JKane

I'm not sure about that, and it probably varies state to state. But you give up direct control of your money in a blind trust--the primary purpose of one--and that's the beginning of ending up with nothing in 5 years like so many other lotto winners... It is one *of many* things to research in depth before claiming the prize. People are also going to find out. People that know you--and they're the ones that are the most dangerous. If you can't handle ignoring requests from people you don't know (who find you through the public record) you're fucked when it comes to family, friends, co-workers!

DUNE. I own about 5 different versions of it, and am not even a fan of David Lynch in general or choices he made on that movie in particular. But each time I watch it I feel I discover something new. Then again it's also one of the only books I've read multiple times... I've caught myself watching episodes of Band Of Brothers on TV for the 4th or 5th time even though I have a better DVD copy sitting next to the TV... I do want to watch through the Lord of the Rings trilogy again soon (have watched lengthy sections on TV more than once...), and have watched extended sections of Tom Clancy based movies when they've been on--though the Ben Affleck one was really bad. Others I've liked in theaters but liked a lot less on re-watching, the most recent Star Trek being an example. But I do love Undiscovered Country!

I fully disagree with this. Sure there may be some instances where no harm is done but on the whole there are reasons for societal pressures against doctor/patient and teacher/student relationships. People in a position of power over others need to look elsewhere for dates and those who think it's fine to date/fuck people in their care are in the wrong profession, IMHO. Criminal charges/prison time do seem excessive though. But certainly deserved to lose her credentials and become notorious. Now speaking of double standards, imagine for a moment if it'd been a male teacher and male students!

I've spent a lot of time thinking about this too. My understanding is that you can setup a trust (not a blind trust--I don't see why anybody other than a politician would need one of those) to claim the winnings and keep your name private. Clearly my first calls would be to lawyers/financial analysts--long before family and friends! How to find one(s!) you trust is a bigger question, but I'd say being involved is one of the keys. You don't hand your money over to somebody and sit back! Maybe you have a couple trusted smart people that you have *join you* in a "board of directors" overseeing the funds, but again you DO NOT just leave it to others! And you make it clear what those board members and other service providers get: a set payment / salary, maybe some travel, maybe some performance bonuses--but no direct access to your money and a real legal liability if they try to do anything they'd gain personally from! Nobody gets to advise you who gets a commission or percentage per action! Everybody--even/especially friends--getting paid for services or even a one time gift should have some kind of contract defining exactly what they get AND that they expect nothing more than what's stated. You also need to understand tax implications for yourself *and them* of payments/gifts. ("Enjoy this new car I got you!", a year later: "Help! I owe $36k I don't have because of the car!", a year later: "Help! I owe $12k in taxes because you helped me pay last year's taxes, also the car's out of warranty and needs X...") You divide up the money immediately and make sure *you* are set for life. First things I would do is put around 5m into dividend stocks or annuities (most likely a mix--after much research) guaranteeing a six-figure yearly income for life and I'd put some money someplace very safe (bonds/etc). All of these activities are to be split among several institutions with at least a third of them being international investments held in a non-US institution. Then I'd buy and pay off some real estate for myself and loved ones. I would work to do every one of these things in a way that isolates them legally from me and certainly from any family I help out. I.E. a lawsuit against me or them can not affect these monies/properties. I would also look into some diversity by area/country: a nice property, (entry papers/citizenship,) and a decent bank account waiting for me someplace like Brazil, at the least for fun vacations but at the worst a place to "bug out" if the US really goes to shit. I figure these items would be most of a "small" win and about a third of a modest to large win. Another third I *might*--after much research--use to start a business (otherwise: investments), and the last third would be for having FUN--knowing that no matter what I was already all set. This third would include gifts/charities--because the real point is you enjoying doing it! But even with the FUN money I'd be careful about incurring ongoing costs. The amount of money it takes to maintain a supercar (or idiotic collection of same!), plane or god-forbid yacht can really add up! Because: You have to always keep in mind that "winning 75 million" doesn't mean what you think it means. It means you've won ~36 million that with a very conservative rate of return will pay you 75m *before taxes* over 20-30 years. My understanding is you can always do better with a lump sum, or just taking the annuity contract into any bank and they'll buy it out for more... Some financial analysis are adamant that with the deficit and other factors taxes are lower now than in the future, so that can be another consideration for the lump sum. Something for in-depth consulting and research before claiming. *This* is why smart people can take months to claim! But that means you "only" get $36-38m and then the gov't takes about a third... leaving you with ~24m. But you, your friends, your family, your employees, your neighbors... ALL have it in mind that you won 75m! SEE how so very many lotto winners end up bankrupt with nothing??? But those (actually an annuity over X years) jackpots are everywhere. Even daydreaming while playing Megabucks in Vegas I do the math to cancel out the bullshit numbers and make a rough estimate of what I'd actually win! If you're the powerball winner I'd be happy to join your board of directors, btw!

I do realize many escorts post ads via their cell phones but an ad like that does make me much less likely to hire.

That is awesome!

Maybe one of the photos was a jpeg but didn't end in .jpg? This site also rejects some images of different filetypes that show up fine in browsers, I've noticed.

And covering the fraud! I've had a credit card number skimmed a couple times, it's a bit of a pain in the ass but the banks generally make everything right pretty quick. For credit cards anyway, hear it can be a real pain in the ass with debit cards, especially with banks known for shitty customers service anyway (BofA...). One time was a gas station too. Not sure my number's ever been stolen online...

I use Hotmail as my primary (naughty) email addr. and hadn't even heard anything about this yet. IF our hotmail addresses continue to work and they just give us some new interface to use I don't see how this is any different from when they switched to "Live" a couple years ago...

This just in, amazing photo of Milky Way from just above the SURFACE OF MARS! .

Those in Southern California should keep their eyes open for when JPL does their open house, I think it was just a couple months ago for this year. Often over-crowded and lots of kids (great place to take nieces/nephews whatever) but still quite interesting. Even better sometimes can be when people from JPL speak at other events. I heard a presentation on what Cassini had accomplished at a Sci-Fi convention that blew my mind several years ago. There's also something awesome-sounding going on in Pasadena this weekend...

I really like and admire Roger, but you have to understand that they are often skewed on movies like Tree of Life not because they're all elitest arseholes, but becuase they see a thousand or more movies a year, in Roger's case for what, over 20 years straight? It gets to the point that a movie that goes unexpected directions or is odd for the sake of being odd will quickly become a standout with them because it'll be one of the few movies that surprised them, while the rest of the public is left confused and annoyed--half with the critic who recommended the movie. Once you understand reviews through this filter they can still be very useful and in Ebert's case even entertaining in their own right. In the end you have to decide for yourself what you like.

I think those vandals did a great job, but since I don't have any artistic talent or a partner for the kiss-in, I've been playing with the idea of printing up athiest flyers and putting one on every car in one of their parking lots...

Not really any gay content, but more imaginative than Katy Perry taping fireworks to her tits... Gawker story about it.

Chick Fil-A music video...

Congrats Four Aces, was disappointed when Scott didn't pick me but very happy it was you! Have fun with it!

Yes, thanks again to Oz and Townie! I hope we do it again soon!

Finding jobs, pshaw, are they even allowed to pass the bar when they graduate? I've been told the bar on "THE Bar" seems to capriciously move in California and with the current lack of demand it's nigh-impossible...?

Sounds great but it's hard to imagine NBC doing *anything* daring! We shall see...

They've taken some pleasantly surprising (politically) progressive stands, I've noticed.

And THEY ARE SPREADING!!!

Aww, I feel honored somebody noticed my lack of attention! I would've entirely missed out on the dinner if I didn't get a pm notification from Townie... I'll try to do better in the future!

*Just* saw this--the one time I go a couple days without checking in! But I am planning to be there!