unicorn

The ad was intended to be humorous, not as an accurate representation of the "Thai way of life." If the ad had used westerners to represent Thais, then, yes, it would have come off as offensive. As it is, it just looks as though people are looking for trouble where there is none.

Not only is Trump pissing off any blacks which might have supported them, he's pushing more Harris supporters to the voting booth.

Yikes. I didn't realize what jerks they could be even with their own citizens. But they were nice with us when we flew into Victoria 2 months ago. I was dreading the experience, but we just went through, like we usually do in all other countries.

I will agree that Canadian customs and immigration can be among the most obnoxious on the planet. Do you have any idea why you've gotten such thorough inspections? Have you had similar issues in other countries?

Have you really never been exposed to comedy? It's called farcical exaggeration. Almost anyone could understand it's not supposed to be taken seriously. This has gone back for over a century. Were Keystone Cops really supposed to be representative of real policemen (or making fun of them)?

Great news for escorts who come to the US. I'm not sure if that applies to laptops or tablets...

Oops. I meant to say Simone. Anyway, they were showing him with her parents, so I looked up who it was (thought it might be her brother), and wow.

Well, she sure knows how to pick 'em! 😋🍆

Well, at least the hostility is directed towards the owners of the apartments, not the tourists themselves...

I don't think anyone seriously expected Haniyeh and Netanyahu to agree on anything. Both had delusions they could "win." Also, everyone knows that the President of Iran is a ceremonial position. Iranian policy, as almost everyone understands, is directed solely by the "supreme leader" Ali Khamenei. Iran publicly and violently breached Israel's territorial integrity when it killed 12 children in northern Israel last week. Most people understand consequences would ensue.

I can't imagine Israel would have dared kill Ismail Haniyeh while he was in Qatar, but did he really think he could go to Iran and live? Especially after Hezbollah recently attacked Israel? What incredible arrogance and stupidity. Well, hopefully this isn't the start of WW3. If Iran is too bold in its retaliation, this could lead to all-out war.

I've never seen that. I've traveled a great deal, including 90% of countries in the Western Hemisphere and have been impressed that Mexicans always seem to be the tops when it comes to friendliness and amiability, at least when it comes to tourists. I guess things are different if they buy homes and kick out the locals. I'd be surprised, though, if Americans are buying the houses of the average Mexican...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Simbel_(village) "...Abu Simbel is located in one of the warmest and driest regions of Egypt. In the summer months the high temperatures are easily 40 °C (104 °F) on average. Despite the great temperature differences between day and night, temperatures in summer seldom fall below 20 °C (68 °F)."...

Yikes, we went to Abu Simbel in January and woke up at 3:30 AM to get there fairly early in the morning. Yes, it was fairly crowded since winter is probably peak season for travel to Egypt (especially southern Egypt). It was quite hot enough at 8 AM in January, though. When were you able to visit Abu Simbel in the off-season? I would think that in the off-season, temperatures there would be potentially life-threatening...

Except I don't have wrinkles yet.

I was at a neighbor's birthday party last week-end. We were seated at the "neighbors' table" (as opposed to relatives' table), so we got to talk with a lot of our neighbors. We live in a neighborhood riddled with celebrities, and tour vans are constantly plying our streets. When we drive to downtown LA or to Burbank, and we take Mulholland Drive down the hill (as opposed to when we drive to WeHo, Hollywood, the west side, or the valley), and we pass on average 3 vans as we go down the hill. Our record so far is 8 vans (though that's an extreme). In my experience (having lived here almost 4 years), the drivers of these vans seem quite considerate, and always pull over where it's safe to pass. I've never seen traffic back up because of them. Well, one of the neighbors voiced how much she hates those tour vans, and others chimed in. They've never bothered either of us, so I told her I find them amusing, and do a royal wave as they pass by when I'm taking my dog on her daily walk in the park, pretending I'm a celebrity like Kevin Costner, whom I vaguely resemble (though perhaps a younger version of him). Another neighbor said he gave them the finger when someone asked if he was Steven Spielberg (whom he vaguely resembles). (I should note that Kevin Costner, but not Steven Spielberg, have lived near our place). Well, I'd much rather these tourists take these vans than drive up with "Stars maps," clogging up our streets. There are noisy motorcycles which zoom down Mulholland, and some other undesirables, but I don't see these vans as a problem. Some dumb tourists who don't know where they're going when driving around are far more problematic. Tourism provides a great boost for our local economy, and I like to provide a welcoming, rather than hostile response to the tourists. I travel to Mexico far more often than I do to Hawaii, for example, because Mexicans are far more welcoming people than Hawaiians (as a whole). I suppose some tourists can act obnoxiously, but most are quite nice. Places which welcome tourists get a lot more repeat visits, which helps the economy. What's your view on tourists who visit your city? Do you welcome them, and act friendly, or act as if they were a nuisance? Where do you live, and how many tourists do yo get?

I don't know if any of you watch Drag Race France, but in a recent episode, one of the judges, Kiddy Smile, blasted one of the contestants for wearing braids in her hair, calling it "cultural appropriation" (this was a hair coutoure challenge). I felt dumbfounded by her voicing this opinion, given that I had recently seen Kiddy Smiler herself do the exact same thing, wearing an exaggerated Mexican sombrero in her outfit: Wearing portions of styles typically associated with other cultures can be regarded in either a positive light, as in an homage, or in a negative light, as in an offense. Obviously the intention of the wearer should be taken into account, IMHO. However, I would think that if one wants to voice the opinion (and force a contestant to lip synch for her life) that these stylistic expressions, regardless of intention, are always offensive, then one should at least practice what one preaches. I definitely believe that while "cultural appropriation" can be distasteful, hypocrisy represents an even greater sin. 😉

Well, it's definitely too early to say "Trump is Toast" and ring the victory bells. The vice-presidential pick only affects results in that candidate's home state, so Harris would be wise to pick someone from Michigan, Wisconsin, or Pennsylvania. She'll definitely need at least one of those states. National polls are irrelevant with the electoral college system. What matters is the polls in the swing states, especially the populous ones.

Did you say TONS of friends? Where do you meet these friends? 😳