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Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Thoughts for a Tuesday

I was in a video rental store with my son over the weekend. There, next to the movie "Brokeback Mountain" was another movie: "The Black Hole". Hmmmm.

Two new studies have just come out with stunning conclusions: Watching TV on a school night is bad for grades, and that dogs and smoke make asthma worse. Wow. Who could've guessed? Hey - how do you sign up for these gigs? I want to be a researcher on those teams!

We've just discovered HeaterMeals; precooked meals that heat themselves up without a stove or microwave. You just mix two pre-measured pouches together to start a chemical process, and place the food on top until it's heated through. We bought it in the discontinued section; it was probably being marketed to Floridians for the hurricane season. A great idea! The only problem is that hurricane season is during the hottest months. Instant ice-cold pasta salads would've been a better invention.

One of my friends is (sadly) being forced to go through a divorce in Georgia. To our pleasant suprise, we found out that Georgia is a state that allows "fault" divorce, as well as "no-fault". In Florida, we only have no-fault.

When the laws omitted "fault" divorce in this state, we were told that they were also omitting extended court battles and costs. What they omitted was justice. (Incidentally, in Florida there is only "no-fault" car insurance, too, and for the same reason. But just ask anyone who's been in a car accident as to whose fault it is! There's usually a guilty party.)

In Georgia, a spouse that has been unfaithful or abandoned another spouse can be considered to be "at fault" and may be penalized. Hey! Florida politicians! Is there any chance we may return to justice, too? And here I thought that Georgia was backwards. I may need to revise my thinking.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes but to prove they are at fault is the hard part. And you have to be vicous and mean! to win on the stand by accusing someone of being unfaithful or for abandonment. All it takes is someone who knows how to be meaner and misstate the truth no matter who they hurt! Either way I feel the courts take way too long on letting the parties get to court and get things over with. By the time they do the paying party (usually the dad) has spent all he has just for the right to visit his children. I like the law in Florida only because it makes both parties share in the support issues and not just one side only! TN went from 20% of income for child support to the sharing process and we pay over $200 less a month. Divorce is a sore subject with me because in my experience with my own and my hubbys the courts are very biased and don't seek all the facts. Even with a good lawyer you have to really push to get a fair deal and then it is still about the mother (who is still deemed to be the best to raise the kids, and is not always the case). Divorce is hard with or without kids. Sorry I rambled!

High Power Rocketry said...

Ugh heater meal? : )

Black hole is a decent film, not too violent. OTHER THAN THE PART WHEN HELL BREAKS FREE INTO OUR UNIVERSE AND GUYS RIP EYEBALLS OUT FOR THE FUN OF IT. Yeah Sweet film really, about one boys love for a puppy. AND SATAN!

Probably dont want to rent the sodomy film just yet. Not that there is anything wrong with cowboys doing the nasty. But you want him to stay innocent.

michelle said...

Debbie
don't get me going. We have stepson 52% of the time now. We pay just $20.00 less than when bio-mom had most of the over nights. Somehow the kids is still wearing the same oversized clothing from 3 years ago, only now they fit.

Saur, please tell me you did not eat this stuff.

Ed said...

Fortunately, Iowa is a fault state which means for those of us who are good drivers, our insurance is one of the lowest in the nation.

I saw Brokeback and really liked the movie. Other than about ten seconds of a tent scene that made me very uncomfortable, it is a very well put together movie. I can see how it got so many nominations. Needless to say, Crash which took home most of the awards, also made me uncomfortable at times.

I think I would pass on the heater meals. I would just build a fire out back and cook over that. Always wondered what a preservative that can give food a shelf life of years does to the body over time. Maybe I'm missing my fountain of youth!

michelle said...

Debbie
don't get me going. We have stepson 52% of the time now. We pay just $20.00 less than when bio-mom had most of the over nights. Somehow the kids is still wearing the same oversized clothing from 3 years ago, only now they fit.

Saur, please tell me you did not eat this stuff.

Deb said...

Isn't that like getting a marriage annulled? (Maybe I'm wrong) But it is 'no fault' actually...

Miss Cellania said...

Maybe justice would best be served if a state had both options. Divorce could be made simpler for those who just want a split with no fight and no child issues. And the "fault" route could be taken when there is a need for justice for the wronged party.

But what do I know? I never divorced with kids.

High Power Rocketry said...

I made a serious post for once, I think you will be proud : )

Anonymous said...

lmao @ black hole beside broke back!
haaaaaaaaaaa
I trust you rented neither?!?!?!

The Lazy Iguana said...

Thanks for the great NetFlix suggestion!

The Black Hole - Science Fiction. 1979. Disney Studios. Something about a spaceship and a black hole. There are also robots. One robot is all old and stuff. Another is evil. The third is just kind of lame.

An while renting The Black Hole NetFlix suggested Tron! So I got that too. And The Dark Crystal. And Conan The Barbarian. And MAD MAX! And some other stuff.

Ellen said...

I kind of wondered about the preservatives/ chemicals in the ready-meals myself. Something doesn't seem natural about the whole thing. But then, I like hot dogs, and look what they fill those with.

Suzy-Q said...

I would hate to be an "at fault" spouse in Georgia. They have lots of guns and woods in Georgia.

Saur♥Kraut said...

Auntie Jo, yeah, you've got a point! That, and Dick Cheney, and you're talking a real potential for a serious hunting accident. :D

Ellen, yeah... I avoid hotdogs like the plague. I try to not think about all the additives in these things.

Lazy I, ;o) It's not the Disney "Black Hole" movie. It looked like a newer one. Alex had said it's some kind of new SciFi flick? Your movie choices are awesome! You know, I ran across your number tonight and almost called you. I've been soooooo busy and have been neglecting everyone. But this is another night that I have to cash in early. I'm just too wiped out. I can't believe it's Wednesday!!!

JSull, :D I rented neither. One didn't look interesting enough, the other looked WAY too interesting.

Alex, I was! I enjoyed it your post. And yeah, see my response to Ellen and Michelle. I just can't bring myself to eat the stuff. And I think that SaurKid will pass on "Brokeback Mountain" for the rest of eternity.

Miss C, I think you're right; both options should be available.

Deb, I think you're mostly right about that. It IS like getting an anullment. But "no harm/no foul" just can't apply (or usually it can't!) Having it be "no fault" divorce really cheapens divorce. It makes it easy and OK to get divorced; no one's at fault!

Michelle, funny you should ask! I'm such a food snob. I keep thinking that if we are suddenly plunged into the stone age, I'll have some nice things to eat... but I'll only touch them then.

Ed, interesting about the car insurance rates! I believe that I read somewhere that no fault states have much higher rates.

Debbie, no problem! You're right; divorce IS hard, no matter what. I just like the fact that my friend (who's wife did him wrong) has a chance at having the law give him a break since it wasn't his fault.

Ed said...

No fault states such as Florida and where I used to live in Minnesota do have much higher rates. The reason is that no matter if you are a good driver or not, you still make claims against your insurance even if you aren't at fault. Insurance companies respond by jacking up the rates. Here in Iowa, if you aren't at fault, you don't file a claim against your insurance. The other guy gets too. His rates go up and mine stay the same. Another perk is that if their insurance doesn't pay, my insurance sues them and I can sit back and home and just wait for them to clear it up.

I've read the reasoning for going to no-fault is to eliminate lawsuits into whose fault it is. However I don't buy that argument since like you said, most cops are quite adept at figuring out and assigning fault and I rarely see their findings gettting overturned in court.

mckay said...

i wish more states had the "at fault" brand of divorce. i also wish adultery was illegal. i mean, why is it that marriage is a legal agreement, but breaking it via drugs, sexual perversions of all sorts is no biggie anymore?