Attendant: Welcome aboard Ala Carte Air, sir. May I see your ticket?
**
Passenger: Sure.
**
Attendant: You’re in seat 12B. That will be $5, please!
**
Passenger: What for?
**
Attendant: For telling you where to sit.
**
Passenger: But I already knew where to sit.
**
Attendant: Nevertheless, we are now charging a seat locator fee of $5. It’s the airline’s new policy.
**
Passenger: That’s the craziest thing I ever heard. I won’t pay it.
**
Attendant: Sir, do you want a seat on this flight, or not?
**
Passenger: Yes, yes. All right, I’ll pay. But the airline is going to hear about this.
**
Attendant: Thank you. My goodness, your carry-on bag looks heavy. Would you like me to stow it in the overhead compartment for you?
**
Passenger: That would be swell, thanks.
**
Attendant: No problem. Up we go, and done! That will be $10, please.
**
Passenger: What?
**
Attendant: The airline now charges a $10 carry-on assistance fee.
**
Passenger: This is extortion. I won’t stand for it.
**
Attendant: Actually, you’re right, you can’t stand. You need to sit, and fasten your seat belt. We’re about to push back from the gate. But, first I need that $10.
**
Passenger: No way!
**
Attendant: Sir, if you don’t comply, I will be forced to call the air marshal. And you really don’t want me to do that.
**
Passenger: Why not? Is he going to shoot me?
**
Attendant: No, but there’s a $50 air-marshal hailing fee.
**
Passenger: Oh, all right, here, take the $10. I can’t believe this.
**
Attendant: Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?
**
Passenger: Yes. It’s stuffy in here, and my overhead fan doesn’t seem to work. Can you fix it?
**
Attendant: Your overhead fan is not broken, sir. Just insert two quarters into the overhead coin slot for the first five minutes.
**
Passenger: The airline is charging me for cabin air?
**
Attendant: Of course not, sir. Stagnant cabin air is provided free of charge. It’s the circulating air that costs 50 cents.
**
Passenger: I don’t have any quarters. Can you make change for a dollar?
**
Attendant: Certainly, sir! Here you go!
**
Passenger: But you’ve given me only three quarters for my dollar.
**
Attendant: Yes, there’s a change making fee of 25 cents.
**
Passenger: For cryin’ out loud. All I have left is a lousy quarter? What the heck can I do with this?
**
Attendant: Hang onto it. You’ll need it later for the lavatory.

 •  Trackback • Permalink •  Leave a Comment • 

One of the most crucial responsibilities of pet ownership is the financial liability you will face throughout that pet’s lifetime. Between the necessities of food, supplies, and routine medical care, it’s however the unforeseen emergency care visits to the vet that can hurt any pet owner’s pockets.

There is no doubt that a loved pet’s life is priceless. I, for one, have never thought twice when faced with a huge vet bill to keep any of my pets’ healthier, but most importantly, alive! However, I have seen owners fall financially in debt, especially when they own a chronically ill pet. Worst yet, its heart wrenching and sad, to both pet and owner, when they are forced to surrender the pet because they just could not afford the high expenses that are associated with the necessary medical care. Although no one can predict when you will face such an incident, you can, however, prepare and protect yourself should an emergency happen.

For decades, pet health insurance has existed but it is not until recent years that an insurance policy on our furry loved ones has become more common and part of the list of necessities of responsible pet ownership. With more and more pets becoming chronically ill due to minor aliments such as chronic allergies to genetic diseases due to poor breeding and/or unhealthy diets, it’s also the unforeseen accidents that makes you wish you had an existing health care policy on your pet should you not have one.

Getting health insurance on your pet is quite easy. Most pet insurance companies can quote you the monthly premium via online by just answering a few simple questions such as the age of your pet, breed type, what state you live in and whether your pet has been diagnosed with any major health issues in the last few months. The hard part is possibility getting rejected or paying an astronomical monthly insurance premium because you opted to get insurance on a pet that is routinely seeing a vet for a chronic and expensive medical issue already. This is why it is crucial to research and obtain pet insurance either when your pet is a puppy or a healthy adult before any unforeseen medical issues arise. Moreover, if you have purchased a registered AKC dog with papers, the American Kennel Club offers discounted insurance rates for their registered pets.

Now, it is a fact that certain breeds will have higher premiums based solely on the bloodline and the age of your pet when you try to obtain insurance. Boxers, for example, are known for acquiring certain types of cancers, even in their early years while short nosed, pushed in face breeds may experience chronic breathing problems when they start to mature as well. Most purebreds each have their own statistically known medical issues, so depending on the breed you have; pet insurance companies will base your premium solely on the type of dog and age of your pet. Good news is, if you have multiple pets, insurance companies will commonly offer discounted rates should you insure your other pets on a policy.

So, what are exactly the benefits of pet health insurance? Well, depending on the policy you choose, all companies offer basic routine vaccination plans to more elaborate, full protection policies that will cover your pet for almost anything. This usually includes emergency accidental treatments, spay/neuter, routine teeth cleanings and even chemotherapy treatments should your pet acquire cancer (which seems to be more frequent in pets now a days).

Here is a brief overview of pet health insurance….
- If you have been quoted a policy premium of $30 a month, over a year’s time, you will spend $360 for insurance. Tally up all the cost of your pet’s medical expenses for the past 12 months. Should you fall short of your yearly premium or even over it, the good news is, now matter what number you came up with, you will receive approximately 80% of all your medical costs back on each vet visit.

- Most pet health insurance companies will allow you to use any vet you wish as you will be up fronting all costs to the vet at the time of treatment. It is then your responsibility to submit a claim with your carrier after treatment.

- Most policies have a annual deductible which is $100-$125

- Reimbursements usually take 30-45 days; depending on the health insurance carrier. Also, policies can have maximum limits of $1500 - $13,000 yearly.

- Other commonly covered treatments include specialist visits, x-rays, CT Scans, MRI’s, prescription medications, hospitalization, and laboratory testing.

- Wellness plans usually cover heartworm testing and preventative treatments and flea and tick control.

Here is a complete list of other commonly known pet health insurance providers:
- VPI
- AKC
- Pets Best
- ASPCA Pet Insurance
- Embrace
- Pets Health Plan

There is no question that when having a pet health insurance policy, it’s not only a return investment back in your pockets, but your pet will be medically covered for each visit to the vet.

The PowerCost monitor comes in two parts. The first, a sensor, is attached to your electricity meter. It works on all standard residential meters and is easily installed (no electrician required). The sensor sends a wireless signal to a small display unit. You can put this anywhere in the house.

The unit can be configured with your local electricity rates (it can even cope with differing billing systems, including tiered rate and peak/off-peak rates) to show you the amount of money your energy use is costing you at any one time. Watch it get cheaper as you turn off the unwanted items around the house…and that’s how you save.

 

Terra Blog

 

 

As a viewer I felt similar drama watching this year’s Players, the Masters, last year’s British and US Opens, plus most of the majors in recent memory. To me, “golf is great theatre” is more than just a slogan, it’s a great description. The majors during the last few years have lived up to the hype, but there’s just more interest when Tiger’s in the hunt. He’s proven time and time again that anything can happen when he’s in a position to win and don’t ever believe it’s over, till it’s over.

There’s no secret I love watching championship golf on TV. For me, when the coverage starts late in the afternoon lasting through prime-time, it’s an added bonus. As if it were scripted by NBC on Father’s Day night, the final pair came to the 71st hole with both players (Woods and Westwood) tied for second place and the leader (Mediate) up ahead on the 72nd hole, with the tournament still up for grabs. I can’t recall a major tournament where the last three players to finish all had a chance to win like this. At 8:52 PM EST, Tiger had the stage all to himself. On this occasion, he needed the entire hole to birdie the 18th.  As we know by now, he rolled in a 12-footer to tie Rocco, forcing an 18 hole Monday playoff. I watched it all unfold. As usual, it did not disappoint.

How did Tiger even get to that final putt to tie? Let’s rewind back to Friday. On his first nine holes he was slopping it up at 3-over par. Fortunately, a few over par still keeps you within reach at the US Open. He managed to hang in there with the help of an eagle on #13, sandwiched in-between four bogies, playing what’s described as military golf, hitting it left, right, left, right… all over the course. On many shots it was clearly visible that Tiger’s knee was hurting, BADLY.

On his back nine (which was actually the front nine of the course because they played the back nine first) it didn’t start off any better, as Tiger’s drive on hole #1 ended up next to a tree and just off the cart path. Because he was standing on the cart path he was entitled to a free drop, but because the ball could easily have ended up behind the tree, he decided to play it from where it lied. There was just enough room between the ball and cart path to hit it cleanly. The announcers poured it on thick, pointing out that Tiger wears metal spikes and the worry was that his leg would slip, injuring himself worse. In typical fashion, he not only hit it clean, he flushed it right onto the green and made the birdie putt. This was the spark that turned on the light switch, as he made three more threes and  added another birdie for a score of thirty. As expected he found a way to enter moving day Saturday on page one of the leader board.

During the third round Rocco Mediate was clearly the best player in the field. He entered his back nine with a three shot lead and six shots over Tiger, who struggled with a two over-par 37 on his front nine. On the back nine it was complete role reversal, with Rocco faltering at two over-par and Tiger turning on the switch again, shooting a 3-under par 33.

After his second shot on #13 almost flew into the hole on a fly, it ended up over 60 feet away. If you’re looking for a turning point, this would be a good place to start, as Tiger made the eagle putt. It was a tough down-hiller with a big break left, that was motoring until it landed DEAD CENTER in the cup. On the par three 17th , he missed the green with his tee shot, then chipped his second shot high into the air from an uphill lie on the side of the bunker. It landed a few inches from the hole on a fly, then hopped up and hit the pin DEAD CENTER, and dropped straight down into the hole for a birdie. Even Tiger had to laugh as his shot looked like it was going at least a few feet past before the hole swallowed it. This put him one shot behind Lee Westwood, the leader at that time. He then reached the par 5 18th hole in two. His eagle putt was a sharp breaking left to right slider from the top of a ridge, so it was going to be fast. DEAD CENTER is the only way to describe how the ball entered the hole. Now Tiger had a one stroke lead entering the final round and we all know his record when leading after three rounds in a major. Here’s a hint (he’s 13 & 0). 

Remember the original Wizard of Oz movie, where the first part was in black and white and the rest of the movie was in color? In comparison, the black and white portion of this year’s US Open was Mediate’s first 54 holes. The color came on starting when Tiger went double-bogey, bogey on Sunday’s first two holes and Westwood also began to slide. Rocco was now in the lead and only Bob May in the 2000 PGA has challenged Tiger like this in the final round of a major.

Up until now, the US Open was a story about Tiger Woods, his struggle and his determination, playing on one leg. Early on Sunday, the storyline was becoming more of a fairy tale about a journeyman pro golfer named Rocco, who everyone loved, but who hadn’t won a pro tournament in six years. In fact the last and only time he was this close in a major was in the 2006 Masters. Entering the 15th hole on Saturday, Rocco found himself  right in the thick of it, then he slipped and injured is back. If you remember him yukking it up in the TV booth in early 2007, this is why. He spent all last year rehabbing and this year needed to play his way into the US Open as one of the low qualifiers, before getting this opportunity. Like a heavyweight boxer with a shot at the title (just like in Rocky) Rocco knew this was probably his last chance to beat the best, and he gave it everything he had. Unfortunately, he was up against possibly the greatest the game of golf has ever seen.

Will Tiger Woods break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors and every other major record on the books? Will he go down as the best there ever was? OR will injuries prevent him from reaching these goals? What do you think? I welcome your comments. Please feel free to reply via email and I’ll post them on my blog or go to the blog directly at www.thumbsdownmethod.com and post your comments.
     
Trivia Question
What is the size of the golf hole? (Hint: it’s smaller than a breadbox)

60 second golf tip
Here’s an excerpt from page 57 of my soon to be published book, Thumbs Down - Golf Instruction Made Simple, by Morgan James Publishing. It stresses the importance of not only thinking “delayed hit”, but also implies the need for delayed thinking. “Remember: you can’t hit the ball during the first 3/4 of your swing, so don’t try to. Instead: keep your swing under control as you reach the slot, then accelerate into the impact zone on the downswing.” Translation: Keep the swing slow and rhythmic and wait until the second part of the down swing, then accelerate down and kill the ball at impact.

This past weekend I played in a two-day club tournament. The 7th hole is a par 3, 180 yards, where I usually hit my 6-iron. During the first round the tees were up a few yards with a slight wind at our backs and the ground very firm in front of the green. Since the pin was up front I decided to hit a hard 7-iron. Usually when I try to reach for a little extra I start with a strong back swing, followed by a lot of acceleration from the top, followed by a miss-hit, most of the time.

What I remembered on this shot was to delay the acceleration until my hands reached waist height on the downswing (the first 3/4 of my swing), then I fired Thumbs Down at the ball. I’ve found that the longer I can delay my thinking, before accelerating down on the ball, the more consistent a ball striker I am. I struck it as well as I could and bounced it up onto the green. I had a terrible putting weekend so of course I missed the birdie (a defensive down-hiller), but at least I didn’t blow it past and three-putt the hole.

Summer Special
For the summer I’m offering the Pro Plus edition ($197 and includes 3 hours of one-on-one virtual coaching) for the same price as the Pro edition $47 (plus $4 S&H). Also, if you purchase the Front Nine eBook ($9.97) I’ll give you 100% trade-in towards the purchase of the Pro Edition. Order yours today or as a gift  at www.golfinstructionmadesimple.com/Products/ProEdition.htm and Tell-A-Friend.

Car alternators don’t typically make good battery chargers for off-grid homes. The deep cycle battery requires special charging to maintain a long life, as it gets discharged and recharged deeper, and more often than a car battery. There is hope, however, for the ubiquitous car alternator. By driving it with a small engine, and adding a smart regulator to vary it’s field coils, you now can build a high amperage portable battery charger, as we have outlined in our eBook at http://www.green-trust.org/ebooks/. The Smart Regulator of choice is the Ample Power SARV3. It includes the ability to also charge a starting battery, control two alternator fields connected to the same engine, and offers battery temperature compensation. We highly recommend it.

Today is the first time we have seen the sun in about a week and after the past 5 days of pretty much constant rain, which we don't complain about because we don't get that much, I managed to get out on the course for a round that tested other ...

Golf Club Review I am a fairly big fan of the Cleveland lob wedges but have always steered clear of their other clubs, so seeing the Cleveland HiBore CL 460 Ti with the Gold shaft in the pro shop today it was time to break the norm and take it for ...

Golf Club Review Its been a busy week for me, as I mentioned on twitter to Golf Girl Patricia Hannigan earlier this week the weather has changed back to blue skies and fantastic sunshine and it has been a complete return to the course and getting in as much golf ...

Over the past 3 months I have been reviewing golf clubs like there was no tomorrow, and spending an awful lot of time writing reviews and hints and tips. I have seen visitors grow from about 300 a month to well over 300 a day (close to 14,000 unique visitors ...