freecain

freecain t1_jea98bu wrote

I mean, it sounds like the Merriweather Post had heard about the meetings, so it might by CYA to disclose now. The other aspect of it - it sounds like all (or most) of the meetings were about Lakey, who they (frustratingly) got rid of. Non-disclosure of the meetings could have been directly done to hide it from her.

I do wish it was someone on the board pushing back by threatening or actually disclosing the meetings. I'm excited to vote this year, but I also find it difficult to find good information. My rep isn't one of the egregious ones, but I also feel like there is too much silence.

It would be awesome if someone could put together an overview of candidates.

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freecain t1_je4xv2b wrote

Start by looking up the policy on insurance B - you may be able to file your claim directly with the insurance as out of network. Probably with reduced coverage - but it would be an improved situation. I would also clarify that the issue is the hospital isn't in network, as opposed to the claim was rejected. If the claim was rejected you want to know why - because it could easily be a wrong diagnosis code, or just missing paperwork.

Your biggest issue is that you're near being sent to collections. The most effective lobbying on your behalf starts early on - since they know you aren't going away for months (however long they have to wait to send it to collections). Still - the general rule applies when seeking help - take lots of notes, be persistent, always be polite and ask to escalate.

You could look up what Insurance B would have covered if they were in network - but that's abstract to the hospital. Instead, I would look up what Insurance A actually paid and push to have it written off to that amount.

If someone says "we wouldn't do that" - agree. "I know, which is why I'm so confused that it happened". or ask for clarification "Right, so why would I have been told that? Did this change recently?"

In the end - know the date you'll go to collections. If it's getting really close - I would consider the payment plan option since it's usually interest free.

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freecain t1_jdim9jf wrote

  1. wipes the temporary memory (volatile). A program may have hit a loops (tried to follow instructions, but got lost and is now going in circles looking for a line of code that doesn't exist). If you shut it down, all those processes stop running, and the system starts each program over from scratch so the program knows "where" it is.

  2. Most modern computers have a bunch of software dedicated to checking both software and hardware problems when it starts up. It can fix a lot of these.

  3. Sometimes the issue is the user, not the system. Restarting it gets you back at the beginning of your task, and maybe you'll pay closer attention and get it right this time.

  4. some updates don't apply until after a restart happens - these updates may fix your issue.

  5. it kills all running program. You might have started something in the background that is taking up a ton of resources and causing the problem that you aren't even using. restarting will shut that down and let the programs you want to run have the resources it needs.

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freecain t1_jd4ju07 wrote

You also have to account for the issue that the first round of people getting Aids in the US and europe were largely part of the gay population at a time of extreme homophobia compounded by fear of this unknown disease. So - many were denied medical care or given extremely insufficient medical care, and the minimal treatments we had were delayed even further. Ie - if someone had the exact same disease today, without using any additional scientific breakthroughs or treatments from the last 50 years, just by not ostracizing the patient, you would see significantly better outcomes.

Then, there is the flip side that people would hide they had the disease as long as they could. Once they couldn't anymore, it was near the end - giving the impression of a sudden death after starting symptoms.

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freecain t1_j3na7vx wrote

I've had okay results. My solution - I realized there was a 70s era "roof" antenna in my garage's attic already mounted. It can be powered... but I don't trust plugging it in, so it's unpowered right now. The coax cable (cox installed it - but I use Verizon for internet) ran right by it... so I just pulled the cable up, and screwed it directly into antenna and it ran directly down to my living room. I went through the TV's auto-scan settings and it picked up a whole bunch of stations. If you actually watch it (I rarely do) look for tv-guide related apps that tell you what stations/what's on.

You can install these roof mounted antennas in your upper attic too, it's just a matter of figuring out how to run the wire to your TV. The best approach is following your old cable you aren't using anymore and literally cut the cable (compression tools are less than $20, and many even come with the ends,. Antennas run less than $40).

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freecain t1_j3n8jwt wrote

Some great thoughts re: where to look. I recently met the woman at Atholton Elementary School who works with pre-school students, most of whom have learning disabilities, and she LOVES her job and school for whatever that is worth.

College park is going to have some heavy traffic. Use google maps on a computer and set the "arrive by" time to get a fairly accurate estimate. Know some days will go up, so a 25-45 minute estimated commute in that direction can hit extra traffic and be 1 hour. If you can depart after 9am it will drastically reduce driving time. Earlier departures don't help as much, but if you can avoid rush hour it will help.

There are a ton of camps and programs offered by Columbia Association and Howard County. There is also the opportunity to take classes at the community college - both for credit and for fun.

Library system is well funded and I think phenomenal. The East and Main branch are modern and rather nice. We don't have those soaring classical libraries (Columbia was built in the 70s) but it's also not the dumpy brick building smelling like mildew either.

400-500k is a tough budget. You're solidly in the range for town houses in some of the smaller older developments (the new ones are insanely priced). Houses up now start in the 500s and go up. However, if you're stretching your budget, remember your income taxes are probably going to be higher than Colorado, and a lot of the houses incur an additional fee for being assessed Columbia Association - a few grand a year, set based on your house's value. This does not include a CA membership, which is annoying that's an additional fee if you want to use the pools and gyms. I don't mind paying it since it goes towards maintaining about 95 miles of bike trails, a ton of tot lots and playgrounds, and a bunch of tennis courts.

Tips for the area are tough. I spent three years renting in Ellicott City before buying in Columbia - and we still spent a solid year house hunting. Sorry - it's going to be overwhelming... but your price point and commute sort of limits what's available - so just keep watching for newly available places.

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freecain t1_j1fuzem wrote

They both fall under Howard county government: so same police , fire, county exec, taxes etc.

Columbia you get the massive trail network and "tot lots" over most of the area. A lot of the properties are Columbia Association assessed, which is a few grand a year (tied to property value). Its technically an HOA, but you can have a second HOA if you buy a town house. The theory behind Columbia is that the yards are smaller, but you get more shared parks and open spaces. Schools range from great to below average. Redistricting happens every few years, so look at past maps before making assumptions.

Ellicott city is a straight up suburb for most of it. Bigger yards and houses. Sidewalk coverage is mixed. There are some larger county run playgrounds. Schools, for the most part are good in EC. Housing prices reflect this.

I would honestly look at both and Clarksville as well. Your budget is probably going to eliminate large chunks of the county.

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freecain t1_j142iap wrote

A huge difference in commuting time, for both, is if you're not doing regular hours.

Baltimore commute is going to vary heavily based on location, 30 minutes to an hour. For Rockville budget an hour and be aware that there is a minimal toll. You can use Google maps to get an estimate based on time.

1

freecain t1_j0vlzsw wrote

78% of Pittsburgh is christian. That's 10% higher than the state of MD. I can't find reliable stats for Columbia, but one website lists us as 41% identifying as religious (I find that hard to believe) - but still, there is a large diversity of religion and definitely a higher percentage of atheists here than in pittsburgh.

Additionally - a lot of houses here have minimal storage. Pittsburgh tends to have more basements and accessible attics, so that just ups the odds someone is willing to store the decorations... right next to your weird toilets.

A lot of the houses here don't have front outside electrical outlets I looked at, which aren't cheap to have put in. Battery operated lights are a pain, dim and for what you get, rather expensive.

Columbia has a lot more people moving from out of state for jobs - serving as a bedroom community for DC and Baltimore, but also hosting some pretty huge employers (APL for instance) - so you're going to see a lot more people leaving the week before Christmas. Why decorate your house if you're not going to be home?

Then there is the fact that some people go absolutely overboard. We stopped by the bowman Bridge display the other day (bring canned goods for the food drive, it is a fundraiser), and that setup is mind blowing. The lights in the park are also really nice (though, the highlight is getting to drive through the stadium seats), and there is the other one in EC. I've driven through quite a few neighborhoods this week to find some pretty cool displays up.

Lastly - isn't the christmas spirit one of charity and giving? I'll consult my bible, but I don't recall anything in there about putting up lights in a consumerist frenzy. As someone, who all week, has been answering the door to people stopping by with Hanukah and Christmas treats for us - I think there's plenty of holiday spirit in this town, enough to warm even this cold atheist's heart.

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freecain t1_iz62bfj wrote

It's legal-ish. Some sales people will ask to see your bill. There is a number on there they can use to switch your account. At that point it's fraud if you don't agree to it - but from what I've heard it's hard to get anyone to really care about it. If you didn't show them your bill, there isn't much you can do now.

In the future, if someone is going door to door and they don't have a vendor badge you can contact OCP by phone at 410-313-6420 or by e-mail at consumer@howardcountymd.gov , or call the non-emergency police number.

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freecain t1_iz61n88 wrote

Just assume anyone coming door to door is a scam. It's not a viable or responsible way to conduct business.

Never show anyone at the door your electrical bill, that's all they need to switch you over. It's technically illegal, but that won't stop them, and they get a commission on each switch. Many people don't notice for months , and then usually end up having to pay a fee to switch.

BBB has 104 complains filed with Arcadia currently - so yeah, the company might not be a scam, but I'd be wary of doing business with them. The person going door to door however, may be running a scam.

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freecain t1_iymfe4x wrote

HOA is responsible for parking space lines. You might have to go through your landlord for this. Most likely, as a renter, you don't have any standing in the HOA, but some bylaws may allow you to attend meetings and give input.

Community mailbox is going to be owned by the USPS. When I rented an apartment and had mailbox issues, they couldn't do anything about it and could only call the post office. They encouraged me to do the same thing, and eventually (I think a few months) someone fixed the issue. Granted - for ours it was that the lock was broken, cosmetic issues probably won't be addressed. However, to make things more complicated- the peeling paint issue probably goes back to the HOA, depending on who set up the mailbox and how it was built.

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