h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A few years ago, when going to Germany, I asked a (Glasgow resident) German friend whether I should take £ or DM travellers cheques. He asked incredulously, 'Why? They have cashpoints, you know.' This was the first time I realised that a) my ordinary cheque account card would work throughout Europe b)You get by far the best rates, and no commisssion, by direct account withdrawal.

It's let down by the archaic US banking system, though. I have to use Visa there.

(And I felt like a proud European the first time I managed to get Euros out of my own account)

Well, my bank debit card works no better. Although I can use it as a Visa abroad, the conversion charges are astronomical. It's an ATM card, but there's no branches of my bank near my home (or much of anywhere, it seems) so I not only wind up paying the other bank's $1.75 per transaction fee, I also have to pay my bank $1.50. If I use it as a debit card for a POS transaction, it costs me a nickel per. They're certainly holding on to my money with a tight fist. B******s!

Can you tell how hot and muggy it is here today by my cranky attitude? No aircon at work and next to a machine shop means it's about 15 degrees F hotter in here than outside. I think it was 105 or so in here when I walked in this morning.

Banks...you pay them to look after your money and then they rent it back out to you. Go figure!

Yeah. The only reason I deal with them at all is there's a branch at a grocery store about a mile from home where we buy the cat food and K's soda. And they're open Sundays and holidays just in case I've mucked about and not gotten enough money out for the weekend.

I see Bank One branches all over the city and had planned to swtich to them, but they've been bought out by Chase and they're the crooks who keep messing about sending me my credit card statements a week after the due date so they can continually nail me for late fees and therefore NEVER pay a dime against my principal.

I'm seriously considering just keeping cash in the mattress and buying money orders to pay all of the bills.

And on another topic entirely... do any of you lot have a link to, or know how I can locate, the h2g2 Freedom From Faith Society? It didn't come up on a search, but I don't always get good results from those. Operator error, most likely.

Yes I do...but it's something I got extremely bored with. Given its name, I was misled into thinking it might be a place where it would be acceptable to make negative remarks about particular religions/ religion in general - but seems t'ain't so. The general consenus seemed to be that a) I shouldn't be so disrespectful of peoples' religions and b) since I can't *prove* there's no god, I should shut up. Do you really want to go there? Here's their forum, if you want to lurk: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/F80629?thread=155651

Hmmm. I was thinking a lurk might be in order, but since you and I seem to feel similarly about religion, it sounds like it might be a waste of time.

What you've described certainly sounds quite contrary to the forum's name. My interest was piqued by the possibility of a place where I could also comment negatively. Thanks for sparing me from being misled!

Which makes me think that maybe we should build such a place...?

There's a slight problem, though. There's always the danger that people will start spouting off against fundamentalist Christianity. Then others will leap in and say 'We're not all like that!'

Then, others may criticise a certain murderous misreading of Islam, and others will say '...ditto...'

Which wouild put be in the invidious position of having to defend the faiths of the nice Christians and Muslims - of whom there are many. But that's something I'm not happy to do. I propose that the evils of fundamentalism are just another side of the same religious coin which allows irrationality to be used as the basis for supporting either good or bad arguments.

(Distraction from main thread. All over to my place to discuss further)

Oh yeah...I should also mention that it was politely suggested that I should leave the FFF ...but in a good way, by sensible person who suggested that the heat generated by responses to my postings was getting boring.

>Which wouild put be in the invidious position of having to defend the faiths of the nice Christians and Muslims - of whom there are many. But that's something I'm not happy to do. I propose that the evils of fundamentalism are just another side of the same religious coin which allows irrationality to be used as the basis for supporting either good or bad arguments.<

Hear, hear. I don't necessarily think all people with religion or faith are necessarily irrational, but I think religion and faith in and of themselves are irrational and disturbing.

And no worries about "distracting" from my thread. There's more to life than listening to me gripe about my sh*tty job!

*feeling in the religious minority* I drift back and forth between a gentle agnosticism, and deism. I've had enough really odd things happen in my life that I'm not ruling out the supernatural.

Good to see you Edward, it's been ages.

I pay $6 a month for my checking account, which includes transactions on my debit card. It's a small local credit union.

Here in Memphis, you can't spit without hitting a church! I think Memphis has the highest ratio of churches to population in the US. There are only two Unitarian Universalist churches though. In mine, deists, atheists, and agnostics, with a smattering of jews, christians, pagans, and buddhists, coexist pretty happily.

One more quick update, since something good might come of tomorrow's endeavors.

So, as it turns out, I've taken tomorrow off anyway, although I opted not to accompany K to see Tuffy UK play tonight in some Battle of the Bands thing at a very kiddie-clubby-type venue. (I decided not to go simply because their set doesn't start till 11:00 but the sound check started at 6:00, and I've no desire to spend six hours in a crappy dive. Especially not when it's full of snotnosed indiekids and wannabe deejays. How they got roped into playing that dump, I'll never know.)

I've taken tomorrow off (sans pay, that's gonna hurt) because I have an interview with one of the companies my staffing agent referred me to, a small financial services company, for a temporary (possibly to hire) position performing various administrative duties. It pays, as I say, about 2/3 of the absolute minimum I need to earn, but it'd only be for a few months or less, and would get me out of the hellhole I'm in while I search for a permanent position or wait for FTF to get the okay to begin hiring again.

And at least I won't have to worry whether or not my paychecks will clear the bank.

Might I add one last thing- and that is one of the disadvantages of sharing your home with a VERY FUZZY cat is that when said cat has been scooting around under the sofa with a catnip mouse for a while, he will come out again completely covered in dust bunnies, putting your housekeeping skills to shame. I ought to harness him to a stick and use him for a dustmop.

Nighty night, kids. I'll let you all know how the interview goes tomorrow. My appointment is at 1:00, so would my friends from the other side of the pond please keep fingers crossed for me tomorrow evening?

PS= Hiya JEllen! And hi to Micio. Hi from Herman, too!

Good to see you, I don't catch you online often, and it's generally when I'm just about to head off to bed. I don't know whether to or about that!

Thanks again for the email with the portrait. It was beautiful.

"There's always the danger that people will start spouting off against fundamentalist Christianity. Then others will leap in and say 'We're not all like that!"
ED

I do not get it.
Where is the "Danger"?
Surely you are brave enough to escape that danger!

The FFF *was an area (not been in a while) all could discuss everything. It is about how it is discussed as you obviously learned.

I have seen interesting conversations between people of faith, people searching, people in states of confusion and healthy curiosity , also atheists and agnostics.

Some on both sides of the fence believe they have the answers and find that comforting. Some are not comfy reguardless of their belief system , questions or actual behavior.

I am comfy not having all of the answers.
Ed you come across (to me) as a person who needs to label persons either absolute fundamentalists or atheists to consider them genuine.

*keeps fingers crossed for PC*

Oh heaps of good luck with the interview

for PC

*crosses all available crossable bits*



zdt

tried crossing 21 digits??counts, fingers-toes-oh ey!!crossed 20