I’m good with the Laser plan, lukewarm on the ruggedized Pacifica, but there’s no way to justify rebadging Grand Cherokee models. That just steals sales from Jeep, where the margins are certainly higher. A better option is to tweak a sub-compact CUV for Chrysler, either from Jeep or Fiat. Buick sells plenty of…

I think that it’s legitimate trying to get past a truck that’s dropping salt, especially when it’s moving near highway speed. Getting pelted by frozen salt pellets really sucks, but it still requires having adequate clearance around the truck.

These compartments are provided with leather bags that can be closed, for storage of small tools.

I will grant you that Alan Richson carries off the physicality much better than Cruise did, but in every case when the story gets to the third act it just stops making sense. I’m a sucker for characters getting to the truth through careful observation, especially when malevolent forces make a concerted effort to…

I’ve been fooled into watching Reacher adaptations too many times now. I’m happy that I didn’t take the bait again.

Oh, I can imagine it, and sometimes have to do it, like if I have a burger for lunch at a work event. I just find that a beer is such a good match for a burger that I don’t want to do without. The beer does an excellent job of refreshing and resetting my taste buds between bites of the burger. Sodas would do the same,…

After is not the same as with. Freddy’s is closer to me, so we’ll go there, get our burgers, and eat in the car with a beer. It’s not like any of these places have great eat-in ambiance anyway.

I think it was Kevin Pang that did a good in-depth piece here on The Takeout about our local smashburger places, Schoop’s in particular. As I recall, there was special training for the cook to make them on the griddle. Kevin was not allowed to see exactly how it was done.

The only downside to Schoop’s is the lack of a liquor license. I really like a beer with my burger, and smashburgers do not travel well.

Yes, Freddy’s makes a true smashburger. The patty melt is especially good, with the grilled rye bread accentuating the crisp burger edges. The custard is pretty good, too. Real custard, not just soft serve.

I was wondering whether any of these (other than Cheaters) change the rules or basic gameplay in any significant way? If not, why bother? But if somehow the game’s dynamics were updated I would be interested. I have a copy of Milton Bradley’s Hotels that I picked up at an estate sale. It has the most marvelous game…

The only way that LA can continue in the wake of diminishing Colorado River supply is if someone figures out an economical answer to de-salinization. That would also be a way for Phoenix and other desert communities to grow if that water could be shipped east, but that still leaves the problem of heat in a warming…

Better pull Jeffrey Wright in as well.

That’s still more than I knew, and I’m torn about whether or not I want to know any more.

“we are in serious discussions with a major writer to develop this as a dramatic and heartfelt feature in the tone of Little Miss Sunshine.”

Not only would Stone’s Barbie movie have been nowhere near as good as Gerwig’s, if it had been made we would never have gotten Gerwig’s. Hollywood would have deemed that subject mined out.

Chacun à son goût

So, once the other posters here figure out that the water source to operate the locks is the massive fresh water lake at the top, there’s the thought of re-using that water. Unless they are already doing this, they should work on pumping the fresh water back up instead of letting it just flow down to the sea. It’s not…

How about a discussion of remote fobs in general? Almost every modern one I see is a large blob that I can’t readily carry around in a pocket without having an unsightly bulge, and an annoying obstacle to the other things I keep in my pockets. I suspect that the size is driven by women’s desire to throw it into a bag…

Seeing the Stop sign Optional post triggered a memory I’ve tried to suppress. I was riding in the back seat of VW Beetle driven by the friend of a friend of mine. It’s a new one, with whatever VW was passing off at that time as its performance version. It seems that he needed a co-signer for the loan, and his dad…