Sundry Travel Tips

1. I never check luggage. But, if you or your traveling companion do, if you can wait, using the restroom at baggage claim will typically find it empty and emptier than the jetway facilities, and will give you something to do while waiting for your luggage.

2. To become a more efficient packer, take a photo at the end of the trip of stuff you packed but never used. Refer to it next time you pack.

3. Don’t pack “what if” items like umbrellas. You can buy them anywhere.

4. Treat yourself to a spa treatment or food tour on the first day while you’re waiting for your room.

5. Want to accompany a friend or family member to their gate or greet them upon arrival? You can now do that at 13 airports across the country if you have TSA PreCheck and register in advance. 

6. I have said this repeatedly, but I can’t say this often enough: Pay attention when you’re booking travel. A reader searching for a one-way flight from Miami to Charleston, S.C., ended up booking through a company called Flight Network instead of directly with the airline. He was charged an extra fee on top of his American Airlines ticket cost. That's reason enough, but the bigger problems arise when a flight booked through a third-party gets canceled. Always book directly with the airline you are flying as well as with hotels you are staying at.

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Someone Not Tutored By Joey Martella's Father

It's a shame this inside-the-park homerun was not ruled an error on the center fielder to deprive the Oriole batter of a home run, but he obviously was not ever tutored by Joey Martella's father, who made us start running from home plate as soon as the ball left the bat and sliding as a precaution to avoid being thrown out at home. 

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Messi Header

Messi is known for his goal scoring kicks, not his headers. But that's selling him short, and the joy on his face tells you all you need to know about this man-child of a soccer player.

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Karl Rove's Political "Bravery"

The headlines on TV and other media is that Karl Rove is going to be voting for a Dem in the upcoming elections. In explaining why in this WSJ piece, Rove said as follows: "Conservatism and the party it dominates have an increasing number of bigoted advocates of a 'heritage America' composed of white descendants of the original European settlers. There are 'just asking questions' Jew-haters, misogynists who worship hypermasculinity, conspiracy nuts seeking clicks for profit, and religious bigots who won’t differentiate between Muslim terrorists and Muslim American patriots. These people are diminishing the Republican Party, not building it. I’ll have no part of it. This November, I’ll vote for only the second Democrat in my life. The first was Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock in 1994, because I thought he would work with Republicans. The second will be [the Dem running to be on the Railroad Commission]. The GOP’s stables need a cleaning. This is a good place to start." Yup, let's give Rove the JFK Profile in Courage Award. Or whatever award is given for not mentioning Trump or Paxton.

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Store Credits and Scheduling for Seasonal (Flu/Covid) Shots

Store Credits: Most stores give $15-$20 or more store credit (when multiple shots are given at the same time) when you get a flu, Covid-19, or other seasonal shot. Fry's (Kroger) seems to give the highest amount directly to your customer card and it is immediately available. While many doctor offices give seasonal shots, I don't believe you get any monetary credit.

Scheduling: While you can get many vaccines on walk-in basis without an appointment, they (e.g., flu, Covid, tetanus, and others) often will require filling out a questionnaire. So, it's easier and time-saving to schedule an appointment online where at the same time you'll fill out the questionnaire online.

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What to Do When Your Airline Seat Gets Downgraded

As this article reports, seat downgrades are increasingly becoming a pain point for passengers in this era of packed flights and fees on practically every seat on the plane. The article goes on to explain what to do if your seat(s) are downgraded in advance or at the airport.

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The Duke (2020 Movie on Hulu and Rentable on Amazon Prime)

We are grateful for the recommendation to us to watch The Duke, because it surely is one of the best things we've seen lately. If you don't subscribe to Hulu, rent it on Amazon. You will not be disappointed. I'm not going to say anything about what it's about other than to say you've never seen a story unfold quite like this, and to put icing on the cake, it's based on a true story. The acting is superlatively pitch-perfect. You don't need to be a lawyer to thoroughly enjoy this, but if you are or were a lawyer, your enjoyment might be even greater than thoroughly.

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What Journalists Don't Understand Which Seasoned Lawyers Do

There are exceptions, but most journalist have no clue when it comes to handling a combative interview where the interviewee is intent on not answering the question. Most journalists seem to think that, if they reword the same question or, worse, even just keep asking it the same way, they will get an answer. Lawyers know and live by this truism: If you can't get a rock to start shedding blood by pounding on it, pounding on it harder is not going to get the rock to shed blood.

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Possible Explanation of Why the Billionaires and Their AI Companies Are Looking for "AI Government Regulation"

I have no clue why the biggest companies and their billionaire founders/shareholders are looking for government regulation of AI or what regulation they want to see. But here is what might be an instructive parable (although it's a true story): In the 1960s, a major customer of a family-owned textile company for seat coverings were the airlines. DuPont (a big company) pressed for government regulation to require that airplane seat coverings not burst into flame on the plane. No such seats' bursting into flame had killed or serious hurt any passenger. The only company (by patent) that made non-flammable seat covering material was DuPont, and it got a regulation through requiring that seats be non-flammable. Just one thing: When heated even without being exposed to flame, DuPont's material would disperse highly toxic gas that would kill passengers and crew quickly before any flames might hurt them. The family-owned company almost went out of business as a result of that "patent protecting regulation." Am I saying that the big AI companies have a nefarious purpose here? I have no idea that's the case. What I am saying is I don't believe any of the lay commentators or politicians have a clue what the problem is much less what the solution is or what regulation would be appropriate or needed. But, where, as here, it's Elon Musk and his ilk pushing the need-for-regulation to protect me and the rest of human-kind, well, I might not be as comforted as others might be.

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Dealing With Fraudulent Fraud Alerts

If you get an email or text alerting you to a possible fraud on an account, and asking you to contact their fraud center by phone, email, or text, and giving you their phone number or email address, don't. Don't respond in any way. Instead, treat the email or text as a scam and either: (i) do nothing if you are sure it's a scam; or (ii) contact the account through what you know is a legitimate phone number or email address of that account to see if there was any legitimacy to the alert.

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