Of course the Vietnamese could never have beaten the US in an actual war nor is that what happened. To recap- Vietnam was a false flag. It was a war of aggression, as was the incursion into Cambodia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident "Later investigation revealed that the 4 August attack did not happen; no North Vietnamese vessels had been present. Shortly after the events, the National Security Agency, an agency of the US Defense Department, deliberately skewed intelligence to create the impression that an attack had been carried out.[5][6][7]" So, leaving aside the history of France in Vietnam, Vietnam was invaded by the US. It's that simple. Vietnam was not and never could have been an existential threat to the US. If it had been, hypothetically, it would have had zero chance of winning an actual war with the US. The only thing that happened (and the same with Aphganistan and Russia) is that Vietnam "won" back their countries through attrition. As an aside, do you think the US had an actual intention to occupy Vietnam on a permanent basis? I don't. So, we get to Ukraine. Again, Russia won't occupy Ukraine. It might change the map. But that's different. So, why is Ukraine attacking Russia as if Ukraine can "win" the war and set the terms for peace? It's not going to happen.

That's one nice looking turntable. It's kind of amazing that there are more high end tables now than back in the heyday of vinyl. How many were there - Dual, Thorens, Garrard, AR, Denon, Linn, Technics, probably a couple of other Japanese...

Back in the day, I'd rent a car to shuffle from appointment to appointment when traveling. Even at its best, that's a pain. Using Uber was cheaper and much easier for everyone involved. Even today in Chicago, I find it easier to get an Uber than a cab.

Grimm

Yeah, good on Leslie Stahl. And Bari Weiss? Urgh.

Yes, they were aristocrats, weren't they?

Indeed.

Thank you all for your concern! I’ll get the knee taken care of as soon as I can.

I’ve never had coconut crabs but from what I hear they itch like hell.

@AndyD / It certainly is.

Welcome to the club! I go through phases with my regular coffee making process and switch every few months from Aeropress to Pour Over. I always start the day with a double espresso.

I haven't cared much about keys for an unusual amount of time. I had the key to my old place and would... well I'm not going to want to remember it in detail... Suffice it to say I locked the place when I left. I've told the story about the electricity being shut off. So, yeah. This was in winter. Just a fact. It stayed off in the spring. It stayed off in the fall. It stayed off a 2nd winter. It stayed off in the spring. It stayed off a 2nd summer. Then I moved the 2nd week of last August this year. There were countless nights the back door and porch door stayed open all night because of the heat. There were countless days both these doors were left open all day. So day and night. Dying of heat stroke didn't seem like an option. It was dangerous. Being born here, I know how dangerous it was.... Then x, y, and z happened, and I don't have doors or windows left open. Everything is kept on lock down 24 hrs a day and if I am working outside (and this is often), I'm always aware of what doors are open or shut, and if they are or are not locked. I like my new locks and deadbolt. I like my new keys. They have an oval shaped top. You inset the key, and then turn it with your thumb and/or index finger. Your fingers have a place on the key where you can turn the key and apply pressure at the same time. One set of keys is on my old lanyard and it's somewhere inside where I know where it is at all times. I like my old landward keychain. It's Stitch merchandise from Disney. This set is waterproof. I'll point out one impractical thing about it. The attached charm (Stitch's face) gets in the way of using the door key. This is a distraction and wastes time you want to be using to unlock the door. But NBD. I bought a second keychain with a clip. I might later but haven't used the clip. The keys are in this keychain. Also linked through this keychain is a second one that's big enough to fit in the hand and heavy enough to balance the house and car key. I like my new keychain. It's a disc and the disc hangs between two "arms". It can be spun around 360°. The disk is an LED flashlight. You turn it on- high, low, flashing red, and finally off with a button in the center. I'll post a link to an image. https://photos.app.goo.gl/67fk6VWpzBasFsYy5 I don't know why the picture has what looks like a plastic pull tab with an arrow. It doesn't exist IRL. I had the locksmith take the aftermarket key fob receiver that was creating havoc with my electrical system out of my car and threw the fobs away. So my keys are just old fashioned keys. BTW, I strongly advise not adding aftermarket key fobs to older cars. This is asking for trouble.

We're all so full of "forever chemicals" (another fun word combination) that if these chemicals trip the balance between health and disease or between life or death nobody will be the wiser

Interesting. I remember that girl and I'm sure I could Google her. Whoever put her up to it and profited from it is a con artist. I say con artist but it was no doubt many people operating together. I can't tell you how many 3rd rate artists made fortunes in Hawaii selling on Front St. In Lahaina until the art market cooled and the town burned to the ground a few years later.

A polity is a paradox. It's real. It's artificial. It's meaningful. It's meaningless. Etc. They say time flies. They could as well say maps change. And the Prime Minister is against it? Knock me over with a feather.

Link to video 72 retired generals, admirals, and other high ranking officials wrote a public letter in protest. Only then was it cancelled. It you don't know the MTN YouTube channel, this is it.

I was on another Delta flight to LGA this morning , no such announcement this time.