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Chopper

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Posts posted by Chopper

  1. I agree with those who've said the more interesting places nearby are either in Boulder, Fort Collins or Denver. I've met a bunch of people who drive from Greeley to Fort Collins for work. I was in Greeley for a few hours about a year ago to visit a friend who had surgery.  Her family stayed at one of the hilton chain while she was in the hospital (probably the Dbl Tree but it may have been the Homewood). The hotel was "alright," so I heard. I drove through Greeley's small downtown area. There's more restaurants and bars to it than I expected, which wasn't much. UNC is in Greeley but it's a small school, maybe ten percent the size of TAMU - comparison provided for the "suckage scale."  I wasn't there at night so I have no idea about the vibe.

    More than a few people who post in this forum would be beyond excited to know Greeley has both a Popeyes and a DQ grill n chill /s. I saw a Salvadorean restaurant or two that seemed authentic and worth checking out. Also Weldwerks brew pub. It's a short drive from Greeley to Windsor and I strongly rec a restaurant there, Chimney Park, if your friends want a splurge for dinner.  Greeley's big summer festival is "The Stampede"...rodeo and music.

  2. 2 hours ago, n64ra said:

    What is illegal gambling these days?

    You'd think not much. Apparently it's where they avoid all regulation and compete with the legally operating companies.

     

  3. 7 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:


     

    Quote

     

    Editorial: Texas A&M should douse push to revive Bonfire tradition
    By Express-News Editorial Board April 14, 2024

    From 1909 to 1999, the building and burning of the Aggie Bonfire was synonymous with Texas A&M’s Thanksgiving-weekend rivalry football game with  the University of Texas.

    Over the decades, it grew to a five-story stack with up to 8,000 logs, requiring more than 100,000 hours of work and drawing 70,000 fans to its big pregame ceremonies.

    Aggie myth decreed that if the stack survived until midnight, the Aggies would beat the Longhorns the following day.

    Only the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963 prevented Texas A&M from going forward with a Bonfire burning.

    All that ended with the tragic November 1999 Bonfire collapse, which killed 12 students and seriously injured 27 others.

    Even before 1999, however, there were internal debates within the Texas A&M community about whether the Aggie Bonfire tradition should continue.

    Injuries were common among Bonfire crews. In 1981, student Wiley Joplin died at the cutting site after falling off a tractor and being crushed under its rear wheels. Joplin's student adviser responded by writing an anti-Bonfire poem, which was published by the student newspaper, the Battalion.

    In addition to safety concerns, there  also were environmental objections. In the early 1990s, a group called Aggies Against Bonfire complained about the thousands of trees being killed every year for the purpose of preserving a questionable tradition.

    Some warned that if  embers got loose, the fire could spread to nearby residential areas. And those who remembered that Texas A&M is a  place of education pointed out that all those  Bonfire work hours took students away from   class  and did their grades no favors.

    But tradition is at the core of Texas A&M’s identity and many Aggies insist on reviving the Bonfire tradition.   

    Every year, a small group of students builds an unsanctioned bonfire off campus. Now, with A&M on the verge of renewing its football rivalry with the University of Texas, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents is considering the return of the Bonfire as an official university event.

    That would be a mistake. The environmental damage and safety risks connected with the Bonfire are good enough reasons for Texas A&M to leave this tradition in the past and focus on creating new traditions.

    We understand the meaning that the Bonfire carries for some former students.  The late Texas A&M historian Henry Dethloff once said that for graduates and students, Bonfire was “the centerpiece of their affection for A&M.”

    There has been some suggestion that if Bonfire returns as a university-sanctioned event, a professional construction company could be hired to build it.

    That wouldn’t address the environmental impact of the event, and it wouldn’t satisfy traditionalists who believe that the essence of the Aggie Bonfire is that it is a student project.  

    One Bonfire crew member put it this way in 1981: “I can’t play football because I’m too small, but I can be out there busting my butt cutting wood while the team is practicing and help them win.”

    Aggie traditionalists have fought change many times over the years, whether that meant forsaking the school’s compulsory military requirement, allowing women to enroll or enabling women to join the   Aggie band.

    In each case, Texas A&M emerged better for the change.

    This past generation of Aggie students have grown accustomed to the idea that Bonfire is no longer an official university event. Texas A&M should leave this tradition in the past.    
    April 14, 2024
    By Express-News Editorial Board

     

     

    • Hook 'Em 4
  4. 24 minutes ago, n64ra said:

    This helps with the part I didn't follow, which was the accountant missing around $8M a year. Mizuhara must have provided fake translations to explain where the money went.

    Basically yes. But the situation was so exploitable for him that he didn't even need to explain anything directly to an accountant.

    Mizuhara was point-of-contact and translator for Ohtani in his dealings with his US agent, who doesn't speak Japanese nor do any of their employees. The agent also employs the accountant and other financial staff. Mizuhara was translating both sides of all meetings and conversations with the agent and their staff for Ohtani and even had at least one meeting with them without Ohtani present.

    Ohtani earned a reported $65 Million in in endorsements alone in 2023 through the agent in question. So when Ohtani would occasionally inquire (through Mizuhara) about his overall financial picture maintained by the US agent, it didn't look so bad /s. Plus Mizuhara assisted him with those inquiries and those funds don't include whatever Ohtani had in Japan.

    Mizuhara told the agent that the bank account from which he had made all the wire transfers was private and non-interest bearing, so the agency didn't need to see anything about it for tax or other purposes, and said Ohtani wanted it that way. The agent followed that directive and gave that same directive to the accountants whenever they'd inquire about it, which was apparently more than once. Mizuhara had also compromised it by inserting a fake email contact (one that was one character off from Ohtani's).

    The Fed's investigated whether it could be that Mizuhara was acting on behalf of Ohtani, and/or that Mizuhara's initial claim that it was a loan was factual. But each wire transfer was electronically tied back to Mizuhara. There's no evidence Ohtani knew about what Mizuhara was doing, nor that he had any interest in gambling or knew about the bookies, and that includes that there was almost 2 years of wire transfers solely initiated by Mizuhara, who maintained an ongoing text dialog with the illegal bookie about the wire transfers and his struggles in setting them up, especially initially. Plus Mizuhara was recorded lying to the bank while impersonating Ohtani trying to get those wire transfers rolling. 

    A search of Ohtani's phone showed no evidence that it had ever had accessed the bank account Mizuhara was stealing from. Also that he had never accessed the illegal gambling websites used by the bookie, none of his text messages discussed sports betting or even Mizuhara's gambling debts. Also he had never contacted the bookie nor discussed them with Mizuhara nor anyone else. All of that information was all over Mizuhara's phone plus his interest in gambling (accounts with draftkings and multiple other legal sites.)

    Incidentally, it was an employee of a Vegas casino who first put Mizuhara in touch with the illegal bookie. We're left to wonder how long this might have gone on had the Feds not decided to investigate illegal gambling in the LA area, busted several, gained a cooperating witness, including one tied to the bookie Mizuhara was using.

    • Like 1
  5. LOL sure. You'd rather believe he's a criminal mastermind who managed to hide all incriminating evidence tying himself to a sad and sorry gambling addiction downfall -- cellular, ip address, voice recordings at bank, and all evidence apparently that exists -- while also having his agent, his bookkeeper and accountant all expose themselves as failing to live up to their fiduciary responsibilities. And having his personal rep admit even to the bookie, the US Attorney and a court that he's guilty of theft.

    https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24542204-usa-v-mizuhara-complaint

  6. On 4/11/2024 at 4:05 PM, tokamak said:

    I'm amused by the guy making bets down to $10. "I know I'm in the hole for $40m, but this $10 parlay on WNBA action tonight might just get me back on my feet!"

    Anyway, if Ippei is really a fall guy, he's Cosa Nostra-level rock solid. I assume he's gonna do real time given the amounts of money involved. Shocked that he's not singing like a canary.

    Per the charges against Ippei Mizuhara and all the documented info it contains, there's nothing for him to sing about.

    The government has recorded phone calls from the bank with audio of Mizuhara posing as Ohtani.

    The government has a list of all bets Mizuhara placed and none were on baseball.

    The government has years of texts (criminal charge says almost 10,000 pages of texts) between Mizuhara and Ohtani, and there's no discussion between them about this entire drama, nor that Ohtani knew anything about Ippei's betting or debts.

    Ohtani told the government’s investigators that he thought all his support staff had access to all of his accounts. The problem was that his support staff (his agent, his financial manager, etc.) did not and do not speak Japanese and their only point of contact was Mizuhara. Incredible that they didn't have their own interpreters.

    Ohtani cooperated with the federal investigation including voluntarily providing his cell phone for a full forensic investigation, and is considered a victim of fraud.

    https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/japanese-language-translator-charged-complaint-illegally-transferring-more-16-million

     

  7. 20 minutes ago, Vertigo said:

    I thought we had gotten to 105K with the new SEZ renovation? Either way, whatever.

    There's definitely a discrepancy.

     

    image.png.8744252ae45eb14d7981b07c43cd56ac.png

     

    image.thumb.png.5ee7321a3424aecc54c927ed45710e51.png

     

    UT may not have published how many extra seats the SEZ added. 4500 were "expected." At the very least they didn't make it easy to locate the new capacity.

    Quote

     

    In May 2019, Texas Athletics broke ground on a major expansion project in the south endzone od Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium with team moving into their new facility in August 2021. Fans began enjoying all of the amenities associated with it when the Longhorns kicked off against Louisiana on Sept. 4. The $175 million stadium expansion project includes more than a 106,000-square-foot training facility footprint that provides significant upgrades to the Football coaches and staff offices, team areas, strength and development center and athletic training/medical facilities. It also will enhance the fan experience greatly with an end zone seating area of more than 4,500 seats, including more than 1,300 student seats. It includes the Founders Lounge, Myers-Dodds Legacy Club, Living Room and Loge Boxes, as well as a Field Club area right near the action that accommodates more than 800 people. Atop it all is a 160-foot by 44-foot videoboard to visually celebrate all of the action. The total gross square footage of the entire project is more than 215,000-square feet.

     

    https://texassports.com/sports/2013/7/24/facilities_0724133148.aspx?id=205

  8. 1 hour ago, Wiler77 said:

    LOL.  LHN a conflict of interest to the SEC?  It's going off the air before we become part of the conference.

    As far as conflict of interest to cfb, I notice he doesn't point out that Disney owns the SEC Network.  Wouldn't that be the same conflict of interest?

    You'd think they could wrap their heads around the simple fact that they and every other SEC school (and ACC for now) will have the exact same contractual ties to ESPN/Disney as UT going forward. But aligned with atm's perpetual confusion, their first instinct is to look for a way to excuse their own failures so I'd expect even more bizarre and twisted thoughts from their lizard brains.

     

  9. Article about a new Colorado collective with a slightly misleading headline.

    University of Colorado has a new NIL collective backed by Deion Sanders: 5 things to know

    https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/2024/03/27/university-of-colorado-has-new-nil-collective-backed-by-deion-sanders/73120372007/

    Quote

     

    Name, image and likeness is changing by the day and the University of Colorado is getting with the times.

    As the Buffaloes prepare for their transition into the Big 12, a new NIL collective for Colorado athletics launched Tuesday: 5430 Alliance.

    It supports the 350-plus student-athletes across all 15 university sports and consolidates the Buffs' NIL efforts into one entity. The move unifies the Buffs4Life NIL Collective and 5430 Foundation "to bring all of the university’s NIL opportunities into one streamlined organization," according to a news release.

    “NIL is a critical component of our athletics programs as we support our student-athletes and compete for national championships,” Colorado athletic director Rick George said in the release. “5430 Alliance ushers in a new chapter of NIL at Colorado and allows all our fans and alumni to support our student-athletes through one avenue. We encourage every supporter of the Buffs community to pledge their support to 5430 Alliance.”

    George wants Colorado to compete for national championships and that goal is unattainable nowadays without a dedicated NIL collective.

    Blueprint Sports, which powers the collectives of a handful of Division I programs, will service the day-to-day functions of the Buffs' operation. The company's CEO, Rob Sine, has a goal of $8 million for Colorado's football budget in 2024, but that's just the beginning.

    "A great football coach once told me, 'Just to be able to compete is one thing, to win championships is something else,'" Sine told the Coloradoan. "So, if $8 million is the goal to be able to compete, to win championships is going to be over $10 million a year.

    "Now fans hear that and some might get excited, some may question it, but it's not hard to put together, it's not hard to do and those student-athletes deserve the opportunities."

    Now that Colorado has a consolidated NIL collective, here are five things to know about 5430 Alliance:
    What will 5430 Alliance do for Colorado athletics?

    5430 Alliance will connect fans, alumni, businesses and charitable organizations with Colorado student-athletes under one umbrella. The previous separation of collectives put CU behind the eight ball a bit when it came to NIL efforts.

    "This makes a lot of sense from my perspective," Mit Winter, one of the nation's leading NIL attorneys, told the Coloradoan. "It's always easier for a school, for athletics and for people who want to contribute to NIL if there's just one collective that everyone has to deal with. If things are more fractured, it's confusing for the donors and fans, and it's harder for the school and athletics to navigate that when you're having to deal with multiple entities."

    The new collective offers monthly membership packages ranging from $15 to $250 and annual donations ranging from $150 to $2,500. Fans and donors can also choose to make a tax-deductible donation or a one-time contribution.

    Football is certainly at the forefront of NIL efforts (and donors can make sure their contribution goes directly to the sport they support), but 5430 Alliance will help ensure that all 15 teams at Colorado can reach new heights.

    "Everything at Colorado has gotten shinier, gotten better and been more competitive," Sine said. "You've had the basketball programs having success for a little while now and several of the Olympic sports as well. This will elevate everything.

    "You brought in 'Coach Prime' last year, you brought in his sons and some of the other football players and it caught the nation by storm. Well, now's the time to really impact that further. That was the reintroduction of Colorado athletics last year at a high, high level as you saw from all of the national media attention. This is the opportunity to use creativity to take it to the next level."
    Is 5430 Alliance affiliated with the University of Colorado?

    5430 Alliance is an independent corporation and not affiliated with the University of Colorado.

    The collective will be powered by the industry leader in NIL, Blueprint Sports, which currently works with collectives at Arizona, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Maryland, Penn State, UCLA, Utah and other schools. The Buffs' NIL staff, however, should look much bigger and better than its competitors.

    "Our charge is to build a team in market that represents 5430 Alliance, the student-athletes and the school every single day," Sine said. "They're out there fundraising, educating the community on opportunities to work with student-athletes and working with the student-athletes to earn the NIL income.

    "We're going to have one of the bigger staffs in the country here at Colorado because this is such a huge opportunity for us."
    Deion Sanders backs 5430 Alliance

    There's no doubt that the presence of Deion Sanders as Colorado's football coach led to the formation of 5430 Alliance.

    Sanders, known as "Coach Prime," is already one of the best recruiters in college football, evidenced by his top-10 2024 transfer class coupled with the landing of five-star recruits in back-to-back years, but the NIL support of 5430 Alliance will help him navigate the transition to the Big 12.

    "When you have such a bright star like 'Coach Prime' and the student-athletes, Travis (Hunter), Shedeur (Sanders) and everybody else on the football team, it makes things a lot easier," Sine said. "Almost everybody in the community knows about them and so it makes the opening conversation (with donors) a whole lot easier."

    It's no surprise that Sanders is all in on the new collective.

    “WE HERE and we’re not settling for nothing! We have a commitment to DOMINATE on and off the field, and in order to do that we need to DOMINATE in our NIL program as well,” Sanders said in the news release. “5430 Alliance gives EVERY darn Colorado fan the opportunity to be a part of HISTORY. IT DON’T STOP BABY!”
    Why is this the right time for 5430 Alliance?

    Colorado football is coached by one of the most polarizing figures in sports and features a pair of athletes who could be top-10 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

    The men's basketball team just won back-to-back NCAA Tournament games for the first time since 1995, and the women's team is in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.

    The time is now to invest in Colorado athletics, and the way to invest is through NIL.

    "In today's college sports world, you have to have NIL resources just to compete in recruiting," Winter said. "Showing that you're serious about having those NIL resources is important to signal to your coaches and fans that you're serious about being competitive in this new world of college athletics.

    "With some of the legal stuff that's happened with the Tennessee vs. NCAA case, it's really increased the importance of having a well-run and well-funded collective because now collectives can be out talking to recruits and offering them specific deals that are recruiting inducements."

    Recruiting and NIL will go hand-in-hand as the NCAA continues to evolve. Those two aspects impact everything about college athletics and they're at the core of decisions that athletic departments around the country are making.

    "I always say that name, image and likeness is all about recruiting and retention and it's the center of the athletic universe," Sine said. "The better you can do recruiting and retaining student-athletes, the better your ticket sales will be, the better your donors and supporters will be.
    U.S. Bank

    "We have to build a path to get to $8 million, to get to $12 (million), to get to $15 (million) and to keep growing from there. Those numbers are what they are because student-athletes have earned them. They work their butts off to get to this part of their career. The blood, sweat and tears it takes to be a D-I athlete is tremendous. These numbers are appropriate when you think about the whole scheme of what revenue looks like in college athletics."

    What's next for NIL?

    Winter was recognized as one of the top 25 influential figures in NIL by On3 and is one of the leading voices in the space.

    The NIL attorney believes that schools will soon be allowed to directly pay their student-athletes.

    "I think within a year, schools are going to able to directly compensate their athletes, whether that's paying them NIL money, which would really be sharing broadcast revenue, or it's going to be payment for athletic performance," Winter said. "It'll probably start out as NIL payments and transition to just payment for athletic performance, which is really what they're being paid for by NIL collectives now anyway.

    "I think that's where it will eventually get to."

    When that happens, Winter said, the question will be if NIL collectives like 5430 Alliance will still be involved in the process.

    "At some schools, they probably will," Winter said. "At other schools, they might want to just bring that function in-house."

    # Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter

     

     

  10. On 8/27/2023 at 10:42 AM, UpperWestside said:

    I grew up watching a few of the classics like Benny Hill and Are You Being Served. Now thanks to streaming and some recommendations here from @Brothahorn and in real life when I meet tourists from the UK I have watched a pretty good amount of shows. I know some of y’all can add to this list so please feel free to do so. 
     

    Apps to use: Britbox, Acorn and PBS Masterpiece will get you the good stuff. Some shows might be on Prime as well.
     

    Shows: 

    Line of Duty: AcornTV For my money it is the best show I have watched. Adrian Dunbar and Martin Compston are great working in AC-12 together. “Letter of the Law” from Dunbar’s character will get stuck in your head. I cannot get enough of this show. If you only watch one show let it be this one.

    Endeavour (PBS Masterpiece)/Inspector Morse/Inspector Lewis(Britbox)

    Best series of shows on here. Just absolutely, positively superb. Endeavour just finished their final season. Bittersweet to know it is done. Will eventually watch all three series again.

    Vera: They are coming back for another season which will be the 13th. Fairly incredible considering Brenda Blethyn, the character playing Vera, also films a comedy series and is just short of 80. This is an awesome, must-see show.

    Shetland: Britbox. Highly underrated, but another must-see set in the Shetland Islands. One of the actors is actually from there. Douglas Henshall’s main character is just perfect for the show.

    Bloodlands: AcornTV. Three seasons. You will hate one of the main characters and might hate-watch the show because of them. I know I did.

    The Bay: This is a pretty good show. Combo of police work and home lives.

    Midsomer Murders: AcornTV @Brothahorn recs this show and that’s enough for me.

    Death in Paradise: Britbox

    Beyond Paradise: Britbox

    London Kills: AcornTV

    Madame Blanc Mysteries: AcornTV

    Darby and Joan: AcornTV

    One Lane Bridge: AcornTV

    Manhunt: AcornTV

    Vienna Blood: PBS Masterpiece 

    Astrid: PBS Masterpiece. French show with subtitles. Based around a main character that is autistic.

    Miss Scarlet and the Duke: PBS Masterpiece. Very nice show based in the Victorian Period. Female private detective trying to prove she belongs.

    Tin Star: This show goes hard in the paint. Highly recommend. 

    The Mallorca Files: Britbox

    McDonald and Dodds: Britbox

    Murder in Provence: Britbox

    Bancroft: Britbox

    Traces: Britbox

    Fortitude: This show is great. Stanley Tucci is in it.

    Prime Suspect (Starring Helen Mirren)

    New Tricks

    Luther: Britbox

    Happy Valley: AcornTV

    Broadchurch: PBS Masterpiece 

    The Chelsea Detective: AcornTV

    Silent Witness: Britbox

    Murdoch Mysteries: AcornTV

    Unforgotten: PBS Masterpiece 

    Foyle’s War: AcornTV

    I am leaving out so many amazing shows, but this is a good starting point. Please feel free to add to this list. I will keep updating new shows y’all recommend on this post.

    This was a great list. Just bumping forward.

  11. 23 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

    I found the Boutique Japan website (here is their blog entry on Izakayas) to be pretty helpful.  Yeah--use bathroom slippers.  But bathroom slippers stay at the bathroom door; don't wear them back to the table.

    Interesting twist about separate bathroom slippers. I presume you have to change out of your street shoes and into slippers upon entry to the restaurant, and then into/out of separate bathroom slippers if you approach the toilets?

    Did you notice if many Japanese carry their own slippers into restaurants or do most just rely on the house selection?

  12. On 3/14/2024 at 6:03 PM, Js1 said:

    I liked Cleopatra and the two about Mehmet 

    Cleopatra - the Jada Pinkett production?

    If you fall into a free preview of mgm+, Domina (wife of Augustus) is very good fwiw. 2 seasons of that and the special series A Spy Among Friends about Kim Philby were all I could find on that network during my short spree. It's not narrated though - solid drama.

  13. If you haven't watched Sherlock, here's an fyi as Britbox just added all seasons. Just watched ep 1 the other night and it was magnificent.

    Sherlock is a 21st century adaptation (filmed from 2010 to 2017) of the Sherlock Holmes story starring B Cumberbtach and Martin Freeman. Freeman is great and they're dynamic together. Thinking for a minute about how the show contrasts with a murder mystery series I tolerated ike Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building" was amusing. Very high production values. I don't recall ever being a fan of Holmes stories when I was a kid so it's all new to me.

    • Hook 'Em 2
  14. 8 hours ago, Hermanator said:

    No way anyone from Hawaii would call it shaved ice. 

    Sheesh. I get the blame as I had to reformat it from an email attachment, and spell check fooled me. I guess there's a superfluous D or 2 and I can send them your way.  Much credit to you for listing "other great places" and naming what's probably the most famous food truck in the world.

  15. 15 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

    I guess we could do that, but because there is timed entry to the park, I was thinking we’d want to keep coming back to an area in the park in between hikes. Otherwise, it would really be difficult to come back to during the day because you can’t leave and re-enter the park easily. It would be a pain, or maybe not even possible.  

    I've heard the timed entry is not a big deal at that gate. But the timed entry thing is very new all over rmnp. I think they even left it off that gate at the beginning 3ish years ago but implemented it later. You're right though I should've specifically mentioned as something to check with the Lodge or another tourist spot in town.

  16. @CoachTex I'm cutting and pasting some advice about Honolulu I graciously received from a native Hawaiian friend who visits family at least annually. She was last there in mid-January. Spoilered due to length. I'm supposed to go to HNL and Lanai next month but unfortunately I think a complication has probably changed things.


     

    Spoiler

    Hawaii is a great place for seafood and Asian cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, Korean are
    particularly strong). Also outstanding is Pacific Rim cuisine (local ingredients cooked using
    European techniques). It’s not the best place for Italian, Indian, or Mexican. I should warn
    you that the best food is NOT located in Waikiki. Waikiki is
    the tourist district and although restaurants are everywhere, the food ranges from mediocre
    to truly awful and the prices are high because it’s to rip off the clueless tourists, unless you
    are going to the very high end restaurants like La Mer in the expensive hotels. I cannot
    emphasize enough what a bad idea it is to eat in Waikiki. If you want really good food, you’ll
    have to leave Waikiki. Lyft/Uber is more plentiful now. Consider a rental car for at least a
    day or two. Consider yourself warned. Locals do not set foot in Waikiki except to go to the
    first run movie theater there or to gawk at the tourists. It’s considered a huge tourist trap. If
    after flying thousands of miles from the mainland to go to Hawaii you eat at the Cheesecake
    Factory, Red Lobster, Hard Rock Café, Olive Garden or any of these stupid national chains,
    I can’t even...


    Hawaii is known for its melting pot of Asian and Pacific Island cultures that have of course
    influenced its cuisine. There is a plethora of ethnic foods that locals eat, but may be
    unfamiliar to the tourist. Not to worry, there is a Hawaii food tour. A guide ferries you
    around town in a nice Mercedes van to every local spot that foodies go to, many of which
    are off the beaten path. http://www.hawaiifoodtours.com/


    Side Street Inn
    Cuisine: LOCAL
    Mon-Fri 10:30am-1:30pm; daily 4pm-1am
    1225 Hopaka St
    (Ala Moana & Kakaako)
    Reservations recommended
    808/591-0253
    At the original location, Hoopaka, there is no atmosphere to speak of, it’s a sports bar, but the food is really
    good. The top chefs in town end up here after their shifts. (See
    http://starbulletin.com/1999/08/25/features/story1.html for the story on the chefs and
    Side St. Inn, the article also contains the who’s who of the Hawaiian restaurant scene,
    including some of the restaurants I’ve recommended on this list.) Their fried rice and pork
    chops are not to be missed.


    Million (Korean bbq)
    Not fancy, but the food is so good. Do not wear nice clothes. You will come out of there
    smelling like bbq meat.
    https://www.yelp.com/biz/million-restaurant-honolulu

    Ala Moana Shopping Center: The Lanai food court (more chill than the bigger Makai
    market food court)
    Cheap eats, but not Sbarros or Cinnabon. It’s Asian influenced stuff including ramen,
    Korean, sushi, teppanyaki, musubis, and a Japanese bakery. Pro tip: There’s a Liliha Baker
    inside the Macys has excellent diner food (loco moco is a speciality as is their hot cakes and
    coco puffs)!! Best shopping in Ala Moana Center: Big Island Candies, Swatch (they have a
    Hawaii edition watch), Lupicia tea (all three are near center stage street level), and Foodland
    Farms (near Bloomingdales).
    Also other good restaurants in the Ala Moana Center: poke bar at Foodland Farms (street
    level), Assagios (street level), Rokkaku (Japanese, mall level), and Tanaka Ramen and Izakaya
    (mall level).
    Best Happy Hour for Food and Scenery: The Signature Steakhouse, Ala Moana
    Center/ Expensive steakhouse with a gorgeous view. Buut, if you go stand in line at 4pm for 30
    minutes, all appetizers are half priced and they offer one steak 50% off. Go at 4pm b/c they
    won’t take reservations for happy hour. You line up in the lobby of the Ala Moana Hotel
    (which is also the hotel I stay at because I can walk to Foodland Farms poke
    in the complex.) https://www.signatureprimesteak.com/happy-hour

     

    Assagios-Hawaiian style Italian food (multiple locations) Owned by a Vietnamese refugee. Food is legit good and is a Hawaiian spin on Italian
    American dishes. Hugely popular locally.

     

    Zippys—(multiple locations) local diner restaurants (they have table service) ubiquitous
    around the island. Where else are you going to be able to order beloved local favorite chili
    spaghetti and Zip min? They are well known for their chili and it is usually served in Hawaii
    over rice. Zip min is a huge bowl of Asian soup, wontons, and noodles. The chain is a huge
    local favorite and I eat there at least once when I’m home. It’s Hawaiian local food, fast
    food mixed with Asian influences.

    Liliha Bakery and Diner
    Multiple locations
    Story of the puffs: http://archives.starbulletin.com/2000/08/02/features/index.html
    This is the only food item that I crave and can’t be mailed to me. I have literally had dreams
    about this puff.  But really, people go there either for the original cocopuffs (not the green tea) OR the
    Chantilly cake. Also a good bet is the French doughnut, the rest of the stuff is just ok. Their
    diner food is cheap and legit good, best known for their loco moco, chicken dishes,
    hotcakes, oxtail soup.


    Food related souvenirs to bring home from Hawaii: Yes, yes Kona coffee can be purchased
    at any convenience store or super market but I’d go to Longs/CVS. But there are half
    dozen brands and not all of them are good. I always buy the Royal Kona brand in the
    brown/gold bags. (Either the Sam Choy or 3660 Kona blends are great.) The newest thing
    among coffee geeks is Ka’u coffee (also from Kona), which is even more expensive than
    Kona, but I prefer it to Kona. You will find that at Foodland Farms supermarkets.
    Other popular gifts from the islands: Macadamia nuts in a variety of flavors unavailable on
    the mainland (Maui onion, kiawe bbq etc) and Macadamia nut chocolates, Hurricane
    popcorn (not the pre-popped one). Hawaiian honey, Hawaiian chocolate. You can buy all
    these things at the ubiquitous ABC convenience stores, but if you have any time, drive to a


    Longs Drugs/Walgreens (they are all over town) and buy all this stuff there. For your foodie
    friends: Alaea Hawaiian salt (orange colored from the clay in the pools of water) and
    Hawaiian honey are good and portable and available at Foodland Farms or and any grocery
    store You can’t fit all the stuff you bought? Put it in a priority mail USPS box. If it fits, it
    ships, regardless of weight. I have become an expert in mailing these boxes to myself of stuff
    I can’t fit in the suitcase. There is a USPS office on the street level in Ala Moana center.
    If you have a Costco membership, Coscto Hawaii worth a visit. They carry Aloha shirts a
    muumuus, Hawaiian food items including Hurricane popcorn, Hawaiian cookbooks, and
    surf boards.

    Other Stuff to do:
    If you ask locals for directions, geographical directions in Honolulu are as follows: Mauka--
    toward the mountains or inland), Makai--toward the ocean; Ewa--a town on the westside of
    the island, Diamond Head--the famous landmark on the east side of the island. Also,
    leeward--western side of the island, and windward--the eastern side of the island.
    -Hanauma bay on the Eastern side of the island is a sea life preserve. You can rent
    snorkeling gear to snorkel with huge colorful tropical fish bigger than the size of your head.
    They are closed one day a week but I can’t remember which day so check beforehand. I
    think you need reservations now to go.


    The drive to Hanauma Bay along Kalanianaole Hwy is very beautiful when you get past
    Hawaii Kai, you are a guard rail away from the ocean and there are scenic points where you
    can stop.

    -Historic sites: Pearl Harbor is worth seeing. They built the memorial on top of the sunken
    SS Arizona. Bishop Museum is really educational. Don’t miss the Hawaiian food at the
    concession near the entry/exit for authentic Hawaiian kalu pork, lomilomi salmon etc.

    -Iolani palace near downtown has tours. It’s the only palace on U.S. soil. The U.S.
    imprisoned the Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani there for months while they plotted to steal
    their land. You get a real sense of the US as an imperialist shit.

    -If you’re driving on the North shore, hunt down Matsumoto’s shaved ice. This is not those
    crappy snow cones you have on the mainland, totally different thing. Snow cones are
    crunchy, shaved ice is not ground, it's shaved creating a much lighter ice that melts in your
    mouth and doesn't crunch. Another shaved ice option closer to Waikiki is Waiola Shave
    Ice w/ 2 locations 2135 Waiola Street Honolulu, HI 96826 (808) 949-2269 &

    Waiola Bakery & Shave Ice
    525 Kapahulu Avenue
    Honolulu, HI 96815
    (808) 735-8886

     

    • Hook 'Em 2
  17. Happened to be searching random Taylor songs recently just to learn if there is one in existence that I might actually enjoy and stumbled across this cover. It's extremely solid and I love the twang and tone she gave it.

     

    • Hook 'Em 1
  18. On 3/19/2024 at 5:55 AM, Dbeasy said:

    Starting to firm up our activities in June in and around Winter Park. One day we want to go to Rocky Mountain National Park, entering from the West side near Grand Lake City. We will have a pretty big group, with a range of hiking skills, from none to hard core, and everything in between. So, I'm kicking around the idea of finding a place where we could all congregate and hang out in the park, and then have groups of similar hikers branch off and do hikes that match their hiking skill. Non hikers could either hang at the meeting point, or maybe find a nice area to drive through, or go to a site that doesn't require hiking. Any thoughts about an area that might be convenient for this that is accessible from the West side of the park?

    Did you answer your own question? GL has a lodge and attached small town and to rmnp. There's a music festival up there soon -- saw an ad -- which may present a complication. Maybe call the lodge and see what they can offer or advise?

  19. Ketamine must be incredible. I hope elmo will eventually tell all.

    https://www.engadget.com/the-sec-accuses-elon-musk-of-trying-to-distort-its-investigation-into-his-takeover-of-twitter-001429205.html

    image.png
     

    Quote

     

    The SEC officials investigating Elon Musk over his handling of the Twitter takeover seem to be growing more and more impatient with his legal antics. The two sides have been locked in a dispute over Musk’s refusal to testify in the investigation.Now, in a new filing, the SEC accuses Musk of trying to “misrepresent” the regulator’s investigation. “Musk continues to distort the true scope of this investigation – his only hope for establishing that the SEC is not seeking relevant evidence,” the SEC writes in a court document.

    The SEC has been investigating Musk since 2022 over his delayed disclosure of his stake in Twitter, which was then a publicly-traded company. The regulator sued Musk last year in an effort to force him to testify in the investigation. The SEC said at the time it was investigating “among other things, potential violations of various provisions of the federal securities laws in connection with” his purchase of Twitter stock and “SEC filings relating to Twitter.” A federal judge ordered Musk to comply with the subpoena and schedule an interview last month.

     

    <and then there's more of elmo protecting the extreme>

     

     

    • Hook 'Em 1
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