Walter Myers16 said:I know this guy from Denmark who once told a Danish cop to go screw himself and called him a complete idiot. Just plain words, right? No threats, nothing. Well, he got slapped with a $200 fine and now his record is basically trashed for the next five years! It’s ridiculous. You aren't allowed to say a single word to a cop—if that's what they call "democracy" these days—yet the government and the media get a free pass to insult religions and different nations just because they claim to be so progressive. Honestly, those Danes are pathetic; they're just desperate for attention from the rest of the world. They kiss up to the British and Americans so much that if anyone ever asked them to join the UK or the USA, they'd jump at the chance. That's just the kind of people they are. PS: I'm neither Catholic nor Muslim.
In Toronto, you'd probably catch a bullet from the cops for saying something like that.
I’ve been handling my finances online since back when the service first launched at JPMorgan Chase about nine years ago. I've been using online banking ever since. Now, I use Bank of America. It works perfectly for me. I even handle all my tax payments directly through my checking account.
In my experience, people who constantly smoke Marijuana eventually just become... well, blentav. It’s like they lose their edge on every possible level of existence. It’s hard to put into words, really. But you can always spot a regular smoker. It’s like their brain just burns out. Who knows...
Studying is a job, plain and simple. It’s just a much better one, because at the end of the day (or night), you’re exhausted, sure, but you’re also smarter than when you started.
Regardless, you need a system if you want to actually learn anything. You have to figure out which time of day works best for your concentration levels. You absolutely need a realistic schedule—setting specific targets for today, tomorrow, and the day after. Your phone, your friends, parties, distractions, parents, your partner—NONE of that exists when you're hitting the books. Those hours belong strictly to the material. And once the book is closed, you stop thinking about the subject matter or the upcoming exam. You need a total disconnect from the process. One trick that has always worked for me: I NEVER pull an all-nighter right before an exam. I’ve never been the guy standing outside a lecture hall with a textbook in his hand, frantically trying to cram. That approach prevents the panic, ensures you don't forget what you've learned since you actually had time to focus, breathe, and relax.
If you hit a wall during the process, take a day, two, or even three off—maybe a weekend—and once you're feeling centered, get back to it. If it just isn't happening, then it isn't happening. That's better than staring miserably at a page without absorbing a single thing. I assume people actually have some motivation to pass their exams. Otherwise...
hikingenthusiast said:👍 Forgiving someone else takes real grit—but specifically, it’s an internal battle. To truly forgive, you first have to find a way to forgive yourself for the act of letting go. You basically have to break down your own ego and that stubborn refusal to move on. Once you start, every subsequent act of forgiveness gets a little easier because you've essentially "trained" your soul. Still, let's be honest: there wouldn't be any point if you didn't get that massive sense of relief as a reward afterward.
Now that is some high-level thinking right there! I'd just add that forgiving someone doesn't mean you're excusing their behavior. It’s not like saying, "No big deal, whatever you did to me doesn't matter." It matters. If someone breaks the law, they’re going to face the consequences, and I'll personally make sure they do—but I can still forgive them. They simply don't hold power over me anymore. That is what true forgiveness looks like.
On the other hand, I had this buddy of mine who was constantly stuck in some kind of funk. Every single time I tried to drag him out to socialize, he’d just argue about why he should even bother going out when he’s never going to find a girlfriend anyway.
Like, how is he supposed to meet anyone when women only want guys with deep pockets and he’s broke.
I actually managed to pull him out once and he ended up meeting someone. He was all smiles.
Then, after a little while, he tells me he’s suddenly fired up to go hook up with some skinny girl.
Honestly, what an idiot—as if he’d ever actually been with a slim woman before. This one was actually curvy. And the girl? She was incredible. Gorgeous, smart, finishing up med school, easy to talk to—just a total catch.
The thing is, he was being abnormally annoying. I originally thought it was depression (maybe it was, who knows, I’m not a psychiatrist), but the more it went on, the more it felt like he was just desperate for attention. Eventually, he started getting on everyone's nerves. Me included.
I also want to point out one more thing—just look at how many people have reached out to you with nothing but good intentions. People actually care. Even if they don't know you personally.
Stana said:I wasn't trying to do anything... and I don't want to see a psychiatrist because here in America they'd just throw me in a psych ward or something.. I don't want any medications..
But you *are* trying! Deep down, that vibrant part of you wants to live. That's why you're even here. Some things simply can't be fixed just by talking it out. You know how it is—it's brain chemistry. There are medications out there designed specifically to restore that balance and help you get back on track.
We had someone in our neighborhood once who took their own life. She was young, beautiful, had two gorgeous little girls, a great husband, and a pretty decent life by all accounts. But a chemical imbalance in her brain pushed her toward that edge. Please, go get help. No one is going to lock you up in an asylum.
electriccrane41, her success is nothing short of magnificent, and the grueling path she took to get there makes her a true hero. She’s a hero because she proved that through sheer grit, sacrifice, and relentless dedication, you can rise from absolutely nothing to join the global elite. That is why Janica is quite literally a hero. Heroes are the people everyone else looks up to. She stands as a direct rebuke to the thousands upon thousands of people here in America who just sit around whining and crying that nothing can ever change and that there are no opportunities left.
And as for those "heroes" of ours sitting in The Hague, it’s honestly sad that you believe they were being held hostage or that they were somehow being kept from belonging to "Western civilization."
Go check out the comments on news sites and read what those idiots are saying about the competition and how everything was organized. It’s nothing but pure jealousy, malice, and sheer stupidity... Honestly, it’s pathetic. On the other hand, Janica is the absolute gold standard for how you reach perfection through sacrifice, hard work, and total dedication.
If you’re doing business with China, you’ll most likely be importing goods by the container load. You absolutely need to have a local agent on the ground over there to inspect everything for you; otherwise, you could very easily end up receiving something completely different from what you actually ordered.
Anyway, try to do some digging and reach out to the Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. They might be able to point you in the right direction with some specific leads.
Regarding advertising costs... Marketing agencies pull in a portion of their revenue by brokering ad space in magazines, newspapers, radio, and television. Usually, anyone can jump into this. You just give the LA Times a call, ask what their rates are versus their agency discounts, and then you flip that space to your own clients with whatever markup you decide. Say you snag a ten percent discount on a slot—you can bake in as much margin as you think is reasonable or have calculated works.
However, the real money for an agency comes from account management. You fight to land a contract with someone like BMW USA, and then you handle all their creative work, producing their radio spots, TV commercials, and so on.
At the end of the day, the actual price of advertising is whatever the market is willing to pay. You might calculate that a product should cost "X" amount, which feels like a fair price to you because you've accounted for all your overhead and profit margins, but if the market isn't ready to bite at that number, you're stuck. That means you need to adjust your pricing, not expect the market to change its mind.
Pricing is its own discipline, involving a whole toolkit of different techniques and methodologies. Which method works best really just depends on what you're selling. But I don't think that’s actually what you’re asking, so rather than getting bogged down in the weeds, let me just tell you this: market prices exist because the market is willing to pay them.
Once you factor the cost of advertising and promotion into your product calculations, you'll see exactly how much they drive up your price tag—either in the short term or the long term—or how aggressively they eat away at your margins. That's the data you need to make actual business decisions. Whether you double down on the ads or cut them entirely. In my experience, the products that fly off the shelves are the ones people actually see advertised. Retail customers go looking for them, and store owners do the same.
Ideally, you don't want to blow a fortune on marketing that fails to pay for itself through profit.
But we're starting from the wrong end here.
The real starting point should be a solid business plan. Something detailed and exhaustive. If you haven't drafted a business plan, conducted a thorough market analysis, and clearly defined your target customer base, you shouldn't even bother venturing out. You could spend two full semesters just working on that.
goldengull3, I wish you the best of luck; I truly hope you reach all your goals. It would be a damn shame, though, to see someone of your caliber head out West only to end up working some dead-end, bottom-of-the-barrel job. You wouldn't be the first one to fall into that trap.
Benjamin Ramos95 said:Look, I’m not buying into that nonsense! If things were actually better over there, every single American would be flocking to the States 😁 to enjoy the high standard of living, those massive salaries, luxury apartments, and driving a Ford—things we Americans pay for upfront in cash, obviously. 😂
The majority of Americans living in Canada can’t even afford a single trip back to the States for a summer vacation. For a family of four, tickets during peak season would run you about five thousand dollars. Then you’ve got food, drinks, clothes, plus whatever gifts you need to bring back for everyone... it all goes straight down the drain.
So, a three-week stay with all expenses included would end up costing somewhere around fifteen thousand dollars. And that's not counting money they've earned—that's pure savings.
Once you handle the mortgage, car payments, cable, satellite, internet, cell phone, electricity, gas, insurance, and taxes, there isn't much left.
With the houses they own here, they could technically buy a place in the States, but most people just don't have the credentials. They’re either working construction and making decent money, or they're at Ford, or some obscure little company for peanuts (though at least they get a pension)...
As for the ones who actually made it—you know, scientists, managers, business owners—the idea of moving to the States doesn't even cross their minds. But then again, the States aren't far for them. It's just that there are very few of them.
Papa Smurf said:Give me a break on those costs 🙄. I mean, do people over there actually have to shell out more than half their paycheck for six years just to get a new Ford diesel? Or are they all stuck paying off a 400-square-foot studio apartment for thirty years straight?
No, "over there," money just lies on the sidewalk waiting for you; you just have to bend over and pick it up. Actually, you don't even have to bend over. You just pay someone else to do the bending for you. Costs are practically nonexistent—you buy one scoop of ice cream and they hand you a second one for free. Over there, the houses are made of chocolate and the windows are made of jelly. Everything is perfect, everything is wonderful (is that how the song goes?), and every kind of fruit grows there...
mellowridge said:My parents want to help out, so I could actually afford this now that I'm staying with them, and they aren't asking me to cover rent or utilities.
My salary is $667, but my monthly income is around $2,500 - $1000, and since my boyfriend brings in that much too, I think we could pull this off over maybe 5 years.😁
Look, I don't know all the specifics of your situation, and I have no idea how much you two love each other. But if I had a daughter, here is exactly what I would tell her: Until your boyfriend signs a prenuptial agreement, for heaven's sake, do not get into any financial entanglements with him. Do not buy a condo with him unless you are literally days away from saying "I do." I'm not trying to be malicious, but times are unpredictable and you need to protect your own future—do NOT feel guilty about doing so.
Right. Now tell me, how exactly are you planning to solve the housing issue with $10,000 spread over 5 to 10 years?
Is that a loan for renovations, buying a place, or what?
The Božičnica should be coming through at work soon, and it'll be significantly higher than my base pay, so if I take out a loan in February, my three-month average should hit about $2,540.00😁 (between the solid Božičnica and my regular paycheck).
Before you go buying property, do the math on the actual cost of ownership. It’s not just the mortgage payment; you've got utilities, repairs, maintenance, and all that.
And please, I am begging you, do not drown yourself in debt that isn't ABSOLUTELY essential for survival.
goldengull3 said:Look, operating leases aren't some uniquely American quirk—those contracts actually originated right here in the States! It’s just that you probably haven't had the chance to use an operating lease before (what you're describing sounds like a standard finance lease). An operating lease is more like a rental; say you need a piece of heavy construction equipment for just six months—meaning it's much shorter than its actual depreciation cycle—you grab it on an operating lease, blast through that 🙂 tunnel you need to clear, and then just... hand the machine back... But honestly, here in the US, people tend to lump all kinds of different loans under the vague umbrella of "leasing."
For instance, I bought my car with a loan. I finance the entire vehicle, and once the debt is paid off, it's mine. That's a loan. Right?
I could have gone with a lease instead, say for three years, with a mileage cap of 20,000 miles per year (so 60,000 total over the term). When those three years are up, I return it. Of course, I can choose to buy it out too. If I went over that 60,000-mile limit, I'd just pay a penalty fee for every extra mile driven. That's what a lease is.
So, if a finance lease is essentially just a loan, why on earth do we even call it a "lease"? Because based on how you're explaining it, I don't see any real difference between a finance lease and a regular old car loan.