But I see your point, as I imagine that netscape 6’s mother would not accept such a solution.
I am quite sure that that is the first time I have ever, ever, in my life, won an arguement because of my spelling.
I also agree that installing a DVD-ROM drive is not usually a job worth $50 and (worse) trusting your computer with a bunch of techies for an afternoon.
-lv
If you talk to an air-conditioning guy and he starts telling you that he can’t drop his price any further, what he’s saying is that he’s not going to make a 25% profit.
Same applies to electricians.