Monday, October 27, 2008
Open Posts
Looks like I'm running well over 100 comments so I figured I'd just toss something out here so folks can post any comment, obsevration, bitch, whine, idiotic statement they want. We can then agree, trash them and generally just run amok.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Wandering Thoughts
Just a few comments to post since I have no real idea for another blog and am not good at cut and paste.
Time to expand off shore drilling. On the Gulf last week and Texans have no problem with it. Go for it.
Time to end foreign aid.
Columbus Day has reached it's shelf life.
Term limits are needed.
John Kerry and Barney Frank are just totally useless.
I have fantasies about Vegas Val.And Sarah Palin, also.
Josh Beckett is a very good pitcher you had one season (2007) that was super.
Bankers will now be in the same category as lawyers and used car salesman.
Model For A New Constitution by Rexford Guy Tugwell is still a great read.
Looks like Giants showed the way for how to beat the Patriots.
No matter how boring this piece is it will never match the bordom level of a BOS meeting.
I could care less about question #2 and #3.
I will vote YES on #1, however.
I have heard no resonable explanation for why we are in Afganistan.
Why did it take Congress two days to figure out rescue is better PR than bailout?
Commercial flying use to be an "experience" and it still is - insert caustic comment.
The Brockton Enterprise is a waste of ink.
What ever happened to small, medium and large?
McCain? Obama? What is the immigration policy for Canada?
I love the idea of school vouchers.
The Big Dig was a massive waste of money. Tips farewell gift to Massachusetts.
Time to expand off shore drilling. On the Gulf last week and Texans have no problem with it. Go for it.
Time to end foreign aid.
Columbus Day has reached it's shelf life.
Term limits are needed.
John Kerry and Barney Frank are just totally useless.
I have fantasies about Vegas Val.And Sarah Palin, also.
Josh Beckett is a very good pitcher you had one season (2007) that was super.
Bankers will now be in the same category as lawyers and used car salesman.
Model For A New Constitution by Rexford Guy Tugwell is still a great read.
Looks like Giants showed the way for how to beat the Patriots.
No matter how boring this piece is it will never match the bordom level of a BOS meeting.
I could care less about question #2 and #3.
I will vote YES on #1, however.
I have heard no resonable explanation for why we are in Afganistan.
Why did it take Congress two days to figure out rescue is better PR than bailout?
Commercial flying use to be an "experience" and it still is - insert caustic comment.
The Brockton Enterprise is a waste of ink.
What ever happened to small, medium and large?
McCain? Obama? What is the immigration policy for Canada?
I love the idea of school vouchers.
The Big Dig was a massive waste of money. Tips farewell gift to Massachusetts.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Being A Smart Travel Shopper
I had to come up with an idea for my blog. Energy was taken so that was off the table as was everything you wanted to know about Adam. Plus I don’t have the technical skills that blogger has. I could get into obscure town political issues like MB but I’ll end up falling asleep as I key. So I decided to do something in an area that I do have a degree of experience with - being a cheapskate.
Coupon codes. Where do you get those silly little codes that you see embedded in online sites? Try this place http://www.retailmenot.com/ That one is my favorite and in just the last week I had $50 knocked off a three night stay on a booking via Expedia and another $20 a night booking at Red Roof Inns. The material can be dated at times but new additions are constantly being added. What really makes this site great is the comments section that tells you what success or lack of others have had, clues to use and any other complaints or suggestions. A second site is http://currentcodes.com/ that is OK but not quite as friendly as the previous one. Another site that is usable is http://www.dealcatcher.com/ that can find you “stuff” before you buy. A final suggestion is http://www.shopzilla.com/ for comparison shopping.
Hotels can be a pain to book since rates can vary drastically for the same room. One place I occasionally use is http://www.yogoyo.com/ that is a consolidator. A consolidator is like a ticket scalper in that they purchase blocks of rooms to resell and sometimes they have rooms to dump. Three nights at The Allegro in Chicago last year for $159 a night or one third the rack rate. A second one is http://www.hotelconxions.com/Default.aspx?tabid=127 that can catch the occasional bargain as will http://www.quikbook.com/ that specializes in NYC. http://airfare.travelzoo.com/north-american-airfare/ has always been a favorite of mine for just about anything to do with travel. TZOO usually pulls in info from several other sites and also some that seem rather obscure. Last year I got a $200 a night weekend rate at The Millennium in Times Square. This is a four star hotel and they tossed in breakfast for two and a $50 hotel coupon good for anything. I checked their rate online and it was $600 a night with NO goodies tossed in. Usually $200 a night in NYC will not even buy you a cot over a subway grate. TZOO will also have some Broadway theater tickets at steep discounts. With hotels it is always a good idea to call direct to see if there are any special promotions available that are rarely included on internet searches. Some chains will also guarantee lowest rate.
http://www.kayak.com/ and http://www.bookingbuddy.com/?departure_city=boston&source=kayak_boston_airfare will patrol every site for you. This is essential the same site but I have noticed differences when I do a search. The problem I have had with both at times is that when they connect me to the providers site the fare changes. Air Tran and Jet Blue really just suck at doing that to you. Kayak will also give you the total price rather than when you connect and find another 50% in fees. http://insideflyer.com/ is a subscription site as is http://www.bestfares.com/ but they do have some “stuff” that can help. On both I have often found the offered fares restrictive or hard to book.
I always recommend that you cross check any potential bookings. Go to various sites and, of course, the providers site. Airlines have sign ups for specials and last minute deals that are sometimes not available at the traditional sites. You will also find that virtually all travel sites have very similar rates but their fees may be different. It’s a generality but I’ve found Expedia. Com to be the most reasonable and Hotels.com the most expensive. As far as response when you “get screwed” I had exception customer survive from expedia and orbitz. Expedia called a Las Vegas hotel direct and got me in an upscale room and several coupons and it was the hotel screw up. Then they emailed me a $50 good faith coupon. This was for a $200 booking! So sometimes customer service is a plus.
A place I ALWAYS visit before I book a hotel is http://www.tripadvisor.com/ that gives reviews that are excellent. Reader submitted and a lot more in depth than the review links from travel sites. A few miscellaneous sites are http://www.friendlyplanet.com/ and http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/ that offer some interesting deals. Last year I was on Friendly Planet and saw a 18 day cruise in Australia and New Zealand including air fare from California for $1,800 TOTAL! I actually called them up and it was correct and was told if I booked in 24 hours it would be an outside cabin and a $100 ship coupon. We could not go but this is the type of stuff you can occasionally run into. Here is another I got for next week that I passed on since I’ll be in Texas. Outside cabin for a four day cruise at $199 PP and that is a 192 sq. foot cabin. I called and was told that an inside was #399! Go figure. Sometimes you will find something right out of nowhere.
A final suggestion is one I never used but others do it for peace of mind. http://www.insuremytrip.com/ As I said I’ve never used them but others have and claim they are top notch.
So far I have just scratched the surface and listed a few favorite places and there are many, many more. Again, double check everything.
Anyone feels this has any value feel free to copy it to your site, blog or tattoo it on your spouse.
Coupon codes. Where do you get those silly little codes that you see embedded in online sites? Try this place http://www.retailmenot.com/ That one is my favorite and in just the last week I had $50 knocked off a three night stay on a booking via Expedia and another $20 a night booking at Red Roof Inns. The material can be dated at times but new additions are constantly being added. What really makes this site great is the comments section that tells you what success or lack of others have had, clues to use and any other complaints or suggestions. A second site is http://currentcodes.com/ that is OK but not quite as friendly as the previous one. Another site that is usable is http://www.dealcatcher.com/ that can find you “stuff” before you buy. A final suggestion is http://www.shopzilla.com/ for comparison shopping.
Hotels can be a pain to book since rates can vary drastically for the same room. One place I occasionally use is http://www.yogoyo.com/ that is a consolidator. A consolidator is like a ticket scalper in that they purchase blocks of rooms to resell and sometimes they have rooms to dump. Three nights at The Allegro in Chicago last year for $159 a night or one third the rack rate. A second one is http://www.hotelconxions.com/Default.aspx?tabid=127 that can catch the occasional bargain as will http://www.quikbook.com/ that specializes in NYC. http://airfare.travelzoo.com/north-american-airfare/ has always been a favorite of mine for just about anything to do with travel. TZOO usually pulls in info from several other sites and also some that seem rather obscure. Last year I got a $200 a night weekend rate at The Millennium in Times Square. This is a four star hotel and they tossed in breakfast for two and a $50 hotel coupon good for anything. I checked their rate online and it was $600 a night with NO goodies tossed in. Usually $200 a night in NYC will not even buy you a cot over a subway grate. TZOO will also have some Broadway theater tickets at steep discounts. With hotels it is always a good idea to call direct to see if there are any special promotions available that are rarely included on internet searches. Some chains will also guarantee lowest rate.
http://www.kayak.com/ and http://www.bookingbuddy.com/?departure_city=boston&source=kayak_boston_airfare will patrol every site for you. This is essential the same site but I have noticed differences when I do a search. The problem I have had with both at times is that when they connect me to the providers site the fare changes. Air Tran and Jet Blue really just suck at doing that to you. Kayak will also give you the total price rather than when you connect and find another 50% in fees. http://insideflyer.com/ is a subscription site as is http://www.bestfares.com/ but they do have some “stuff” that can help. On both I have often found the offered fares restrictive or hard to book.
I always recommend that you cross check any potential bookings. Go to various sites and, of course, the providers site. Airlines have sign ups for specials and last minute deals that are sometimes not available at the traditional sites. You will also find that virtually all travel sites have very similar rates but their fees may be different. It’s a generality but I’ve found Expedia. Com to be the most reasonable and Hotels.com the most expensive. As far as response when you “get screwed” I had exception customer survive from expedia and orbitz. Expedia called a Las Vegas hotel direct and got me in an upscale room and several coupons and it was the hotel screw up. Then they emailed me a $50 good faith coupon. This was for a $200 booking! So sometimes customer service is a plus.
A place I ALWAYS visit before I book a hotel is http://www.tripadvisor.com/ that gives reviews that are excellent. Reader submitted and a lot more in depth than the review links from travel sites. A few miscellaneous sites are http://www.friendlyplanet.com/ and http://www.cheapcaribbean.com/ that offer some interesting deals. Last year I was on Friendly Planet and saw a 18 day cruise in Australia and New Zealand including air fare from California for $1,800 TOTAL! I actually called them up and it was correct and was told if I booked in 24 hours it would be an outside cabin and a $100 ship coupon. We could not go but this is the type of stuff you can occasionally run into. Here is another I got for next week that I passed on since I’ll be in Texas. Outside cabin for a four day cruise at $199 PP and that is a 192 sq. foot cabin. I called and was told that an inside was #399! Go figure. Sometimes you will find something right out of nowhere.
A final suggestion is one I never used but others do it for peace of mind. http://www.insuremytrip.com/ As I said I’ve never used them but others have and claim they are top notch.
So far I have just scratched the surface and listed a few favorite places and there are many, many more. Again, double check everything.
Anyone feels this has any value feel free to copy it to your site, blog or tattoo it on your spouse.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
A Very Nice Post....and Another
This was out on Tpxic this morning...well...last night since I read it this morning. Found it to be quite appropriate.
I've added another entry to this list from Topix by a poster called My2cents.
Yup, I'm sure it is getting increasingly difficult for CFO to get press - considering their miserable track record. Let's see there was the BIG protest at the State House. I'm sure reporters were pretty ticked off when they discovered the throngs of CFO supporters totaled roughly 20 people, nearly half of whom were children. Then there was the time CFO's LEGIONS of loyal followers were going to recall the sitting Selectmen and have them replaced with the likes of Recall Queen, Jessie Powell. Yup, Jessie still shoots her mouth off about the Selectmen, despite being miserably defeated twice now. Somehow she can't seem to grasp the notion that she's alone in her opinions. I can't see any responsible media outlet giving her a platform again, as she's lost all credibility. Except maybe with WASS in Clark, CT. Yup, a meeting with a turn out of one - doubt Comcast will ever come to another meeting. At this juncture, CFO seems like little more than a couple of bored, angry housewives, who've created a "virtual" army of sock puppet supporters in order to mislead and intimidate the community. JP, MT, and MB are three nut cases as far as I'm concerned. ALL of them need professional psychiatric help if you ask me.
As for RY, KS, CP and the rest - they should be ashamed of themselves for spurring on and encouraging obviously disturbed people to negative action. They should be encouraging their friends to get the professional help they clearly need. Deliberately trespassing with turkey feathers? Trying to bribe someone into surrendering their website? Stalking & harassing people? Increasingly nasty and threatening blogs? Talk of Kool-Aid, Blog fathers and flying monkeys - these are cries for help. It's not funny, this is really sick stuff.
If something isn't done soon to stop the escalation, I can really see one or more of them ending up in jail.
___________________________________________
By my2cents
No the other tribes have not received federal recognition. The only other in Massachusetts has been trying to open a casino since the Bill Weld years.
The other tribes are jealous.
The haters are the Task Force members. How many times was "LOW PAYING JOBS" said and that they did not want those people to come to their town.
Guess what, they already live there and work there. They just are too stupid to see it.
"THOSE PEOPLE" are the people who make and serve them food at a local diner. They are the people who sell them food and milk at the grocery store or work at the produce market on Route 44. They are the people who pump their gas (or press the accept button at self serve) and towel off your car after it is washed. They are the people who care for your children at day care. They are the people who deliver your newspaper every morning or night or the furniture you bought.
They're the people that you meet. When you're walking down the street. They're the people that you meet, each, daaaaaaaaaaaay.
THEY ARE THE PEOPLE THAT VOTED YOU INTO OFFICE and will vote you out if you don't want to live with them.
I've added another entry to this list from Topix by a poster called My2cents.
Yup, I'm sure it is getting increasingly difficult for CFO to get press - considering their miserable track record. Let's see there was the BIG protest at the State House. I'm sure reporters were pretty ticked off when they discovered the throngs of CFO supporters totaled roughly 20 people, nearly half of whom were children. Then there was the time CFO's LEGIONS of loyal followers were going to recall the sitting Selectmen and have them replaced with the likes of Recall Queen, Jessie Powell. Yup, Jessie still shoots her mouth off about the Selectmen, despite being miserably defeated twice now. Somehow she can't seem to grasp the notion that she's alone in her opinions. I can't see any responsible media outlet giving her a platform again, as she's lost all credibility. Except maybe with WASS in Clark, CT. Yup, a meeting with a turn out of one - doubt Comcast will ever come to another meeting. At this juncture, CFO seems like little more than a couple of bored, angry housewives, who've created a "virtual" army of sock puppet supporters in order to mislead and intimidate the community. JP, MT, and MB are three nut cases as far as I'm concerned. ALL of them need professional psychiatric help if you ask me.
As for RY, KS, CP and the rest - they should be ashamed of themselves for spurring on and encouraging obviously disturbed people to negative action. They should be encouraging their friends to get the professional help they clearly need. Deliberately trespassing with turkey feathers? Trying to bribe someone into surrendering their website? Stalking & harassing people? Increasingly nasty and threatening blogs? Talk of Kool-Aid, Blog fathers and flying monkeys - these are cries for help. It's not funny, this is really sick stuff.
If something isn't done soon to stop the escalation, I can really see one or more of them ending up in jail.
___________________________________________
By my2cents
No the other tribes have not received federal recognition. The only other in Massachusetts has been trying to open a casino since the Bill Weld years.
The other tribes are jealous.
The haters are the Task Force members. How many times was "LOW PAYING JOBS" said and that they did not want those people to come to their town.
Guess what, they already live there and work there. They just are too stupid to see it.
"THOSE PEOPLE" are the people who make and serve them food at a local diner. They are the people who sell them food and milk at the grocery store or work at the produce market on Route 44. They are the people who pump their gas (or press the accept button at self serve) and towel off your car after it is washed. They are the people who care for your children at day care. They are the people who deliver your newspaper every morning or night or the furniture you bought.
They're the people that you meet. When you're walking down the street. They're the people that you meet, each, daaaaaaaaaaaay.
THEY ARE THE PEOPLE THAT VOTED YOU INTO OFFICE and will vote you out if you don't want to live with them.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
On Line Gaming
Some of you may know that I have a baseball site I am active in. There are a handful of us that share in the management and expenses of maintaining the site. This is not a lot of money yearly and is just a way to get together for game time chat, have posting boards and trash the yankees (always small caps). Recently our site was offered a small amount of money to allow online gaming. Here is the latest missive:
Thanks for your reply,
I have talked to my supervisor as I like your site and she is ready to increase the original prize of 25USD for three months to $40 for 3 months. I really hope we can work it out and have a long term business relationship between us.
Please let me know if you have any questions
Looking forward to hear from you
Regards,
I have not included the name of the person involved but my understanding is that the offer will now be $100 for three months. Each time an offer is made we reject it. In fact an email to members show a uninversal rejection.
Online gaming offers a burgening business. In a previous incarnation of middleborocasino.com I had an extensive post on online gaming on which I had actually done legitimate research. The returns to the player were actually higher than in traditional casino settings - less expense, but I had some real problems with the whole concept. Just concerned about the ease with which money can disappear, lack of tax income and ease of access for minors to highlight a few. You may agree, disagree or be neutral.
Thanks for your reply,
I have talked to my supervisor as I like your site and she is ready to increase the original prize of 25USD for three months to $40 for 3 months. I really hope we can work it out and have a long term business relationship between us.
Please let me know if you have any questions
Looking forward to hear from you
Regards,
I have not included the name of the person involved but my understanding is that the offer will now be $100 for three months. Each time an offer is made we reject it. In fact an email to members show a uninversal rejection.
Online gaming offers a burgening business. In a previous incarnation of middleborocasino.com I had an extensive post on online gaming on which I had actually done legitimate research. The returns to the player were actually higher than in traditional casino settings - less expense, but I had some real problems with the whole concept. Just concerned about the ease with which money can disappear, lack of tax income and ease of access for minors to highlight a few. You may agree, disagree or be neutral.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Stood Up By The Tribe
Looks like an invite for Mboro must be in the mail. Guess Shawn and Scott just forgot that invite? Maybe an update of the email list is needed? Appears at this point Mboro is being squeezed out of the loop or, just maybe, this is an "oversight." LOL! Sure.
Looks like Adam is sitting there in his tux with some flowers and a LL Limo ready to take him to the big dance. Unfortunately, his date has gone with Deval instead and left him holding those prom tickets. Maybe Glenn will go?
I really am not surprised as they have already gotten what they want from us - a home run on the first date! Call you sometime next week, Hon. Thanks for the good time. Now, we can all sit back and watch that CPI be drained and drained as the investors can wait and wait for economic boom times to return. What will that 7MIl be worth in 2013? Maybe 5MIl in today's change?
So....does anyone really seriously expect the state to give us anything from the slots? And surrounding towns? Lotsa luck on that. Host community of Lincoln, R.I. gets, I believe, 2% from the state.
Personally, this is really a huge put down for the town and casino proponents. Tribe could have at least tossed a bone our way.
Looks like Adam is sitting there in his tux with some flowers and a LL Limo ready to take him to the big dance. Unfortunately, his date has gone with Deval instead and left him holding those prom tickets. Maybe Glenn will go?
I really am not surprised as they have already gotten what they want from us - a home run on the first date! Call you sometime next week, Hon. Thanks for the good time. Now, we can all sit back and watch that CPI be drained and drained as the investors can wait and wait for economic boom times to return. What will that 7MIl be worth in 2013? Maybe 5MIl in today's change?
So....does anyone really seriously expect the state to give us anything from the slots? And surrounding towns? Lotsa luck on that. Host community of Lincoln, R.I. gets, I believe, 2% from the state.
Personally, this is really a huge put down for the town and casino proponents. Tribe could have at least tossed a bone our way.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
MB and You Know What
This topic has now taken on a life of it's own so why not start a thread on it?
I'm not defending his actions since he did trespass and did it knowingly. Something as an avid trail runner I have done many times. I've been in that area literally hundreds of times and there are many, many trails that have a quasi public use - trail bikers, horses, bike riders, walkers and I have run across countless people over the years I've been in that area with no complaints. As a runner power lines are great since they usually break into trails off the lines and I'll follow them. At nemasket.net, when I was actually on the site, I had an extensive list of trails in the Mboro area and I think Mark was following one of them. I've also collected feathers through the years and have actually given them to science classes or used them in lessons by creating quill pens. Canada Geese were usually the best but turkey feathers are quite common and I use to pick them up.
At least he addressed the issue and did not avoid it like MT and JP did. As far as the total package of his actions I can't comment on that but you folks are free to do so. Mark gave his explanation and both he and we will have to live with it.
You can check out his blog at http://bellicose-bumpkin.blogspot.com/2008/08/bumpkin-public-menace.html
I'm not defending his actions since he did trespass and did it knowingly. Something as an avid trail runner I have done many times. I've been in that area literally hundreds of times and there are many, many trails that have a quasi public use - trail bikers, horses, bike riders, walkers and I have run across countless people over the years I've been in that area with no complaints. As a runner power lines are great since they usually break into trails off the lines and I'll follow them. At nemasket.net, when I was actually on the site, I had an extensive list of trails in the Mboro area and I think Mark was following one of them. I've also collected feathers through the years and have actually given them to science classes or used them in lessons by creating quill pens. Canada Geese were usually the best but turkey feathers are quite common and I use to pick them up.
At least he addressed the issue and did not avoid it like MT and JP did. As far as the total package of his actions I can't comment on that but you folks are free to do so. Mark gave his explanation and both he and we will have to live with it.
You can check out his blog at http://bellicose-bumpkin.blogspot.com/2008/08/bumpkin-public-menace.html
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