BSR

48 minutes ago, NipLuvr212 said:

Wait.... so are you saying that facts don't matter - it's only people's perceptions that do?

Clarify, please.

Of course stats matter, but so do perceptions.  Shoplifting is so bad in San Francisco that drug stores have resorted to putting frozen food under lock & key.  Such a measure doesn't mean that I am much more likely to get murdered or mugged in the city, but who wants to live in a place where toothpaste & Hot Pockets have to be bolted down?

Please note that the property crime statistics in San Francisco fail to tell the real story because stores don't even bother to report thefts less than $950.

I wonder if Vulcans were offended when Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto put on prosthetic ears.

I did the Red Lobster AYCE shrimp recently.  It was $27, you have your choice of 6 preparations, 3 at first, more if you ask.  The best by far was the crispy dragon shrimp, deep fried shrimp with Thai sweet chili sauce.  The regular fried shrimp was good too.  The other choices -- skewer, scampi, alfredo, coconut -- were meh.

It was worth doing, once at least.  Although the location I went to had a lobster tank (with just 3 lonely lobsters in it), pretty sure it's just for show because Red Lobster serves only previously cooked, then frozen & reheated lobster tails.  But like @pubic_assistance said, the shrimp is just fine.

15 minutes ago, Marc in Calif said:

It wasn't sarcasm, sweetie!  

Perhaps not your intention, but like so many of your posts, that's how it reads ... just a little constructive criticism.

1 hour ago, Marc in Calif said:

Thanks for this very "compelling" ad -- much appreciated! 

Are you aware that you can edit/delete text that you've pasted from elsewhere? 🤡

Are you aware you can write posts without so much nasty sarcasm? 🤡 

4 hours ago, Ali Gator said:

On Friday, Matthew Perry’s cause of death was determined and an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE revealed that the beloved  Friends star died due to acute effects of ketamine. Drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects were also listed as contributing factors in his death.

According to the autopsy report from the Los Angeles County Coroner, the Friends alum was "reportedly clean for 19 months" before his death, which was ruled accidental.

The actor was practicing ketamine infusion therapy and his last treatment took place just "one and a half weeks before" his death, the report stated. However, the coroner noted that "the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine's half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less."

Buprenorphine is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).

Ketamine is a "dissociative anesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects," per the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. It "distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control," and "can induce a state of sedation (feeling calm and relaxed), immobility, relief from pain, and amnesia."

Ketamine was approved as a short-acting anesthetic by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the 1970s. And in 2019, the Food and Drug Administration approved a nasal spray called esketamine, derived from ketamine, as a medication for depression.

However, the drug is also illegally taken to get high, as it can put people into a relaxed or detached state.

Over the years, many stars have opened up about using ketamine to specifically treat addiction in the past — including Lamar Odom, who said he saw it as a "healthy high" in helping him with substance abuse issues. Sharon Osbourne has spoken about pursuing ketamine treatment after developing anxiety in 2021. 

More recently, Teen Mom star Tyler Baltierra told PEOPLE he started ketamine therapy to unlock repressed memories and help him work through childhood trauma, and Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg also spoke with PEOPLE about her experience using ketamine therapy to overcome trauma after rescuing her daughter India from the NXIVM cult.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Ketamine therapy is a treatment that uses low doses of the drug in order to manage various mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The American Psychiatric Association does not provide specific guidelines for the use of ketamine. But a 2019 study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital found that patients with anxiety experienced lessened symptoms just 40 minutes after taking a low dose of ketamine.

Ketamine can come in different forms, including nasal spray, IV therapy, injections, and lozenges. Side effects of using the medication include nausea, dizziness headaches, dissociation, vertigo, drowsiness, psychosis and more.

In the past year, ketamine therapy clinics have been appearing throughout the U.S. At most clinics, patients start with a screening, and, if qualified, they get a shot of ketamine and are led through a guided meditation. Afterward they meet with a therapist. Treatments can run from $400 to $800 a session, on average, and aren't covered by insurance.

Although ketamine has gained popularity, it is only safe when prescribed by a doctor for a specific purpose.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

Matthew Perry Died from 'Acute Effects' of Ketamine — What to Know About the Hallucinogen

PEOPLE.COM

---

'Friends' star Matthew Perry died Oct. 28 at the age of 54 due to acute effects of ketamine. Here’s what to know about the drug, its side effects and why it’s...

 

Thanks for the news about Matthew Perry's cause of death.  Since I don't keep up much with pop culture news, I probably would have missed it otherwise.

I started watching Friends only because my best friend at work was into it.  I usually stay away from comedies because something about most sitcoms doesn't click with me.  But I'm glad I succumbed to "peer pressure" and got into the series because it gave me a lotta belly laughs.

While we don't know the details of his will, those close to Perry say that he left a good amount to his foundation to help those with addictions.  I hope that is indeed the case since he was genuinely so devoted to the cause during his life.

19 hours ago, SouthOfTheBorder said:

Federal immigration reform is the solution.

You missed the point of my post.  I had no intention of starting a political discussion on immigration.  I was making a broader statement about how residents of failing cities treat their fellow Americans like shit.  When you defecate all over someone, like calling someone a racist simply because they disagree with you, don't expect hearts and flowers in return.

I'd like to know the consequences of this disaster.  Even if no one was seriously hurt (no small miracle), I hope the city slaps the building owner with a substantial fine.  I wonder where the tenants will go.   It wasn't exactly a posh building.  Finding a new place within their budgets will likely be a challenge.

11 hours ago, SouthOfTheBorder said:

I think it's very strange time in the US when many Americans are wishing for the big cities to fail.

I would phrase it differently.  I think it's more that many Americans want big cities to deal with the consequences of their bad policies, for example, the millions of New Yorkers who (indirectly at least) voted in favor of open borders but are now angry that the city budget (especially in critical areas like police and education) is being slashed and native New Yorkers are being forced to make painful sacrifices because the city has had to divert so much $$ to care for migrants. 

When Texas and other border states said they were suffering from all the illegal immigration, sanctuary cities like NYC and Chicago didn't give a rat's ass.  Pardon the schadenfreude now that NYCers & Chicagoans are suffering due to the policies they voted for.

And as I mentioned before, residents of "enlightened" cities branded anyone who disagreed with their policies as racist.  Now that these so-called enlightened policies have turned these cities into shitholes, don't expect any sympathy from those you wrongly smeared.

18 hours ago, mike carey said:

And notably, the Tunisian Culture Minister is not concerned about his being cast in the role. Storm in a tea cup.

I don't what qualifies the Tunisian Culture Minister for having the final say on the issue.  But I do know she is negotiating with Netflix for some of the shooting to be done in Tunisia.  Politics, don'tcha know.

2 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

Could it be that many poor in rural areas are very content with their life and local culture of church, football, and country music; whereas many poor in urban and suburban settings are cut off from their community socially and/or carry a grudge against their better-off neighbors?

The American Dream can be fulfilled living in a one room house with family and friends that you love and doing what you love.

In 2019, 74% of students at Stuyvesant (NYC's top selective high school) were Asian, 53% were from low-income families.  Maybe Stuyvesant parents won't achieve the American dream, but their kids will, even if they're growing up poor.

Sure, it sucks to be low-income, even more so in a relentlessly expensive city like New York.  But working a menial, low-paying job & living in a tiny sh*thole can be bearable if you see that your kids have a future.

I couldn't find a statistic on how many Stuyvesant students grow up in 2-parent households.  My guess is that it's far higher than the national & NYC averages simply because Asian-Americans have by far the lowest rate of out-of-wedlock births.

If you grow up in a strong, stable household and have access to decent schools, the American dream is yours for the taking.  Unfortunately, millions of kids nowadays grow up without either/or.

His Insta post gives off strong Kardashian vibes.  Didn't one of the Kardashians fly her private jet somewhere nearby even though it would have been quicker to drive?  Almost like deliberately wasting money was her way of showing off just how much money she had.

This guy isn't quite that profligate, but he is squandering $thousands a month.  Maybe that makes him supercool with other 20-somethings, inspiring envy, respect, and admiration while we uncool oldsters either worry about the kid or roll our eyes.

BBC's Strictly Come Dancing has a male-male pair that sparked some controversy, not because it's 2 men but because the celebrity is a trained dancer, albeit not in ballroom.  Much of the show's appeal is seeing a nondancer's evolution from klutz to dance floor star.  Anyway, forget the drama and enjoy this tango.  It's fantastic!

55 minutes ago, augustus said:

 Most consumer essentials like food have doubled or close to it since 2020.   A loaf of generic white bread is $1.89, it used to be $1.09. A can of soup is $2.99, they used to be $1.49...cheap spaghetti sauce used to be $1.25/jar...it was 2 for $5 at my supermarket!  The basic essentials of life have skyrocketed.   Rents have soared and millions of people have been evicted and living in shelters, in their cars and on the streets.   The elderly are the fastest growing group of homeless now. 

That's what I don't understand about all this sis-boom-bah over inflation coming down.  Sure, it's nice that prices have stopped rising (more or less), but everything at the supermarket is still a LOT more expensive than it was 2 years ago.

On 12/8/2023 at 4:23 AM, SouthOfTheBorder said:

and likely has a small you-know-what.  which explains almost everything.  including the extreme views

Did you arrive at that conclusion by means of one of those super-sciencey "studies" you're so fond of?  Cite another one, pal.

On 12/8/2023 at 3:54 AM, José Soplanucas said:

Mmmmhhh. I think I know a poster (our Brightest One) who owns a high performing sport car. 

Proud owner of a 2017 Toyota RAV.  What does that say about me, Dr. Freud?

On 11/24/2023 at 6:17 AM, SouthOfTheBorder said:

Yup - not only a stereotype, but researched 

fyi - this is not surprising 

Men with small penises are more likely to buy flashy sports cars:...

NYPOST.COM

---

Men with smaller-than-average penises are more likely to want to own high-performance sports cars...

 

"Researchers ultimately theorized that the desire to own a pricey ride is linked to lower self-esteem."

The study you cite is laughably unscientific.  It proves nothing (note "theorized").  It certainly doesn't prove that men who own flashy cars have small penises, only that men who were misled to believe they were smaller than average showed a desire to buy a high-performance sports car.  It's a helluva stretch between a momentary reaction or impulse to actually forking over six figures of your hard-earned money for a fast ride.

In any case, even if the study's finding were accurate (debatable), it is at best a generalization, yet one that you leap to embrace.  What other generalizations do you buy into:  blacks have ________, Muslims are ________, immigrants do ________?  Yikes! I can't imagine.

You (rather desperately) believe a generalization, then back it up with pseudoscience, because you have some deep-seated hatred for men who own flashy cars.  I'm not saying you seethe with this hatred nor that it consumes you, but a little hatred, yes.  Just as you hate (on some level) people who are armed and (for some bizarre reason) Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos.

Again, live and let live.  Diversity and tolerance are a two-way street.

1 hour ago, rojjodc said:

Well Johnsons FTL is planning a New Years eve party for $65 in advance and $75 at the door, and also charging $20 for food between 6 pm and 8 pm.  And the Tampa is $60 in advance and $70 at the door.  Don't seem worth it to me... 

If you compare Johnsons' prices to other NYE celebrations, they're not that bad.  Places charge insane amounts because they know plenty of people are willing to fork it over.  If you saw what some cheese-fests are charging here in Las Vegas, you'd blanch.

On 12/3/2023 at 8:49 PM, CheckCar said:

I enjoyed the ending. In the hospital, Pietro realized that Enea was surrounded by people who truly loved him. Thus, he resisted his own desire for Enea in the final farewell scene to prevent something that might disrupt or complicate Enea’s life. The initial disappointment on Enea’s face, along with Pietro’s quick moment of regret after Enea left, was a nod to the audience’s desire for a more conventionally romantic ending. But ultimately, Pietro’s decision to let Enea go was an act of love.

So again, I enjoyed the ending.

I was a bit confused, however, by Titti’s role in the latter part of the film. I didn’t get why Enea would be haunted by her.

* * * * * * * * SPOILER ALERT * * * * * * * *

Birds of a feather, by that I'm referring to Pietro's wife Giulia, when she tells Pietro to go after Enea.  All her life, she wanted Pietro to look at her the way Pietro looked at Enea during the dinner party.  When she tells him to go, it is her act of love for Pietro, the husband who could never love her, at least not the way she wanted.  No anger, no bitterness, no woman-scorned nastiness, she tells Pietro to go because that's what he needs to do.  The scene really touched me.

I watched the entire film only once (so far), but I've watched the last few minutes a few times: from the end of the dinner party, when Enea explains why the two lovers in his movie never met up again, to the pizza date that never was.  When I do rewatch the whole thing, I'll try to figure out the why Enea sees Titti's ghost.  I have a theory, but I really need to watch it again to be sure.

11 hours ago, SouthOfTheBorder said:

a tongue lashing ?  How about they don’t complain about their own life choices & take some personal responsibility ?  

You lost me here.  I was referring to children trapped in failing schools.  Millions of kids have no choice about their education.  Because they live at a certain address (chosen by their parents), they have to attend a certain school, no matter how horrible that school is.  What bad life choices are those children guilty of?

14 hours ago, JEC said:

All 7 kids got college degrees (from AAS to PhD) and have successful lives.

If all 7 of you got degrees, I have to think that you grew up in at least a decent school district despite your father's financial mismanagement. 

Before we start attacking all kids & all parents, we need to remember that millions of American kids are trapped in horrible schools and horrible school districts.  40% of Baltimore high schools had zero students testing proficient in math.  There must be some hard-working students, some good parents in those schools, but some schools are so bad that there's no hope for their students.  Even if those who graduate show initiative and decide to go to college, they will be years behind where they need to be.  Unfortunately, students who need remedial courses end up dropping out of college at a rate 74% higher than academically prepared students.  Saddled with student loans yet no degree, college dropouts are massively f***ed.

Baltimore is hardly alone.  Plenty of cities have nightmarishly bad schools whose students graduate woefully unprepared for college and life, if they graduate at all.  Maybe some will become entrepreneurs.  Maybe some will beat all the odds and manage to finish college.  But kids who don't figure a way out don't need a tongue-lashing or a motivational speech about the American dream.

I also believe that the American dream is alive and well.  But I also acknowledge that some Americans are shut out, through no fault of their own.

2 hours ago, Luv2play said:

Had the perp returned with a semi automatic, many more would have died. The security guards were not armed.

Yeah, too bad the security guard wasn't armed.  He'd still be alive today, regardless of what weapon his attacker wielded.

1 minute ago, BuffaloKyle said:

I would've been offended if I was there and saw that. I would've told the guy if that was your mom or grandma would you want someone to do that to her.

Neither my 2 grandmothers nor my mother would ever do something as selfish as what those climate protesters did.

Where is the outcry for knife control?

1 hour ago, BuffaloKyle said:

I'm all for kicking them out as quickly as possibly of course but the way these ushers are talking to her was very uncalled for. No need to be screaming f bombs in her face. Just an orderly let's go please would suffice and she wasn't resisting leaving.

 

If the climate protester was offended by all the f-bombs, tough sh*t.  But if the Met patrons were offended by the salty language, then I agree -- the f-bombs were unnecessary.

Did the protesters succeed in moving the needle on climate issues even 1 nanometer?  No, of course not.  In fact, this stunt probably hurt their cause.  Unfortunately, they will never see that.