Re: HUMOR: Getting even at Home Depot

[Doug Miller]

Q: What are a redneck's last words? A: "Hey, y'all, watch this!"

-- Regards, Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)

[Tim Douglass]

Many national parks have part of their trail systems paved and rendered at least mostly "accessible". There is considerable pressure on most park agencies (city, state, national) to make a substantial part of the hiking trails accessible. What kills me is that the same people who are pushing for paved trails in the park are pushing to remove roads and in some cases completely ban human access in wilderness areas. They must get into some pretty heavy arguments with themselves at times!

Tim Douglass

[Tim Douglass]

Considering that I once saw (first hand experience!) a guy decide to save time in loading firewood by dropping a 3' dia. madrone tree into the back of his pickup I'll believe that people are capable of virtually *any* stupidity on earth.

Tim Douglass

[Alan McClure]

TLA is pronounceable, it just has three syllables. ;-)

OBTW - XTLA is an eXtended Three Letter Acronym of eXtended Three Letter Acronym and of course is self defining.

ARM (an acronym and my initials) I dated a girl in high school whose initials were LEG ;-)

[Charlie Spitzer]

see

for LOTS of stories about this

[Charlie Self]

Yeah, butit's understandable. When I was younger, I didn't have time, or the inclination, to travel those paths, unpaved or otherwise. Today, I don't have time but am willing to make time to do such things. But my knees are so bad, it's impossible unless paths are paved. Thing is, it seems incredibly selfish of me to want these set up so I can get there now (when I could just as readily have gone earlier) and ruin the sense of isolation for many others.

I figure it will all be screwed up eventually, but I don't have to participate, therefore it may last until after I have any chance of knowing about it.

Charlie Self

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." Samuel Johnson

[David Hall]

Might work for the Kansas Trail or the Utah Salt Flats Trail, but I think a lot of mountains would have to be leveled for the Appalachian Trail

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Your shortsightedness is blinding.

Both the examples I listed are real life. They live(d) in my house. So, you are telling me that my wife cannot go to the store to choose carpeting, or tile, or paint because she has congestive heart failure? She does not have handicapped placard, but cannot spend much time out under the conditions I mentioned. But she is still very much alive and has a lot of interest in the condition of our home. Our house and the store is air-conditioned so walking in those environments is easy. High humidity is difficult walking, even say, to go about halfway across the parking lot.

My MIL had lung cancer and carried oxygen. She enjoyed getting out also and perusing some of the merchandise. She had her own room and could pick out things she wanted. Unless, of course, you blocked the door to the store.

You really should get your head out of your ass and see what goes on in the community around you. See just how productive seniors and people with illnesses can be. I agree that the ADA goes too far in some places, but it exists because people like you exist.

Best wishes and good health to you and your family. Ed

[Charlie Self]

So if you have ailments as above, you should curl up and stay in the corner so you don't bother anyone else?

Charlie Self

"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." Samuel Johnson

[Kevin Craig]

Hmmmmm.

I might begin introducing Mrs. Craig as "this is my last wife".

Before we married, she informed me that if I ever divorced her, I better like the idea of living with my ex, because she wasn't going anywhere. ;-)

Kevin

[Kevin Craig]

You should have taken a picture.

But UA100 would probably declare it a fake.

Kevin

[Kevin Craig]

But I was speaking of the *bank* affixing (at customer expense) Braille add-ons to their drive-up ATMs when ADA went into effect.

I don't doubt that. I've never seen one, but every ATM in town has Braille. Perhaps private ATMs in convenience stores have voice instructions, but I don't use them (convenience charges, yanno). And that begs the question: if Braille users can't use drive-up ATMs for obvious reasons, then how the heck can they *find* walk-up ATMs?

I am *not* insensitive to the vision-impaired. I understand that not everyone who reads Braille lives in total darkness. I understand that legal and/or effective blindess is not the same as total blindness.

I also work in a prison, and I've seen the absurdity of ADA in action. We have second floor housing units, totally inacessible by wheelchair (stairs only, no elevators). Yet, to comply with ADA, *every* drinking fountain on the second floor was replaced with a wheelchair-accessible version. *Every* second-floor housing unit had wheelchair-accessible showers and toilets installed, at great expense to the taxpayers.

The ADA does *not* require such extreme measures. Store owners can comply by putting up "honk for curb service" signs. But, there is an entire sub-branch of the lawyer world making a living by suing businesses for ADA compliance, even if there is no true plaintiff.

Kevin

[Trent©]

One more thought...to add to Ed's post...since this thread seemed to start somewhere at Home Depot... :)

There's a guy that works at one of the Home Depots in my area. He's in a wheel chair...and he works mainly the plumbing department.

He's really one hellova guy. He's not handicapped at all...just physically challenged. I kid him whenever I get the chance about getting off his dead ass and doin' some work! :) And he jumps right back at me...no respect for the customer at all. He'll show ya where the part is you need...and sometimes he'll point to it for you with a laser beam. But you get the part YOURSELF...or you walk out without it!

He works harder than most of the youngins there...and I'm sure he's proud of the check he takes home each week. He's able to work for the check he gets...and he seems damn proud of the job he does. And he should be.

And I've gotta hand it to Home Depot, too. There's not many retailers that'll hire someone handicapped...and put them in the front lines with the customers.

Somebody here questioned my sensitivity regarding the handicapped...although I did put a 'lol' at the end of my post. But I DON'T feel sorry for them...or at least try not to show it. They get that attitude WAY too often from other people.

Handicapped folks don't want to be treated as inferior. All they really want is an even break in life...to be treated fairly.

I always try to make fun of folks with walkers...but in a NICE way. Even handicapped folks have a sense of humor...but sometimes its hard for them to find it...with all the tribulations they go thru with their problems. So I DON'T treat them like they're different. At least I try not to.

The Home Depot guy certainly doesn't want any pity...and he sure in hell doesn't get it from me. If he wanted pity, he could just sit at home and draw a government check.

Hope ya'll have a nice week...

Trent

Proud member of the Roy Rogers fan club!

[Edwin Pawlowski]

You answered the question. Blind people get around very well, even the ones in total darkness. If for some reason they can't get to it on their own, they can be assisted by another. Once at the ATM, they can transact their business themselves in privacy, same as we all do.

Blind people travel the city on public transportation every day. They can hold responsible jobs and get to the bathroom and lunch room or the nearby deli.

When I was in high school I used to deliver groceries after school. One customer was a blind couple. When I delivered, the canned good had to be put away in certain places so they could tell the peas from the corn. They even turned the light on for me so I could do it. They could count out paper money with no mixups. And I got a 50¢ tip, good money back in '63 Ed [e-mail]

[B a r r y B u r k e J r .]

This post is so stupid I thought my head was going to explode.

People shop for all kinds of things at home improvement stores that are either light and small, or delivered. Almost anything these places sell is available installed, and much of the custom stuff, like counter tops, are ordered for later delivery.

Barry

[Sweet Sawdust]

Go to yard sale pick up analog cell phone, charge batteries or hook into power supply, make call to 911( the only call an analog cell phone can make now days with out a service plan) call is untraceable, they can locate you to within a tower range but no closer. Don't try to get a service plan for the analog, you will only get laughed at.

[Sweet Sawdust]

Have a friend who is blind. She gets someone to drive her to the bank and then uses the drive up ATM to take care of her banking. She often can't do it during regular banking hours, she has a part time job reading to the blind.(I kid you not)

[Young Carpenter]

I think I will start buying up property in NY to sell to the G'vmnt when they come through and by up the property they need to accomplish this.

[Young Carpenter]

That goes without saying about the design of the parking lot. Many Many of the larger churches I have visited (usually the smaller churches lots are negligible) most of the spaces run parallel to the building and entrance and not perpendicular like at a store.

[Young Carpenter]

For the most part it is not untraceable because it is analog but because it is old technology without traceablility built in.