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1426

General Discussion / PH folks are unhappy because there's no time for Kai in this Asian Drama

« on: July 14, 2023, 12:33:51 AM »

...to show what he can do on the court:

Filipino NBA fans are mad about Kai Sotto’s benching in Summer League: ‘Using him for engagement and not playing him’

21-year-old Filipino prospect Kai Sotto is participating in this year's NBA Summer League with Orlando. However, in the first two games for the Magic, he hasn't been on the court for a single minute. NBA fans in the Philippines are unhappy with the Magic not playing Sotto and have reacted to it all over social media.

1427

General Discussion / Does this make Rock a hypocrite??

« on: July 14, 2023, 12:29:39 AM »

Kid Rock’s Nashville Bar Still Selling Bud Light After Call for Boycott

Remember when Kid Rock posted a video shooting at a couple of cases of Bud Light a few months ago because they partnered with a trans activist? His Nashville bar, Kid Rock's Big Ass Honky Tonk Rock 'N' Roll Steakhouse...

1428

General Discussion / We have "CRAZY RICH ASIANS", how about Crazy Rich Blacks too??

« on: July 14, 2023, 12:26:33 AM »

Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Samuel L. Jackson Enjoy 'Spectacular' European Vacation on Super Yacht
The friends and their wives have indulged in local fare such as sea bass in Greece, Italy and France


Magic Johnson is living la dolce vita in Europe!

On Wednesday, the NBA Hall of Famer, 63, shared a glimpse of his exclusive annual summer vacation — this year, featuring special cameos by Michael Jordan, Samuel L. Jackson and Judge Greg Mathis.

“Tonight we enjoyed an incredible dinner at the world-famous Da Paolino Ristorante aka the lemon tree restaurant in Capri, Italy!” Johnson wrote. “AND I got to hang out with my great friend and the greatest basketball player to ever live, Michael Jordan, and his wife Yvette, Sam and LaTanya Jackson, Judge Greg and Linda Mathis, and John and Vicki Palmer.”

In a carousel of photos, the seemingly relaxed friends posed for a group shot. In another shot, Magic and Jordan smiled as musicians serenaded them at the iconic restaurant.

Samuel L. Jackson Has an Annual Yacht Vacation with Magic Johnson — and Jimmy Kimmel Wants In!
The final image shows Magic and his wife, Cookie, 64, posing on the 296-foot Phoenix 2 superyacht in which they chartered to cruise the Mediterranean.

The boat accommodates 12 guests and offers seven cabins, including a split-level master apartment accessed by its own staircase, and a private terrace with a Jacuzzi, according to its website.

Over recent weeks, the group has also visited Greece and France, and enjoyed dinner at Michelangelo in Antibes and indulged in the fresh sea bass at the Hotel Cala di Volpe in Sardinia, according to Magic’s social media posts.

One night, the yacht’s chef cooked up an Asian-inspired meal featuring veggie fried rice, chicken fried rice, turkey spring rolls, general Tso’s chicken, black pepper beef, grilled vegetables, sweet and sour prawns, king crab with ginger dressing, Asian slaw, Chinese chicken soup and lobster, “just to name a few,” Magic wrote in one post.

“I topped it off with my favorite dessert, banana and peach gelato!” he shared.

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Cookie and Magic are known for their lavish summertime yachting trips with famous friends, such as Jackson and LL Cool J. In 2021, the group traced a route from Greece to Italy, stopping at ports like Capri, Sorrento and Sardinia.

Their 281-foot yacht was decked out with seven guest suites, a gym, a hair salon and two massage rooms. It also featured a full bar and a party deck.

 The Cutest Longterm Celebrity Couple Throwback Photos
And in 2019, the couple hosted a weekend-long party for their joint 60th birthday in St. Tropez, France, featuring celebrity guests like Jennifer Lopez, Spike Lee, and Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance.

Cookie shared a glimpse of their festivities on Instagram, writing, "What an incredible start to celebrating our 60th birthdays yesterday, I can't wait to see what Earvin has planned for tonight!!"

1429

General Discussion / 30k is "budget" now? Oh how time has changed, in this case, I would vote for the

« on: July 14, 2023, 12:17:47 AM »

..the Taco too having owned both the Wrangler and Taco...mainly because the Taco can haul more and it's more dependable:

We Need A Durable 4x4 That We Can Leave In The Mountains! What Car Should We Buy?
A $30,000 budget for an SUV or truck that works better on the trails

Kari and her wife spend their summers in the Colorado mountains to get away from the Texas heat. They both have European sport sedans that are fun on curvy roads, but aren’t ideal for light off-roading and hauling equipment. They want something durable with four-wheel drive that they can leave at their summer home. What car should they buy?

Here is the scenario:

My wife and I live in Texas, but spend a good part of the summer at our little condo in the Colorado mountains. While our cars are fun to drive up there (I have a 2019 Alfa Romeo Ti Sport and my wife has a 2021 BMW 330e), neither are particularly well-suited for hauling bikes or traversing unpaved trails. I’m trying to convince my wife that we should get a used 4x4 vehicle to potentially leave up there - either in the condo’s parking lot, or stored at the airport. The parking lot option is way more affordable than airport storage, but it’s unprotected and would leave the vehicle exposed to some pretty wicked elements in the winter. We don’t need anything new or super fancy, just dependable and reasonably capable. The budget isn’t set yet, but it won’t be too extravagant. Let’s say $30k-ish for now. I don’t want to wince when I add my own dents and dirt, you know? (Of note: we can both drive a manual, if that opens up our options)

1430

General Discussion / Does it really has everything to do with sex?

« on: July 13, 2023, 11:55:42 AM »

Why has Brenda Andrew been on death row for two decades? It has everything to do with sex.

In the United States, we no longer execute women for adultery. Or do we?

While the law says we cannot, the case of Brenda Andrew in Oklahoma makes clear that women’s consensual, extramarital sex is still seen as evidence of extreme depravity that merits harsh condemnation — up to and including the death penalty.

There has always been a double standard in this country when it comes to adultery. In colonial times, when adultery was a crime punishable by fines, stocks, whippings or death, there are few records of any prosecutions of married men. By contrast, the colonies frequently prosecuted married women for adultery. It remains a crime in Oklahoma. Although rare, adultery prosecutions throughout history have overwhelmingly targeted women and girls.

Brenda Andrew was sentenced to death in Oklahoma County in 2004 for the murder of her husband, Rob Andrew, from whom she was estranged. Although she is not the only woman to be convicted of murder in Oklahoma, she remains the only woman facing execution in the state. Her crime was not so unique that it would explain her sentence: Less than a year ago, Kristie Evans was sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiring to kill her husband. So why has Andrew been on death row for two decades?

The answer has everything to do with sex.

Throughout Andrew’s trial, Oklahoma County prosecutors Fern Smith and Gayland Geiger lingered on details of Andrew’s choice of clothing, hairstyles and cleavage. Witness testimony referred to her as a “hoochie.” Her dresses were too tight, her skirts too short, her shirts too low-cut. Smith and Geiger portrayed her as a harlot who could not control her sexual appetites. Urging the jury to convict her, Geiger displayed pieces of Andrew’s lingerie in shades of pink, red and black, and told the jury that it was not the kind of underwear a grieving widow would wear. The Oklahoman reported at the time that the display drew gasps from the courtroom.

But the prosecution didn’t stop there. They told the jury that in addition to being a seductress, Andrew was a bad mother. Why? Because she had sex with men other than her husband. And that, apparently, was reason to sentence her to die.

1431

General Discussion / Are Asians just doormat to everyone including tourists? That's why we gotta step

« on: July 13, 2023, 11:53:07 AM »

..up by defending ourselves more...speak up, fight back!

Delaware police warn against South American ‘crime tourists’ targeting Asian American homes

SATGs, also known as South American “crime tourists,” are highly organized criminal enterprises that travel from state to state to commit burglaries, police said in a news release. They are known to steal cash, jewelry, watches, gold bars and designer merchandise from the homes of their victims, who are reported to be Asian Americans.

How SATGs operate: The groups allegedly utilize radios, disguises, lookouts and surveillance to swiftly execute their plans. Afterward, they ship the stolen items back to their home countries or sell them before they leave the U.S., according to police.

One Wilmington home has purportedly been targeted twice. Joshua Huang said his family was at their restaurant, Hong Hing, when burglars broke into their property to steal items worth thousands of dollars.

“It’s pretty frustrating to get robbed again,” Huang told Fox Philadelphia of Saturday’s break-in. “It makes me wish that this time we could actually catch them, so that we could get our money back.”

What police are doing: New Castle police said they have responded to multiple burglaries of similar nature so far this year. In partnership with agencies from multiple states, they have also made arrests, apprehending nationals from countries such as Chile and Colombia.

Four burglary suspects are currently being sought. They are identified as Miguel A Gutierrez-Diaz, Juan Camillo Cuervo-Martinez, Benjamin Andres Ovalle-Taibo and Jonathan Andres Vejar-Caro.

How to stay safe: Homeowners are urged to take several precautions to protect themselves and their properties from criminals.

1432

General Discussion / I have not tried hard steamed eggs so giving it a shot to see if it's different

« on: July 13, 2023, 12:10:30 AM »

...from hard boiled eggs in regards to texture and taste:

1433

General Discussion / When we were poor, pob kws was one of the staple so it's like comfort

« on: July 13, 2023, 12:07:50 AM »

...food for me now  :

1434

General Discussion / Was in Stockton recently so visited my old school & they still have the same

« on: July 12, 2023, 11:57:21 PM »

...pencil dispenser from decades ago...

The only difference now is it's a quarter per pencil compared to a dime when I attended that school as a kid. The staff said, no one really buys those pencils anymore due to technology such as Chromebooks:

1435

General Discussion / Guess that's part of the charm for some as it's 2023 and sill no hood nor

« on: July 12, 2023, 11:48:46 PM »

..gas cap lock for the Wrangler. When I owned my 98 TJ Wrangler, I went aftermarket to find a lock for my hood as well as a locking gas cap. Took these photos because I'm still scratching my head over it  :

1436

General Discussion / In 1994, this white horse was flying off the shelfs after Orenthal tuck and ran

« on: July 12, 2023, 11:43:47 PM »

...from the LA PD....

Saw this white Bronco so it reminded me of the OJ chase... :

1437

General Discussion / Speaking of Stockton, this guy has saved my butt a few times already

« on: July 12, 2023, 11:36:20 PM »

..especially at night when I dropped a bolt or a nut in the engine compartment that needs to be retrieved..  :

1438

General Discussion / It's a losing prop for CA as many homeless folks prefer to stay off the grid

« on: July 12, 2023, 11:21:03 PM »

...so they can do their thing freely ..:

California has spent billions to fight homelessness. The problem has gotten worse

Los Angeles
CNN
 —
California has spent a stunning $17.5 billion trying to combat homelessness over just four years. But, in the same time frame, from 2018 to 2022, the state’s homeless population actually grew. Half of all Americans living outside on the streets, federal data shows, live in California.

Across the country, homelessness is on the rise. But California is adding more homeless people every year than any other state. More than 170,000 unhoused people now live here.

“The problem would be so much worse, absent these interventions,” Jason Elliott, senior adviser on homelessness to Gov. Gavin Newsom, told CNN. “And that’s not what people want to hear. I get it, we get it.”

But with $17.5 billion, the state could, theoretically, have just paid the rent for every unhoused person in California for those four years, even at the state’s high home costs.

“That is reductive … Perhaps that would work for me, because I don’t have significant behavioral health challenges.” said Elliott. “If two thirds of people on the streets right now are experiencing mental health symptoms, we can’t just pay their rent.”

The admittedly reductive math would leave nearly $4 billion for services like mental health treatment. But even if California did want to pay rent for every homeless person, there just isn’t enough affordable housing to go around.

“We need 2.5 million more units in California,” said Elliott. “This is a problem that is decades and decades in the making because of policy choices that we’ve made. We are not blameless. And when I say we, I mean Republicans and Democrats alike.”

A total of $20.6 billion has been allocated through 2024 to combat homelessness. Nearly $4 billion went to local governments to spend on anti-homelessness initiatives. $3.7 billion went to a program called Project Homekey, which also funds local governments, but specifically to buy properties like motels and commercial buildings to turn into permanent, affordable housing. So far 13,500 units have been finished. “It’s not enough,” said Elliott. “But reversing the slide is the first step to creating an increase.”

Cristina Smith recently moved into one of the new affordable units in Los Angeles. After five years without a home she had, like many, given up hope. “I thought it was fake,” she told CNN affiliate KCBS. “Until they gave me the keys and then I was like this is real. You don’t believe it after a while.”

A further $2 billion from the huge pot went toward tax credits for developers to build affordable housing, which has seen 481 new units completed so far, with thousands more anticipated. Another $2 billion went to kick-start affordable housing projects, stalled by funding shortfalls. And nearly $2 billion was spent on emergency rental assistance.

California has, in recent years, suffered devastating wildfire seasons and, of course, the Covid pandemic. Both put extra pressure on housing.

“It’s frustrating, it’s frustrating … It’s frustrating for us,” said Elliott. “At the end of the day if we want to truly solve homelessness in America. We need to build more housing.”

Dr. Margot Kushel, who worked with Elliott to formulate a pandemic plan for the state’s homeless population, just published a hefty report, the results of a survey of nearly 3,200 unhoused people across California she hails as “the largest representative study of homelessness since the mid-1990s.” Kushel, who is director of the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, was commissioned by the state to find out who is homeless in California and why, in the hope her data might help fine-tune the state’s response to what Newsom has called “a disgrace.”

Politicians, and many voters, want solutions. Newsom devoted his entire State of the State speech in 2020 to the issue. In a recent poll, 84% of Californians said they think homelessness is a “very serious problem.” In Los Angeles, the issue dominated last year’s mayoral race with the winner, Karen Bass, declaring a state of emergency on homelessness on her very first day in office.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, left, tour an emergency housing community site in San Jose in October 2020, shortly after Newsom announced more funding to fight homelessness.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, left, tour an emergency housing community site in San Jose in October 2020, shortly after Newsom announced more funding to fight homelessness.
Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group/AP
Kushel’s report dispelled some myths. Number one, that many people on the street don’t want a home. Not true, says Kushel. “Participants overwhelmingly wanted permanent housing,” she concludes in the report.

Number two, that many people on the streets of California are not from California. There’s a widely held belief that many people become homeless elsewhere, and come to California for the weather and the more liberal approach to homelessness. And therefore, California does not owe them anything. Not true, says Kushel.

“Nine out of 10 people lost their stable housing here. These are Californians,” she said. “We have to create the housing for all Californians.”


Los Angeles is offering the homeless motel rooms ... but with some tricky conditions
05:33 - Source: CNN
Myth number 3: that mental illness is the driving force behind homelessness. Yes, 66% of respondents did report, “symptoms of mental health conditions currently,” which is the statistic quoted by Elliott, the governor’s adviser, to argue a solution is more complicated than just writing rent checks. But Kushel questioned if mental health problems led to homelessness, or the other way round.

“Most of that, half of people, had severe depression or severe anxiety – not surprising if you were experiencing homelessness,” she said.

Still, tackling mental health issues among the unhoused is a major plank in the Newsom administration’s effort. “We’re taking a new approach,” he said last spring when unveiling his mental health plan, “Rather than reforming in the margins a system that is foundationally and fundamentally broken.”

Part of the new approach is, controversiall y, to effectively force some people into mental health help – allowing relatives, social services or medical personnel to refer people to be considered for a court-ordered treatment program.

“Just tackling the mental health side can’t solve the problem,” says Kushel. “Not when the median rent is $2,200 for a two-bedroom apartment.”


See where thousands of homeless are forced to live in LA
03:40 - Source: CNN
Which brings us back to the need for 2.5 million more homes. The state does have a plan to build them all by 2030. But here in California, like elsewhere, housing and zoning decisions are down to local governments.

“We’ve got communities in this state that are refusing to build low-income housing,” Elliott, the governor’s adviser, told CNN. “Because they say it’s all just rapists and child molesters. So that’s, that’s, that’s the dynamic that we’re facing, right?”

The state is suing a number of wealthier cities for thwarting the construction of affordable housing within their borders.

There aren’t enough affordable houses in California, therefore rents are too high.

“The primary problem for homelessness is economics,” said Kushel. “People just don’t have the money … to pay the rent.”

Dr. Margot Kushel said getting people into permanent housing -- not just off the street -- needs to be the focus.
Dr. Margot Kushel said getting people into permanent housing -- not just off the street -- needs to be the focus.
CNN
So, how much money would people need to make up the shortfall and stay in their homes? “One of the surprising things was how optimistic people were that relatively small amounts of money would have prevented their homelessness,” Kushel said of the people surveyed. “For a lot of them, that $300 or $500 a month would do the trick.”

The Newsom administration is spending more to combat homelessness than this state ever has before. Prior to 2018 there was no coherent statewide plan or funding structure. But, they say, the state needs help. “The federal government needs to get in the game and do what it used to do, which is provide housing as a guarantee,” said Elliott. He says for every four Americans in need of a housing voucher, there is just one voucher available.

“Food stamps are a guarantee. Health care is a guarantee. Public education is a guarantee,” he said. “Housing? 25% chance. Spin the wheel.”

Asked how state officials have reacted to her report and recommendation s, Kushel replied, “I think they’re on board. I hope, I think they’re relatively on board. I don’t agree with everything, but I think they’re trying.” Asked what she doesn’t agree with, Kushel demurred, “Oh, gosh, I don’t know. I mean, as you can hear, I really want to have a single-minded focus on getting people into permanent housing and I think that is the root of how we end homelessness.” She did agree some politicians might be more focused on the window dressing of getting people off the street, into shelters or motels, rather than actually into permanent housing.

“I couldn’t disagree more with that characterizati on,” said Elliott. “We’re facing a tidal wave and we’re doing the best we can – to mix metaphors a little bit – to paddle out from that and to try to tread water and do as best we can while we try to make the fundamental change necessary both in California and at the national level to truly address homelessness.”

In Los Angeles, the epicenter of the homelessness crisis in the Golden State, Mayor Bass launched a program called Inside Safe, to clear street encampments. At a roundtable with reporters recently, she was keen to trumpet the success of moving more than 1,300 people off the streets into motels but refused to even estimate how many of those people have been moved into permanent housing. The 2023-2024 city budget includes $250 million for Inside Safe. From the total, $110 million will be used to pay for temporary motels. $21 million will be used for permanent housing.

I know one woman in Los Angeles who was moved from a tent into a motel room nearly 200 days ago under Inside Safe. She is still there and says there is still not even a plan to move her into a permanent home. She says she’s frustrated and losing hope.

There is no silver bullet.

“They’re trying really hard to keep people alive,” said Kushel. “And they’re kind of stuck in this vicious cycle of not having the housing to send people to.”

1439

General Discussion / I know Mr_Mechanic enjoys it as much as me so say it ain't so??

« on: July 12, 2023, 11:15:44 PM »

‘It’s a disaster’: California farmer faces ordeal as pistachio farm sits underwater

CORCORAN, Calif. — A few years ago, Makram Hanna took his savings from years of work in real estate and decided to make a big investment together with relatives and two other families. They bought 1,270 acres of farmland in Kings County, and in 2021 they planted pistachio trees.

Many of those trees, which have yet to produce a crop, now sit under 2 feet of water.

“It’s a disaster,” Hanna said, standing with arms crossed beside rows of inundated pistachio trees. “Huge losses.”

The floodwaters cover hundreds of acres on the farm. Hanna fears that many of the trees will not survive.

The return of Tulare Lake after this year’s major storms has left Hanna and his family with a costly ordeal — and many questions about how they might be able to recover from the loss.

“To see everything we worked for going down the drain, it’s very hard,” he said. “We have to think about the future, and where we get funds to rebuild our farm. It’s very difficult.”

The lake has reappeared previously in wet years, such as 1969, 1983 and 1997. And many of the fields that have flooded were planted with seasonal row crops such as tomatoes, cotton and safflower. For these types of crops, growers can simply evacuate sprinklers and other equipment to wait out the flooding.

Tree crops, however, sustain more costly damage. And in recent years, landowners have planted more pistachio orchards around the Tulare Basin as well as other parts of the San Joaquin Valley. Some of those orchards turned out to be vulnerable when rivers swollen with runoff broke through levees and inundated farmlands.

For Hanna, who commutes to the farm each week from his home in San Diego County, dealing with the flooding and trying to save the remaining trees presents a stressful challenge.

The 68-year-old immigrated to the United States from Egypt in 1979, and he said overseeing the pistachio farm often reminds him of his childhood, when he worked during summers on his grandmother’s small cotton farm.

Months ago, he would enjoy walking through the rows and inspecting the trees. But lately, he is intent on finding ways to limit the damage.

“My focus is to find a solution for this disaster,” Hanna said. “What do we need to do not to lose everything? Because right now, it seems like we are about to lose everything.”

Here's my bag and like Mr_Mechanic said, "once you start, you don't want to stop"... :

1440

Marriage & Family Life / Now that's a stalker, all the way until marriage huh??

« on: July 12, 2023, 03:04:22 PM »

Nothing wrong with a woman pursuing a man by taking the initiative but this kind of stalking may seem creepy...kind of like some male stalkers' cases...

Woman Stalked A Man For Two And A Half Years — And Then Married Him

According to statistics, 1 in 6 men have experienced stalking victimization at some point in their lifetime. Stalking is defined as “a pattern of behavior directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.”

Stalker behavior incudes but is not limited to following a person, driving by a person’s place of employment or school, sending unwanted gifts, persistent calling, tracking a person via GPS or other means, or threatening their friends and/or family.

One woman on Reddit revealed that stalked a man for two and a half years before meeting him and eventually becoming his wife.
The woman (Hot_Relation89 9) explained in a now-deleted post on the subreddit r/offmychest that she met the man of her dreams when he was walking his dog at the park and stopped to talk to her brother. They both walked him home and continued to chat. “That was the moment I became hooked,” she wrote.

RELATED: Teenage Boy Called 'Heartless' For Throwing Out Cupcakes Given To Him By A Girl He Says Is 'Stalking Him'

That night she found his Instagram, his family’s social media, and where he lived. She was only 14 and he was 18 so she devised a plan. Phase one of the plan was to infiltrate his family.

His little brother was a year younger than she was and going to go to the same high school as her the following year. The woman decided to befriend him as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until she was a junior in high school that this was completed, but then she moved onto gaining the trust of his mom.

She became close with his mom, who loved to talk about her son. From his mom she learned “what college he was attending, about his past girlfriends, what his elementary/middle school was, his favorite/least favorite foods, his pet peeves, what he likes.”

RELATED: Woman Reveals Harsh Truth About Why Wives Are Never 'In The Mood' To Sleep With Their Husbands

She finally formally met her current husband. The woman grew close with him.