Thursday, November 27, 2014

My Alphabe-Thursday (5th), the letter "B" — Some places I've been starting with "B"

"B" is for some places, countries and cities starting with the letter "B" where I have traveled:
Countries:
Bahamas, The
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bulgaria

and the cities of Barcelona (Spain), Benton Harbor (Michigan)**, Berlin (Germany), Boston, (Massachusetts), Bruges (Belgium), Budapest (Hungary), and lots more cities and towns of course.  These six are memorable.

Blog posts:
Barcelona, Spain -- After we flew in from Texas, with a short layover at Paris, we rented a car in Barcelona and promptly left town for Southern France where we stayed four or five days.  We had our youngest son, Tim, who was in his 40's with us.
 
After the stay in France we came back and stayed in Barcelona to finish our week out.  We stayed on the Los Ramblas Boulevard (link), where all the ACTION IS.  Probably all the Mimes I enjoyed the most, although just strolling, eating, seeing (the sites) and watching (people) .  The Red hop-on hop-off bus tour was great, our longest 'off' was at the Gaudi Cathedral. 

We turned in the car when we got there, that wasn't needed, and stayed at the old Continental Hotel on Los Ramblas Boulevard (link 1)(link 2).  I would stay there again, they are not terribly expensive, in the lower $100's a night.  Best get off the Los Ramblas after 10ish or by 11PM or so as the drug pushers, pimps, and hookers take over the street scene.  Drug dealers will be carrying a six-pack of soft drinks, claiming to be selling those.

 
Lots of motorscooters and motorcycles.  Not like in the U.S.
This may have been a paella mostly eaten, I am not sure 
[click on a picture for larger view size]

 
We had 'free' entertainment with our meal.  We ate in the patio out back.
Mrs. Jim catching up on here reading from our balcony while we watched out at Los Ramblas.
 

We saw these little yellow rental buggies all over town.  We declined.
Here is the restaurant patio.  Our son, Tim, is sitting by the post
while we joined in the entertainment outside.
 
Barbados -- (click this) Our son, Mitch, and DIL, Carmen, had a May wedding there.  I had just had back surgery two weeks before but made it fine.  The next day Mrs. Jim and I rented a Taxi for a close-up look around the Barbados island.  Most memorable were the banana groves with bananas hanging in plastic bags to keep the birds away from the fruit (our driver got us each a banana from a tree), the many orchid gardens, and of course the wedding at an old plantation where we had the reception dinner in the plantation house. 

Bruges, Belgium (click this)-- Very enjoyable here, a fun place to stay.  We drove up from Paris with out son, Tim, after leaving Barcelona and a few days in Paris.  We had rented a B&B in Bruges for three nights but when we got there, they had no room for us. 

It turned out we were a day earlier than our initial plan so we stayed the first night at a hotel, on the canal that night.  Our plan was to run over to Normandy after leaving Honfleur (France, two nights there in an old main street hotel), near Le Havre.  But Tim didn't have much interest in Normandy and WWII things and since we had been there three other times, we skipped it (and made us the day early). 

Our favorite activity in Bruges was walking around visiting here (shops) and there (buildings and historical stuff), doing the canal boat round trip, and EATING (Belgium waffles, French hot dogs (mmm !!!) and chocolate really good).

Belize (click this) -- Actually this is for the future, we have a January cruise and will stop here.  Never been to Belize before.

Budapest -- No pictures, taken before we had a digital camera, but I would recommend going there.  We spent two nights and most of two days playing and exploring.


 - Jenny is starting in now on her tenth series of Alphabe thursday.  With 52 weeks in a year and 26 letters in the alphabet she is now in her fifth year.  I am linked to her blog, GO HERE for more participants and their offerings. 

 - I am in my fifth series of Alphabe Thusday.  I intend to put on some pictures of my travels when I can find a few.  I have some on in an album of Budapest.

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# posted by Jim : 11/27/2014 12:03:00 AM  9 comments

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Wants or Needs? -- for Josie's Two Shoes Tuesday

[picture of a toy  1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe, a cast iron model of my first car]
[for a list of all the cars I have owned, see item Four, here]
[I have quite a few cast iron 1:18 scale toy cars, this one included.] 
[Also I have one similar to most of the older cars I have owned.]

"You don't necessary get what you want but you do get what you need."

Words I'll always remember when teaching my Business Law classes and getting to where I could recite that.  It would bring smiles, and some I think actually understood the principle of law behind it.  The Rolling Stones song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" (the title but it goes on, " ... But if you try sometime, you just might find You get what you need")
Read more: Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Involved was contract made by a minor.  The law states that "if a contract is for a "necessity," such as food or emergency medical care, the minor cannot void the contract." http://www.masslegalhelp.org/children-and-families/emancipation 

General rule:  A contract made by a minor is not enforceable as they are too young to understand the obligation that they are entering.  In most states contractual capacity, having mental capacity as to understand the nature of their bargain, is lacking until a person reaches age 18 or 21, most states now this age is 18.  (You can check yours if the need arises.)

Exception to the general rule for minors: If a contract is for a "necessity," such as food or emergency medical care, the minor cannot avoid his end of the contract.

How does this affect me?  If I make a contract to  a minor he can make me perform but I cannot make him honor his side of the bargain.  What he will do has the legal name of "avoiding his contractual obligation."  After he becomes of age within a reasonable time he can "affirm" his contract by some act, as paying money, living in the property, or doing work on it, etc.  If he does nothing then it is still avoidable because he made it when he was a minor.

Bottom line, don't enter into a contract with a minor.  Have an adult 'countersign', 'co-sign', or just plain make it for the minor.  Like my dad did when I bought my first car, he signed for it. 

Had I signed for it I could have gone for a joy ride, blown the engine, and then refused to pay for the car or even bring it back, just leave it where the seller could get it.  That is for pleasure ride use, but had I driven it to buy food (a necessity but not 'luxury food', and then blown it, I would have had to pay for reasonable use, probably the same amount as a taxi would charge me. 

This is the way the law operates in most states.  But not all states are the same.  But beware the consequences for you if you make a contract with a minor.

[picture of a toy  1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe, my first car]
[for a list of all the cars I have owned, see item Four, here]

I am linked with Josie Two Shoes' writing challenge, Two Shoes Tuesday (link)
Her writing themes for November 25th to choose from are wants and needs.  I used both.

- - - - -

You Can't Always Get What You Want
(The Rolling Stone's song Lyrics)
..
"Well, I saw her today at the reception
A glass of wine in her hand
I knew she would go meet her connection
At her feet was her footloose man
 
No, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
No, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
No, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
But if you try sometime, you just might find
You get what you need
 
And I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair shares of abuse
Singing, "We're gonna vent our frustration
And if we don't, we are going to blow a 50-amp fuse", yeah
And no, you can't always get what you want**

 aaaahhwaw
No, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
Well, no, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need, baby
 
And I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescriptions filled
I was standin' in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill
 
We decided to have a soda
"Whatcha favorite flavor?", "Cherry red"
And I sung my song to my friend Jimmy
And he said one word back to me, that was "Dead"
I said
 
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
But if you try sometimes, you just might find
You get what you need
 
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
You can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
You can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
You can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
 
And I saw her today at the reception
In her glass was a bleeding man
And she was practised that the art of deception
I could tell by her blood-stained hands
 
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
 
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
Oh, you can't always get what you want
aaaahhwaw
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need
"
Read more: Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want Lyrics | MetroLyrics

**Notes: 
 - 1.  Practice or Practise?  See this link: 
http://www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/practice_practise.htm
 - 2.  Remind you of Ferguson, Missouri's situation today?

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# posted by Jim : 11/25/2014 12:03:00 AM  7 comments

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