CP wrote --

I've only known of "saloon" as the American term for a bar/pub.

When I hear saloon I think of two things: a old west bar with swinging
doors or a English sedan. :)

Yup? No biggie, but a local millionaire(presumably not religious in the Christian/Sunday sense) wanted customers to be able to shop on both common weekend days off at his grocery stores, so he began quietly staying open.

I can see the reason for "blue laws".
At one time people lived in small towns, maybe a few thousand people, and mostly farmers or the like. The man worked, the woman stayed at home (did
the shopping during the day), etc.
To me blue laws were a backdoor way to make sure everyone had at least
one day a week off to rest.
But as the Industrial Revolution came along factories of all sorts sprang
up and most ran 16 hours a day, seven days a week to provide the goods they offered. (If no one wanted their items they wouldn't stay in business long. It wasn't like some greedy fa
And with factories of various sorts people needed a day off and blue
laws were a way to help give one. If a factory owner tried to get people to work seven days a week they would have employees rebelling at that.
Thus you had people working on Sunday to provide goods and services for those who had the day off, maybe their only day off.

If community standards were truly against it, then nobody'd shop no Sundays

I try not to buy anything on Sunday, unless I have to.
Of course being of Scottish descent, I try not to spend any money anyway unless I absolutely have to. :)

I don't agree with this -- I'd expect two weeks notice of any changes, including quitting

I always found it strange that an employee has to give two weeks notice,
but an employer can fire someone on the spot, with no notice. :)
Most employers will give an employee notice in advance ("if you don't
shape up...") so when one is fired they had some sort of warning previously. Unless a case were something drastic had or had not happened.

owned the block, including the only local taxi company. He used to keep a hooker in the back room

I don't think my cab company was that bad.
Though several of the cabbies knew certain girls and would direct a fare
to them rather than just were they would hang out.

Most trips were shopping trips or drunks going home

I always hated the first of the month. That was when "socialable
security" cheques came out and we would be flooded with grannies going home from
the store. They would have bags of groceries and only going a couple of blocks, often times the meter never c
Most all of those "neighbourhood" groceries are gone now, replaced by
huge supermarkets, box stores, etc that aren't that close to where they live.

I have no idea where they are today or if they even exist.

Likely do, but with different staff providing the fitness classes to customers.

Oh I'm sure the hookers are still around. But no idea where they are.
At one time we had a "red light district" (waaayyyy before my time).
This kept the girls off the corner and the business could be more controlled with fewer free lancers.
Plus they were licensed so the city got a cut. They also had regular
health inspections. Less robberies, etc since the madam's made sure that didn't happen. Bad for business don't you know.

wasn't about to have my first experience with a hooker, plus I was scared they'd beat me & rob me. . . (I've read a lot of stories with this as a scene)

Not to mention the ones that strung out on drugs of various sorts and
who know what diseases they may have science doesn't even have a name for yet.
Reminds me of an old joke.
A Army officer picks up a hooker and after ward is leaving. She asks
"Hey, how about some money?" He replies, "Ma'am, an Army officer does not accept money". (For Army officer, you can insert whatever person or position you care).

I was approached by one, years ago,. a downtown street girl, who struck up a conversation because I'd, civilly wished a good evening.

She would be kept busy here.
Being Southerns we speak to strangers, or at least acknowledge them with
a smile or nod of the head.
We also say please, thank you, etc a lot.
Instead of asking someone to do something we add please and a thank you afterward.
Call others "sir" or "ma'am", address them as Mr Mrs or MS* until told
by that person to call them by their first name. Through this is getting
less and less frequent with young people.
(* I never had trouble with MS since pronounced Miz which is Southern
talk for Miss).

so I said, "Yup, I was right; can't afford you - you have a good night, now. . ."

LOL

I wonder what look-alike SUV's and such today will someday be
"classics"? Darn sight few I imagine.

I doubt many could survive long

In the old days two cars run into each and maybe a fender is bent. Today
the whole car falls apart.

I love how cars were all the same size, it was mostly just a trim/engine difference. Along with things like standard or automatic, etc.

Yup, you could go back, do comparative studies on gasoline mileage between brands and years, as I was trying to do

I'm up to 1962 now and mileage isn't mentioned that often, other than on Falcon, Valiant and Corvair. Mostly its just ever larger engines.
But I enjoy watching the evolution of design.
How one year this model will have some feature that everyone copies a
year or two later.
Such as push button transmissions with Chrysler products in 1956. By
1958 nearly everyone was offering it.
Chrysler products in 1956 had fins, then everyone had fins. One year
fins disappear from one make and the next year nearly all the fins are gone.
I'm not a gear head in the least and can barely tell the difference
between a carburetor and distributor. --hanging head and turning in my man card--
I can't tell a 350 over a 390 or a 400 something without seeing the
number on the engine. :)

I wanted to prove that we're being deliberately screwed on mileage. The companiers say "oh, modern cars have a lot more going on, so use more power(e./g. AC), so I was comparing like engines & car sizes/models in barebones factory models.

There are dealer salesmen film strips and videos comparing their car to
the others. Of course their car is superior in all ways.
One was for a small car (like a Valiant, Rambler, whatever) to a full
size Brand X. Well, yeah, even I know a small car with a bigger engine will
be more mpg's vs a full size model since a lot less weight to drag around.

*LOL* Sounds like a YouTube channel I like: "Kids react to..."

There is one channel where a young-ish guy comments on various cars,
usually how wonderful new cars are compared to a few years ago.
He was shocked that some top of the line car from the '70s didn't have
this, that or the other. How it antidated AM radio only, or had an old-fashioned 8 track, or how one had to manually adjust a side mirror, etc. Oh, the
horror! I'll yell at him "That

I wrote the Indian PM to suggest how he could help Ukraine & gain global respect/business, if he wasn't too deeply married to Putin. . .

Trouble maker! :)
Joe
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