unicorn

First of all, I'm not gender-fluid or non-binary. My pronouns are he/him. Although if you wish, you may call me by the royal "we/they." Second of all, YOU are the one who pretended to know how I travel (and no, as a matter of fact, you didn't know what you're talking about, again). Facts matter, although you seem to believe imagination is just as important.

I get treated well because I respect the locals, most often even speaking the local language to some extent. You don't have the slightest idea of who I am. I try to dress and act inconspicuously. I never wear expensive designer clothes, and am often clad in "Amazon Basics" apparel. My only splurges are business class air travel. Generally, I am respected for my modest and kind behavior when I travel. Most importantly, I don't act like a know-it-all who really has no idea what he's talking about.

Expressing support for England over Mexico could get you killed here in Los Angeles.

Highly immature thinking. Luckily, when we travel, most people treat us like the individuals we are. Hopefully we don't run into any numskulls during our travels.

This type of sentiment breeds stereotyping, hatred of groups, and genocide. It refuses to acknowledge that while we may have a certain nationality, we are not all the same as our leaders. Just because Hamas members engage in terrorism, doesn't mean all Palestinians are bad, much less that they all bear responsibility and/or should be exterminated. When I travel abroad, I don't want to be branded for Trump's actions, especially since I never voted for him, and despise almost everything for which he stands. Let's respect individuality. I don't hate all Russians just because I hate Putin, nor all Iranians just because I hate their leaders. I treat people as individuals.

While I share your disgust for Don the Con, and also admit that I'd cheer his demise, calling for actively killing him is in poor taste (and something Trumplethinskin might do)--as is T&T's tacky wedding. You have every right to criticize the Gaslighter-in-Chief, since he's a public figure. When it comes to being a hypocrite, look at yourself. I have the same right to criticize Swift's grandstanding as you (and I) have to criticize the similar behavior by Don-anne the Vulgarian. And I wasn't bragging about my wedding, but rather musing that I was able to find three caterers offering better food at a lower price than the one recommended by our wedding planners.

You always have an issue with me, no matter how irrational. I could say that snow is cold, and you'd have an issue with it. While Bezos' wedding cost was similar to hers, it was done more privately, and not grandstanding on America's 250th birthday. He's also the 3rd richest person on the planet and regularly gives oodles more to charity than Taylor Swift has. She only gave a large amount this year, and that's because I'm sure plenty of people were ready to be shocked at how much more she spent on her wedding than what she regularly spends on charity (10 times), and would be even more shocked had she not been generous this year. As for Bezos: AI Overview: Jeff Bezos does not donate a fixed annual amount, but his actual charitable disbursements average between $300 million and $500 million per year. And if we look at another man with much greater means than T&T: AI Overview: Bill Gates' 1994 wedding to Melinda French on the Hawaiian island of Lanai was estimated to cost around $1 million. To maintain complete privacy for the 130 guests, Gates famously bought out every hotel room on the island and chartered all available helicopters in the region. AI Overview: $1 million in 1994 is worth approximately $2,261,288.80 today. The fact of the matter is that my wedding expenses were on par with what average couples in the county I live in are paying. To think of that sum as ostentatious is so detached from reality as to be delusional (although I'm pretty sure you don't actually think that, but are just trying to be argumentative, with ridiculous statements, as usual). And the wedding was not about "sharing" with her fans. In fact, it was never even announced publicly, although everyone figured it out--as they were blocked off from approaching the venue.

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...".