unicorn

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.

It'll be interesting to find out the actual cause, when that's been determined...

From the New York Times: “I still can’t believe how I got out alive,” Mr. Ramesh said on Friday in an interview from his hospital bed with India’s state broadcaster, Doordarshan. “I thought I was also about to die.” Mr. Ramesh, who was seated in an exit row, said the plane had felt “stuck five or 10 seconds after takeoff,” and it seemed to be trying to accelerate when it crashed. The front of the plane, after hitting buildings, crashed into an open area, he said, while the tail was stuck in a building, which was later identified as the dining facility of a medical college. Mr. Ramesh said he unbuckled his seatbelt after the crash when he saw a chance for escape. He did not make clear whether he had to open the emergency exit he was sitting next to, or if the impact had caused it to open. “When my door broke, I saw there was some space — that I could try to get out,” he said in the interview. “The other side, people couldn’t get out, as it was crushed against a wall.”

As a police force, maybe. However, the city lacks the funds. On the news, I have heard that the costs involved may drive the city into bankruptcy. From a financial perspective, I'm all for the federal government paying for its own mess. Why should the city of LA be on the hook to protect federal agents? They can and did at the onset (at the request of ICE agents), but this comes at a heavy financial cost.

Could be. Can anyone here identify if those are Teslas from those photos?

In either case, there doesn't seem to be any suspicion this had anything to do with the aircraft itself, and they said on the news that the 787 has never previously been involved with any crash.

If that's the case, this suggestion would point more towards the hazards of flying with carriers of developing countries, rather than a Boeing problem itself, similar to crashes we hear of regarding Indonesian airlines, etc. Air India carries less than 10% of the number of travelers that American Airlines carries, yet has more than its fair share of incidents. I suspect that the rigor of vetting air pilots differs between the US and India, and that's probably largely responsible for the difference.

Not that I'm a fan of Boeing, but as far as I've heard, there's been no cause assigned to this accident as of this time.