unicorn

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:

That being said, although I would never test myself (and my ancestry's not Nordic anyway), if I knew I was homozygous for the mutation, I would probably be satisfied with condom use only (as opposed to condoms plus PrEP) as protection. The mutation in and of itself probably does provide 90% protection, and careful condom use can provide nearly 90% protection as well.

It seems like it's been almost a year since On Swift Horses came out, but it was in theaters for such a short time that I missed it. I've been checking every week to see when it'd make it to streaming, and it finally showed up on Netflix. Super-hot Jacob Elordi (from Saltburn) stars, as well as two other hotties, Diego Calva and William Poulter. I confess that I find William Poulter unusually sexy, although I thought he looked like a homely kid as a child actor 15 years ago in those Vacation movies. It's the Neville Longbottom effect; one never knows when an ungainly-looking child will turn into a handsome man. Elordi and Calva: William Poulter:

My husband's like that--doesn't want to know anything about a movie other than the genre and Rotten Tomatoes rating before seeing the movie. I actually prefer to know plots before-hand. As you noted, one can enjoy a movie even though one knows the plot. Why else would one watch a movie (or play, or musical, or opera) multiple times, even when one knows what will happen? The only movie I can think of in which I appreciated not knowing the plot in advance was The Crying Game.

Care to elaborate? Is he following right-wing politicians?

All Republicans, I can assure you. He will probably still be a menace to society when he gets out.

I must say I'm extremely fascinated by the gorgeous Pietro Boselli. According to his Wikipedia page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Boselli "Pietro Boselli (born 3 December 1988) is an Italian model, engineer, and former mathematics postgraduate teacher at University College London.... Reacting to his fame, while Boselli has been appreciative, he has spoken against male objectification and the 'dumb model' stereotype and similar prejudices on multiple occasions...." Pietro Boselli Born 3 December 1988 (age 36) Negrar, Veneto, Italy Alma mater University College London (BEng, PhD) Occupations Model engineer teacher Years active 2004–present Modeling information Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) Hair color Brown Eye color Hazel Agency Models 1 Website pietroboselli.com While he's spoken against male objectification, and notwithstanding his Ph.D., he now seems to be earning his living entirely from modeling and OnlyFans. I find it especially curious that while he seems to be against men being treated as sex objects, he's chosen to use his beauty rather than his obvious intellect to earn a living. Lucky for us, I guess!

Do send the link...

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/disgraced-former-rep-george-santos-begin-seven-year-prison-sentence-rcna221069 In the US at least, the law considers a person innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. As for George Santos, he's serving a 7-year sentence in federal prison. "Disgraced former Rep. George Santos reported to prison on Friday, beginning a more than seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to a laundry list of federal charges that included wire fraud, identity theft and money laundering. He is in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in Fairton, New Jersey, the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Friday.... On Dec. 1, 2023, the House voted 311-114 to expel Santos, making him just the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from the House of Representatives. After his guilty plea, Santos was sentenced to 87 months behind bars this past April and ordered to pay almost $374,000 in restitution and over $200,000 in forfeiture...".