sutherland

I'd say open up a new credit card if possible with a promotional 0% interest rate or if you need cash then go to a bank for a loan. I think the people who go the 401k withdrawal route do it as you don't have to pay the money back. But the 10% penalty on top of the regular taxes that come out is quite a hefty price.

The Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC now has an admission fee.  I don't mind that because churches that are open for free all day long usually end up as hang outs for homeless people.  In London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral charge an admission.  The fact is these huge churches have annual budgets in the tens of millions of dollars and the people throwing $2 in the collection plate on Sunday morning cannot sustain them.

The Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC now has an admission fee.  I don't mind that because churches that are open for free all day long usually end up as hang outs for homeless people.  In London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral charge an admission.  The fact is these huge churches have annual budgets in the tens of millions of dollars and the people throwing $2 in the collection plate on Sunday morning cannot sustain them.

They are a beautiful people!

Brazilians are just a very sexual people.  It's like their national sport after football. Never seen anyone else so comfortable wearing tiny speedos without a care in the world. 

I’m not crazy about ibonds only because I grew up with the savings bonds and it was a pain in the butt to redeem paper ones.  Old promises that I wouldn’t do savings bonds when I got older.  Now, I view them as something to park near term cash for peace of mind without thinking I’m losing to inflation. 

The short answer is I-Bonds will pay more than CD's when inflation is hot. I-Bonds right now if you bought one today are paying 4.26% interest. Come this Fall it looks like that rate will climb 1 or 2 percentage points, possibly even more. Check this out:
Q&A on I Bonds | Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities
There is also little risk with I-Bonds because even if inflation would crash you can't lose any money. The worst that can happen is you'd earn 0% interest.

Isn't age 30 a bit young to be a "daddy" ?  As we all know, "30" in rentmen years means he's probably "38" years old

I learned, "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned" although now I might prefer, "Bless me, Daddy, for I have sinned."  🙂

The Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC now has an admission fee.  I don't mind that because churches that are open for free all day long usually end up as hang outs for homeless people.  In London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral charge an admission.  The fact is these huge churches have annual budgets in the tens of millions of dollars and the people throwing $2 in the collection plate on Sunday morning cannot sustain them.

The Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC now has an admission fee.  I don't mind that because churches that are open for free all day long usually end up as hang outs for homeless people.  In London, Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral charge an admission.  The fact is these huge churches have annual budgets in the tens of millions of dollars and the people throwing $2 in the collection plate on Sunday morning cannot sustain them.

I watched "Maurice" yesterday for the first time - it's on youtube for free.  It was like watching my own life story and falling in love with my closest friend at age 19

I watched "Maurice" yesterday for the first time - it's on youtube for free.  It was like watching my own life story and falling in love with my closest friend at age 19

I watched "Maurice" yesterday for the first time - it's on youtube for free.  It was like watching my own life story and falling in love with my closest friend at age 19

Room 91 with the jewels and tiaras was some nice eye candy for me.  Also rooms 65-69 for English silver

Renowned American conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas has died at 81. His spokesperson Connie Shuman says Tilson Thomas died Wednesday night. He led orchestras in Buffalo, Miami, London and San Francisco. Tilson Thomas had surgery for a brain tumor in 2021 and in February 2025 announced the tumor had returned. He conducted his final concert with the San Francisco Symphony in April 2025. Tilson Thomas received 39 Grammy nominations, winning 12, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2019. His husband, Joshua Robison, died in February.

US stock have significantly underperformed international stocks ytd.
Kevin Slater

Yeah, the market has been surprisingly resilient in the face of so much craziness.

I doubt it was all that easy to manage for families in the past either, but many made it a priority because a piano provided entertainment when options were limited.  Before cable TV, the Internet, and umpteen streaming platforms, your primary source of entertainment was the television that had only 3 channels.  With what families today spend on multiple TVs, iPhones, tablets, laptops, cable subscriptions, Internet, and streaming platforms, you might be able to afford a decent second-hand piano.

Many people mention our educational system to explain the decreasing audience.  Nobody seems to be blaming mom and dad and the fact that music is no longer viewed as a priority.  When I was growing up we had a piano in our living room and I had weekly lessons.  I'd say that was true for maybe 40% of my classmates.  If you walk into an elementary school today and ask the students how many have a piano at home and take lessons I'd say it would be below 10%.  People have changed their priorities. 

The deal that Peter Gelb arranged with the Saudis for $200 million will not happen - Met Opera's $200 Million Saudi Arabia Deal Falls Through
I can easily believe that Gelb announced this to the press before the contracts were signed just as a way to prevent the Saudis from reneging ... but it didn't pan out.  To prevent the company from dying the Met needs to rent out the opera house for pop music events.  In Germany smaller operas houses will have a run of "Hello Dolly" in German and then a production of "Die Meistersinger".  The other option, discussed for many years, is to sell the naming rights so one day we might have "The Tampax-Metropolitan Opera House"

I've heard that singers like Terfel and Kaufman are very family oriented and prefer to stay on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean to be close to home.  Rehearsals and then a run of performances in NY would require a commitment of 5 weeks or more.  Cecilia Bartoli does not like to fly (she's said that in interviews) and she may get higher performance fees in Europe.  I have never heard Lise Davidsen sing live, but don't you think Cecilia Bartoli is the more important singer of the two? .... albeit singing very different repertoire.  On a side note, the finest female singer I ever heard in my entire life was Sydney's own Joan Sutherland.

I also remember when a piano was commonplace in many homes, however, these days the expense and maintenance for a piano is just not doable for many/most working-class families.

Does the Australian government subsidize Opera Australia in any way?  The Met Opera apparently gets very little money from our government; it relies on the generosity of wealthy benefactors. I read once that if the Met were to sell out every performance it would still only generate 50% of the annual budget.  The other 50% has to come from other sources.  The other problem is a lack of star singers willing to come to the USA.  If Cecilia Bartoli, Bryn Terfel, or Jonas Kaufman were on the Met roster it would be easier to sell tickets.

Slightly off topic, but there is one FTM I would gladly engage with:
https://ftmmen.com/videos/beaux-james.html 
Hot AF! Watched a seen with Luke Connor, just the look of the tightness of V hole was huge turn on.