mike carey

A very important one as @José Soplanucas and I can attest!

Forum member @SamRockdale is based in Austin. I haven't met him though.

Dulles is an alternative that is less painful now that the Metro goes there, but many will still opt for a central location like National. The real question is whether National is safe and if not what can be done to avoid more tragedies like this one. It can, and although it's over 40 years since the Florida airways crash, two at the same airport is concerning. For the sake of the innocent lives lost this week, the investigation needs to look at what can be done to make it safer. If that means fewer flights or higher fees to pay to enhance safety measures so be it. Let those rather than the whim of politicians concerned for their own convenience decide whether such an airport can be commercially viable. Edit to add: If military aviation in the vicinity is essential for operational reasons (security flights) or the affairs of state (VIP transport) then civilian air traffic should be limited to the extent needed to allow that, but if the military aviation relates to routine tasks, for example the daily operations of Fort Belvoir it is that which should be limited to ensure the safety of civil aviation at National. But this thread, although prompted by the American Airlines crash is about the wider topic of the human tragedy for those affected by crashes.

Have a happy, happy birthday @MikeBiDude, I hope you can get wet, and in a good way (see photo in previous post!).

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Vote early, vote often!!

Punch? What punch? Who said there was punch?

Oh my goodness, I am truly humbled by the kind, kind words from so many of you. Any small contribution I make here is a labour of love, as I get far more from doing it, and from this site in general, than I could hope to give in return. I'm in Melbourne for a few days (pretext that the Australian Women's Cricket team is playing a test match against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground starting today, Thursday). I flew here on my birthday, with an obligatory glass of champagne in the airline lounge in Canberra (I lie, it was a quite good Australian sparkling wine). After watching the fireworks AZDR so kindly arranged of course! I met my favourite guy who happens to be here at the same time, not for an appointment but just a glass of wine and a chat [no that's not a euphemism]. Again, thank you all for your birthday wishes. Mike

Nobody wants to hear a hearse!

Perhaps there is no 'insightful' or complex answer to the question. Maybe it is as simple as prices of everything being high in New York City, and men are asking a price that you may not like, but they are getting customers through the door at that rate. When Occam's Razor provides the correct answer, perhaps looking for a bigger and better one is the response that lacks insight.

@Grr, if you click on the three dots at the top right of your first posts in these threads you can amend the title to include the masseur's handle.

@ApexNomad is fast confirming himself to be an ornament to these forums.

I prefer to travel with a checked bag, and yes I'm as liable as anyone to take stuff I don't need, or at least end up not using. I like not having the pressure to use every cubic millimetre of space in my bag, and being able to take non-US TSA carry-on compliant toiletries or throw a water bottle into my bag, minor points I know. Never more than one bag, and as small as I can manage (not that I have dozens to chose from). Annoying people at carousels, of course there are. Most people crowd where the bags come up onto the conveyor, but if I'm lucky I sometimes get there first and *touch wood* priority baggage gets my bag there early on. Other times I find that if I pick a point close to the arrivals hall exit nobody else is there. I try not to stress about the cretins pushing and shoving, it doesn't make things any better!

Moderator's Note Folks, there's a whole topic to be had out there on the wider implications of any initiatives that seek to address irregular immigration and as we've seen elsewhere it's contentious. We've had a fair amount of general discussion, some of which has crossed, or come close to the line of being political. It's now time for us to refocus on the subject of this topic, the effect these initiatives might have on hiring. Please limit yourselves to that. The moderators will be going back and reviewing earlier posts for instances where posters have gone too far. Thank you for your cooperation.

As the person here least likely to have any idea, I'll start. Others can fill in the details and make the inevitable prejudicial remarks. JFK has a skytrain to Jamaica station from where you can take the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station or the subway (luggage is less of a challenge on the train). Newark has a connector to a station from where you can catch Amtrak or an NJ train (PATH I think) to Penn. LaGuardia has a bus connection to a subway station. I've stayed at a couple of Holiday Inns and HI Express places, and an Embassy Suites place near Penn/Hells Kitchen/Chelsea within walking distance of the station, that were serviceable but nothing to write home about.

FFS!

Good catch, @maninsoma, it does look as if that key word is missing, I should have joined those dots after @topunderachiever's reply!

I went out to a cafe by the river for breakfast with a group of people who were in town for a 1972 high school reunion last night. I was shocked that they were all old people. It was 33 degrees but pleasant in the shade of the huge elm trees.

Judgmental much? @carnalvore didn't say he had any health issues. He didn't say whether he exercises. He didn't say he was fat. What he said amounts to saying that he weighs more than he did before. That is hardly a pathology, and hardly uncommon. Maybe he can do some things to change, but there is a balance between finding providers who are happy to deal with you as you are, and working out if you need to change yourself. But the last thing you should do when a meeting with a provider doesn't go well is to blame yourself.

@CuriousByNature, yes, exchange rates, tell me about it! The AUD seems to have passed its latest nadir, inshallah! I'm holding my breath waiting for the InnDulge deposit to be charged to my card. I have some USD in cash and the USD account at my bank, bought when rates were better.

Yes, I know it's 2025, and I'm not delving into the archives, however: In the evening ABC News in Canberra after the unfortunate defeat, umm thrashing, of Alex de Minaur, they lead with Demon cast out of the Open by a Sinner.

Was that a mildly tart observation about the rest of the show, or were you being really, ummm 'critical', and saying that it was the actual carpet that was the most entertaining thing?

Details! Always with the pesky details!

Hey Sam, I assume you posted this here in the hope that some people may read it here who did not see it in the Lounge, and the comments there have been supportive without apparently providing any actual help. I hope that works for you. Be aware that the moderators may decide that posting in one forum is enough and merge them. As with any thread posted on the site, if you as its creator decide it would do better in a different forum you can report it and ask for it to be moved. For now it's in both and with luck you'll have some more responses in this forum. Mike

Specifically of your buddy list, not more widely on the site, I think only by location, not state.