Things you don't need to know...

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Big bands can thrive in small towns. The Norwegian port of Bergen, despite its population of just 280,000, outplays much grander cities in the musical arena. The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra had a solid reputation when Edward Gardner, an English conductor, arrived in 2015. Since then, its global renown has soared. On Monday Mr Gardner and his ensemble will appear at the Edinburgh International Festival. After performing Richard Strauss’s decadent musical drama “Salome” (the BPO regularly dazzle in modern opera), Vikingur Olafsson, an Icelandic pianist, will join them as soloist.

The orchestra has burnished Mr Gardner’s career. In 2019 the London Philharmonic Orchestra appointed him as its principal conductor. And when his time in Bergen ends in 2024, he will not abandon Norway: in February he was named as the next music director of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. Mr Gardner has made plain his love of his adopted musical home. In Norway, he has said, he learned “to love the importance of an artistic institution being embedded within a community”.
@pibbuR
 
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Your Favorite Candy, Based on Your Zodiac Sign

Your Favorite Candy, Based on Your Zodiac Sign.jpg
 
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Oscar Mayer Is Selling 'Cold Dogs' a Hot Dog-flavored Ice Cream on a Stick

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Debuting today, the "Oscar Mayer Cold Dog" isn't quite as unappetizing as it sounds on first blush. No, it's not just a frozen hot dog on a stick. Instead, this self-described "first-of-its-kind hot dog-flavored frozen pop" — crafted in collaboration with the frozen dessert experts at Popbar — is built from Oscar Mayer hot dog-tinged gelato, billed as "boasting both refreshing and smokey, umami notes." The brand says no actual hot dogs are used in the recipe; and yet, it still offers the "familiar and delicious notes of Oscar Mayer's hickory-smoked hot dogs, tomato, onion and more."
 
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An acquaintance and ex-lover of my mother passed away based on a phone conversation with his family. Sadly due to suffering from constant pain he took the easy way out by overdosing on drugs. Don't really know what to feel though as we weren't that close.:lonely:
 
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So
An acquaintance and ex-lover of my mother passed away based on a phone conversation with his family. Sadly due to suffering from constant pain he took the easy way out by overdosing on drugs. Don't really know what to feel though as we weren't that close.:lonely:
Sorry for your loss.

It's OK to not feel as strongly for those you are not close to.
 
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Since we've had a couple of posts about ... interesting ... dishes, here are 20 of'em: https://www.liveabout.com/these-cooking-fails-are-way-too-funny-to-eat-4056479

My favoUrite is number 1 (or perhaps more presisely number 2?), the chocolate covered bananas:
chocolate-banana-fail-57694d253df78ca6e4f6c39a.jpg


pibbuR thinks that sometimes eating blindfolded makes sense.
 
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Canceled my Comcast service which kept getting raised higher every few months. My new service is with Breezeline and only cost me $70 a month for a whole year now.
 
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Only ?
What do you get for that ?
200mb internet/Wi-Fi and 60+ TV channels. Comcast on the other-hand was slightly faster at 300mb and 130+ channels, but the annual increases made the bill almost $250.

This is normal in the US.

As you have equipment rental fees, taxes, and other state charges added to your plan.
 
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300mb connection and 60 TV channels. Comcast was slightly faster at 500mb and 130 channels but the annual increases made the bill almost $250. This is normal in the US.

As you have equipment rental fees, taxes, and other state charges added to your plan.
:oops:

$250 for internet here is unheard off.

Most expensive bundle I could find with a large provider is £110 / year (currently $130, would have been $150 or so in regular times), and included:
- 1Gbps internet
- 230 channels
- 5G sim card with unlimited data
- Netflix subscription
- 1 other subscription of choice (e.g. Disney+, Spotify)

How is the US so bad ? Is it all monopolised ?
 
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If you think that's bad our entire infrastructure is outdated and crumbling as well.
 
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Anyway my Comcast plan with internet was actually $145 but like I mentioned you have to add rental fees, state taxes, and special broadcast fees. It's insane what is billed.

Three years later it was $250 and Comcast kept upping the price every few months.
 
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70$ a year... that's about what I pay each month - 62.50 EUR, phone not included, so 750 EUR/year. Even 250$ a year sounds like a steal.

It's "illimited" though, which means they throttle down the bitrate after a few hundred GB. I get a decent 45 mbps, which is not terrific but enough for our needs. We just have to be careful about downloading stuff when someone else is working or the remote connection suffers.

You're lucky to have such low rates over there. :)
 
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After my first year though it will be $112 a month. So for now it's a bargain and cheaper then Comcast. Another plus is the plan is unlimited so I don't have to worry about caps.
 
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I pay around 100EUR a month for 500 mbps, no caps, no throttling. 50-60 channels (some of them actually good). Not too bad, given that Norway is a high-cost country.

Service is very stable, 1 short unplanned down time in more than 5 years.

pibbuR who still remembers his first 2400 bps (at that time very fast) modem
 
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