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Travel Tip

Travels

…for stupid people, that is:

“Skip the sandals when you fly — seriously.  If there’s an emergency involving fire, broken glass or the need to evacuate fast, you’ll want real closed-toe shoes to protect your feet and help you move quickly.  Sandals slow you down and leave you exposed when seconds matter.”

I always shake my head when I see people wearing flip-flops or the like when they travel.

That said, I’m not a huge fan of wearing sneakers to fly, either — unless they can be easily removed or put on (#VelcroFasteners).

If I’m flying into somewhere cold — e.g. Chicago or Yurp — the go-to are my favorites, L.L. Bean’s Snow Sneakers:

…although I see with some irritation that they currently only offer these to women.  Fucking morons.   It’s a good thing I ordered two pairs the last time I bought some.  Considering that I only wear mine in winter (i.e. those few of non-consecutive days in north Texas when it’s really that cold), these should last me pretty much for the rest of my life.  (My previous pair lasted me well over a decade, and they went to Europe and the U.K. over a dozen times.)

If you’re interested, try another brand, e.g. Propét (although they look kinda heavy):

All other times that I fly, it’s on with the faithful Minnetonka mocs:

I prefer the moosehide type, because once they’re worn in (which takes about a couple days), they’re fantastically soft and (most importantly) they’re not a hassle to put back on at the end of a flight, when your feet are all swollen from the cabin pressurization or whatever.  They also squash flat in your suitcase to save space.

And yes, I always wear socks when flying and rest my feet on my backpack so nothing touches the airliner’s foul floor.  (Don’t get me started about the fools who go to the airliner toilets in bare feet…)

All that said, my chances of flying internationally ever again are becoming vanishingly small.  But that’s a topic for another time.

Out Of The Loop

Gratuitous Chick Pics, Old Fartism

The other day I was confronted by a situation that has become depressingly familiar:  an allusion to someone who is clearly well-known to many, but whose existence had hitherto been completely unknown to me.

In this case, it was the redoubtable Tom Knighton, whose substack efforts are definitely worthy of subscription in general, but sadly out of my reach because #Poverty.  Writing a very Kim-like essay (minus Kim’s swears), he was talking about the evils of technology being used to spy on people and control their lives — in this case, electricity supply — which is an issue near and dear to me, as Loyal Readers will be aware.

However, towards the end, Knighton writes this:

When I thought I wanted a cyberpunk future, I meant with Dina Meyer running through the streets of some city while we tried to find a cybernetic dolphin, not this crap.

Who?

It turns out that this Dina Meyer is an actress who has had a fairly long and interesting career, with appearances in many, many movies and TV shows:  none of which I’ve ever watched, other than (in the TV case) a few episodes of a show in which she may have appeared but clearly didn’t register with me.  Here are a few examples, just to illustrate the situation.

Apparently, Miss Meyer started off her career in Beverly Hills 90210, of which I’ve never watched a single episode.  She’s also appeared in some movies (Johnny Mnemonic, Starship Troopers, Saw I-III, Dragonheart  and one of the Star Trek movies), none of which I’ve seen because their genres (sci-fi, fantasy, horror etc.) have absolutely no appeal to me.

While Tom Knighton clearly knows who she is and uses her as some kind of cultural reference, it’s perfectly possible that as good an actress as she may be, Dina Meyer has heretofore floated completely under my finely-adjusted and alert Totty Radar, however much of a cultural lodestar she may be.  Lest others find themselves sailing with me on board the same Ship Of Ignorance, therefore, I submit the following:

It seems somewhat strange that she’s survived and prospered thus far (into her late 50s, good grief) without my ever having spotted her before, but it’s a factor of her role- and genre choices rather than my inattentiveness.

Anyway, there’s no need to thank me:  it’s all part of the service.

Tearing Sounds

Illegal immigrants, Law and Order, Resistance

I sent Mr. Free Market this link a couple of days back, seeking his perspective on the matter:

The British government said that it is urgently important to restore the “social fabric” of the country amid warnings that anti-mass migration sentiment could see another summer of riots break out in the country.

His only response was this report, sent without comment:

Police not ready for summer of unrest:  Officers will be diverted away from local duties, bosses warn, as protests over mass migration grow.

After days of protests against mass migration outside asylum hotels, with more planned in the coming weeks, there are fears the UK could be heading for another summer of violent disorder.

The gloomy background scenario aside, I can’t help but think that the Britcops should have no staffing issues at all.  Perhaps they might consider releasing thousands of their rozzers from monitoring social media for “hate speech”, but that would probably be too much to ask.

What I’ve seen in various other reports is that the number of “sickies” (sick days) in the force seems to be on the rise.  Perhaps the rank-and-file don’t have the heart to do what their superiors will be asking them to do.

An interesting situation.

Nice People, They Are

Military, Sports

There are several good reasons to like the Finns — they’re private people, keep themselves to themselves, and they like to kick Russian ass.  To name but some.

Here’s a good reason to like one of their F1 drivers:

Valtteri Bottas has opened up about his time as a sniper in the Finnish army. The 10-time Grand Prix winner was forced to complete his nation’s mandatory military service between 2008 and 2009 as he was climbing the ladder to F1.

Sadly (I suspect) he didn’t get to shoot any Russians, but hey, that’s just the luck of the draw.  In any event, he’s a fine driver, but just happens to have drawn the short straw most recently, careerwise.  Let’s hope he gets to drive with a team in 2026.

Close Escape

Elections, Psychos

Man, did we ever dodge a bullet back in 2016:

The report indicates that Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) possessed “DNC communications that Clinton was suffering from ‘intensified psycho-emotional problems, including uncontrolled fits of anger, aggression, and cheerfulness,’” and that Hillary “was placed on a daily regimen of ‘heavy tranquilizers’ and while afraid of losing, she remained ‘obsessed with a thirst for power.’ ”

Yup… that sounds like Our Hillary, ferrrr shirrr.

Worse still (in the linked article) is the role the loathsome Obama Administration played in the whole matter.

Read it, and rage.