I have not flown Delta in close to a year now. I have flown probably close to 100,000 miles personally, and my family has flown combined another 100,000 miles and none of it has gone to Delta. I am still mad over the episode. I still have the unfulfilled ticket I purchased for my oldest son which Delta refused to honor nor refund.
I received a lot of comments about sharing my horrible experience with Delta. Thanks for all the comments. But three comments from a poster named DL Employee caught me eye. Here’s a clip from one of the three comments.
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July 24th, 2010 | Category: General | Comments (3)
When I look back at when I was a teenager, I was always trying to figure out a way to make money. I wasn’t in love with money, nor was I materialistic, but I loved the independence of money. Back in the 1970’s, I burned almost all of my money on calculators and music. Find below, the work that I did, that really never found its way on to a résumé. I have accomplished a lot in my work life, but I am equally as proud of my pre-career as well.
One important note. Somehow, somewhere, something changed. When I was a boy, me and all of my friends wanted to work. We wanted to learn how to make money, become independent of our parents, and not have an allowance. Today, it is clear that not all teenagers work. It seems almost as if the ones that work are looked down upon, by the non workers. For me, that seems upside down. Read More »
June 27th, 2010 | Category: General | Leave a comment
We just got back from one of the most awesome vacations ever. Angra dos Reis is the most beautiful place that I have ever been. I don’t say that lightly. I have traveled throughout the entire world, and up to now, I thought that Yosemite National Park was the most beautiful. I visited there in 1983.
Angra has everything. There are many mountains and water falls very near the beach. But perhaps most beautiful, are all the islands off the coast. They say that there are over 300 islands of all different sizes. Because of all the islands, there are very few waves and boating is very peaceful. Three times, we rented a boat and tried to explore new places. There are many private beaches and restaurants that are only amenable by boat. Many of the islands do not have electricity, only by generator. I really love to swim and I could spend hours just swimming in the clear waters with the fish. While swimming I saw many many fish of all colors and sizes, star fish, and a big tortoise. It was so much fun. The water is so clear that you can see everything in the water while swimming which probably has the best snorkeling in the world.
Here are our pictures of this marvelous place although pictures do not do it justice.
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April 26th, 2010 | Category: General | Comments (5)
We are on our first day of a much needed vacation. We are staying at a place called Hotel do Frade which sits on the beach but also has a golf course which nestles against the mountains. I woke up early and decided to run the gofl course TWICE. I am not sure how far I ran but I am estimating between 10-11 miles. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool. Later, we went bike riding on the golf course for about an hour. It was a good full day and a great start to the vacation. Read More »
April 19th, 2010 | Category: Brazil, Jesse, Photos, Teddy, Travel | Comments (1)
I have now lived in Brazil for close to 7 years. I have married a Brazilian woman, and I have two children, one which was born in Rio de Janeiro. So I am very embedded in Brazil, but I believe that I can state in an unbiased manner why I believe that Brazil is set to become an economic super power. When I look at the facts, it is a stark and scary difference to compare the fundamentals of the American economy with that of Brazil.
1. No wars or enemies
Only 25 years ago, Brazil was a military dictatorship. But since that time, Brazil has avoided military conflict. This of course is in stark contrast to the United States, where we manufacture reasons to go to war (weapons of mass destruction).
2. Made in Brazil
By and large, Brazil’s trade policy has been protectionist. Still today, many conveniences of American modern life are either non existent or very expensive. One area where they could improve greatly is in technology such as computers. Computers are still very expensive in Brazil and hence internet adoption and basic computing skills lag behind other developed nations. That said, the upshot of this policy is that Brazil produces almost everything it consumes. A great example are cars. Cars are affordable in Brazil, and I would say that 90% of the automobiles in Brazil are made in Brazil.
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March 22nd, 2010 | Category: Brazil, Financial Crisis | Comments (2)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! No matter how I look at 2009, it was a tough, tough year, but that said, there is still so much to be thankful for. We made it back to Myrtle Beach in mid December, and it was very hectic. On top of that, December 29th, is also Jesse’s birthday. So to commemorate all the the things to be thankful for, I decided to have a nice photo shoot of me and my wonderful family. The pictures turned out great. Read More »
January 4th, 2010 | Category: Jesse, Photos, Slide Show, Teddy | Comments (1)
14 months ago the American economic bubble burst bringing about the worst recession since the Great Depression. Since that time, in the age of internet enlightenment, we have all watched as the Fed has done everything in is power to re-inflate the bubble. It is a very weird time in the history of our country and I hope I can bust a few myths related to our economic bubble.
Our economy is not improving
They are quick to rush out any sign that the economy is improving because GDP is on the rise. The best measure of the strength of our economy is not GDP; it’s employment. No matter how you cut it, the unemployment numbers continue to grow. Plus if you add in the people that were searching for a job and have given up, the picture looks even worse.
Although the Fed and the government would like us to believe that things are improving, it is a hard pill to swallow as long as unemployment continues to rise. If one takes into account, all of the illegal aliens and transient workers that have left since the economy imploded, the employment picture looks abysmal.
The Stock Market is not a proxy for the economy
The Dow has hit over 10,000 and is up to over 30% from its lows a little over a year ago. Wow! That is great growth. The problem is that in times such as these, there is little or no relation to stock market performance and that of our economy. Read More »
November 29th, 2009 | Category: Financial Crisis | Leave a comment
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