TBoneTX

Happy to hear it! What a great feeling!

What a great end (almost) to this long process -- you deserve to feel great. Thanks also for your detailed report, which is of value to many.

Shoe Manufacturers Rush To Design New Nickel Loafers U.S. — With the penny no longer being minted, shoe manufacturers announced that they were working hard to replace the old penny loafer slip-on shoe design with an exciting new nickel loafer. Penny loafers got their name from teenagers in the 1950s who placed pennies in the leather slots stitched across the saddle of the shoes. But with pennies now obsolete, shoe companies were rushing to design the world's first nickel loafer. [...] https://babylonbee.com/news/shoe-manufacturers-rush-to-design-new-nickel-loafers

Federal Judge Overturns Solomon's Verdict; Baby To Be Cut In Two JERUSALEM — What had been hailed as one of the wisest decisions of all time was declared null and void today, as a federal judge overturned King Solomon's verdict and ordered a baby from a recent maternity dispute to be cut in two. People throughout Israel had praised the king for his shrewd judgment in the case, in which two women each claimed to be the baby boy's rightful mother. Solomon had wisely suggested that the woman who was more willing to give up her rights to the child than see him come to harm was the baby's true mother, but a federal judge ruled that the decision was not legal under Israel's constitution and that the baby must be chopped in half. [...] https://babylonbee.com/news/federal-judge-overturns-solomons-verdict-baby-to-be-cut-in-two

Sunday! Time for our thrilling Official Weekly VAWA-Thread Joke: ============================================================== THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY People call me skeptical, but I'm not sure I believe that. Boss: Why are you late? Me: Why are you so obsessed with me? "I" before "E," except after "Old MacDonald Had a Farm..." I love asking kids what they want to be when they grow up, so I can get ideas. Out of coffee?! That's grounds for divorce. Friend: Want to go on a run? Me: From what? Every time a mullet reaches shoulder length, an angel gets a jean jacket. We really used to print out four pages from MapQuest and travel like pirates. The best things in life are free. The second-best are expensive.

I concluded long ago that the maximum number of pennies that anyone ever needs is 4. Were everyone to cash in their "change" jars, root through their car ashtrays or consoles, and similar, the national penny supply might increase substantially. An obstacle is the disappearance years ago of coin-counting machines in banks. Now, the only such are in supermarkets, and they suck a percentage (17%?) from what's dumped in. Who in his right mind would dump large containers of coins into these machines only to lose money? In addition, many banks refuse to accept rolled coins, assuming that anyone wishes to go to that tedious effort beforehand. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Penny's Quiet Exit - a Small Step Toward Fiscal Sanity On Wednesday, in the shadow of Benjamin Franklin's grave, the U.S. Mint struck its final circulating pennies, ending a 232-year tradition born from the Coinage Act of 1792. What began as a sturdy copper disc capable of buying a biscuit or a candle now costs the government 3.69 cents to produce — more than triple its face value. Pennies are currently (until Wednesday) minted at the Denver and Philadelphia Mint facilities for circulation, and the San Francisco Mint produces proof pennies for collectors. [...] https://redstate.com/brad-essex/2025/11/14/the-essex-files-the-pennys-quiet-exit-a-small-step-toward-fiscal-sanity-n2196161

Thread is moved from the CR-1 Process forum to the Philippines regional forum -- much valuable country-specific information is presented.

Thoughts on this? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Win The War For America, The GOP Needs To Realize It's Happening A big number of so-called fellow citizens would cheer if you or I died tomorrow, which leads to only one conclusion: We're playing for keeps. [...] https://thefederalist.com/2025/11/14/to-win-the-war-for-america-the-gop-needs-to-realize-its-happening/

Thrilling Saturday non-GS/ES report, see man: Awoke >1 hour before alarm, and sigh man. Mama T-B. didn't need us, minor miracle man. Miu comparatively undemanding, undemanding miu man. We were satisfied with the GS/ES expedition, q.v. report above man. Breakfast/lunch/din-din halfway through, at noon, was at "the" Chinese buffet, calm down Bro G man. We were catered to by "the" Chinese waitress, very friendly but not-young and rather plain she man. Her name, per receipt, is "Shirley1," shirley there's a Shirley2 or even a ShirleyMany man. She asked us about an English word on the Fox News channel, ask she we man man. She talked in Spanish to customers at the next table, delighted they man. She's very nice but not a rubia or even our type at all so forget about it Bro G man. The important matter is that we consumed Many (2+2) plates heaped with beef/chicken/fish, ingest we man. Serviced expectant miu upon our casa return, mollified miu man. Considered mow-lawning but wisely chose a siesta instead, zzz we man. Awoke before alarm consequent to shoulder pain, and sigh man. Inspected backyard lawn, inspect we man. It was acceptably short and growing evenly, conclude we man. We therefore mow-lawned front yard only, semi-mow we man. One sweatband was consumed, low humidity and nearing sunset man. Refreshed Mama T-B.'s remaining listings on Craigslist, renew all we man. Within half an hour, someone texted to inquire about an item, probably sell on Sunday man. No party with the rubias tonight, no cavort we man. Mini-B. to be delivered earlier than usual on Sunday, ex-Mrs.-T-B. flying to Ecu man. We can watch the NFL game, watch Two Guys man. And that was/is our thrilling Saturday, report we man.

Saturday GS/ES report, see man: We attended all plus 2 or Many more GSs, attend we man. One GS and 2 ESs yielded the take, see man: -- NIP bottle "Native" conditioner = $2, steal man -- bathmat, NWT Perry Ellis sweater* = $2, highway robbery man -- 2 dusters for Mama T-B. = $1, steal man Total = $Many ($2+2+1) *wearable by us if we gain not one more ounce ever, fingers crossed man

Buddy of mine grew up in a very small town in the flatlands of West Texas. He said that, on one particularly windy day, the town chicken laid the same egg 4 times.

Yes, commendations on thinking ahead and caring so deeply. --- Thread is moved from Off Topic to the Philippines regional forum, for possible country-specific advice.

Buffalos have no wings, you inferior primate. However: "When the chips are down, the buffalo is empty."

Cheaping out on us, huh? "A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money." -- some southern Senator, years ago

They should call eggs "boneless chicken."

Thread from 2010 is locked to further comment. Only one participant has logged on to VJ since 2016. The most recent poster is welcome to start a fresh thread.

Really interesting inside view, from a recent immigration judge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Immigration Court Backlog (Finally) Falls Perhaps the most influential force in the 2024 presidential election was voters' smoldering anger toward the broken U.S. immigration system and their accompanying desire to see our border secured. But while it doesn't get the most press, the massive immigration court backlog is the thorniest issue imperiling this goal. The mechanics of deporting illegal aliens are more complicated than most people understand. Before repatriating aliens with deportation orders, the Department of Homeland Security must obtain removal orders from a tiny pool of approved immigration judges. This lack of decision makers has caused adjudications to slow to a crawl in recent years. In the meantime, aliens establish what are known as "equities," meaning jobs, homes, and families, that make deportations more difficult. President Trump's return to office, however, has allowed our nation's immigration judges to do something they haven't accomplished since 2008: decrease the backlog by closing cases faster than new ones are added. This is a subject I know well, having served as an immigration judge between 2006 and 2015. Here's how it happened, and what it means going forward. [...] https://www.commonplace.org/p/andrew-arthur-the-immigration-court

In the Wall Street Journal. Very interesting shrinkological perspective. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Is 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' Real? Is "Trump derangement syndrome" real? No serious mental-health professional would render such a partisan and derogatory diagnosis. Yet I've seen it in my own psychotherapy practice. Patients across the political spectrum have brought Donald Trump into therapy not to discuss policy but to process obsession, rage and dread. Their distress is symptomatic, not ideological. Clinically, the presentation aligns with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders: persistent intrusive thoughts, emotional dysregulation and impaired functioning. Patients describe sleepless nights, compulsive news checking and physical agitation. Many confess they can't stop thinking about Donald Trump even when they try. They interpret his every move as a threat to democracy and to their own safety and control. Call it "obsessive political preoccupation"—an obsessive-compulsive spectrum presentation in which a political figure becomes the focal point for intrusive thoughts, heightened arousal and compulsive monitoring. I initially viewed this as an ideological reaction, an understandable response to a polarizing figure. But over time the symptoms took on a more clinical shape. What once looked like outrage now presents as a fixation that distorts perception and consumes attention. [...] https://www.wsj.com/opinion/is-trump-derangement-syndrome-real-a603e4a1?st=Jpq9jv

Thrilling (?) Friday non-GS/ES report, see man: We zzz'd poorly overnight yet again, sigh man. We decided to get our download-to-computer e-mail issue resolved before GS-/ES-ing, man. This took 1 hour + half an hour without resolution, and man. We got going at noon, man. We weren't Many miles from the casa when Mama T-B. called, aysheep senior she man man. "I need for you to come today, si man! I need help with pills, si man!" (We had spent Thursday's visit carefully confirming the need for pills, si and man.) We told Mama T-B. that we were nowhere nearby, truth man. "It will take only Many (2x2x2x2 -1) minutes, si man!" said senior she man man. We repeated that we were nowhere nearby, truth man. Mama T-B. yelled at us, yell senior she man man. We told her that we'd be there "well before dark*," si man. *to us, before dark = before dark; to Mama T-B., this means 1 or 2 p.m., man Accordingly, our Friday was further hosed, man. We visited the 2 ESs, on way to and in FST man. We then groceried at FST supermarket, a few items found man. Breakfast/lunch (at 2 p.m.) was at downtown Mexican place, no visit to favorite FST restaurant man. We first consumed a basket of hot cheaps with hot hot-sauce, only way to ingest these man. We then consumed Many (2+2+1) "Mexican street mini-tacos**," ingest we man. **on Friday special, F$WM These were filling and pretty good but were served on parchment paper, ingest pieces thereof we man. We will order something else next time, si man. We returned to the casa to dump our groceries, dump we man. Serviced expectant miu, service miu we man. Got to Mama T-B. at Many (2+2) p.m., before dark man. Mama T-B. couldn't yell at us because jolly Nigerian nooser was present, sweet hoot she man. Nooser left and Mama T-B. began ordering us around, order senior she man we man man. "I've been put on an antibiotic and need to redo my pills, si man!" si man. We re-caddied existing pills, adjustments man. "I need to take this antibiotic twice daily through Manyvember Many'th, si man!" said senior she man. She had us count the pills twice and still disbelieved us, man. She began intensely calculating numbers and dates, calculate she man. "I'll be one short, si man!" aysheeped senior she man man. "That's because you took one on the afternoon when they came in, si man," said we man. "I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE TWO A DAY THROUGH MANYVEMBER MANY'TH, SI MAN!" aysheeped she man. "Just take 2 daily until they're gone, si man!" said we man. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID, HUH MAN?!" aysheeped senior she man. "Why are you aysheeping about this when the prescribed number of pills is what to take, huh man?" said we man. Mama T-B. went ballistically aysheep at this point, sigh man. And she yelled at us for always showing up looking "exhausted" and giving a bad impression to the staff & noosers, man. The Many-minute ([2x2x2x2 -1]-minute] visit took Many (2x2x2x2x2x2 +2) minutes, man. Mama T-B. told us to take 2 chicken salad sandwiches from the mini-fridge and to "be prepared to come again on Saturday to do more pills, si man!", man. This means that we won't have a free Saturday either, no and man. We groceried at Aldi amidst Friday peak traffic and sunset, had to do it man. Din-din was the chicken salad sandwiches, ingest out-stressed we man. Brushed demanding miu, and siesta'd, not-bad zzz man. We DocuSigned the siding/windows contracts with vendor, might as well man. Need to submit HOA forms and hope for approved paint-color, fingers crossed man. No party with the rubias tonight, no cavort out-bummed we man man. We have itineraried Many (2+1) ESs and Many (2+1) GSs***, yeah right man. ***part of citywide sale in other small town, certainly more than those itineraried man This is our only joy of each week, si and sigh man. It will certainly be hosed, only question is what time man. We must also find time to lawn-mow, sigh man. And that was/is our thrilling Friday, report we man.

Friday GS/ES report, see man: We were able to attend only 2 ESs, man. After we started after much delay*, Mama T-B. called*, and man. *see Thrilling Friday non-GS/ES report, q.v. man Nevertheless, each ES yielded the take, see man: -- thick pack disposable dessert-plates = $1, steal man -- largish Corelle bowl = half a buck, steal man Total = $1 + half a buck

Is she that young, huh man?

Few beyond mine would survive VJ's word-filter. We can try "rat-[illegitimate male child]."

Next step will be a kid telling his teacher, "My dog shot my homework."

What a story. Big relief. Congratulations!

What a great feeling!