Yeah, i was very disappointed in President Obama's small "Change". Very. But he is not a dictator, and aren't we glad we are not one of those regressive many nations! So frustrating! And Congress! But we voters made this mess.
We voters suckered for 'less taxes, more debt' and look what a mess the Republicans have left us in. As foolish as Reagan's 'big military, less taxes'. They were ruling as this deficit and debt problem exploded. We did vote them out, and it will take years or maybe decades to undo the damage they faulted. Remember Abramoff and Madoff?
They want back in ,,, and the voters are IMPATIENT as usual. So President Obama and the Democrats only hope for the Nation is to gain full control and right this USA ship of state. Otherwise,,,
And as voters, it is our responsibility to understand what we voted in mostly GRIDLOCK with a Democrat President and a weak Democrat rule Senate and Strong Republican rule House,,, and try to fix it. The only practical way i can see is to vote all one party to President, Senate, and House. You may say "Were then is the ideal/fantasy of the debate and public discussion in Congress of both sides and all perspectives on issues?" And i would say "All we got was gridlock, Wasted time, pointless committees, 4 long long long long years of missed opportunities."
Imagine,,, if we had over 90% voter turnout for the first time in our Nation's history!? 2012 and we are on the cusp. Every voter counts, like kings!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
I heard a famous media person interviewed and he said ' if the blogger is honest and responsible and provides good info.",,, then bloggers might have some value, or something to that effect
What the main stream media hides / white lies about, a very short list!:
1= Silicon Valley is one of the most polluted places in the USA, with ground water super-toxic contamination mainly from the infantile and childishly irresponsible computer industry, still not 'mature'.
2= SFO does not really have 'weather delays', but 'runway design delays'. The relatively new rules for airports mandate 1000ft separation between parallel runways. SFO's are only 750ft.
3=raw sewage is still ,,, still being released into SFBay. Because of the 3 major airports, SF and Oakland and SJose, politicians want it to be a dead-to life dumping ground / open sewer, but when the Indians were in charge and thriving by the thousands around the SFBay only a few hundred years ago, the surface of the Bay was 1/3 larger and completely covered in birds.
4=California farmers, mostly corporate tho they conveniently call themselves 'family farms' get a HUGE subsidy in 70% of the water in the state going dirt cheap at less than $100 /acre foot. Yet hard working and retired seniors , like my 93 yr old parents in San Jose, pay over $100/month, for 2 people in a 3br- 2ba ranch house , taking only a couple showers each a week. And the City of San Jose allows this 'highway' robbery?!
5=Silicon Valley, Ca. , the birthplace of the computer industry, does not have one major expressway or boulevard with computer timed traffic lights, but it does have a terrible traffic problem for decades. Not one. They make computers there ,but they obviously do not know how to make the best use of them. City vs City and County lack of cooperation,,, or political corruption-stasis?
6=KQED use to have a great new show "the newsroom". But it is not on tv anymore,,, Why? Fear of retribution from discussions about politicians? Or Corporate ,,, Chevron?,,, interference. "the newsroom" would make great University study material about great political reporting. And with gerrymandering still in California, we need it so much today. And not just about what goes on behind closed doors in Sacramento.
7=Soda Springs, Ca. use to be a major snow DEPTH (not 'snow fall') measuring station. Why does the State and the weather tv people and the news media hide the historical records of snow max. depth here, near famous Donner Pass?
8=Why it is allowed for cash register receipts to quickly fade so you have no record of sale but ALSO CONTAIN DANGEROUS CHEMICALS? We suffered thru LEAD PAINT and LEADED GASOLINE to the detriment of all, especially children, but why when it is COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT LEAD IS A VERY DEADLY POISON. MERCURY in adult and CHILDREN DENTAL "silver amalgam" fillings!? Just shocking !! The Congress and chemical industry are slowing poisoning us and the USA environment, with stupid choices. Now too much ARSENIC in apple juice and grape juice !? The EPA is becoming a joke,,, like the FTC,,, and the FDA,,, and the SEC,,,Spineless agencies employing thousands of govt workers, doing little about their reason for being.
Shameful.
1= Silicon Valley is one of the most polluted places in the USA, with ground water super-toxic contamination mainly from the infantile and childishly irresponsible computer industry, still not 'mature'.
2= SFO does not really have 'weather delays', but 'runway design delays'. The relatively new rules for airports mandate 1000ft separation between parallel runways. SFO's are only 750ft.
3=raw sewage is still ,,, still being released into SFBay. Because of the 3 major airports, SF and Oakland and SJose, politicians want it to be a dead-to life dumping ground / open sewer, but when the Indians were in charge and thriving by the thousands around the SFBay only a few hundred years ago, the surface of the Bay was 1/3 larger and completely covered in birds.
4=California farmers, mostly corporate tho they conveniently call themselves 'family farms' get a HUGE subsidy in 70% of the water in the state going dirt cheap at less than $100 /acre foot. Yet hard working and retired seniors , like my 93 yr old parents in San Jose, pay over $100/month, for 2 people in a 3br- 2ba ranch house , taking only a couple showers each a week. And the City of San Jose allows this 'highway' robbery?!
5=Silicon Valley, Ca. , the birthplace of the computer industry, does not have one major expressway or boulevard with computer timed traffic lights, but it does have a terrible traffic problem for decades. Not one. They make computers there ,but they obviously do not know how to make the best use of them. City vs City and County lack of cooperation,,, or political corruption-stasis?
6=KQED use to have a great new show "the newsroom". But it is not on tv anymore,,, Why? Fear of retribution from discussions about politicians? Or Corporate ,,, Chevron?,,, interference. "the newsroom" would make great University study material about great political reporting. And with gerrymandering still in California, we need it so much today. And not just about what goes on behind closed doors in Sacramento.
7=Soda Springs, Ca. use to be a major snow DEPTH (not 'snow fall') measuring station. Why does the State and the weather tv people and the news media hide the historical records of snow max. depth here, near famous Donner Pass?
8=Why it is allowed for cash register receipts to quickly fade so you have no record of sale but ALSO CONTAIN DANGEROUS CHEMICALS? We suffered thru LEAD PAINT and LEADED GASOLINE to the detriment of all, especially children, but why when it is COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT LEAD IS A VERY DEADLY POISON. MERCURY in adult and CHILDREN DENTAL "silver amalgam" fillings!? Just shocking !! The Congress and chemical industry are slowing poisoning us and the USA environment, with stupid choices. Now too much ARSENIC in apple juice and grape juice !? The EPA is becoming a joke,,, like the FTC,,, and the FDA,,, and the SEC,,,Spineless agencies employing thousands of govt workers, doing little about their reason for being.
Shameful.
"Why are you spending medical insurance money on your (70,80, or 90) parents!?" ,,, is a SHOCKING STATEMENT YOU WILL HEAR OFTEN AT U.S.A. FOR-PROFIT HOSPITALS,,,
De-regulation,,,
and widespread greed,,,
this is as low as we have sunk, so far.
Can you imagine!?
A RN nurse ,,, or even an MD doctor!,,, saying "Why are you taking (super-expensive) medical care of your (over 60) 'old' parents?"
If we voters are not careful, and the Republicans and anarchistic Right wingers get more seats, all that will really matter here in the U.S.A. will be "How much money do you have?", not any value, like the rule of law or ethics or keeping a sworn oath as a member of Congress.
and widespread greed,,,
this is as low as we have sunk, so far.
Can you imagine!?
A RN nurse ,,, or even an MD doctor!,,, saying "Why are you taking (super-expensive) medical care of your (over 60) 'old' parents?"
If we voters are not careful, and the Republicans and anarchistic Right wingers get more seats, all that will really matter here in the U.S.A. will be "How much money do you have?", not any value, like the rule of law or ethics or keeping a sworn oath as a member of Congress.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Costco item # 50787, Kirkland Signature Drawstring Kitchen Bags,,, have been redesigned FOR THE WORSE!! ,,, BEWARE !!
Costco has a huge, store wide QC /quality control problem: they put out scores of boxes of very green bananas on the floor , and let them sit there, ON THE SALES FLOOR, to ripen! Most people, other than my odd mother, don't eat or buy! very green bananas.
Hell-o Costco management !!
I bought some of their cheap $19 and 50ft hoses, but they kinked so bad even when new, that i took them all back, but one. It's my "wife can drive over hose"! Hoses that tend to kink,,, and Costco wants to sell lots,,, and not fix the problem,,, and sell more of a better product? I don't get it.
They introduce products they obviously have not eaten themselves! Do you remember the frozen , microwavable eggplant parmesan entree that , even if you microwaved them 3xs the recommended time, still tasted like shoe leather? The chili-corn bread entree by the same mfg was tasty, but they got rid of that one too. Yikes!!
And now they change a good , years and years of use, ok designed standard garbage bag liner,,, and MAKE IT WORSE !! What the heck are they doing in Corporate,,, taking long lunches?? The old version of the garbage pail plastic liner worked fine. But they added "tear stop technology", which is ok. And then they made the opening of #50787 kitchen bag HARDER TO STRETCH OVER THE RIM of the garbage pail/can/receptacle, whatever you want to call it !!
ok,,,OK,,, I know Costco is super-profitable and can have all these managers just standing around, shirking, at most of their stores. But making a popular product LESS USEFUL !? I called , emailed, no "yes, we are fixing this mistake."
Don't tell Steve Jobs.
Hell-o Costco management !!
I bought some of their cheap $19 and 50ft hoses, but they kinked so bad even when new, that i took them all back, but one. It's my "wife can drive over hose"! Hoses that tend to kink,,, and Costco wants to sell lots,,, and not fix the problem,,, and sell more of a better product? I don't get it.
They introduce products they obviously have not eaten themselves! Do you remember the frozen , microwavable eggplant parmesan entree that , even if you microwaved them 3xs the recommended time, still tasted like shoe leather? The chili-corn bread entree by the same mfg was tasty, but they got rid of that one too. Yikes!!
And now they change a good , years and years of use, ok designed standard garbage bag liner,,, and MAKE IT WORSE !! What the heck are they doing in Corporate,,, taking long lunches?? The old version of the garbage pail plastic liner worked fine. But they added "tear stop technology", which is ok. And then they made the opening of #50787 kitchen bag HARDER TO STRETCH OVER THE RIM of the garbage pail/can/receptacle, whatever you want to call it !!
ok,,,OK,,, I know Costco is super-profitable and can have all these managers just standing around, shirking, at most of their stores. But making a popular product LESS USEFUL !? I called , emailed, no "yes, we are fixing this mistake."
Don't tell Steve Jobs.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
DO NOT move to California; You will BE SO SORRY !!
First, Democrat Governor(acts like a Republican) Grey Davis tricks us into "de-regulation" of home gas and electric. Ever see the dvd movie "enron"?? The state is DROWNING IN RED INK!!
Second, my 93yr old folks in San Jose, Ca. pay MONTHLY, $200 for water for a 3BR-2BA SMALL RANCH HOUSE !! And farmers pay less than $50 an acre foot, such a costly unnecessary subsidy!!
Third, we Californians for decades have hated and made fun of the State Department of Motor Vehicles/ DMV because of ,good reason!, terrible inefficiency of the staff and we-dont-care attitude of the state 'civil servants' there. For decades. Go into any DMV office and you can plainly see these people do not know the meaning of 'an honest days labor for an honest days wage'!!
Fourth, the State Highway engineers/ CalTrans are a joke when it comes to reliability and good engineering!! Look at the huge time and budget delays on the east half of the Bay Bridge replacement project that was originally suppose to be a high $1B,,, and is now way over $10B , IF you can find an honest person in state govt to tell you the truth!!
Fifth, it is a right to work state. What does that mean? Let's say you work for an employer that steals part of your paycheck, like the Mafia in the usa, every 2 weeks. If you quit, because you are tired of being robbed of $10,000 /year, the State Employment Development Department / EDD will not give you Unemployment Insurance because , in California, if your employer steals from you as many employers in California do, and you quit to slight possibility find an honest employer, EDD says quitting because of wage theft is not a good enough reason and will deny your Unemployment Insurance claim!!
So forget about all those super famous, and super rich!!, Californians on that tv ad marketing campaign about "go to California". We use to lead the nation is the positive direction; Now we lead in the decline, in wages, in homes in foreclosure/robbery by the banks that caused the national recession in the first place , to politicians who answer to fat contributors to their campaign and not to their sworn oath to the voters and citizens of the state!!
Second, my 93yr old folks in San Jose, Ca. pay MONTHLY, $200 for water for a 3BR-2BA SMALL RANCH HOUSE !! And farmers pay less than $50 an acre foot, such a costly unnecessary subsidy!!
Third, we Californians for decades have hated and made fun of the State Department of Motor Vehicles/ DMV because of ,good reason!, terrible inefficiency of the staff and we-dont-care attitude of the state 'civil servants' there. For decades. Go into any DMV office and you can plainly see these people do not know the meaning of 'an honest days labor for an honest days wage'!!
Fourth, the State Highway engineers/ CalTrans are a joke when it comes to reliability and good engineering!! Look at the huge time and budget delays on the east half of the Bay Bridge replacement project that was originally suppose to be a high $1B,,, and is now way over $10B , IF you can find an honest person in state govt to tell you the truth!!
Fifth, it is a right to work state. What does that mean? Let's say you work for an employer that steals part of your paycheck, like the Mafia in the usa, every 2 weeks. If you quit, because you are tired of being robbed of $10,000 /year, the State Employment Development Department / EDD will not give you Unemployment Insurance because , in California, if your employer steals from you as many employers in California do, and you quit to slight possibility find an honest employer, EDD says quitting because of wage theft is not a good enough reason and will deny your Unemployment Insurance claim!!
So forget about all those super famous, and super rich!!, Californians on that tv ad marketing campaign about "go to California". We use to lead the nation is the positive direction; Now we lead in the decline, in wages, in homes in foreclosure/robbery by the banks that caused the national recession in the first place , to politicians who answer to fat contributors to their campaign and not to their sworn oath to the voters and citizens of the state!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
DWTS/dancing with the stars, usa tv show,,, could be sooo much better
First, sign-in problems with ABC. If you forget your password, and who doesn't, forgetaboutit!! i can't sign in to vote any more. ABC !!!
Second, the website is a Mess. Try to find a captioned list of the winning contestants photos from all 12, now almost 13 seasons. Try to re-watch old seasons and old contests, especially if you want just one contestants videos. Forgetaboutit!! ABC !!
Third, the grading was 'social promotion' too soft this 13th season, probably no fault of the judges, but the producer-director. ABC !!
Fourth, the public should not have half say , if the judging is going to be sharp tongued and soft headed.
Fifth, i hope she,Ricki, gets it this time, as both the men are sympathy vote hogs, not good enuf dancers,especially shallow and young mr. kardasian. And Derek and Mark are the best choreographers, by far! It's a dance show, people,,,
Sixth, whining is sooo unattractive, when you are so lucky to choose to be on this show! No excuses, no false drama we can see 3000 miles away, no faked injuries like European soccer-futbol! And 'No whining!!'
Second, the website is a Mess. Try to find a captioned list of the winning contestants photos from all 12, now almost 13 seasons. Try to re-watch old seasons and old contests, especially if you want just one contestants videos. Forgetaboutit!! ABC !!
Third, the grading was 'social promotion' too soft this 13th season, probably no fault of the judges, but the producer-director. ABC !!
Fourth, the public should not have half say , if the judging is going to be sharp tongued and soft headed.
Fifth, i hope she,Ricki, gets it this time, as both the men are sympathy vote hogs, not good enuf dancers,especially shallow and young mr. kardasian. And Derek and Mark are the best choreographers, by far! It's a dance show, people,,,
Sixth, whining is sooo unattractive, when you are so lucky to choose to be on this show! No excuses, no false drama we can see 3000 miles away, no faked injuries like European soccer-futbol! And 'No whining!!'
Today Show's Al Roker , Please give the Nation the NYC weather !! Have you noticed that all 3 major news morning tv shows , ABC CBS NBC, do NOT give all of us the weather there in NYC ?? Strange ,,,
Don't you too want to know what the weather is, high temp. and low temp. and wind and humidity and visibility and air quality, in NEW YORK CITY???
I do. OF COURSE YOU DO TO !!
Yet all three major networks don't give us, in 2 hours, or 3 hours, or even 4 hours, this commonly expected , general info. !! Why ?? Is is so hard or so time consuming to say, Al Roker!!, "The weather today in NYC is a high of 65F, a low of 35F, wind speeds from 5-15 today in the city depending on your downtown or coastline location, and humidity of 70% right now this morning. Visibility is 2 miles and air quality is good, with low pollen counts."
Less than a minute to read that!
So Why are all 3 networks, making $M, not serving us and NYC better???
I do. OF COURSE YOU DO TO !!
Yet all three major networks don't give us, in 2 hours, or 3 hours, or even 4 hours, this commonly expected , general info. !! Why ?? Is is so hard or so time consuming to say, Al Roker!!, "The weather today in NYC is a high of 65F, a low of 35F, wind speeds from 5-15 today in the city depending on your downtown or coastline location, and humidity of 70% right now this morning. Visibility is 2 miles and air quality is good, with low pollen counts."
Less than a minute to read that!
So Why are all 3 networks, making $M, not serving us and NYC better???
Apple has POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. HP has TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. Yet NETFLIX and OLIVE GARDEN have EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WEBSITES. why? Do some companies hate the public and their very own customers so much,,,because of crazy/greedy CEOs?
Microsoft has BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE, almost TERRIBLE. You have to pay extra,,, if you have a problem with a paid-in-full product. Forget about talking to free polite 24-7 customer service centered here in the USA where we Need the jobs. And yet people and businesses chose consciously to deal with these companies that obviously do not value or respect the customer and their business.
Why?
Netflix has 24-7 free polite friendly helpful customer service,,, and INSIDE THE USA, i believe !! They have a fantastic website,with so much info and cross-links ,,,
Olive Garden Restaurant makes you feel like you are the most important relative visiting their home, not some stranger off the street at some food business.
Why is good-great customer service not important or too expensive for so many super-profitable companies? REI, a rebate co-op has "A+" fabulous casual customer service; It is not that hard.
And why is it not more important to most people, until they have a problem with what they bought!?
Why is customer service so uneven in the USA??? There is no standard. And it ranges from Horrid, like HP's, to super-duper "A+" at places like Netflix, Olive Garden(mine anyway), and Pasta Pomodoro(my location anyway) ???
Why?
Netflix has 24-7 free polite friendly helpful customer service,,, and INSIDE THE USA, i believe !! They have a fantastic website,with so much info and cross-links ,,,
Olive Garden Restaurant makes you feel like you are the most important relative visiting their home, not some stranger off the street at some food business.
Why is good-great customer service not important or too expensive for so many super-profitable companies? REI, a rebate co-op has "A+" fabulous casual customer service; It is not that hard.
And why is it not more important to most people, until they have a problem with what they bought!?
Why is customer service so uneven in the USA??? There is no standard. And it ranges from Horrid, like HP's, to super-duper "A+" at places like Netflix, Olive Garden(mine anyway), and Pasta Pomodoro(my location anyway) ???
Nov.2011,,,DO NOT BUY H.P. INKJET PRINTERS!! We are on 4 defectives, our 5th !!
My family still thinks HP is some well-know, famous brand. So when we needed a new inkjet printer at the beginning of the year, i was outvoted, and 'we' bought another HP.
Just IN THIS ONE YEAR, we have returned as DEFECTIVE 4 $300 INKJET hp PRINTERS, and are ON OUR 5th !!
When we bought the first one, we got the 2 year extended warranty at Office Max, because they said then that they, Office Max, would handle all our returns instead of HP, which we had tried before and found to be a big fat "F" in customer service. Now even Office Max is running away from HP; They no longer refill the HP inkjet cartridges for this expensive "disposable" HP printer,,, and they do not willingly honor their own, paid for, with receipt, 'extended warranty' !!
BEWARE,,,
HP has horrid customer service, even if you call the corporate office in Palo Alto, Ca.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED,,,
Just IN THIS ONE YEAR, we have returned as DEFECTIVE 4 $300 INKJET hp PRINTERS, and are ON OUR 5th !!
When we bought the first one, we got the 2 year extended warranty at Office Max, because they said then that they, Office Max, would handle all our returns instead of HP, which we had tried before and found to be a big fat "F" in customer service. Now even Office Max is running away from HP; They no longer refill the HP inkjet cartridges for this expensive "disposable" HP printer,,, and they do not willingly honor their own, paid for, with receipt, 'extended warranty' !!
BEWARE,,,
HP has horrid customer service, even if you call the corporate office in Palo Alto, Ca.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED,,,
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Massive , nationwide FORECLOSURES are no 'accident' and should be OUTLAWED !!
When i was a kid , i use to think most things happened by accident. i would exercise the dog on my bicycle ,,, and invariably the dog would see a cat or another dog and pull me off the bicycle or run under the bicycle,,, and i got a cast on my arm.
Now that i am over 50 and well read and well experienced, i don't believe in "it's just accidental, no blame , no foul" , especially with the banker-caused 2008 worst recession in USA history and the massive nationwide foreclosures that are still going on.
Why do we allow the same people, bankers, who caused this national mess to not only profit enormously by a taxpayer bailout, but by letting them take away housing/property because people have lost jobs and factories have moved away and our very own Congress has worked against the national public interest in this regard?
When the most recent national crisis happened in 2008, a law should have said "banks can not foreclose on your one and only house, if bankers were the cause of the very same national financial crisis". So people that have been paying bankers their mortgages for 10 years, month by month, $1000 of dollars, and for 20 years with interest payments that in the end will far exceed the inflated retail price of the house-another costly gambit that needs more reregulation- and for 29 years , just short of paying off their mortgages in 30 years, LOSE ALL EQUITY AND ALL THOSE MORTGAGE PAYMENTS AND THEIR ONLY HOUSING to the guilty as charged, at-fault Bankers!!
There are lots of Republicans who say they l-o-v-e or like Capitalism like this,,, and Deregulation like this,,,
But when it steals from millions of Americans, to benefit a few "too big to fail" banks, there is something very rotten in our laws and in our USA system. Did you read recently in Newsweek about Congress buying and selling stock , 'legally', on insider trading!!, making most of our Congress ,already with life time pensions and the best medical care that even Veterans can't get, not just Millionaires but Multimillionaires!? Shocking that our own Congress has so little ethics and morals.
I read the 2 inch thick paperback on the S&L / savings and loan crisis years ago. Shocking how that went on for years and basically , bad people moved into these nationally regulated banking institutions all over the USA and Congress turned a blind eye while the S&Ls were robbed from the inside, in broad daylight. Not enough of those people had to give all that stolen wealth back and go to jail forever. So this was the Nation being robbed, fleeced, in broad daylight!
In the Great Depression, my paternal grandfather had a peach orchard, small one north of Sacramento, but big enough to fed the family of 4 and employ a Japanese family year-round to help with pruning and harvesting. Bank of America IMMEDIATELY took away the small orchard, their only means of income, and their house, the only place they had to live. My aunt was sent to live with relatives in Oakland and my Father was sent ,for years!, to live with relatives in San Francisco. Economists summarize the Great Depression with "only 1/4 of the nation was unemployed." And Trillions in property was stolen /taken painfully by the banks! This was a national crisis,,, and yet the banks , like BofA profited enormously by gaining title and ownership of a tremendous amount of property all over the USA.
Again, most Republicans say that this is the best way to run the country, with bankers and insurance company lawyers going right inside Congress to write our nation's very own laws. And that the other extremes of Communism and Fascism and Socialism are equally bad,,, so we can't moderate with regulation. We are on a financial roller coaster, and if the ship of state starts to sink, like with the recent debt limit blockage of a vote, so be it. There is enough suffering for all, ALL OF the 99% !!
I say we have seen and lived the folly of deregulation. The rich, given extra tax breaks, do not it is now well proven make more jobs. And basically, we can no longer afford the folly of tax breaks for rich people's jets and millionaire's unemployment insurance, and billions in oil industry subsidies, and billions in farm subsidies to rich farmers.
Does Congress appreciate the gravity of our Nation's deficit and debt? Not for decades, Democrats or Republicans or both in combination. We are at the mercy of multinational corporations, and the Supreme Court now says that on paper fabrications called corporations are the equivalent of people, with all the rights and privileges. We are so lost.
Now that i am over 50 and well read and well experienced, i don't believe in "it's just accidental, no blame , no foul" , especially with the banker-caused 2008 worst recession in USA history and the massive nationwide foreclosures that are still going on.
Why do we allow the same people, bankers, who caused this national mess to not only profit enormously by a taxpayer bailout, but by letting them take away housing/property because people have lost jobs and factories have moved away and our very own Congress has worked against the national public interest in this regard?
When the most recent national crisis happened in 2008, a law should have said "banks can not foreclose on your one and only house, if bankers were the cause of the very same national financial crisis". So people that have been paying bankers their mortgages for 10 years, month by month, $1000 of dollars, and for 20 years with interest payments that in the end will far exceed the inflated retail price of the house-another costly gambit that needs more reregulation- and for 29 years , just short of paying off their mortgages in 30 years, LOSE ALL EQUITY AND ALL THOSE MORTGAGE PAYMENTS AND THEIR ONLY HOUSING to the guilty as charged, at-fault Bankers!!
There are lots of Republicans who say they l-o-v-e or like Capitalism like this,,, and Deregulation like this,,,
But when it steals from millions of Americans, to benefit a few "too big to fail" banks, there is something very rotten in our laws and in our USA system. Did you read recently in Newsweek about Congress buying and selling stock , 'legally', on insider trading!!, making most of our Congress ,already with life time pensions and the best medical care that even Veterans can't get, not just Millionaires but Multimillionaires!? Shocking that our own Congress has so little ethics and morals.
I read the 2 inch thick paperback on the S&L / savings and loan crisis years ago. Shocking how that went on for years and basically , bad people moved into these nationally regulated banking institutions all over the USA and Congress turned a blind eye while the S&Ls were robbed from the inside, in broad daylight. Not enough of those people had to give all that stolen wealth back and go to jail forever. So this was the Nation being robbed, fleeced, in broad daylight!
In the Great Depression, my paternal grandfather had a peach orchard, small one north of Sacramento, but big enough to fed the family of 4 and employ a Japanese family year-round to help with pruning and harvesting. Bank of America IMMEDIATELY took away the small orchard, their only means of income, and their house, the only place they had to live. My aunt was sent to live with relatives in Oakland and my Father was sent ,for years!, to live with relatives in San Francisco. Economists summarize the Great Depression with "only 1/4 of the nation was unemployed." And Trillions in property was stolen /taken painfully by the banks! This was a national crisis,,, and yet the banks , like BofA profited enormously by gaining title and ownership of a tremendous amount of property all over the USA.
Again, most Republicans say that this is the best way to run the country, with bankers and insurance company lawyers going right inside Congress to write our nation's very own laws. And that the other extremes of Communism and Fascism and Socialism are equally bad,,, so we can't moderate with regulation. We are on a financial roller coaster, and if the ship of state starts to sink, like with the recent debt limit blockage of a vote, so be it. There is enough suffering for all, ALL OF the 99% !!
I say we have seen and lived the folly of deregulation. The rich, given extra tax breaks, do not it is now well proven make more jobs. And basically, we can no longer afford the folly of tax breaks for rich people's jets and millionaire's unemployment insurance, and billions in oil industry subsidies, and billions in farm subsidies to rich farmers.
Does Congress appreciate the gravity of our Nation's deficit and debt? Not for decades, Democrats or Republicans or both in combination. We are at the mercy of multinational corporations, and the Supreme Court now says that on paper fabrications called corporations are the equivalent of people, with all the rights and privileges. We are so lost.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
TOURISTS: There are some places that are MORE DANGEROUS AND YOU SHOULD NOT GO THERE !! U HAVE BEEN WARNED.
In San Francisco, that would be the entire S.East quarter of the city. Know as '3rd street' generally, the main street, it is very poor, very polluted , and very high crime. Also avoid, in SF, the 'tenderloin' neighborhood on both sides of Market street, from Union Square to City Hall, because of nighttime prostitution and drug dealing with gang shootings that recently have killed SF tourists, especially at night. Also avoid the west side of City Hall, the 'western addition' neighborhood, as it is mostly a poor , black, high crime area of children with guns taking iPhones away on the sidewalks! Stay "above / N. of Geary street" is a very good guideline. Japantown is relatively safe.
In San Jose,Ca. avoid the poorer, very high crime, many more Mexican gangs, entire 'Eastside', east of highway 101, especially at night! but even daytime !!
Always avoid Richmond, Ca. ,,, and the flats of downtown Oakland, Ca. due to insufficient policing, especially at night.
In San Jose,Ca. avoid the poorer, very high crime, many more Mexican gangs, entire 'Eastside', east of highway 101, especially at night! but even daytime !!
Always avoid Richmond, Ca. ,,, and the flats of downtown Oakland, Ca. due to insufficient policing, especially at night.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Choose and USE Dental TAPE instead of Dental FLOSS, for much Greater Comfort and less painful bleeding, in my opinion
Either waxed or unwaxed, mint-flavored or plain, i find DENTAL TAPE is SOOO MUCH EASIER TO USE AND MORE COMFORTABLE, so i actually 'floss' more often. Dental TAPE is wider and doesn't cut into your fingers as much as Dental FLOSS. There are different brands and some are more braid, rope-like , so there are choices. Most ,90%, of what i see on the Walgreens shelf is Floss, so most of you have not 'gotten the word' yet !!
Has your dentist or DH recommended this to you yet? You should ask !
Has your dentist or DH recommended this to you yet? You should ask !
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Are you going all the way to Alaska to fish? Expensive and pitfalls, so do your homework study !!
Nov.2011,,,
My Dad and i went to s.e. Alaska by commercial jet from San Jose on Alaska Airlines for several years in a row. No , i am not going to tell you our 'glory hole', even the cruise ships pass by but do not stop, so none of that crowded tourist, dumb consumer , i'll ride a cessna instead of a otter/beaver, under-powered,less safe nonsense.
First, there are 5 Pacific salmon. The biggest is the King / Chinook , but OUT OF STATERS ARE ONLY ALLOWED ONE OR TWO PER YEAR!! And they don't fight as much as Silver Salmon,,, bummer,,, just big fish to reel in. So if you are a catch and release person, fine, but if you are a 'meat' fisherperson who wants to take it home flash frozen, forget Kings. You need a fishing license and a king tag,,,Expensive, and the King season is short. Every river and river mouth in Alaska has it particular salmon type season, usually short. So if you are after kings, you need to , one, find out if they come up your chosen river mouth in any numbers and when. The time changes a bit from year to year, but in the s.e. i seem to remember the kings approach the coast and start to go up river in,,,(?) one of the weeks of june. As i said, you have to know your river, what types of salmon spawn there in any numbers, and WHEN! Not all Alaska rivers are the same. North of the Aleutian Island chain, Bristol Bay has the worlds largest salmon fishery, mostly Reds/Sockeye, my favorite for taste!! All fisher persons and environmentalists should be against the proposed "Pepple Mine"(see the tv documentary!!) that threatens to destroy THIS ENTIRE FISHERY. Stupid, short-sighted Alaskans voted for it , as most don't respect the Alaskan State's environment. And south of the Aleutian Chain, the Copper River Red / Sockeye is the most famous commercial salmon river run in the state.
Second of the 5 Pacific salmon is the Silver/ Coho. If you go to a restaurant in California and the menu does not state which salmon or if the waitress/ waiter says 'i don't know', BEWARE!! FISH FRAUD IS RAMPANT IN THE USA. Lying about what salmon or fish you are eating is very COMMON IN CALIFORNIA and all over the usa. The Silvers are smaller but if caught on the surface with longer and lighter rods, with lighter tackle than Kings, are SUPER FUN TO CATCH!! They are BETTER FIGHTERS THAN KING SALMON, kind of like the dorado/ mahimahi of mexico and hawaii versus any small sailfish varieties. The daily limit was like 6-8 and so you can take a lot of meat home. Be sure to get it 'flash frozen' at a commercial place, not just 'frozen' with bigger ice crystals that will damage your fish meat. SeaTac Airport has a very small , and not far sub-zero freezer in case you get bumped off your flight, as we were and don't want your fish to thaw. SeaTac should make it a sub-zero and larger facility, but is was what it was.
The third type of Pacific salmon is the Red / Sockeye , my personal FAVORITE for taste. They are hard to 'hook' legally in the ocean, so the first ones i 'caught' there where in a river within a mile or three of the coast, so they were still 'fresh' and 'bright' and edible and tasty. Big daily limit of say 6-8 and able to have big bag limit / possession limit, thus and take lots home, at least in the past. Why anyone would pay huge money to stay at an Expensive Alaska Fishing Lodge and catch salomon that have already turned color and started to flesh decompose and meat deteriorate,,, is beyond me,,, but we all get major fooled, from time to time. With Reds, the really dark and rich tasting meat, you kinda have to drag the red anodized 1" hook with green bright chartreuse yarn knotted on, across the 20ft stream and catch them in their gasping open mouths to be legal. If you catch them on a fin or side, you have to release them IMMEDIATELY , tho many Alaskans are illegal and don't , so don't do what you see lots of Alaskans do in bending and breaking the game laws. Remember , you are NOT A LOCAL OR NO FED. TAX RESIDENT, and don't drink with the local cop at the local bar,,, so they will probably throw the book at you, out of state-er!!
Then there are the last 2 types of Alaska or Pacific salmon , the Pink / Humpback and the Dog / Chum, both of which I CAN NOT EAT. yUcK !! Have you ever tried cat food?? These are the salmon you usually get on menus that just say "salmon". (vomit)
We, Dad and i , wasted 3 years learning how hard it was to time the King salmon, river run season and catch a limit of 2 or 1 King each PER YEAR,,, before learning/ realizing we were wasting our money and time on King Salmon. We also spent one season-WASTE OF TIME- fishing for Pinks and catching lots cuz the daily limit and bag limit are so generous. We usually go for a week, fly up one day, 3 big plane changes, fish 3-5days, and a full long tiring day of 3 plane changes back. Alaska is big!,,, and far far away!, even in a commercial jet.
About commercial jets,,, JetBlue!! now flies to Anchorage!! THANK YOU, JET BLUE !! (thank you, Jesus!!) because Alaska Airlines has mostly a monopoly in Alaska, so when you leave the USA, with ok-good service, say at SeaTac, the service on Alaska Airlines goes to Hell in a Hurry!! We had a gate agent at Anchorage with the most 'i don't care about you or your flight' bad attitude i have ever seen. But the worst problem with Alaska Airlines is they LOSE YOUR LUGGAGE OFTEN ,,, AND seem to DON'T CARE. Imagine being WITHOUT fresh underwear for 3 days while you duffel sits in Kodiak island on the Aleutian Islands,,, and you are down in S.E. Alaska !! No toothbrush, and no money from AA to buy one. No rain gear,,, no 'stuff' !! And this happens A LOT WITH ALASKA AIRLINES !! When it does , and you get their usual "we don't care", no apologies attitude, you will want to scream and yell and blow a neck artery,,, but forget it, as it will do no good. They are so mean and careless and vindictive ,,, they might even lose it for another day. (That is what happens with a virtual monopoly, children.) Always always always take your camera and passport and other valuables in your carry-on and keep it close, not in some back overhead bin where someone else can steal out of it !! Lots of guys bring there own reels for steelhead and rainbow trout and such in their carry-on, rods too, but that is a bit much. i might do it next time, my unbreakable rod and well kept reel, instead of the thrown-on-floor abused machinery you get at most lodges. Dad and i never had to use a float plane to fish, just for over flight sightseeing fun, as they are SUPER EXPENSIVE in Alaska.
Then there is HALIBUT. If you are a fan of watching some rich guy catch small, less than 5ft,even less than 2ft!! long halibut in Alaska, the small halibut are called 'chickens' up there,,, well, you have not seen a 'door' or better yet a 'BARN DOOR HALIBUT'!! Now our final guide, as we learned the hard way by hiring long distance lots and lots of losers , drunks, and INCOMPETENT ALASKA-LICENSED FISHING GUIDES (just like oregon(documented super corrupt state, guards selling drugs at jails and outside in allowing illegal helo elk herding and selling 'guaranteed 5pts or better' access, out of the Madras chamber of commerce office), colorado and wyoming for elk, you can not trust any or every 'licensed'- to-steal guide, even if they belong the the state outfitter association!!), our final guide always wanted us to release all halibut over 200lbs, as there are probably female breeders, which we did. Remember there is a huge huge commercial fishery for salmon and halibut and Alaska is a stupid state that gives any game stealing , law -breaking resident about $1000/year vs paying state taxes, because of the risky oil drilling business royalties. So the COMMERICAL FISHERS of salmon and halibut have more power and say than you non-resident visitors do, so there has been a recent decline in the allowed halibut catch for sport fishers, when the commericals are still out there raping and pillaging the oceans of the usa. I heard that even the foreign fishing fleets were taking too much off the alaska-usa coast and our own national waters up until the 1970s!! , can you imagine!? So while you spend $100s on airfare, and $1000s on lodging(Alaska like Hawaii is RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE, beyond reason,,,), and $1000 on guides and their boats to take you out in the ocean and up rivers,,, and $100s or even $1000s on food(very expensive in Alaska and Hawaii!!,,, there should be laws against such overpricing of food at groceries), the commerical fishers know they own Alaska and youall visitors-touristas are just the foolish frosting on the cake, often even blamed for all the problems and ills of fishing in the state!!(believe it) Oh, and i have never, even in Nevada and Vegas, or Phoenix, seen so many drunks and alcoholics as in Alaska. Especially with all the alcoholic fishing guides and boat captains! Beware.
We made a lot of mistakes learning the Alaska fishing protocol; We would send checks from San Jose weeks in advance ,,, and the 'licensed' fishing guide would cancel the day we flew in! Or we would be walking on the dock to the prepaid, chartered 30-40ft alumaweld fishing boat ,,, and the captain/ owner would see 5 people in front of us looking to hire any boat on the spot,,, and take them!!!!! instead! of us 4, because he knew he could charge more and get a bigger tip , even if they caught zero fish!! Yes, you have to tip , even if you don't catch one fish !! Often the 'licensed' fishing guides / boat captains out in the ocean will say ,,, get this !!,,, "We are going to STAY AND MAKE IT PAY here,,," What that means is , i am going to eat lunch and drink some beers away from you idiot touristas ,,, and probably screw the coed hottie deckhand in the cabin,,, so you suckers wet your lines and not get a bite for not just 30 minutes, but HOURS,,, and i will see-ya-later ,suckers !! Yes, we have had both, the captain lunch break rude incompetence incidence and the captain gotta-screw-the-stewardess/ cocktail waitress / deck hand episode happen to us in Alaskan waters. Hopefully we all LEARN QUICKLY, right!?
Another big valuable secret in fishing alaska, especially for halibut, but also salmon to a degree, is BIGGER BAIT AND HOOKS FOR BIGGER FISH,,, and BIGGER HALIBUT ARE WITH BIGGER HALIBUT as they are predatory fish feeders and the small ones get eaten by the big ones, so location is KEY. Our final guide use to use an entire king or silver salmon head and skeleton and a huge hook and braided line to catch huge 170-190lb, 5ft long, halibut, and in less than 100ft of water, because you can anchor over a bunch of small halibut,,or a bunch of medium halibut,,, or a bunch of huge Monster halibut as he did once,sonar gps tag knowingly to impress us, "probably over 300-400# cause it broke the braided line on a dead run away on the bottom" , the captain said. Probably a female, so glad she got away,,,But he was pissed on losing his endtackle gear! Remember they have a very very short tourist season and are there to make an honest living ,,, or a killing of unread ignorant trusting fools!! Do you want to take home 2 halibut per day, either 25#ers,,, or two 170#ers, enough flash-frozen fish to feed your family, since you paid $1000s for this vacation, for most of the year?
One guide-captain, on a large sport fishing fleet, we heard on the radio said "sorry, this is my first year, and i am lost in the fog just outside the harbor,,, Can anyone come save me and my passengers, as i don't know how to use this gps,,, and can't tell which way is back to the dock,,,any one out there!!?",,,!!!
Lots of high-school-dropout, dangerous incompetents from the lower 48 think they can go to Alaska and make a lot of money. And they do.
With halibut, don't bring it all the way up to the surface, until you have called the deckhand or the captain with the .22 rifle or gaff,,,If the halibut breaks the surface, it will probably use the full side of its body to go all the way back down to the bottom ,,, and you will have to reel him/it all the way back up again. The last guide had a big fish box mounted on the stern, as it is so dangerous to have a halibut on deck next to your feet and legs, as halibut are super strong and if not DIW can really hurt you or break a bone. REEL BEFORE YOU JERK, SET THE HOOK is another rule with halibut. Never jerk first with a circle hook, which is hard for a lot of lower 48ers to learn. Out of Dutch Harbor and Kenai Penninsula they often fish in over 300ft of water for halibut. Imagine reeling a small or medium or large halibut to the surface, then having it break the surface, and go back to the bottom,,, MORE THAN ONCE! It happens. So you will see lots of rookies w/o RODSEAT BELTS,,, sticking their rod butts in their groin!!(ha ouch),,, or between their legs(ha ouch),,, or under an arm!!(ha),,, when they could have bought a 8"x12" or 4"x6" plastic ,padded, rod-butt-belt back in the states and ,,, CARRY YOUR ROD-BUTT BELT IN YOUR CARRY-ON, and not one of those just leather ones they have on many fishing boats,,, IF YOU WANT TO SAVE YOUR GENITALS that is,,, (boy!! does that hurt!! for a week ,,, the first year,,, learning the hard way if you must). A small halibut ,a "chicken", swim as they do on their side, can EASILY jerk the rod out of your hands,,, and or PULL YOU OVER THE SIDE,,, INTO THE FREEZING COLD OCEAN WATER,,, with the prop probably turning a bit,,, so be careful!
Dog sharks are common, so you can't kill them, just shake them off CAREFULLY. Very carefully, as they can and do twist and turn like a snake! and the bite is NASTY.
We would , after years of learning, have our final skipper look on sonar for Silver salmon as he left the harbor for halibut maybe a mile off shore, and if we/ he found any on sonar , we would change from very thick,short,stiff halibut rods in the outside racks at the ready, to the long light fiberglass rods in the cabin of the boat and small reels to surface catch a limit of silvers first. SO MUCH FUN TO CATCH SILVERS ON THE SURFACE with light tackle JUST OUTSIDE THE HARBOR, NOT FAR FROM SHORE!! So don't miss opportunities because the captain has 'other priorities' than doing the best job,,, or you don't know what is legal and available, like ling cod too.
One year, near the end, i decided to take pepper spray because we usually saw griz right across the 20ft river minding their own biz, but i wanted to be safer. So i called Alaska Airlines, after paying almost $40 for a big can and holster combo at REI, and AA said "yes, you can bring pepper spray in you checked bag on the airplane, as long as you declare it and tell us as soon as you get to the airport." I called Alaska Airlines 3xs , and always got the same answer. Even called San Jose airport and got the same answer. When i got there and told the curb-side baggage guy, he said "no problem" and took my duffel bag. Inside at the counter i told the Alaska Airlines ticket agent and she said "no problem". BUT when i got to the waiting area and the gate at SJO, the gate agent said "we confiscated your pepper spray. Have a nice time in Alaska, without it. "
Also, for a couple years , especially one year, we had some of our 70#, (now only 50lb), boxes of fish "lost/stolen" when we got off Alaska Airlines in San Jose at SJO. They , eventually, had to pay fish market prices for all that lost sockeye salmon and halibut,,, but it is not the same. So i found a retired AA employee,maybe a disgruntled liar,,, and she told me it is not the AA Alaska-local employees that are stealing your fish as they can legally catch lots or buy it for $2/lb up there, but the San Jose-based AA employees !! , and we AA employees have know this for years,,, that lots of baggage theft happens out of the SJO- San Jose Airport."
San Jose,,, what a joke.
The "heart of Silicon Valley" and not one computer-timed,major expressway or boulevard set of traffic lights !! Horrible traffic,,, lots of computers,millions, and $Trillions made from selling them,,, lots of traffic dept. civil servants,,, but not ONE solution to a simple problem. Not one.
Oh, and if you are just on a cruise ship going up the Inside Passage from Seattle to Alaska, don't trust the 'cruise specialist' travel agents!! i had at least a dozen tell me over the phone that i would see lots of orca/ killer whale in May, and that "May is not too early in the season to see lots of orcas." Lies!! WRONG !! Most of the salmon 5 varieties have not arrived yet in coastal waters so,,, don't expect to see any or many orcas in May along the BC Canada and Alaska Coasts. I WAS SO SHOCKED AT ALL THE PLASTIC BEACH LITTER AND FLOTSAM-JETSAM ON THE BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA BEACHES,,, TRULY SHOCKING!! i did not on my first expensive cruise ship, 14day vacation up the Inside Passage in May, and i was out looking every day! in every weather! for 2 weeks!!, yes, both sides of the ship. And darn few big whales, tho we did have a mom and calf whale pair approach the ship like it was a bigger mama whale! Also beware of all the overpriced diamond stores at almost every port,,, You will regret spending so much money when you get home and have to pay the bills!!
My Dad and i went to s.e. Alaska by commercial jet from San Jose on Alaska Airlines for several years in a row. No , i am not going to tell you our 'glory hole', even the cruise ships pass by but do not stop, so none of that crowded tourist, dumb consumer , i'll ride a cessna instead of a otter/beaver, under-powered,less safe nonsense.
First, there are 5 Pacific salmon. The biggest is the King / Chinook , but OUT OF STATERS ARE ONLY ALLOWED ONE OR TWO PER YEAR!! And they don't fight as much as Silver Salmon,,, bummer,,, just big fish to reel in. So if you are a catch and release person, fine, but if you are a 'meat' fisherperson who wants to take it home flash frozen, forget Kings. You need a fishing license and a king tag,,,Expensive, and the King season is short. Every river and river mouth in Alaska has it particular salmon type season, usually short. So if you are after kings, you need to , one, find out if they come up your chosen river mouth in any numbers and when. The time changes a bit from year to year, but in the s.e. i seem to remember the kings approach the coast and start to go up river in,,,(?) one of the weeks of june. As i said, you have to know your river, what types of salmon spawn there in any numbers, and WHEN! Not all Alaska rivers are the same. North of the Aleutian Island chain, Bristol Bay has the worlds largest salmon fishery, mostly Reds/Sockeye, my favorite for taste!! All fisher persons and environmentalists should be against the proposed "Pepple Mine"(see the tv documentary!!) that threatens to destroy THIS ENTIRE FISHERY. Stupid, short-sighted Alaskans voted for it , as most don't respect the Alaskan State's environment. And south of the Aleutian Chain, the Copper River Red / Sockeye is the most famous commercial salmon river run in the state.
Second of the 5 Pacific salmon is the Silver/ Coho. If you go to a restaurant in California and the menu does not state which salmon or if the waitress/ waiter says 'i don't know', BEWARE!! FISH FRAUD IS RAMPANT IN THE USA. Lying about what salmon or fish you are eating is very COMMON IN CALIFORNIA and all over the usa. The Silvers are smaller but if caught on the surface with longer and lighter rods, with lighter tackle than Kings, are SUPER FUN TO CATCH!! They are BETTER FIGHTERS THAN KING SALMON, kind of like the dorado/ mahimahi of mexico and hawaii versus any small sailfish varieties. The daily limit was like 6-8 and so you can take a lot of meat home. Be sure to get it 'flash frozen' at a commercial place, not just 'frozen' with bigger ice crystals that will damage your fish meat. SeaTac Airport has a very small , and not far sub-zero freezer in case you get bumped off your flight, as we were and don't want your fish to thaw. SeaTac should make it a sub-zero and larger facility, but is was what it was.
The third type of Pacific salmon is the Red / Sockeye , my personal FAVORITE for taste. They are hard to 'hook' legally in the ocean, so the first ones i 'caught' there where in a river within a mile or three of the coast, so they were still 'fresh' and 'bright' and edible and tasty. Big daily limit of say 6-8 and able to have big bag limit / possession limit, thus and take lots home, at least in the past. Why anyone would pay huge money to stay at an Expensive Alaska Fishing Lodge and catch salomon that have already turned color and started to flesh decompose and meat deteriorate,,, is beyond me,,, but we all get major fooled, from time to time. With Reds, the really dark and rich tasting meat, you kinda have to drag the red anodized 1" hook with green bright chartreuse yarn knotted on, across the 20ft stream and catch them in their gasping open mouths to be legal. If you catch them on a fin or side, you have to release them IMMEDIATELY , tho many Alaskans are illegal and don't , so don't do what you see lots of Alaskans do in bending and breaking the game laws. Remember , you are NOT A LOCAL OR NO FED. TAX RESIDENT, and don't drink with the local cop at the local bar,,, so they will probably throw the book at you, out of state-er!!
Then there are the last 2 types of Alaska or Pacific salmon , the Pink / Humpback and the Dog / Chum, both of which I CAN NOT EAT. yUcK !! Have you ever tried cat food?? These are the salmon you usually get on menus that just say "salmon". (vomit)
We, Dad and i , wasted 3 years learning how hard it was to time the King salmon, river run season and catch a limit of 2 or 1 King each PER YEAR,,, before learning/ realizing we were wasting our money and time on King Salmon. We also spent one season-WASTE OF TIME- fishing for Pinks and catching lots cuz the daily limit and bag limit are so generous. We usually go for a week, fly up one day, 3 big plane changes, fish 3-5days, and a full long tiring day of 3 plane changes back. Alaska is big!,,, and far far away!, even in a commercial jet.
About commercial jets,,, JetBlue!! now flies to Anchorage!! THANK YOU, JET BLUE !! (thank you, Jesus!!) because Alaska Airlines has mostly a monopoly in Alaska, so when you leave the USA, with ok-good service, say at SeaTac, the service on Alaska Airlines goes to Hell in a Hurry!! We had a gate agent at Anchorage with the most 'i don't care about you or your flight' bad attitude i have ever seen. But the worst problem with Alaska Airlines is they LOSE YOUR LUGGAGE OFTEN ,,, AND seem to DON'T CARE. Imagine being WITHOUT fresh underwear for 3 days while you duffel sits in Kodiak island on the Aleutian Islands,,, and you are down in S.E. Alaska !! No toothbrush, and no money from AA to buy one. No rain gear,,, no 'stuff' !! And this happens A LOT WITH ALASKA AIRLINES !! When it does , and you get their usual "we don't care", no apologies attitude, you will want to scream and yell and blow a neck artery,,, but forget it, as it will do no good. They are so mean and careless and vindictive ,,, they might even lose it for another day. (That is what happens with a virtual monopoly, children.) Always always always take your camera and passport and other valuables in your carry-on and keep it close, not in some back overhead bin where someone else can steal out of it !! Lots of guys bring there own reels for steelhead and rainbow trout and such in their carry-on, rods too, but that is a bit much. i might do it next time, my unbreakable rod and well kept reel, instead of the thrown-on-floor abused machinery you get at most lodges. Dad and i never had to use a float plane to fish, just for over flight sightseeing fun, as they are SUPER EXPENSIVE in Alaska.
Then there is HALIBUT. If you are a fan of watching some rich guy catch small, less than 5ft,even less than 2ft!! long halibut in Alaska, the small halibut are called 'chickens' up there,,, well, you have not seen a 'door' or better yet a 'BARN DOOR HALIBUT'!! Now our final guide, as we learned the hard way by hiring long distance lots and lots of losers , drunks, and INCOMPETENT ALASKA-LICENSED FISHING GUIDES (just like oregon(documented super corrupt state, guards selling drugs at jails and outside in allowing illegal helo elk herding and selling 'guaranteed 5pts or better' access, out of the Madras chamber of commerce office), colorado and wyoming for elk, you can not trust any or every 'licensed'- to-steal guide, even if they belong the the state outfitter association!!), our final guide always wanted us to release all halibut over 200lbs, as there are probably female breeders, which we did. Remember there is a huge huge commercial fishery for salmon and halibut and Alaska is a stupid state that gives any game stealing , law -breaking resident about $1000/year vs paying state taxes, because of the risky oil drilling business royalties. So the COMMERICAL FISHERS of salmon and halibut have more power and say than you non-resident visitors do, so there has been a recent decline in the allowed halibut catch for sport fishers, when the commericals are still out there raping and pillaging the oceans of the usa. I heard that even the foreign fishing fleets were taking too much off the alaska-usa coast and our own national waters up until the 1970s!! , can you imagine!? So while you spend $100s on airfare, and $1000s on lodging(Alaska like Hawaii is RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE, beyond reason,,,), and $1000 on guides and their boats to take you out in the ocean and up rivers,,, and $100s or even $1000s on food(very expensive in Alaska and Hawaii!!,,, there should be laws against such overpricing of food at groceries), the commerical fishers know they own Alaska and youall visitors-touristas are just the foolish frosting on the cake, often even blamed for all the problems and ills of fishing in the state!!(believe it) Oh, and i have never, even in Nevada and Vegas, or Phoenix, seen so many drunks and alcoholics as in Alaska. Especially with all the alcoholic fishing guides and boat captains! Beware.
We made a lot of mistakes learning the Alaska fishing protocol; We would send checks from San Jose weeks in advance ,,, and the 'licensed' fishing guide would cancel the day we flew in! Or we would be walking on the dock to the prepaid, chartered 30-40ft alumaweld fishing boat ,,, and the captain/ owner would see 5 people in front of us looking to hire any boat on the spot,,, and take them!!!!! instead! of us 4, because he knew he could charge more and get a bigger tip , even if they caught zero fish!! Yes, you have to tip , even if you don't catch one fish !! Often the 'licensed' fishing guides / boat captains out in the ocean will say ,,, get this !!,,, "We are going to STAY AND MAKE IT PAY here,,," What that means is , i am going to eat lunch and drink some beers away from you idiot touristas ,,, and probably screw the coed hottie deckhand in the cabin,,, so you suckers wet your lines and not get a bite for not just 30 minutes, but HOURS,,, and i will see-ya-later ,suckers !! Yes, we have had both, the captain lunch break rude incompetence incidence and the captain gotta-screw-the-stewardess/ cocktail waitress / deck hand episode happen to us in Alaskan waters. Hopefully we all LEARN QUICKLY, right!?
Another big valuable secret in fishing alaska, especially for halibut, but also salmon to a degree, is BIGGER BAIT AND HOOKS FOR BIGGER FISH,,, and BIGGER HALIBUT ARE WITH BIGGER HALIBUT as they are predatory fish feeders and the small ones get eaten by the big ones, so location is KEY. Our final guide use to use an entire king or silver salmon head and skeleton and a huge hook and braided line to catch huge 170-190lb, 5ft long, halibut, and in less than 100ft of water, because you can anchor over a bunch of small halibut,,or a bunch of medium halibut,,, or a bunch of huge Monster halibut as he did once,sonar gps tag knowingly to impress us, "probably over 300-400# cause it broke the braided line on a dead run away on the bottom" , the captain said. Probably a female, so glad she got away,,,But he was pissed on losing his endtackle gear! Remember they have a very very short tourist season and are there to make an honest living ,,, or a killing of unread ignorant trusting fools!! Do you want to take home 2 halibut per day, either 25#ers,,, or two 170#ers, enough flash-frozen fish to feed your family, since you paid $1000s for this vacation, for most of the year?
One guide-captain, on a large sport fishing fleet, we heard on the radio said "sorry, this is my first year, and i am lost in the fog just outside the harbor,,, Can anyone come save me and my passengers, as i don't know how to use this gps,,, and can't tell which way is back to the dock,,,any one out there!!?",,,!!!
Lots of high-school-dropout, dangerous incompetents from the lower 48 think they can go to Alaska and make a lot of money. And they do.
With halibut, don't bring it all the way up to the surface, until you have called the deckhand or the captain with the .22 rifle or gaff,,,If the halibut breaks the surface, it will probably use the full side of its body to go all the way back down to the bottom ,,, and you will have to reel him/it all the way back up again. The last guide had a big fish box mounted on the stern, as it is so dangerous to have a halibut on deck next to your feet and legs, as halibut are super strong and if not DIW can really hurt you or break a bone. REEL BEFORE YOU JERK, SET THE HOOK is another rule with halibut. Never jerk first with a circle hook, which is hard for a lot of lower 48ers to learn. Out of Dutch Harbor and Kenai Penninsula they often fish in over 300ft of water for halibut. Imagine reeling a small or medium or large halibut to the surface, then having it break the surface, and go back to the bottom,,, MORE THAN ONCE! It happens. So you will see lots of rookies w/o RODSEAT BELTS,,, sticking their rod butts in their groin!!(ha ouch),,, or between their legs(ha ouch),,, or under an arm!!(ha),,, when they could have bought a 8"x12" or 4"x6" plastic ,padded, rod-butt-belt back in the states and ,,, CARRY YOUR ROD-BUTT BELT IN YOUR CARRY-ON, and not one of those just leather ones they have on many fishing boats,,, IF YOU WANT TO SAVE YOUR GENITALS that is,,, (boy!! does that hurt!! for a week ,,, the first year,,, learning the hard way if you must). A small halibut ,a "chicken", swim as they do on their side, can EASILY jerk the rod out of your hands,,, and or PULL YOU OVER THE SIDE,,, INTO THE FREEZING COLD OCEAN WATER,,, with the prop probably turning a bit,,, so be careful!
Dog sharks are common, so you can't kill them, just shake them off CAREFULLY. Very carefully, as they can and do twist and turn like a snake! and the bite is NASTY.
We would , after years of learning, have our final skipper look on sonar for Silver salmon as he left the harbor for halibut maybe a mile off shore, and if we/ he found any on sonar , we would change from very thick,short,stiff halibut rods in the outside racks at the ready, to the long light fiberglass rods in the cabin of the boat and small reels to surface catch a limit of silvers first. SO MUCH FUN TO CATCH SILVERS ON THE SURFACE with light tackle JUST OUTSIDE THE HARBOR, NOT FAR FROM SHORE!! So don't miss opportunities because the captain has 'other priorities' than doing the best job,,, or you don't know what is legal and available, like ling cod too.
One year, near the end, i decided to take pepper spray because we usually saw griz right across the 20ft river minding their own biz, but i wanted to be safer. So i called Alaska Airlines, after paying almost $40 for a big can and holster combo at REI, and AA said "yes, you can bring pepper spray in you checked bag on the airplane, as long as you declare it and tell us as soon as you get to the airport." I called Alaska Airlines 3xs , and always got the same answer. Even called San Jose airport and got the same answer. When i got there and told the curb-side baggage guy, he said "no problem" and took my duffel bag. Inside at the counter i told the Alaska Airlines ticket agent and she said "no problem". BUT when i got to the waiting area and the gate at SJO, the gate agent said "we confiscated your pepper spray. Have a nice time in Alaska, without it. "
Also, for a couple years , especially one year, we had some of our 70#, (now only 50lb), boxes of fish "lost/stolen" when we got off Alaska Airlines in San Jose at SJO. They , eventually, had to pay fish market prices for all that lost sockeye salmon and halibut,,, but it is not the same. So i found a retired AA employee,maybe a disgruntled liar,,, and she told me it is not the AA Alaska-local employees that are stealing your fish as they can legally catch lots or buy it for $2/lb up there, but the San Jose-based AA employees !! , and we AA employees have know this for years,,, that lots of baggage theft happens out of the SJO- San Jose Airport."
San Jose,,, what a joke.
The "heart of Silicon Valley" and not one computer-timed,major expressway or boulevard set of traffic lights !! Horrible traffic,,, lots of computers,millions, and $Trillions made from selling them,,, lots of traffic dept. civil servants,,, but not ONE solution to a simple problem. Not one.
Oh, and if you are just on a cruise ship going up the Inside Passage from Seattle to Alaska, don't trust the 'cruise specialist' travel agents!! i had at least a dozen tell me over the phone that i would see lots of orca/ killer whale in May, and that "May is not too early in the season to see lots of orcas." Lies!! WRONG !! Most of the salmon 5 varieties have not arrived yet in coastal waters so,,, don't expect to see any or many orcas in May along the BC Canada and Alaska Coasts. I WAS SO SHOCKED AT ALL THE PLASTIC BEACH LITTER AND FLOTSAM-JETSAM ON THE BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA BEACHES,,, TRULY SHOCKING!! i did not on my first expensive cruise ship, 14day vacation up the Inside Passage in May, and i was out looking every day! in every weather! for 2 weeks!!, yes, both sides of the ship. And darn few big whales, tho we did have a mom and calf whale pair approach the ship like it was a bigger mama whale! Also beware of all the overpriced diamond stores at almost every port,,, You will regret spending so much money when you get home and have to pay the bills!!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
FREE Ukulele Band Performances!! 10am SATURDAY at the SANTA CRUZ MARINA,,,and 10am SUNDAY at the CAPITOLA BEACH ESPLANADE BANDSHELL,,,
This is the USCS/ukelele club of Santa Cruz , the Sons of the Beach,,,
and it is FREE !!
(even if it sprinkles, usually)
For about one hour,,,
lots of fun,,,
has been going on for years,,,
and it is FREE !!
(even if it sprinkles, usually)
For about one hour,,,
lots of fun,,,
has been going on for years,,,
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Congress doesn't sympathize with the pain of most of Americans, otherwise they would ,,,drop the tax exemption for those buying corporate jets, take the low ceiling off SSN Taxes on the rich that wont notice, close all the rifleshot and loopholes in the tax code, end the Billions in tax breaks to the oil industry, end most farmer subsidies , and find a way to tax the excessive profits of Wall Street.
But then, Congress really does not feel our pain, do they?
We who have been laid off,,,
We who have been foreclosed on our first homes,,,
We who have to pay outrageous prices for medical insurance,,,
We who ,,, Congress turns a deaf ear to.
Both Parties are too blame: The Republicans for only wanting it their way,for the rich, so shallow a platform, and the Democrats for showing so little fight.
Obviously, Congress does not care.
The only practical solution in 2012 is to elect one party, so there is little obstructionism for no good reason from the poor losers.
We who have been laid off,,,
We who have been foreclosed on our first homes,,,
We who have to pay outrageous prices for medical insurance,,,
We who ,,, Congress turns a deaf ear to.
Both Parties are too blame: The Republicans for only wanting it their way,for the rich, so shallow a platform, and the Democrats for showing so little fight.
Obviously, Congress does not care.
The only practical solution in 2012 is to elect one party, so there is little obstructionism for no good reason from the poor losers.
So Mad at the Producer-Director of DWTS for high school, social promotion , soft grading of Lazy, Clumsy, Whiny, lesser dancers , minimum 6 for a score of 18, and as a result we lose much harder working and better dancers of Kristin C., Chynna P. and Elis. C. !!
Who wants to see Nancy-excuses win, or Rob or Chaz or Carson or David !?
Popularity only goes so far on a dancing show. This season it has gotten out of hand , again !!
Maybe Hope will get less testosterone help from Max, more professionalism.
Ms. Lake's partner, again, is the obvious super professional dancer-choreographer.
3 good candidates were needlessly sacrificed,,, for the likes of lazy Rob and unfit Chaz?? Dumb.
Popularity only goes so far on a dancing show. This season it has gotten out of hand , again !!
Maybe Hope will get less testosterone help from Max, more professionalism.
Ms. Lake's partner, again, is the obvious super professional dancer-choreographer.
3 good candidates were needlessly sacrificed,,, for the likes of lazy Rob and unfit Chaz?? Dumb.
This is my Tribute "60minutes-Andy Rooney" Rant ,,, Darnit!!
Have you ever noticed,,,!?,,,
that the candy companies , like Hersey's and Mar's, never put the quantity of small Halloween candy on the big bags they sell at this time of the year??
There AUGHT TO BE A LAW!!
How can THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS!?
This is America, and we do not allow such deceit, even in the THE MARKETPLACE ECONOMY!!
Do i have to call every SENATOR and REPRESENTATIVE,,, and YELL IN THEIR EARS,,,cause you KNOW I WILL!?
This, Halloween, is a commercial success, without this packaging cheat.
FIX THIS!!,,, AND NOW!!,,,DO YOU THINK I AM GOING TO LIVE FOREVER!?
The New York Times and the Washington Post,,, and even '60minutes' have been spineless, with and probably without me,,,
Every RED Blooded American should call their Senators and Representatives and tell them that the Andy Rooney mimics of this country,economically savaged and ethically adrift with no strong parent leader, DEMAND SOME BIG CHANGES RIGHT NOW!! darnit !!
(thank you,,,
i'll be here all day.)
that the candy companies , like Hersey's and Mar's, never put the quantity of small Halloween candy on the big bags they sell at this time of the year??
There AUGHT TO BE A LAW!!
How can THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS!?
This is America, and we do not allow such deceit, even in the THE MARKETPLACE ECONOMY!!
Do i have to call every SENATOR and REPRESENTATIVE,,, and YELL IN THEIR EARS,,,cause you KNOW I WILL!?
This, Halloween, is a commercial success, without this packaging cheat.
FIX THIS!!,,, AND NOW!!,,,DO YOU THINK I AM GOING TO LIVE FOREVER!?
The New York Times and the Washington Post,,, and even '60minutes' have been spineless, with and probably without me,,,
Every RED Blooded American should call their Senators and Representatives and tell them that the Andy Rooney mimics of this country,economically savaged and ethically adrift with no strong parent leader, DEMAND SOME BIG CHANGES RIGHT NOW!! darnit !!
(thank you,,,
i'll be here all day.)
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