Can you go to jail for merely being stupid?

According to prosecutors, Sizemore had been caught once before trying to use a similar device, sold over the Internet under the brand name the Whizzinator, and had failed drug tests on at least five occasions.

But sometimes, it's for the good of society.

She grabbed him by the genitals, tearing off his left testicle, then hid it in her mouth before a friend of Jones handed it back to him saying "that's yours."

Is it bad that I didn't see the word "wife" the first few times round? I thought things might have gone a bit too far.

Stevie Wonder's Wife Debuts Clothing Line

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amych, I am sure you will get a COLA this year. The thing is, if you leave the job market for 5 or 10 years, no matter what you are doing, you almost never hit the career salary high you would have had. In many cases, your skills are outdated or people are suspicious of the gap in employment and you end up with a lower salary than you had when you left.

Did I mention we paid more than $10K in child care this year? It fucking kills me. O for a socialist state.

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She hid the testicle in her mouth. I just...

I especially loved the Reuters headline: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

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the second spouse's job actually cost the family money, when everything was taken into consideration (higher tax bracket, take out food, dry cleaning, commuting costs, baby sitting costs, workplace gifts and parties, lunches out)

Doesn't that really depend on the second spouse? Workplace gifts and parties, lunches out and take out food, and dry cleaning are by no means mandatory.

Oh yeah. That's one of the reasons I mentioned sitting down with an accountant to take a look at what's left of the check, after all the work related expenses are considered. It would vary from family to family, and with income, with how much over salary #1 is required to meet expenses, and also with the reasons why people are working.

YOU CANT AVOID THE GIRLSCOUT COOKIE MAFIA!

I accidentally avoided them, this year. I didn't mean to though, and now I am sad, and will not have Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Patties. Very sad.

Jilli, that 'made with real Girl Scouts' line would have made me buy the girl out. That's an unfair use of cuteness.

People who do that math always forget to take into effect retirement for the second spouse, in particular your salary basis for Social Security and your 401(K). Not to mention forgetting to take into effect that salaries normally compound, getting a little higher each year, so losing (for example) 5 years of salary raises can make a significant dent in your lifetime income.

There are all kinds of considerations, which is why you talk to an accountant (unless you're an actuary or married to one).

Absolutely. Working with a new baby is expensive. I just get frustrated when people say that therefore it's a slam-dunk to stay home. Staying home with a new baby is also expensive.

For the record, I wasn't saying anything of the kind, or anything more than it's not a bad idea to talk with an accountant, if one is in your future, anyhow. It's not a slam-dunk by any means. First of all, it's not what some people want to do. Secondly, usually it's not going to be a case of work costing you money--that was an extreme case that made good TV. But sometimes, it's a case of you both working outside the home, 40+ hours a week each, for a net gain that isn't financially worth it to you.

Hrrmph. I wear black to work every day, and nobody quotes the Addams Family or sells me Thin Mints!

When Julia sells them next year (Daisies don't sell them apparently, which is why I missed out--I was waiting for her to get the selling kit), I will send you some for free, and a picture of her in her Vampyrella costume from last year.

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Layla is the cutest dog under 40 lbs that I've ever seen. She's like a little mini BearDog without the crabbiness.

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I accidentally avoided them, this year. I didn't mean to though, and now I am sad, and will not have Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Patties. Very sad.

Me too! Except at least at our supermarket, they are often outside the market shilling the cookies. And thank god for it because I have a yen for Tagalongs.

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Lee, in Cook's Illustrated this month they have a Tasting Swiss Cheese article. Just thought of you.

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But sometimes, it's a case of you both working outside the home, 40+ hours a week each, for a net gain that isn't financially worth it to you.

I think when it happens, this is the most common case - or at least has been with people I know. I think it's fairly common for the mom returning to work to have a lower paying job than her spouse. I've had friends who just quit work because they were stuck in a low(er) paying job that wasn't personally gratifying and there was lots of pressure and hassling if they missed work because of sick kids or something.

OTOH, I have a good friend whose husband is in construction. His work is pretty seasonal and she's feeling a lot of pressure to get back to work 6 weeks after her baby is due to keep them afloat financially.

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Can you go to jail for merely being stupid?

In a perfect world, God yes.

And I'd be the one to get to decide.

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Yeah. My mother returned to work, because my father lost his second job which had provided our benefits, as his primary job was carpentry, and he was self-employed. For some people, it's not a choice. For others, it's not a choice that works (because of career type, interests, etc.), but for some people, us included, it ended up being simpler. In our case, because it was simpler, and it was also what we wanted, it wasn't a tough decision to make, but it was a really tough decision to adapt to. In my s-i-l's case, she does better financially, working part time when her husband is home (so, no daycare costs), than she did working full time, with two kids in daycare.

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