HamsterHookah

Yep and not my points, I was quoting Vox, which I defer to on Cali political reporting and Porter's impact, etc. The article further posits that by vacating her post, which has a history of being R and seems to be trending back that direction, she was a bulwark against the R's.

Hey Texasdago, why don't you show us what your DALL-E log in shows what AI thinks FAA disruption art looks like? You seem to be on a kick this AM.

Gotta be more to the story; what will an autopsy tell us?

We always stay at the Swan (or Dolphin, the sister suite with less frills) because it's the only Marriot property on site and we stay for free on points. The Shula's steakhouse is good, the rest of the food on property sucks, but the proximity to Boardwalk is good and Epcot as you mentioned. Getting to Magic Kingdom and back sucks though, especially if exhausted and you stay all day until the fireworks and leave with the huddled masses. Just typing this up is giving me PTSD from our annual Disney trips and I've gotten to where I hate going to Disney. I'm going to put my foot down and it's Universal Studios or nothing this year.

Based on the clips posted in the OP, if those are the highlights, anyone who didn't watch missed absolutely nothing of interest or note. I don't even know if there was anything culturally relevant / watercooler about this anymore. Or maybe because after the Will Smith slap, it's all molehills.

This has been my experience almost completely. I'd also add it's impossible to find a decent steakhouse that is not a chain or located within a strip club.

ATJ was a weak link for me-- I thought Ralph Fiennes made the movie with his assistant a close second (I see she's in The Whale, which is on my list). What's funny is the timing of Noma closing like the day after The Menu dropped (and Noma being an inspiration for the satire): https://www.vulture.com/2023/01/noma-closing-the-menu-inspired-by.html and https://www.nme.com/news/film/the-menu-fans-blame-film-world-best-restaurant-closing-3377323 This might be better for an unpopular opinion thread, but this movie reminded me of it: Some of you might remember the scathing review of the 27 course experimental michelin starred tasting menu from a couple years ago. I was reminded again of that whole ordeal after watchin The Menu. I get wanting to make fun and poke at seemingly high-handed things like experimental dining, but I do think there is and should be a place for such, "art" as I'll call it, and it's an interesting pursuit for both the chef and the eater. I think there is value in pushing the envelope and to that end, I know the chef was ridiculed for his response, but I actually thought his response was the correct one and he was right: The scathing review: https://www.everywhereist.com/2021/12/bros-restaurant-lecce-we-eat-at-the-worst-michelin-starred-restaurant-ever/ The chef's response: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21152082-declaration-by-chef-floriano-pellegrino

Also, I know this isn't the Rivian thread, but read this article this AM and didn't know of some of these issues: https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-rivian-executives-depart-the-electric-vehicle-startup-11673380522?

Why are we still talking about the door ding? Homer handled it text book perfect even down to the “someone who would do this, while technically in their rights, is not someone I want to ever know or break bread with so here is $200 to never see you again in life”.

Take it to the 2023 thread! This is chaos!

Interesting article from Vox for us outside of Cali to get up to speed: https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/23549024/katie-porter-kick-off-california-senate-race-2024-orange-county-dianne-feinstein She has also only run in a majority-white region of Southern California, and will have to develop and implement a strategy to reach the millions of Asian, Black, and Latino voters that make up about half of California’s electorate. That tension in outreach and representation was magnified during the succession fight over Vice President Kamala Harris’s Senate seat when she and Biden were elected. Her vacancy left the Senate with zero Black female representation, and leaders from every demographic group in California were vying for the seat that Sen. Alex Padilla was ultimately appointed to (and which he won for a full term in November). Faced with a diverse field of candidates, Porter won’t be able to make the same case for representation as some of her likely rivals can for increasing representation in California and in the Senate.

The far left were doing dirty work to sully his name to progressive leaning voters by digging up his McKinsey work and making him reveal it as if they were tax returns. Then they castigated him for doing "centrist" things like management consulting work like streamlining operational costs and increasing working capital and helping to re-organize businesses more efficiently (his work with BCBS comes to mind that people were especially appalled at because it led to a RIF, even though I think his project was before or after that).

The problem as I've read it and understand it (which may be wrong), is that job growth is still strong and employment is too strong, which is impeding the cooling of inflation. We actually need all these tech layoffs and other layoffs in the news to make an impact and dent on those numbers, it seems, but we have stubborn inflation (bad) coupled with a stubborn good labor market (which is usually great news, but actually a negative thing in trying to cool inflation). So feds will keep pounding the interest rate to stop people from earning and spending until we are right sized, I guess?

This is how you virtual signal or status symbol using EV's. Welcome to 2023, Elmo! Tesla stock will never rebound to where it was, I would guess.

I wanted to love this, as it came highly recommended, but as Chef said, it was just good or even very good, but not great. B+ The most interesting character was the drunk mom. I needed to know and see more from and with her.

Exactly my point. Tesla's don't signal to society anymore what they used to -- wealth and luxury and social status and/or environmental consciousness. Tesla's are quickly becoming the Honda's of EV. Which is great for everyone tired of Elmo, too. There are other options and companies to give your money to to achieve one or all of the above.

Seems like Tesla owners would be better served buying Lucid, if luxury/status is what you are after: https://www.lucidmotors.com

"Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race.”

Gary Why!?

Even more sure of this take after this loss.

I like Mayor Pete for all the reasons I stated above. I also liked Andrew Yang a lot too. But I do believe the last sentence fully— and you bringing up white men from 25 years ago (Clinton, Gore) and an obvious compromise candidate in Biden (who has been surprisingly good as a President) isn’t a very strong rebuttal.

There is not much NOT to like about the guy if we are all deeply honest. The guy is whip smart, extremely articulate (not in a jokingingly using that word way) and just flat out one of the best communicators and public speakers I've ever heard in politics though I haven't been around that long. He has rational positions which he defends with equal persuasiveness and sound logic and he lets those factual basis and positions speak for themselves. He's not too extreme one way or another and doesn't play identity politics. He has military experience. He has governing experience, as small as it may be via South Bend, IN, and he has strong business experience and acumen. The problem isn't that he's gay. The problem is he is a young, white, affluent male with obvious brains and ambition, thus he was born 25 years too late because the Dems, via the progressives and far left of the big tent, will never embrace him fully.

I think for most it's as you suggest-- nonsense and chaos and brain repair, etc. I think for some, like your maths friend, there could very well be a spiritual gift of interpretation / dream interpretation under the realm of prophesy. 1 Cor. 12:10 says: "to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues." I think more interesting than your question actually is the idea that an infinite, all-powerful and knowing God Creator created everything except the laws of maths. As if maths alone stand outside of any other natural laws of the universe.

29 people dead: 10 cartel soliders; 19 LEO it looks like. Also learned El Chapo's son's nickname is "The Mouse". You'd think you'd get something more sinister for being the son of the OG and commanding 11 meth labs responsible for 5,000 lbs of meth a month into the US.

Very fair criticism. I drive a pick up truck, because I too am a Texas man who might or might not sell propane and propane accessories, and have been trying to buy a Ford Lightning for years. Mainly for the novelty but also because it's cool so why not. The problem? I put a deposit down 2 years ago, been losing the lottery as demand swelled and supply was tiny, and now the price is up literally 40% from the MSRP when I initially wanted to buy. With it's limitations and the price now, it doesn't make sense to pull the trigger even though it looks like I'm finally on deck in 2023's batch according to an email I got in November. So now I'll probably get my fully refundable deposit back and buy the cheaper Dodge one at some point.