From my "Christmas Music I love to hate" collection, this rendition of a famous Christmas carol (which actually doesn't even mention Christmas) asks the musical question, "Shouldn't Barbra Streisand be on Ritalin?"

I used to be a VW owner, is that close enough?

Almost half the voting public believes the election was fishy, according to Rasmussen. That's not a sign of a healthy democracy.

From my "Christmas Music I love to hate" collection, this rendition of a famous Christmas carol (which actually doesn't even mention Christmas) asks the musical question, "Shouldn't Barbra Streisand be on Ritalin?"

Dammit, Patrick, you made me look!

"Shouldn't Barbra Streisand be on Ritalin?" ~ Patrick at December 1, 2020 3:16 AM

She should definitely switch to decaf.

How fast was that one-horse open sleigh going?

I had no idea this existed. Thank you.

If you have the Sirius/XM app, channel 784 gives you the holiday orchestral and choral stuff.

The first time I flew on a plane, I was in my early teens. My family and I flew from Dayton, Ohio to New York JFK in a Boeing 727, with stops in Columbus and Philadelphia (today, they'd probably use a wheezy little regional jet). At JFK, we boarded a mighty Pan-Am 747 to London.

Then and now, it remains an amazing airplane, and Boeing built more than 1,500 of them. Here's an interesting article on the aircraft's development, plus the factors that made the Jumbo Jet concept obsolete.

I believe the 747 has mostly passed out of use as a passenger jet, but not many years ago, I was working at a customer site in Chantilly, Virginia, directly underneath the landing path for Washington-Dulles Airport. The jumbos would come in so low (and apparently slow), I had to resist the temptation to wave.

The Queen of the Skies… I loved her and will miss her. She came online as I was growing up, so she just looks like sexual maturity in aviation. I only flew her once, in this one. There were so few of us on the flight that the pilot asked us to move back and spread out for weight distribution. It was a loooong flight, and it felt like camping out.


With superhuman humility and self-control, last night, after Amy compared vulva and housepets, I resisted the temptation to make jokes about women who teach their genitalia to do tricks for treats.

And now that's in YOUR head, and it's branching in a dozen rude ways.


And speaking of genitals: Always remember that you, personally, are responsible for the sexuality of people you don't really care about and may not even have met. No matter what you say, even if you play along with their childish idiocy, YOU are the source of their suffering.

And that's my dentist's office behind the KLM at left, beside LAX.

I only flew her once, in this one.

That's a beautiful livery. Some airlines have great paint schemes, others, not so much. It's mostly a matter of personal taste, I guess. This slideshow from CNN gives a pretty decent rundown either way.

Hoo boy...

"Widowed Dad Tries to Force Surrogate Mother to Take Care of His Daughter"

(Mind you, that's misleading - she is NOT genetically related to the girl, who is now at least five years old. Also, assuming the story is true, I don't see how he can win when he signed a contract absolving her of any responsibility - and now he's demanding slave labor!)

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/widowed-dad-tries-force-surrogate-161946004.html

The article said that at least one poster had a little sympathy for the father, saying he was probably panicking over the situation and was likely cash-strapped during the pandemic.

Elsewhere, from Freya:

"I think surrogacy is a really dumb idea but it doesn't stop me from feeling bad for this woman.

"I bet the vast majority of men only want a kid if it comes standard with a woman (in some cases any sentient woman will do!) to raise it and do the majority of the work. This is a clear example of that. Major buyer's remorse. I've seen very few examples where it is obvious the men really want to raise their kids and not expect their wife to do all the work. I suspect most women have buyer's remorse too, but they seem more apt to resign themselves to deal with the situation."

@Lenona,

Someone wished for equality and of course, the monkey paw curls a finger:

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/man-forced-to-pay-child-support-despite-dna-test-proving-he-is-not-the-father/77-f0f77af5-409c-40e4-8c6e-3336123e1f85

I believe the 747 has mostly passed out of use as a passenger jet.... ~ Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at December 1, 2020 9:21 AM

When I worked in aviation maintenance, six months ago, we were still getting contracts for 747 maintenance. However, coronavirus seems to have killed the demand for jumbo jets, so both the 747 and the A380 are being phased out. The A340, 777, and 787 have comparable range and are cheaper to operate.

British Airways retired their last 747 in October, 2020. Boeing has announced it will end 747 production in 2022 and Airbus delivered its last A380 fuselage in June.

British Airways retired their last 747 in October, 2020. Boeing has announced it will end 747 production in 2022 and Airbus delivered its last A380 fuselage in June.

I've seen a few A380s in the air, but only one up close (I didn't ride in it; it was at another gate in the airport). Quite an impressive plane, though -- two decks, stem to stern!

I used to taxi past the A380's at LAX, they concentrate at one particular terminal. They're frightening. That census is simply too high. They're bigger than many towns you'll drive through. And as many people would die in a single accident... It's too easy to think morbid thoughts when looking at them.

Nothing new, Sixclaws. Though I doubt the father I mentioned is behaving that way out of any sense of "equality." He, like so many other foolish parents, never considered that even a perfectly healthy spouse can still die suddenly. Or that serious money problems can occur, even without a pandemic.

And, bureaucracy being what it is, it doesn't help when unmarried men sign documents that they could have postponed signing until they got DNA tests. (The article you linked to said the mother doesn't even WANT child support from him, but the state is insisting.)

Trouble is, according to one doctor at least, DNA tests aren't as close to accurate as many people think.

Here's a recent case from the U.K. that may warm the hearts of many:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2019/01/07/dad-learns-3-sons-cant-his-mom-ordered-pay-him-400-000/2497853002/

And, leaving aside those cases where the mother is already married, the Willie Sutton law applies. That is, when unmarried women commit such fraud, it's because "that's where the money is." Usually.

Trouble is, in the U.S., it's essentially legal.

Conan:

She should definitely switch to decaf.

How fast was that one-horse open sleigh going?

No wonder the horse got into a drifted bank and they got all upsot!

First time I heard it was some decades ago, back when the stores had the courtesy to wait until Thanksgiving was over before they started playing Christmas music. I was opening that day in our grocery store, and when the muzak started, this was the very first song they played.

And I was like "Ugh! Babs! Stop it! What did this song ever do to you?"

If you own a vulva, does that mean you passed up the opportunity to own a sob?

I heart that 747 production will survive A380 production by two years.

My favorite variant… It's just so cute and stubbly! …Like it might be the first one you buy, because you're on a budget, but it's still a 747, so the cool kids can't make fun of you, because it's still jumbo.

Flashback from a 747: landing at Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong, peering into apartments, watching the residents cooking dinner.

Noodles, mostly.

It's not that I envy that experience of Gog's, but I envy him having had it. That was probably the most famous arrival pattern in postwar aviation. (They say Boston is intimidating for pilots.)

...peering into apartments, watching the residents cooking dinner. ~ Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at December 1, 2020 6:39 PM

I remember flying into San Diego back when the airport was named for Charles Lindbergh and the approach was between office buildings. I looked out the window and saw a guy making copies at the copier in the office as we flew by. I was almost close enough to read the brand name on the copier.

Favorite passage from the ORD article begins—

But the aviation market has changed a lot since the 747 was designed. Back then, no twin-engined aircraft were allowed to fly further than 60 minutes reach of an airport, in case there were problems with the engine. Now, airliners like Boeing’s 777 or 787 are able to fly as much as five hours away from the nearest airport – which means they can cross vast oceans like the Atlantic and Pacific.

Boggling.

It's a really sensational link:

Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at December 1, 2020 9:21 AM

There are a BUNCH of great articles in there.

The one about the Namibian patterns of perception is kind of meta: No one from another culture could ever comprehend how deeply I despise the idea of state-owned media…

But this BBC Lockdown series is very strong.

> you passed up the opportunity
> to own a sob

Most vulva-types sob, and some of 'em really *own* it.

Sorry.

Six- What does "the monkey paw curls a finger" mean?

PS— I worked for First Coast News before it was First Coast News. (Jax was a wonderful city.)

I have a sleek, clean and shiny Volvo which is soft and smooth inside. I love the feeling when I get inside it.
Oh wait. Spelling again dammit.

I have a sleek, clean and shiny Volvo which is soft and smooth inside. I love the feeling when I get inside it.
Oh wait. Spelling again dammit.