alkan

Yes, I asked several other residents, not saying what I had seen, if they had been conscious of anything odd but no-one reported anything.

I have lived on the top floor of this block of flats for about twenty five years. The block and the two neighbouring blocks were converted from a single commercial building and the staircase in this block used to be the main staircase for the whole complex. A couple of years ago, before I retired, I was going to work very early one morning before anyone else would usually be stirring. I went out into the stairwell not bothering to turn on the light and saw that there were people thronging the three flights of stairs. In the dim light it took me a moment to realise the moving figures weren't substantial. I got to the last flight of steps in a bit of a panic to find some one sitting on the stair and obstructing the way. I pushed past and somehow through this last figure, saying, I think, "excuse me" and saw the hand that was resting on his knee was a skeleton hand. As I passed, I felt the hand reaching to grasp my trouser leg. I got out the front door, breathing rather heavily (all right, my heart was thumping). Later that day I was told that one of the residents of the next door block had died the previous day. I didn't see the moving figures again but during the ensuing week I got used to the seated figure (same time every morning). As the days passed he became sort of fainter but also seemed increasingly on the point of speaking (I had started to say "good morning"). The next week he had gone. I never saw anything else, even following the occasional deaths of other residents.

I think I remember several times when this has happened before! On this occasion, though the article does not make it clear, the tomb has been found in a not-completely-unlikely-place, in north east Alexandria, near the military hospital in Sidi Gaber, if anyone knows the city.

Your comment about Fischer-Dieskau sounding like "someone worth knowing" reminded me of a story a friend told me about running into Walter Legge, accompanied by a quiet woman whom my friend described as looking like a particularly dowdy Hausfrau, in a railway station. It wasn't until he and Legge had been conversing for several minutes that he suddenly realized the woman was Schwarzkopf.

I believe the true test of a singer's musicianship is how well they sing Schubert. Of those that I have heard in person, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau appealed to me the most. In a way, it might seem an odd way to assess a voice but, to me, he "sounded" like someone worth knowing. Among women, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, for much the same reason. Of course they both sang in opera as well but opera shows off a great voice, whereas lieder needs a great singer. Of course most of the names in earlier posts mean nothing to me, so I suppose my choices won't have much resonance with or interest for others but I am putting them out there in the name of good internet forum etiquette!

I believe the true test of a singer's musicianship is how well they sing Schubert. Of those that I have heard in person, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau appealed to me the most. In a way, it might seem an odd way to assess a voice but, to me, he "sounded" like someone worth knowing. Among women, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, for much the same reason. Of course they both sang in opera as well but opera shows off a great voice, whereas lieder needs a great singer. Of course most of the names in earlier posts mean nothing to me, so I suppose my choices won't have much resonance with or interest for others but I am putting them out there in the name of good internet forum etiquette!

Bonehead. As soon as people hear his name, they laugh and immediately loVe him. How could you not loVe such a sweet and gentle animal and such a goof.
He was born in a puppy mill and sold at a reprehensible pet shop to a family who found out that both his hips were dysplastic and that without surgery he would not see the end of the year. They returned him to the pet shop, which had a policy of euthanizing animals which were returned for medical conditions. One of the temporary employees of the store was a patient of mine and asked me if I would take him in. I was reluctant, but told her to bring him into the office. One look at him, Buddy as he was then known, and it was clear that he did not need to be taken in, because he was already in.
He was impossibly cute, eVen by the high cuteness standards of yellow lab puppies. His dysplastic hips did not slow him down at all and they led to a pronounced sashay when he walked.
I took him home that night and upon entry, he picked up a meat bone which was on the floor, threw it in the air and hit himself in the head.
I was already considering new "B" names, as I did not want him to carry the name bestowed on him at the pet store and as a result of his misguided juggling attempts, Bonehead he became and from then on, he did his best to show why he earned that name.
His first time at the Vet I was told his hips were the terrible. Worst the surgeon had seen and needed almost immediate attention. When I said that he did not appear in pain, I was told that Bonehead probably had just adjusted to the pain but that it was likely intense.
At three months he had the right femoral head, the ball of the ball and socket joint of the hip, remoVed. The next day he was running around as though he ruled the world.
Two weeks later, the left femoral head was taken. Again it took one day until he was running headlong through the house. His surgically altered hips lent his gait a comic quality. His right buttock would nearly hit his head with one step and then the entire rear half of his body would pendulum such that his left buttock would nearly strike the left side of the head.
At the dog park, he was always the star. He befriended other dogs immediately and the people in the park were enchanted by his disposition, his good looks and that walk which could out Giselle, Giselle, out Tyra, Tyra and could make Ru Paul gasp with jealousy.
His puppy mill genetics reared its ugly head during his lifetime. Cancer surgery for mast cell cancer at 6 and at 7. Always a trooper, he rocked the surgical collar with style and flare. A chronically displaced left elbow tolerated with barely a whimper. Then six months ago, a ligament in his rear right knee, the ACL, tore and he needed surgery again.
Again he trooped on through.
After the surgery, I was able to take his to work with me and he was a star. He befriended each person he met. He was greeted by the patients and the staff each day. Bonehead would sidle up to a demented person who was sitting alone and he would place in his head in that person's lap and slowly coax a head rub or an ear massage and then, without fail, he would coax a smile. Frail hands massaged his head.
After he was rehabilitated and he could stay home with the rest of the pack, patient's would ask how he was doing.
Two weeks ago, as I went to run an errand, he refused a treat and then he refused some liVerwurst. I immediately took him to the be seen and I was told he needed emergency surgery.
Again, trooper that he is, he was home and being a Bonehead the next day. The biopsy came back as a hemangiosarcoma which had bled into his abdomen. The prognosis was grim, six to nine months, if he was lucky.
He was not. This afternoon he refused a treat and turned his nose up at liVerwurst. Back to the hospital and as I feared, he had bled into the abdomen again.
I decided to take him home and as I waited, they walked him across the hospital waiting room. He sashayed slowly but with style and grace and I walked him out to the car.
So now, as I write this, he is lying at my feet. Hours, maybe days if he is lucky. He still gets up to follow me as I go around the house. I miss him already.

I remember the book quite well, a thick hardback edition belonging to my father. It was written in that typical-of-the-period style, as if from the beginning intended as the basis of a screenplay. My memories of it belong to that period of my childhood when I was looking out for the slightest hint of "gayness" to cling onto (I must have been about ten when it was published). The author, Allen Drury, wasn't quite a one-hit wonder but this was undoubtedly his best selling novel.

The author of the book was Allen Drury.
 
I read several of his follow-up books If I remember correctly, his plots became more and more politically right-wing.

The film and, even more so, Drury's novel are unusually pro-homosexual for the era. At the start of the the film, the senator from RI is shown having a one night stand at a hotel, and he and another senator discuss their skirt chasing. The insinuation is that it's unfair that the gay guy who's faithful to his wife is the one getting blackmailed.

I remember the book quite well, a thick hardback edition belonging to my father. It was written in that typical-of-the-period style, as if from the beginning intended as the basis of a screenplay. My memories of it belong to that period of my childhood when I was looking out for the slightest hint of "gayness" to cling onto (I must have been about ten when it was published). The author, Allen Drury, wasn't quite a one-hit wonder but this was undoubtedly his best selling novel.

I remember the book quite well, a thick hardback edition belonging to my father. It was written in that typical-of-the-period style, as if from the beginning intended as the basis of a screenplay. My memories of it belong to that period of my childhood when I was looking out for the slightest hint of "gayness" to cling onto (I must have been about ten when it was published). The author, Allen Drury, wasn't quite a one-hit wonder but this was undoubtedly his best selling novel.

Different strokes for different folks. I open threads all the time asking about certain escorts that imho are awful. I never post my feelings about them as respect to the Inquirer. Oh well

That could be a error and you cant see the emoticons or image they send to you
Each of those bars could be a emoticon, ask if he/she send you emoticons because for some reason youre not able to see them

Do you remember the experiment they did by placing the replica David in its designed original location? https://www.seeker.com/michelangelos-david-as-it-was-meant-to-be-seen-1765138881.html . I found that to be a quite convincing explanation for the size of hands and head.

I wouldn't capitalise it, I think it's more analogous to black and white which I also wouldn't capitalise when used about race. In general I would use a capital for groups that are described by national or continental origin, but not groups that are described by a characteristic. In English, country names and the derived adjectives (France, French unless for windows) and organised religions are traditionally capitalised. (In French, the adjectives for countries are not.) To add an element of confusion, I wouldn't capitalise indigenous or aboriginal. Except for Aboriginal/Aborigine in Australia which has become a name, not just a description. I don't see gay/Gay as an issue to go to the barricades about, though!

Do you remember the experiment they did by placing the replica David in its designed original location? https://www.seeker.com/michelangelos-david-as-it-was-meant-to-be-seen-1765138881.html . I found that to be a quite convincing explanation for the size of hands and head.

Yes, the expression on the face as seen from the front is different from what the usual side-on view suggests. But also, if Michelangelo was working within the Greek tradition of sculptural aesthetics, he may have been aware of one tradition which valued a small member as signifying a greater degree of self-control and intellectual attainment.

My 2 second review...it works...albeit not dramatically.
 
And the science behind it is strong and sound.
 
My longer answer:
I know someone who did one love handle and not the other as “self experiment”.
Three months later the difference in the amount of fat you could grab on each side
was impressively different. From across the room, with his shirt off, you could see a
difference between the two sides. Fully dressed and walking down the street?....not so much.
 
The procedure itself is relatively painless. Although if you’re the type that “gets
weird” about medical stuff...being sucked in between two freezing metal plates....
might be a little too much at first. Relax and breath. It’s not as bad as it sounds,
and the freeze quickly makes the area numb anyways.
 
Next you have to fight the boredom of being connected to the machine. Especially
if you plan on doing more than one session in a day. Bring your iPad and some
headphones...and you’ll be fine.
 
Like all things medical, make sure you pick someone reputable who does a lot of
these. If they don’t discuss multiple options, including the option to do nothing
and just loose 10 pounds....find someone else. They should also give you realistic
expectations. As I said, it works...but it takes three months and the gradual change
is subtle and hard to detect if you don’t have a “comparison”. Also, although it’s not
a “surgical” procedure....it is permanent and irreversible. I’ve seen results that were
uneven and odd looking....mostly the results of poor choice of device placement.
 
Once, several days later I did have severe....and I mean Severe and Unrelenting....
pains in the treatment areas. After several hours of true suffering I got lucky and
noticed the area itched a lot also...so I took a Benadryl and within 10 minutes I was
pain free. It must have had something to do with histamine release from the injured
tissue and/or nerves. Just a tip in case you experience the same thing. Other times...
I’ve had “mild discomfort” at worst.
 
Love handles are relatively easy and pain free. The area just below the belly button is the
the worst. I do recommend it, especially if you are averse to liposuction. I also suggest
starting in your early forties before your skin looses too much elasticity. Later in life,
surgical options will most likely have much better results.
 
Hope that helps!

Happy Birthday @Avalon - you do you! And I sincerely hope you feel better! Much health and happiness!

I missed this post earlier somehow. Your phrase "one reason Claudius gave" suggests it wasn't the real reason. But are you saying that a stronger nation has a right to invade a weaker one if it believes itself to be morally superior?

There are two separate concepts that are widely confused and conflated, often deliberately to enable people to deny any sort of responsibility. One is collective guilt, the other is some sort of collective or historical responsibility. I agree that there is no place for collective guilt, at least not after the immediate time has passed. Even then the concept of collective guilt is often misused to condemn a whole group when only certain parts of the group were responsible. To use your example, white people today are not guilty of things that some white people did to other racial groups in the past, nor are they collectively responsible for them. What they do have a responsibility to do is recognise the inherent disadvantage that POC suffer because of past discrimination, and the inherent advantage they have because of they way that discrimination caused society to be structured. Yes, individuals have responsibility, but it's delusional to think that there is now a level playing field. Certainly there is individual disadvantage that occurs within ethnic groups, but there is also systemic disadvantage that is structural. It's not as simple as telling the people who face this disadvantage that overcoming it is all down to them. Our forbears created the society that this happens in because it suited us, to refuse to acknowledge that is an act of historical blindness. (This acceptance is a separate issue from anything that might be done to redress it.)

I missed this post earlier somehow. Your phrase "one reason Claudius gave" suggests it wasn't the real reason. But are you saying that a stronger nation has a right to invade a weaker one if it believes itself to be morally superior?

Sorry @Avalon, there are distinctions to be made here. North America was inhabited already (not heavily populated of course, although the inhabitants were widespread enough) and Columbus thought he had reached somewhere else entirely so I would object to the use of the word "discovery" in this instance. And after all the Vikings had a short-lived settlement in Canada several hundred years before where they seem to have traded with the locals so you can't even say Columbus was the first European to reach it. None of that should diminish the pioneering spirit of the man, though.
 
I was taught without equivocation in school "Columbus discovered America". That is not only factually incorrect in regard to the meaning of the word, but it also encapsulates a euro-centric view of the world that is deeply unfortunate. That of course was a long rime ago and I think UK schools treat it differently now.

Columbus was only part of whole cavalcade of explorers and sailors who set off to explore the world. He brought back information about the new world, but he alone is not responsible for opening up the new world and most now believe that the thought of colonization is a symbol of suppression not of success. Surely the world would be different if it were not for colonization. I suggest it would be almost exactly the same without Columbus.