Captain Ron

When we moved into our apartment, it had been painted tasteful colors by the previous tenants (our landlords' daughter). They offered to paint the walls white again, but we said the colors suited us and it was fine.

Now, it has come time for us to move out, and the landlords are saying we have to paint the walls white again (not just white, but a particular brand and color that they have chosen). They say the lease requires us to paint the walls white, even though we never changed the colors in the first place. The only reference to the wall color in the lease I can find is the following item:

"Tenant agrees not to make any repairs or alterations to the Premises, including repainting, remodeling, driving nails in woodwork or walls, using any adhesive items on walls, without written consent of the Landlord. The Landlord will not pay for remodeling, decorating, or any work of this kind contracted by the Tenant, unless authorized in writing prior to the beginning of any renovation or remodeling. The Tenant further agrees not to remove any furnishings, fixtures or appliances without written consent of the Landlord. Any walls painted will be repainted by the landlord at a cost of $200 a room to the tenant and must be approved in writing before a wall is painted."

Since we never painted a single wall in the apartment, there is no written permission...there is, however, ample evidence that the apartment was already painted (and really the landlord isn't denying it).

Am I required by law to return the walls to a neutral hue, even though I never saw them that way myself?

I just acquired a huge box of family pictures that I'm going to scan in. I'd like to put them online so distant family can put dates and memories. I was thinking Flickr, but will that let people put comments and notes? Is there another site that would work better? Most of my family is on FaceBook, so I was also thinking that would be an option but it's painfully time-consuming to upload hundreds of pictures on there...

After I get lots of tags and information about the photos I would like to load them all on a CD with some sort of an interactive photo album. I have some HTML experience and was thinking of putting them all into a kind of on-disk website for navigating and seeing the captions but - again - that would be painfully time-consuming. Any ideas for software that would allow me to publish a CD-ROM to send to all the family with the pictures, captions, dates, etc.? I would prefer free software, but would be willing to pay $20-$30 for something that would do it right and take a lot of the work out of it.

Any thoughts?

I'm currently a Senior pursuing my BBA with a focus in Accounting. I currently wait tables but would like to find a job more in line with my degree.

I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan and there are many ads for jobs with H&R Block and Liberty Tax service. My understanding is that both companies require you to take tax classes before you are eligible for hire - at your own expense.

According to what I've read, H&R Block's tax class is about $300 (with no guarantee of employment). Liberty Tax has a similar (10 week) class which only costs $89 for materials, which is refundable if you return the books in good shape.

I'm very interested in working for these companies as it would give me excellent experience toward my future career and look great on a resume. I wonder, though:

A) If you work for a tax-preparation company (especially January 1 - April 15), do you make decent money? is it "worth it"?

B) What is the placement rate for those that buy the classes and want to work for the company?

C) Any other input which could help me decide if tax preparation is what I should do at this point in my education.

How would the accounting in a country that is dominated by equity-oriented capital markets differ from the accounting in a country dominated by state-owned enterprises?

My prof said the answer could be found online, but I'm not having any luck.

I'm a Texas transplant and have had trouble dressing properly for the winters here the last couple of years. I walk and take the bus primarily so I am out in the elements quite a bit. I usually wear boots, warm socks, a hat, a scarf, jeans (and sometimes long underwear if it's below zero), and a decent Columbia ski jacket.

My problem isn't really staying warm during the walk - I have ample gear for that - it's trying to not melt when I get to work or class. To be comfortable in the 78 degree classrooms, I'd have to take almost all my layers off, then put them all back on.

There's got to be an easier solution. Any suggestions?

I just found the first issue of of the Marvel comic series Ender's Game, but can't find anything online to indicate when the rest of the issues are going to come out. Any ideas?

I'm having a Central American-themed party, but would like to break away from the Tex-Mex that usually floods those parties (chips and salsa, queso dip, etc.).

What are some authentic Latin-American dishes that don't take a ton of prep, but are suitable for snacking on while drinking tequila?

I'm going to be receiving an inheritance in a month or so. After completely ridding myself of debt, I'll be left with about $40,000.

My original plan was to put $8k in a Money Market for "emergency" money, $12k in a 6 month CD, $10k in a 1-year CD, and the remaining $10k in either a 2-year CD or $6k in the CD and $4k in a Mutual Fund. The reason I chose these conservative investments is that my wife and I are both still in college (2 years left) and might need to draw on the money, since we can only work part time most of the year.

Question: Is this arrangement TOO conservative?

I would also be willing to purchase/invest in an existing business. If there were a great business idea on the horizon that I could invest in, I would also consider that (I have management and bookkeeping experience).

100 InterNets to the best answer!

I have bags under my eyes - always. I thought they were because I was nearing 30, but I saw some of my 1st-grade photos again recently and realized that I have always had them.

I get ample sleep, I use moisturizer on my face, and I use a Nivea "Under Eye Cream For Men," but to no avail.

I think the Preparation-H thing is crap, so I'm looking for new info. I will not consider a trip to the doctor or plastic surgery, I'm just wondering if there's a normal, natural way to get rid of my "excess baggage."

I think when someone asks how to do something on here, they should only receive fact-driven answers about how to proceed. I think other responses should be thumbed-down and affect their user rating. However, when people ask how to do something questionable, many of the responses are from people with strong opinions preaching against their actions - and get thumbed up very often (e.g. sex questions from gays, download questions from music pirates, etc.)

My question is threefold:

Should Yahoo! more forcibly enforce the rule that rants are not allowed?

Should rants be allowed in posts that actually answer the question posed?

Should users be allowed to thumb-down responses without listing a cause that is viewable by other users?

I'm in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Minimum wage is about $7/hour here, but minimum wage is $2.65/hour for tipped positions. I have a beef with my employer because I believe the wage law is enforced PER SHIFT, but she believes it is PER WEEK.

For example, if I'm paid $2.65/hour as a waiter and only make $5 tip in a 4 hour shift (day 1), I've made gross $3.90/hour - not min. wage. On my other shift (day 2) I work 4 hours, but make $100 tips, I've now made gross $15.78/hour for the week.

I am told that if you do not accrue minimum wage via tips and wage, your employer is responsible for supplementing your wage to bring you up to federal minimum wage - FOR THAT SHIFT. She would have to supplement shift A, even though the week's average says I made in excess of minimum wage. My employer says that she's responsible for supplementing wages to minimum wage PER WEEK, only ensuring that I made an average of $7/hour over the course of the week.

Who's correct? Links to share, please?

I've been a bartender for several years, but never in a high-volume wine environment. I've moved to a new location (Grand Rapids, MI) and - even though I'm an experienced bartender - I'm finding myself at a disadvantage finding a job tending bar because I know little beyond the basics (chardonnay is white, merlot is red, etc.). Can you recommend a book or website that will get me up to speed on the current, popular wines and the differences between them - and quickly? I'm looking for essential general information and food-pairing tips - necessary information for a wine-rich restaurant. I'm also looking to do this without spending a ton of $$$, so preferably popular books I can find at the library or on half.com for a reasonable price.

Also, I've attended many wine tastings, but I don't have a palate advanced enough to identify individual flavors and aromas; I just know what I like. I've also read 'Wine for Dummies,' but am looking for something just a big more advanced than that.

I had no intention of buying a Nintendo DS, but I'm getting one free for signing up with my cable provider. I like "Hotel Dusk" because I'm a point-and-click adventure nut (oh, how I miss Sierra!), but am open to other genre recommendations (no 1st-p shooters). What are the 5 best DS games to get?

"The Shadow of the Wind" was an incredible novel that enveloped me as I read it. I'm re-reading it, but what are other books in the same vein that would interest me? I'm a Spanish language minor, so I enjoy books from Spain and Central/South America.

There was a cartoon series on Nickelodeon in the 80's/90's called "Spartacus and . . . the something." Where can I find info about this show, and/or episodes to download (they're most likely not available to buy).

I feel that I approach this community honestly and legitimately. Feel free to check my "Answers" history if you're concerned.

My question: Why is it that I see so many questions from "Top Contributors" in the "Polls" forum asking:

"Have you ever broken a bone?"

"Do you see the color purple?"

"Is 'and' a word?"

Is it because many "Top Contributors" are actually "Top Scammers?"

P.S. Replies like "THEY HVE BETTR RATNGS THAN U" will be ignored on principle and mostly laughed at.

P.S.S. "You're just jealous!" is also not an answer. For me, this is not a popularity contest.

I was watching "Rules of Engagement" tonight, the documentary about the Waco incident, and noticed that for the entirety of the congressional hearing there was a large bank of lights on the interviewees table - red, yellow, and green. I tried to discern a pattern as to dialogue and color but could not. Does anyone know what these lights mean??

I have a Motorola WR850G wireless router. I've set the network as "closed" and set the Restriction mode to "Allow" only the 2 MAC addresses of my equipment. How secure am I?

I read a crappy sci-fi book several years ago that I'd like to find again (don't ask me why).

It was about a lady detective who was investigating murders and found that they were linked by a virtual online chatroom. She slowly got caught up in the world online and ended up meeting the killer - an escaped AI program taking the form of a clown. The program was able to mentally control users and make them kill themselves and others.

Am I the only person that ever read it?

This is to the sci-fi junkies and the astrophysicists. I don't necessarily want to hear about the "cold" and the "lack of oxygen." Who here can truly tell me what it would be like, physiologically, to be dumped into the vacuum of space? "Event Horizon" showed one instance - which I mostly disbelieve - and Total Recall showed a human on Mars - which I COMPLETELY disbelieve. What is the truth? What would it look like/feel like/be if I were suddenly forced out of an airlock into deep space?