papsrus

I know nothing about this character, nor do I care what his sexual orientation might be, but I trust you don't mean to equate homosexuality with fetishism, voyeurism, sadism, masochism and beasteality, etc. ?? Baiting the Christian? No, I don't equate them. All I am saying is that Dumbledore's sexuality has no bearing whatsoever on the story. I didn't think you were, but it could have been read like that. Frankly, it doesn't seem like something that should matter one way or the other. But, I haven't followed the story in any detail, so ....

... Yeah, I suppose so, now that you mention it.

I know nothing about this character, nor do I care what his sexual orientation might be, but I trust you don't mean to equate homosexuality with fetishism, voyeurism, sadism, masochism and beasteality, etc. ??

The thing about Bourdain is he seeks out what the "locals" eat. Whatever that is, he eats it. There was an episode where he went to eat with some African bushmen. ... (This was bound to turn out badly) ... and off he went with the bushmen to catch a wild hog for dinner. They got their hog and I believe as the honorary guest, Bourdain was given the honor of slitting it's throat, something that disturbed him a little, but it gets better (or worse). To cook the hog the bushmen get a fire going in a pit, throw the hog into the pit and cover it with sand. They let is smolder away for awhile, then dig it up and dig in. Well, needless to say, the cooking is a little "uneven." Some parts burnt, some raw. And again, as the honored guest, Bourdain is offered the most desirable part of the hog. .... (wait for it) ........... the anus!!!!! And it's not fully cooked!!!!!!!! He always, always plays the good guest and eats what he is offered, and so he did. Peering into the camera after eating, he says, "I can say without any doubt, that is the worst meal I've ever had in my life." No shit. Love the show. The Iceland episode was classic too. Apparently, rotten shark meat is a delicacy there. And ... there's nothing really for the locals to do but get stinking drunk in public.

My parents have a small place in Cernobbio, it is very beautiful there. The down side is the ever increasing popularity with tourists. That would be ... us

You're new at this, aren't you? Hah! ... Guess so. ... Imagine standing in line at the bank clutching a moldy old suitcase with bills hanging out the side. ... Nothing suspicious going on here. ... And then pleading "finders keepers!!" when the manager and four security guards arrive to "help." I like MG's idea ... you get to hang out at the race track for a while. I guess the logical thing to do is fly straight to Vegas then?

It depends on where I found it. If I found it in a scruffy old suitcase half buried in the woods, I'd probably keep it and stash it in the bank for a while before doing anything with it. If I found it at a subway station, I'd probably turn it in to the police. If no one claimed it after a certain period of time, it would belong to me. Knowing that a criminal wouldn't claim it from the police, but would likely wait until it had been awarded to me before coming after it, I'd keep the cash handy for a good long while just in case.

Yes! ... Beautiful. Tennessee ain't bad either. Somewhere on a lake, with a dock, and the dogs. Perfect. Either that or somewhere on the Mediterranean. France, Italy, maybe Spain. Europe appeals, but I'd get homesick for the good old USA, nutty as it is.

Re: USF loss to Rutgers So much for the "decent running game." ... and so much for a defense that can stop one ... Ah well ... it was a nice ride while it lasted.

Yep. Leaving a radio on as well is a good idea.

Wow, a lot of folks here have been robbed. Guess I shouldn't be surprised. I've had my car broken into but never my home. Couple of more thoughts. Organizing a neighborhood watch type deal with your neighbors is a good idea. Even if it's only an informal arrangement. Give a spare key to the guy across the street and ask him to check in. Do the same when he goes away. This is not substitute for an alarm system, but it's reassuring to have your neighbors watching out for you. The other thing is, it's probably actually a good thing that the thief found all that cash. I would imaging as soon as he got his grubby little hands on it, he was outta there. I heard a story about a person who had their home broken into a couple of times while they were away. Eventually, they just started leaving a couple of hundred dollar bills on the front hall table. The idea being, a thief would grab it and get the hell out.

The cops probably have the guy's prints on record. Hopefully you'll recover your wedding bands and the other stuff. You might want to contact some pawn shops. I'm sure a thief would try to unload those asap. Not cool. Sorry to hear it.

The main problem in the NFL right now is that there are only a handful of teams that are any good. ... And Dallas is one of those teams, so there you go. The rest, frankly, stink. I've got the Sunday Ticket deal on the dish, and it's actually difficult to find one damn game out of all of them that's worth watching. The Patriots seem to be able to play football at a professional level. Dallas also. Indy, of course. After that .... what? This whole season boils down to this: Will it be Indy or New England that beats the crap out of whatever team stumbles into the Super Bowl from the NFC. All this talk I hear on espn about the Giants defense and Brett Favre and on and on, it's pointless. Those teams will not beat the Pats. No way. There are some baaaad teams in this league that are barely able to complete a pass.

Nicely done! Play a little chess myself, but nowhere near your level, obviously.

Indeed. I also doubt Ohio State will win out. LSU is still No. 4 in the BCS rankings, and if they manage to win the SEC, they could get a shot at the title game. Oklahoma at No. 5 as well, if they win the Big 12. That would be a nice matchup, I think. I don't know enough about BC to say one way or the other. I've seen USF play quite a bit, and they have a really good defense. They toss the ball around pretty well on offense and have a decent running game. Kicking game is hit and miss, but they can score, no doubt. If they win out, there's a good chance they'll make the title game. With their defense, who knows ...??

BCS poll 1. Ohio State 2. USF (woo-hoo!) 3. Boston College 4. LSU 5. Oklahoma 6. South Carolina 7. Kentucky 8. Arizona State 9. West Virginia 10. Oregon Wow! Some new schools here. SEC with three, Pac 10 and Big East with two. Big Ten and Big 12 and ACC with one each. I'm thinking this list will be completely different by the end of the year. Although, USF has a chance to win out. They do play Thursday at Rutgers. That may be dicey.

Actually, the Big Ten pretty much sucks this year. Yet, they have the No. 1 ranked team in the country right now. Weird.

USF No. 2 in the Associated Press poll; No.3 in the coaches poll. wow! The first BCS ranking comes out today, I believe. Should be interesting. What a wacky year so far.

The Red Sox just look too strong. I'm hoping the Tribe can battle back and we get a good series out of it. It wouldn't be disaster if the Sox took Games 1 & 2. They're supposed to win at home after all. But man, they look powerful and really confident. Indians had no answer in Game 1. Rocks-Sox could be a great series!

Ah ... collars ... another worthless waste of cloth. ....

Ties are ridiculous. What was the original idea anyways? It's good to have something tight around your neck? They're a stupid accessory. I only wear them when necessary, and they come off as soon as I leave the restaurant.

I don't bet either, as a rule. However, once each year (and the time is approaching) we have a guy in the office who goes out to Vegas and we all kick in $50 and bet on one game -- all or nothing. We've done this for a few years, and have always won! We use the proceeds to throw a party. Plus, we have a party watching the game we bet on. We always pick a dog of a game with two bad teams. Usually in this situation the home team gets a few points just because they're the home team. So last year, for instance, I believe we took the Titans to beat Miami at Miami. I believe Miami was favored by a point or two. It does add some excitement watching the game. Of course, the downside is, you're forced to watch two bad teams play.

Any of you fellas been to Vegas? Or pay attention to point spreads, over-unders, that sort of thing? Just curious.

Dan Am I correct in that there are games Friday and Saturday, no game on Sunday. Game 3 is Monday night Yep LINK should be a good series!

Yes, yes. ... It's a birthday bonanza!!!!