samhexum

I can never follow along when people start using all sorts of technical terms.

Two lifelong friends from France saw a childhood dream come to fruition with the opening of Le Petit Paris, a bakery and café serving treats like hand-rolled croissants and freshly made pastries, including their signature “Flankie,” made with a chocolate chip cookie crust and topped with vanilla flan. The bakery, located at 81-45 Lefferts Blvd. in Kew Gardens, opened at the end of last month in the same building where the German and Polish deli, Homestead Gourmet Shop, stood for nearly 80 years. The shop has since been reimagined as an expansive space with French music playing in the background and cozy tables, perfect for grabbing a rose latte or a sandwich on a warm baguette. In the few weeks since the bakery has opened, customers have really gravitated towards some of their classic items, like their croissants, made with fresh butter from France and handrolled each morning; however, their Flankie, a fusion of a chocolate chip cookie and flan, has quickly become a fan favorite for its delicious and unique concept, blending American and French sweets. “Our signature pastry is our Flankie,” said Le Mezec. “It has a chocolate chip cookie dough crust and a vanilla pastry on the inside. We also have a pistachio flavor for a weekend special, but I would say it’s the product that really represents us-you can find this one only here.” Other pastries to explore when visiting the shop include the Kouign Amann, made with croissant-style dough and baked with butter and sugar for a caramelized finish, and the mixed berry tart, prepared on a croissant shell and filled with vanilla pastry cream and fresh fruits, such as raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Le Petit Paris opens in the former Homestead Gourmet Space QNS.COM Two lifelong friends from France saw a childhood dream come to fruition with the opening of Le Petit Paris, a bakery and café serving treats like...

Oh dearest me ! I'm afraid you're suffering from such an attack of the vapors that you didn't even notice you posted the same thing as the person before you.

I had a very nice cashier tonight, but I don't know how I feel about the guy who bagged my groceries. He told me by the way, in the face, you look like Harvey Feierstein, the actor, whom he apparently met once and found to be very nice. I was going to say he's better known as a writer, but I didn't want to engage at all with this at least somewhat delusional man.

straight out of the Haagen Dazs carton

I could tell you, but then...

1. very pretty 2. why are there cum stains to his left? 3. that wallpaper has to go

They were redacted. He could tell you, but then he'd have to kill you. So I'll tell you, but he still might decide he has to kill you. All four would be perfect for the show. I’ve been thinking about this. But unfortunately, I think Graham Norton is about to wrap up the season . I don’t think there’s many episodes left.

Actor François Arnaud on the mass appeal of hit show 'Heated Rivalry' APPLE.NEWS Actor François Arnaud joins Morning Joe to discuss the hit HBO series 'Heated Rivalry'.

Thanks, but what I was asking about (rather obtusely, I guess) is why is the name included now? In the past, didn't it just say guest? I prefer this way, but only noticed it recently.

They haven't been on the view

Kiefer Sutherland was arrested early Monday after police said he assaulted a ride-hail driver in Hollywood. Sutherland was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats after officers responded to reports of an assault on a driver in Hollywood early Monday. The "24" and "Stand by Me" actor, 59, was taken into custody after Los Angeles police answered a radio call about 12:15 a.m. about an assault near Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, a Police Department spokesperson said in a statement. "The investigation determined that the suspect, later identified as Kiefer Sutherland, entered a rideshare vehicle, physically assaulted the driver (the victim) and made criminal threats toward the victim," according to an LAPD statement. Sutherland was arrested at the scene and booked into the LAPD jail and later released on $50,000 bail with a court date set for Feb. 2, records show. According to Los Angeles police, the driver did not sustain any injuries requiring medical treatment at the scene. The investigation into the incident by Hollywood Division detectives is ongoing. Sutherland's representatives did not immediately respond to a call from The Times for a statement. Sutherland is best known for playing Jack Bauer in the Fox drama "24" and President Tom Kirkman in "Designated Survivor," after decades of big box-office movies including "The Lost Boys" "Flatliners" and "A Few Good Men." The Canadian actor has had previous run-ins with the law, including drunk driving charges in 2004 and 2007. The Golden Globe winner spent 48 days in jail in 2007 for driving under the influence and a probation violation. There was also an assault charge in 2009 that was later dropped. He was most recently arrested in 2020 on suspicion of driving under the influence after making an illegal U-turn in Hollywood.

I DIDN'T get my $4.50. I got $6.07!!! How about $6.07? If you'd submitted a claim like I did, you'd have $62.61 1 out of 2 ain't bad, I guess! I have $6.07 pieces of evidence that prove you wrong. Wait until you see the majesty of the celebratory shindig.

RIGHTING A WRONG I THOUGHT I PREVIOUSLY POSTED ABOUT (but I guess I didn't): New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday secured more than $4.2 million for at least 20 Brooklyn families after they were defrauded out of their life savings when they bought non-existent condominium units in Bay Ridge. James sued Xi Hui “Steven Wu, his ex-wife Xiao Rong Yang, and his companies TCJ Construction Inc. and 345 Ovington LLC in 2022 after an investigation found that Wu orchestrated a years-long scheme to sell fake condominium units at 345 Ovington Ave. and steal more than $5 million from families in his own community. On Friday, the New York Supreme Court awarded $4,227,888 in restitution, plus 9% interest dating back to 2016, with the full amount to be returned to the families, officials said. “Steven Wu preyed on hardworking immigrant families, abused their trust, and stole the savings they had set aside to build a stable future,” James said in a statement. “These families believed they were buying homes, when in reality, they were being sold nothing but lies. This order returns money to the families Wu cheated and ensures he can never again exploit New Yorkers through fraudulent real estate schemes. I am thrilled that these families will finally see justice.” The residents of the building, the nonprofit Asian Americans for Equality, in partnership with the New York AG’s office, New York Homes and Community Renewal and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development worked together to take the building back several years ago. “We are grateful to Attorney General James and happy for the 20 families at 345 Ovington [Avenue] who have finally seen justice prevail after nearly losing everything as a result of this fraudulent scheme,” said Thomas Yu, the executive director of Asian Americans for Equality. “Not only did Attorney General James successfully prosecute this case, but she worked with the residents and AAFE to prevent any evictions and ensure that the dream of homeownership stayed alive for these families.” In January 2013, Wu submitted an offering plan to OAG for a proposed 25-unit condominium building at 345 Ovington Ave. While the offering plan was filed with OAG, Wu never completed the required steps with the New York City Department of Finance to legally create a condominium. The building was never subdivided into individual units, no separate tax lots were established, and no lawful condominium deeds were ever created, according to officials. Despite having no legal authority to sell condominium units, Wu proceeded to “sell” units to at least 20 immigrant Chinese families, many of whom moved into the building under the assumption that they owned their homes. Wu targeted families who trusted him as a prominent developer in the neighborhood and relied on informal, single-page agreements written in Chinese, rather than formal purchase contracts as required by law. In reality, there were no condominium units to sell, and the families received no legal ownership interest in exchange for their payments, officials said. In addition to collecting down payments — and in some cases, full payments — from the families, Wu also collected monthly residential mortgage payments from many of the residents who did not pay for their units in full. Nearly all of the residents were also making monthly payments to Wu, which they believed were for condominium common charges. However, because no condominium actually existed, these payments were essentially direct payments to Wu. Over several years, Wu stole more than $5 million from immigrant families, draining their life savings while using the money to cover his own loans and construction expenses, according to James. The OAG also found that Wu repeatedly lied to regulators and fabricated documents in an effort to conceal his fraud. When questioned by OAG, Wu submitted fake purchase agreements and escrow documentation to make it appear that he lawfully collected and held purchaser deposits. In fact, Wu failed to place any of the purchaser deposits in escrow accounts, instead pocketing the families’ real payments, in direct violation of New York law, officials said.

After taking office this month, Council Member Phil Wong announced his office is partnering with the NYPD Transportation Bureau to address transit safety and “quality-of-life” concerns, such as illegal parking. According to 311 statistics compiled by the State Comptroller’s office, illegal parking has been one of the top three complaints within District 30 for years now, with residents reporting an uptick in the behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic. Wong stated he would address the issue throughout his time on the campaign trail and met with traffic enforcement officials Jan. 12 to begin the work of fulfilling the promise. Wong met with Transportation Bureau Chief Olufunmilola “Lola” Obe and Deputy Chief Brian O’Sullivan to discuss how best to approach the law-breaking on the majority residential streets of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale. The bureau plans on working with local precincts and citywide traffic units to lay the groundwork for targeted responses regarding the vehicles in District 30 and the rest of the city. In 2025, the 104th Precinct alone towed close to 1,000 cars, with plenty more in the jurisdiction of both the 110th and 112th Precincts. Wong noted that the agency and police will put emphasis on targeting RVs parked long-term on residential streets, trucks parking overnight and the many auto-body shops and tow companies that use public streets to store cars. On Jan. 11, Wong posted on Facebook showing several derelict cars, both abandoned and stored out front by the auto-body shops, being towed in coordination with the 104th Precinct.

And a great psycho on SVU years later.

And in other baseball stadium related news… Chip and Joanna Gaines, both alumni of Baylor University, have made the largest donation in the history of the university's baseball program. Their stadium will be renamed Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark.

I just read an article about the Royals moving in the outfield fences next season. Would you have thought their stadium has the fifth highest altitude in MLB? For some reason that surprised me.

Scott Adams, Creator of the ‘Dilbert’ Comic Strip, Dies at 68 APPLE.NEWS Running in newspapers from 1989 to 2023, it sprang from the office monotony of his job as an applications engineer at Pacific Bell.

I watched the video of their reaction to episode six and they cleared up something I was curious about. When they first start fooling around at the cottage, they tell each other that they haven't been with anyone since their last time. It makes sense for Ilya to be saying that since he sleeps with women, but since Shane doesn't sleep with women and has only slept with Ilya, why would he have to say that? One of the guys in the video brought up that question and said somebody told him that in the books, Shane slept with at least one other guy and one of their listeners confirmed it during the video.

DUH!

LIKE WHAT?

Dear Miss Manners: In my high-rise condominium building, I must leave my flat and travel (generally via carpeted hallways and elevators) to various common areas in the building to deposit trash and collect mail. The whole building, including all common areas, has a single, guarded entrance, through which only residents and guests may pass. What must I wear in these common areas? May I dash down in stocking (or bare) feet to mail a letter or empty my garbage? (Most people are shod in the hallways.) Must I (a male) wear a shirt and/or proper shorts? Not all residents do this, as we have a pool, too. Does it matter if the area is carpeted? Closed to the public? Is there a general rule? Is the rule different in a hotel or apartment building? I am aware of Miss Manners’ rule regarding collection of one’s morning newspaper from one’s driveway — to wit, neighbors doing so are considered invisible. But I do not see how to apply it in this context. Gentle Reader: We’ll make it apply. It’s just been sitting around idly, anyhow. It was based on the polite fiction that the porch appearance is not public, but only a momentary detour from bed to breakfast, where robes and slippers are permissible. In your case, the available fiction is that of using the swimming pool. Or gym, if the building has one. You know that the related outfits are customarily tolerated in your building, whereas you would not know what might offend guests in a hotel. But Miss Manners cautions you not to test your neighbors’ limits. Being even rudimentarily dressed requires sparing them your bare chest and feet. SAYS UNLESS YOU’RE FILMING SEASON 2 OF HEATED RIVALRY, PUT SOME %$#@ING CLOTHES ON! Dear Miss Manners: For several years, it has been my pleasure to host three longtime friends — a married couple and her brother, a particular friend of mine — to a collective birthday dinner at our favorite restaurant. We do this in lieu of separate birthday lunches at a lesser establishment. The restaurant we go to is considered upscale for our rural area, which I mention only to show that this is a special occasion. It has always been most enjoyable, until this past year. All was fine until the wife struck up a political conversation with a man at a nearby table. The two conversed for a considerable time. I felt sure this man’s companion must have been irritated. I certainly was, but I didn’t know how to politely redirect the wife’s attention to our table. Nor did her husband or brother say anything. My feelings were hurt to be treated so. Fortunately, the couple soon finished their meal and left the restaurant. I still wonder what I might have said. Gentle Reader: “Sophie! Shall we ask to have your dinner reheated?” “Sophie, we’re ready to order dessert now.” Or the most enticing, although it requires a prepared follow-up: “Sophie! We need your opinion on something!” Miss Manners suggests this only to repair the immediate situation, for yourself and your other guests. Let’s not talk about the content of the overheard talk. YOU BRING A CYANIDE PILL TO THE NEXT DINNER & SNEAK IT INTO HER COFFEE WHILE SHE’S NOT LOOKING IF SHE PULLS THAT %$#@ AGAIN. DEAR ABBY: My son married a lovely woman, “Noelle,” two years ago. They live a couple of hours away and have a 1-year-old son, my third grandchild. Noelle’s parents live 10 miles from my home. She and the baby go there nearly every weekend but NEVER come by mine. I haven’t seen them since the baby’s birthday five months ago. My daughter lives down the street from Noelle’s parents. She wasn’t invited to the baby’s first birthday even though she’s the mother of his cousins, so I took her children with me. There were other people there, mostly adults and her cousin’s baby. We are not horrible people. There has never been any ugliness between any of us. I’m very hurt because they don’t recognize me as a grandmother or any of us as part of the family. My son’s father has never been allowed to meet the baby, and I don’t think he’s even met Noelle. I have asked my son and daughter-in-law to bring the baby, leave him for the day or even overnight so we can spend some time and get to know him, but it never happens. What can I say to make them understand how much they are hurting the family and the baby by avoiding us? I don’t want to make it worse. —DISAPPOINTED GRANDMA IN TEXAS DEAR GRANDMA: This is a subject you should discuss with your son, who appears to be clueless or entirely ineffectual. Does he recognize what has been happening — that his parents have been pushed entirely out of the picture? If the answer to that question is yes, perhaps he can shed some light on why. If the answer is no, tell HIM how this has made you feel. If you do, perhaps he will assert himself. Better late than never. WRITE TO MISS MANNERS AND ASK HER FOR THE MOST POLITE WAY TO KILL THE BITCH.