unicorn

In case anyone here was unaware, Meat Loaf was a Trump supporter, climate change denier, and Covid-19 denier/antivaxxer. He reportedly died from complications of Covid-19 himself.

They may not be as good as some of the top foreign airlines, but Delta appears to have the best on-time arrival data among North American airlines. I usually fly American Airlines, but occasionally I do fly Delta, which is generally overall rated the best US carrier (American not that far behind).

Well, the rarest blood group is AB-, but those people can receive blood from any donor who's Rh-negative (for example A-, B-, O-). There isn't really a "rare" blood group, since the percentage of donors from each group will probably equal the percentage of those needing the blood. What is true is that O- is in greatest demand. This is because if someone needs an emergency supply of blood, and there isn't time to type and cross, one must give from O-, the only universal donor. In any case, this story doesn't ring true for me.

That's actually not a joke. It's reality! https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tucker-carlson-firing-at-fox-news-draws-comment-from-russian-foreign-minister-lavrov-and-ostensible-job-offer-from-rt-d048ee9e https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/tucker-carlson-russian-state-tv-job-offer-b2327099.html

Any lawyers here know if that's true? I find that difficult to believe.

It lasts for 2 months. So be aware--if you get side-effects, you're stuck with them for 2 months...

One of the problems with US elections, is that Democrats tend to nominate those that are too far left, while Republicans nominate right-wing nuts, so one is left with voting for the lesser of two evils. California did a great thing when they switched to a primary system in which the top two vote-getters from both parties face off in the general election. This is how the east bay area of the SF Bay finally got left-wing Pete Stark out of office, and moderate Democrat Eric Swalwell in, for the largely Democratic district. Sure enough, in the primary Pete Stark had a plurality, but when the majority of the district was given the choice, they went with moderate Swalwell (who's done a great job!). California's 15th congressional district election, 2012 Primary election Party Candidate Votes Democratic Pete Stark (incumbent) 39,94342. Democratic Eric Swalwell 34,34736. No party preference Christopher "Chris" J. Pareja 20,61821 Total votes 94,908100. General election: Democratic Eric Swalwell 120,38852, Democratic Pete Stark (incumbent)110,64647. Total votes231,034100. Democratic hold

According to the AP, "Minneapolis will allow broadcasts of the Muslim call to prayer at all hours, becoming the first major U.S. city to allow the announcement or “adhan” to be heard over speakers five times a day, year-round. The Minneapolis City Council unanimously agreed Thursday to amend the city’s noise ordinance, which had prevented dawn and late evening calls at certain times of the year due to noise restrictions, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The vote came during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan...". https://apnews.com/article/muslim-prayers-minneapolis-6bc3fe5ca2eb7436fbdf417481821277 Considering dawn can be quite before 6 AM in northerly Minneapolis, that puts a burden on those who don't want to hear the adhan. I would think that if people want a call to prayer on their own phones or in their own house, the technology is pretty easy to do that. This change in the law might force some people to need to move, and lower property values in areas near mosques. It seems like this constitutes jamming some peoples' religious views on others. Thoughts?

We'll be flying to Japan from LAX in October, and it looks like the fares are running $5000 for business and $1800 for Premium Economy. So I guess we'll just fly Premium Economy and take some sleeping pills with some sake or cognac, and hopefully that'll put us out even if we're not in a flat bed. I haven't purchased those tickets yet, but I did find a $3700 RT flight from LAX to Cairo on Qatar Airways, and I found that to be reasonable, so I snagged those tickets, even though the Cairo flights won't be until February. For your 7-hour trip, though, I personally would rather save the money and fly in PE. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/japan-airlines-premium-economy We're also going to Italy next month. On the way over, with a long overnight to Europe nonstop, we did spring for business class. On the way back, we're switching planes in Charlotte, so we got PE tickets for the return journey, on the waiting list for an upgrade with miles. Since I'm Executive Platinum with AA, I could also get upgraded for free from CLT to LAX. Although one doesn't get to lie flat, one also doesn't feel "squeezed in" for those PE seats, and they're pretty comfortable for a 7-hour flight. https://travelupdate.com/aa-good-premium-economy-dub-phl/

I haven't been agreeing much with the SCOTUS these days, but they may have gotten in right here: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-sports-west-virginia-64d2fd48678afb1a62e5eb84d7762c31 "The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia to continue competing on her middle school’s girls sports teams while a lawsuit over a state ban continues. The justices refused to disturb an appeals court order that made it possible for the girl, Becky Pepper-Jackson, to continue playing on her school’s track and cross-country teams, where she regularly finishes near the back of the pack. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas would have allowed West Virginia to enforce its law against Pepper-Jackson. Pepper-Jackson is in the middle of the outdoor track season. She had filed a lawsuit challenging the law, the Save Women’s Sports Act, which West Virginia lawmakers adopted in 2021. A federal appeals court had allowed her to compete while she appealed a lower court ruling that upheld the West Virginia law..." I can't imagine why one would ban trans girls or women from competing in amateur sports. That would just be mean-spirited. Yes, there are certain sports (for example volleyball and swimming) for which trans women have an unfair advantage, so I can understand restrictions on levels where $$$ are involved (either the professional level or in the competition for college scholarships). A ban on the amateur level, however, doesn't serve any purpose, other than to be nasty.

His base won't waver their support of the orange menace, no matter what happens. As weak of a candidate as Biden is, I can't imagine Trump returning to the White House. So much the dumber of the Republicans if they give him the nomination.

Thomas is a scumbag, but the notion of ousting an associate justice of the SCOTUS seems all but impossible. Look what Trump got away with. I'm not even sure they'll oust Representative Santos and put him in jail, where he belongs as well.

It wasn't the payments which broke the laws. It's the fact that he tried to pass the payments off as a business expense in order to avoid paying taxes. Remember, it's the tax evasion which put Al Capone in the slammer, not his more horrific misdeeds. Tax evasion can be easier to prove.

That would be quite something if the indictment increased his popularity among Republicans and they nominated him. Other than his base, it won't go well. If Republicans nominate him, he'll lose.

As so often happens, you have no idea what you're talking about. Voters don't have to "claim" anything. A person's party preference or lack of affiliation is simply a matter of public record. Since independents don't choose parties' candidates in primaries, why would anyone claim to be independent if he wasn't?

It looks like he was doing something else...

The election isn't determined by the Democrats or Republicans. Independents are those who pick the POTUS. Most independents are rightfully afraid of what Trump would do in a 2nd term, and they aren't blind to his shocking behavior (actions and words). Biden is a weak candidate, but I think most independents are probably revolted by Trump and DeSantis. Best scenario for the Democrats: Trump runs as an independent. It would be like when Nader handed the Presidency to Bush due to his overinflated ego.

He showed worse bad judgment, in my opinion, than simply showing his junk on OnlyFans. He also wrote crass and threatening e-mails to local politicians, telling one that she should "choke on a dick." This was a state, not a federal appointment. In fact, I think the appointment was made by local (county) officials.

Minor correction: 3/4 of the state legislatures must approve the change, in addition to 2/3 of the HR and Senate.

See how easy it is with google translate? You don't even need a different keyboard... Конечно แน่นอน 当然 ពិតប្រាកដ অবশ্যই निश्चित रूप से

Google Translate is your friend. Seriously. I use it when communicating even with languages in which I'm fluent. Even helps with spelling!

True. That being said, they did change some of the words. As for 1776, in casting mostly women of color to play the founding fathers, I'm sure they're trying promote a narrative that the founding fathers were sexist and racist, looking at it from 21st Century eyes. The truth is that the declaration of independence had to be unanimous, and there was no way of getting southern states on board at that time without postponing the issue of slavery. And I don't think there was a democracy on the planet which allowed women to vote at that time. Very unfortunate, yes, but that was the truth of the 18th Century. And the founding fathers very much risked their lives to support an independent democracy. As America fast approaches its semiquincentennial, I can honor the courage of the founding fathers without having to point out advances they were unable to achieve at that time.

Dude. Re-read NIrishGuy's post. It presented an offensive stereotype of American tourists, which he bemoaned with his post. Most Americans don't appreciate these stereotypes any more than he'd appreciate stereotypes of the Irish--of being whiskey or beer-guzzling drunks, for example.

Well, travel has simply returned to normal. Unless NBC News is lying, the State Department cut their workforce by half. That's going to hurt. Of course, aren't passport fees supposed to be going to pay for these salaries?

If you're not changing a word of the text (which they did), you're not changing the plot.