WHO POSTED THIS?

...there's a population out there who truly don't get that this is more than just living together or the like (not that living

together isn't importantly, but please bear with me a moment).

For one thing, it's a lot tougher to get out of, if

it doesn't work out. Saying, "Oh, I'll just get a divorce." is a lot like saying "Oh, I'll just have surgery." It's not a

simple thing. With living together and dating, you can call it quits one day. If you're sensible and still somewhat

amicable, possessions are divided, the lease is broken, and everyone goes on their merry way. With marriage, it's a legal

commitment. It involves court and testimony and papers - a far cry from just handing back the keys.

I agree with the

counseling idea. I think something akin to pre-Cana should be done for everyone. I'm not talking about the religious

component. I mean, just have couples do a little waiting and a little talking before taking the plunge. .. … how the ceremony would go, and stuff like that, but we also

talked about what makes a marriage. I highly recommend such sessions for any couple considering marriage. If there are fewer

marriages, but the couples stay together longer and are happier, then I feel that's a far better boost to the institution

than merely more marriages for the sake of handing out licenses.

As Jespah has already pointed out, Bostonians for some obscure reason call it 'tonic.' I remember visiting upstate New York with my parents when I was probably about 13 or 14 years old and asking a cold drink pushcart vendor at Niagara Falls what kinds of tonic he had. You should have seen the puzzled look he gace me. A ctach-all term I've heard used several places in the States, including Boston, is "soft drink." That's "soft" as opposed to "hard liquor." Interesting aside -- in ______ all "soft drinks" are called "lemonade." They use the word but it has nothing to do with lemons in their language. (Actually it's "limonade." Same thing.)

The quick and dirty answer is that the states have laws for the design and drafting of election ballots. To ensure that all candidates are properly listed on those ballots each state has a"cut off" point where the ballots can't be changed (so that they can get them printed/distributed so that everyone is using the same ballot.).

If someone dies after that cut-off date their name remains on the ballot. In most state's the govenror then appoints someone to fufill the duties of the deceased if they should win. This is exactly what happened in the Carnahan case mentioned above.

I want my coffin packed with high explosives, THEN popped into the cremation fire. Nothing personal, but I'll be damned if I'm going without some company.