Petty Vents

[PrincessFiona60]

Wow, you're way ahead of us. We fly to Cuba on Nov 12th and haven't done anything yet. Not even sure how we are getting to the airport.

Shrek, who never leaves the house, keeps wanting to know why I have to drive our car. The person I'm going with, the 2 hour ride would take 6 hours, if she drove. I'd like to get there in time for dinner and some good sleep.

 

[Addie]

What is the age cut off, Addie? Is it the same all over the country? I told DH that and he said it is not true. Neither of us has ever gone for jury duty. He got a summons once but when he called they said he did not have to go. I know people older than I am who have gone for jury duty. I am 67, they were a few years older.

Seventy. But if you can show a medical reason, you can be excused for life earlier. I was still in my early 60's when I have my first heart attack. My doctor felt it would be detrimental for me to be sitting all day in one chair. It would affect my blood flow and thus I was removed permanently from the call list. They have found also that the elderly tend to fall asleep for those little naps. That can be the cause for a mistrial.

In Massachusetts, each county has their own rules and regs. Getting unbiased jurors for the Hernandez trial is going to be a nightmare. They may have to cross county lines like the did in the Whitey Bulger trial. For that trial, because it was a Federal trial, they had jurors from all over the state. Some of the counties do not allow cameras in their courtrooms. The county I live in does. But the final decision is up to the judge. Each county has a governing body of judges that set the rules for the courts in their country. But the press and lawyers can appeal beyond them to the Massachusetts Supreme Court. After that you have to appeal through the Federal Appeals Courts. And all because the press wants into the courtrooms with cameras as will. What a lot of judges are now doing is allowing just one person from the press in the courtroom with no cameras. Including cell phones! Then they place a gag order on everyone in the courtroom including that one press person.

Someone once asked me what did $50,000 cash bail meant? exactly what it says. If you can come up with $50,000 in cash, then you can pay your bail. It has to be your money. Not that of a bail bondsman. And in this state, very rarely, and I do mean very rarely, is anyone charged with murder allowed to post bail of any kind. Bail denied!

One of the things that amuse me is on television you often see the secretary or some assistant go to one of the lawyers and approach someone past the little gate. Not allowed in any court of the country. Passing the bar is exactly that. Only those who have passed the bar are allowed pass that gate unless they are called to the stand. I once had to bring my boss some papers from the files and had to notify one of the officers of the court to let my boss know I had them and was waiting outside the courtroom. Also, anyone that is going to be testifying, cannot sit in the courtroom during the trial until called to testify.

 

[taxlady]

I was once subpoenaed to testify. I had to wait outside the court room. I didn't have to testify, because I hadn't seen anything the cop hadn't seen. I was to testify to the condition of a friend after she had been punched in the mouth by her landlord. She was 70 at the time.

Since they decided they didn't need my testimony, I got to come into the courtroom. The landlord was an idiot and sounded like it. The judge ruled, "Not just guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, guilty beyond any possible doubt." The court paid my bus fare there and back. I vaguely remember being paid another ~$10, since I had to take off work.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I love my laptop, if I want, it can go with me places.........

Desktop units are nice if you aren't needing them anywhere but on your desk. Our old tower is now like bakechef's - it's our main station that is hooked up to the big TV in the living room.

My laptop is my travel agent. Before vacations I load up a folder of possible spots to visit. When we get to our destination we have the laptop to hook right up to their in house wireless internet, turn Squirt on, and open my homepage. Bingo, the travel planner is right there.

PF, I don't think you're getting ready too early. I have our confirmation for our timeshare week already clipped to the door from the house to the garage. It's been there for at least a week, and we don't check in until 11-8!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Well, I've been called for jury duty again.....There was a warning that all the manditory info that we would HAVE to submit would become public record. A lot of personal information. This makes me very uncomfortable, why would they do this with so much identity theft out there?

Have you ruled out stupidity?

After all, we are talking about a government entity here....

 

[MrsLMB]

Our little town is doing a nice thing for the residents. They have acquired some of those giant leaf bags and are giving all of us 20 free bags. The giveaway began yesterday afternoon at the local park down the street from us.

This park has one road that goes into it, snakes around and exits at the back.

So as we approach the park I can see a long line of cars. No problem, just get in line. After we sat there for almost 5 minutes with nobody moving, DH got out and looked at the cars in front of us .. nobody inside !!!

With the headrests in cars these days you can't see if a person is in the driver seat or not.

As it turns out, those 7 cars that were parked there belonged to the people who were working to distribute the leaf bags

It never occurred to them to go park in a parking spot, no way .. they lined their cars up and parked them in the entry to the park .. duh !!

But on the upside - we got free leaf collection bags and that is very cool !

 

[CarolPa]

I recall a very old man, deaf as a post, being chosen for jury duty. Figured him to be in his mid 70's at least.

According to what Andy said, the cut-off in his state is 70, but it's optional, which I think means you can refuse. I think it probably differs from state to state. When my husband was called, I searched the website looking for a reference to age requirements and found none.

 

[Andy M.]

According to what Andy said, the cut-off in his state is 70, but it's optional, which I think means you can refuse. I think it probably differs from state to state. When my husband was called, I searched the website looking for a reference to age requirements and found none.

That age rule is for MA. I don't know if it's the same anywhere else.

 

[CarolPa]

That age rule is for MA. I don't know if it's the same anywhere else.

I just went back and checked our county website again and it states that anyone over age 18 can be called, and there is not age limit.

 

[CarolPa]

Desktop units are nice if you aren't needing them anywhere but on your desk. Our old tower is now like bakechef's - it's our main station that is hooked up to the big TV in the living room.

My laptop is my travel agent. Before vacations I load up a folder of possible spots to visit. When we get to our destination we have the laptop to hook right up to their in house wireless internet, turn Squirt on, and open my homepage. Bingo, the travel planner is right there.

PF, I don't think you're getting ready too early. I have our confirmation for our timeshare week already clipped to the door from the house to the garage. It's been there for at least a week, and we don't check in until 11-8!

We don't travel much, but I would probably take my 9" tablet if we go anywhere. It's smaller than the laptop. When I went into the hospital for emergency surgery my husband brought our laptop in so I could notify people that I was hospitalized. Since it wasn't a scheduled surgery I didn't want them to think I fell off the face of the earth.

 

[Jojoe]

Cuba travel answers

Here is the correct answer about laws regarding travel to Cuba. During the Bush/Reagan/Bush admins almost nobody, including Cuban Americans, could travel to Cuba without a specific license to travel from the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

President Obama has relaxed the restrictions as follows:

If you are a Cuban American, you can travel to Cuba anytime you please.

There are about a dozen categories of permissible travel for the rest of us living under U.S. jurisdiction. Some require a specific license for each trip.

The most likely way to travel to Cuba for most people is under the "People to People" provision. This requires travelers to purchase an organized trip through a service provider that is licensed by the U.S. government. Just google "Cuba travel providers" and you will find a number of companies and NGOs offering trips (flying direct from Florida, New York, and Los Angeles) However, these trips have to follow a U.S. government pre-approved agenda that does not included tourist activities (such as going to the beach).

Now, all that said, 10s of 1000s of U.S.ians travel to Cuba every year without U.S. government permission. They travel through third countries. Cuba does not stamp U.S. passports so there is no evidence that you entered the country. However, remember that on your way back into the U.S. the customs form asks what countries you have traveled to since you left the U.S. It is risky business to withhold information on a customs form.

Cuba is the ONLY place in the world you are prohibited from visiting freely. Activists of many stripes have been trying to completely lift this ban on travel to Cuba for decades. Google: LAWG (Latin American Working Group) or CAFE (Cuban Americans For Engagement)

If you are unhappy with not having the right to travel wherever you please, I suggest writing to your congressional representatives, the president and your senators. You might want to point out to them that it is discrimination to allow only one ethnic group to freely travel to Cuba and not the rest of us.

I have spent a great deal of time in Cuba and I encourage everyone to make the journey!

 

[Addie]

That age rule is for MA. I don't know if it's the same anywhere else.

We also have a rule of "one trial, one day." It is when you get assigned to a trial that goes on for more than one day that you can run into a problem. If you are chosen to serve, there is supposed to be so much time before you can be called again. But I have known some folks who served and were called again before that waiting time had expired. I forget how long it is. My sister served on two different trials within a three month period and then got called again a month after the second trial. It was for vehicular homicide. She didn't have to serve on that one when they asked her how she felt about drunk drivers. "Well, my son was killed by a drunk driver along with four other teenager friends in the car."

"You're excused." She never got called again.

 

[Addie]

Thank you Jojoe. Very informative. And welcome to DC. I hope you sitick around. This is a fun place.

 

[Addie]

Our little town is doing a nice thing for the residents. They have acquired some of those giant leaf bags and are giving all of us 20 free bags. The giveaway began yesterday afternoon at the local park down the street from us.

This park has one road that goes into it, snakes around and exits at the back.

So as we approach the park I can see a long line of cars. No problem, just get in line. After we sat there for almost 5 minutes with nobody moving, DH got out and looked at the cars in front of us .. nobody inside !!!

With the headrests in cars these days you can't see if a person is in the driver seat or not.

As it turns out, those 7 cars that were parked there belonged to the people who were working to distribute the leaf bags

It never occurred to them to go park in a parking spot, no way .. they lined their cars up and parked them in the entry to the park .. duh !!

But on the upside - we got free leaf collection bags and that is very cool !

There is a town a couple of borders away from where I live. They too do this also and then send the bags down to the City Yard. All the bags go into a giant compost thingy. Then next spring, the citizens can go there and get free compost. You just have to bring your own container and shovel. Some fill the back of the pickup, others just a bucket. They do this with separate bags for your dead plants that you remove from your garden, (like dead tomato plants). As they take longer to compost, they go into a separate thingy. Great program and very popular.

Wet leaves on the street are very dangerous. Specially on a hilly street.

 

[Andy M.]

In MA there has to be a three year wait between times you are called, whether you actually serve on a jury or not.

I was called once about two years and ten months after my last date and protested. They promptly canceled it and recalled me for two and a half months later. I then requested a new date (as is my prerogative) asking for the Friday before a long holiday weekend and never got called.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I was called while I was going to college. I protested, in court, that I had paid good money to go to school, I'd be happy to serve if they paid for my semester, as the trial was during finals week. I haven't been called back.

 

[CatPat]

I was at the Walmart today to look of dishes. I found very pretty melamine dishes for ordinary use! I selected enough for four for which to start, and I selected an autumn tablecloth. Then I selected a set of pumpkin salt and pepper shakers and a nice set of Farberware stainless steel cookware. I then found pretty chargers of red, green, and gold. I selected some basic utensils and I got some groceries.

I was in a line of a register, the larger register, when a cashier of the speedy register of 20 items or less called and gestured for me to go to her. I told her, "I have much more than twenty items here." She said it was not much more, and to come to her register. I started to go there when a woman pushed in the front of me with a very heavily burdened cart. She was very large and very mean. She said to me, "You can wait. I am in a hurry."

I could see of this cashier was very upset of this, but she had to give her service. I feel so very sorry of the cashier. This mean woman made the cashier put the bags back to the cart. I went around the woman and put the bags back to the cart as the cashier packed these. The cashier thanked me for this, and I said she was welcome as we did this. The mean woman said to me where I was from. I said, "I am from Romania."

She said, "We have enough immigrants sucking the life out of this country. My advice to you is to go back home and stop this crap."

I was mad at this. She had a food stamp card inside her hand and I know of these. I put out my credit card and told her, "I am paying of this for my things. I think you are mistaken."

She just sat there and did not say of this. I saw she was angry with me.

Not all immigrants have benefits of these. I have never had of this. She must be a very unhappy person.

With love,
~Cat

 

[Dawgluver]

So sorry you had to experience this, Cat. Unfortunately, some people seem to have a sense of entitlement, even though they may not have earned it. You are more valuable as a citizen, not native born, than some who have lived their whole lives here. You handled yourself very well! And it sounds like you got some really cool stuff!

 

[Andy M.]

Cat, The woman you had to deal with was too stupid to realize she was the drain on the US economy, not you.

It sounds like you kitchen is shaping up nicely.

 

[Addie]

Cat, you practiced great restraint. Much more than I would have. My retort to her would have been, "I am paying with my own money for my purchases, not the American taxpayer."

You truly are a lovely young lady.