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Showing posts from May 18, 2008

Next up : the oxygen surcharge.

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So this is what it's come down to. The airlines shoved all the seats closer together. Then they took away pillows and blankets and hot food. Then they added charges for drinks, snacks ($4 for a fucking biscuit???) and headphones. Then they added charges for legroom, exit row, aisle or window seats. Today American announced that you now have to cough up $15 each way for your first checked bag. They say it's to cover the increased cost of fuel. But that's in addition to the compound 12.5% hike in ticket prices and the $25 each way charge for a second bag that were also attributed to the increased cost of fuel. The airlines are doing everything in their power to make their form of transport as miserable and torturous an experience as possible, and they're doing it very well. Backscatter X-ray machines, bomb sniffers, the dim-witted TSA morons and the 'no belt or shoes' security lines have conspired to make the airport experience bad enough as it is. Next up, then,

Yes, but it's not free is it?

At the supermarket checkout tonight, the girl told me if I bought a second pack of chicken, I'd get a pack of some no-name brand snacks free. I pointed out that they weren't free if I needed to buy a second pack of chicken. She said "But they're free" I said "But they're not. I don't need two packs of chicken, I need one. If I buy a second one, then I've spent more money, so the no-name snacks aren't free. They're only free if you give them to me now without me paying any more money." Ad nauseum. Some people just don't get it. No wonder America's economy is in the toilet.

Another huge lie from George W Bush

As expected, the much-touted "economic stimulus" package turned out to be another gigantic Bush lie. If he were to be believe, everyone who filed their taxes electronically and had direct deposit or withdrawl from their bank account would have had their rebate by friday last week - that was the last day for the social security numbers at the end of the list. I filed electronically, I "qualified" according to all the bullshit, and I had direct deposit and withdrawl set up for tax rebates and payments. Did any money arrive? What do you think? It's amazing to me that he can spin so much bullshit every day and not be removed from office. He even had the fed in on this one and the treasury. I bet there are Americans all over the country who bought into this and will actually now be complaining. This was never going to happen. It was just the latest misdirection from the world's most talented liar. My blog post on Feb 7th all but predicted this outcome.

Warm down below, chilly up on top.

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We went for a nice long ride today leaving at 9:00. We went up past Park City, over to Francis then up and over Wolf Creek and down to Duchesne. From there we went out of Indian Canyon to Price for lunch, then to Huntington, right up Huntington Canyon, over skyline drive, down Fairview canyon, then the long slog up US89, highway 6 and I-15 to come home. About 7.5 hours total. The roads over the passes had been cleared but the snow was still very much in evidence. The big lakes in Huntington canyon were still frozen solid. By contrast, back down in the valleys it was piggin' hot. Too hot. We've got the A/C on and it's only May. Still - cooler weather is on the way. We'll be back down from today's 39°C to a more reasonable 15°C by thursday.