RA1

I once read an article in which the author postulated that if one only drank wine there would be no alcoholics. He did not say there would be no abuse of alcohol. He also offered no "scientific" proof or study to back his claim but did go on at length about the beneficial effects of wine. His point seemed to be that somehow the "gene" that "allowed for" alcoholism was not "set off" by wine. Interesting but not necessarily conclusive. I have read the golf ball analogy before. It is difficult to remember your job is to drain the swamp when you are up to your ass in alligators. Best regards, RA1

UFO's anyone, anyone? Best regards, RA1

Anyone that didn't "get it" before sure should have when the airlines temporarily were not collecting or paying FET aka airline ticket taxes and did NOT lower the price of the ticket. They just continued charging the same dollars and pocketed them. Same opportunistic greed for many banks and others businesses. The golden rule at work. Those that have the gold, make the rules. Best regards, RA1

Actually and unfortunately, that says it all. Best regards, RA1

The airlines are NOT playing fair and it will only get worse. Sorry to say. Best regards, RA1

I don't WANT to kill anyone, either, but, if they try to kill me I likely will take their lives in the process. Or, die trying to do so. This might be slightly different from what you are saying representing society as a whole as one member thereof. The US process to deal with those convicted of heinous crimes that result in the death penalty has as part and parcel of same the lengthy and expensive process of trying to prevent error. This actually results in those given life imprisonment with no chance of parole a cheaper alternative to the death penalty. Cheaper meaning the cost to the tax payers. However, what life imprisonment without chance of parole actually means is some chance of error being found, some change in the political spectrum or a pardon. That is NOT the same thing as being put into a cell and throwing away the key until natural death. Therefore, even though I would prefer most of those miscreants to just sit there and contemplate their misdeeds for a very long time, I have to agree that death is much more of a real and final determination of their fate. After execution, they will without a doubt no longer misbehave. I perceive no real answer to this question. Too much of it involves politics. If you are asking me if I would pull the trigger, remove the floor under the gallows, push the button to send the electrical power to the chair or let the chemicals loose from the attached IV, the answer is, it depends. Best regards, RA1

I am not an attorney but I would say that Lurkers' experience is fairly typical of what happens in our judicial system. The parties show up with their own viewpoint or agendum of what happened and the court seldom allows both sides to express their points. "Suddenly" some point or other becomes the focus of the proceedings and a verdict is rendered. Notice, I did not say that justice was served. Huge case in point. Does anyone seriously think that OJ was not guilty? Best regards, RA1 PS--Thanks for your post lulrker.

Sated? My goodness, if I am satisfied, I am usually more than content. Best regards, RA1

I thought it was great. Best regards, RA1

Whether his sentiments and expressions were real or not, he did a good job of persuading me that he could have come from Alabama. Of course, a few straight people live there also. By far, most actors do not get their Southernisms correct and either sound incorrect or exaggerate whatever. Difficult to know in this day in time what is real and what isn't. Best regards, RA1

Whether his sentiments and expressions were real or not, he did a good job of persuading me that he could have come from Alabama. Of course, a few straight people live there also. By far, most actors do not get their Southernisms correct and either sound incorrect or exaggerate whatever. Difficult to know in this day in time what is real and what isn't. Best regards, RA1

I cried through the whole thing. Being from the South, his speech mannerisms, the words he used and the thoughts he projected were very familiar to me. Good for him and good for daddy. Best regards, RA1

I have to agree, there isn't a solution, however much I would like for there to be one. Best regards, RA1

LOL, except it isn't/wasn't funny for the pussy. Interesting that he got "any" jail time for cruelty to animals, nevermind 2 years. Usually, animals just end up on the short end of the stick. Best regards, RA1

I heard from some of my friends who are FEDEX captains the same kind of complaints. They schedule us down to the last minute, etc. When we have flown a transcon at night, just because we have 45 minutes of duty time left does not mean it is "safe" to run us to another nearby city. We haven't had a raise in years, etc., etc. They all shut up when UA went bankrupt. FEDEX has never laid off a pilot. Now, I certainly realize that prima donna airline captains who make 200,000 a year are not in the same category as the worker bees driving the trucks. They all are perfectly capable of griping and also can leave any time they don't like it. Pilots cannot move so easily. A captain who leaves his airline and is hired by another has the lowest seniority and will not be a captain immediately for that airline. Here I mean the flag carriers, not necessarily the commuters. During the last 34 years that I have had an office on the airport, I have had UPS and FEDEX come by every week day. They have all seemed relatively happy with their jobs and always had a "quick" moment to talk (and complain, if they wished). This is far from a scientific study and I am sure they had compalints that I did not know about. I know the "hubites" often had complaints. I have known quite a few of those also. They are the workers who are at the FEDEX hub from mid-night until at least 0400 to do the package sort. Even though they may work only 28-30 hours or so per week and often have other jobs or are full time students, they are "full" employees at FEDEX with benefits. I have yet to find the perfect job, even mine isn't perfect. Best regards, RA1

Interesting. Is there any indication that a friend of mine named Steve has anything to do with "artificial sweetness"? Also, as an aside, once a friend of mine had a bee fly into her TAB and when she tried to continue drinking it, was stung. She recovered nicely but had this comment, do you think that was a diabetic bee? I am very much interested in finding and using "good" artificial sweeteners. I don't eat desserts but do enjoy a drink with low cal Coke, meaning Zero or the like. Best regards, RA1

BB- LOL. Best regards, RA1

Don't most young men think they are virtually indestructable and will live forever? I know I did or at least intended to be careful enough to give it a go. Of course, this isn't funny and "everyone" needs to realize they are responsible for their own health and well being to a large extent. I have no wish to stereotype but don't a lot of less educated folks of every color tend to mistrust medical or other "conventional" advice? Sometimes that mistrust is well founded but usually not. Best regards, RA1

FL in particular is loaded with businesses that have a sign that says, no shirt, no shoes, no service. No mention of socks. One of my favorite beach bars in STX (St. Croix)has a sign that says, no shirt, no shoes, no problem; however, it also has a sign that says no horses. I have never seen a horse there, so the folks must like to comply. Best regards, RA1

I wish I knew how to think about this. Who and what are the Palestinians? I think I read recently that 40% of the Israelis are Arabs which in this case means citizens of Israel. If Palestinians are Arabs seeking their own destiny, I am not sure why it has to be exactly where they are, it seems to me that with a little more "migration" they can vote Israel into whatever they want it to be. Or, there seems to be "other" land nearby which has the same characteristics. Why is the grass always greener in another's pasture? This whole situation makes my head hurt. Best regards, RA1

We definitely need tax reform. However, as we all know, it has been tried many times before with very limited success. Just like the question of what is the definition of "the" and "sex", one of the problems is the definition of income. Buffett and the like don't delare millions in income or they would be paying millions in taxes, at least not after legal deductions. There already is a minimum tax law so that people with larger incomes cannot pay zero. There are two sides to every story and the Congress does not enact laws just so their friends, lobbyists, etc. can make money; the ostensible purpose is to offset the depletion of valuable resources or promote certain activities. One point is that this has gotten out of hand, as these things always tend to do. A big question is, what is "fair"? Should virtually everyone just pay 10% of any money that comes into their hands. That would put a burden on the poor and "middle" class who already pay more than 15% in SS and Medicare taxes + most pay another 5-10% in sales tax. And, that is before any federal income taxes. There are a lot of questions and very few answers. Whatever happens, it won't last. The first thing will be "fixes" for errors not at first perceived and then the "tinkering" will begin, anew. The pols have to do something to justify their existence. Best regards, RA1

I probably fit into the category of reverse or negative fashion sense, but, I wear white socks exclusively on doctor's orders. Best regards, AR1

Agree about the cost of tickets. One would like to think that with declining attendance the owners might be able to adjust the pay to the athletes and therefore adjust the ticket prices but that takes time AND very likely the main source of their income is TV, not folks in the seats. I don't think the fans can win this one without a wholesale disinterest in sports from any venue. Not likely to happen. Best regards, RA1

The Campbell's Tomato Soup ingredients that you list are bad enough but one that you did not mention may be the worst and that is sodium. According to the label, each can has approximately 2.5 servings with each serving containing 710 mg of sodium or 30% of the adult MDR. If one were to consume a whole can, one would have already had 75% of the daily amount of sodium. US citizens in particular need to reduce their intake of salt. If you never added any salt at the table or while cooking, you would still get much more than you need every day. That would be without ever eating fast food or "processed" food, also. I am not trying to claim I am that careful with my diet but I am at least aware and trying to do better. Best regards, RA1

LOL to both CharliePS and MsGuy + Lucky, of course. Best regards, RA1