unicorn

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/09/george-retes-ice-detained-us-citizen/684152/ "George Retes is a 25-year-old U.S. Army veteran who served a tour in Iraq. On July 10, while on his way to work as a security guard at a Southern California cannabis farm, he was detained by federal immigration agents, despite telling them that he is an American citizen and that his wallet and identification were in his nearby car, Retes told me. While arresting him, the agents knelt on his back and his neck, he said, making it difficult for him to breathe. Held in a jail cell for three days and nights, he was not allowed to make a phone call, see an attorney, appear before a judge, or take a shower to wash off pepper spray and tear gas that the agents had used, according to the Institute for Justice, a public-interest law firm that is representing Retes. He worried about his two young children and missed his daughter’s birthday....".

Where do you think that murderer learned his warped values?

Interesting video discussing relative safe areas to ride out any WW-3. People are already speculating! Some analysts in today's Los Angeles Times thought that perhaps this was intentional, with Putin testing NATO's resolve. Trump tends to be belligerent and unpredictable. Who knows what he'll do? I suspect Putin thinks he can control Trump, but that will prove more difficult with dementia creeping in. While I'd love to live in Chile, unfortunately the US is not a Mercosur country, so no such option. I suppose that as a US citizen, the Republic of Palau or American Samoa should be pretty safe.

This forum's liar-in-chief is at it again. Obviously, no one's going to go through a 2-hour video of the security council meeting, and he knows that. We don't have to, however, since we all know that the security council has 15 members, not 193. If one simply asks google what happened at the meeting, one gets the obvious answer: there was no vote (since, as a veto-wielding member of the security council, a vote condemning Russia was clearly impossible). And Moses is caught lying again, once again pulling up links which don't back up his claims at all: AI Overview While the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on September 12, 2025, to discuss a recent incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace, no binding vote or resolution was passed . The meeting was a venue for Poland and its allies to condemn Russia's actions and for Russia to deny responsibility, but it did not result in formal UN action. The incident and the UN meeting Drone incursion: On the night of September 9–10, 2025, 19 Russian drones violated Polish airspace during an attack on Ukraine. NATO fighter jets scrambled and shot down some of the drones, marking the first time a NATO member directly engaged Russian aircraft over its own territory during the conflict. Poland's reaction: Poland requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, describing the incident as an "unprecedented" violation of its territorial integrity and a major escalation by Russia. Polish officials called it a "large-scale provocation" and said the incident brought the region closer to open conflict than at any time since World War II. The UN meeting: During the emergency session, Poland and its allies, including the United States, condemned Russia's actions. The US acting ambassador reaffirmed America's commitment to defending NATO allies. Russia, however, denied deliberately targeting Poland and dismissed the accusations as baseless. Lack of a vote: Due to Russia's veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council, a binding resolution condemning its actions was not feasible. Therefore, the meeting was a forum for debate and condemnation rather than a voting session.

Try rentmen.eu

It gets even more poignant. Charlie Kirk believed not only that executions should be public, but that children should watch them. One certainly cannot in any way condone assassinations (they're more likely to be counter-productive in any case, since they make martyrs out of the victims). However, at least he had his final wish. https://www.newsweek.com/charlie-kirk-death-penalty-public-executions-1873073 "Charlie Kirk, founder and president of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, suggested in a recent episode of The Charlie Kirk Show that children should watch public executions... On his weekly panel discussion, "ThoughtCrime," Kirk was discussing death penalties of those convicted of crimes, adding that not only does he believe there should be public executions, but that children should watch them. "Death penalties should be public, should be quick, it should be televised. I think at a certain age, its an initiation...What age should you start to see public executions?" Kirk asked. Kirk, along with his co-hosts Jack Posobiec, Tyler Bowyer and Blake Neff, continued to discuss at what age should children watch the public executions, with one co-host pointing out as young as 12 years old...".

As you know, you're lying. What I said was "as you know, most Michelin-recommended restaurants in Britain don't serve British food." Again, as you know, I never said "Michelin stars go only to restaurants serving other cuisines." By your own figures, only 15/48 serve either modern or traditional British food, which is 31%. You think that's "most"?? At least in the US, most children are taught percentages in the 4th or 5th grade (ages 9 or 10). Is that the age at which you tuned out of mathematics classes?

Well, if Putin is stupid enough to provoke a war with NATO, I would think that even most of his CSTO "partners" would tell him to fuck off, except maybe Belarus. It wouldn't be WW-III. It would be the brief war of NATO versus the country formerly known as the Russian Federation. I think this was probably just more evidence of incompetence on the part of Russia's military. But if Putin really intends to bring it on, he's cooked. I couldn't wait to see his ass finally arrested.

That "factoid" is highly misleading. Most US cities are not even visited or rated by Michelin. A quick inquiry on Google explains it: AI Overview Michelin rates restaurants in the United States within five specific markets: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando>>, and the Tampa Bay area (collectively known as the Florida market), the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington, D.C., and the New York metropolitan area. These are the designated areas for Michelin's restaurant ratings in the US: California: The San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Sacramento. Florida: Miami, Orlando, and the Tampa Bay area. Illinois: Chicago. District of Columbia: Washington, D.C. New York: The city and some parts of Westchester County. If you knew your statement was misleading, well, shame on you for being such a weasel. If you didn't know this, then you're just showing how ignorant you are. Michelin doesn't even visit any of the places I'll be visiting (New England), not any city in Texas (the 2nd most populous state in the US), nor New Orleans, which showcases some of the best restaurants anywhere (and local cuisine, too boot--cajun and creole--not restaurants serving foreign dishes). And, as you know, most Michelin-recommended restaurants in Britain don't serve British food.

Yes, a lot of foreigners have opened restaurants in the UK. Indian restaurants in the UK are among the planet's best. There are also plenty of good options in London and other large cities. But if one has to eat at regular British restaurants, one quickly tires of Fish 'n Chips, Bangers 'n Mash, and Haggis.

This 2002 Rochester University study also suggests that the vast majority of murders in the US have some sort of drug connection (not necessarily specifically narcotrafficking). https://www.rit.edu/liberalarts/sites/rit.edu.liberalarts/files/documents/our-work/2002-01.pdf

Here's a link to the Temple University study, which, while not definitive and only has data through mid-2021, is the closest I could find in my brief search on the subject. https://news.temple.edu/news/2022-02-25/connecting-dots-between-gun-violence-and-drug-markets

My point was not to suggest particular numbers, but rather to point out that both of you were simply pulling "statistics" out of thing air (or, as another user would have put it, out of your arses). If one wants to know the actual truth of the matter, it doesn't take rocket science to get to an answer. Simple put up the question on a search engine such as Google (the most commonly used one). As it turns out, no such statistics are actually gathered (confirming that both of you were BSing), although it appears that the percentage is probably on the higher end.

And from just today's news, a university professor was fired when she discussed gender identity in the classroom! https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/texas-m-fires-professor-gender-identity-lesson-literature-course-rcna230337 "...Texas A&M University fired a professor Tuesday over course instruction related to gender identity after a Republican state lawmaker shared a video that appears to show a student at the university telling the professor that such instruction was “illegal” due to one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders. The head of the university’s English department and a dean were also removed from their posts due to the incident. In the now-viral video, shared by state Rep. Brian Harrison on social media Monday morning, a professor can be heard mentioning “gender and sexuality,” and then a student can be heard interrupting and telling the professor, “I’m not entirely sure this is legal to be teaching.” The student then mentioned Trump’s executive order that declares the U.S. only recognizes two unchangeable sexes and prohibits federal funds from being used to “promote gender ideology.” The professor, identified in multiple local reports as Melissa McCoul, then disagreed with the student, saying, “What we are doing is not illegal.”...". Even the head of the English Department and a dean were removed from their posts! Talk about controlling free speech. At a university, no less! 😯

While @DelRetiro is, as a recent poster observed, talking out of his ass, making unsubstantiated claims, your source merely states "In 2004, 17% of state prisoners and 18% of federal inmates said they committed their current offense to obtain money for drugs...". That statement does nothing to refute his (unsubstantiated) claim that "...at least half (the most conservative estimate, I think it’s probably closer to 75%) of all gun homicides result from narcotrafficking violence."

There was someone who obviously knows nothing about British cuisine. While it is true that half of Americans don't even own a passport, ask anyone who's traveled to name a country with bad cooking, and the UK will probably top the list. There's the famous saying anyone who's traveled in Europe agrees with:

Such bullshit talk from a Republican, when the Republican Party has passed laws making it illegal to even mention gay people in the classroom, or for physicians to mention reproductive options to their patients. When have Democrats supported passing laws banning free speech? https://www.law.georgetown.edu/gender-journal/online/volume-xxiii-online/the-dangerous-consequences-of-floridas-dont-say-gay-bill-on-lgbtq-youth-in-florida/ "In March 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law the Parental Rights in Education bill, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill (the Bill) by its opponents. According to the text of the Bill, its aim is to prohibit “classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in certain grade levels” in Florida’s primary schools...". https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36406660/ https://bclawreview.bc.edu/articles/3130/files/6602d1ea2bdae.pdf "...Included among the abortion bans passed are aiding and abetting laws that threaten to punish physicians criminally and civilly for advising pregnant individuals about abortion services. Aiding and abetting laws implicate the First Amendment because they restrict physicians from providing necessary counsel to patients about available healthcare options, both in-state and out-of-state...".

I noticed that neither of you referenced your statistics. I call BS on anyone making claims out of thin air, without backing up such claims.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxqnkwerj7o "Charlie Kirk was one of the most high-profile conservative activists and media personalities in the US and a trusted ally of President Donald Trump. Kirk, 31, who died Wednesday in a shooting at a Utah college, was known for holding open-air debates on campuses across the country. In 2012, at the age of 18, he co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a student organisation that aims to spread conservative ideals at liberal-leaning US colleges. His social media and eponymous daily podcast often shared clips of him debating with students about issues such as transgender identity, climate change, faith and family values...". This man often spoke against any attempts to limit gun usage, proclaiming that gun deaths were "worth it." A shooter took him out with one shot, and they don't have any suspects as of this time. So how would you describe his death? Fitting? Poetic? Ironic? Which adjective would you use?

😄

Wow. Going into a place without knowing either what's on offer nor what prices to expect. I admire both your sense of culinary adventure and financially care-free nature! 😉

So how do you come to the decision to eat at that restaurant? Friends' recommendations? Just walking by? Tripadvisor?

Landing in Bangor, visiting Roosevelt Campobello International Park, Quoddy Head Lighthouse (easternmost point in the US, closest point in the US to Africa), Acadia National Park, Camden Hills State Park, Boothbay Harbor, Portland, Ogunquit, Mount Washington (weather-permitting), Lake Winnepesaukee, Castle in the Clouds, Franconia Notch State Park, Montpellier, Shelburne Museum, Burlington, Vermont covered bridges, Bennington Museum, Clark Art Institute, Norman Rockwell Museum, Providence.

We'll be going on a New England trip next month, and I've been looking over restaurants at the places where we'll be going. While it's not the norm, I'm still surprised by the number of restaurants which either have no website (!) or have a website, but no menu. Sometimes one can find the menu on other websites, sometimes not. I'd never go to a place without knowing what I was getting into. Would you?

A little over two years ago, my hubbie and I went to the Fire Island Pines event on the 4th of July when the drag queens parade off of the ferry from Cherry Grove. I wore a T-shirt, shorts, used a stick of SPF 50 on my face, and spray SPF 50 on the exposed areas of my legs, arms, and neck. I got a clear demonstration of how well sunscreens work, because the next day I was slightly burnt only in the areas under the shirt. I laughed about it later with my dermatologist, who told me T-shirts only provide about SPF 8 of protection. It's called a reverse farmer's tan. I guess I was the opposite of a redneck (white neck)! (photo is not of myself) I recommend stick-style sunscreen for the face, so that the sunscreen doesn't run into one's eyes: