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2017/05/03 13:13:41
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
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http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-private-terminal-lax-0503-story.html
I went to Los Angeles International Airport on Monday morning, like I have on so many occasions, but this was an entirely different experience.
I didn’t have to deal with the usual crush of airport traffic, or people, or security headaches.
I navigated around all that madness and I breezed because this time, I traveled like a champ instead of a chump.
How?
I used a new A-list private terminal and platinum-class service called the Private Suite. It’s designed to pamper high rollers of all types. Corporate execs. Moguls. Tycoons. Celebrities.
2,200 footsteps vs. 70 — but at a cost
To be clear, I didn’t actually “use” the service, and I didn’t fly anywhere. But I was invited to sample the Private Suite, which is already operating but will go big in a couple of weeks, modeled on elite services at several international airports around the world.
As the Private Suite website puts it: “It typically takes 2,200 footsteps from car seat to plane seat. For members of The Private Suite, it’s 70 footsteps. And they are all peaceful footsteps.”
If you’re not sold yet, consider this: “Members of The Private Suite don’t wait in crowded lines because private [Transportation Security Administration] screening is done right in our building. Members don’t walk down long crowded concourses, or line up at ticket counters and boarding gates. They don’t deal with baggage. And they don’t deal with paparazzi.”
To join LAX's Private Suite, it costs $7,500 a year. So far about 1,200 people reportedly have signed up. (The Private Suite)
I believe you have to blow your own nose, but I could be wrong.
And what does all of this cost? To join, $7,500 a year. But it costs another $2,700, for up to four people, each time you use the service, or $3,000 for international flights. A non-member who wants to try this on the cheap can use a shared waiting-area suite for just $2,000, but who knows what kind of riffraff you’d have to sit next to?
So who’s going to pay that kind of money for the luxury of being treated like royalty for an hour or two?
Lots of people, apparently. Gavin de Becker, the international security consultant behind the Private Suite, said about 1,200 people have already signed up, including lawyers, entertainment executives and media types.
“I love it,” said Charles Wessler, a movie producer whose credits include “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb & Dumber.”
Wessler said he used the Private Suite recently after landing at LAX from New York.
“I walked out the door of the plane and there was a guy standing there with a little sign, come with me,” said Wessler.
“I go out the door, down the steps, right past the wing. Whatever the length of a wing is, what, 60 feet? We get into a car and drive on the taxiway, go out a gate and about three minutes later or less, I’m at the suites,” Wessler said. “I walked in and a woman at the desk said, ‘We have your rental car, it’s right here.’ I signed a piece of paper and I drove away.’”
Sounds terrific, but does Wessler think twice about paying thousands of dollars for a few minutes of extra convenience?
“It’s going to sound horrible, but no,” said Wessler, who lives in New York and flies in and out of LAX 20 times a year, including two annual trips to Sweden to go fly-fishing with friends.
Wessler predicted big stars could end up demanding the service and having it written into their contracts.
But is this costing you and me anything? I mean, if we’re waiting in security lines a mile long as TSA employees and customs agents, paid by taxpayers, are servicing Private Suite members, how’s that fair?
De Becker said his company is reimbursing the cost of Customs and Border Protection employees, and TSA employees will be used only as needed. He said airport police will have to respond to fewer disruptions when celebrities are hounded at the airport, and having fewer large clusters of people will be safer, given fears about LAX as a terrorist target. The Private Suite might also be used to process arrivals of international flight crews.
The Board of Airport Commissioners voted unanimously in 2015 to approve the project, and De Becker invested several million in it. Deborah Flint, chief executive of Los Angeles World Airports, said the Private Suite is a winner for the general public, with De Becker under contract to pay $34 million in licensing and fees over the next 10 years.
“LAWA sees this as a way to reduce congestion in terminals and to receive revenue that can be used to develop public facilities for our guests,” said Flint, including transportation and terminal upgrades.
An armed guard greeted me at the gate of the private terminal Monday morning, on the south side of the airport. He flipped a switch, the fortress doors opened, and I drove up to a mod blue-paneled building.
A snappy-looking gent in a blue blazer greeted me with a handshake and a smile. My concierge told me where to park, then escorted me 10 feet to my private suite. I was to relax there, as I would while awaiting my flight, or, in this case, while waiting to interview De Becker.
Would you like a raw dark chocolate bar with sprouted almonds?
The suite was set up like a high-end hotel room with a view of the runway and the silver BMW 7 Series sedan that would ferry me across the tarmac to my jet. The suite was loaded with hors d'oeuvres, snacks and a full bar. Other suites are set up for children, and one is intended for Middle Eastern travelers, with prayer mats and a Koran.
If you’d like a glass of Marc Bredif Vouvray, they’ve got it, along with other wines and an assortment of cheese, meat and fruit trays. With the turn of a handle, you can empty the candy and nut bins, or enjoy a small batch of a raw dark chocolate bar with sprouted almonds. Then you could wash it all down with a Samuel Smith's Pure Brewed Organic Lager or a Belvedere and tonic and pass out on one of the two day beds.
After a few minutes, the phone rang and an operator informed me my concierge was waiting outside my door. He escorted me to another of the 13 suites, where De Becker appeared on a large flat-screen TV for our interview. He said he was in Maui.
On some flights, he said, some passengers pay $400 for a ticket and some pay $4,000 for a little more luxury. The Private Suite could be seen as something of a “celebrity tax” for even more comfort, he suggested.
If you’re headed to New York and an unexpected storm has just been forecast, De Becker said, the Private Suite will give you a raincoat. If you forgot your phone charger, no problem. They’ve got you covered.
He told me to walk across the room, pick up the phone, and tell the operator I just spilled something on my shirt. Just to see what happened.
I followed instructions. The operator asked if I wanted an attendant to knock before entering.
No, he can come right in, I said, adding, “It’s an emergency. There could be a stain.”
In about two minutes, a concierge wheeled in a cart with Banana Republic dress shirts, an Anne Klein blouse and Steve Madden shoes, among other items.
He left quietly and I stood there a moment, thinking I would have been better off not knowing how the other half — or one-tenth of 1% — lives.
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-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
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2017/05/03 14:31:51
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Battlefield Tourist
MN (Currently in WY)
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The second Guilded Age is upon us, and next stop is the real class warfare of labor unrest.
Exciting times ahead!
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Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing |
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2017/05/03 15:19:08
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
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Easy E wrote:The second Guilded Age is upon us, and next stop is the real class warfare of labor unrest.
Exciting times ahead!
Unleash the Wobblies!
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-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
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2017/05/03 16:43:32
Subject: Re:Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Longtime Dakkanaut
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So, what is your point Frazzled? Why did you post this? What do you want to discuss?
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2017/05/03 16:52:37
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
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? The new extremely expensive special terminal at LAX (I should note the article itself has pics). Not sure what your question is.
Have you been to LAX? Its a zoo.
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-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
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2017/05/03 17:00:02
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Longtime Dakkanaut
Building a blood in water scent
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I am shocked, shocked! I say, that the wealthy elite can pay to have higher tier facilities than us common rabble. This isn't the America I know.
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We were once so close to heaven, St. Peter came out and gave us medals; declaring us "The nicest of the damned".
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” |
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2017/05/03 17:23:41
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Member of the Ethereal Council
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The Rich get Richer, The Poor get poorer and find out there is black mold in their house that insurance refuses to pay for and go bankrupt fixing it so they dont die......
Welcome to Trumps America
And Obamas....
And Bushes,
And Clintons.....
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2017/05/03 18:14:14
Subject: Re:Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Pyromaniac Hellhound Pilot
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It's the free market in action. Luxury services for luxury prices, and apparently the cost of government employees is being reimbursed.
I mean, it's an ostentatious display of wealth, but we don't seem to have issues with that as a country.
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/03 18:14:39
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2017/05/03 18:45:34
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau
USA
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Don't be ridiculous.
Zoos have a semblance of order, and people actually want to go there
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2017/05/03 18:55:18
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Fixture of Dakka
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You know what we DON'T need? People posting comments in the thread about the OP's motivation, rather than about the topic. If you don't want to discuss this goofy new service at LAX, you don't have to be in here. For myself, I'm saddened mostly that it costs this much to turn flying back into an enjoyable experience. I jump through a lot of hoops to make travel less painful, but this is a couple steps farther than I'm willing to go.
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This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/05/03 18:59:04
Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes? |
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2017/05/03 18:59:40
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Legendary Master of the Chapter
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hotsauceman1 wrote:The Rich get Richer, The Poor get poorer and find out there is black mold in their house that insurance refuses to pay for and go bankrupt fixing it so they dont die......
Welcome to Trumps America
And Obamas....
And Bushes,
And Clintons.....
its like nothing changed.. ever.
I just drove back from LAX if i could afford this service i would in a heart beat
those [MOD EDIT - Not really an word to use in polite speech. - Alpharius] drivers and those god damn shuttle buses.
feth them to the darkest reaches of hell.
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This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2017/05/03 20:45:19
Unit1126PLL wrote: Scott-S6 wrote:And yet another thread is hijacked for Unit to ask for the same advice, receive the same answers and make the same excuses.
Oh my god I'm becoming martel.
Send help!
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2017/05/03 19:52:42
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Battlefield Tourist
MN (Currently in WY)
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Desubot wrote:
its like nothing changed.. ever.
I just drove back from LAX if i could afford this service i would in a heart beat
those [MOD EDIT - Not really an word to use in polite speech. - Alpharius] drivers and those god damn shuttle buses.
feth them to the darkest reaches of hell.
This quote goes really well with your "yelling" avatar. Kudos!
What's next? People being able to pay extra to use special lanes on congested freeways and bypass traffic snarls! The inhumanity of it all!
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/03 20:45:35
Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing |
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2017/05/03 20:33:25
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
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Hey Austin has its own "executive" airport on 130. When the Formula races are here, all the private jets land there, with helicopters shuttling them directly to the race or downtown.
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-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
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2017/05/03 20:52:42
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Decrepit Dakkanaut
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So LAX got a new general aviation terminal with really expensive fees? Did I get that summary right?
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2017/05/03 20:53:44
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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5th God of Chaos! (Ho-hum)
Curb stomping in the Eye of Terror!
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d-usa wrote:So LAX got a new general aviation terminal with really expensive fees? Did I get that summary right?
Pretty much.
Evidently it's like the worst thing ever...
*meh*
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Live Ork, Be Ork. or D'Ork!
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2017/05/03 21:09:18
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
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No, that would be cat lovers.
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-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
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2017/05/03 21:14:06
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau
USA
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Dog loving scum!
But to go back to the topic, this reminds me of those VIP lines in Disney that eventually needed to be replaced with Super VIP lines. Who wants to take bets on how long it'll be until this becomes the near "standard" and is just as bad as the current standard, and the airlines/airports/whoever rolls out the new Super VIP LAX Terminal?
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This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2017/05/03 21:15:20
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2017/05/03 21:20:55
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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5th God of Chaos! (Yea'rly!)
The Great State of Texas
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Good point.
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-"Wait a minute.....who is that Frazz is talking to in the gallery? Hmmm something is going on here.....Oh.... it seems there is some dispute over video taping of some sort......Frazz is really upset now..........wait a minute......whats he go there.......is it? Can it be?....Frazz has just unleashed his hidden weiner dog from his mini bag, while quoting shakespeares "Let slip the dogs the war!!" GG
-"Don't mind Frazzled. He's just Dakka's crazy old dude locked in the attic. He's harmless. Mostly."
-TBone the Magnificent 1999-2014, Long Live the King!
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2017/05/03 21:22:26
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau
USA
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I bet it'll be gold plated and have its own winery
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2017/05/03 21:48:50
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Hangin' with Gork & Mork
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Hell the Indianapolis Int Airport has a separate area for private aircraft (the business/wealthy/celebrity kind, not like a Cessna) and is also used for politicians coming into to town so I'm not surprised L.A. would have something like this.
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Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
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2017/05/03 21:51:08
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Battlefield Tourist
MN (Currently in WY)
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The famous Mayo Health Clinic has the same at the local airport and at the hospital itself.
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Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing |
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2017/05/03 21:57:10
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle
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Its not that the wealthy have the option to spend for luxury, its that the wealthy are so obscenely rich it makes business sense to build a terminal like this. Meanwhile the rest of us are working harder than ever to earn less, and that breeds a whole lot of resentment.
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Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page
I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.
I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. |
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2017/05/03 22:01:22
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Longtime Dakkanaut
Building a blood in water scent
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Yes but Job Creators will use the Invisible Hand of the Free Market to Trickle Down you some Bootstraps to the American Dream.
Or are you a Socialist?
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We were once so close to heaven, St. Peter came out and gave us medals; declaring us "The nicest of the damned".
“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” |
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2017/05/03 22:02:52
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Secret Force Behind the Rise of the Tau
USA
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Hell no I ain't!
I'm sure the two or three dozen people working these special terminals for crappy pay will be a real boon to the economy
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2017/05/03 22:22:18
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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[DCM]
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Is someone trying to turn this into a thread about...politics?
In the USA?
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2017/05/03 22:24:44
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Hangin' with Gork & Mork
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Alpharius wrote:Is someone trying to turn this into a thread about...politics?
In the USA?
Of course (Trump) not (Trump). Why would you (Trump) say such a thing (Trump)?
The sky is free from such frivolities.
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Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
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2017/05/03 22:25:01
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Humming Great Unclean One of Nurgle
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Alpharius wrote:Is someone trying to turn this into a thread about...politics?
In the USA?
As much as I would like to say this is a uniquely USA issue...
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Road to Renown! It's like classic Path to Glory, but repaired, remastered, expanded! https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/778170.page
I chose an avatar I feel best represents the quality of my post history.
I try to view Warhammer as more of a toolbox with examples than fully complete games. |
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2017/05/03 23:24:38
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain
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Alpharius wrote:Is someone trying to turn this into a thread about...politics?
In the USA?
Wouldn't surprise me. Everyone seems to want to argue about politics these days. What I find ironic is that in the Nuts and Bolts subforum, a thread about a possible new US Politics thread had to be locked because the participants started arguing and breaking all of Dakka's rules. Maybe its just me, but I find that amusing somehow, if a bit sad.
On topic, I think it's kind of nice that celebrities can have an area to wait for their flights without having to deal with paparazzi or annoying people asking for autographs or trying to touch them all the time or stuff like that. I know they must get tired of all that sometimes. It's the main reason I'm glad I'm not famous.
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2017/05/03 23:46:44
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Legendary Master of the Chapter
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I thought the rich people who didn't like LAX just flew out of John Wayne..?
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2017/05/03 23:51:26
Subject: Hollywood Wealthy Now Have Their Own LAX Terminal
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Hangin' with Gork & Mork
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I thought he was dead, plus wouldn't that be uncomfortable?
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Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
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