samhexum

Maybe cut the cord, but set up an account where you put what you would have spent on him (without telling him) so that you can offer the money to him as a 'rainy day fund' if he needs it in the future and you feel like helping him out.

Actually, free gas is often dispensed from old, slow cows. Or people. 😁 😇🤣🤑😝

Filling up your car tires used to be free at gas stations across the country. Not so much anymore. Gas stations in some states are required to provide motorists with access to compressed air. But while the air is free, the gas stations are allowed to charge you for use of their compressors. Connecticut is an exception. The law there requires gas retailers to provide “an operable free air compressor.” Fed up with paying to maintain the correct tire pressure? FreeAirPump.com can help. It provides a list of gas stations and convenience stores around the country that offer free air.

So... I'm confused... your Scottish mother made sure you & your brother always had jobs... How many different mothers did you have and how many different nationalities did they represent?

I started college 2 weeks after I turned 17, and was one of the oldest kids in our group, so the neighborhood didn't change much when a couple of us started college, and things just continued on as they had before. So my first couple of summers during college were spent like a typical high school student's last 2 years-- at the pool club during the day and hanging out with 30-50 kids on the block at night. I had a part time job my last 2 years. And I've always been lazy and unmotivated. I worked enough to get by, but not much more, and never had a long-term job with benefits.

DAMN! Purple kows can be testy when disappointed!

A number of Easter Island’s iconic ‘Moai’ stone statues suffered irreparable damage after a wildfire swept through the island earlier this week, the island’s mayor told Reuters on Friday. “It’s unquantifiable, unmeasurable, the damage there is, it’s irrecoverable,” said Pedro Edmunds, mayor of Easter Island, a territory of Chile. “Because what the fire does is heat the rock and the rock cracks.” He said scientists are going to visit the island alongside park administrators to evaluate the extent of the damage and determine what can be done. “I don’t know if there’s a solution for this,” Edmunds said. A preliminary report released by Chile’s culture, arts and heritage ministry stated that a wildfire that started on Tuesday swept through more than 148.26 acres and damaged an unknown number of the sacred Moai statues. The report did not state a cause for the wildfire and said there would be further investigations into the fire and the damage it caused.

BUZZKILL! (literally)

The most inept thieves ever? Police are searching for a group of thieves who stole $30 in merchandise in a gunpoint robbery at a 7-Eleven in Ridgewood on Oct. 4. Just after 11:30 p.m., five suspects — two women and three men — entered the 7-Eleven at 60-31 Metropolitan Ave., while one woman remained inside a vehicle outside the location. Once the group was inside the store, one of the men displayed a black firearm while the others snatched a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and a Nesquik, valued at $30, police said. Authorities described the thieves as being between the ages of 18 and 25. I've never been in that 7-11, but am extremely familiar with its location. For a good # of years I took my car to the tiniest Meineke you ever saw, which was directly across from it. It closed during the first year of covid because the owner died (heart attack, not covid). STREET VIEW FROM 2018: https://www.google.com/maps/place/60-31+Metropolitan+Ave,+Ridgewood,+NY+11385/@40.7128567,-73.9042218,3a,75y,353.02h,91.35t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skpZqlrBTfBdHLQtTjluqrw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m5!3m4!1s0x89c25e9a43baf2c9:0xec8bfa2b7dbca84a!8m2!3d40.7130223!4d-73.9039419

My sister (rabid Mets fan) and my brother-in-law (rabid Yankee fan, but roots for the Mets, too) will be at the game on Saturday. It will either be a very QUIET or very LOUD ride home if they lose. She'll either stew in silence or curse out everyone associated with the organization... whereas I am simply waiting to see in which round the Yankees stop hitting AND pitching and lose. ( Of course, they'll never stop defending, not with Harrison Bader on the team, right @WilliamM? )

Mets fans probably wouldn't like your big P avatar much right now.

If you heard a gut-wrenching scream coming from the direction of Philadelphia today, that was @WilliamM watching the 9th inning of game one of the Cards-Phillies series.

I've never gone to a dispensary or a weed shop, so the relatively few times I've tried edibles they were from my pot dealer. It's been cookies, gummies, fruit roll-ups, and this time a frosted flakes pop tart. I'm just curious... do licensed establishments have products for diabetics?

As awareness grows around the world about the problem of food waste, one culprit in particular is drawing scrutiny: “best before” labels. Manufacturers have used the labels for decades to estimate peak freshness. Unlike “use by” labels, which are found on perishable foods like meat and dairy, “best before” labels have nothing to do with safety and may encourage consumers to throw away food that’s perfectly fine to eat. “They read these dates and then they assume that it’s bad, they can’t eat it and they toss it, when these dates don’t actually mean that they’re not edible or they’re not still nutritious or tasty,” said Patty Apple, a manager at Food Shift, an Alameda, California, nonprofit that collects and uses expired or imperfect foods. To tackle the problem, major U.K. chains like Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer recently removed “best before” labels from prepackaged fruit and vegetables. The European Union is expected to announce a revamp to its labeling laws by the end of this year; it’s considering abolishing “best before” labels altogether. In the U.S., there’s no similar push to scrap “best before” labels. But there is growing momentum to standardize the language on date labels to help educate buyers about food waste, including a push from big grocers and food companies and bipartisan legislation in Congress. “I do think that the level of support for this has grown tremendously,” said Dana Gunders, executive director of ReFED, a New York-based nonprofit that studies food waste. The United Nations estimates that 17% of global food production is wasted each year; most of that comes from households. In the U.S., as much as 35% of food available goes uneaten, ReFED says. That adds up to a lot of wasted energy — including the water, land and labor that goes into the food production — and higher greenhouse gas emissions when unwanted food goes into landfills. There are many reasons food gets wasted, from large portion sizes to customers’ rejection of imperfect produce. But ReFED estimates that 7% of U.S. food waste — or 4 million tons annually — is due to consumer confusion over “best before” labels. Date labels were widely adopted by manufacturers in the 1970s to answer consumers’ concerns about product freshness. There are no federal rules governing them, and manufacturers are allowed to determine when they believe their products will taste best. Only infant formula is required to have a “use by” date in the U.S. Since 2019, the Food and Drug Administration — which regulates around 80% of U.S. food — has recommended that manufacturers use the labels “best if used by” for freshness and “use by” for perishable goods, based on surveys showing that consumers understand those phrases. But the effort is voluntary, and the language on labels continues to vary widely, from “sell by” to “enjoy by” to “freshest before.” A survey released in June by researchers at the University of Maryland found at least 50 different date labels used on U.S. grocery shelves and widespread confusion among customers. “Most people believe that if it says ‘sell by,’ ‘best by’ or ‘expiration,’ you can’t eat any of them. That’s not actually accurate,” said Richard Lipsit, who owns a Grocery Outlet store in Pleasanton, California, that specializes in discounted food. Lipsit said milk can be safely consumed up to a week after its “use by” date. Gunders said canned goods and many other packaged foods can be safely eaten for years after their “best before” date. The FDA suggests consumers look for changes in color, consistency or texture to determine if foods are all right to eat. “Our bodies are very well equipped to recognize the signs of decay, when food is past its edible point,” Gunders said. “We’ve lost trust in those senses and we’ve replaced it with trust in these dates.” Some U.K. grocery chains are actively encouraging customers to use their senses. Morrisons removed “use by” dates from most store-brand milk in January and replaced them with a “best before” label. Co-op, another grocery chain, did the same to its store-brand yogurts. It’s a change some shoppers support. Ellie Spanswick, a social media marketer in Falmouth, England, buys produce, eggs and other groceries at farm stands and local shops when she can. The food has no labels, she said, but it’s easy to see that it’s fresh. “The last thing we need to be doing is wasting more food and money because it has a label on it telling us it’s past being good for eating,” Spanswick said. But not everyone agrees. Ana Wetrov of London, who runs a home renovation business with her husband, worries that without labels, staff might not know which items should be removed from shelves. She recently bought a pineapple and only realized after she cut into it that it was rotting in the middle. “We have had dates on those packages for the last 20 years or so. Why fix it when it’s not broken?” Wetrov said. Some U.S. chains — including Walmart — have shifted their store brands to standardized “best if used by” and “use by” labels. The Consumer Brands Association — which represents big food companies like General Mills and Dole — also encourages members to use those labels. Some U.S. chains — including Walmart — have shifted their store brands to standardized “best if used by” and “use by” labels. The Consumer Brands Association — which represents big food companies like General Mills and Dole — also encourages members to use those labels. “Uniformity makes it much more simple for our companies to manufacture products and keep the prices lower,” said Katie Denis, the association’s vice president of communications. In the absence of federal policy, states have stepped in with their own laws, frustrating food companies and grocers. Florida and Nevada, for example, require “sell by” dates on shellfish and dairy, and Arizona requires “best by” or “use by” dates on eggs, according to Emily Broad Lieb, director of the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law SchoolThe confusion has led some companies, like Unilever, to support legislation currently in Congress that would standardize U.S. date labels and ensure that food could be donated to rescue organizations even after its quality date. At least 20 states currently prohibit the sale or donation of food after the date listed on the label because of liability fears, Lieb said. excellent idea, though somebody will probably block it in Congress. Clearer labeling and donation rules could help nonprofits like Food Shift, which trains chefs using rescued food. It even makes dog treats from overripe bananas, recovered chicken fat and spent grain from a brewer, Apple said. “We definitely need to be focusing more on doing these small actions like addressing expiration date labels, because even though it’s such a tiny part of this whole food waste issue, it can be very impactful,” Apple said. I'm usually pretty good about this, but not for ethical or ecological reasons... I'm too cheap to throw out anything edible. https://nypost.com/2022/10/07/are-best-before-labels-garbage-when-to-really-toss-out-food/

A 34-year-old Ohio man fell to his death from his hotel room balcony in South Carolina during Hurricane Ian while he was trying to perform a handstand. Markell Hope, of Akron, was staying at the Patricia Grand Hotel in Myrtle Beach when he attempted the stunt about 3:30 p.m. Sept. 30, as the storm was passing through, Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard told WYFF. He fell 15 floors to his death, officials said. I don't know what's more idiotic-- doing a handstand on a balcony during a hurricane, or vacationing in South Carolina.

But sometimes love wins out: Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin’s divorce officially dismissed

Hence my brilliant reply.

I didn't recognize him until I saw his name in the credits, but Reba's hubby is played by Rex Linn (who played Frank on CSI MIAMI). A couple of years ago I read that he was dating Reba McIntyre. I guess that's one couple in show biz that's still together.

Known as “The Love Goddess” and “Aphrodite of the Accordion” to her fans, comedian Judy Tenuta died Thursday at age 72. The wide-ranging comedian died in her home in Studio City, California, after a battle with stage 4 ovarian cancer, publicist Roger Neal told the Associated Press.

My sister knew that when her father in law died he'd leave them a decent amount, but it turned out to be more. I've never asked details, but I know they will never have to eat store brand mac and cheese to survive. I worked as little as possible all of my life, and I have little money. I'm having major dental problems right now, and they agreed to pay for part of it (and have helped me out with 2 lesser expenses this year), but now another dental expense has come up, with 2 possible solutions that vary wildly in cost. It's not a fun position to be in, and my sister wants to talk to the dentist about the situation (he volunteered to talk to her). Ironically, my brother in law (who is possibly the best brother in law in the world) seems to be more open to offering more assistance than she is. I don't blame her. Enough is enough, but fortunately I have no pride left, so if they offer to pay, I'll accept. And, yes, I DO know how lucky I am to be having this 'problem.'

They would fit in nicely here. Many members don't cum cheap, either.

I'm sorry, I had to rate this topic only 3 stars because it's not all it's quacked up to be.

And what is the color of the red carpet afterward? Just figure out a way to slip them some EXLAX one morning, and the tradition will end in a hurry.

Icing on the cock

Season 3 of ABC’s Big Sky (aka “Deadly Trails”) has added another two guest stars: Lyle Lovett (Blue Bloods) as Tex, an expert tracker with a quiet menace hidden beneath a courteous, gentleman-cowboy exterior; and Hootie & the Blowfish’s Darius Rucker as Possum, a hired gun/Tex’s partner.