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Tuesday Tidbits





Firstly, I plan on being back in Northlandia on December 3rd.  Secondly, I'm not the least bit worried about the maintenance and aging fleet of Allegiant Air.  Thirdly, maybe I should  be.  


  • Allegiant has 86 planes.  42 of them broke down at least once in-flight last year.
  • Allegiant planes have had at least 77 forced landing due to serious mechanical failures.
  • Allegiant suffered 39 engine failures between January 2015 and September 2016.
  • Allegiant repaired important parts of their planes only to have them break down again 18 times last year.
  • Allegiant's planes are, on average 22 years old but only had mechanics at 11 of the 118 airports that give it hospitality.
  • For every 10,000 flights, an airline will have on average 3 unexpected landings.  Last year Allegiant had 12.

When Tampa Bay Times reporters asked Allegiant execs about this, they agreed with all the facts.  Even the CEO said it was unacceptable.  They talked of airline operations being under pressure.  And yet last quarter Allegiant's net profits were 56 million.  


(From Tampa Bay Times Investigative Report dated 11-1-2016.  If interested in more info go to TBT's website and type Allegiant in Search box.)

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Bob Dylan is an ass for not attending the Nobel Awards ceremony.  He says he has a prior commitment:  what on earth is more important?  Geez.  What a jerk.  Definitely does not pass the Barstool Test. 

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Remember when Facebook was people-oriented and a nice little platform to keep in touch with friends - to let them know what you up to?  


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The UN military force was a bust in the Congo situation in the 60's, the Rwandan massacres in the 90's, and is a total failure today as 100 kids die a week in Aleppo.  Scrap it and start over.

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My Cabin in the Woods.  

Since the election I have been like a crazed moth to a flame regarding TV news.  I sit, rapt, waiting to see what the Hell will happen next.  However, up in the cabin I have no cable, no DISH, or other means for 24 hour news.  I don't know what kind of withdrawal I will experience, but I am contemplating keeping busy: maybe building a house or writing a novel or becoming a neurosurgeon.

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I got my flu shot last week, with no help from my insurance provider (boo Aetna).  If I get it and am hospitalized guess I get to forward the bills to them.  Morons.  Idiotic American healthcare.  And by the way, I am amazed at the number of people who do not get their shots based on erroneous information/myths.  

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Last week I mentioned my irrational fear of having a nest camera trained on my livingroom/hallway.  It's night and I wake up and turn on the Nest to just check things out and I see something or someone coming don the hallway toward my bedroom.  I then mentioned that I turned the camera outside so I can see the weather.  This is what I found when I checked in this past week.  Some enterprising person or persons with too much time on their hands now that they aren't farming planting this "Scream" mask in front of the camera.  Ha.  Ha.  Ha.   


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Last Sunday I went to Serb Fest then didn't feel like returning to the cell quite yet so drove over to the Sports Shack for a couple beers.  



I'll be posting more on Serb Fest next week but it was wild:  English was not the primary language and this cassock-wearing Robert DeNiro look-alike holy man was wandering around.  I wonder if he was giving me a blessing?



My stop at the Sports Shack was nice, too.  It had a nice cool breeze rustling through the palm fronds, and beer I could pronounce.  The Bears game was on one of the dozen TV sets they had and was crushed when they lost.  Just crushed.   Then, reluctantly, moved on to the Waterboard to close out the weekend.  

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And Finally, 


Found while going through some stuff I found at the old institution I was at, Bedlam.  Please Floridian parents: make education a priority.


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