Cuban Conundrum Comments section:

[Just Old Al]

Oh, it's time for a nice episode of Dancing With The Stars. I can hear the music playing already.

It's the Bosso Nova.

You have NO idea...none. NO idea.

Heeheehee...

[lake_wrangler]

Oh, those poor police officers... they were only doing their job, trying to defend their country from potential harm... And now, not only are they hurt, bruised, beaten and humiliated, but their department will now be saddled with the cost of rebuilding their station.

All because a trio of careless people didn't think of bringing passports and having them stamped...



As enjoyable as always, of course...

Will we see what happens with Billens, or is that left to our own devices?

[Dave]

All because a trio of careless people didn't think of bringing passports and having them stamped...

And, to rub (in)salt into their injuries... it seems quite possible to me that they could have had just as good and authentic a culinary experience, and indistinguishable weather, if they had simply vorped to one of the Cubano neighborhoods in greater Miami, or Key West, or to St. John in the USVI, or...

Unnecessary collateral damage is not a good thing.

[FreeFlier]

Two-legs are so clumsy about stalking.

--FreeFlier

[Sgt. Howard]

All because a trio of careless people didn't think of bringing passports and having them stamped...

And, to rub (in)salt into their injuries... it seems quite possible to me that they could have had just as good and authentic a culinary experience, and indistinguishable weather, if they had simply vorped to one of the Cubano neighborhoods in greater Miami, or Key West, or to St. John in the USVI, or...

Unnecessary collateral damage is not a good thing.

... I believe the Old Sgt. will have a comment to that effect...

[Just Old Al]

Unnecessary collateral damage is not a good thing.

How the Hades was Al supposed to know that old Bolshie was still about? Now, if it had been a case of spend a few hours in the clink for illegal entry they'd have done it, and taken the tongue lashing from Brandi (well-deserved) and been more careful. "You will disappear"...whole 'nother story.

[Dave]

Unnecessary collateral damage is not a good thing.

How the Hades was Al supposed to know that old Bolshie was still about? Now, if it had been a case of spend a few hours in the clink for illegal entry they'd have done it, and taken the tongue lashing from Brandi (well-deserved) and been more careful. "You will disappear"...whole 'nother story.

But they didn't take the route of "going quietly" and facing the music for illegal entry. They immediately escalated the situation... and I don't think there's a jurisdiction in the world that doesn't take assault on a police officer seriously.

Even if Vladimir hasn't been there, it could well have turned into "months or years in prison for illegal entry, assault on a police officer, and assault on a private citizen", unwelcome publicity up to and including having these guys' names splashed in the national press, international incident... which could have dragged the Alexander Harvester connection into the light. At the very least it would have been a lot of stuff for MIB to cover up, and Billins would have been justified in giving the three a dressing-down just as Phix gave Monica's and Shelly.

As it is... ugh. Grounded for life, and for their next ten reincarnations?

Not having a plausible cover (passports with stamps), and not having confirmed the status of their "return tickets" in advance, turned out to be very expensive oversights. A bit too much "spur of the moment", I guess. Sorta surprising for an old warrior like Al.

Hence, "unnecessary" collateral damage.

[Just Old Al]

And that would be boring as hell. Like all fiction, the characters tend to make poor choices - but that makes for conflict and conflict is interest.

In Rl were this possible NO ONE would be that dumb.

[Dave]

And that would be boring as hell. Like all fiction, the characters tend to make poor choices - but that makes for conflict and conflict is interest.

Point taken!

In Rl were this possible NO ONE would be that dumb.

You sometimes exhibit a rather touching naivety...

The "Darwin Awards" website makes for educating reading... the tendency of people to not think things through properly in advance is quite impressive. If there's a limit to the human race's ability to think up new equivalents to "Hey, hold my beer and watch this!" I haven't yet seen the limit.

[Just Old Al]

[quote="Dave"}

In Rl were this possible NO ONE would be that dumb.

You sometimes exhibit a rather touching naivety...
[/quote]

Admittedly, I do tend to think the human race is not on a downward spiral. Let me rephrase it - I would not be that stupid, nor would I allow it in my traveling companions.

Yes, the Darwin Award winners are endlessly imaginative.

[jwhouk]

It's not Billens they need worry about. It's who so ever is inside building 2 at the moment.

[chicgeek]

Wow, I thought there were gonna be more pitchforks and torches over that cliffhanger.

Maybe everyone was holding their breath?

*helpfully ties a torch to a pitchfork and waves it*
Better?
Go to Puerto Rico for your next tropical getaway. No passport needed!

[Warrl]

Possible minor nitpick: according to Google Translate, and assuming I'm correct on what was intended, "sus alas" should be "tus alas".

[jwhouk]

Resurrecting this thread for an observation thanks to Vox:

Cuban Cab drivers make more than Doctors

[DinkyInky]

And that would be boring as hell. Like all fiction, the characters tend to make poor choices - but that makes for conflict and conflict is interest.

Point taken!

In RL were this possible NO ONE would be that dumb.

You sometimes exhibit a rather touching naivety...

Make something idiot-proof, and the world will build a better idiot.

[FreeFlier]

. . .

In RL were this possible NO ONE would be that dumb.

You sometimes exhibit a rather touching naivety...

Make something idiot-proof, and the world will build a better idiot.

Trust me on this . . . the last thing we need is a better idiot.

I'm a liaison engineer . . . you would not believe some of the stupidity people can come up with.

Like the twit who drilled a hole in his hand . . . and while explaining to the boss just how stupid he'd been, did it again!

--FreeFlier

[Just Old Al]

Like the twit who drilled a hole in his hand . . . and while explaining to the boss just how stupid he'd been, did it again!

--FreeFlier

"As we dance to the Masochism Tango..."

[GlytchMeister]

Like the twit who drilled a hole in his hand . . . and while explaining to the boss just how stupid he'd been, did it again!

--FreeFlier

"As we dance to the Masochism Tango..."

[ img ]

[DinkyInky]

Like the twit who drilled a hole in his hand . . . and while explaining to the boss just how stupid he'd been, did it again!

--FreeFlier

"As we dance to the Masochism Tango..."

[ img ]

[FreeFlier]

Like the twit who drilled a hole in his hand . . . and while explaining to the boss just how stupid he'd been, did it again!

"As we dance to the Masochism Tango..."

More like the imbecile waltz . . .

Another seemed to drill one or two holes in her hands/fingers each year . . .

"Stubby" would stick his fingers into bolt holes to see if they were lined up . . . while parts weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds are suspended from the crane on cables a hundred feet or more long! He'd have a spud or bull pin that's designed for aligning holes hanging on his tool belt, but he'd use his fingers.

Got called out to look at a trip hazard once, and found a mechanic nonchalantly sitting on a handrail working, with a thirty foot drop into a pit full of jagged stuff behind him. Was he wearing a safety harness? What do you think?


In one safety meeting, we had to watch this safety film once that showed a continual roll of flagrant safety hazards . . . when it finished, they asked for reactions, and I went first . . . "You know, I think I used to work there . . ."

The boss blew his cork at me for "being frivolous".

What he wouldn't listen to was that I wasn't joking! Out of the thirty or forty safety violations they showed, the only one I hadn't seen in a place I was working was the unmarked vat of sulfuric acid over the sink! And unmarked jugs of carbon tetrachloride very similar to the ones used for drinking water made up for that!

--FreeFlier