25 tips for a better flight

Thoughts on how to improve flying over the festive period

Lots of people travel to their holiday destinations by plane. Personally, I hate flying. It’s cramped, the food’s normally crap, kids start screaming, young people get drunk and loud and my wife takes 2 sleeping tables with her mini bottle of vodka, passes out and snores all the way.

Not quite heaven…

So I found these travel tips by James Wysong. There are some gems…

General travel advice
• Make a note of where you parked your car at the airport. After a long trip, your memory will almost always fail you.
• If your seat mate won’t stop talking, pretend to be asleep.
• Cross-pack with a travel companion. That way, if the airline loses your luggage, you’ll still have half the clothes you need for the week.

Health
• Wear shoes to the restroom. Bare feet and bad aim are an unpleasant combination.
• Match each alcoholic beverage with at least two glasses of water.
• If you are allergic to cats, bring your allergy medication. Passengers often bring cats on board and carry dander on their clothes.
• Always, always check that there is a barf bag in the pocket in front of you. You might not get sick, but you never know about your seat mate.

Other peoples’ kids
• When kids are howling or staring at you from the seat in front of you, hand them some crayons and a sick bag and tell them to make a hand puppet.
• Pack a small toy or a bag of snacks in your carry-on to quiet the screaming kid three rows back. Works every time and costs only pennies.
• Bring dollar bills, and if the kid behind you starts kicking your seat, bribe him with money to stop. Tell him that if he can keep from kicking your seat for the remainder of the flight, he’ll get $5. Works like a charm.

Comfort
• Wear comfortable slip-on shoes.
• Unless you are traveling with children, always ask for an exit-row seat. You’ll get more legroom.
• Pack your favorite hot sauce. It can turn the worst in-flight or airport meal into a culinary delight.
• Wear noise-canceling headphones.

Mental health
• Arrive early.
• Practice patience, and be prepared to test it abundantly.
• Forget how it used to be and play by the new rules — whatever they are.
• Be the person you would most like to fly with.

Entertainment
• Listen to an audio book. It takes up more time than the in-flight movie and is better exercise for your imagination.
• Make up lives for your fellow passengers. See that woman in the sweats, the one who looks tired but eager? She works in an office with a bullying boss, but today she’s flying to see someone she loves and trusts enough to be comfortable. The guy who’s pacing back and forth with the briefcase? He’s pitching a million-dollar client. The kid with the guitar case wearing rumpled clothes and a tie? You get the idea.
• Books! I was scolded many times for not including this tip. After all, I’m a writer myself. So, now that you mention it, you should bring one of my books!

Humorous
• Ladies: Take the batteries out of your personal massage units; otherwise, the security search could prove quite embarrassing.
• Have great sex the night before you fly. You will be in a better mood and be more likely to sleep on the airplane.
• Hire your own jet and pilot.
• Drive instead!

Source: MSNBC.com

Black Friday; The Super Bowl of Shopping

Many Americans whine and gnash over the queuing, pushing, shoving, sweating frenzy that is Black Friday shopping.

But there’s no denying the popularity of this annual spectacle. On Black Friday last year, about 2 million shoppers appeared with credit cards in tow — and that's just at Wal-Marts across the nation, within the first hour of their opening.

Tens of millions more scurried through retail stores from Seattle to Sarasota. More than $20 billion is expected be spent this year on the day.

David Sweet takes a slightly different look at this crazy day.

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A time to give thanks for: Online Betting!

According to research, Gambling reaches an all-time high over the Thanksgiving period.

Thanksgiving Day sees more betting action on football games. Many college students take a break from their studies by heading to Las Vegas or Atlantic City to release and relieve some of their schoolbook stress. Others go home to find that while they were gone, slot parlors were approved and new casinos opened up, like in Hollywood, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Even online casinos see a rise in bets and total wagers through the end of the year. "This is typically our busiest time of the year," says one Internet casino manager. "I don't know why people love to gamble during the holidays... but it is something real and it happens every year."

It’ll be interesting to see whether this betting culture will subside with the new anti-gambling laws set in place by George W.

Personally, I think that harmless pastimes like betting on your favorite team on Thanksgiving Day or spending some of your hard-earned money on online slots or poker is non of the government’s damn business.

Next, they’ll want to tell me which brand of toilet paper to buy….

Anyhow…. Happy Thanksgiving and good luck with the bets!

Additional info: CasinoGamblingWeb.com

A new approach to teaching Thanksgiving. Good or Bad?

Instructors try more realistic look at relationship between Indians, whites

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Teacher Bill Morgan walks into his third-grade class wearing a black Pilgrim hat made of construction paper and begins snatching up pencils, backpacks and glue sticks from his pupils. He tells them the items now belong to him because he “discovered” them.

The reaction is exactly what Morgan expects: The kids get angry and want their things back.

Morgan is among elementary school teachers who have ditched the traditional Thanksgiving lesson, in which children dress up like Indians and Pilgrims and act out a romanticized version of their first meetings.

He has replaced it with a more realistic look at the complex relationship between Indians and white settlers.
Morgan said he still wants his pupils at Cleveland Elementary School in San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving. But “what I am trying to portray is a different point of view.”

Others see Morgan and teachers like him as too extreme.

“I think that is very sad,” said Janice Shaw Crouse, a former college dean and public high school teacher and now a spokeswoman for Concerned Women for America, a conservative organization. “He is teaching his students to hate their country. That is a very distorted view of history, a distorted view of Thanksgiving.”

Indians split

Even American Indians are divided on how to approach a holiday that some believe symbolizes the start of a hostile takeover of their lands.

Chuck Narcho, a member of the Maricopa and Tohono O’odham tribes who works as a substitute teacher in Los Angeles, said younger children should not be burdened with all the gory details of American history.

“If you are going to teach, you need to keep it positive,” he said. “They can learn about the truths when they grow up. Caring, sharing and giving — that is what was originally intended.”

Adam McMullin, a member of the Seminole tribe of Oklahoma and a spokesman for the National Congress of American Indians, said schoolchildren should get an accurate historical account.

Source: MSNBC

Flavored Golf tees: For the golfer who has everything…

Entrepreneurs John Packes and Ramon Peralta have come up a product line called Tasty Golf Tees in various flavors including mint, cherry, strawberry and grape.
Mint is the strongest-tasting flavor in the range.

"It will knock out the foulest of cigar, beer breath within five seconds," said Packes of Norwalk, Conn.

Packes said they came up with the idea while walking along the fairway one day and noticing that many golfers popped a tee in their mouth as they headed to the next hole or waited to tee up.

Tasty Golf Tees, which cost about 25 cents each, are made from uncoated wood, which is sanitized and flavored. They look and play like regular wooden golf tees.


Check it out

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Web designers and hosts charged in massive online gambling sting

More than two dozen individuals and corporations in four states have been charged in connection with a billion-dollar-a-year gambling Web site.

One of the corporations is an offshore Internet company with an American counterpart, said Kevin Ryan, a spokesman for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Ryan said the case is "one of the first times that a Web designer corporation and the companies that maintain the websites have been charged." He says, "we have initiated a $500 million asset forfeiture case," one of the largest in state history.

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Soccer moms take over the gaming scene

Step aside spotty teenagers. Soccer moms and grannies are taking over in the gaming scene!

The soccer mom demographic has been experiencing such a huge growth that big players in the industry are taking notice—and adjusting their business plans accordingly. In fact, the majority of casual gamers—60 percent—are women, mostly over 35.

What’s the appeal of these games for women—many of which are busy moms, most with full-time jobs? Mainly, it’s the ease-of-use: Casual games also don’t require hours of commitment, so it’s easy to feel satisfied by just short bursts of gameplay. Also, casual games can also be relaxing, supplanting television as a wind-down evening activity.

In the meantime, Nintendo also has its eye trained on an older generation. In June, the company rolled out its Touch Generation sub-brand in the United States — and it’s aimed squarely at 40 and 50 year-olds. The Nintendo DS handheld system allows the old fogies to play anywhere with an easy-to-use touch screen and pen.

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Name Your Porsche

Those lucky enough to own a Porsche can now be even more of a show-off by adding an exclusive personal touch.

Instead of the type designation, you can have customised text in the same font placed on your Porsche. Texts can be made for all 911 models - Cayenne - Boxster and Cayman.

The personalised text is manufactured in the same colours as the type designation, in grey or black, or 'chrome' or 'gold' if you prefer.

The fun never stops when you own one of these bad boys, as you can let your creativity run wild. Things like “I’m your Daddy” “You can try” or even just your name springs to mind as replacing Carrera2 or Cayenne on the back.

The costs are € 375 or $ 450 for 5 letters in the original colours - grey or black. Extra letters cost € 50 or $ 60 each. A chrome or gold name or text costs an additional € 75 or $ 90.

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Spreading the joy, but not the million..

Thought I’d share the joy (but not the money, if I win it!)

Received a newsletter from River Belle earlier that one of their progressive slots, King Cashalot has reached a jackpot of almost $930,000.00.

Needless to say, I’ve been putting some extra time into playing King Cashalot.

There’s nothing quite like watching that jackpot ticker go up, up, up and actually stand a (remote?) chance of winning a million…

And I’m having fun doing it.

It seems even retirement has its excitement…woohoo..

The joke that is Bush...

Don't get me started on politics and the damned idiot that is running this country.

Our president chose to hunker down at the White House for a beef loin dinner with top advisers while his party was drummed into the ground over the Iraq war and corruption scandals.

White House spokesperson, Tony Snow told the press that "The president is in a good mood." That's probably because the idiot didn't realise what just happened.

He was probably too busy trying not to choke on the beef, or pretzel, or whatever.

Anyway, he's expected to break his silence today.

I can't wait....

Ladbrokes in Talks with 888

According to iGamingBusiness, Ladbrokes, the UK's second-largest bookmaker, is in talks to buy the online poker and casino group 888 Holdings in a deal that could potentially be worth £470 million.

Executives of the betting shop group flew to Israel over the weekend to discuss a takeover deal with 888 founders and controlling shareholders Avi and Aharon Shaked. The Shaked brothers together control 51% of the company after floating it on the London stock exchange last year and each selling shares worth £52m.

The discussions are believed to have been brokered by 888's outgoing chief executive, John Anderson, who is also a former Ladbrokes director. Ladbrokes issued a statement yesterday confirming it was “in the early stages of reviewing a possible transaction involving 888. No decision has been made.” Reports over the weekend suggested 888 could fetch as much as £470m.

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