unicorn

Yes, they're a Hollywood Hills gay institution!

I doubt someone plunked down that kind of money (which was a tidy sum in 1968) without knowing what he was buying and for what reason. According to Wikipedia, the bridge is Arizona's 2nd biggest tourist attraction after the Grand Canyon. I'd have to assume, a distant second.

When learning foreign languages, I often find that not enough emphasis is given to pronunciation, which is critical to understanding. During my last trip to Japan, I was on a guided tour of the Kochi area. I tried to ask our guide three times (using different words) in English for how long there'd been a bridge to Honshu. Although I'm sure her knowledge of English grammar and vocabulary was at least 100 times better than my knowledge of Japanese grammar and vocabulary, I finally just ended up asking her in Japanese and got the answer right away. I suspect that if I'd written down the question in English, she could have given me the answer. I enjoy learning foreign languages with the Pimsleur method, which puts 80% attention to pronunciation, 15% to grammar, and 5% to vocabulary (maybe I exaggerate a bit here). So even if I can't say much, when I do say something, people understand what I'm saying. Another time, I was visiting Ghent, Belgium, and learned some Dutch before the trip. I was trying to find the right tram to take me to the train station, so I asked a woman who was waiting for the tram "Pardon mevrouw, is dit wel de juiste tram voor het treinstation?". She said it was, then asked "Kommt U uit Nederland?" (Are you Dutch?), which I took as a sincere compliment! 😄

He's always been a career con-artist, but his dementia has him completely whacko at this point. Way off the deep end. But he just spouts off what people want to hear, and it's amazing that so many people actually believe him. People are learning the hard way. I don't know if anyone can get him out of the White House before his term is up (or he dies), but this man has clearly lost whatever sense he had.

There are quite a few languages which I know poorly, but I still like to think my pronunciation is good. It takes time to learn vocabulary and grammar, but for me proper pronunciation is simply a matter of making the effort. I often get compliments specifically about my pronunciation even in countries whose language I can only say a few survival sentences.

Well, according to Wikipedia, I'm not that far off, since 4/5 of the state's population lives there: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Australia#Demographics "Western Australia's capital and largest city, Perth. Its metropolitan area is home to more than 80% of the state's population." "...Perth's metropolitan area (including Mandurah) had an estimated population of 2,043,138[7] in June 2017 (79% of the state). Other significant population centres include Bunbury (73,989),[45] Geraldton (37,961),[45] Kalgoorlie-Boulder (30,420),[45] Albany (33,998),[45] Karratha (16,446),[45] Broome (14,501)[45] and Port Hedland (14,285)...". Would I be guessing correctly that the frequently-mispronounced city is Mandurah? If I hadn't looked it up, I wouldn't have guessed that the "d" is pronounced like the letter "j" in this instance: MAN-jər-ə. Just looking at it, I might have tried Man-DUR-uh. Irish and Welsh names are often super-tough. I don't think anyone would guess that Dún Laoghaire is pronounced dun LEER-ee. Even without looking it up, though, I would hope that knowing Los Angeles used to be under Spanish and then Mexican rule would be a hint as to how to pronounce the city. Similarly, knowing that New Orleans was named when it was administered by the Kingdom of France (as La Nouvelle-Orléans) should also be a hint. No need to guess, though. Just as any talk show host should learn how to pronounce his guests' names, performers should learn how to pronounce the name of the city they're performing for.

I learned something new. I didn't know there were any cities other than Perth in Western Australia. 😄But, seriously, it's one thing to mispronounce a small town name from 2000 km away. It's quite another to be performing in person for a crowd of 20,000 in a city of over 3 million, and getting the name wrong. A performer should know her crowd.

My hubbie, along with some friends and myself, attended a Kylie Minogue concert in downtown Los Angeles last night. Opening for her prior to Kylie's performance was British singer Rita Ora. Rita began with greeting "Good evening, Los Angeles," which she pronounced "Los AngeLEEZE." I must admit that it pissed me off a bit. How would she like it if someone came to perform in Gloucester, England and said "Good evening, Glau-sister"? And it's not as if Los Angeles is a smaller town, either. I wouldn't go to Australia and ask to buy a plane ticket to "Brize-BANE." Nor would I go to Thailand and try to buy a ticket to "Fuck-it". Even when I take code-share British Airways flights into LA, the British crew manage to pronounce the name of the city correctly when we land, as they welcome us to the city. It also pisses me off when I hear people who should know better pronounce New Orleans as "New or-LEANS" instead of "New OR-lins." Personally, when I travel, I always try to learn how to correctly pronounce the cities I'm visiting, and I'm not speaking to the 20,000 people she was addressing at the Crypto Arena. I find such behavior disrespectful. Do you? For the record, Kylie pronounced the city correctly. And it's not as if LA or NO were formerly British cities, either, so there would be no reason to suspect they were supposed to be pronounced in a British manner.

It can, it won't, and yes we are--at least for the next 3 and a half years. Yes, the Constitution should be amended to eliminate the 2/3 requirement, but it has no chance of doing so. It would be nice to have a Constitutional Convention to get rid of both that requirement as well as to get rid of the electoral college. I can't see that happening, though. The only chance is if people are so incensed about the trashing of the US that they put in Democratic super-majorities. But that can't happen in 2026 in the Senate, since only 1/3 gets elected every 2 years. The earliest that might happen in 2028. And that's a long-shot.

I'm not mincing words. You mischaracterized what I said regarding the law in her case. We certainly agree that Trump is making an ass of himself. Unlike you, I could see Trump's election coming and, for the first time in my life, I really did try to time the market and moved about half of my money out of the stock market, because I could tell he'd wield be a wrecking ball to the economy. I suspect that at least the House and maybe the Senate will turn Democratic next year, which could put the brakes on things, although it's almost impossible to convict a US President, since it requires 2/3 of the Senate. If he survives to the end of his term, I believe Trump will finally end up in the slammer as he deserves.

As you understand quite well, I didn't say the law is irrelevant period. What I said, and what you understand quite well, is that it's "irrelevant as to whether or not what she did was stupid, and playing into Trump's hands." And I didn't say she IS stupid. I said what she did was stupid. Perhaps foolish would have been a better word. We won't know whether she'll spend time in a federal penitentiary. However, it's rather nuts to say her actions that day were wise.

You keep putting words into my mouth. It's not that the "nuances" disinterest me, it's that they are irrelevant as to whether or not what she did was stupid, and playing into Trump's hands. She doesn't have to say "I wanted to help him evade ICE." She directed him out the back door to an area not open to the public, so it's painfully obvious to anyone with an IQ over 70. The legal term for that is res ipsa loquitur, or "the actions speak for themselves." In other words, anyone with so much as half a brain could figure it out. As a defendant, she knows she has no need to say a word.

Interesting that the difference in miles needed for either a redemption or upgrade to Premium Economy is almost the same as Business Class. It would seem that the difference in comfort is enormous... My understanding is that airlines have the greatest profit margin on their Premium Economy seats. That's because they relieve the serious discomfort of cramped regular economy seats without having to give up too many seats. There's a significant improvement in comfort without sacrificing that much space.

It's getting tougher now, as some airlines are actually doing away with boarding passes. And Lord help you if you get your boarding pass on your phone.

Yes, you did: "... I think it is also true that it would be stupid for Democrats, or judges, to defend wife beaters who break the law..." (your words). Having memory problems lately? And, yes, he did have a valid deportation order, even if it did date back to 2013 (in Obama's day). I'm certainly not here to defend Trump, whom I despise. But it's extremists such as yourself and that judge who cause people to rally behind Trump, which is most unfortunate. As for Dugan, she's been removed from the bench by Wisconsin's Supreme Court. So much for "legal nuances." We'll see what the Grand Jury says. Regardless, what she did was stupid (as you know), and feeds right into Trump's hands. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/04/29/wisconsin-supreme-court-suspends-judge-hannah-dugan-after-charges/83354123007/ "The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan because she was charged with two federal counts on allegations of trying to help an undocumented immigrant avoid arrest after he appeared in her courtroom. Under the Supreme Court's order, Dugan is not allowed to carry out her responsibilities as a Milwaukee County judge beginning April 29 "until further order of the court."...". https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/29/us/judge-hannah-dugan-suspended-immigrant-arrest/index.html https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/milwaukee-judge-suspended-hannah-dugan-rcna203629 "...The Wisconsin Supreme Court's order bars Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan from her position while the federal charges are adjudicated. The court, which said it was acting on its own and not in response to a request from anyone, said the order was intended to protect public confidence in Wisconsin courts...".

That much or that little?

Unless directed otherwise, it's considered respectful to wear black at a Catholic funeral--and he was the only one who didn't follow the dress code. I do agree that among the awful things he's done, this is far from the worst. One has to wonder, though: what did he think he had to gain by dressing so disrespectfully?

The point is that the "legal nuances," while perhaps an interesting subject for debate, are irrelevant in this discussion. Whether or not she had the legal right to ignore the warrant isn't the issue. Certainly she was not obliged to ignore the warrant. Therefore, the relevant questions are (1) Did the defendant receive due legal process prior to receiving a valid deportation order? and (2) Is he a violent criminal whose presence presents a danger to the public? The answer to both of those questions is plainly yes. As you stated, helping this criminal evade the law is stupid, and I'd also say immoral. I also agree that it's a black eye to any party who'd claim it's a good idea to help this man evade the law. Whether or not the judge will face legal consequences or not (such as losing her spot on the bench, or even her law license) is a separate debate, and is a smokescreen, rather than the important issue.

I see this thread was resurrected more than a year later! We did use a wedding planner, despite the so-so customer service. They weren't perfect, and we had to do our own research when it came to caterers--the one they suggested was egregiously expensive, and the one we chose had much more interesting food at a better price. That being said, the wedding came out smoothly (75 guests came), and it would have been tough to achieve this without the planners. Total cost for the wedding ran around $50,000 and was held in our backyard. It was a great success. Many ended up in the pool afterward. You know you've thrown a successful party when bras and other undergear are being picked up the next morning (as is common for most of our parties, though fewer bras and more swimsuits are lost during most of our parties). 😄

Especially since it's a job for life--not as if they need to save for retirement. I don't think most priests take a vow of poverty. I'm definitely no expert when it comes to Catholicism, but my understanding is that it's monks, nuns, and Jesuits who take a vow of poverty. I may be wrong, though.

That orange asshole didn't even dress in black at the funeral. He never misses a chance to show off what an ass he is, does he? Just when you thought he couldn't get any lower...

I hope I'm misunderstanding, but I'd assume he'd leave most of his fortune to the poor. That's a healthy salary if you're room and board are already taken care of.

No, the issue of whether or not the judge had the legal authority to ignore the warrant is irrelevant (and may take years to litigate). Whether she legally could or not ignore the warrant isn't the pertinent issue here, nor is it the issue either one of us is qualified to argue. Only a fanatic true believer, however, would argue that she should have ignored the warrant, and misdirected law enforcement authorities.

I wish I were boring. Whose mind I'd like to bore, I'll leave to your imagination. 😄