A quick note: If I answered a question and you have further questions for me, please include a URL link to your original question(s) so that I can be sure of what we're talking about. Questions that reference something we talked about a week ago that I can't quite remember are kinda hard to answer.
Welcome to my column.
I don't apologize for my answers. I speak to the audience, and in doing so I sometimes tell the audience things they don't want to hear or cant handle.
I believe in stands on principle. I believe that doing right for the sake of doing right is a good way to live. I believe in self awareness and encourage it in others. I offer the most unbiased viewpoint I have. And yes, I am only human.
Im going to tell you what I think you need to hear. You are not supposed to take what I say and follow it. You are supposed to take what I say and _think_about_it_
Oh, and feel free to ask me questions, but netspeak, ebonics, terrible grammar, and your teen angst about a crush will be ignored.
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I don't understand. Why are their entire livelihoods dependent upon optional tips? If restaurants paid their waiters more, then yes, their food would cost more, but that would be the real value of their food. Otherwise, people should be completely free to not tip, because it's legal. Unless someone makes a law saying that you must tip, or it's a crime.
I just think it's ridiculous. I'd rather just pay more money for food in a restaurant, and not have to tip unless I really wanted to. Does anyone else agree that it's messed up that the majority of money waiters make fluctuates, and is dependent upon charity?
Why is this allowed? I read somewhere that waiters can be paid like $2.13 an hour, by restaurants. If our culture says you should tip, and I tip a meal that cost $20 by 15%, and end up paying $23, why can't the food just cost $23? Cause now technically a waiter shouldn't get mad if someone doesn't tip since it's a legal thing to do. Unless they want to make it a law that one must tip a certain percentage.
By the way, I do tip, but this unnecessary system just annoys me. What next, Wal-Mart cuts its workers' pay to make their products even cheaper, and we're encouraged to tip their cashiers to make up the difference?
If a waiter gets mad when they don't get tipped they should be mad at their restaurant for paying them so little, and the government for allowing them to be paid so little (link)
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Technically restaurants are required to pay you at least minimum wage. If your average reported tips amounts to less per week than minimum wage by the hours worked then the restaurant has to make up the difference. In practical reality, if you don't make enough to make minimum wage you get fired and replaced instantly.
My question is why do we not have mandatory gratuity everywhere you go. In Europe tipping is for above and beyond service only because they add 15 to 18 percent or even 20 percent service charge to all bills and the waiter is tipped by default. My answer is because people are entitled assholes who enjoy paying as little as possible and restaurants don't really give a fuck about their servers.
Having been a waiter plenty I wish tipping were automatic because it sucks giving someone good service and getting stiffed. As it stands that's part of the job you are expected to accept. Sucks, but no one has the ability to change it.
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(I'll really appreciate if you actually read this before answering, to really understand what I'm saying. and I hope you won't try to attack me in your response, if you disagree with me. Just let me know what you think in a civil way, as I've tried to be here. I'm always trying to become a more tolerant, and compassionate person, in conjunction with having my Catholic faith)
It makes no sense. Marriage can be recognized by the state, and not by a religious institution. I'm Catholic, and if I wanted my marriage (to a man, since I'm straight) to be recognized by the Catholic church, I'd have to have it be in a church. Otherwise, the church would not recognize it. Since a same-sex marriage would not be recognized by most, if not all, religious institutions, I don't see what is threatening about it, at all. You can't say you're accepting of gay people and their relationships, but not want them to share the same benefits married couples have, in terms of their legal rights. It's just hypocritical. This doesn't affect traditional marriage in any way.
Many traditional marriages aren't even tied to any religious institutions, or if they are, may not even be recognized by your own religious institution (like a Presbyterian couple's marriage wouldn't be recognized by the Catholic church, for example). Not to mention, the countless amount of people who violate their wedding vows, even if their marriage is apparently "rooted in their religious faiths". But despite all this crap that goes on, the concept of a religious, sanctimonious marriage is still pure.
Just like, despite all the human errors Christians (and everyone else) have made, I still believe in the concept of Christianity. And we're not supposed to be assholes to other people for having different views. We're supposed to love and be supportive of everyone, no matter how different they are from us. Everyone is facing their own battle. Focus on "the man in the mirror" and work out your own problems. Yeah, I believe my religion is the best, but I try to show that by being a good person to others. All the Christians who blast gay people and everything give Christians a bad name, in my opinion. There's still a lot I have to understand and interpret about the Bible to form my beliefs on things, but this is the point I'm at now. I feel like God would want us to feel sympathy for gay people, and treat them out of love (since I believe it's a natural phenomenon), just like anyone else facing any kind of affliction. I feel bad for saying it's an affliction, too, since I'm sure many proud gay people would disagree would that, but I can't change what it says in the bible. but that doesn't affect how i feel about gay people. a couple of my close friends are gay, as well as some of my most favorite musicians, that I look up to. It really pisses me off when they get flack over trying to find love, in the only way that makes sense to them. if they believe in god, and are good people, i'm pretty sure they can get in heaven just like everyone else, because homosexuality is just like any other sin people do everyday. but by supposedly "good" christians, jews, muslims, etc. constantly blasting homosexuals, all their doing is forcing them away from their religions, which is ironic, because they're supposed to attract people to their religion
sorry for the tangent there, but yeah. i don't get why religious institutions, especially churches, are getting so up an arms about this issue that doesn't affect them one bit. it's especially interesting, as a black girl, that many churches with predominantly black congregations are extra against gay marriage, because it reminds me of when not too long ago, they were marching for civil rights. to be treated equally in the eyes of the law. so much irony, it's crazy
america needs to wake up. don't want a gay marriage? then don't have one. it's your life, do what you want. so much for america being the land of the free, home of the brave. i'm just proud of obama for doing what he did, and hope that his message helps other people to start evolving on this issue too, as I have been, through the years. It's funny though. I say this, my current views, and yet I'm afraid of offending someone in some way (link)
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The first and most crucial answer lies in the concept of Authoritarianism.
For the long version, go to this link, it's a really interesting read http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/
The "whole book in PDF" on the left side is what you're looking for.
What this first part comes down to in most basic terms is that many people are arrogant, entitled, selfish, and judgmental. These four things in combination cause them to believe that they have the right, privilege, and sometimes even the duty to enforce their worldviews upon other people. Through whatever methods they can manage, they endeavor to make other people think like they think, act like they act, accept what they accept, and reject what they reject. It's almost like a massive group insecurity complex where people prove that what they feel and believe is valid by convincing themselves and everyone else they can that everyone who feels or believes otherwise is wrong. "If everyone else but me is wrong I must be right, and if everyone I pay any attention to agrees with me I'm right then too!" basically.
The second part is about religious control. People tend to band together and be motivated when you provide them with a common enemy. Gay people just make for a really convenient common enemy. They're a minority group, they're misunderstood, they want things.
All it took, given the above, was a few well chosen catch phrases like "homosexual agenda" to make it seem like the desire for equal rights was some kind of insidious satanic crusade against the rest of the world and a metric fuckload of lying about everything that has anything to do with gay people and American Christians had a great bogeyman to scare the ignorant masses of their congregations and convince them to participate more readily because "the gay people are trying to gay up your America and turn your children gay and cover the country in pink paint" or something.
Stepping back from that stance even an inch would be basically admitting that the last several decades of anti-gay crusading has all been lies and bullshit. Sure, there are plenty of people who wouldn't care either way because they'd never look at anything involving religion with a critical eye, but there are plenty of people who would step back, realize that they'd been lied too for years, and raise their kids to be skeptical enough of religion that the following would thin even more than it already has.
The third part really boils down to dogs pissing on trees to mark their territory, only with humans and politics and things like marriage. Muslims, Jews, and Christians have been in conflict over Jerusalem for a long, long time. Everyone says "that's my holy city!" and they can't share because having it be two different group's holy city makes it less special in some way that no one can really define but that many people are willing to die over.
Marriage in the US is no different.
You seem intelligent so I'll risk offending you. Your religion is a sham. So is every other religion. I'm not so arrogant as to pretend I know whether or not there is a supreme being (or five billion of them or something) but I can tell you with absolute certainty that the judeo-christian god is a complete and utter falsehood created by man.
It says in the bible that god made us in his image. The truth is that we made God in our image, to impart some level of divinity to human nature as is convenient for people to say "this is right because God says so and there's nothing you can do about it"
For the vengeful, so is God. For the merciful, so is God. For the loving, the hateful, the strict, the bigoted, the charitable, so is God. Religion takes on so many forms because everyone wants God to reflect how they feel about the world and everyone wants to believe that God is more like them than like the other people down the block.
That, and people want to believe that there really is a plan. There is not. The world is arbitrary. Some good people have good things happen to them, some good people have bad things happen to them, some bad people have good things and some have bad things happen to them too. Shit just happens, propelled by the chaos that is human interaction and the universe we live in.
God was our invention because many people simply cannot live in a world where the only things that actually matter are the things we choose to value. They can't handle the unstructured truth that reality is. So they invent an immortal divine person who says that the things they believe are right and throw in an afterlife along the way because hell, who wouldn't love to believe that some part of them is immortal?
I don't expect you to just believe me or anything, but maybe in ten to fifteen years when you're a hell of alot more cynical some of what I just said will percolate back up to the top of your brain.
There comes a point in many religious people's lives (only those above a certain IQ, generally) when they doubt doubts that cannot be dismissed or explained away. They face a choice at that crossroads, to bury themselves in denial and refuse to allow doubtful thoughts to intrude, or to go where those doubts take them and modify their beliefs or abandon them entirely based upon where those doubts lead them.
Here's to hoping you don't take the denial route.
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I know other celebrities of other ethnicities do it too, but black celebrities do it the most. It's so rare that when Viola Davis wore her natural hair to the Oscars, it was greeted with much surprise. Isn't that ridiculous? I'm black myself, with 4c hair, and am starting to leave it in it's natural state, after wearing braids with extensions my whole life, because I've just realized how stupid it is to hide my real hair under this plastic; pretending my hair is something it isn't.
I mean. celebrities can afford the best hairstylists to always have interesting hairstyles with their natural hair. It's just sad that natural hair is often seen as a "trend" or w/e, or just representing the Civil Rights Era, when it's not. I just think if celebrities were to accept and love who they truly were it would be a great inspiration to many other black girls, to embrace their hair. Cause hiding it under weaves and extensions is honestly just a form of self hate, as it's an effort to try and conform to European beauty standards. Not that it's wrong for someone to look like the European beauty standard, I just think that everyone should embrace the beauty they were blessed with, since beauty encompasses many looks - it's not just having (artificially) straight hair.
But since celebrities aren't doing anything to change this notion, it's sticking. I mean, even perms are sketchy, because of all the damage they do to hair. It's not healthy. All this just for a facade. It's just sad (link)
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You hit upon the right answer I think. Conforming to common beauty standards. What it really comes down to is that celebrities do not generally take many stands on principle.
I mean, think about it. Celebrities are who they are because they embrace the status quo, and generally do a lot to appeal to the mass consensus of what a person should be or look like. When Beonce is being touted as the most beautiful woman in the world it's not hard to notice that she is very light skinned for a black woman and has what I guess you might consider to be traditionally white hair.
Society generally goes against the idea of "embracing the beauty you were born with" no matter who you are. Especially if you're a woman. In addition to being more than occasionally racist it's also pretty sexist, as you can look very european but not conform without air brushing and dieting and make up and so on.
Welcome to the world we have created, where beauty is something to be created and refined rather than appreciated in it's natural state. This goes for just about everyone, but black women suffer more for it because the fact is that white sensibilities largely determine what is advertised as beautiful and attractive.
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For a while now I have been selling pills to some of my friends but I have been the "middle man." If my friends ever need pills I normally charge them about $10 or so more because I have been getting them cheap from my big dealers.
Today one of my friends that I have bought pot from a few times asked me for $1,000 worth of pills and I said sure. When we went to my dealers house I went inside to get the pills but I noticed it was kind of sketchy because a lot of people were in their cars outside of my dealers house. I went through with the deal and gave the pills to the guy asking for it and went on my way.
After leaving that location, I was pulled over. The cops searched me, I had nothing. As well as searched the guys I was with, they had nothing. The cop took me in (because I was the guy who went inside and physically got the pills) and questioned me. He asked me about the dealer and all the pills and whatnot and suggested that I snitch on other dealers I know of.......this is where the big question lies so pay attention...... they then said that I had until next wednesday(it is now thursday) to come and snitch to them or else they would send me to jail. When I asked how they could send me to jail they said "they know who I am" and they "knew I was a middle man" and that they "had enough to put me away for 3 years."
Now, is it really true that they can put me into jail because they've "seen" or "heard" my name as a middle man? THey have no proof/evidence and when I was pulled over I had no drugs on me.
ANY HELP IS GREAT. THANKS GUYS. (link)
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Go talk to a lawyer. Like, now.
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What are 3 things you wanted as a kid but never got? (link)
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Loving parents, good advice, and some G.I. Joe mobile command center with missile launchers thing that came out in like 92.
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What is better shaving or waxing your vagina? Whenever I shave my vagina I instantley get red bumps and it gets really itchy! I have never tried waxing my vagina before, so I want you guys appinouns cause I no waxing will be really painful!
(link)
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http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&xhr=t&q=beard+trimmer&cp=7&qe=YmVhcmQgdA&qesig=tzNwGfczajBR12pWIF0GKA&pkc=AFgZ2tn7doB8nZVgkF2Wed9QAPBRj3GniBQnVa8GbJVcKRkNk7-PDLH_REaOeDm2oiRgKjv9o6kb4isNvz-Ko1ArstyGhdRdtw&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1428&bih=853&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=9626223412881229918&sa=X&ei=wQwWTurqHO2EsAKg5uRS&sqi=2&ved=0CIoBEPICMAM
Third option. Beard trimmer. No red bumps, gets almost all of the hair off without leaving you completely bare, generally no irritation at all. There are a billion different versions, get one with a guard so you can put on the quarter inch measurement and just pretend you're mowing a lawn. Works just fine for getting it all gone around the bikini area, just be careful not to let it pinch you.
A mirror is recommended so you can check your work.
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Will i get cut if i shave my u know where
(link)
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If you aren't careful, yes.
Look into beard trimmers. They're cheap, they come with guards (find one that's adjustable so you can set it for desired hair length), they can do almost as good of a job as a razor while sparing you the ingrown hairs and razor burn. Male or female it can be a quick solution to trimming the bush.
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Can you get in trouble if you are at a party or someones house and they are doing like heroine or something, can you get in trouble for just being there?
Just purely curious :)
well actually what if people are just doin pot and I'm there can I get in trouble if the cops come? (link)
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Ultimately, yes, you can. While there are possession laws which are intended to punish specifically those who have and use the illicit substances, the wrong cops in the wrong mood have discretion to claim you were also in possession and to haul you in too.
It varies state to state and I can only speak for US laws, but as an example situation most places have an amount that crosses over from misdemeanor into felony.
In Texas it's 2 ounces of pot. So lets say a friend has a pound of weed you don't know about in his car, the cops can and probably will charge everyone in the car with a felony. They can do the same thing in a house under alot of circumstances.
If it's a smaller amount they can still hit everyone with misdemeanors. MIPs work alot the same way, if you could have been drinking you probably were and are "in possession" even if you don't have a cup in your hand. If there's pot in the room next door the cops can claim a number of people knew about it and were partaking.
The one thing you have on your side here is that I assume you do not actually smoke weed or hang around directly when people are smoking where you might take in a good bit of second hand smoke. If this is the case and you were ever arrested they'd have a hard time proving possession if you volunteer for a blood test. Even if you'd been drinking, an MIP for alcohol is a lesser issue in every state in the US compared to possession of marijuana (excepting states like California where it's pretty much the exact same thing) so you could get the blood test and then just get a ticket had you been drinking.
If you're sober of course there's nothing at all to worry about there.
Something to keep in mind. If you spend time around people who break the law, be aware that cops will pretty much see you as the enemy. Their careers and accolades are based around successful convictions, if they can get ten teenagers for pot instead of just the three or four who are smoking they will most likely do that, even if you had nothing to do with the goings on. Common cop logic is "they were doing x wrong but I can't do anything about that, but I can charge them with Y, so it all works out in the end" and you end up charged with possession and dealing with court dates.
Final note, do not volunteer for a blood test or say anything to a cop, ever, until you and your parents have spoken to a lawyer. Volunteering for a blood test comes after you get bailed out after you get arrested, since alcohol is the only drug that can be out of your blood in 24 hours or less.
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did anyone ever buy condoms online from walmart? do they ship them discretly like in a non see through box or package? i dont want people to see them haha..please answer! (link)
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I really would not suggest having condoms shipped to you. The heat in the back of a package truck in May/June could easily be enough to damage the condoms and put you at risk of using protection which will break the first chance you give it.
Just go to walmart and buy condoms. Consider it a rite of passage, everyone's got to buy protection at some point.
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18/f
I am a somewhat shy girl. I'm not the type of person who likes to stand out from the crowd, and whenever I do, I get shy and embarassed. I blush a lot when the topic is always about me. I feel awkward when i'm the only one talking and a lot of eyes are on me. I get nervous and I just have no confidence in myself. I get dressed in the morning and leave for school and feel so boring. I don't feel pretty most of the time, even though my boyfriend says i'm beautiful. I walk down the hallways and see girls that have so much confidence. For example, there will be girls wearing skirts and heels to school.. i could pull that off but I would have no confidence in myself. Instead of walking with confidence, I would feel shy and awkward.
I guess what i'm trying to say is.. I want to be able to walk in a room with my head up high with confidence and be proud of who I am. How do I attain that confidence in myself?? (link)
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Part of that isn't really about confidence, it's just personality type. You're a wallflower, just like me. In groups, at parties, I'm never the center of attention on purpose.
You want to hear a ridiculous story? In high school I played football all 4 years. Every practice we would go through warm up exercises led by one of the other players. The leader was whoever spoke up first, basically whoever started yelling instructions.
Completely informal proceedings, but if you were leading exercises you were expected to give it some energy to get everyone's blood pumping, start practice off with a little enthusiasm.
Always wanted to do it, never once stepped up and opened my mouth, except once. First game senior year when all the guys who used to do the leading had just graduated the year ahead of us, and there was a five second window where everyone kind of looked around wondering who was going to be the guy who got everyone warmed up and excited.
Never did it again after that, but I'm glad I managed to venture it once. I realized at that point that while I was never going to be someone who wanted to be up in front of a crowd, I wasn't incapable of being there in the first place.
Step outside your comfort zones. Wear some heels and a sexy skirt, and just do it for your boyfriend instead of for everyone else. Step into the role you feel like you want to play sometimes and give it a try. Hell, fail miserably if you have to. You can learn and try again another time, but the experience of stepping out isn't something to be avoided at all costs.
You'll learn a little about yourself and develop some of that confidence you feel you lack in the process. And remember, it's just high school. In a little while you can leave it all behind and become a completely new person again.
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I have a FedEx Drive test scheduled and want to know what to expect or what I should study. I have been driving for 5 years and want to know of anyones experiences even with other Parcel Delivery Companies. Thanks (link)
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What to study?
Make sure you know your local traffic laws. DPS usually has copies.
Other than that, go rent a uhaul truck and drive it all over where ever you're going to be doing fedex. Downtown, dirt roads, etc. They're going to want to make sure you can keep the truck in a lane, make sure you can turn cleanly and obey traffic laws.
It shouldn't be too hard. The biggest pain in the ass is backing up with a small truck like that. Practice stuff like that. Be able to drive a decent sized truck as confidently as you drive whatever car you own.
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I have a Wii, so I could get either one and be okay. I just don't know which one is better. Most everyone says the Wii version is a bit better, but the controls worry me.
Many say the Wii's controls are so awesome and you'll never go back, yet they also say the montion-sensitivity can cause issues at times, seeing as how the wrong movement can cause something completely off to happen. Say, you might want to bash someone with your shield but instead you do a spin attack.
I don't really care about graphics differences, as the only game I've ever played and completed is LoZ: Ocarina of Time.
If I got the GC version, would I need to buy a memory card or would it be stored on the Wii? (link)
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Don't listen to the below, the wii version kicks ass. It takes some time to get the motion controls down but they're easy as hell to use and aiming stuff like the bow with the wiimote instead of with a thumbstick makes a world of difference.
Shooting things from horseback is actually fun on the Wii. Plus, when you're just running around from area to area to go do some random quest you can amuse yourself with the faerie on the screen.
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I remember playing this zombie game with my brother. You play as a zombie, and you can take your hand off, and literally be the hand, then jump on peoples heads and possess them. You can fart and make everyone unconscious for a bit, You can make your head roll, And I can't remember what else. But it was so fun. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Please help. (link)
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Stubbs the Zombie. Or Stubbz. Can't remember if it's S or Z.
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is there an online edition of the TI-84 Silver Edition graphing calculator? from texas instruments?
thanks. :) (link)
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Nope. There are graphing calculators online you can google but they don't have an actual TI online calc or anything that would be similarly easy to use. They make tons of money selling the things to schools, they're not going to put it online for you to use for free.
The ones I found on google were really basic, pretty much just a scientific calculator with a graphing interface. If you need all the features of a TI you're out of luck.
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is the droid incredible..anyone have anything good/bad to say about it? (link)
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I know a few people who own them and they love them as much as everyone I know with an ipod loves their ipod.
It seems like a pretty decent little computer/phone. Hasn't been out long enough for us to know how reliable they are though, when people have had them for a few years we'll get to see if they hold up any better than ipods and such.
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I am moving next month and I wanted to write a letter to a couple of my friends about it so that they will have my new address and phone number handy in the letter. I do plan on telling them in person but I'd like to send them a letter afterward with my information. How can I write a letter about moving without sounding dumb? Do I just say, "Hey, I'm moving...here's my new address! See ya!" lol? (link)
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I'd honestly send a short email. When the direct purpose is to share your new information you don't really need to worry about making it sound like anything but a bit of information they're going to want from you.
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Okay so I'm a college student. Never had a legitimate job, never taken a loan, etc. I want to know if there's any way I could build credit without paying interest? I'm not really to familiar with how credit works so I was wondering if I got a credit card and paid everything off without paying any interest on it or anything, does that still build credit? And also, what credit cards can I get without having a job or any credit? I don't want annual fees or starting fees or anything if possible. I have a fair amount of money and I'm not at all worried about going crazy and getting into debt with a credit card because I am very frugal with my spending so save that lecture please. (link)
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First, your credit rating is a reflection of how reliably people who extend credit can make money off of you.
Making payments consistently means they can get their money out of you. By the same logic, never paying interest can actually hurt your credit somewhat. If you get a credit card and pay it off every month, you'll be responsible but companies will also be aware that they are making little money off of you.
This can affect you in trying to get larger loans at good rates (like a mortgage, or car payments) as you'll likely get a higher interest rate if they know you'll try to avoid as much of it as possible.
You can build credit in many ways.
First, open an account at a local credit union. Savings and checking. You want to find a good bank that's available to you locally which you can build credit and business relationships specifically. Credit unions are more strict in their rules because they're less about profit and screwing you over with overdraft fees.
Check into any credit unions near you. Google for reviews online.
Once you've got an account open, take out a small loan. Like 200-400 dollars. Plan to pay it back in six months. Use it to buy something you want, eat the interest, and pay it back exactly as you are scheduled to over time.
Activities like this prove that you both are a reliable borrower and that you are willing to pay interest to get what you want. The things companies who extend credit want to see. If you decide to say, buy a car in the near future, you might have the money to buy it outright. Instead, go back to your specific bank and take out another loan for the car, to be payed back over a short period of time. Short for credit, so say six months or a year. You don't have to do the whole value if you don't want. Say you paid for two of a ten thousand dollar car with a loan.
The bottom line here, is that you have to pay interest to really build good credit. That's what they want to see, and that's what you have to give them.
For credit cards, some general guidelines.
Start out with a 500, 750, or 1000 dollar credit limit. Generally I'd say you shouldn't have a credit limit higher than one months salary on a card in your name unless you're making six figures, but that's my personal opinion and not professional advice.
Starting low helps you make sure you can't use it too much. Stick to your limits, don't go over them. Proves you have restraint. Use the card to pay for things like groceries. Regular expenses you know you can cover. Let a balance carry over [i]every month[/i]. Not a big one, pick a number you know you can reliably pay off on short notice. Might be fifty bucks a month, might be two hundred. Always, always pay more than the minimum payment, I'd say you should always make sure you can pay fifty bucks on your card per month, bare minimum.
You don't want a ton of credit cards. Two at most in your name, any more and people start wondering why you need that many cards. One to start, the second should be because you actually need the line of credit or want to have a second card for specific purposes you won't use your main for. An example, I had a friend who was into art and used his second card exclusively for art expenses. He sold paintings, so it made accounting easy and let him write off most of his purchases at the end of the year as business expenses. People pulling your credit report can see how many lines of credit you have. Seven credit cards at 2000 a piece looks like you're not reliable enough to get the credit limits you need from one or two institutions, even if you really are.
The two at most rule is obviously not needed if you've got alot of specific applications for them you want to keep separate, but I can't imagine needing more than probably three or four personal credit cards.
The key to credit is demonstrating that a company will make money off of you by lending to you without letting yourself be screwed over by interest payments. Responsible credit builds slowly, but once it's built you have a significant credit history behind you showing years of reliability.
Last, a word on mortgages. There may well be other types of credit which work like this (car financing strikes me as a possibility) but specifically I know an interesting fact about mortgages. Often times on large borrows you pay disproportionate amounts of interest up front.
The loan you take is called the "principal". The first payment on the mortgage might be mostly or all interest. You pay that first, then pay on the principal. Those will be the loan terms that you have to meet in order to get it. Often times it's something of a sliding scale. The first payment could be all interest, while a year in you're paying a percent on the interest and a percent on the actual principal. By the end, most of the time you're done with the interest or they might even just straight line it so you're paying 5% and 95% and they switch places gradually from the start of the loan to the end of payments.
You can do what is called "paying on the back side of the loan". Making payments above and over the required monthly payments can be applied directly to the principal. In fact, it's recommended that you make double payments (at least) for the first year of a mortgage, because it can cut as much as five years of interest off the back side of the loan you took out.
Some places might limit the amount you can pay on the principal in the loan contract to cover their interest and protect their profits. Even if they don't, paying a decent to big sized mortgage loan off in an overly quick manner will build credit more slowly. Same as with the credit cards, not letting companies collect their interest can hurt you if you're really consistent about it. Always, always read your loan terms thoroughly before you sign. Goes without saying almost, but there's alot in there you can miss.
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I am a female and I have a problem with getting really bad raxor burn when I shave my area. I usually take really hot baths and let it soak for a while and then use conditioner and shave. But when it starts growing bad I get really bad bumps and ita very annoying. Any suggestions? (link)
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Beard trimmer.
Costs like twenty to thirty bucks for one with several guards. You can get the hair down to a tiny, insignificant amount without causing razor burn or ingrown hairs. It's close enough to shaved and if you need to clean up the bikini area for swimsuit wear you can do so without having the most sensitive areas getting irritated.
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I'm 15 and my mom said she wants to buy me a cell phone so if I'm out with my friends and something happens I can call for her or somebody for help. She has great points because of where we live isn't the best place. Anyway, she told me I needed to do a little research online and figure out what a good phone teens have now a days that is reliable and does all these stuff it needs to do. In YOUR opinion what do you think a good cell phone is? (link)
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Look into Straight Talk. Prepaid phone that uses Verizon (should have bars just about everywhere) and costs forty five a month for unlimited everything. The phones are 50-200 and the plan can be bought on a card from Wal Mart, making it impossible for them to ever charge you late fees or anything else. You don't pay, your phone dies until you do. But the unlimited everything makes it an awesome deal.
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is it considered a cult, when someone is brainwashed to believe certain things. For example i use to go to church with my friend but i stopped going recently because they are being told to go out and pour into other people's lives about Jesus even if they don't know them, and that twilight and harry potter is bad because they talk about witches and vampires. My best friend believes all this and now she starts telling me i shouldn't watch this movie because they say bad things and harry potter is dumb, and one time she saw a ganesh figurine in my car and said it's bad just because it wasn't her god. i've posted a question like this before and i know it's getting old but im worried, even though there isn't much i can do. i mean all they talk about is jesus and even at birthday parties they do prayers and it's weird. not only that but they have a youth pastor and they even hang out with him, his wife, and kids. they're really young. they both went to a bible college called CFNI and a lot of my friends are going there now, and i am not sure if it's because of their influence, since a lot of them weren't raised in christian homes. so is this church a cult? i feel like it is because the pastors are making them believe all these things. so i am not sure. (link)
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There are many, many sects of Christianity which meet the requirements of "Cult" or have at some point during their history. The Catholic Church has only really not been a cult because it's been so big for so long that it's gained some degree of legitimacy.
However, it doesn't have to be a cult to be unhealthy. They don't have to brainwash you to put unfair pressure on you. They crossed that line with baptism.
I was brought up in Catholicism. I was baptized into the church before I was six months old. I think that baptizing children into the church at that age is messed up. I didn't have a choice about being part of that church.
You weren't in any better of a situation. You were essentially coerced into baptism by stupid kids who don't know any better. They think any baptism is a good baptism because their parents don't know any better either.
Superficial service to God is good enough for them. It's obviously not good enough for you.
The answer to your first question is, essentially, yes. They believe this because of the pastor, their parents, and community.
That's how religion works, you indoctrinate the young so they believe from a young age.
I would remove myself from that group if I were you. They will continue to try to inundate you with their way of thinking until you cave or walk away anyway. There is no meaningful connection to be made with those who refuse to associate with others who do not conform to their belief systems.
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