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Off Key - General Discussion

A place to talk about whatever you want

2.5k Topics 18.2k Posts
  • Contingency planning

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    wtgW
    @Piano-Dad Yes, I know how to reach you. We do have some folks who signed up and who have either never posted or haven't posted in a long time. I don't want to pester them with updates unless they want to be pestered. You can choose the option to hide your email address from casual observers, but people with superpowers can see that info. Mostly I just wanted to know who wants to be notified if we have a major outage. Additionally, a few folks who signed up early might not have had to provide an email address to create a user ID because registration was open and didn't require authorization by an admin or mod. Eventually we locked the door and deleted all the spammers who had signed up while this was the backup site. I just wanted people to check their profile and see if they have an email addy where they can be reached.
  • Pinned threads

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    S
    Great!
  • Bloomscrolling--what's in bloom where you are?

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    R
    Asters and mums here.
  • Daughter's wedding

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    C
    Lovely I like the photo by the pool. Also the others showing happy people Is there a story behind the Asian style jacket?
  • The Life of a Showgirl

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  • Ax’s lame movie recos and cool YouTube picks

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    AxtremusA
    Crazy bridge design. Yeah, it’s simulation in a game, but still! Link to video So far I have not been able to imagine what paths of trial and error led the designer to his final design.
  • Ultrasound, the surgery-free cancer treatment

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  • The Chicago kidnappings have begun

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    wtgW
    Chicago's Rogers Park community remained vigilant after reports of federal agents near a Catholic church during Sunday mass. A neighbor, who wished only to be called by her first name, shared cell phone video with NBC Chicago from 8:30 a.m. She explained what she saw from her home just outside St. Jerome Catholic Church on West Lunt Avenue. "There was like four guys," the neighbor named Julie said. "They were in camouflage and saying something to the car, and I started yelling out the window to go away. They did leave then went this way in like a little caravan." Julie said she ran down to make sure they weren’t "hassling everybody at the church." Telemundo Chicago obtained cell phone video from a parishioner inside the church at the 8 a.m. mass. The priest gave an unexpected warning to parishioners, urging them to leave cautiously because immigration officers were reportedly in the area. "I feel badly for them," Julie said. "They were inside, scared to come out." Witnesses said after the warning, several neighbors showed up and formed a human chain outside the church to guide parishioners home. NBC Chicago found more organizers doing the same for the beginning of the 6 p.m. mass, which was lightly attended. https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-priest-urges-parishioners-to-leave-mass-with-caution-after-ice-agents-reported-nearby/3837541/
  • My childhood home sold!

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    D
    No, I don't. My mother told me but I must have been 6 and don't remember. I asked a couple times over the years of it was still there. This hardly looks like the same house even though of course I recognize all of it. I wonder how much the estate had to spend but it's just a fact of life. I have all my legal documents printed. All I have to is execute them. I imagine the estate will settle within 2 months. I don't see why not. The fact it sold in 1 month puts me ahead about 5 months. My current living situation is untenable so this is good news!
  • Is it really (un)civil war?

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    S
    Good grief.
  • Alzheimer's as an auto-immune disease

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    ShiroKuroS
    Interesting! And given the damage that auto-immune diseases cause in other parts of the body, the argument has some intuitive appeal.
  • Doorstep Taxes and Neighborhood Fees

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  • Obamacare, the popularity of

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  • Laughter is the best medicine

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    A
    [image: 1760250109788-20251011_212554.jpg]
  • Peace Prize

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    A
    I don't know why he and his fans might have expected him to win the prize now. The stipulations for qualifying say quite clearly, it's for the person who've done the most to help the world IN THE PRECEDING YEAR! I see this meaning, though, originally accurate (see below) is no longer applied so strictly. *"That interpretation is incorrect in practice, though it is based on a specific, and now more loosely interpreted, phrase from Alfred Nobel's will. While the award is meant to recognize work that "shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind," the Nobel Committee does not strictly limit its consideration to only the preceding year. Here is a breakdown of how this misconception arose and how the selection process actually works: Alfred Nobel's original wording: In his 1895 will, Alfred Nobel stated the prizes should go to those who "during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind". A flexible interpretation: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has not interpreted "the preceding year" literally since the first awards in 1901. This is because the kind of work that promotes peace is often a long-term endeavor that may not show its full impact within a single calendar year. Looking at a nominee's full body of work: Instead, the committee considers a candidate's overall body of work and long-term contribution to peace, even if the award is prompted by recent developments. Example: Martin Luther King Jr.: When Martin Luther King Jr. won the prize in 1964, the committee recognized his years of sustained work and leadership in the Civil Rights Movement, not just his actions in 1963. Example: Narges Mohammadi: More recently, Narges Mohammadi won the 2023 prize "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran," a cause she has championed for decades. The committee's deliberations are private and held under a 50-year confidentiality rule, giving them the freedom to look back over an individual or organization's career to find the most deserving recipient. " In any case , you-know-who most certainly does NOT qualify for the prize for countless reasons, not the least of which is the time frame.
  • The clown car rolls on

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  • RIP Diane Keaton

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    ShiroKuroS
    RIP indeed. She always had such a good hat game! I remember this one from the Godfather!! [image: diane-keaton-the-godfather-030124-1-1fe70c83035c43628c8774e460f13a2d.jpg]
  • Good Advice from Pope Leo XIV that will be ignored

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  • Her boys are all grown up

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    JodiJ
    I was just thinking about them the other day. That’s was so awful,
  • Payday Loans for Federal Government Employees?

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    ChatGPTC
    [image: 1760189636152-page1_1.jpg] [image: 1760189639869-page2_1.jpg]