unicorn

You don't have the slightest concept about what you're discussing, nor did you bother to look it up. Aside from it being a bit creepy that you seem to remember the cost of my wedding better than I do, my wedding costs were about average for my area. I don't know where you live, nor what weddings typically cost in your area, but a simple question to AI could answer that question: Since we had about 90 guests, our costs were near the average for the area. It was hardly a showy wedding (but everyone had a wonderful time, with many romping naked in the pool afterward). This certainly doesn't compare to the T&T wedding, which is the most pompous non-royal wedding I can ever recall.

My husband calls it obnoxious. I call it self-aggrandizing mutual masturbation. Apparently this wedding is going to cost somewhere in the US $15 to $20 million range, not including the extra governmental costs involved with security (so far news sources haven't been able to verify that the couple will be compensating NYPD, and other costs local governments will be spending). I can't imagine they have enough close friends and relatives to fill up Madison Square Garden. When one thinks of all the starving children in South Sudan, Haiti, and Venezuela, such a lavish wedding expenditure seems a bit obscene. Yes, coinciding with their wedding, they will be donating $25 million this year to US-benefitted charities (primarily the American Heart Association, in honor of her father who had quintuple-bypass surgery, and Feeding America), in the previous 2 calendar years, their donations totaled about a tenth of that, to similar charities. All of this marriage showboating seems rather Trump-esque to me. At least there won't be tanks rolling down 7th Avenue.

At least the flight was a quick one (3.5 hours)! These days, most people would prefer to spend more time--but in comfort. I never flew the real thing, but when I sat in the decommissioned plane, it felt tighter than a seat on a budget airline such as Southwest. Many Americans would have trouble sitting in those seats. 😄 https://www.heritageconcorde.com/concorde-cabin-interiors

...there was no BERATING done ... Yes, there was. What Thomas actually said was that there wasnt need for good wishes because HE wasnt ... No, that wasn't what he said. Sometimes people need to be taught self-awareness... Look in the mirror. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I feel a song coming on. https://youtu.be/Z9NYDgbKsBE?list=RDZ9NYDgbKsBE

Speak for yourself. No need to berate @Thomas_88. He was just pointing out that not all countries share the same Pride Month--not trying to negate your good wishes.

I hope not, your orangeness! 😉

Well, if we're talking about this board, it's probably breaking the rules of this board, by attacking the person rather than the argument. In terms of legal statutes, blanket statements about a person's character might be defined as defamatory/slanderous. Attacking a person's arguments couldn't be labeled slanderous, but labeling a person might be. I suppose it's probably OK to say "I believe you're a fool," but not "you're a fool." Can you see the difference?

It's more than a semantical distinction. One can have differences of opinion, even major ones, without resorting to name calling. There are plenty of posters on this forum who I think often argue like fools, but I would never call them a fool (even if I think it likely they are). There is one person on the board whom I have no problem calling a liar, but that is a statement of fact, not an opinion. By definition, "A liar is a person who deliberately tells falsehoods or misleads others with the intention to deceive." When a poster willfully makes false statements with the intent to deceive, he's lying, by definition. This poster does it habitually (and has been proven to do so multiple times), so he simply is a liar by definition. Many people say stupid things, or certainly things I consider stupid. They make argue foolishly, but one has to know a lot about a person's life to brand someone a fool, which is a judgment call.

Not that I agree with everything that @Suckrates says, but it would be nice to be less personal and in-your-face. It's one thing to say "...you talk like a fool..." or "you're arguing like a fool," and another to accuse someone of being a fool. I think it's also part of the TOS.

Similarly, I would say to my Muslim friends "Have a blessed Ramadan!" and not "Have a happy Ramadan!". 😉

Maybe someone here can help translate the Japanese?

AI Overview: Blake Christian Hadder was born on February 19, 1994, with public records (InstantCheckmate and Ancestry.com) indicating he is currently 32 years old .He is originally from the Dayton, Ohio, area (CyberBackgroundChecks) and has also been associated with residences in Union and Englewood, Ohio (TruthFinder). I think he's an MMA fighter, former porn star.

Studies have looked into the question as to whether children adopted by LGBTQ parents differs from that of heterosexual parents. Results consistently show that children raised by LGBTQ parents do at least as well. Obviously, there are always outliers, but when this issue has been studied, the results are consistent. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10926750903313278 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J461v01n04_03 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/07/children-of-same-sex-couples-are-happier-and-healthier-than-peers-research-shows/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_adoption "A 2004 study concluded that the sexual orientation of parents did not predict better or poorer "adoptive family functioning, adopted child's behavior, and parent's perceptions of helpfulness from family support networks".[11] A 2010 study evaluated the outcomes of young adopted children who had been placed in one of 56 lesbian and gay households since infancy. The study found no significant associations between parental sexual orientation and child adjustment.[5] Research published in 2009 studied 1,384 children with either heterosexual or same-sex adoptive parents and concluded that problematic behavior in children was not dependent on whether they had same-sex or opposite sex parents. The study also found that "adoptive parents are likely to encounter similar challenges in terms of risk factors for child behavioral problems and mitigating factors of such behavior."[12] A 2016 study of adopted children of same-sex parents showed that they perceive themselves to be more accepting, understanding and compassionate than children of different-sex parents. The children in the study also indicated that they often avoid sharing that their parents are lesbian or gay, and that many experience bullying or teasing...".

https://people.com/son-of-norway-crown-princess-convicted-of-rape-11997856?campaign=18574434&did=24163048-20260615&hid=089247988732f9a900151e1f8c73f2c531df3c3a&lctg=089247988732f9a900151e1f8c73f2c531df3c3a&lr_input=3911d0b923e8d92c50f8b74007080afa59d66697825b8a1e414be8db883b8062 "The son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been sentenced to four years in prison after being found guilty of numerous offenses, including two counts of rape, according to multiple outlets, including BBC and The Guardian. Marius Borg Høiby, 29, has also been sentenced to a two-year restraining order against one of his victims. Oslo District Court announced the verdict on the morning of Monday, June 15, nearly three months after the conclusion of Høiby's six-week trial, per the outlets. The BBC reported that Høiby was not in court for the verdict but joined the session via video link...". He should have gotten an extra 3 years just for being so ugly. How can a 29 year-old be so ugly? He reminds me of Little Face from Dick Tracy. Talk about a 5-head. 🙄 Of course, why the 2 year restraining order against the victims if he'll be in prison for 4 years? Or are those added to the end of the sentence?

I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a more terrifying way to go. 😰 https://people.com/organ-donor-unknowingly-gave-rabies-to-two-recipients-11987300?campaign=18352652&did=23878438-20260530&hid=089247988732f9a900151e1f8c73f2c531df3c3a&lctg=089247988732f9a900151e1f8c73f2c531df3c3a&lr_input=3911d0b923e8d92c50f8b74007080afa59d66697825b8a1e414be8db883b8062 "Three people who received cornea grafts [and a kidney] after the death of an Idaho man were exposed to rabies infection. The recipients were given cornea grafts harvested after the death of James Martin, an Idaho father of three who died in December 2024 at age 59, Scripps News reported. At the time of his death, James' family believed that he was suffering from heart issues, but medical professionals now suspect that he was actually infected with rabies. Kim told the outlet that James had been scratched by a skunk while defending one of his kittens in the front yard of the family's home. It is believed that James contracted the silver-haired bat rabies strain after the skunk ate an infected bat carrying the virus. After James died, Kim honored his wish to donate his organs. She answered questions about James' health history and noted that he was recently scratched by a skunk, which was documented on the Donor Risk Assessment Interview (DRAI) questionnaire. The transplant process continued, and the organs were tested for HIV and hepatitis. It is uncommon to perform the complex rabies test because transmission through organ donation is rare. Between 1978 and 2024, there were only three documented cases of rabies transmission through organ donation, per the outlet...". That species of bat is found in all US states except Hawaii, and every Canadian province. The two most difficult issues here for me are: (1) no suspicion regarding the death of a 59 year-old weeks after being scratched by a skunk, and (2) why the docs didn't figure out the donor had rabies given that almost all rabies victims have a prominent and intense fear of water, a symptom not found in any other illness.

More of this Wyatt, and some others, at:

I'm finishing by Danube/Balkan trip soon. We visited Chisinau today and will visit Transnistria tomorrow. When I get back, maybe I can see about adding Wyatt's to the names/photos string. I have no recollection as to how many Wyatt's I have. It's not super-common a name, so hopefully a manageable number. https://www.gayguides.com/topic/78782-pick-a-name/

We're visiting Romania, passed by this bank, and my husband mused "Is that a blood bank?".

I don't understand how HIV antibody tests prevent transmission in.such a setting. In fact, the first few weeks after infection (before the antibodies appear) is when an HIV-infected person is the most contagious. If you engage in risky behavior (especially anal sex), you must practice universal precautions (preferably PrEP and condoms, or at least PEP, or at a very minimum a condom alone). HIV testing your partner won't help you. Those who have HIV and are under effective treatment will have HIV antibodies but be undetectable, and therefore not contagious.

CT's (unlike regular X-rays) expose patients who receive them with very significant doses of radiation. In fact, the radiation from one abdominal CT increases a patient's risk of developing cancer due to the radiation by 1 in 1000. (A combined Chest/Abdomen CT increases the risk to 1/500!). To receive annual CT's would involve very substantially increasing the risk that the screening itself leads to cancer! I suspect that what your doctor will say is that she just wanted to make sure the cyst (or perhaps mass) isn't getting bigger. However, that is not what the professional guidelines advise. It's also rather dangerous. Pancreatic cancers are among the most fast-growing cancers affecting humans, which is why the only hope of cure is to remove it before it grows. Chest CT scanning is recommended for smokers or former smokers--but it only reduces mortality from non small-cell lung cancers. The mortality from small-cell lung cancers (SCC), another human cancer which spreads with amazing speed, is not reduced by lung cancer screening. Once SCC starts growing, it's game over. If she won't do (or refer you for) endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), I'd get it done elsewhere.