What is making you happy right now

[Ominous Gamer]

Wut? So, identity theft isn't an issue in the US?

Indeed, Americans don't have government mandated identities assigned to them

and yes, identity theft is a huge problem in the US.

[CitizenCain]

and yes, identity theft is a huge problem in the US.

Yup, yup. And it's because of that government-mandated, one per person per lifetime ID. (@Khen, of course.) Identity thieves almost never go after state IDs or driver's licenses - it's all about that universal, national, 10 digit SS# that can be used to rack up any imaginable kind of debt under someone else's name.

[termite]

what you do with the body?

If there was a body - I run a foundry, the furnace has no memory....

[Flixy]

Except that "identity theft" is only an issue because everyone is required to have a single, government-issued identity. (Without that, there wouldn't be any unified identity to steal.) So, since that's a problem the government ID requirements create, it can't be bootstrapped into a justification to charge for the IDs.

A national judicial ruling with some sense, for once. Go Dutchies!

How is that only an issue because of the government? If you get a loan at a bank in someone else's name, then you steal that person's identity - not sure what the government has to do with that.

Yup, yup. And it's because of that government-mandated, one per person per lifetime ID. (@Khen, of course.) Identity thieves almost never go after state IDs or driver's licenses - it's all about that universal, national, 10 digit SS# that can be used to rack up any imaginable kind of debt under someone else's name.

Sounds like the issue is more that you only need a number to be able to rack up debt, over here you need a state ID or driver's license - exactly because those are harder to fake.

[CitizenCain]

How is that only an issue because of the government? If you get a loan at a bank in someone else's name, then you steal that person's identity - not sure what the government has to do with that.

By mandating a one per person, one per lifetime unique identifier, explicitly for use in the financial system, the feds created a situation where stealing any American's entire identity is trivial, and can be done from anywhere in the world.

Sounds like the issue is more that you only need a number to be able to rack up debt, over here you need a state ID or driver's license - exactly because those are harder to fake.

The unique number mandated by the federal government, yeah. So instead of having 50 or more systems to hunt through for the numerous linkages to create/establish/steal identity on the state-level (birth certificate UIDs, driver's license numbers, name, DoB, etc.), now there's just one place and one linkage you need to make (Name <-> SSN) in order to have access to all the information needed to steal someone's "identity."

[GGT]

No more flooding or rain.

Got to see all my ex-in-law family at breakfast today (before the wedding), had a great visit with lots of laughter and "remember when" stories, almost felt like old times, they reminded me I'll always be "part of their family". And my kids seemed to be having fun at one of those mandatory family gatherings that kids usually hate.

[littlelolligagged]

I just walked into the living room, and Buddy Boy told me he could do the macarena.

Then he did.

[Bitter Jeweler]

He's lucky you don't video everything. Lol



Bifocals are making me happy.
Now I can play the near/far game with Grover!

[Loki]

I just walked into the living room, and Buddy Boy told me he could do the macarena.

Then he did.

And that made you happy?

[Bitter Jeweler]

Ask him to do the mashed potato next.

[CitizenCain]

And that made you happy?

It would make me happy. Blackmail material, w00t!

[littlelolligagged]

It made me laugh.

Laughing is good.

[GGT]

Happy to no longer be married to my ex, and that he found a fellow clown to remarry.

Catty gossip time: their garden/courtyard ceremony was considered "weird" and theatrical. Befitting a couple of puppy love infatuated teenagers more than grown adults in a do-over. Piles of LOVE (and other romantic words) lapel buttons on the tables. The beer was called Summer Love.

3 X 5 cards were given to "special guests" to write one to fours words about LOVE, to be compiled in handmade "LOVE stones" and sent as thank you gifts. (Whatever the hell LOVE stones are---probably like the LOVE bricks in their garden that look like a nauseous walk-through of a 15 yr old girl's crushes written in her diary. Joy, Happy, Forever, Lovelicious, Serendipity, Kisses, Honey Hugs, Destiny, etc.)

A two disc parting gift entitled LOVE, with their posed portraits on the discs, taken at different places during their courtship. Of course every song was about LOVE. It included a two page insert of various LOVE quotes or LOVE poem excerpts in small font, Some Thought on LOVE....including one from Calvin and Hobbes.

He's such a clown he didn't realize one of the LOVE art backdrops was where he and I held our wedding reception.

The valet parker didn't show up, but it worked out okay because her wealthy friends from NY drove to town in their Rolls Royce, and liked parking it in front of the house. She apparently had a bird's nest updo, with twigs and apples and flowers stuck in her hair, and wore something white that looked like a sheet, with fishnet hose. They wrote their own vows, and his was reading an e-mail from their early days at the web dating site (where they met). Afterward, he shook our sons' hands even though they 'went for the hug' and made them feel very awkward.

Biggest bombshell was everyone finding out for the first time (including his best friends and family) that this is her 4th marriage....and she's 64 years old! She had told everyone (even her web site profile) that she was 45. No one believed it, and it was obvious she's had a lot of work done. Everyone outside her circle was taking bets on her real age. There was a lot of confusion about her family, who were her daughters or grand-daughters, and some fishy explanations that didn't match with her previous stories.

Her three little yappy dogs (from her last marriage, where Joint Custody meant those dogs having "visitation" every other weekend) were quarantined at his old house, just a few doors down, for the weekend festivities. They could crap and piss on the carpet and some of my son's artwork, but he wouldn't give a shit. Happy to not still live with that kind of person, who claims to love animals but won't take care of them, and treats pets as Personal Image Wearable Art. Or something like that.

Also, she was getting a shit load of alimony that apparently runs out 12-31-11, with a gap year before she can get SS. Rumor had it she doesn't have her own pension and found his state pension quite attractive. Some were chuckling that if she's a gold-digger, she picked the wrong guy. She and her girl friends were overheard giggling about their combined marriages, and "the more the merrier".

Anyway, the sadder or unhappier parts (that involve my kids' or ex-family member lives with "blowback" repercussions, more of that Image-without-substance stuff) will probably show up in the Messed Up Groove thread, but only if I'm drunk.

Right now, though, it's a liberating and Happy feeling to realize (once and for all, in ways I can see and understand) that I'd married a lovable clown who never matured beyond 18 or 21 years. Even though he put on a very convincing act for quite a while, the gig had run its course. Glad he finally found someone new, after plenty of dating and fucking around, who values that same kinds of things, and wants the same kind of life.

[Timbuk2]

Catty gossip time: their garden/courtyard ceremony was considered "weird" and theatrical. Befitting a couple of puppy love infatuated teenagers more than grown adults in a do-over. Piles of LOVE (and other romantic words) lapel buttons on the tables. The beer was called Summer Love.

3 X 5 cards were given to "special guests" to write one to fours words about LOVE, to be compiled in handmade "LOVE stones" and sent as thank you gifts. (Whatever the hell LOVE stones are---probably like the LOVE bricks in their garden that look like a nauseous walk-through of a 15 yr old girl's crushes written in her diary. Joy, Happy, Forever, Lovelicious, Serendipity, Kisses, Honey Hugs, Destiny, etc.)

A two disc parting gift entitled LOVE, with their posed portraits on the discs, taken at different places during their courtship. Of course every song was about LOVE. It included a two page insert of various LOVE quotes or LOVE poem excerpts in small font, Some Thought on LOVE....including one from Calvin and Hobbes.

[Flixy]

Earlier this year I was coproducer/production manager for a short film, and it's been selected to the Ghent International Film Festival

[Loki]

Congrats.

[Flixy]

There's a European football match between PSV and Legia Warsaw tonight in town! So all day I have had drunk Polish supporters singing in my street, hehe. Kind of amusing Downside is they also have a it of a hooligan reputation, and there were also indications that hooligans from Charleroi and The Hague will show up. So now there's a bunch of riot police, and there's an emergency law in effect today and tomorrow morning (no glass allowed in the center, obscuring your face is not allowed, supporters without tickets and all supporters from The Hague and Charleroi are banned, etc.). Should be an interesting night! There are definitely some ultra's (saw them in the store, and there's some white power stickers on streetlights etc), and Legia is still on suspension after riots at a previous match.



Aren't they a bunch of cuties, what a peaceful sport

Congrats.

Thanks

[CitizenCain]

Funny (and insightful) users,



plus I found a dotface on the network!

[Flixy]

Since I am such an amazing musician *cough*, I am part of the jury of a band contest at a music festival today That should be fun, and come with free food and drinks And I have seen one of the bands before, and they were actually good, so that's promising!

[Aimless]

Home-made cherry-liqueur in mustache after delicious thick veggie-and-sausage soup full of tomatoes from the balcony accompanied by Arabian Nights (mini-series) and now lovely rooibos with improvised almond cookies

[Timbuk2]

delicious thick veggie-and-sausage soup full of tomatoes

Recipe in the What's Cookin' thread if you would be so kind.

[Lor]

Footy of TV and also cooking up a Lemon Sole I got on the cheap at ASDA (That's right! Muthafecking ASDA baby!).

[Hazir]

Wow, today is the 20th of september and I already heard that I will have a job next year. Where are the years where I would go on a christmas holidays vacation and not be certain if I'd stil be employed by january 1st

[Veldan Rath]

Sent of the paperwork to Lawyer to go to Social Worker to go to Head Social Worker in The Capital, to go back to Lawyer, to go to Judge to get get Court Date to finalize Adoption.

And have to get finger printed...Again.

[Ominous Gamer]

The supervisior for the phone department I've been spending a lot of work time at is a technophope, so the budget people came to me for that area's technology needs That was a few days ago, and it seems like most of my hardware suggestions got the greenlight (dual screens being the biggest ticket), and the IT guys are going to be contacting me for some of the software suggestions.

[GGT]

My ex finally got a citation from the township, for the dilapidated condition of his house and yard. It's about damn time.

[GGT]

Almost forgot to mention this great news! I found a new Hamilton Beach popcorn popper! Not as good as the old Presto model I had in college that could double as a hot plate, but still quite good. This is no dry hot-air-no-oil-popper, but the kind that pops corn kernels in hot oil (with optional melted butter on top) while you watch it fill the dome, and flip it over as a serving bowl. I have been wanting one of these for a long while, not really shopping for it, but also never seeing it in stores.

Makes great fresh popcorn, without too much salt or tasting like it came from an oily microwave bag. Now I'll be on a mission to find the blue corn that pops into the sweetest, whitest, crunchiest kernels ever! It sort of disappeared when microwave popcorn took over the market. My dentist is gonna read me the riot act.

[Ominous Gamer]

Amazon finally got their shit together. The Kindle now supports OverDrive and library checkouts

[wiggin]

Passed my defense.

[Loki]

Praise be to Allah.