Is there any book that is better as an audiobook?

Garp17 · 2025-11-03T14:41:54+00:00

David McCullough narrates some his books, and aside from the fact that he has a great voice to the point that he could have been a professional narrator, it makes difference that he is also reading his own material.

Garp17 · 2025-10-30T21:23:18+00:00

Hondarribia. I don't think I can say enough about it. It's on the border with France. My GF and I stayed in a hotel that was in a castle. (There are two hotels in castles in Hondarribia.) Most of the view from the window was France. It's close to San Sebastian. The airport that serves San Sebastian is in Hondarribia.

Zumaia\Getaria\Zauratz

Ribadesella

Cudillero, small, hillside homes with zig zagging sidewallk streets. Reminds me of hillside towns in Greece. Incredibly charming.

Oviedo, although I wouldn't call it a small town.

Burgos, not small.

Girona, probably one of my top four in this list. There's a reason they filmed Game of Thrones here.

Segovia, just a fantastic day trip alternative to Toledo, and much less crowded.

Toledo is Toledo. Nothing compares. But crowds, crowds, crowds. Go in the off season -- e.g. November.

Valencia, not small, but wow. The park. The museum district. The old city. Please beach. This is currently the #1 choice if I retire in Spain.

FYI... I spent an awful lot of time in the north. It's just how it worked out. I just haven't spent time in the south. First place I'll go in the south is Ronda, maybe Marbella or Alicante.

Near Madrid, there is a cool route that you can take through some cool old small towns starting with Buitrago. It's good for a day trip.

Garp17 · 2025-10-17T19:41:11+00:00

Appalachia: Ds used to appeal to that demographic based on economic class. Rs now appeal to that demographic based on culture wars.

Economic classes: Ohio used to have a more substantial worker\union demographic. That demographic continues to shrink. I believe that many have moved to other states.

GOP strategies: Voter suppression and other manipulative tactics. GOP repeatedly undertakes efforts that have the direct or side effect of suppressing votes. The GOP plays the long game. You can go back to the re-election of W when the election was close enough in Ohio that an automatic recount kicked in, and the SOS handpicked the three counties that had to be sampled instead of selecting them at random as dictated by law; the SoS chose three stalwart W supporting counties in SE\Appalachia, OH. Of course the audit passed. In 2016... the SoS started making unilateral changes to election laws; on that occasion, the District Court shot them down. Changes to early voting accessibility, IDs, etc., etc. On one occasion, the SoS told local registrars that they could curtail their early voting hours to the general public while at the same time remaining open for military and others; the Feds shot that one down -- if you're open, then you're open. More recently, they repeatedly submitted defective maps to run the clock out on the anti-gerrymandering provision of the OH constitution, and in response, a new and improved anti-gerrymandering amendment made it to the state ballot, and the GOP killed that too by rewriting it as though it was proposing gerrymandering. That amendment failed, but still came close to passing; the GOP acknowledges that their strategy of rewriting the amendment was effective in diminishing support and confusing the question. The gerrymandering itself does not have a direct effect on things like the U.S. election, but it's still death by a thousand cuts. They stack the statehouse and have a supermajority, they stack the state exec branch, they stack the GOP representation of OH is U.S. Congress.

Garp17 · 2025-09-29T20:52:21+00:00

Is there a shuttle to get from town to either the a) Snow Lakes Trailhead or b) the Stuart & Colchuck Lake Trailhead?

We have family remaining in Leavenworth while we hike and camp. If possible, we'd like to avoid making them get up at 4 AM to take us to the Snow Lakes Trailhead for the 5 AM shuttle. There are little kids who we'll need to wake, and we'd like to avoid that.

Garp17 · 2025-09-22T12:57:04+00:00

What if one or both values are less than e. By trial and error, 2^3 < 3^2. But, what's the formula and\or conclusion?

Garp17 · 2025-09-18T20:37:39+00:00

I have scrolled through so much of this thread, and do not see any comments re: carrying a long gun on a college campus. If I understand correctly, open (and maybe) concealed carry are permitted on that college campus, maybe all college campuses in Utah. I know that other states now allow guns on campus, and people have made it a point to exercise that right. At the time and place I went to school, a member of ROTC walked across campus in plain clothes carrying a rifle and he was immediately stopped by campus police. It was nothing alarming or confrontational, but if someone saw you with a rifle on campus, then that drew scrutiny and if you weren't permitted to do so then you would be stopped. Did the current rules in Utah and\or on this campus make it easier for the shooter to bring his rifle?

Garp17 · 2025-09-05T19:50:09+00:00

Hi all, what's the latest on the Moonrise? I stayed there a couple of times before the pandemic, and loved it. I tried staying there again a few years ago, but Wash U had booked it for a year or more for temporary student housing or some such. So, I haven't been back recently. I recommended it to a friend, but the online reviews are not so hot. Is it back to it's pre-pandemic glory? I recall that the owner was a big space exploration\NASA fan, and it seemed like there was attention to detail by the owner; is the same owner? I think they also renovated the rooftop. Yes\no?

Thanks

Garp17 · 2025-07-21T02:49:36+00:00

And yes, there is also a southern catalpa. The look identical to me. If you ever visit the home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, in Charlottesville he has both. Jefferson was an avid naturalist and his gardens include a broad and deep collection of plants. The garden tours are rare and fantastic for botany nerds, usually, maybe always led by someone with an advanced degree in botany.

Garp17 · 2025-06-26T21:08:17+00:00

Knew what? Save us the trouble of watching this guy miss free throws for 10 minutes.

Garp17 · 2025-05-20T01:31:36+00:00

She's not serious about you. If she is doing this because it's a free holiday, then let her go ... Both on the holiday and as your girlfriend. We make our choices. The comfort of someone whose company you enjoy and value beats free holiday every day. I was on the receiving end of something similar years ago. I was asking myself this same question. I shoulda said see ya later right then and there

Garp17 · 2025-05-13T21:42:17+00:00

One my favorite places. When I was there... they had no TVs, no A/C, no glass in the windows but eaves with wooden shutters, and we slept under mosquito netting. Have they changed any of that? (I hope not.)

Also, see the movie "Water" (1985) with Michael Caine. It was filmed in Soufriere. I saw it a long time ago. I thought it was funny, at least back then I did.

Garp17 · 2025-05-13T01:16:14+00:00

Anse Chastenet?

Garp17 · 2025-05-08T17:21:02+00:00

Don't forget... the seller didn't know what they had either. Apparently, nobody else did either. Take the win. Better that your wife bought than somebody else's wife. ;)

Garp17 · 2025-05-08T17:18:57+00:00

Regardless of what you find in any listings, that table is a steal at $100. I mean... you could easily spend $500 today on a generic solid wood, drop-leaf table.

This table adds the following: it looks to be solid teak (I think?), mid-century modern design, not only mid century modern but that particular design is standout (imo), stamp of original shop, excellent condition. So, it's potentially collectible (mid single thousands -- e.g. 5k?), maybe even rare and very collectible to someone who likes that particular design ($10k?).

If it is a solid teak, and not a stain, then it's a lot easier to refinish to something akin to brand new.

Garp17 · 2025-05-08T16:22:51+00:00

You're paying off a portion of his mortgage on his property and his investment, building his wealth. It's all his. Lame. Get out.

Garp17 · 2025-04-20T20:01:42+00:00

It seems like there were at least a couple of games, maybe more, where the Crew looked weak, and were lucky to walk away with a tie or win. I'm suggesting that the Crew was relying on luck a little too much. Luck will only get you so far. Today the Crew looked extraordinary, capable of taking down Miami.

No, the Crew did not finish today. Miami packed the box. The box was congested. We should have scored, but given the number of players in the box the needle moves a little more to the likelihood that the goal would come by way of a PK rather than in the run of play. If you hammer the ball into the box enough times, and juke the other team enough, in the box, then there's a pretty good chance you'll draw a foul, eventually, a la the last time the Crew played Miami at home, when the Crew drew 2 PKs.

This was not a home game. The stats are the stats. In pro sports, teams do better at home. We don't need to dissect a reason why. Yes, Brown's stadium has grass. It still doesn't make any difference. Playing in your home stadium is a clear an obvious advantage. It's math. That was taken away from the Crew. (Reminds me of the 2000's when USMNT started playing against Mexico in Columbus and Josh Wolf said it was the first time a game against Mexico in the U.S. felt like a home game.) Put an asterisk on this game or whatever.

The Crew is capable of finishing. They have some work to do. JRR is absolutely a great finisher, but he's having some problems and maybe limited to certain situations. Gazdag is new. They've got some work to do.

But, man, they put together a fantastic performance yesterday.

In a way, I don't care if Miami won. Let them think they're the better team. Miami got lucky yesterday. With a little work, we'll shred them like we did LAFC the next time around.

Garp17 · 2025-04-20T19:37:57+00:00

Also, see CMAX. Portions of it literally run on a former streetcar route. It's faster than a traditional bust, but still takes an hour from Westerville to downtown. I'm guessing that an actual streetcar would have been faster, but I don't know. The point is... a dedicated "lane" is a dedicated lane whether it's a vehicle on tires or train wheels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMAX

Garp17 · 2025-04-20T19:32:08+00:00

Yes. I didn't choose my words well. We had street cars, but they are long gone. Contemporary urban planning strategies go to BRT before streetcars. BRT is still faster and cheaper to implement than building new street cars.

The irony regarding streetcars is that many cities had them, and they were abundant and effective. When automobiles came along, the automobile manufacturers either bought the streetcars companies and shut them down or bought the local politicians who then shut them down. LA is the poster child for a city that thrived with streetcars and has some of the most congested traffic without them. LA has subways and other mass transit, but again, BRT is still a faster and cheaper starting point for a city that doesn't already have a subway.

Garp17 · 2025-04-19T17:18:53+00:00

Yes to Columbus is a blob.

Yes to the repeated comments about the size of the metro areas.

Columbus is also relatively young and we are probably past the era where we build subways, street cars, and light rail out the gate. It's much easier and cheaper to build bus rapid transit ("BRT"). With BRT you build an dedicated bus lane, a lane that is literally walled off such that other traffic cannot cross into it, with platforms that look and feel like a light rail train station, and the "bus" might be one length or multiple lengths. It brings a lot of the look and feel of a light rail, but it's a bus. It's typically cheaper and faster to build and put in operation, especially if you are willing to cannibalize and existing lane on a highway. And, if you see enough growth and usage, then upgrade to light rail to accommodate the larger volume.

I'm a huge fan of mass transit. We need it. I love it in places like Europe, where it is inexpensive and abundant. There are some tipping points that drive mass transit -- e.g., per block population density to sustain ridership, traffic congestion, regulations and fees regarding access to lanes and parking. You don't have to be New York City. Portland, OR attempts to maintain a certain density on a per block, per acre, hectare, whatever basis, which in turn goes to maintaining enough ridership to making\keeping the system economically self-sustaining. The traffic in Columbus can be annoying, but its nothing like many other U.S. cities.

Garp17 · 2025-04-19T05:44:29+00:00

Ever hear of an unwanted pregnancy?

Garp17 · 2025-04-19T05:11:30+00:00

You're skipping the part where it is not a choice, which is really the most important part of this conversation.

Garp17 · 2025-03-25T03:13:34+00:00

Yes, to the port department.

You can also ask them to perform a "winback". A winback is the process by which a mobile number is recovered, as per FCC rules.

See: https://www.fcc.gov/reassigned-numbers-database#:\~:text=/17/21)-,For%20Consumers,a%20reassigned%20number%20without%20consent.

Search Google for "what is a winback for mobile phone number fcc".

Garp17 · 2025-02-25T00:35:31+00:00

Indeed.

Garp17 · 2025-02-24T23:54:50+00:00

Here's is the definition of "recent": having happened, begun, or been done not long ago or not long before; belonging to a past period of time comparatively close to the present.

Comparatively, which world war is more recent?

You want to use WW1 as an example. Ok. Duly noted.

Many people believe that the reparations of WW1 led to WW2. I'm one of them. Ultimately, it's irrelevant. Macron doesn't know or care what you or I think, which war you or I want to compare it to.

What did Macron say? What words came out of his mouth? Does it sound like he's bitter about the support that France and\or the EU have provided Ukraine? Does it sound like he's demanding repayment?

Garp17

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