bendejo

And didn't meet any men on the way? Maybe they were avoiding her because she was wielding a sword. Poor Omar would understand

Or even have an understanding of how LE works. arresting officer: you are under arrest for taking a bribe bent copper: I did not take a bribe, I refuse to be arrested arresting officer: oh, ok, time for lunch anyway

The homeless migrate up and down the west coast of the US, from San Diego to Seattle, so this is not strictly a California thing. All of the cities on the route have makeshift encampments like the ones pictured above: San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Salem, Vancouver WA, and so on. Even the most caring liberal types are fed up with it. Crime is also up in these places this year, though it is not clear if the two are related.

Sounds like inflated numbers meant to bolster confidence. On the other hand potential tourists may see these figures and decide LOS is too crowded already, better go somewhere else.

None so blind as those who are paid not to see.

Elvis made a comeback that year, the birth of the white-jumpsuit Elvis. The two I mentioned have to do with the cultural changes of those particular times. The incident that sparked the situation in Running on Empty was based on something I knew the people involved with, but the real-life characters were caught (or did the turn themselves in?) soon afterward. As a NYC native the real miracle of that year, which the moon landing pales in contrast to, is the Mets winning the pennant/series. And I'm not even a sports fan: I blame the Brooklyn Bums for leaving town for my lack of interest. Something else happened that year that generated a sheetstorm in the media, but I don't recall ever hearing it mentioned again after the storm passed: "Paul is Dead." It's impossible to not laugh at that.

Summer of 1969? A Walk on the Moon is about yet another historic marker of that summer that you didn't mention. If I was putting together a "the way we was" double bill I'd put it with Running on Empty which takes place about 17 years after. Personally it's a "that could have been me" movie.

It was a way to bring diversity into the group of main characters, how else can could he do so with a film set in Africa, er, nevermind. I thought the special effects were pretty obvious. Cannot help thinking Branagh's ex (Emma Thompson) would have been better in Annette Bening's role, but maybe he did too.

You're not just paying them to go with you, you're also paying them to leave. IMO THAT is the beauty of it. In Rio, the over-30 women are appalled and bewildered that the foreign men come down there and spend all their time with the pros. They do not comprehend the wisdom of the first paragraph.

Looks like not everyone is hooked up to the pipeline that goes to the treatment plant. There is a lot of military in that area, is there a Thai version of Army Corps of Engineers?

Occasionally I'll get a pain and realize it is in the same spot that I had something happen many years ago, like a sprained ankle or a hernia operation. My mind may have forgotten but the body remembers. The pain went away 40 years ago, now it sometimes drops in for a visit. I thought my feet were getting bigger as my shoes are tighter. Dr told me the feet flatten out in later years, try wearing insole supports. I truly don't want to wear old man shoes.

In the previous decade it was revealed that a certain US presidential candidate had an IRA (or was it a 401k?) with millions in it. This bit of news raised a few eyebrows, a newscaster or 2 remarked "how is this possible?" but it appeared no one took it any further. I think the cap on annual contributions was still around $15k/year at the time, so even with employer matching contributions... According to this the initial max contribution was $1,500 in 1974. It's not for any of us peons to see, these people do what their sponsors tell them to do. That is one true non-partisan practice. Their hard work is providing excuses for why they voted the way they do, my favorite at the moment is the senator from West Virginia who says "I just can't do that to my grandchildren." That is a great, all-weather bs excuse that can be used for anything. And use it he does! Thank god the US is not run by oligarchs. </sarcasm>

Rumor had it that the guy running that duty-free chain had a personal connection to a certain exiled PM. I remember once the press picked up on a certain case and they released a security video of the crime that was inconclusive at best. I guess a lot of us who have time to kill before boarding a flight might browse in these places, this kind of nonsense put an end to that.

Your nagging gf made you post that?

We have caught the perpetrators, and they are us.

Some years back had a gf who had been sharing apartments for years. Said her goal in life was to have a bed where "all the stains on the mattress are my own."

So when you fly with them can you bring your own seat and get a discount?

They prescribed metformin for me at first and I had a terrible reaction, took a week to get over it. Now I'm on glipizide, seems to be holding me together. Every other diabetic I know is on metformin. At 70 I'm not too concerned with causing birth defects . . .

I've witnessed too many middle-aged women pursue the Fountain of Youth by behaving like a spoiled 14 year-old. Their lives are just one hissy fit after next. IMO it's a pretty sorry sight.

There is a movie called Ronin with Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno (it has nothing to do with Japan). Actually a good action movie about for-hire tough guys shooting up France. About 20 years ago, it seemed like every expat hangout in LOS had this movie playing constantly. I think the scene most enjoyed is where the Sean Bean character gets his comeuppance. It addresses the situation of your post.

I once heard Keith Olbermann (remember him?) refer to "Bill Hemmer, who gave up a career in journalism to work at Fox News." Olbermann at one time dated Laura Ingraham, but no likes to talk about this.

With the rumors regarding "adult" activities (or lack of) in the Smith household, and toxic masculinity being one of the themes of the evening, maybe Smith was trying to give the impression he was a real man. When they got home that night: Jada: I'm so proud of you baby, tonight I'll give you anything you want, just ask! Will: How about Tom Cruise's phone number?

C'mon now, how many people enjoyed seeing Chris Rock getting a bust in the chops? I don't know the world Smith came out of, but Rock is from Bedford-Stuyvestant (Brooklyn NY); it may be gentrified now, but before 2000 it was a notoriously rough place (just ask Jay Z), so Rock knows how to take a punch. In a place like Bed-Stuy when a brudda has a problem with another brudda they don't take it to "the man." In a case when both are very wealthy it could definitely vary. The media coverage of this would have been completely different if the two were not the same color. I'd say this is the start of a new trend: people coming out of the audience and giving it to comedians, particularly the ones famous for insults. And it will become a regular thing on social media. Kathy Griffin, Ricky G and Bill Maher should stop live performances until the trend passes. Joan Rivers* and Don Rickles died just in time. Set your stopwatches for when Kim K's ex assaults a comedian for commenting on his idiocy, I'd bet he's planning it right now. I saw a Rickles performance where Ronald Reagan and Nancy were in the audience and Rickles ribbed the hell out of Ronnie for being old, incoherent, doddering etc and the two laughed all the way through -- all three knew it's just show biz. (it's probably on youtube) (* if the late Joan Rivers got hit in the face like that she would have needed to be re-molded)

Sorry folks, bongs and joints are going the way of horse-drawn carriages and landline telephones: these days it's vaporizers. The vapes don't smell as much, and the smells nothing like when it burns. I don't do edibles, no comment there. But being an old relic, I still appreciate a bong hit. Supposedly it was invented in SEA, and maybe these guys can parlay that into a marketing ploy. A few years back I saw a vid of an interview with some country boys in the deep south of LOS who were smoking it mixed with the powder from inside fluorescent lighting tubes. They looked as bad as American meth heads, but came off as pretty mellow.

Certain states are notorious for their DMV employees. Just think of one depriving someone of a driver's license because "when I look in the rear-view mirror I don't want to see your ugly face." For me the memorable thing about this incident was all of the GOP presidential hopefuls who went down there and were literally fighting (verbally) with each other to crowd her spotlight. I recall Huckabee and Cruz, there may have been others. "under God's authority" That's the scary stuff, who knows what god is going to tell her next.