Coronavirus

[mchammer]

@horninchicago , we're catching an early flight from London Stansted (STN) to Terceira Island (TER) in the Azores. They're making us wear masks. Beating.

By the way, if anyone wonders what the most cheap-*** airline (Ryanair) look like, this is it. I paid £318 (about $385) for 3 round trip, nonstop tickets. The plane sorta smells like body odor, so maybe the mask isn't such a bad idea anyway.

Don’t be a baby! I had to wear a mask 15 hours from Houston to Dubai last week, and 16.5 hours on the way back. Of course, I was in business class on Emirates. And, the flight attendant was a young Polish-Iraqi descendant that Deez would have been proud of (in the most lurid ways, of course). Such a baby!

 

[Mr. Deez]

Of course, I was in business class on Emirates. And, the flight attendant was a young Polish-Iraqi descendant that Deez would have been proud of (in the most lurid ways, of course). Such a baby!

"First class" on Ryanair means they give you ice with your soda. It's very utilitarian. However, it's the only flight from the UK to the island that doesn't connect through Lisbon. I love Lisbon, but flying through there means a very long layover. Pain in the ***.

The Ryanair flight attendants are hot though. In fact, they're sorta famous for that.

 

[nashhorn]

Looks a lot like SWA to me - except for the safety decals on the seat backs of course.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Looks a lot like SWA to me - except for the safety decals on the seat backs of course.

Kinda, but you can't recline your seat at all. And it's a lot cheaper than SWA. It's more like how SWA was 40 years ago.

 

[horninchicago]

Kinda, but you can't recline your seat at all. And it's a lot cheaper than SWA. It's more like how SWA was 40 years ago.

So...you're one of those seat recliners, eh? Our seats, except the first 2 or 3 rows, don't recline. The number of fights has drastically been reduced.

 

[Mr. Deez]

So...you're one of those seat recliners, eh? Our seats, except the first 2 or 3 rows, don't recline. The number of fights has drastically been reduced.

Lol. I'm a slight recliner. I never go all the way. That's too big of an imposition.

 

[Mr. Deez]

By the way, while you guys are working day jobs, I'm drinking Portuguese beer at 10:30 a.m. in the Azores.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

What a lovely highway!

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Serious question about the Azores.

How easy is it to get by speaking English instead of Portuguese?

 

[Mr. Deez]

What a lovely highway!

It's pretty stunning. Still can't believe I used to live here. I'd love to move back when I'm old.

 

[Horn6721]

MrD
Amazing pics.
Was your father military?
What are the temps?

 

[Mr. Deez]

Serious question about the Azores.

How easy is it to get by speaking English instead of Portuguese?

Like a lot of places, it depends on where you are. We're on Terceira Island, which has a heavy US influence due to the presence of Lajes Field, a Portuguese Air Force Base that hosts a US air base group and used to host far more going back to WWII. Before the days of in-flight refueling it was one of the most important overseas US installations, because planes could refuel between the US and Europe. It's far less critical now (though it becomes critical again during wartime). Accordingly, English is extremely common here. The other islands are probably a little less English-oriented but still fairly English-friendly.

Chains and big businesses are almost non-existent, so almost restaurant is family-owned and operated. That makes eating her an amazing experience.

 

[Mr. Deez]

MrD
Amazing pics.
Was your father military?
What are the temps?

My dad wasn't military, though my grandfather used to fuel up his PBY (anti-submarine aircraft) here during WWII. The main reason we came is that Mrs. Deez used to work at the school on base (right before we moved to Germany). That's how we started living overseas.

It's upper 60-mid 70s during the day. Very humid but with a cool ocean breeze.

 

[Horn6721]

I had to poop that.
You know we are in a "heat dome" here.
I ought to throw a "unsportsmanlike taunting " flag
But I did ask

 

[Mr. Deez]

I had to poop that.
You know we are in a "heat dome" here.
I ought to throw a "unsportsmanlike taunting " flag
But I did ask

We first moved to the island in 2011. At the time I left, the Austin area had been in a horrific drought with obscene temperatures for months. When I stepped off that 60-year old DC-8 the Air Force put me on, I immediately felt that cool ocean breeze, and it was incredible. (They don't have jet bridges, so I was immediately outside.) I knew I never wanted to live in that kind of heat again.

 

[horninchicago]

Some selfies would really make it a lot easier to make fun of you.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Some selfies would really make it a lot easier to make fun of you.

Only handjobs do selfies. I'm not a millennial.

 

[horninchicago]

Only handjobs do selfies. I'm not a millennial.

My understanding of the Posting Guidelines is that you just made a blanket name calling of all HF selfie takers. Hmmm.

 

[nashhorn]

Back to the topic:

Pfizer Asks Court to Dismiss Whistleblower Lawsuit Because Government Was Aware of Fraud

 

[horninchicago]

Back to the topic:

Pfizer Asks Court to Dismiss Whistleblower Lawsuit Because Government Was Aware of Fraud

There was a topic?

 

[Horn6721]

Nash
That is so whacked even the Bee couldn't have written.
If I weren't living in "today" I wouldn't believe it
Denmark is saying it was wrong to jab kida.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Back to the topic:

Pfizer Asks Court to Dismiss Whistleblower Lawsuit Because Government Was Aware of Fraud

Nash
That is so whacked even the Bee couldn't have written.
If I weren't living in "today" I wouldn't believe it
Denmark is saying it was wrong to jab kida.

It sounds like a crazy defense until you realize what kind of lawsuit it is. When you bring a False Claims Act case (often called a qui tam case), you're actually suing as a relator on behalf of the government. You get a piece of the action if you win, but the company is going to raise the same defenses they would raise if the government was bringing the suit on its own.

To defraud somebody, you have to intend to deceive the plaintiff (remember, this is really the government), and the plaintiff has to be ignorant of the deception and has to act in reliance on it to its detriment. See why raising that defense makes sense?

 

[Horn6721]

Mr D
My eyes glazed over after"qui tam". Did spouting erotic sounding latin work in your dating days?
I am working on understanding
Thanks
I think

 

[nashhorn]

I see why it makes sense, it’s the ‘sense’ that is nonsense. I’m just relating to those on here who can honestly say “I knew it all along”. Once again we’ve been screwed by our own government. God Bless us everyone.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Did spouting erotic sounding latin work in your dating days?

I just said, "let me actus reus on your nunc pro tunc," and they couldn't rip their clothes off fast enough. Lol.

In all seriousness, when I was dating I virtually never talked about work or law unless specifically asked (which was rare). The last thing I wanted to do was bore a woman or make her think I was self-centered. Instead, I focused on things that gave the woman an opportunity to talk about what she was interested in, which was largely herself and what she did. (It's ok for them to be boring and self-centered. It's just not ok for us.)

I'll never forget the time I asked that Aggie chick (who was a poultry science Ph.D. candidate) I was dating what the difference was between white meat and dark meat. That was a good example. Obviously, I didn't care what the difference was, but it is seemed like a good opportunity to let her sound off about something that was in her wheelhouse and something a lay person would know just enough about to seem interested - kinda like asking a dermatologist about sunburns. She had no idea. In fact, she was taken aback at the question and thought it was profound enough to take it up with her faculty advisor. Lol. To me, it seemed like about the most obvious, dumbass question you could ask a poultry scientist. As weird as that was, it did have its desired effect. I seemed deceptively intelligent and interested in what she did. She got a chance to talk about herself.

 

[nashhorn]

Dale Carnegie 101.

 

[Mr. Deez]

I see why it makes sense, it’s the ‘sense’ that is nonsense. I’m just relating to those on here who can honestly say “I knew it all along”. Once again we’ve been screwed by our own government. God Bless us everyone.

It is nonsense. If the government truly knew about fraud, it should have taken action on its own and warned the public. It obviously didn't.

I'm vaccinated, but I'd never require that of my son in a million years.

 

[nashhorn]

It’s all about $$$$ and control. I feel nothing but sympathy for any parent getting their child vaccinated.

 

[Mr. Deez]

When you have a little boy, sometimes you have to eat at McDonald's, but when you're in Portugal, you can at least drink a beer with your crummy food.

 

[Garmel]

When you have a little boy, sometimes you have to eat at McDonald's, but when you're in Portugal, you can at least drink a beer with your crummy food.

Living in Europe has turned you into a lush.