samhexum

I'd say they should compromise and stipulate that a small section of the property should be set aside for a memorial, but who's going to buy a luxury condo that's the site of such a thing? (Not to mention all the people who would show up periodically to grieve, especially on the anniversary of the collapse)

Bill Gates has been hyping the technology to turn piss into drinkable water. Are you a hippie or a commie, or both? Spoken (actually typed) like a true American!

They've been playing Lars Nootbaar in right field. Wasn't he married to Phyllis on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW?

The Whoopster has signed on for four more years.

I just did a search and couldn't find one mention of the subject. That seems odd. A billionaire real estate developer from the MIddle East is bidding $120 million for the two-acre oceanfront site where a Florida condo collapsed in the middle of the night in June, killing 98 people. East Oceanside Development, owned by Dubai-based DAMAC Properties, a publicly traded company in the United Arab Emirates founded by wealthy businessman Hussain Sajwani, has agreed to bid $120 million for the Surfside property, The Miami Herald reported, citing a court document filed Friday. The 12-story Champlain Towers South partially collapsed June 24. The rest of the 136-unit condominium complex was brought down July 4 as rescue workers combed through the rubble searching first for survivors, then for the remains of the victims. A luxury high-rise condo is expected to eventually go up at the site. The developer’s bid is considered a “stalking horse,” which sets a minimum price for the property. The Real Deal reported other companies will be able to submit offers at an auction expected to occur in late February or March. Court papers show information about the site was given to more than 160 interested buyers, and the real estate agents handling the property continue to market it. The judge handling the cases filed against the condo board and developers approved the sale of the site in July. Proceeds are expected to go to compensate the victims and their families. Legal claims could reach $1 billion, according to The Real Deal.

On Friday, the Utah Jazz and Vivint Arena announced that all home games will require proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of an event to gain access to the arena. So naturally, local reporters were out on the streets to hear how the community felt about the recent announcement. A member of the Jazz organization, who also happens to be coming off a career-best year, was in the area and willing to comment. What KUTV reporter Hayley Crombleholme didn't realize as she was conducting one interview was that she was talking to (last season's sixth man of the year) Jordan Clarkson in the Salt Lake City-area. At one point, the KUTV reporter asked, "Did you go to any Jazz games [last year]?" Clarkson responded with a hilariously honest answer. "Yeah, a lot," he said. They were both good sports about the situation and later acknowledged it on Twitter. Although Crombleholme said she'd interview Clarkson again, she also admitted that the sports department probably won't ask for her help.

I am happy with some of the changes at SVU; I'll leave it at that for those who haven't seen the first 2 episodes yet. Mariska's moving around pretty well with her bum ankle. BTW, Maddie Corman, the actress who played Jenna's mother, is Jane Alexander's daughter in law. Her husband Jace directed many episodes of the LAW & ORDER franchise... until he was arrested for possession of kiddie porn. She decided not to divorce him, however.

The New York City Council on Thursday approved a slate of bills improving working conditions for app-based food deliverers — becoming the first major U.S. city to set minimum protections for people toiling in the gig economy. The Council’s six-bill package — which includes granting couriers access to restaurant bathrooms, mandating minimum payments per trip and ensuring that tips get to workers — is expected to be signed into law by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Outside City Hall, dozens of delivery workers cheered as they heard the news, gathering ahead of the vote to distribute helmets to other couriers and help with bike tune-ups. “This started with the group chat that I created with some compañeros also from Guatemala, and we saw this as a very long, complicated journey. Something in me said: ‘Don’t give up,’” said Sergio Ajche, who helped organize fellow delivery workers. “We hope this sends a message to other delivery workers in New York and elsewhere: If you work from the heart, you’ll get results,” Ajche, of Brooklyn, told THE CITY in Spanish. The lack of bathroom access became the rallying cry for Los Deliveristas Unidos — a grassroots collective of immigrant food delivery workers that began organizing last winter after pandemic rules shuttered restaurants to indoor dining and closed other bathroom options. The Deliveristas, most of whom travel the city by bike, helped keep New Yorkers fed in a city on lockdown. “This is a testament to the organizing power and determination of our city’s delivery workers,” said Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan), who sponsored a bill requiring restaurants to make their bathrooms available to app-based couriers or face fines. Supporters of the legislative package hope that New York City’s action spur other cities to follow, offering a roadmap on how to negotiate a package with input from delivery workers and app-based tech companies making billions off the gig economy. ‘Solid Legal Ground’ The minimum pay rate approved by the Council in a 40-to-3 vote marks the first time a major U.S. city will standardize the working conditions of people toiling for the app-based delivery industry — setting a precedent as some major tech companies embark on a national campaign to clamp down on government regulations. The bills also included measures that will put limits on how far workers can be asked to ride — an issue that came to the forefront when some delivery people were sent on interborough trips as remnants of Hurricane Ida pounded the city earlier this month. At least one major food delivery company — Grubhub, which owns Seamless — told THE CITY that it supports the regulations passed by the Council. But the measures could face legal pushback from other industry players. “These bills are common sense steps to support the delivery workers who work hard every day for New York’s restaurants and residents. Ensuring they receive a living wage and have access to restrooms isn’t just a good idea — it’s the right thing to do,” said Grant Klinzman, a Grubhub spokesperson. This month, Grubhub, Uber and DoorDash sued the city over an extension of fee caps on restaurants the Council approved in August. San Francisco-based DoorDash sued the city last week over a new law that requires delivery companies to share more customer data with restaurants. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) expressed confidence Thursday that the new working conditions bills would hold up in court. “We’re on solid legal ground. We don’t think there is any deficiency in what we’re passing today.” Johnson said. “It wouldn’t surprise me if some of the large — you know, at this point, probably multi-billion-dollar corporations that are making a lot of money in New York City, try to stop this.” Representatives for Uber Eats and DoorDash did not immediately respond to inquiries on whether the companies plan to file any legal challenges. As trading closed Thursday afternoon, DoorDash’s stock dropped from $220.04 a share to $217.66. Meanwhile, Uber shares closed at $45.48, a nearly 1.4% increase from its opening price. Relay, a smaller New York City-based food delivery company that works with restaurants, said in a statement that the company “is supportive of the new legislation and we celebrate this victory with delivery workers everywhere.” The various bills have the backing of de Blasio, who has not set a date for signing them into law, a City Hall spokesperson said. ‘A Seat at the Table’ The City Council vote comes nearly a year after THE CITY first reported workers were beginning to unite over the perilous and exploitative nature of app-based delivery work — including lack of bathroom access, alleged wage theft, insufficient pay, and reports of muggings and robberies. The improvements delivery workers notched Thursday build on the modest gains gig workers have won elsewhere in the country. In March, Philadelphia extended paid sick leave to low-wage workers, including gig workers. Seattle established an emergency minimum wage standard for delivery workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and is looking to make it permanent. The pay requirements introduced in New York by Councilmember Brad Lander (D- Brooklyn) are similar to those already in place to for-hire vehicle drivers, such as those who work for Uber and Lyft. Though a major victory for the Deliveristas, the minimum pay standards pale in comparison to the rights the workers would have if they were considered full employees as opposed to contractors. But they’re a good start, said Andrew Wolf, a lecturer at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies. “It’s new and innovative,” for the industry, Wolf said, “and it’s important that governments do this, but it’s not like we’re creating new benefits for workers. Which is important, because we shouldn’t let companies decide who and who isn’t covered by the law.” The City Council’s bills also reignited discussions over how to classify people who do work for app-based tech companies, but are not considered employees. Instead, workers in the gig economy are designated independent contractors, which typically allows people to set their own wages and hours, something that’s not the case for app-based delivery workers. “This opens the doors of possibilities for workers,” Ligia Guallpa, executive director of the Workers Justice Project, which represents the Deliveristas, told THE CITY shortly after the vote. “One thing is real full representation [as employees] — that is the first step to start addressing all of the issues and regulating the entire industry, and making sure workers have a seat at the table, that they have the power to decide what goes in and doesn’t go in that contract. “And why not, forming a union that has the power to actually fight back against these giant tech companies,” she added. Hochul Eyes Worker Help Gov. Kathy Hochul said her administration was “absolutely looking” at reclassifying app-based workers, something that has failed to gain steam in New York. “God bless our delivery workers, too. My gosh. How did we rely on them so much last year? It was incredible what they did. So yes, we’re taking a close look at that,” Hochul said during a news conference in Manhattan. In January 2020, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo pitched a nine-member panel that would be charged with coming up with regulations for the budding gig economy. But plans were abandoned as the pandemic hit and attention directed to fighting COVID-19. Nascent discussions over a state proposal that would allow gig workers to unionize but fell short of classifying them as employees collapsed in May over restrictions that would have barred workers from striking or demonstrating against an employer. Voters in California approved a 2020 ballot proposition that allowed gig workers to be reclassified as independent contractors, but a trial court last month dealt a blow to tech moguls, ruling that the proposition was unconstitutional. “Being the first to do it, as one of the most powerful cities of the world and where most of these apps are concentrated, it sends a strong message to the rest of the country that it is possible to regulate this industry, that it is possible to provide rights and protections to app-based delivery workers,” Guallpa said. “This is what power looks like when workers decide to unite and organize.”

They pulled it off pretty well. The overhead mike in the kitchen came into view briefly, but that happens sometimes in shows that aren't live, too. Mark has apparently grown eight feet since the series began.

I may have jinxed Mr. Arenado. He left tonight's game with lower back tightness... though I'll bet he did it adorably. The team got its 11th straight. They scored 2 runs on one sacrifice fly.

is adorable.

Where's the line for returns? 😁😎😇🤣

Damn, you'll look for any excuse to pat yourself on the back, toot your own horn, or any other cliche about being impressed with yourself, huh?

You see it all ties together... Roxanne was the name of one of The Police's biggest hits, sung (of course) by Sting. Who is in Only Murders. (Far Out, man!)

I always call Jeff my long-lost identical twin, but I clarify that I'm an inch bigger than he is... He's 5'6, I'm 5'7 (or at least I was when I could stand up straight).

And I've had the opposite reaction. I've honestly not seen much of Martin Short's work, and never found him enjoyable. I like him in this. I also haven't seen all that much of Steve Martin; I loved him in All Of Me with Lily Tomlin, and liked him on talk shows, but didn't really watch much of his other stuff, either. (I only watched the first couple of years of SNL, but found his 'wild & crazy guys' routine with Dan Ackroyd to be asinine.) I like him in this. Random Steve Martin-related story: He starred in the dud DEAD MEN DON'T WEAR PLAID. At the time the movie was out, the Atlanta Braves had a relief pitcher named Jeff Dedmon. One day he was out on the field before the game and suddenly manager Joe Torre barked at him-- DEDMON! Thinking he'd done something wrong, he turned towards Torre, who said to him "Don't wear plaid!"

I don't need to see a pic to know that he's aged much better than I have.

same day

Alex Murdaugh was hit with yet another lawsuit this week — accused of “orchestrating a campaign” to blame an innocent teen for his drunken son’s deadly 2019 boat crash. The drug-addicted lawyer’s son Paul had been set to face trial for the crash when he was found shot dead alongside mom Maggie Murdaugh, 52, in June of this year. In a lawsuit filed Monday, Connor Cook, one of the individuals on the boat at the time of the crash, claimed Murdaugh tricked him to protect his son — even though he knew he’d been “drunk and traveling at excessive speeds” when the crash killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. Murdaugh — currently in rehab while on bail for orchestrating his own shooting in a doomed life-insurance scam — immediately “sought out all or most of the boat passengers in an attempt to control the narrative of what occurred,” Cook’s lawsuit insisted. As Cook, 19, was being taken to be X-rayed for a fractured jaw, Murdaugh cornered him and told him to “keep his mouth shut” when asked who was driving the boat, the lawsuit claimed. Murdaugh then “encouraged and instructed” Cook to retain attorney Cory Fleming, who also ordered him “to decline to be interviewed by law enforcement,” the lawsuit said. But Murdaugh made no mention of how Fleming was his college roommate, best friend and drunken son’s godfather, the lawsuit said. Without mentioning the “conflict of interest,” all the advice given “was to the advantage of Paul and [Alex] Murdaugh and against the interests of Fleming’s new client,” Cook, the lawsuit alleged. It made him an “unwitting … agent of protection for Paul Murdaugh” — instead exposing Cook to “the potential of being charged” and held responsible for the crash, the lawsuit said. “Murdaugh and others were orchestrating a campaign to have Connor Cook held criminally and civilly responsible for the boat accident,” the court papers alleged. It included “a ‘whisper campaign” against him — as well as “law enforcement misdirection and possible obstruction of the investigation.” The lawsuit noted that Murdaugh’s son was not tested for his blood-alcohol levels despite “his obvious state of intoxication” and “the loud and angry statements by at least one of the passengers that Paul Murdaugh was driving the boat” that belonged to his dad. The lawsuit claimed Paul had the “express permission” of his father to drive his boat despite him knowing that he “would often drink to the point of intoxication” even while driving “family vehicles, including boats.” The lawsuit also names Buster Murdaugh — the lawyer’s surviving son, for whom he allegedly tried to get $10 million in his assisted suicide plot — for allowing his brother to use his ID to buy the booze. The store and the staffer who sold it to him are also named. Together, they are “liable for all damages” because of “their negligent, careless, grossly negligent and reckless acts and omissions,” the lawsuit claimed. A spokeswoman for Alex Murdaugh told the Post and Courier that his lawyers would not be able to comment until they could review the lawsuit with their client, who is in rehab for a reported opioid addiction. “Right now, they are focused on supporting Alex’s recovery,” spokeswoman Amanda Loveday said. Fleming could not immediately be reached for comment, the outlet said. The double slaying of Paul Murdaugh and his mom — whose bodies were found by Alex — have yet to be solved. No suspects have been named. The same force last week also announced that it was now investigating the suspicious death of Murdaugh’s longtime housekeeper at his home, as well as up to $4 million in insurance money that was collected but never forwarded to her family. Murdaugh is also the subject of a state investigation into allegations he stole money from his family law firm, which booted him and led to him being suspended from practicing law in the state.

Wendy Williams has it in her legs, Kathy Bates in her arms.

Sign me up right now! My mother had a stroke and was fine except that her short term memory was shot. She kept asking my sister and me how our aunt (her sister) was. We'd either tell her 'fine' or say 'the same'. She had been dead for several years at that point. We hired a home aide for her. When she was out of her apartment, her neighbors would think there was nothing wrong with her, not realizing she was talking to them about things that had happened in the past.

If I were in Manhattan, why the hell would I want a perfectly bleached little donkey from the Midwest?

To live in, or as a cruising location?

Typically thoughtless post by Merboy. With all the geriatrics on this site he offers something that will stain their dentures. Just wait until you get a little older, kid!

Haven't really missed it. Don't think I'll watch it much anymore. Jeannie's tits are huge.