Rob

I have a 15 gallon aquarium.

I am in the process of stocking it, and I believe it is cycled, but my readings are odd:

0.5 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, 10 ppm nitrate

I have one fancy guppy, one neon tetra and two black mollies

My question is, how do I get the ammonia down to 0. There is obviously some kind of biological exchange going on, ergo the nitrate.

But my ammonia readings have consistently been between 0.5 and 1.0 no matter what I do. The nitrate doesn't change much either.

I have been doing a 25% water change at least once a week, sometimes twice if I think the ammonia is threatening to go over 1.0

Might there be something in the filter that is creating the ammonia (I have an Aqueon 20 filter with a Bio Holster)

While I'm on the subject, when it comes time to change the filter cartridge, would it be a good idea to slip the new cartridge behind the old one (there is space) to get it seeded, then pull out the old one after a week? Or would the extra cartridge affect flow through the filter? I don't really trust the bio holster (that's this little baffle in the filter that is supposed to be space for the bacteria to live).

I have heard of bio balls, and I think my filter would have enough space if I tossed a couple of them in.

But I would like to know what is keeping my ammonia levels at 0.5- 1.0.

Also, Black Mollies: salt or no salt?

OK. I have an Aqueon 15 gallon aquarium I've had since March.

When I first got it, I didn't know about cycling, I simply filled it with water, conditioner, then gradually added fish (common mistake) Of course there was a massive die-off. All but 6 died. I learned about cycling and I tried to cycle the tank with the 6 I had left, but all I got was a consistently high ammonia reading.

I had been doing between 25% and 50% water changes weekly primarily to get the ammonia level down, with limited success. I also started using Stress Zyme, in addition to the Stress coat I was using.

Last week, I figured maybe 6 fish were too many to cycle and aquarium, so I re-homed three, so now have three fish: one rummy nose tetra, one neon tetra, and one community fish (not exactly sure what type, but about an inch long). The guy in the fish store suggested I use Nutrifin Cycle, and add aquarium salt, which I have been doing according to instructions.

A week later, I had an ammonia reading of 3.0ppm, and 0 Nitrite, 5.0 ppm Nitrate.

I did a 25% water change, now I have a 2.0 ppm ammonia reading and 0 Nitrite (did I somehow mess up the bacteria?)

I have an Aqueon 30 power filter, a couple of inches of gravel on the bottom, artificial plants, and an airstone. Water is nice & clear. I have the light on a timer, to keep the light on between 2:30 PM and 10 PM.

What should I do hereon in to get this thing cycled once and for all?

How do I change the filter cartridge when the time comes without messing up the bacteria?

Which additives should I be using, and which should I not be using.

I have read many conflicting answers, I just want to get this thing cycled so I can start adding fish!

I have an autistic son from a previous marriage. As part of our support & custody agreement (in lieu of the tradition state child support guidelines), among other things, I take care of his health insurance and medical expenses. Since he lives in a different state, he cannot be covered by the insurance I have with my employer (whose premiums are pre tax), so I pay out of pocket premiums for a policy that is good in his state (blue cross blue shield). My ex would have to pay a lot to have him insured from the policy she has with her employer, so this works well. We have an amicable relationship.

Since he primarily lives with his mom (my ex), he is claimed as a dependent on her taxes. However, I am the one paying the premiums. Can the premiums and medical bills be deducted by either of us? If she get the tax deduction, thats ok, and if I get the deduction, that's ok. I would just like for somebody to get the deduction, because that's more money for our kid. How would we handle this. I pay a little over $5000 a year in premiums, as well as a $1500 HSA.

How would this deduction work?

While in Albany for a visit, I had a bottle of Labatt Blue Light with lime. It was really good; a light beer that doesn't suck is a rare commodity. But here in NYC, it is hard to get Labatt beer, period, let alone one that is new.

I live in upper Manhattan, and I just wondered if anybody knew of a place around here that actually sells it. I'm not going to travel a huge distance for it, but I'll walk a few extra blocks to get me a six pack.

Try not to speculate, and if you don't live in NYC you probably wouldn't be able to answer the question.

How accurate is this statement:

Capitalism gone too far enables the greedy to take advantage of the non-greedy

Socialism gone too far enables the greedy to exploit a system designed to protect the non greedy from being taken advantage of by the greedy.

So where do draw the line?

OK here is the situation.

I am the non-custodial parent of a 9 year old, moderately autistic boy. He lives with his mom, but is here for many school breaks.

He not only travels well, but also loves to travel, especially by train. So for his visit in August, about a week, I have put together a trip to Washington DC. Coming along with us will be my underprivileged nephew (long story...... poor kid rarely gets to go anywhere) who is 12, and is very nice to my son and my son likes him very much. My (very patient and understanding) fiancee will also be joining us.

I have already put the "skeleton" of the trip together: We live in New york City and I have booked the Amtrak tickets. We'll be staying at a holiday Inn in DC. We'll be in DC 3 nights and one of the days, we'll be going to Six Flags in Maryland. Because we're New Yorkers, we'll be going car free, and using the DC Metro. My son loves riding subways.

Of course, we will want to see the area by the Capitol building and the Lincoln/Washington Memorial.

But I've never been to DC as a tourist, so I'm not sure what else.

Remember, I have an autistic son. He has a vocabulary of 40 words. He is pretty well behaved, will follow instructions, fully toilet trained etc. But certain situations may stress him out and cause him to act out, so any activity we do needs an "out" (as in easy escape)

For instance, the Smithsonian may not be such a good idea, but I think he'll like looking at the Capitol building.

I have 3 days. Any suggestions on what to do/see?

As I mentioned earlier, he travels well. I also want to make sure my nephew enjoys himself too.

I know you don't know me or my son, but if a bunch of people hit me with a few suggestions, especially those who know DC well, I'll be able to put together something good.

Now I know the history of the literacy test; it was applied inconsistently and unfairly according to race.

What if they had a standardized literacy test for everyone who wanted to vote? Nothing big; just to assess you are capable of putting two or three words together in a sentence. If you can't even do that correctly, why would what you think have any merit? Why would your vote be worth anything?

I have noticed that republicans rely heavily on undereducated people (check out the misspelled tea party signs). Getting the undereducated on your side is one of the smartest political moves you can make, albeit not very ethical.

If people who were ignorant and illiterate were excluded from the polls, would that make a huge dent in the republican vote?

I have a Brita filter on my kitchen faucet. They are supposed to last 2 months, but on my faucet, they tank after 2.5 weeks. I don't use the faucet excessively.

They are very expensive, so is there a way to unclog them? It just seems that they clog way too soon, maybe there are mineral deposits in my water. I live in a prewar building in NYC.

They should last longer than two weeks! They're supposed to last 2 months!

OK, long story short:

I work for several companies, each with different pay rates, hours, locations and pay weeks. When it's busy, we work a lot. When it's slow, we work when we can, and collect unemployment for when we can't. How busy the slow season is determines how much unemployment we get (since we're in a recession, we've been collecting a little more unemployment than in previous years)

In New York state, the rules are this:

Every day you work (up to 4) is 25% off your benefit for that week. That means you can't work more than 3 days in a given week.

Also, you can't make more than $405 (outside of unemployment).

So, for instance, if you work 3 days and make $404.99, you qualify for a day of unemployment. If you work 1 day, and male $405.01, you don't.

Because of the huge difference in all the companies I work for, it makes calculating the work week very confusing. Record keeping is also a bear.

Well, I just got a letter from the Investigations section of the Dept. Of Labor, telling me of some weeks I "did not report all my earnings". They have gone back a few years and the grand total of the discrepancy is easily a few thousand.

It's likely I made a few mistakes along the line. There might have been weeks where the sum total was over the max 405. There might have been a week or 2 where I worked 3 days, but reported 2. It all bleeds together. It's also likely I might have made mistakes that were not in my favor, too, but DOL is not worried about that. The errors were negligent, but unintentional. I don't have any adequate records to refute their claim, either.

Since it was my responsibility to provide correct information, whatever the reason, it is likely they will prosecute this as a fraud case.

Best case scenario, I am going to have to pay back all the over payments, and sit out of unemployment for a very long time. That I can handle. I'm happy to pay for my mistakes.

My questions are about the worst case scenario:

1) I live in New York City. The Dept of Labor is really cracking down on fraud. How likely are they to prosecute?

2)If they prosecute, what will they do? Misdemeanor? Felony?

3) if there is a conviction will I get probation? suspended sentence? 30 days in county jail? 1 year in state pen? How likely will I get incarcerated?

4) I live in NYC. The jail here is Rikers Island. It's a very tough place. If I get jail, can I request that I do my time in one of the surrounding counties?

5) At what point should I get a lawyer?

I am looking for real answers, so please refrain from:

A) preachy sermons

B) smartass comments like "tell it to the judge", "you did the crime, do the time"

C) idiotic "drop the soap" jokes.

I am looking real answers here, so if you are not prepared to answer the question honestly and objectively, move on and save it.

It is the year 2030. The powers that be have decided that quality, not quantity is important to the human race. Therefore, they have implemented these rules:

A) At age 30, a panel will evaluate your value to society. Whether you have been a benefit, a detriment, or simply taken up space. Your academic records, employment records, criminal records, credit history, and other items will be evaluated to determine your "rank" as a human being. Hardship you had faced through no fault of your own would be considered, as would be other extenuating circumstances.

B) the bar would be set at the top 60% for women, the top 40% for men. That is: a woman who was in the top 60% would live, if she were in the bottom 40% she would be exterminated. A man who was in the top 40 % would live, if he were in the bottom 60% he would be exterminated.

C) The panel may, at their discretion extend your case for two years, maximum (for instance if there were a reason that you would be likely to improve, or some other circumstance) However, two years is the max, and anybody older than 32 would have "passed muster" and could therefore live.

Keep these things in mind:

A) With this kind of stipulation, there would be a great incentive to work hard. Therefore the bar would be raised even more.

B) With each generation the bar would raise considerably.

C) Attempts to manipulate this system, if detected would reflect unfavorably in your final evaluation and lower your rank.

D) Attempts to escape from the system (hiding, failure to show up to evaluation, even a suicide attempt) would reflect unfavorably in your final evaluation and lower your rank.

E) Keep in mind that there would be some people who would, after successfully "passing" their evaluation, would stop working hard and become losers, maybe even criminals (think senior slump; goofing off after you have already gotten into college)

F) The panel would be trained to pick up people who were just "doing well" to pass the muster, and evaluate accordingly

This would effective eliminate prisons, at least after age 30. Most assistance (welfare) programs would be for a very short term, because this would also reflect poorly on the evaluation.

Also, remember that the top and bottom of society would be no brainers. I.e. a nobel peace prize winner, or a brilliant brain surgeon; it would be easy to decide on them, as would a habitual criminal.

But what about regular people. Like you. People who kind of worked hard, but maybe slacked a bit. People who fall into that middle percentile.

People who never did anything really bad, but never did anything really good, either.

Where would you rank in the scheme of things. How would you rank? Make your case.

Remember:

Men: you have to be in the top 40% to live.

Women: you have to be in the top 60% to live.

Would you live or die?

Remember that this is hypothetical and I am not advocating this type of society. I think it is very dystopic. I am not sure whether I would be in that to 40% Probably not.

But what about you? Live or die?

OK, my resolution this year is to propose to my girlfriend and ask her to make an honest man out of me. I am about to turn 35, my girlfriend is also 35, we have been together for about 6 years, living together for almost that long.

Here's the issue. I do ok, but I don't make a lot of money. I want to get a nice, modest, high quality, non ostentatious ring. Nothing too over the top. Just something simple and modest. My girlfriend likes simple jewelery, too, i.e small earrings, simple accessories.

I was thinking about a thousand to fifteen hundred dollars. Now I know it's not 3 months salary, not even close, but I have been looking and a thousand buys a really nice ring. And since we are well into our thirties and have a home together, I can think of a lot of ways to spend the money that would be otherwise spent on a huge, flashy engagement ring (i.e a nice trip together, improving our household etc) I know that may make me sound like a cheapass.

While my girlfriend may be understanding of this, the issue is her mother. In a nutshell, she wants to see a boulder, I have the money for a pebble.

Direct quotes from her mother:

"I have no patience for the non affluent"

"there are rich nice guys, too"

"the size of the engagement ring is directly related to the mans character"

"any married woman who works has a pig for a husband"

"You know, Rob, the price of an engagement ring should be three months salary. Not your salary, Rob, the salary I believe my daughter should be kept in"

"there is no excuse for a grown man not to make six figures"

etc etc

I know that the minute that my girlfriend gets her ring, her mom is going to make a bee-line to the nearest appraiser, to find out the "size of my character"

Both my girlfriend and I take her mom with a grain of salt, but it sure would be nice for her to value me more than the cash I can generate. It just would make a certain aspect of our marriage go smoother.

Or am I wrong here? Am I being a cheapass

Just for the record, both my girlfriend and I make about 45K a year. Not a lot, but it is adequate. Certainly not enough for her mom!

OK, this health care overhaul thing is just taking too long and morphing into something nobody wants!

Really, when you distill it down, it amounts to making some kind of health insurance available to people who would be unable to otherwise acquire it (people whose jobs don't pay health insurance, and can't afford thousand dollar premiums etc), because nobody benefits from people who can't pay their medical bills.

And if we don't want the government providing/managing it, that's understandable. So we handle it privately.

No one can argue that what we have is working just fine, not when we have people with huge medical bills, and are unable to get coverage they can afford. Those lucky enough to have insurance paid by their employer, fine. What do we do with the others? Throw them under the bus?

Shouldn't this be a no brainer? What's the hold up?

How hard is health insurance that the average person can afford?

Isn't that better than people not paying their doctor bills or going broke doing it (and thereby costing us money in other ways)?

Surely an objective (private interest free) collaberation between the govt and insurance providers should be able to do this! Anybody have any insight into what the hold up is?

My fiance and I are talking about wedding plans and, because we both are classical musicians, music is a very important part of the whole thing.

We are not religious, so the wedding will be secular.

As a processional, I came on the idea of the Romanza, in that it is an exquisite, romantic piece, and can be played with a small amount of instruments and is versatile (can have a few different possibilities with regard to instrumentation i.e piano & oboe, piano & flute, cello, piano and trumpet)

It is also about 3.30 in length and can be cut, if necessary.

Is there any reason that it should not be a processional?

I am especially interested in those who are familiar with the piece

I just read the transcript of the speech and it looked pretty good to me. Straightforward, uplifting, motivational. And politically neutral. If there was a hidden communist, socialist, muslim, liberal agenda (pretty strange bedfellows) I must have been to dumb to decipher it.

Isn't the president well within his rights to address schoolchildren? And I think the first day of school is a pretty appropriate time to do that. It's not like he was saying,"Hey kids! Tell your parents to vote for this or that!" (Other presidents in the past have covertly done this)

It was pretty much a message to:

A) Work hard in school

B) don't let adversity make you give up.

When you distill it down, that's what it was. A lot of kids don't have their parents to tell them that.

It wasn't mandatory, nobody was forced to watch it. The president didn't issue an order. It was merely an address directed at a certain important part of our population: kids in school.

Waste of time?

What do you think George W. was doing while the World Trade Center was being bombed?

Reading "My Pet Goat" to a bunch of first graders. And continued to do it after he knew.

So could somebody please give me some insight about what all the fuss is about, or was this yet another attempt to sabotage/undermine the efforts of the president?

In NYC, this is the case. The "Rent Stabilization Association" is a special interest group made up of landlords who want rent stabilization to go away.

Generally speaking, it seems odd that an organization would name themselves something they were trying to get rid of. For instance, would a bunch of pro-lifers call themselves the "Abortion Rights Association"? Would a group of vegetarians call themselves the "meat eaters association"?

Might it be that if they called themselves a name like "the Anti Rent Stabilization Association", or the "Market Rate Rent Association" or the "Landlords Rights Association", or "The Rent Gougers Association" etc that they wouldn't have much credibility. NYC is a city primarily of renters so perhaps landlords are less sympathetic characters here than in other cities.

It just seems to me that it doesn't make you look very up-front about your agenda if you call yourself something that is the antithesis of what you want to accomplish. In fact that it makes you look kind of dishonest.

So, back to my question, why would they call themselves this?

I just got a new 15 inch MacBook Pro.

I had 13 inch mac book with a 200 gb harddrive. It was destroyed by water, but the harddrive was intact, as was it's data, so I had it put into an external enclosure.

Now that I have my new macbook, what I want to do is move all my data from the external hard drive into my new macbook.

I have a big iTunes library, and I want it exactly set up like the old one, playlists etc. In addition I want to deauthorize the old machine and authorize the new one.

I also have a lot of photos in iPhoto, and I want it set up like the old one with albums etc.

I have an iPhone 3G and I want to get it all set up too.

And when all that data is in the computer correctly, I want to use the external hard drive as my time machine back up (do I need to delete the old info so the info now on my new macbook can be backed up?)

Here is what I have done so far:

I have gotten it all registered, all the user names all set up

my mobile me is all set up

safari all set up.

It is ready to go except for the data I had on my old computer, configured exactly as before.

How do I accomplish this?

PS I tried to do it once, think I messed up and reinstalled the OS and application software.

To wit:

Feminism is the idea that women deserve equal rights, equal pay, equal opportunities and the right not to be harassed on the basis of her gender (essentially, in a nutshell)

Misandry is the hatred of men:

The idea that by virtue of "maleness" men, all men, and only men are responsible for the majority of problems here on earth.

That women are entitled to special rights

that men somehow owe women something by virtue of their "maleness"

It seems there are a lot of people on this section who confuse the term "feminism" with "misandry"

It seems to me, that very few women are misandric; they're just want equal rights etc. How is that a bad thing?

Then there are a lot of guys who think that every woman who is a feminist is out to get him. Isn't what he really means is a misandrist?

And here's why the question: Feminism is a good thing. Misandry is a bad thing (just like misogyny is a bad thing)

And it seems like misandry, real or perceived is giving feminism a bad rap.

The term (feminism) has become loaded, and shouldn't we straighten out the semantics.

To reiterate, all a feminist is someone who believes in equality for women. Isn't that a given today? Who, here doesn't believe in that?

Misandry is simply hating men? And I think there are very few misandrists out there, and I would think they are the bane of the feminists existence.

I mean, for what real feminism is, everyone I respect is a feminist. My girlfirend is a feminist. My boss is a feminist. I am a feminist (and proud to be one), Our president is a feminist. Our secretary of state is a feminist etc, I could spend all day on this.

I just think we need to get our terms straight and use the term "feminist" correctly and with pride and respect, because it is a good thing. What do you think?

Do you think he would have been so cavalier about wasting the lives of our soldiers?

yesterday I walked to work and about mid point through my walk I noticed my upper abdomen was sore. I chalked it up to muscles (I have been doing abdominal exercises). But when I felt my abdomen, I noticed a small "knot" above my belly button.

At work I felt really lousy, and eventually needed to go home. I was in a lot of abdominal pain. I vomited and felt a little better, but the pain was still there.

Then I finally went to sleep, woke up this morning and I feel fine, 100% better, almost like it didn't happen, except my throat is sore from the vomiting.

The small knot is still there, but not as pronounced.

A few things:

I exercise regularly, including crunches

Part of my job involves some moderately heavy lifting (30-40 pounds)

A couple of years ago, I donated a kidney, and it was done laproscopically, and they took it out through a small incision below my belly button. They told me after the surgery not to lift anything heavier than a sunday paper for six weeks, or I might get a hernia, and I complied.

So I am wondering if these factors would lead to a hernia, or did I just have a really bad case of food poisoning?

PS I will be going to the doctor sometime this week, but I feel fine now, so somehow it doesn't seem as urgent.

Going to get a new macbook. The only complaint I had with the standard white macbook was that the speakers were tiny, the sound quality was tinny and even at top volume it was almost inaudible.

Are the speakers on the new aluminum one any better?