Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ownership

Free/cheap property ownership search for New York City

cloudscratcher — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:18:09 -0800

Looking for free or cheap property ownership data for co-op/condo units in Manhattan. General question has been asked before but doesn't yield what I'm looking for here. I am looking to find the name of the owner of a specific condo unit in Manhattan. I assume that this is public data (and don't want it if it's not) -- I just can't figure out how to get to it.

How to split business ownership fairly?

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:11:30 -0800

How should my business partner and I split the ownership and income of our start up? A parter (let's call him Bob) and I (let's call me Alice) started a business with no formal agreement regarding ownership. Currently, the business has minimal income and users. We expect this to change very soon.

Alice: Alice created the project in August '08. Alice has spent $1200 out of pocket on expenses.
Bob: Bob joined the project in June '09. Bob has spent $700 out of pocket on expenses, but is fine with spending the next $500 to equal this out.

Bob and Alice have each spent an equal amount of time working on the project each month that they have been working on it. So, Alice has been working on the project for 16 months and Bob has been working on it for 6 months.

What we want to know:

How should we split ownership?
How should we split income? We're interested in splitting the income evenly until we're each making a decent/living wage.

Alice and Bob have a completely amiable relationship. We're both interested in doing what's fair.

Will I ever be able to get a CCW?

Anonymous — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:40:44 -0800

I made a supremely stupid decision and am now wondering whether it's going to ruin my chances of ever getting a CCW. More inside. Last summer in the Bay Area of California, I superficially cut my wrists. The police came, put me in an ambulance, and sent me to a mental health facility. I asked them not to take me to the hospital. I was told I was being 5150'd.
At the mental health facility, I signed documentation that stated I was aware I could be held for up to 72 hours for observation before being admitted involuntarily. The box that said "You cannot purchase a firearm for 5 years without a judge annulling this document" was left unchecked.
In about two hours, I was interviewed by the psychiatrist, who then deemed that I was stable and could be released the same day. So, I spent about 6 hours sitting in an emergency room-esque area with a bunch of other people, and then I was discharged to a friend and taken home. A few months later, I was billed for the cost of the hospital visit. Insurance covered it.
I have residency in the state of South Carolina and will soon be eligible to apply for a CCW. I would also like to be able to carry in Georgia.

Essentially, I am wondering if a) I should answer "No" to "Have you ever been adjudicated mentally incapacitated or committed to a mental institution?" on the South Carolina application and if b) I will pass a NICS background check.

On the 4473 form for purchasing a handgun, the section Adjudicated Mentally Defective states "A determination by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that a person, as a result of marked subnormal intelligence, or mental illness, incompetency, condition or disease: (1) is a danger to himself or to others; or (2) lacks the mental capacity to contract or manage his own affairs. This term shall include: (1) a finding of insanity by a court in a criminal case; and (2) Those persons found incompetent to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of lack of mental responsibility."
The section Committed to a Mental Institution states "A formal commitment of a person to a mental institution by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority. The term includes commitment for mental defectiveness or mental illness. It also includes commitments for other reasons, such as for drug use. The term does not include a person in a mental institution for observation or a voluntary admission to a mental institution."

I know you are not a lawyer, but I have been unable to find clarification about this. I will likely speak to a lawyer soon, but perhaps some of you have insight. I really, really hope that an immature decision will not jeopardize my gun-owning chances for the rest of my life.

Throwaway email at 5150gunownership@gmail.com. Please email me for any clarification or advice. Thanks so much.

How can I find out the chain of corporate ownership starting from a company name or product name?

freecellwizard — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:05:11 -0800

How can I find out the chain of corporate ownership starting from a company name or product name? I would love to be able to take a product like "Snickers bar" or a company like "ABC Corp." and be shown a visual tree of ownership and relationships. I've seen magazine articles in the past that discuss this for specific cases, such as showing that various brands of soap all have the same owner, but I haven't been able to find a general way to figure this out.

NOTE: I'm guessing that the difficulty of getting this info varies by country due to public disclosure laws. In my case I'm specifically interested in US-owned corporations. Thanks!

Help me learn about the clothing consignment business.

mintchip — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:18:57 -0800

Help me learn about the clothing consignment business. If someone is interested in opening a clothing consignment shop, what would they need to know? For example, is this a lucrative business? How would you know what kind of items to accept and how to price them? How would you hire employees? How would you protect against theft? Are there a general guidelines for how much retail should cost (rent wise)? How would one determine whether such a business is viable in a specific area? How do you attract consigners? What sorts of resources (books, web sites, etc.) would help someone learn about this type of business? What else do I need to know? Et cetera!

Learning about owning a go-kart track

Wild_Eep — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:17:02 -0800

Where are the trade magazines for "concession karts"? That is, a magazine focused on go-kart track operations and ownership. So one of my "someday maybe" goals in life is to own a go-kart track. Until then, I want to read up on the subject, but websites have been few and far between. I've made the assumption that there's a magazine for just about every topic, so I'm looking for pointers to 'trade mags' for this or the greater amusement industry. Blogs would be good too.

How do I get rid of a Mac user acct w/o losing files?

Piscean — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:35:54 -0800

I have a MacBook Pro running Leopard. It has two admin accounts. Some time ago I stopped using account "A" in favor of new account "B" (the reason behind the creation of account B isn't relevant to this question, however). If I delete user account "A," what precautions must I take to ensure the preservation of the files created under "user A," and what automatically happens to the ownership of those files?

Who's dog is it?

Anonymous — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:09:33 -0800

Does anyone know Canadian laws on dog ownership post-relationship breakup? My girlfriend and I recently broke up after a few years. We did not live together and our dog has always lived with me. I (and I alone) have always taken the dog to work each day, bought her food, taken her to the vet, etc. The ex's spite is overtaking her judgement of what is best for the dog. We have shared 'custody' whereby I have the dog all week and I drop her off on weekends to live with the ex.

I don't particularly enjoy the set up as it means the ex and I still have to interact, but I feel her relationship with the dog is important for the dog.

Having said all that, when we initially got her, the ex was put down as the 'owner' and the dog is registered to her. She has recently made some veiled threats and I am concerned she is considering not returning the dog to me one of these weekends. This kills me not only because of what I'd be losing, but the fact that she'd be crated all day while the ex is at work.

Does anyone know what recourse I have should this occur?

Why do I need building permits?

Death by Ugabooga — Sat, 23 May 2009 19:54:06 -0800

From what source does the authority to require building permits and inspections derive? I've dealt with this whole process before, but every time I have to, I think, "But hey - it's _my_ property! I paid for it, I pay taxes on it, and I pay for the upkeep. As long as I don't build something that could potentially damage or destroy the property of another, why do I need 'permission' from the government?" I know there are lots of issues involved, but when did we, as a nation, give up the right to do what you want on your own property, and is there a way of getting that right back?

First-time home buyer seeks help making a good investment

mintchip — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:08:57 -0800

First-time home buyer seeks help making a good investment I am interested in purchasing a short sale property. I am a first time home buyer. I'm hoping to buy an undervalued condo, live there for a few years to build equity, and hopefully trade up in a few years if (when?) prices begin to bounce back. The places I've been looking at would cost approximately the same or slightly less than renting the same type of unit...so my hope is that this is a low-risk proposition since I need somewhere to live anyway.

I am just learning about all of this so I have a lot of questions.

1. How can I tell if a property is undervalued? For example, I recently saw one that sold only a few years ago for approximately twice what I could get it for now. Assuming the inspection is clear, can I reasonably conclude that this short-sale property is undervalued?

2. What do I need to know about purchasing a short sale property? If they are a good value, why aren't more people buying them?

3. How much does the "assessed value" tell you? For example, I looked at one property that will sell for $150k less than last year's assessed value versus one that's only $35k less than the assessed value. In other words, if the sale price is close to the assessed value, am I less likely to make a profit upon resale?

4. I have substantial fixed-rate student loan debt. I can lower my monthly payments by consolidating over a longer repayment term (25 years). However, this will cost me more interest in the long run. What would make a bank look upon me more favorably--lower monthly payments or my attempt to pay it off faster?

5. What are the best resources to learn what I need to know?

Should I get a dog?

Elfasi — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:24:39 -0800

Help me find consensus from the hive mind. I have been wanting and preparing and planning to get my very own dog, my first dog, for years. However the question that keeps raising its head, is should I, given my personal circumstances? This question has been asked in several guises on askmefi and while I've welcomed the advice, none of the scenarios people have laid out have corresponded that closely to my own circumstances. So here are the facts of my situation:

I live in the UK in a 2 bedroom mid-terraced house with a garden and (not very high) fence overlooked on all sides by other gardens and houses.
I am out of the house from approximately 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5:45pm, Monday to Friday, and my single housemate is out all day (ie I'm 4 hrs maximum out of the house)
I work 2 miles from home and can get back there in approximately 10 minutes.
While this would be my first dog, I'm of course seeking any and all advice to help me perform this undertaking to the best of my abilities.
I have a general size in mind, labrador, but other than that am willing to consider whichever breed or individual is best suited to my personal circumstances.
I intend to take on either an adult rescue dog or seek a private ad for an adult dog requiring re-homing.
I intend taking dog to any and all training to help me and the dog learn how to behave.
I'm prepared to go the crate training route if that helps.
The dog will be walked before work, lunchtime, after work and on weekends, I'm thinking 1-2 hrs per day.

Some caveats. I rent and my current landlord doesn't allow pets, which means either in the future I manage to convince her otherwise, or I move to somewhere that does (I realise this is not easy). The point being, if I have to move to get a dog, I will move, and will pick a place as well suited to dogs as I can, and also a similar distance from work. I consider the coming home to lunch, non-negotiable and will definitely be living in a location where that is possible, will arrange for a paid dog walker if at any time I can't get away. I'll do whatever it takes to get good at looking after a dog, this is not a hasty ill thought out decision, I moved jobs so I could be close enough to home to make the lunchtime dog deal possible. I'm aware of the great costs and responsibilities the decision to get a dog involves, having experienced some of it vicariously through various dog owning friends.

Without fail though, whenever I explain my circumstances and my plans to people, they'll give me a huge range of answers, ranging from 'Wow, most people in your position just get a dog without even thinking about it, just do it.', to 'I can't believe how cruel you are for even thinking about getting any dog. It's always wrong to have a dog unless you're home all day.' So what is the consensus? Given dog will not be left alone more than 4 hours, I'm open to the best breed for me (given my size range), and will quite likely be changing my home to one as most dog suitable as I can, is it right and fair and responsible for me to get a dog?

Please help me reclaim my car.

otis24 — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:53:49 -0800

How do I get my car back? It's still in my ex'es name. I've been giving her $$ for insurance and have been making the payments on it since 2003. I live across the country now and she ignores all my requests to do anything about transferring the title/policy, etc. Here's the situation:
Back in 2003, my then girlfriend leased a 2003 Honda Civic for me (this is in CT). The car was in her name because my credit was really bad. This car is and was always intended to be mine (it's a manual; she doesn't even know how to drive stick). I drove the car for several years and I always made the lease payments, as well as the maintenance and insurance payments (which is in her name; I am listed on her plan). When we broke up, around 2005, we never really officially talked about what would happen with the car. I continued to make the payments, sending Honda checks to Honda, and insurance checks to my ex. I have the account numbers, but no access to the account information.

When we knew the lease was about to expire, my ex offered to 'purchase' the car in her name, but I would continue to own/use/pay for it. It had really low miles and seemed like a good deal. We went down and filled out the paperwork, which I have. The insurance policy remained the same; in her name, but I am listed on it.

Six months later, in 2008, I moved across the country, to California. I quickly settled in with a good job and girlfriend. I drive 100 miles/day for work. I never intended to drive this much, but all is good otherwise. However, my car is not registered in CA (it is current in CT). I also do not technically own this car. Nor do I even know how much I owe on it. I am still on good terms with the ex, but she blatantly ignores any and all attempts to get information about the car, or do what it takes to transfer ownership. To be honest, I don't even know what needs to be done, or what my best course of action is. Additionally, this situation has caused a lot of stress and worry between my girlfriend and I over the last year.

What do I need to do to get my car in my name, legally, in California?

Take his car, please.

thread_makimaki — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:49:56 -0800

How can my father transfer the ownership of a car to my sister, who is not reachable, or otherwise get rid of it? Many years ago, my father bought a brand new car for my little sister. It was supposed to be a loan, but to make a long story short she never paid him back. It has been in his name all the time, and he's been paying the insurance on it, not to mention her parking tickets. She's been living with him all that time (she's now in her 30s).

Recently, she announced her intention to move out of state with her boyfriend. Her father told her to either leave the car, or to make sure that the deed was transferred to her before her moving date. She agreed to do the latter but failed to do so. She moved out, taking the car, his computer, and a lot of other things. She also left no forwarding address. He can reach her on her cell phone, but she hangs up on him or doesn't answer.

Family relationship issues aside, all he wants to do right now is to get rid of the car so he is no longer responsible for the insurance, not to mention parking tickets. (He had to pay about $2000 worth of her parking tickets shortly before she left - being that he is retired, he really can't afford this kind of thing.) How can he do this? The most drastic measure we can think of is for him to report it stolen, which technically it was I guess, but he doesn't want to get her arrested or anything either. He doesn't want the car back - if it did come back, or if she'd left it, he was going to donate it to charity.

He is in New York State and she moved (as far as we know) to Florida, if that makes a difference.

We're homeowners! Oh, crap.

NoRelationToLea — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 10:27:04 -0800

We've moved every two years since 2000. Always renting. We're about to move into our very own condo, and in the interests of not being ripped off, we're avoiding the developer's sources/prices and buying our own appliances, window treatments, do our own closets, find our own contractor for the floors, etc. The problem? We don't know how to do any of this stuff. Bonus points: 6 month old baby. General advice is always appreciated, but if San Francisco or Bay Area specific info, especially so. I'm not trying to be lazy - if you've got a pointer to the definitive DIY home-improvement forum, I'll take that, too.

1) Dryer needs to be an stacked electric condensation one - Bosch seems to be the answer here. Is the laundry closet's second floor location going to be an issue? I've heard talk of deals targeted at first time buyers at Sears/Lowes/etc. if you buy them all at once or open a store credit card. Any other tips? Any especially good appliance stores local to the Bay Area, in particular?

2) Window treatments - my only real concern here is my kid not choking on them or pulling them down. Is there a particular kind we should be looking at? Curtains? Blinds? Anything else?

3) I plan on doing up our closets myself in either Ikea Antonius or Elfa. Are there any other comparable solutions I'm not considering?

4) We want to do hard wood floors. If you've got any pointers towards a kind of wood or a particular Bay Area contractor, I'm all ears.

We've got a month-to-month lease, and the willingness to stay out of the new place until the floors are done, appliances delivered/installed. Any tips about moving w/babies (even if only across town) are also much appreciated. I guess the real question is if anyone's got tips on where's the particular balance for saving a buck vs. minimizing hassle when transitioning to your very own place. Thanks hive mind!

Bikes per household?

BeaverTerror — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:19:56 -0800

Bicycle per household statistics? I'm doing a presentation on bicycle commuting and I'm trying to find some North American bike ownership statistics. Help would be greatly appreciated.

What is the average number of bicycles owned by a North American household?

Who owns my wrecked Blazer?

mithiirym — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:59:49 -0800

My car was crashed into and it's not worth repairing. Who gets the metal that used to be a Blazer: me or the bank I was making payments to? Somebody crashed into my Blazer a few days ago and rendered it useless and beyond feasible repair (i.e., not worth fixing). I still had a few thousand dollars left to pay on it to the financial bank place who will most likely directly get the check from the other guy's insurance thus paying off what I owed them. So who gets the hunk of useless Blazer sitting in a warehouse? My name is on the title and everything, so would the car be my property if the bank is getting paid off anyway? I could sell it to a junk place for a couple hundred or more so I'll at least get something out of this mess.

And another question for anyone experienced in insurance-type stuff: providing they had adequate coverage, should their insurance company also reimburse me for the car as well? From what I've been reading about online, it seems that I will be screwed from this whole mess. The other driver was completely at fault, and their insurance is paying for my car (to my bank, to pay off what I owe); but that leaves me without a car to drive! I only had collision coverage, and the accident wasn't my fault. I'll be speaking with a lawyer about suing for damages and losing my only method of transporting myself and my kids, but maybe one of knows something about this stuff.

I want a cat -- but should I? But I really want.

cgg — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:28:24 -0800

Help me decide whether or not I should get a cat. This is more complicated than it sounds. (At least it is to me...) I really, really want a pet. In fact, I might even *need* a pet. But I'm trying to decide I if I *should* have one. [Warning -- this is long. Sorry.]

* I grew up with animals. As a kid, we never had less than 2 cats, up to the (slightly chaotic) 3 cats, 2 dogs and a couple gerbils.

* I just turned 30, and I think it's making the feeling of needing something a bit stronger. That being said, I definitely don't want a kid yet. But that "awww can I hold him, he's so adorable, I want one" reaction some people get around little kids? Thats me around cats and dogs.

* I realize I probably shouldn't have dog, at least not yet. I'm not around enough during the day for it to be fair to the little guy. But once I own my own house, I'm getting two. Not yet though.

* I think getting an older, laid back cat from a shelter, one that would be much much happier lazing around on my couch instead of locked into a little cage, would be a very good thing. I want an animal who I can truly help (lets face it, the kittens will always get adopted; 8 year old Fluffy -- not necessarily so). Plus, I want a cat whose personality is already developed. All cats are neurotic to a point, but I'll be frank -- I don't want an animal who turns into a really neurotic, skittish, fraidy-cat who hates being picked up.

* Other important details: I have a stable job, don't travel for work or anything like that anymore, and understand the responsibilities and costs associated with pet ownership.

Now, the reasons against getting cat:

* I live in a very tiny condo, without even a balcony. 600 sqft, tops.

* Rental housing is next to impossible with a pet in this city (Vancouver). I currently rent a condo where pets are allowed, but having a cat is definitely going to make finding my next place much, much harder.

* My boyfriend is really allergic. Although he actually loves cats, they make him miserable. I realize there are things I can do to reduce the allergens in my house, but he will suffer when he visits. And don't bother suggesting he take anything. Been there, lost that battle, many times. He grew up with a cat, and had chronic allergies the entire time. He'd have a pair of cats himself if it wasn't for the allergies. He claims he's tried everything that's supposed to help, twice, and nothing works. I counter with the fact that medicines have improved in the last 10 years, but he ignores me. His words: "If there was something I could take, don't you think I would take it? Do you think I enjoy being miserable?" He may have a point.

* The cat would have to be okay being on his own every other weekend or so. I spend some weekends at the boyfriend's.

* I have actually already had a cat once in my "adult" life. I got a kitten when I was 22, before I was really ready to be able to take care of it. I was moving a lot back then, not really home much, and I'm pretty sure I'm partially responsible for this this particular cat being as neurotic as she is. (She was nuts to begin with, but I probably didn't help matters). My parents adopted her, and she's a little better now that she's living a consistent, predictable life with a big yard and 2 people who worship her, but she's still skittish and, well, nuts. I still feel guilty whenever I see her and realize she really doesn't know how to cuddle with people, although it's obvious she wants to. She likes her people, she just can't deal with them. Also my parents aren't taking any more pets (if only because this cat doesn't play well with other cats/dogs, either).

Also, it should be noted I'm tried the smaller, caged animal route. I had a perfectly nice, normal hamster for 3 years until he died peacefully in his sleep. They just don't do much for me though. It's hard to sleep on the couch with a hamster on your lap.

So -- opinions? Convince me either way, either that I really would be a good cat owner and I'm just freaked out due to an unfortunate experience that I've learned from. Or that no, a cat probably isn't the best idea right now, and the reasons why.

(Again, I apologize for the length... geez. Some people don't have this much anguish about about having kids, and all I want is a freakin' cat!)

Who's making money off of our music?

monospace — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:38:51 -0800

How do I remove or retract songs by my band that were uploaded years ago and are now for sale from multiple outlets on the internet? We sound different now, for one, but more to the point, we're not seeing any revenue from this, but someone must be. A couple of years ago, I joined the band I am currently playing with. Before I joined, the previous drummer uploaded some songs to the Internet, probably CDBaby, but that's uncertain now. At any rate, it turns out those songs have somehow proliferated on the Interwebs, to the point that you can now even purchase them on sites like Amazon and the iTunes Music Store.

I would like for those songs to be retracted, if possible, because obviously our style has changed, but what I find most irksome is that apparently, someone out there could be cashing in on these songs and it's not us.

What are the steps I can take to remedy this situation?

Purchasing a retail business

Anonymous — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:31:41 -0800

Specific questions, and general advice and suggestions, on purchasing a very prominent, locally owned, retail business. For the past decade, I have been a regular customer at a local retail business. It's a single location, but it's very prominent and well known in both our city and on a national level (think in terms of The Strand in NYC). The owner has recently announced that they are looking to sell the business and retire, and have retained a local business broker to manage the process. The price has not been made public, nor have the financial records of the business (both will be to serious bidders), but the owner says it is very profitable and in great shape. They have also said that they will not sell to a chain, but only to a local person who will keep the staff and not make substantial changes to the business.

I have non-retail business experience, strong ties to the community, a familiarity with the store and industry, and no desire to substantially change the business or the (fantastic!) staff. But, as much as I know about business, I know next to nothing about buying a pre-existing one.

A few questions:

1 - If you've purchased a pre-existing business (retail or not), what’s the best advice you received in the process? What do you wish you had known ahead of time that you learned the hard way?

2 - I'll need to take out a business loan to cover the cost of the purchase. In a situation like this, generally how much, if any, of the total cost is the buyer expected to put down? Is a loan for the total cost of the business normal, or even possible? (Not yet knowing the cost of the business, I want to understand my full spectrum of options!)

3 - I can get general financial information from D&B. I can get general operational information by watching the business for a given period of time. What else can I find out before approaching the broker or owner and starting a conversation with them?

Any other advice, suggestions, or words of wisdom would be appreciated. Emails can be sent to a throw-away account at AskMeBusiness@gmail.com. Thanks!

Death and domains

brandnew — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:39:06 -0800

How may one obtain access to a web site, or ownership of the domain, of someone who had recently died? The person who had created my friend's church's web site recently died, but he didn't leave behind a password for the domain account. What should my friend's church do to obtain ownership of the domain?

My friend has since temporarily created a new site to host the church's content. However, he would still like to obtain ownership of the old domain because of its legacy value. Many other sites still point to the old domain. Web searches for the church reference the old domain, and although the hosting has expired, Google still caches the old site and attempts to re-direct to the old domain.

Does my friend have any options, or must he wait until the domain expires in December?

I want what's mine

Oktober — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:56:45 -0800

Is there any way to bulk-reset the permissions and ownership settings on a volume in Vista? I've attached a data drive (F:) to my system running Vista ultimate, it's been used before on a previous XP and Vista home basic setup, so the security settings are a mess. Files are owned by users that don't exist anymore, inherited permissions are all screwed up, etc. The top of F: is set so that both my Administrator and User accounts have full control, but it's not applying to all of the subdirectories properly. Other than fixing it file by file, is there any way (control panel, command line, utility) to just say that everything under F:/Files/ (for example) is owned by Administrator and User has full control?

How do I best look after a friend who purchased a gun?

vaportrail — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:48:37 -0800

A close friend has purchased a gun and I'm worried. My friend has purchased his first handgun and is currently under the state mandated waiting period. I have a couple concerns; he is not the most stable person I know. He is on, by his own admittance, a high number of medications for pain and arthritic conditions. He smokes marijuana daily.

He sees/ hears ghosts in his house that his roommates do not.

Some of our other friends have suggested he is depressed; he hasn't had much luck with the opposite sex in a long time (years), despite being very popular in high school and college. He's gained a good deal of weight and has admitted to having self-confidence issues.

What responsibility do I have to both my friend, and myself?

Help us be responsible parents for a 1yo German Shepard.

Effigy2000 — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:54:24 -0800

My girlfriend and I are (probably) soon to be the owners of a 1 year old German Shepard. We know (and love) the dog and the dog knows (and, we're sure) loves us. But we've never been responsible for anything more than a plant before and that plant died. What are some tips other German Shepard owners can impart, in terms of what we can expect and how best to take care of him? First, for your edification, here's a picture of the dog, whose name is Wolf, both from 1 year ago when he was a puppy and (essentially) now, when he's gone and gotten a bit older.

Why We're Getting Him.

My parents, who are both getting on, bought him a year ago. He is a very energetic and playful dog. Whenever we see him on our visits to my parents house on Sunday's we'll play with him and he'll bound with near limitless energy for the whole time until we're exhausted. And we're in our mid-20s! So my parents simply aren't up to it anymore. They wanted to move him on to a strangers house, which I couldn't bear as both I and my girlfriend love Wolf very, very much. So we said we would take him on, my parents agreed, and within the next day or so we expect to go over and pick him up.

Why We're A Little Nervous.

First; we're renting. The landlord has said we can have Wolf, so there's no issues there. But Wolf, having as much energy as he does, tends to like to chew on things, and not just his toys. We plan to try and spend some of his energy on as many walks and trips to the dog park as we can fit into our schedules, but we worry that may not be enough.

Second; our schedules. I work pretty much 9 to 5, often 9 to 6 or 7. My girlfriend is currently between jobs, so she will be home with him a lot during the day for the moment, but since she is looking for a job, what happens when she is away for most of the day as well? How is he likely to cope?

Third; Spiders. There's a lot of them in our backyard. We've even found a few redbacks here and there. We plan to spend the next day or so killing as many of them as we can and taking measures to try and prevent their return, but we worry this may not be full proof. Any tips?

In Conclusion...

As I said earlier, we've never been responsible for anything more than a plant, and the plant died. We are well aware that a dog is going to be an enormous responsibility and it will take a lot of effort and work on our part. As part of that responsibility, we want to ask other German Shepard owners what we need to do that we may not yet have done or thought to do, what we can expect that we may not yet have expected and simply any other tips and tricks that we can use to make Wolf's new life with us here at home as pleasant and as happy as possible.

Thanks in advance!

India's Antarctica

riffola — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 05:47:22 -0800

If Russia gets to claim the North Pole as its own based on geological origins, shouldn't India automatically get Antarctica? For the record I don't believe the North Pole or South Pole should belong to any single country, just like the moon. I am just asking this question based on Russia's reasoning behind their attempt to claim the North Pole as its own.

Who owns open source code?

crypticgeek — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 08:43:22 -0800

Legalfilter: Who really owns an open source project? A friend mentioned to me that Apple had bought the CUPS source code. Which is rather interesting to me because it brings up the question of ownership. Clearly to sell the source code to Apple, some person or group of persons must own the source code and agree to the terms of the sale. So my question is, who owned all the code?

Obviously I assume many people other than the original author have submitted patches to the code. Do they relinquish their ownership of the code when they submit a patch? I know the sqlite project makes patch submitters agree to release their patches into the public domain. Do other projects make similar requests to their submitters to release their rights? If it's not done explicitly, can it be an assumed implicit release of rights? You'll have to forgive my ignorance here. I've never contributed to a project before so I'm not quite sure of the "standard practices", if this is one. I intend to develop my own open source project someday, so this would be good to know.

Xchat is another example that comes to mind here. I recently learned that the lead developer has for some time now charged for the windows binary while claiming it was still GPL'd with source available (except for the code that controls the 30 day expiration of the software). Did patch submitters give up their rights to their code (thereby allowing him to release and relicense in this manner), or is he flagrantly violating the law and the license of code he doesn't entirely own? He has said he has a standing offer to remove or rewrite any patches someone might have made if they ask him to, so that makes me believe he does not infact own all the code. If so, could then someone who wrote a patch sue him since he's making profit off their work?