Author Topic: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread  (Read 145117 times)

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Offline mitlen

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #525: February 23, 2016, 05:02:41 PM »
politicians will pay retention bonuses, signing bonuses, and stop losses before they would ever consider a draft. The whole apparatus is pointless. Besides, the SSA can easily sort numbers by age- I'm not sure what value separate registration actually adds

Except the Selective Service System is discriminatory by gender.    Get rid of it.    It ain't pointless if there are penalties.   It's not pointless for the 21 year old unregistered male.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #526: February 23, 2016, 05:04:08 PM »
Except the Selective Service System is discriminatory by gender.

seems like the easier solution is just to scrap selective service

Offline mitlen

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #527: February 23, 2016, 05:04:59 PM »
seems like the easier solution is just to scrap selective service

Bingo

Offline dracnal

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #528: February 23, 2016, 05:06:13 PM »
seems like the easier solution is just to scrap selective service

I'm also in favor of this. I agree that a draft is totally unlikely to ever happen again. However, I also agree with Mitlen that if there are penalties, it can't be blown off as fluff and nonsense.

Offline Mathguy

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #529: February 23, 2016, 07:43:10 PM »
Those subs have a bar

Are we talking 150 sailors (maybe several % women) with no bar?     Nice Marriot?    Maybe in Riyadh.   We haven't even gotten to the depth under water with the no windows thing.    The food simply can't be that good.

Offline tomterp

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #530: February 23, 2016, 09:50:31 PM »
I think we're fast approaching the point where skills are getting too specialized to train a draftee fast and then get them to the front lines in a timely manner in the kind of war where selective service would actually come into play- I just can't imagine a scenario where the draft is instituted, occurs and actually supplies soldiers to a war zone.

What do you mean?  Our wars now last much longer than the paltry 4 + we devoted to WWII.   More like 5-15 years.

Online imref

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #531: February 23, 2016, 10:06:01 PM »
we've gone as far in the opposite direction of discussing vacations as possible.

Offline Mathguy

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #532: February 23, 2016, 10:10:44 PM »
What do you mean ?  6 months underwater in a sub is a form of vacation

we've gone as far in the opposite direction of discussing vacations as possible.

Online skippy1999

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #533: February 23, 2016, 11:03:17 PM »
we've gone as far in the opposite direction of discussing vacations as possible.

I'm planning a trip to Hawaii in September to see my son :woop:

Online imref

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #534: February 24, 2016, 12:10:11 AM »
I'm planning a trip to Hawaii in September to see my son :woop:

in a submarine?

What island?

Offline mitlen

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #535: February 24, 2016, 08:56:49 AM »
we've gone as far in the opposite direction of discussing vacations as possible.
What do you mean ?  6 months underwater in a sub is a form of vacation


The draft was an all expenses paid 2 year vacation.

Online skippy1999

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #536: February 24, 2016, 05:11:35 PM »
in a submarine?

What island?

I wouldn't last 5 minutes in a submarine :panic:

My son works on Maui so that's where we're headed in September :)  hoping for a couple days in Oahu as well but we'll have to see how that looks when we get a little closer.   

Online JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #537: February 24, 2016, 05:44:13 PM »
Judging by the weather, it would not surprise me if I wasn't in Kansas later tonight.

Offline Natsinpwc

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Re: "Holiday Road" - The Official Vacation Thread
« Reply #538: February 24, 2016, 06:17:17 PM »
Judging by the weather, it would not surprise me if I wasn't in Kansas later tonight.
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Offline OldChelsea

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The Brussels attack hits a bit close to home for me - I was in Brussels in 2009 and rode their Metro (very wide-open, security-free access back then). Zaventem is their main airport; the low-cost-carriers largely use Charleroi airport which is quite some way west. Also, my original hotel reservation was in a notably Muslim neighbourhood (the reservation was made by my airline; the original hotel was full and I got re-booked to a different hotel closer to the centre).

Still sticking to my travel plans for later this year (Singapore, Riga, London)...not giving in to terrorists or the often ham-fisted domestic (security) reactions to same. Terrorists want to disrupt our lives and make us too fearful to travel or otherwise live our lives, and I'm not giving in to that.

...and still enjoying Stella (the Stella sold here is still brewed in Leuven).

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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A lot of major airports will probably soon have a secure perimeter like Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv.  Having to get to the airport 3 hours before a flight sucks, but it beats the alternative.   

Offline houston-nat

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The Brussels attack hits a bit close to home for me - I was in Brussels in 2009 and rode their Metro (very wide-open, security-free access back then).
Ditto, but in 2014. Not the prettiest of European cities, but some very nice neighborhoods and friendly citizens - loved getting Moroccan mint tea at the street market there. And yes, the Metro was quite nice and wide-open, with different art at different stations. And the station my friend lived next to had a convenience store with a gigantic chocolate rack.

Offline OldChelsea

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[...]Having to get to the airport 3 hours before a flight sucks, but it beats the alternative.   

I usually pretty much do that anyway (a long-time travel maxim of mine is 'one can never arrive at an airport too early'). For my annual London trips from Dulles I normally book the first BA flight which leaves at 18.30 give or take a half-hour or so; I do online check-in the previous evening (already selected my seat) then bag drop opens at 14.30 and I'm usually first on the queue - then once that's out of the way I have a relatively easy passage through security (since the 'prime time' with all the United/Star Alliance long-hauls is still a way off) and I then have time to pop in for a quick bite (in case the airline food is off) and a few pre-boarding beers.

Hassle-free travel is admittedly difficult these days...but there are things one can do to work the odds in one's favour, and I rarely experience real difficulties.

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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I love Brussels - it's like a little Paris. I was last there in 2013 and it was shocking to me how expensive everything had gotten, but the Euro subsequently went off a cliff.

There's a funny little hotel near the Horta House that we have stayed at a lot over the years. I should go back soon. 



 

Offline comish4lif

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Just returned from a week in the sun. 7 days in Arizona - 3 Cactus League games and 3 days at the Grand Canyon.

Saw the Giants at the Mariners in Peoria, saw the Reds and Indians in Goodyear and the Mariners at the Dodgers in Glendale. Peoria park was really nice - Stone IPA and the Ballast Point Big Eye on tap.

Grand Canyon is truly spectacular - family did a mule rule along the rim.

Offline mitlen

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Just returned from a week in the sun. 7 days in Arizona - 3 Cactus League games and 3 days at the Grand Canyon.

Saw the Giants at the Mariners in Peoria, saw the Reds and Indians in Goodyear and the Mariners at the Dodgers in Glendale. Peoria park was really nice - Stone IPA and the Ballast Point Big Eye on tap.

Grand Canyon is truly spectacular - family did a mule rule along the rim.
(Image removed from quote.)

That shot of the canyon brings back memories of being there in '77 (that's nineteen and not eighteen :) ).    Nice photo.     Sounds like a great trip.

Online imref

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How nervous were you on the rim?

Online skippy1999

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That's a beautiful pic, thanks for sharing!

Offline comish4lif

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How nervous were you on the rim?
Honestly? At times a littlle nervous. The mules go straight and follow the mule in front of them. At the head of the line was the guide - looked like Sam Elliot - he really fit the part.

But, you are moving along the edge, in the middle of the trail and the mule moves a little to one side and you are like "HEY" and give the reins a little correction.

Here's a panorama of the Bright Angel Trail - we hiked down about 30-40 minutes and turned back.