unicorn

Yegads! I just found out Tobey Maguire's 50! I wonder if he's gotten his AARP membership yet...

I can hardly think of anything more disgusting than force-feeding someone on a hunger strike.

There are places even worse than that in Iran, where he's from. I would also personally prefer death to a life of eternal torture. As they say in New Hampshire: live free or die.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/06/26/ice-force-feed-iran-mehrad-asadi-eidivand/84349361007/ "A federal judge granted a request allowing immigration officials to force-feed an Iranian asylum seeker on hunger strike while in detention in Arizona. Mehrad Asadi Eidivand, who was living in the U.S. on a work permit, was arrested outside his Phoenix home in May and taken to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Florence, Arizona. In protest of his detainment, the avid bodybuilder went on an initial hunger strike that left him diagnosed with acute kidney injury, court records say. Asadi Eidivand soon began a second hunger strike, leading officials on Monday to ask a federal judge's permission to monitor his health, administer intravenous fluids and medicines, and insert a feeding tube through his nose without consent. U.S. District Judge Steven Logan granted the request the same day, writing Asadi Eidivand was at risk of organ failure...".

Orban is the threat to children. So is Trump. They want gay children dead--no bones about it. Consider a donation to the Trevor Project or something similar. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/blog/trump-administration-orders-termination-of-national-lgbtq-youth-suicide-lifeline-effective-july-17th/ "June 18, 2025 – The Trevor Project received official notice yesterday that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is initiating the closure of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program within 30 days, effective July 17, 2025. Jaymes Black, CEO of The Trevor Project, released the following statement in response: “We received official notice that the Trump administration has ordered the closure of The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ Youth Specialized Services program, effective July 17, 2025. This means that, in 30 short days, this program that has provided life-saving services to more than 1.3 million LGBTQ+ young people will no longer be available for those who need it. “This is devastating, to say the least. Suicide prevention is about people, not politics. The administration’s decision to remove a bipartisan, evidence-based service that has effectively supported a high-risk group of young people through their darkest moments is incomprehensible. The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous – as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement. Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased.

This was reported in multiple sources, including my local newscast--the newscasters had a little chuckle when they gave the story.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14822367/Banker-Debra-Jones-fear-dolls-lawsuit-PTSD-Chucky.html "A former banker with a deep-seated fear of dolls has claimed she has suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ever since her boss left a Chucky toy on her chair. Debra Jones claims in her lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina that her supervisors at Truist subjected her to workplace discrimination and created a hostile work environment - causing her emotional and financial harm. Jones had already been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, autoimmune disorder and vitiligo when she was hired as a full-time relationship banker in April 2024 in Rocky Mount, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com. She claims she suffered discrimination and retaliation at the Charlotte-based bank due to those disabilities, and the Chucky incident caused her to be newly diagnosed with PTSD. Chucky is a fictional character in horror slasher films about a doll possessed by a serial killer. The first film, Child's Play, was released in 1988 and numerous sequels have followed. It all went down in June 2024, during her last week of training, when Jones claims her manager at the time, Matthew Korr, placed 'the doll that kills people' in her chair. She says Korr 'was aware of her fear of dolls and how her fear of dolls negatively affected her disabilities, as Plaintiff had shared this with Korr when he had invited Plaintiff to his home for a team cookout.' When he then saw how Jones reacted, Korr allegedly started to laugh. Immediately after the incident, Jones said she had to be treated by her medical provider - and was placed on eight weeks of medical leave to treat her disabilities. She finally returned to work in August 2024, and was assigned to a new manager, Jennifer Briley, who said she was aware of the Chucky incident and moved Jones to a different office. Yet, Jones said her treatment at the bank became worse as she continued to face mockery, and was subjected to unequal treatment related to her job and her workplace accommodations. 'Plaintiff contends that Plaintiff and her coworkers alike were subjected to making some mistakes, but Plaintiff was treated differently than her coworkers when she made mistakes,' the lawsuit asserts. It also claims Jones had an accommodation to leave work at 3pm three times a week to seek treatment 'for flare-ups that started as a result of the Chucky doll incident.' ..." Those "flare-ups" were supposedly to treat her vitiligo (the "autoimmune condition"), a condition which does not require 3 times a week treatments. This whole situation sounds so preposterous, I wonder if there ever was a doll placed on her chair. I wonder if this will ever make it to court. Why would anyone hire such a woman?

https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/food-fights-around-the-world

And what's a vicitim? Fooding may be where a food fight covers the street with food.... https://www.vice.com/en/article/italys-biggest-food-fight-has-left-70-people-injured/

These tours are all small tours (around 12 participants), so not like we're being herded in big buses. You're right--we can do without the cooking lessons or knife-making lessons, but the conveniences make up for it.

I am leaning towards tours. I usually go for tours in countries in which I don't speak the language and/or they drive on the left (let alone both). One time I did drive all around Turkey for 2 weeks, but I learned Turkish before I went. I can hardly remember any Turkish, though I think I could re-learn it more quickly if I had to do it again. But the last time I drove in Greek Cyprus, I knocked off the car's side-mirror. I'm really not good at driving on the left. Best I can do is not get run over when I cross the street. My best friend and I toured South Africa once on our own, but he did all the driving. When my husband and I toured the UK (England, Scotland, Wales) 3 years ago, we did a tour, since neither of us can drive on the left.

Well, that's not Pan Am by any means. I remember cashing in all of my frequent flyer miles on one of their last flights from Europe. In those days, the sleeperette seats were considered the height of comfort!

Thanks for the advice. Though we'll be traveling during the dry season (August), I think we'll lean towards the tours which focus on central and eastern Java.

My hubbie and I are planning to visit Java and Bali next summer (probably August 2026), and have looked at some organized tours of the area. Obviously, we want to visit Borobudur and Prambanan temples, but some tours visit Jakarta and some don't. The Gate1 Discovery Tour visits Jakarta, but skips eastern Java, while EF Go Ahead Tours skips Jakarta but visits eastern Java. I should note that Gate1 Discovery seems to be less expensive, go to better hotels, and include more meals. I'm hoping someone here has visited Java and can share his opinions. https://www.gate1travel.com/small-groups/small-group-asia/2026/small-groups-indonesia-15did26.aspx?Brand=DISCOVER https://www.goaheadtours.com/guided-tours/indonesia-bali-java

https://www.reviews.io/company-reviews/store/temu-com It looks as though almost everyone who's used them states they're scam artists.

Yes

Just in case anyone's wondering what he looks like...

The mystery thickens. A plane with no history of problems, and now there are two reported problems in short order from the exact same airline, when 1200 have been built since 2007. That makes me suspect the airline's maintenance facilities...

I threw a big pool party for Flag Day (June 14th), and one of the hunkiest men there had plenty of tattoos. He was very friendly, and we got to talking, and I asked him about a number of tattoos, some of which were in foreign languages/scripts. He was very nice, and didn't seem to mind (in fact, he was just a tiny bit flirty, though, since my husband invited him, he knew I was taken). Are most men with tattoos OK with others asking about their tattoos at frolicking pool parties? I know that it does annoy me when people comment about my skin getting red in the sun, providing their opinion that they think I'm getting burnt, although I always wear strong sunblock (at least SPF 50, and was wearing SPF 100 that day), and my skin just gets red because of the temperature, and has nothing to do with getting burnt, which I don't when I wear sunblock. I'd especially like to hear from anyone who has tattoos. Do you mind when people ask you about them at very informal parties?

Like other smart people, he was able to change his mind when new information became available, instead of sticking to his prior theory. Good for him. There are people on this message board who won't change their opinions regardless of any new information they receive. 😉

Probably intentional?

Please bear in mind that Moses is a consummate liar, so you can never know when he's telling the truth and when he isn't.