sherpa

I didn't say there weren't common sense, practical considerations. I commented because of your claim that this was a "no fly" zone, which is, in my view, a gross exaggeration, and not at all what I experienced over the years. If the discussion ever comes around to doing business in many of those countries, I would have a completely different take, based on personal experience and those of friends. In thirty two years of doing this, I've been the target of pickpocket attempt three times, none successful. Once in Milan, once in Barcelona, (my wife was with me and she had no idea, thus was shocked when I physically responded to end it, until I explained it to her). The other time was in Sao Paulo after coming out of an ATM, but the body language gave it away at about ten feet, and the pickpocket knew I was on to him and turned away. Far worse was Moscow. I was supposed to fly four trips there one month, but after the first two, when my hotel room had been sloppily gone through in my absence, with no serious attempt to hide the action, I traded the last two trips for other ones. Russian visa applications are extremely detailed, and both of us who had answered yes to military service had our rooms gone through. I've taken my wife to Colombia, Montevideo, Uruguay, Santiago Chile, and many times to Buenos Aires. Never worried about it.

For an insightful, realistic appraisal of the F-16 issue, after initial introductions, go to the 14 min mark. The discussion goes on for about ten minutes and points out the reality of the issue,

Sorry if you're offended. I mentioned things you have to watch out for, as you would in any big city and ae an obvious non resident who probably doesn't speak the language. There are probably over a thousand US airline crews in South/Central America every night, and very few troubles, and those have obvious characteristics. Again, just my view.

No fly zones? I been to every country south of the border except Guyana, French Guiana and Suriname. The only place I would never leave the airport since about 2013 is anywhere in Venezuela. Caracas was horrible so we stopped laying over there, and most companies stopped all service. The rest of them are fine if you know what you're doing. The cartel thing is a mostly Mexico thing. There's still a bit of it in Colombia, but they don't bother tourists for the most part I really like Colombia. Took my wife there a few times. If you do stupid things, like wear expensive jewelry, flash money, go to bars alone or be obviously loud and stay late, you're asking for trouble. I would never use an ATM unless it was indoors. Ten years of doing it and never had a problem. Whenever we had a new person, I would tell them that unlike the NFL, there is no "incidental contact." If someone is in your "space," you are either being robbed, have been robbed or will be shortly. Again, never had a problem, but we never left the hotel compound in Caracas, and then they ended all layovers. The other thing about an NFL game is that the Brazilians know it is extremely high vis and they will aggressively police the area to make it safe. They pulled off the Olympics in Rio, which with there favelas, is far more dangerous than the nice areas of Sau Paulo. Just my view.

I've spent hundreds of days in Sau Paulo, though not in the area of that stadium. It's like lots of very big cities. If you're careful and don't do stupid things, it isn't that big of a worry.

We bombed command and control, communication facilities and other military targets in Baghdad.

For accuracy, the opinion was from a guest. Guests on all financial media have their own views, disparate and unique to them alone. That's how, and why, markets work.

I believe Paul Ryan in infinitely more intelligent, skilled, reasonable and capable than either candidate.

This forum has lost any interest. It is simply not worth a second of time, and that is from someone who despises Trump and Biden. Oh well.

Adjusted for inflation? Are you using inflation over the past two years, which was unusually higher in the past ten?

No matter what anybody does, the issue remains the same, as I mentioned months ago. There is no government in place or imagined that could run a Palestinian state that does not advocate the elimination of Israel. That is what is commonly known as a serious problem.

Some think the following strategy makes sense: Dems figure Joe hasn't a chance. Adults with mental acuity tell him he has to give it up. He takes his name off the ballot just prior to the convention. Knowing that Harris has zero chance, these now uncommitted delegates, with no allegiance, to Harris, advance another name as candidate.

Yes he did. Not sure of your issue.

So the regime that says Israel should be wiped off the map gets its President and Foreign Minister wiped on the map, Looks Kobe Bryant-ish to me.

Short apolitical comment, from a guy with an aeronautical engineering degree and almost 30,000 hours of flight time, including about one or two hours of time in helicopters during rescue training, and being transported on and off a carrier a couple of times. Helicopters........Don't.

I don't post about a lot of things that "concern me." I do post when someone states something clearly false, and claiming Britain was a "foreign country," at the time of the Declaration of Independence is ignorance. The very first sentence acknowledges that: "When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another,...." Absolutely not a foreign country at that time.

I am extremely familiar with the Declaration of Independence. It had a good deal to do with me living where we now live. Anyway, my post claimed that the Declaration was not against a "foreign power," as you claimed, while you humorously calling someone in moron in the same sentence. That is why the founding fathers knew they were guilty of treason, and why it was called the Revolutionary War and the War of Independence. I have no interest in discussing Jan 6. In addition, "my guy" didn't lose the election. I didn't have "a guy."

For historical accuracy purposes, it was not a "foreign" power at the time' Thus, our forefathers realized that they were committing treason.

Men simply give up. Seriously, the difference is reflected in long term health care coverage. More expensive for women, as they are far more like to need it, and for longer duration. My wife's policy is $400/year more than mine.

Virginia is nothing like that, and sorry for your ancestor's sacrifice.

Honestly, I don't think it's an overreach at all, nor do I think it has anything to do with revenue capture. I think it is a safety issue. These things are very dangerous. The props are spinning at thousands of rpm, and there's four of them. As I stated, I've seen them cut through small branches. Thousands of these things have crashed on first flights because people don't know how to operate them. If one crashed into a stadium, it is almost a guarantee someone could be hurt, and I'm not going to discuss the potential weaponizing of them. There are also technical issues. They work by remote signalling. Those frequencies are limited. Get a few of them in the same area using the same freqs, but controlled by disparate, unknown operators and you get the picture. The other issue is that the NFL stops games when an unknown drone is over a stadium. That would significantly disrupt their product.

I knew nothing other than cursory information regarding Stonewall Jackson and Lee. Then I read the Shaara Trilogy, Gods and Generals, The Killer Angels and The Last Full Measure. With the understanding that the USA at that time was a local/regional country far more than it was today, context is important. While I wish the Confederate Generals would have sided with the North, the situation at the time cannot be judged by us, like the practice of "bleeding" that was done in medicine. Times change. Judgements made must be sensitive to the times. Now being aware of the "Union's" leadership, post Lincoln, which was U,S. Grant and Andrew Johnson, and considering a decision of who was more honorable, I know I'd go with Jackson and Lee. Either way, the senseless renaming of schools and removing of statues has proven to do no good.

Sometimes I think you are just an idiot. (Well....All times). Other times I am surprised by your idiocy, as in this post. Richmond has absolutely nothing to do with this.

Not that it matters to you, but the respect due Robert E. Lee is legitimate and deserved. You have just called a great potion of the population of the US as "disgusting," and "anti American. I suggest you are foolish. Absolute bull####. But not surprising.

Because that's what the people in those areas agreed to do when they were constructed. This idiotic renaming is not only stupid, it has proven to be counterproductive and very expensive. Further, while some would disagree, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Lewis and Clark were extremely honorable people. The knuckleheads that made these decisions, including a blatant racist who was the energy behind removing a Lee statue are anything but.