My mother hasn't paid the water bill in a good long time

[conuly]

About a decade or so, I should think. Last time it came around she just threw a bunch of money at it to go away, and apparently "a bunch of money" turns out to have been about 10k. Smartest decision she has ever made, but now our balance is almost run out and we'll have to start paying it again.

***********************

Three Cross-species Brothers Haven’t Left Each Other’s Side For 15 Years (Sadly, Leo died in 2016 due to terminal illness. That's not the part of the story that made me cry, though.)

Elusive Wildcat Kitten Caught on Camera

The Raunchy, Comical, Political Snowman Invasion of 1511

Does Scrabble Need To Be Fixed?

The Landlord Asks for a Christmas Rose

Obviously burritos, corn dogs, dumplings, Pop-Tarts are all calzones

The Life-Saving ‘Dutch Reach’ Comes to American Driver’s Ed

Ant Colonies Retain Memories That Outlast the Lifespans of Individuals

Sleepless No More In Seattle — Later School Start Time Pays Off For Teens

Project-based learning is a new rage in education. Never mind that it’s a century old.

Boasting about how many hours you work is a sign of failure

The Invention of the Passive Fairy Tale Heroine

Sesame Street Officially Announces the First Homeless Muppet, Lily

Insects are disappearing from science textbooks—and that should bug you

Let's Read A Scientific Paper: Is Social Media Bad For You?

How “Good Intent” Undermines Diversity and Inclusion

Inside the Flat Earth Conference, Where the World’s Oldest Conspiracy Theory Is Hot Again

Nurse Denied Life Insurance Because She Carries Naloxone

She Ran Away From Foster Care. She Ended Up in Handcuffs and Leg Irons.

Gun deaths in US reach highest level in nearly 40 years, CDC data reveal

How the IRS Was Gutted

From Arizona to Yemen: The Journey of an American Bomb

Comments

[low_delta]

I was looking forward to reading about The Invention of the Passive Fairy Tale Heroine, but the article gave few clues as to why this happened.

Good article about IRS funding.

[low_delta]

Taxation, and why Louisiana stays poor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWTic9btP38

[greghousesgf]

I was thinking the same thing. I wouldn't mind seeing a Cinderella who did something more than do housework, take abuse without complaining, let the fairy godmother do everything for her and have little feet.

[cesy]

Wow, that's brilliant.

[conuly]

I would pay all our bills in increments of 10k if I could.

[luscious_purple]

Yep, I feel for you. When my bachelor uncle died I inherited his long-unpaid water bill -- for both his own unit and the other two units in the triple-decker he owned. Under Massachusetts law, the landlord must pay the water bill even if all other utilities are billed separately to the tenant. So that was almost $900 out of my pocket.

(Come to think of it, he died 22 years ago yesterday.)

[conuly]

Oh, they're still crediting us a good $200. It's just that $200 is a very small number compared to $10,000 that we put in not twelve years ago.