Free Republic

Rent is income, but share expenses are not income, according to my wife, the Enrolled Agent Tax Professional. She recommends a set level of contribution to household expenses, rather than having one person pay the taxes, another pay the insurance, and others the other expenses. Thus, all of the money goes into a single, shared pot to cover all expenses. That requires a detailed budget and careful disbursing from the shared pot. This arrangement will pass muster with the IRS as shared expenses and not rent. Thus, it will not be income for any of the residents.

I have used one for several years. I found it easy to adapt to sleeping with it. It does not allow you to be intimate with your bed partner, but you put it on when you want to go to sleep. I find that I can sleep on my back, which I could never do before. I sleep better than I have in years. I used to awaken several times during the night. I was easily awakened by any disturbance. Now, I sleep deeply and am not disturbed by even very severe noises. Once I slept through a tree falling on the house. My wife can wake me, but I now sleep much better and find myself much more rested in the morning than before. I hope you have the same experience.

My wife, the tax expert says, “The bank will be able to tell them why they received the money.” If it is an insurance settlement, it may not be taxable. If not, it is taxable, and you should receive a form 1099-C for this year. The effect of the $10K on your tax status is not clear without knowing your income. Your deductions might wipe out that income easily.

Nobody seems to have figured out that producing hydrogen takes huge amounts of energy. The earth does not have any free hydrogen floating around, even tho' it is the most abundant element. All of it is tightly bound in substances like water, hydrocarbons, and living creature tissue. Hydrogen is effectively a (very inefficient) way to store energy.

Yes, I do know what a fuel cell is. And yes, I do know how to make hydrogen. The problem is that the making of hydrogen is thermodynamically inefficient. Moreover, storing, transporting, and using hydrogen as a fuel are all problematic. It is a low-density fuel, meaning that it takes much more space. It is a very dangerous fuel. Does anybody remember the German dirigible "Hindenburg"? It was a great bag filled with hydrogen. When it ignited, the entire airship burned in seconds. (No, I am not old enough to remember it. I just know my aviation history.)

For an account of the people on Wake in 1942, see the excellent book by Bill Sloan, Given Up for Dead (New York: Bantam-Dell, 2004), ISBN 0-553-38194-6. Sloan accounted for almost all of the men on Wake when the Japanese landed. He followed their stories through the war and afterward.

I have landed at Wake several times while I was a Navy long range patrol plane pilot. Fortunately, the weather has always been beautiful. The island is gorgeous as a place to rest between twelve hour flights. However, it is not a place to stay.

What a terrible thing it would be to enforce the law! I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for any government official who leaks to the press. I also have no sympathy for any reporter who has to take the choice of revealing a confidential source of a government secret or going to jail. Let them go to jail. Let them stay there until the hell freezes over or until they talk, whichever comes first. I am so sick of the culture of leaks in Washington that I can hardly keep my food down.

The problem is that the good physician wants to hold the U.S. to treaty positions that we have not ratified. We never promised to treat enemy combatants like prisoners of war. They have no rights under the Geneva Convention. Anyone who does not understand that has zero understanding of international law. We can legally treat enemy combatant captured in combat against U.S. or allied forces any way we like. In fact, President Bush and the rest of the administration have repeatedly promised "humane" treatment. Nobody has ever proved torture. Discomfort maybe, but not torture. A little induced fear perhaps, but not torture. We know what torture is. We do not engage in that stuff.

US Navy 1957-62.

Why a newborn might not cry (from a father of 5 and grandpa of 13):
1. He was tired from all the work of being born in the normal manner.
2. His mother had wrapped Him tightly in cloth to help Him feel secure, just as is if still in the womb.
3. He was in the soft hay in the manger.
4. His mother was with him.
But, indeed, Franz Gruber wrote the song many years after the event. Perhaps he did not know what really happened. Perhaps it is beautiful poetic license.

The Marines are a highly mobile force by their nature, always have been. More than that, they have requirements not only for speed but also to minimize the weight of their vehicles so that all can be loaded and transported on available sea and land vessels. The Marines have the same problems as the Army and National Guard when they are placed in urban warfare. They need to trade off speed and agility for armor to protect the troops. The difference between the Marines and the guys griping in Kuwait the other day was this: The Marines cooperated with the Navy CBs to just get the job done.

I am sorry that our African-American friends have been taken in by this fraud. It has nothing to do with their history or tradition. It has nothing to do with Africa or with any part of their cultural heritage. It is just a way to celebrate something other than Christmas. They might as well celebrate the Winter Solstice.

When I received my wings, the admiral said, "These wings mean--If it's blue and says US NAVY on its side, you can fly it!" They should be very proud. We are all very proud of them! God speed to every one of them.

Did anyone else notice the sloppy form of John Kerry's "salute" when he said, "reporting for duty" at the beginning of his speech? His forearm was at the wrong angle, so he had to bend his wrist to touch his forehead. Compare that bent-wrist look in the clip with any of Ronald Reagan's presidential salutes. The difference is striking. Among other things that he has "forgotten," John Kerry has forgotten how to salute in the last 35 years!