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Seattle Woman Collected Welfare in $1.2 Million House {AOL Real Estate}
Dec 7th 2011 2:22AM If, for example, you live in a million dollar house and drive a Jaguar but are unemployed, you are entitled to unemployment insurance benefits just like those you live in less expensive digs.
You can apply for food stamps if you meet eligibility requirements (lack of/or reduced income). As for the "housing vouchers:" these are given to those who are homeless. The vouchers are not cash benefits but chits which entitle the holder to temporary-not permanent-housing in hotels often referred to as "hell-tels." Even if the vouchers were allegedly obtained only the most unfortunate, truly desperate and indigent would use them. The vouchers have no real dollar value.
The total of the combined benefits may have had a value of 1,200/month but the actual "cash" portion (approx $450) is deposited directly into the recipient's bank. Food stamps are distributed to clients in the form of plastic debit cards called EBT. Clients can not use EBTs as debit cards; they are authorized for food purchases only.
The Battle Over Murakami's Versailles Exhibit {Luxist}
Oct 28th 2010 11:13AM I like the art. It provides a welcome counter-balance to the ornate, gilded and over-the-top palace interiors. Different genre of art can live side-by-side. All one has do is free his/her imagination and go with the flow. Of course, one person's junk can be another person's treasure. C'est la vie.
Close Calls in Air Traffic Control {AOL Travel News}
Oct 13th 2010 4:01PM When traveling across the Atlantic one is often able to see planes vertically above and below. Those traveling in the same direction above ; those traveling in the opposite direction below. On a recent trip an Air France plane flew above us for a substantial part (1 hr approximately) of the way prior to veering north toward Canada. Though it appears to be a common enough occurrence, the visuals still startle me.
Wildlife Filmmaker Chris Palmer Says Nature Documentaries Are Manipulative {Moviefone Blog}
Oct 4th 2010 7:40AM M&Ms and jellybeans?! That's animal abuse right there!
I'd Never Heard Of 'Billy The Exterminator,' and Then I Watched It {AOL TV}
Jul 14th 2010 10:11AM Silly low brow corny stuff here. Billy's over-the-top costume doesn't match his mellow personality. Behind the skulls and crossbone emblazoned front doors of her home, feisty Paula Dean type matriarch rules the roost butting into Billy's personal business. Billy's wife runs shotgun though the only "work" was opening cat food can to insert in trap. IE, client is afraid of mice and snake but works with Big Cats. Horse owner worries about rabid skunk calls Billy rather than Animal Control. Instead of taking trapped skunk to state health dept for testing, Billy takes it to "friends" who will "check it out." Yawn. If it's action down in the bayou you want, watch TRUE BLOOD.
Green Police: KFC busted for where it gets material for its buckets {WalletPop}
Jul 2nd 2010 4:49PM Well, this is another reason to avoid KFC's unhealthy food.
How to Rent Movies With a Very Happy Ending -- Savings Experiment {WalletPop}
Jun 10th 2010 1:15PM I'm a NETFLIX subscriber. They have a good selection in most genre, including documentary and TV. I only stream movies instantly. Why bother with ordering? Mailing cds back and forth is so, well, inconvenient. You can stream as many movies as you like per month. Though. I did stream UP recently, first-run movies rarely make it into NETFLIX streaming/watch instantly category so you have to get them via mail. But overall, NETFLIX is user-friendly, cheap and provides instant gratification to those you prefer to stream our entertainment rather than order in "to go."
To Go or Not To Go? - Controversial Destinations {AOL Travel News}
Jun 9th 2010 9:56PM Eco-tourism is not concerned with maintaining fragile landscapes and eco-systems. Tourism is about making money. And in order to do that, whether its in the Amazon or the Serengeti, landscapes are compromised and eventually degraded. Infrastructures are developed and eventually expanded to support and accommodate the travelers needs. Ethical tourists don't travel to these destinations knowing that the best to preserve these environments is stay home and get their thrills watching NATURE on PBS.
Public's Attitude Hardens on Illegal Immigrants {Politics Daily}
May 26th 2010 5:52PM A fence? A wall? 1,200 border guards? 76% in favor? What have we become, this nation founded by immigrants? Apartheid-minded, repressive and emotionally reactionary, this response to illegal immigration is punitive and inhumane. I, myself, am an immigrant with a work visa and pending citizenship. Americans welcomed me to this country when I arrived to begin university. Americans helped me to establish myself, taught me the "ropes," and, in the process, became good, caring friends. I am astonished to think, let alone believe, Americans are anti-immigrants! What exactly have illegal immigrants done to make Americans so mad? Why are Americans willing to punish many because of, as you say, a few "bad apples" who may have caused trouble? No, this is not the way Americans think or act; this has never been my experience in this beautiful country a model of justice for all. My heart, it breaks to read these opinions. The whole world must work harder to integrate, not just America. By unreasonably denigrating people who only come here to work hard (many for so little pay)to make a better life for their families, everybody loses something. In this case, the most important thing of all - our humanity.
Elena Kagan's Fashion Sense: Robin Givhan and the Nominee's Legs {Politics Daily}
May 26th 2010 4:31AM Givhan, like other fashionistas, delight in making mountains out of others personal style choices. Some of those choices may be open to subjective observation but when that arbiter seeks to diminish the person the critique amounts to nothing more than a molehole. Givhan might have looked beyond the clothing to examine the women behind them to understand that Kagan's choices seem to reflect her no nonsense professional persona. If Kagan favored a more glamorous style, you can bet she'd receive even more unfavorable scrutiny.
