unicorn

Typically, although not always, we need fairly specific dates due to cruises or land tours. I think AA made a major policy shift late last summer regarding frequent flier mileage availability and, apparently, fares. Business awards seem to have been made essentially unavailable, and even main cabin availability highly limited. If airfares are any indication, it looks as though Delta may have followed suit, but not United. As I said, I've been a loyal customer with AA for decades, and AA no longer seems to reward customers' loyalty.

Not only are there no award seats for business class, but none for main cabin, either. Even if I change the dates for extra time in Jakarta. All these award miles have been fake promises. 😢

Well, we'll be going to Indonesia in July, and so far R/T Business from LAX to Jakarta seems to be holding steady at $6000 (code-share JAL). We'll stick with American for now, but that's contingent on that airfare to VIE being a fluke. I dumped United over 20 years ago due to some bad experiences, but they may have changed during that period of time.

I've been tracking the airfares for an upcoming trip we're going to take to Vienna/Danube cruise in May, and was shocked to see the business class fare increase from $7000 per person to $16,300 per person! I called American Airlines and found out that, in addition to those changes, one can no longer upgrade with miles or systemwide upgrade certificates, but rather, one has to buy the ticket first, then get presented with $$ or miles offers to upgrade. I checked those offers on upcoming LAX to MIA flight, and they were sky-high in price for either miles or $$ (160,000 miles per couple just for the way over, and over 200,000 miles for the way back!!). As far as I can tell, it looks as though Delta Airlines has taken the same strategy, since they're asking over $14,000 per person for to LAX-VIE roundtrip business class fare. Fortunately, the price for a United business class seat on a code-share on Austrian Airlines is less than half that, so we're going along with that before United joins the band-wagon. I hate to dump American (especially due to bad experiences I've had on United), but these policy changes seem too expensive to swallow. This is a copy of a complain letter I wrote to AA: "I'm a Million Miler and long-time Executive Platinum member, but am shocked by the stratospheric increase in prices of business class seats and the difficult in getting upgrades. We are taking a trip from LAX to VIE (Vienna) in May, and were shocked to see the price of the business class ticket go from $7000 to over $16,000 per person. What's worse is that one can no longer use Systemwide Upgrades or miles until after one has purchased one's tickets, and then get surprised by an "offer" to upgrade. We looked at our offer for our upcoming trip to Miami, and it was off the charts! United is offering a nonstop LAX to VIE for $6861 per person. I'm afraid we had to take them up on that offer. After all of these years of loyalty to AA, I hate to break the relationship, but I'm not going to spend an extra $20,000 for the sake of loyalty, when that loyalty isn't rewarded. I have a suspicion that AA will lose its most loyal customers if these changes continue."

That's rather talented of you. I sometimes try to guess where someone is from based on their accent, but I can't imagine trying to do so based on looks. One can learn something and break the ice with the right guesses. Once, while we were traveling, I heard a coule speaking Dutch in what I thought was a Flemish accent, and I asked if they were Belgian. I found out that while they were Dutch, they lived in the Dutch Province of Limburg, which is a finger of Dutch territory which pokes into the Belgian Province of Limburg. We had a laugh about it, and I called them "honorary Belgians." So now I know that if someone speaks with a Flemish accent, he may be either Belgian or from the Dutch Limburg Province. As for identifying Spanish-speakers by their accents, I would frequently pick out from my patients' accents that they were from a Caribbean country, and not from Mexico or Latin America (or Spanish, which is even more obvious). However, I could only say that the darker the skin, the more likely to be from the DR, then Cuba, then Puerto Rico being the least likely. The only thing I can say from regarding physical appearance is that for some reason I tend to find Colombians as the most attractive people from Spanish-speaking countries. However, I would never guess that just because I find a man hot, that he's probably from Colombia. I was very taken by a Paraguayan dude, and would have married him had he been an honest man.

If someone can be compliant, I'd go for orals. If there are side-effects, one can always stop. There are those, such as the OP, however, for which taking medication daily seems to be difficult. It's for those that injectables are a better choice. When taken as directed, most PrEP medications show efficacy closer to 97% than to 90%.

No, it does not. What it does say is that one must seriously question any statements of fact made without references. When I make statements of fact, I usually provide links to my references--or at least a statement to the effect of "I heard on the CBS news today"... Only when one leaves references can another person check those references for credibility. Of course, just having a reference doesn't mean the statement is true. There is one regular poster on this forum who habitually posts references, claiming the reference states one thing, when in fact the reference states the opposite. But at least in that case the person with the fake references can be identified as a liar. We all know who that poster is, and we all know to view any statements he makes with extreme caution. It's foolish to believe something simply on the basis of "somebody told me" or "I read it somewhere." This doesn't mean that an undocumented statement can't possibly be true. What it does mean is "undocumented" = "unreliable". Believing in something merely because someone said so (and one wants to believe in it) is foolish. A lot of people do just that, however. Look at how Trump got elected. He's a professional con-man who makes completely baseless allegations and claims. His supporters will believe whatever he says, regardless of the facts.

There are a lot of amusing AI videos with parrots and cops these days. Probably the same people. Even AI can be fooled by other AI. One has to be careful not only of what one reads but also what one sees these days. In this one, the parrot's head goes right through the metal in the cage:

Several days ago, we needed a Lyft from the rental car center at Providence's TF Green Airport. We picked an "XL" and were assigned a driver who, it was announced, was deaf, and it also sent a couple of sign language signs we could use. I previously had trouble communicating with another ride-share driver who was deaf, and this driver was 14 minutes away. Well, there was a Lyft Comfort driver who was 8 minutes away, so we switched, noting the long wait time. However, I feel that this is kind of a job in which ability to communicate with one's customers is important. Have you ever been assigned a deaf ride-share driver? How did you feel about the experience? Is it my duty to learn ASL so that I can get.a ride?

Hopefully, you're just being facetious. The purpose of artwork is to enjoy it and appreciate it, not to make waffles. Where i agree with you is paying ridiculous sums just because the artist is famous. One can just as well enjoy reproductions and/or works by less well-known but essentially equally talented artists.

I definitely agree that we place too much value on originals. The only reasons I can think of for buying an original are either (1) you think you can sell it later for more, or (2) you're a high-volume museum, such as the Louvre, where tens of thousands will pay good money each day to see the original (and also provide more tourist dollars towards your city's and/or country's economy). If you simply appreciate the artwork, reproductions can be made, the difference which can only be detected by experts. If I really like an artwork, be it a painting, sculpture, or whatever, I'll get a reproduction. I can appreciate it over and over for a tiny fraction of the cost. Even better, I'll buy an artwork I like from an unknown artist, then I pay less for something that I not only appreciate, but that's unique. One of my most prized possessions is a sexy merman statue (not this one) near my pool, which always gets great comments at my parties... (My sculpture is larger, and, unlike this one, is one-of-a-kind)

I agree. It's silly to take these anti-HIV meds without also using condoms.

On the subject of handsome locals, this handsome local news reporter got my gonads warm: https://www.wpri.com/author/ethan-logue/ https://www.mypanhandle.com/author/ethan-logue/

Earlier today I attended a lecture on headaches delivered by a strikingly handsome professor from a nearby university. His lecture was strangely monotone, and delivered in such a dry manner that I suspected he's neurodivergent (on the spectrum). (I talked with others who attended the lecture, and they agreed that his lecture was flat). I looked him up online, and was surprised to see an arrest record for someone with his name, and approximately the same age, about 10 years ago. Do you think this is the same man? https://www.pri-med.com/globals/faculty/g/galicaandrewm https://www.hngnews.com/sun_prairie_star/news/man-accused-of-stealing-900-of-liquor-from-sun-prairie-woodmans/article_95de6fb8-6850-11e5-9049-0ff6033707fd.html https://www.umassmed.edu/neurology/neurology-specialties/Neurological-Rehabilitation-Recovery/neuro-rehab-and-recovery-faculty/ His Facebook profile is also pretty sparse--he seems to have a couple dozen young female friends and that's it...

Not that I necessarily disbelieve your "Dr. No" hypothesis, but there's obviously a world of difference between legally buying an art treasure at "near knock-down prices" and stealing a (readily identifiable) art treasure. A legally-purchased art treasure obviously has great value, and is a rational investment (especially when purchased at a relatively low price), which can be admired by all, and even passed onto ones loved ones or to charities (such as a museum) upon one's death--or sold if one prefers. What can one do with a stolen painting other than put in into a hidden location to admire in private?

Well, although Dr. No was before my time, I've seen the movie--and all other Bond movies. Yes, I suppose some super-rich villain could buy the painting to put in his evil lair, where only his trusted henchmen could see the painting. Does that really happen in real life? Are there real Dr. No or Goldfingers around?

I understand the theft of jewels (which can be melted), but I've never understood why someone would steal a painting. You'd never be able to sell the painting, nor even able to show the painting to almost anyone else. Am I missing something? Isn't stealing a painting taking a big risk with no potential reward?

You can say that again. If it's true those jewels were left unprotected (with 18th Century glass on the windows, no less), not only should people be fired, but I'd wonder if the negligence doesn't rise to the criminal level... This will go down in history as one of the most asinine museum thefts of all time, from what is perhaps the most famous (and cash rich) museum on the planet.

They didn't disclose the cause of death. I suspect it may have been an uncontrolled bleed, given the rapid deterioration (an infection could probably have made it to the hospital in time). If the gravida (woman giving birth) was even more foolhardy and didn't get prenatal care, eclampsia could be another common cause of rapid death. I remember hearing in the hospital where I did my residency training that a gravida without prenatal care died in the elevator on the way up to the delivery ward. She had a massive seizure which left her brain basically exploding in the skull. 🫣

It's been barely over a century since 10% of childbirths ended up with the mother dying. Because it's so rare these days, some seem quite unaware how dangerous it used to be to give birth naturally. 😪 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food-influencer-stacey-hatfield-dies_n_68f7a0cfe4b0dbac45910c1b?fbclid=IwY2xjawNmUxVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFKbEFZUGtaWWlqTG05ZEdrAR6t37pgMqAvhOOwuhySw3LQLyG_Steo4TUGcAeFygKZcKNXml_nGW63cuD8kA_aem_enI77E6npsgggIdqjMvWug "An Australian food influencer has died after giving birth to her first son at home. Stacey Hatfield’s husband, Nathan Warnecke, announced in a touching tribute on Instagram Monday that she died on Sept. 29. “Its with heavy heart that i share with you the unexpected passing of my beautiful wife, soul mate and best friend, Stacey Warnecke (Hatfield),” Warnecke wrote on Hatfield’s “Natural Spoonfuls” Instagram page..."

Well, the word "si" (without the accent as in Spanish) also means yes in French. It's actually used quite frequently, and is most commonly used as emphasis "Mais si!" (but of course!). The saddest fact about these jewel heists is that the metal will probably just be melted down for the value of the metal, and the gems sold for their value as individual gems, although, of course, their value was many times that as works of art. Stolen paintings don't have any value, since they could never be sold or displayed (although I suppose a selfish SOB could keep it just so that he himself could look at it). Taken apart, however jewels can be untraceable once the metal has been melted.

I was at a medical conference today, and there is a new HIV prevention injection which lasts 6 months between injections. Unlike the previous injection, which is given in the muscle every 2 months, this one is injected under the skin. The big catch of this medication (Yeztugo/lenacapavir) seems to be that a majority (64%) of patients get a sizable lump under their skin, which averages 3 cm in diameter and lasted, on average, about a year! Although less common (31%), pain could last over 52 weeks! Half of the subjects received a placebo injection and were given Truvada or Descovy (FTC/TAF or FTC/TDF) pills, and half received the lenacapavir and dummy pills. The most frequent adverse reactions associated with LEN SUBQ injection use in PURPOSE 1 and PURPOSE 2 were ISRs. The most common ISRs (all Grades) in at least 2% of participants who received LEN in either PURPOSE 1 or PURPOSE 2 are presented in Table 1. Table 1. ISRs (All Grades) Reported in 2%a of Participants Receiving LEN in PURPOSE 1 or PURPOSE 2 Injection Site Reactions PURPOSE 1 PURPOSE 2 LEN (N=2140) FTC/TAF or FTC/TDFb (N=3205) LEN (N=2183) FTC/TDFb (N=1088) Nodule 64% 17% 63% 39% Pain 31% 24% 56% 53% Induration 4% <1% 16% 10% Swelling 4% 5% 7% 10% Pruritis 2% 1% 3% 3% Erythema 1% 1% 17% 19% Bruising <1% <1% 3% 4% Warmth <1% <1% 2% 2% a Frequencies are based on all injection site reactions attributed to study drug (or to the procedure) by the investigators. Nodules Injection site nodule was reported in 64% of participants who received LEN and resolved more slowly than other ISRs. The median duration of nodule associated with the first injections of LEN was 350 days (IQR: 182–470). The median of the maximum observed nodule diameter from each participant was 3 cm (IQR: 2–3.5). Qualitative descriptions of the visibility of injection site nodules were not routinely reported, but, where reported, the majority of injection site nodules were palpable but not visible. Other ISRs The other ISRs reported in more than 2% of participants who received LEN were pain (31%), swelling (4%), induration (4%), and pruritus (2%). The median duration of induration, of 8 which resolved more slowly than most ISRs, was 173 days (IQR: 22–267). (ISR stands for injection site reactions)

I should also add that if your "HIV test" was an antibody test only, then you very definitely need to be rechecked in 2 months, as one wouldn't expect a seroconversion so soon, and that test result could easily change. If the test also included an antigen test (i.e. viral RNA), then it's quite unlikely to be a false negative.