samhexum

@RadioRob answers all your phone questions...

https://nypost.com/2024/06/07/real-estate/london-unit-lists-for-rent-in-post-written-by-landlords-cats/
Finding a reasonably priced rental in pricey London can be a Herculean task. So when a listing recently popped up asking just $1,272 a month, it caught a lot of attention. But there’s a catch — a “cat-ch,” so to speak.
This peculiar offer has surfaced on Facebook, in which a homeowner is seeking a working professional or a student to share a ground-floor flat in the Kensal Green neighborhood. The twist? The new tenant will sleep in the living room and care for two cats.
The ad, amusingly written from the cats’ perspective, describes a cozy setup: “We are a couple of cats that live in a large one-bedroom ground floor flat with a private garden on a quiet street in a great location with great access.” The playful ad continues, “We live with a lovely couple of humans that take care of us, they think the place is theirs, but it’s ours.”
The ad explains that the living room, which will be the tenant’s domain, has high ceilings, a single bed and a couch that can be converted into a double bed. There’s also a desk for those who work from home. Shared amenities include a bathroom, a dining room and a kitchen.
The cats’ “voice” in the ad adds a touch of humor: “Like we said, the male never uses it, so it is your private space which we only hope you’ll be cool to let us cats hang in there if we choose sometimes.”
Reactions online have been mixed, ranging from amusement to disbelief.
A tweet by @EloiseHndy showcasing the ad has garnered more than a million views. “If you didn’t already know that the London rental scene is the wild west, here is a post written in the voice of two cats, offering someone the chance to sleep in a living room for £1,000 a month,” she wrote.
Commenters have voiced their surprise and skepticism. “It starts with ‘we are two cats’ and somehow only gets worse from there,” one person remarked. Another questioned the practicality: “How private is private if the cats are in there? Is the door always open or does the living room door have a cat flap?”
Despite the odd setup, some pointed out that the price isn’t entirely unreasonable by London standards. “£1,000 all-inclusive for a large and airy room in London is nowhere near as shocking as you think,” one commenter noted.
Still, the ad has left many wondering about the lengths they would go to find affordable housing in one of the world’s most expensive cities.

 

An unusual tropical seabird, not typically found in the US, has taken up residence in the hills of southern Indiana.
A juvenile Sula leucogaster, a species commonly known as a brown booby, was spotted Monday diving into the lake at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell to catch fish by the park’s interpretive naturalist, Wade LaHue. 
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources said because the bird is a juvenile, he has different colorations than an adult bird.

“This species is not normally found in the United States, let alone Indiana,” said assistant state ornithologist Amy Kearns, noting that the bird had wandered naturally out of its normal range.
The recent brown booby sighting marks only the second time in the state.
The initial documented sighting took place on a private lake in Zionsville in May 2019, and the bird remained for less than a day.
Wildlife officials said the current bird has been staying close to the Lakeview Activity Center at the park, where it has been fishing and resting on fallen trees and the newly constructed floating dock.
Park staff have requested that visitors give the special bird ample space to rest and feed, ensuring its well-being and eventual return to its ocean home.

“It could leave at any time,” Kearns said.

I think that's what he meant for 2 tix.  
If they hadn't recorded, I couldn't share this gift with you from Tony Orlando's farewell performance:  (you're welcome)
 
Tony Orlando and Dawn.MOV

SHOWTIME!!!
IMG_3965.3gp

They got the tickets! But they explicitly say no recording, so they will not be able to FaceTime me during it. Bummer!

They got the tickets! But they explicitly say no recording, so they will not be able to FaceTime me during it. Bummer!

There are many, but one that always jumped out was Gabe Kapler in his prime. I mean he's still a delicious daddy now and I wouldn't turn him away at any age.
 

 

 

BULLSHIT!!!  
THAT'S JUST YOUR EXCUSE FOR HAVING A TABLE PERPETUALLY RESERVED AT BUFFALO WILD WINGS.

Y'all will be relieved to know she's canceling the tour to spend time with family and friends.
 

My sister and brother-in-law went to London to see the Mets and Phillies play this weekend. They flew out last night. At 2:27 AM I got a text from my brother-in-law with a picture of my sister standing in front of an ad for the ABBA voyage show that was one of the first things they encountered after getting off the plane.
They did look into getting tickets for it, but it was like $400 to stand on the floor and they are much bigger baseball fans than ABBA fans so they had to draw the line on spending somewhere.

Dude, do you think anyone has noticed we've lost 12 in a row and 16 of 17 and are back on pace for the most losses ever?

Young Mr. Burleson homered in his 3rd straight game tonight.

JACK FLAHERTY HAD TO LEAVE HIS START AFTER 5 INNINGS AND 60 PITCHES.  DON'T YET KNOW WHY.
LUIS GIL, AFTER GIVING UP 5 RUNS ON 7 HITS IN 5 INNINGS ON 4/26, WAS 1-1, 4.01 IN 5 STARTS.  HE IS NOW 8-1, 1.82.
LAST 7 STARTS:  7-0, 0.61  44 2/3 IP, 15H, 3R, 15BB, 50K
0-1-0-1-0-1-0 RUNS IN THOSE 7 GAMES.  2 OF THE RUNS CAME ON SOLO HRs, THE OTHER WHEN THE WHITE SOX (!) INEXPLICABLY MANAGED 3 HITS IN AN INNING.
 
@nyyankeesstats Luis Gil is the first pitcher since 1901 to throw 6 innings with 5 H or fewer and 1 R or fewer in seven straight games.

I think @Vegas_Millennial's comments were more sociological than political, and for what it's worth, I agree with him.  People's social circles aren't necessarily composed of people exactly like them, but far more often than not, one's friends are at least similar. 
Rich people have rich friends.  If you asked the Fortune 400 how many of them have a friend on food stamps, I'd bet my bottom dollar that number is zero (OK, maybe 1, always an exception).  Jocks hang out with jocks, artists hang out with artists, musicians with musicians, and (as I can attest) Filipinos hang out with Filipinos, even those who speak perfect English and have been in the US for decades tend to have mostly Filipino friends.  If you're completely closed off to associating with someone different from yourself, I agree that's an unhealthy attitude, but jocks with jocks & musicians with musicians is just human nature.
Of course, plenty of immigrants learn and even master English, but a certain percentage does not.  Sometimes that's age -- English proficiency for citizenship is waived for 65+.  Sometimes it's because between working full time (sometimes 2-3 jobs) and raising kids and taking care of a house, an immigrant just doesn't have the time & energy. 
And in some cases, they simply don't want to.  A friend who runs an immigrant-services nonprofit says a lot of immigrants didn't really want to come here but did anyway because they feared they would literally die in their home country.  Since they have every intention of returning, even some who have spent a decade+ in the US, they don't really want to learn English because to them that would be admitting that their dream of returning to their home country will never happen.
The exact number of immigrants who don't speak English is difficult to pin down because immigrants who don't speak English are often too embarrassed to admit it nor will they respond to a survey in an unfamiliar language.  But with a bit of googling, I found that 8.3% of US residents lack proficiency in English (hard data from the US Census), and 1-3% lack even basic knowledge (an estimate based on US Census data because getting an exact number is impossible).  Small percentages but millions of immigrants.  Hey, there's a reason California prints voting ballots in 30+ languages.

With age comes wisdom

Im really glad I chose not to get bariatric surgery.  I feel more in control with wegovey.  And it is very close to a magic pill.

South Park Wants to Put Cartman on Ozempic in The End of Obesity Paramount+ Special