Stupid, stupid stupid Alaska, like California is dependent on tourism, now has a 2 King/yr limit for visitors and NOW a 1 halibut vs 2 /day limit for

non-residents !! And you, stupid Alaska, think i am going to pay airfare on the lost-luggage experts airline Alaska,,,pay for a fishing lodge or waterside hotel,,,and a rental car,,,to only fish and possibly keep one halibut a day ?! Dumb dumb dumb as your last Governor,,,

I elected President Obama thinking he was more 'dove' than 'hawk',,,my mistake ??

I / we wanted out of Iraq,,,and we don't have it yet. Now the new President is going to yield to the corrupt , lying (Still about friendly fire, the Generals, in the football player-Ranger soldier cover-up !!,,,) Pentagon and Miltary Industrial Congress Complex / MICC that President Eisenhower warned us against as he left office, a great service for a President greater than Truman, the atom bomb tempermentalist.

So now we are stuck,,,bleeding,,,dying,,,maiming in Afghanistan, such a hell hole of corruption and primitive politics unready for any kind of democracy,,loosing soldiers, wasting billions and $ trillions ,we do not have to waste,,,

Hopefully there are some peace advocates left in Congress among all the re-election campaign , lobbyist sellouts of the voters representation and respect. But doubt it,,,

So sad,,,our military keeps getting us in these fraudulent , no chance whatsoever of 'victory' foreign battle conflicts,,,So sad,,,

"Dancing with the Stars" ,,,so disappointed in pro.judges soft scores,,,should be called "Voting for your star with a little Dancing"

There is no way Donnie Osmond is a better dancer than Mya, and deserves a "30" vs her "28". Such soft 'high school ' grading is called 'social promotion' and a sin, that allowed such low effort and low talent to last so long, and be overwhelmed by popular voting. Can we just have one voter per viewer?!!

I will miss you, Edyta,,,and the young blonde,,,

But i have had it with the Pro. Judges brown-nosing and soft-grading of mediocre talent, like the snowboarder and football player and Kelly, who tried,,, but not as hard or well as Mya.

I will no longer watch, so there commercial sponsors !!

California is sooo "BROKE AND BUSTED",,,the press and media are afraid to talk about it,,,so are the STATE UNIVERSITIES !!

In the late 1930s my Mom paid $26/semester ,,,or $52/yr for tuition at UCLA,,,That is $108 in tuition for four years of the highest education in California at the time. Books were additional , but her family lumber yard business meant they did not suffer in the Depression, unlike her husband's family farm repossessed by Bank of America.

My lazy blonde sister went to UCBerkeley in the 1970s and paid $125 /quarter . That would be $375 tuition for 3 quarters, with the summer off to go to Europe.

In 1966-1970 I paid $50/semester or $400 for 4 years tuition at the average education institution of San Jose State College(now "university",which it is not,such a joke,,,a pig is still a pig,,,even if you call it a 'sow',,,). Books were much much more expensive ,since we were annually ripped off by the private company of 'Roberts Books'. SJSU still,,,in Silicon Valley,,,does not have a big eTextbook program run by the U. or Student Union...

What does all this mean, now that UCBerkeley is charging $10,000/yr and wants to charge more ? The Republicans have won and 'pubic education' sells to the highest bidder, there is little regard for the pubic good in a well-educated electorate, and we can refuse California residents who qualify in favor of foreigners and out-of-staters who can be charged more,,,

"Market economy" and Market State Legislature,,,we let the state lawmakers sell themselves to the highest bidder,,,and now we the public, the residents, the voters are reaping the destruction of that stupid idea.

California is broke, our State government is busted, and there is not rescue or hope on the horizon,,,The Feds won't save us,,,The Democrats and the no-plan just obstruct and lie Republicans certainly won't save us,,,Maybe the Green Party should formulate and discuss publically a plan. Otherwise California will continue to be the laughing stock of the US of A for public stupidity in Deregulating home energy with Republican Governor Grey Davis(we did at least kick his sorry-ass out of office!!), the then self-inflicted Enron debacle that CalPers was stupid enough to invest in and lost the State Pension millions, and the voters wisely took away the corrupting gerrymandering of guaranteed districts drawn by legislators only to have the State Government drive the State Budget over a cliff and Bankrupt the State of California.

Could it get any worse in California? Oh, we could elect another Republican Governor who is primarily concerned with 'helping businesses in the state' ,,,versus helping all of us in the state,,,

If MSN Hotmail has put you on the "suspected blogger list" with not 300 sendable emails, but less than 50, because you have large family and friends

,,,you share with, I recommend Google Chrome and Google Gmail . Just because i send something to 10-20 friends and family does not mean i am a "spammer", tho that is the way Microsoft has labeled me. And they have basically little or no customer service for this, so it has been months of confirming ,,,waste of time !!,,,every email !!

I am so DONE with Microsoft and their lack of or shoddy customer service !!

If you are thinking of buying a home in San Jose, you had better look at CrimeReport.com's map of crimes ,,,SHOCKING !!

It is amazing how many Burglaries and Vehicle Thefts and Assault-Battery happen in the "Willow Glen" Greater Neighborhood !!

Evogear.com in Seattle has r.e.d. Avid ski helmets for $68 total ,,,versus REI at $79 plus shipping and tax !!

Website malfunctioned twice, but i phoned and was so easy to buy and ship from EVOGEAR.COM !! ,,,1-866-386-1590

Have been web shopping for weeks,,,No joy with Amazon,,,No joy with most major ski websites,,,Burton was sold out already of the matt black XXL,,,Great design and fab prices,,,!!

Beware of another tourist scam, in Rome Italy at the Train Station; Beware of the men in "Official Turismo White Suits"

My girlfriend , very hot, and i flew into Milan and took the train to Rome. It was a beautiful day,afternoon, in the big open space/ plaza in front of the train station, and we were talking about what we should do next and decided to start looking for one of the recommended hotels from our two guide books, Rick Steve's and Harvard's LetsGo.

Then this very handsome guy in a white suit walks up to us and introduces himself as "an official tourism guide of Rome" and welcomes us. He asks if we are looking for a restaurant or hotel and "can he be of service". We were your typical trusting Americans, my 4th time in Europe and her first, so we said 'yes, thank you!!' (What suckers we were,,,!!)

He lead us a few blocks to an old building after asking us what our budget was, and we walked into what looked like a 4 STAR HOTEL LOBBY !! The men and women behind the reception desk were dressed to the 9s, and we told him we did not think we could afford "a place as super fancy as this". He reassured us he knew the owners 'personally' and would get us a very good rate. (Could we have been more gullible ?!!)

He talked in Italian to the staff and they offered us a room. Now i know and usually do the smart European thing of ASKING TO SEE THE ROOM FIRST BEFORE SIGNING ANYTHING or paying anything,,,but i was with the hot love of my life, at the time, and this guy was in his official white fancy suit with the badges and emblems,,,so we did not PREVIEW THE ROOM,,,We paid by cash,oops, instead of Master Card or AX, oops, and thanked the White Suit Tourist Official who was quickly out the door.

We then asked for directions to our room with key in hand. It was "just around the corner and upstairs,,," big cheesy smile,,, As we rounded the corner of the Lobby, the decor suddenly became very plain,,,and then very ugly and unkept/dirty !! We walked by the bath/toilet area and both of us GASPED is was so ugly and unclean,,,When we got to the room , we carefully opened the door, fearing a swarm of cockroaches like on Barbados the previous year,,, It was HORRIBLE, THE MOST UNATTRACTIVE UGLY BARE SHABBY UNCLEAN ROOM YOU MIGHT IMAGINE !! My girl started crying "i can't sleep HERE !! i can't shower in THERE !!"

So brave foolish me goes down to the front desk and asks for a different, better room. "No have." Went back upstairs and talked to my then HOT girlfriend, and we decided that we would just stay one night instead of the 3 we had planned, versus loose all our money for that night. Maybe we should have just packed up and left,,,

It was one of the worst rooms, and i have been in cheap shabby 'closet' rooms in Paris,,,and attic bare sad rooms in Britain,,,but this room and scam WAS THE WORST !!

The lesson is, do what the wise Europeans do, EVERY TIME AS IT IS NORMAL AND EXPECTED, IN PREVIEWING YOUR ROOM ,,,BEFORE YOU PAY.

And watchout for the scam in Rome of men in fancy white "official turismo" white suits !!

The Republicans, when they failed at being in power federally, GAVE Pakistan over A BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR,,,FOR 6 LONG YEARS,,,What a waste !!

Pakistan and Afghanistan are famous for corruption and political primitivism,,,so what did we taxpayers "get" for over $6 BILLION DOLLARS given to the super-corrupt Pakistanis ? More terrorist, and more anti-American enemies. What a waste !!

Afghanistan was just voted the "most corrupt country in the world, after Somalia" !! Holy Crap, and our Federal Government is planning on staying longer than the 8 years of bloodied American soldiers, amputated arms and legs American soldiers, profligate waste by the Pentagon in substandard weaponry like the unprotected from 'ied' Humvee loser of a vehicle,,,?!! Britain lost its 'Great' pissing away a nations fortune in stature, power and wealth by colony fiddling in such places as India, the middle east, and Afghanistan,,,and we can not learn from that recent lesson ?!! Holy crap,,,are we ever in trouble.

Nov. 2009, I do not recommend AT & T cellphone service

When i turn on my 5 year old AT&T cellphone, it says "Cingular", but when i go into "Cingular" stores they say they can not help me and i need to find an "AT&T"store !!

Now, i am told my 32-bit SIM card chip is "too old" and i need to pick up a free 64-bit SIM card chip at an "AT&T" store, which i did. But it does not work in my "too old" 5 year old phone, so AT&T says i have to sign a new contract and get a new phone that will work with the 64-bit SIM. I have a great contract that AT&T will not offer again to me , nor anything close, so why would i voluntarily sign again for "2 years" to a poor value new contract with AT&T ?!!

I bought a PDA that will accept the 64-bit and it works, i can dial phone numbers with it,,,but AT&T is still telling me that i "must sign a new contract" , even tho i have an AT&T approved newer PDA that works with the new 64-bit SIM !!

And forget the Feds and the FCC, as i am told by my Senator's office "you know that cellphones are a deregulated market and there is very little we can do?" !!

We might as well have the good for nothing Republicans back in (corrupt) power !!

Nov.2009, Shame on the Department of Agriculture and the FDA for the expose' by USAToday of unfit food in our public school lunch programs !!

For profit and the sloppiness of govt bureaus , we have failed to keep even the food for our non-voting and non-speaking out children safe enough to eat in our public school lunch programs. Every arrival and shipment of food should be tested, because our food is so manipulated and over processed. Samples of food that caused the school sickness should have been saved and tested, if the principals had done their jobs properly. We must be the laughing stock of the entire world right now, sloppy profiting for years off making our tiny school children sick !!

But then, maybe most Americans are too busy with work and family or social lives to care,,,

What has happened to Public Education in California!!? Over decades, administrators and the PTA and School Boards have 'cared less',,,,

The huge decline in the quality of public education in the State of California certainly did not happen over night. It has taken years and decades of misdirection and lousy leadership, and failed unpopular programs like the current classroom lockstep of "no child left behind" idiocy.

When i was in high school, Willow Glen, in San Jose, Ca. back in the 60s even, we had teachers that were so 'under performing' as to yearly just read the biology text book to the class, and that was the extent of that professional educator and employee of the State of California's "educating",,,just reading every page of the text book. I bet the overpaid Principal at Willow Glen knew this teacher was slacking off and getting away with doing less than needed. Even the PTA must have know about this lazy terrible teacher of neglect. And the School Board. And the Teacher's Union. So there is lots of blame to go around.

But talking to my mother who graduated from UCLA, in the late 1930s just before WW2, she also tells me that she had along with her classmates a teacher at one of our 'most respected' public state universities, UCLA !!, do nothing more for the class than read from the textbook !! And do you really believe that the Head of UCLA did not know about this travesty of public education !? Please.

So California institutions, from its Teachers to its Principals, PTAs to School Boards, state public universities like UCLA to Governors and Superintendents of Public Education,,,all the way down to the voters who may want 'the best public education money can buy' but certainly have been short changed over decades and decades in California, all these entities are not able in their turf wars and infighting to get the main job done of educating our children to the highest standards.

In spite of all the press and verbage, what they say, they have all failed the children who could not vote or voice even. Our future of success and health and security was at stake.

How to improve on "Cherries Garcia" ?,,,Coffee ice cream "Cherries Garcia" !!

Add a little coffee to your's ,,,try it, you may like it !!

This is the time for TSA to give our Veterans, all Veterans, a first class airport security pass for life,,,But that honor will never happen,,,

The Congress and especially the Republicans will continue to give lip-service to our returning wounded dismembered bleeding veterans, instead of honor. They will suffer in second rate or third rate VA hospitals, while the D.C. politicians continue to dine with the weapons lobbyists . This hypocrisy of the Oliver North's and all the Pentagon drum-beaters has been a persistent shame on our Nation, like the shame of the Bush Administration that will go down in forever history for allowing and promoting torture of our enemies ,against the basic ethics of our Founding Fathers.

The Pentagon and Congress will continue to buy gold-plated lesser weapons like the Humvee and the Tomcat, and neglect the American citizens who shed blood on foreign soil in their place. The shame of this can not be seen it is so terrible.

the State of California is "dead in the water" financially, politically, environmentally,,,So go ahead and get your state a Republican Governor too !!

Governor Grey Davis,,,what a loser. But then we are now a "deregulated" state, and the businesses, corporations, and multinationals are having a Republican field day,,,while most middle and lower income people suffer. So who was hurt more by electing a Republican Governor like Grey Davis or Arnold S., neither of which can balance a state budget ?

We took away their Gerrymandering corrupt powers,,,And the State Legislature body slammed the voters by driving us off the cliff of state bankruptcy !!

So go ahead, New Jersey and Virginia, elect a Republican Governor ,,,and roll the dice,,,play russian roulette with your states future.

Olympic Swimmer Natalie Coughlin,,,was in the Top 3 of DANCING WITH THE STARS,,,

Natalie,,,Natalie,,,Natalie,,,

I voted for you 3 ways: by cell phone, by land line , and by pc,,,

You had a "cute couple" very talented male partner and correographer ,,,

And you definitely had the BOD,,,

You learned the foot and body moves very well,,,

even if you forgot to breathe.

But if you had only ,,,smiled and flirted more with your dance partner for more chemistry,,,he was handsome enough wasn't he,,,maybe you were just too nervous,,,

All you had to do to win/place in the top 3 or 2 was to smile and show you were enjoying it ,,,more than the frozen expression you gave,,,

You really could have won,,,and we were pulling for you,,,but now Mya and Joanna will probably battle it out ,,,

We miss you,,,you left way way way before your time,,,for the talent and determination you showed,,,but that has happened before on DWTS,,,

The judges told you to get in the mood of each of the dances, right ? Hopefully you don't quit dancing and learn to use your face for expression...

Best Wishes, Natalie Coughlin,,,!!

People love to see a happy couple, either on the street or faking it, acting on the dance floor,,,

Nice lawns ,,, turn to dead brown mat,,,How do Bank's get away with leaving FORECLOSED HOMES LIKE THIS FOR MONTHS !!

We have to suffer, while the new owner, the bank, lets the lawn die and go from green to weeds and dead brown grass. The neighborhood in San Jose suffers, but the bankers are not held accountable,,,as usual. One house was obviously vacant and thus an opportunity for vandalizing,,, Why do we allow bankers to blight our neighborhoods, especially when they are so profitable ,with out tax dollar bail outs ??

Why is it so difficult ,,,to go Online and Find a,,,Consumer Item Locator Service ?

This seems like a no-brainer,,,

You have a rut of familiar stores,,,but you are looking for the competition,,,or just looking for a consumer item, model, size, color,,,but you don't know where to find it,,,maybe you are traveling thru the area ,,,or visiting ,,,or don't bother reading all the ads,,,

So , how , in this supposed digital age, since the product is tracked downstream,,,does a consumer track a product, upstream and find it maybe in many local stores ,,,at many different prices ?

Ebay and Amazon list very very little that is for normal retail sale in the USA. So where is our web product search engine that finds specific items as well as Google finds specific words ?

Let's compare ski helmets: r.e.d. by Burton's adj. vented Skycap 2008-09 at $80 retail,,,vs ,,,Giro's G10 or Ski Patrol at $120 retail

For 63cm/2X size ,,,r.e.d. by Burton wins !! By 2000' vertical or a day of skiing pass cost !!

But Burton is not making the Skycap any more,,,

Bummer,,,

Let's compare SKI GEAR websites: skisite.com vs skicentral.com vs skis.com

First to skisite.com,,,a lot of ski stores listed do not have their phone numbers,,,you can not search by distance from your location,,,they do not separate the tiny local ski stores from the mega mega stores,,,and it is finally very hard to find a specific product availability.

Next to skicentral.com,,,they recommend ski.com ,often, in searches on their website,,,so let's go there next,,,

Lastly to ,,,skis.com,,,and we are looking for a specific product, last season or this season,,,better but not great.

Results,,,good luck trying to find a specific skiing or snowboarding product in the size and model you want, whether new or used, this years or just last years left over inventory ,,,

Angie's List,,,is located in,,,Indianapolis, INDIANA !!,,,not "local"

So that is why their customer service is so slow,,,

And one of their silly rules is,,,your report will be verified by them talking to the business you rate, natch, but you can not compare and mention another business, say you had 5 estimates, in your one business review. Silly,,,

Skype ,,,see USAToday article,,,has TERRIBLE customer service !!

I have downloaded Skype,,,and used it a couple times to contact a Skype fanatic in Seattle who is bored with Hotmail email,,,but now i log-in and can not get a "Contacts" button or find my personal page !!

And there is no live-chat help,,,no "feedback" even,,,no "email us",,,hell, how do these people expect to grow with such a lousy, Microsoft-like, poor customer service attitude ??