Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438

No, they didn't. Although there were times during that game that the Pats almost beat themselves.... LL

Leave 'em be, UB...at least until after next Sunday's game; I wouldn't want them developing any sudden capabilities when they play the Pats. LL

Actually, we are not talking about "public transportation". We're are talking about a common carrier, to whom I must pay a substantial ticket price. In exchange for that fee, I expect the carrier to keep flaming morons out of my face and my space. I can't just get up and walk away. Expect some nasty confrontations if the airlines force us to endure the boorish big mouths as they berate their employees and brag about their conquests. LL

Too much hot water in a shower can be worse than not enough. I have a client that manufacturers shower valves. They were sued a couple of years ago when a hotel guest was scalded to death in their shower. This was odd, as the valve was equipped with a mechanical "stop" to prevent such occurrences. By law, the plumbing inspector was obligated to check the tub outlet in each bathroom with a thermometer, making sure that the "stop" prevented the discharge of water in excess of 120 degrees F. If this is done, the faucet cannot be turned further, and 120 deg. is the max that can be produced at the spout. However, this hotel was built on a thin budget, and to save money, the owner deleted one of the boiler systems called for in the plans. This over-worked the remaining boilers, leading to guest complaints of insufficient hot water in the rooms. To counter the complaints, the owner sent his handyman around to each room, with instructions to fully open all of the "stops". (You should have seen the looks on the hotel's lawyers' faces when that admission came out at deposition!) With the limits removed, the tubs discharged water as high as 190-200 degrees F. The victim, an elderly woman, was unable to get out of the stream of scalding water, and basically cooked in the tub. LL

Aw, come on! You cannot allow water that flows into the drain to re-enter the supply; that's unsanitary and violates every plumbing code that I'm aware of. And the cost of treating that water to make it potable again would usually exceed the cost of simply heating and pumping more water from a fresh water supply. Somebody is telling Tall Tales! LL ps: Some very sophisticated buildings have self-contained wastewater treatment systems, capable of treating gray water and bringing it back to potable standards; but those systems do NOT simply allow waste water to "drain down" into the supply system below. Drain water is piped to the treatment system, filtered, chemically treated, and after meeting certain purity requirements, reused. I'd be surprised to see this in your local Holiday Inn.

Yeah; mine too. But thinking about it some, that water ends up running through soil, and then in an aquifer, and then in your neighbor's well, and then in his mouth. I'm not sure that natural filtration through soils removes the fibers, either. LL

Zoned system, multiple boilers. LL

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JNYFYFY/ref=atv_hm_hom_1_c_ptreac_5_brws3?_encoding=UTF8&pf_rd_i=home&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2750832042&pf_rd_r=4XA7KRASD6MZF67A3K50&pf_rd_s=center-11&pf_rd_t=12401 LL

I love fleece; much to my surprise, my local paper ran an article last week regarding an environmental concern regarding fleece. It seems fleece garments shed fibers like crazy in the wash, and the wash water (if it discharges into a municipal system) then deposits those fibers into streams and oceans and beaches - not good. Take a look here: http://www.outsideonline.com/2091876/patagonias-new-study-finds-fleece-jackets-are-serious-pollutant I may be headed back to wool and real fur. LL

Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus!!! LL

Congrats, Army!!! Barkeep...the drinks are on the winners!!!! LL

LL

You are absolutely correct! LL

I confess...I have not popped popcorn in years. Around the Holidays, I gorge on gifts of caramel corn. The rest of the year, I like Smartfood - popcorn covered in white cheddar cheese (also available in Jalapeno Ranch and Caramel) . All popped, coated and ready for eating. Lazy. LL

HP: I don't know any of the details here, and it certainly sounds bad. But the first thing that popped up on a Google search was Feigel's disbarment memorandum, and it looks like he lost his ticket due to fabricating some Court orders related to the sale of a client's horses, and some other related misconduct - not due to the alleged real estate scam. http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/160455 LL

Make that 14 years LL

As a kid growing up at the time of the Mercury program, John Glenn was Superman and Roy Rogers rolled into one. We were glued to the TV for every launch; our schools allowed us to go to the cafeteria at recess and watch a set that was brought in for just that purpose. He was the closest thing we had to a real-life hero. I really did not follow his political career; I choose not to be distracted from remembering him as one of the Seven. LL

I chose to take both the "free" basic coverage and to buy more through the NRA. In a non-gun friendly state, I did not wish to give my homeowner's insurer any reason to not renew my coverage. I've had no losses, so I can't tell you whether the policies will be worth the cost. LL

Forty: I'm no military historian or social scientist, but to my simple mind, (and acts of terror excepted), WWII was the last time that we were directly threatened, and the last time that the threat was so personal, immediate and overwhelming that we became totally unified. There was simply no doubt that we needed to participate in all out warfare, without reservation, in order to preserve our way of life. Collateral damage was regretted after the war, not a focus during the war. Most of the "actions" that followed were political creations, designed for "limited warfare" - an impossible concept. You cannot win a war with limited engagement. You cannot expose your people to deadly force, but tie their hands by limiting the scope of action or the quantum of force they can apply. It's like the bully on the playground - either put him down with your first, full effort punches, or be prepared to receive his response and endure an extended conflict. Problem is that we cannot seem to agree, as a nation, on whether we have the right to fight another all-out war. This leaves us bickering about how much is enough and how much is too much. When Gen. Schwarzkopf took the coalition up the gut of Iraq, it was the first time in my lifetime that we saw our military fight without limited rules of engagement or artificial restraint (that is, until they got near Baghdad). It was amazing, thrilling and darned effective. Compared with the quagmire of political indecision in Viet Nam, it restored our faith in our ability to operate effectively, given training, leadership and an open field. When Bush One halted the advance, I felt a pang of regret, mixed with the certainty that we would be back there in a few years; it happened sooner than I thought. Perhaps the concerns over a Secretary of Defense with a military background are overblown. I tend to believe that if war is justified, it should be all-out war, without restraint, without political limitation. There is no politically correct way to kill people. Do it fast, do it thoroughly, and when you are done, there will be plenty of opportunities to try to make friends again. LL

My last Chocolate Lab, Mousse, went too soon. His ashes are in an ornamental container, on a chest just inside the door into my Cape house. I give him a caress on the way in and on the way out. He's with me still. LL

I seem to recall this Ooops moment. And I can't help but think that if it was you or me throwing cannonballs through Alameda, we would have lost our permits and spent some time in the hoosegow. Not to mention the civil suit. LL

Actually, to restore a house that MIGHT be a criminal's boyhood home. The search for municipal income has been stretched to its limits....or beyond. LL

Declan is an old and revered Irish name.....http://nameberry.com/babyname/Declan And apparently pretty popular, too - No.112 in 2015. LL

Notice my small font...I was trying to whisper, sensing a cultural issue. LL

Clay: Your words were just fine. I agree with you completely. LL