Certainly there are people that do that or want to use the money for drugs, which is why I always volunteer to buy it for them vs give them money. And I don’t carry cash anyway.

If they’re genuinely hustling for cash they’re unlikely to walk away with you to get food, a bus ticket, whatever because they’re wasting time. I’ve had a few take me up on the offer and then still try to talk me out of cash while walking, but most hustlers just walk away immediately when you call their bluff and offer to buy it for them.

This is what I did when I used to work downtown and encounter them frequently. They usually tell you why they want money… usually food, but sometimes a bus ticket or gas. I always say I don’t have or won’t give you cash but let’s go and I’ll buy you what you need. More than half of them would give up and walk away when they realized you wouldn’t just give them cash. Never ended buying any gas or a bus ticket, but I did buy quite a few meals and even groceries a couple times. Most were incredibly appreciative.

Interesting… thanks for the reply!

So did you just cancel the HBO max subscription in YouTubeTV, or did you cancel YouTubeTV altogether?

If 3 terrorists take over a bank with 50 hostages - including children - inside, do you just bomb the bank and call it a day? No, because we don’t kill the innocents indiscriminately to eliminate the terrorists.

Israel is not only murdering innocent people, including children, indiscriminately, they’ve murdered journalists and aid workers intentionally who are reporting on their behavior and we have memos showing starvation, displacing the innocent civilians and taking control of their land is part of the plan.

That’s a hilarious idea but courts would probably just legalize people owing anti-aircraft weapons.

Agreed… this couple isn’t hurting either way.

However as they said the limit hasn’t changed in almost 20 years. For most older people in America their home is the single most valuable possession and what many have to sell when they are unable to care for themselves and have to go into some kind of care facility. For people living in a HCOL area, their home can easily be many times more valuable than their savings and their primary or only asset of significant value, and a $1M house is a starter home.

It makes sense for the limits to be increased, but the couple that’s the subject of this article doesn’t deserve anyone getting teary-eyed.

Your explanation doesn’t seem to match Wikipedia or what Google’s AI summary says on how Scoville’s are calculated. It’s essentially a parts per million capsaicin x a scale.

In any event I can say the 2022 One Chip challenge and eating a dried Carolina Reaper seems about the same to me. Only did the chip once but I’ve done reapers a couple times and they’re certainly hot, but I’ve never struggled with anything hot. Doesn’t bother me in the restroom either like so many others… not sure why. The one time I did the gummy… way hotter than a pepper or the One Chip. Not even close. Wouldn’t recommend to anyone that found the chip or a straight pepper an issue. And the gum? Like I said it’s devious in how much capsaicin you’re forced to swallow while trying to get to the place to blow a bubble. About 5 minutes after completing the challenge my stomach started to feel like there was a balloon inside it. Told my wife I’m either gonna have a monster burp or I’m gonna puke and then the evacuation started. I’d do it again probably if I had someone doing it with me just to be entertained by their reaction, and to see if my stomach would respond the same way again. Wouldn’t recommend to anyone that hasnt challenged themselves at extreme levels already though. The one I ate was no joke.

I’m not sure how the Scoville system measures it exactly since of course no pepper or anything else is going to be pure capsaicin. Is it based on the number of milligrams of capsaicin within a serving or what? Certainly a tiny sliver of Carolina Reaper is different than eating the whole thing but it’s considered a 2.2M pepper regardless.

In any event I’ve eaten straight reapers and done the 2022 One Chip challenge - the blue tongue one - without issue. The Lil Nitro gummy is way, way hotter than a reaper or the One Chip challenge, and the Trouble Bubble seemed about the same as the Lil Nitro gummy and its the only thing I’ve ever eaten that got a reaction out of me so I wouldn’t call it BS. Can your taste buds really distinguish between an unnatural 9M or 16M scoville anyway? The gum is devious in that you have to chew it a long time to get the sugar out of it and make it pliable enough to blow a bubble. You make and swallow a lot of saliva filled with lava during that time. I’m sure that’s what made me puke. Whatever it’s rating should be - if the 16M is inaccurate - there’s nothing mild about it. I can guarantee you eat it and you won’t call it BS. 😄

There are worse experiences.

One Chip challenge was no big deal to me. 9M Scoville Lil Nitro Gummy was much hotter but I did it without regret. 16M Scoville CaJohns Trouble Bubble bubble gum felt like it was roughly the same heat as the gummy. I completed the challenge blowing a bubble, but soon after started puking lava. There was regret. 😄

Unfortunately it wouldn’t. There are ways to “legally” hire an illegal today and lots of companies take advantage of it, especially in agriculture and other seasonal work. EI9 reporting has loop holes that politicians aren’t interested in closing.

They have no problem being inconsistent.

They’re convinced Democrats were drinking the blood of babies but have ignored Trump’s Epstein friendship, his comments about young girls and his own daughter, as well as a recording of him bragging about sexually assaulting women since the first election. They have no problem dismissing things that would otherwise confirm a Democrat would have been better.

In most states if you’re party to a conversation you have a right to record it and share it with others if you’d like. Federally it’s legal too, including phone calls. Some states do restrict recording without informing all parties, but most don’t as it’s important means of protecting yourself sometimes.

I emphasized “if you’re party” above because it’s an important distinction. In many situations you cannot record the conversation of others if you’re not an active participant, though there are exceptions for things said/done in public and in/on your property.

Calling GPS part of imperialism is a stretch. It was put in the air at no cost to another country and can be used without cost by anybody, but nobody has to use it. Other countries can launch their own satellites if they want, but they don’t because that’s expensive and GPS is free. The US isn’t making money off of it or exploiting another country with it.

Yes, the US can jam it regionally when in conflict but of course why wouldn’t we? No reason to help the enemy.

A 40 mile commute is a reason to get a cheap, fuel-efficient vehicle. Save money on gas, insurance and maintenance.

If their smaller new house is worth less than their original the property tax bill will be less. This is one of the incentives to downsizing.

The have their new property paid for and also have a much smaller property tax bill and lower maintenance costs. There’s still plenty of incentive to downsize.

Paying taxes on profit might hurt a little, but it’s a good problem to have.

Such a sad story. We should start a Go Fund Me!

It’s truer than most realize.

Decided to start lifting at age 47 because I was depressed with work, expecting to be laid off, and needed something positive in my life. A few months in I realize my back no longer hurts while sleeping. I’m not waking up in the morning aching. Here I thought I was hurting just because I was getting old when the reality was I was hurting because I was weak. I was dealing with back pain for several years unnecessarily.

I can do nothing and suffer, or I can suffer a little under the bar and feel great. Either way I suffer but the latter suffering is so much better.

Even as a tax right-off it costs money. For instance about ⅓ of my income goes to taxes, so every $100 I donate to charity results in me saving about $33 in taxes. So a $100 donation only costs me about $67. It still costs me, and it still costs companies real money who make charitable contributions. They should be recognized for it.