As 2009 comes to a close, most Canadian sports fans would tell you that the biggest tactical sporting blunder of the year, and perhaps of all time, was made during this year’s Grey Cup game where the Saskatchewan Rough Riders’ vaunted 13th man actually turned out to be the grim reaper.  However, only a few know, and even few of those are willing to speak of, an even bigger blunder that occurred in a pivotal moment of an equally important game.

That game was the Blue team’s second game of the WOHL’s annual Christmas round robin tournament where each of the four league teams plays three fifteen minute games in a two hour span.   After breaking oddsmakers hearts across the land with a 2-0 loss in game one, the blue team needed to win game two in order to stay alive.  Or did they?  Ah….as the saying goes, that is the question.

With less than a minute to go and tied with the red team 0-0, (yes, the offense was feeling the pressure), the troops prepared to waive Fulch the goalie to the bench.   However, the infamous red team then committed what appeared to be a most critical blunder when they iced the puck with 36 seconds to go.  For why this was a bad move, please see an explanation of the WOHL’s last minute ice rule in this post.

With a penalty shot coming the blue team’s way at the end of regulation, there was no need to go with the extra man since the odds of scoring on the penalty shot were probably 50-50, better than the chance the extra attacker would provide the winning goal and, more importantly, not giving the red team the chance to snatch a limp victory by virtue of an empty net goal in the final seconds.

36 seconds to go and the clock ticking.  Rich the ref scoops the puck up and takes it to the red team’s end for a face-off.  Out comes Fulch.  But wait….some on the Blue bench are screaming to put him back in.   30 seconds.    Fulch arrives at the bench.   “PUT HIM BACK IN – WE’VE GOT A PENALTY SHOT COMING!”.     Others on the blue bench, particulary Rajne, want Fulch squarely on the bench so we can go for the victory in regulation.   25 seconds.    Trimble and Warmington and Crowley are screaming at Rajne and Erb that we need to put him back in the cage but to no avail.   16 seconds.   The extra attacker heads for the red team’s end.  The puck drops, there’s 10 seconds of scramble and then the red team clears it out of their end , crosses centre and scores into the empty net with 1 second to go.   Argh……

But wait, there’s more.   Warmington then took the penalty shot, which the blue team was still awarded, knowing it’s meaningless since we needed a win to stay alive.  Or did we?   (Wasn’t there one year where the four game round robin had all four teams tied with 1-1-1 records and some complex tie breaker rule was needed? )  He missed after getting poke checked out near the blue line somewhere (he didn’t read my earlier blog post, see link above, on how not to take a penalty shot) and the final score is 1-0 red team.

After the game, it’s a bitterly divided bleu dressing room.  The mitts were dropped, as well as some pretty good one-liners, and then cooler heads prevailed.   After all, win or lose, there were still Wings and bevies to be had at the Central after game three.

The red team went on to win the tournament but it was a tainted victory.  Kinda like the Stanley Cup game where Brett Hull scored with one foot in the crease to win it for Dallas.

Remember when the incoming administration promised us a new era of “smart power,” of foreign policy done right? President Obama, inexperienced but with superior judgment. Vice-President Joe Biden, the wise sage of the Senate with a firm grip on reality. And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who braved danger while accumulating vast experience in foreign affairs as First Lady. Enemies would become friends, our friends would respect us again, and all the world’s ills would be solved by engagement without preconditions. It was a foreign policy straight out of the Hundred Acre Wood.

Meet your Smart Power(tm) Team!

(I think Tigger is played by Joe Biden…)

We’ve now had nearly a year of enlightened direction of our foreign relations. What have we to show for it? Plenty, if you’re into farce. Nile Gardiner of the Telegraph reviews the last year and presents a list of the Team Obama’s biggest foreign policy follies:

This has hardly been a stellar year for the projection of American global power. Weakness, rather than strength, has been the hallmark of US foreign policy under Barack Obama, from the Iranian nuclear crisis to dithering over the war in Afghanistan. Instead of strong American leadership, the White House has all too often offered humiliating apologies for America’s past and embarrassing gaffes.

Here is a list of the ten biggest foreign policy follies of Barack Obama’s first year in office. I’ve tried to make the list inclusive of all corners of the world, ranging from Tehran to Tokyo to Khartoum, and frankly could easily have expanded it to a top 20 or even top 30 list. There are plenty to choose from, including some of the most cringe worthy moments in modern American history.

I’ve talked about some of Obama’s notable gaffes before: for example stabbing Poland and the Czech Republic in the back over missile defense; backing a stooge of Venezuelan dictator Chavez against the constitutional government of Honduras; and a general policy based on appeasement. Gardiner’s list includes some I’ve overlooked, notably:

9. Embracing Genocidal Killers in Sudan

I’ve included this in the list because it illustrates the extraordinary lengths to which the Obama administration will go to appease the most evil tyrannies on the face of the earth. In October Obama extended the hand of friendship to the brutal regime in Khartoum led by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands in Darfur, offering to lift sanctions if there were “concrete steps in a new direction”. The moral bankruptcy of this approach was summed up by Obama’s hugely controversial special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force Major General J. Scott Gration:
“We’ve got to think about giving out cookies. Kids, countries — they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement.”

Read the whole thing, while I go find a brick wall to bang my head against. In just his first year, President Barack Obama has succeeded in something I thought impossible: making Jimmy Carter look like a tower of strength.

Is it 2012 yet? 

(hat tip: Power Line)

Makeup, fashion, developed over time. May in that way were in the 90s is no longer considered appropriate and are considered fashionable in the decade. Although retro style, like the revival of leggings and peas, support, from time to time, you should always avoid air exceeded.

To access the network, not to say something, read on for the common trick gaffe that one must learn to avoid by all means. Take care.

Wrong Hue Foundation

Selectiongood base color that suits your complexion is of paramount importance. If you have a color to use for you, too light, it must seem like a porcelain doll or a clown. On the other hand, when the shade is too dark for you, you look like a Gingerbread Man burned.

If you want what is best for color, you should check your skin, learn more about your face. It is not OK to test on the back of the hand, there is the possibility that the tone of your face, it issimilar to the hand. The best place to see if the Foundation is the tone right for you is to use the contour of the jaw in natural light. If you go too far from the lights of the fight against the trick and see if the color is really your complexion.

Sensitive Blush Stripes

If you look like you want is out of a music video of the 80s, then by all means, do not blend the blush and make a little 'make-up can be seen fromCheeks to your ears. However, if you seem to be updated and chic, you should prefer a more natural look.

Instead of scanning should be a large dark brown or rosy cheeks red, pink or red copper. Furthermore, it would be better to put a little 'powder blush on apples of the cheek with a small number, while the brush strokes in his ear. Finally, remember to blend your blush to avoid the dreaded red stripes.

Eyebrow Pencil

Not long agoeyebrows died. It is not surprising to see that even the young stars of Hollywood at that time were great athletes eyebrows. But the film and television seems clear that the eyebrows are very thin, very attractive, unless you want a woman older than her actual age. You see, the thinning of the eyebrows is actually a sign of aging.

If you are naturally thin eyebrows or have already some signs of age, then you just paint with armsMake-up. Just be sure to follow the curve of the forehead with a pencil, and after retiring from the line and clean up your eyebrows a bit 'with a brush, so that the lines are not that look two years daughter, she moved with her pencil.

Fed Eyes

Another error of makeup, which has continued over the years is the partial recovery of vision. This practice is not only out-of-date, but the purpose of eyeliner. The reason why women have a linetheir eyes is the first to strengthen your eyes and give them greater weight. Partly fueled, is higher or lower eyelids, the eyes smaller.

It 'important to note that eyeliner is easy to erase. Therefore, you must be sure that your line is tight and of good quality. Do not want to go to an important meeting with dark circles around the eyes. By the way, if the rings are the lack of sleep or stress, then you must make aa more proactive approach. Use the job as corrector dark phenomena or problem minimizing the gels and creams for the eyes, the eyes of the raccoon are stripped anyway. An eye cream that does not solve the problem in reality is eyevive. To learn more about the product, visit http://www.eyevive.com/.

I won a game yesterday against a 1400-rated player, but it wasn’t glorious. I missed a couple of winning combinations and had a hard time finding strong continuations. It was a frustrating experience to go over the game with the computer, but this morning I found comfort in the fact that the professionals are no less prone to chess blindness, as evidenced by Dennis Monokroussos’ entertaining take on the blunderfest at the World Cup. Comments on my game to follow.

I always have to laugh when I make language blunders.  Actually, I start laughing when I see the look of shock or confusion on the other person’s face…

Cannibalism, The New Fashion:

After a coffee date with a friend the other day, we were walking back towards the car through the narrow cobblestone streets and I commented on his down jacket that zipped all the way up to the tip of his hood much like a mummy sleeping bag.

“Your jacket looks like un sacco di pelle,” I say to him.

He stares back at me, his eyes narrowed with confusion.

“You know…for camping,” I continue.

Then his eyes lit up and he bent over laughing. Historically might I add, to the point that I thought he might choke from not getting enough air in his lungs. Oh, cause don’t you know “un sacco a pelo” means sleeping bag, where as “un sacco di pelle” means skin. Yup, that’s right my friend, you’re jacket looks like a sack of skin.  Nice one Cindy.

TMI….Too Much information:

Of course, not to be out done, my Italian friend who likes to practice speaking English with me also experienced quite the hilarious language blunder. We had just packed up our books and were leaving the library when she whispered something in my ear.

“I need to go to the bathroom to put on my fart,” she said.

Sometimes her English is missing a word or two, so I translated that phrase to, “I need to go to the bathroom to fart.”

“Uhh, huh….interesting…well, thannnnks for sharing friend,” was my first thought.  That is until after I realized that she probably said “fard” which is another word for make-up.

Even so, Italian gals, when talking to someone in English, just remember the word make-up….never, never, say the word fard. I promise…you will get quite the shocked look if you do.

From CBSTV.com:

50 years of goofs in Best Picture winners and notable nominees

Click HERE to some of the best bloopers in films!

I was invited to a webinar today by a partner who choose GoToMeeting online platform to create this conference. Man! I am so angry, if I was near GTM headquarters I would definatelly go there and throw some eggs ar them.
First I had to update the browser to the latest Java plug-in, than I had to download and Install the software, than I registered for the conference. When you start the software, you can go directly to the meeting without registering also for GoToMeeting. But It won’t work. It sends you back to registration, no error mesage. And if you try to register for GMT it actually asks for credit card data. Yeah, I’m sure you’ll take good care of it!

 by Evander

 In hindsight, it is so easy to blame the global financial crisis, in fact the illegal government and their apologists and supporters in Fiji are using the financial crisis as the excuse to exonerate them from these financial blunders they have made and are making. [Evander's response to article printed below this posting].

Despite their saying so, I wonder whether due diligence was ever made before the decision to purchase was made. A proper analysis by any financial or economic analyst would have revealed the severe global financial and economic conditions prevailing at that point in time.

The housing mortgage problems that led to the banking crisis in the United States that precipitated the global credit crisis was there well before the decision to purchase BP Oil was made. That should have been a red flag to the Board and Management of Fijian Holdings Limited.

But obviously they had blatantly disregarded that signal.

The consequences is that waste of shareholders’ money.

 My advise to shareholders is not to remember and don’t forget this particular situation. Bring them to answer for their mistake when a new government comes to power in future.

These apologists and supporters should not be allowed to get away with this.

► Reply by Fiji Truth Commission Movement [ 3/10/2009] 

Evander,

Great points you have stated there & its a piece we would like to capture & repost at out blog if its ok with you.

Point of interest heres a take on Fiji Judiciary, Gates/Anjula Aiyum & Co: In a nutshell, what RS has rightfully said, Tony Gates & his rhetorics are just full of bollocks & utter fairy tales…[better put on our coconut headphone with switch on OFF MODE when they NEXT speak.[lol]

read more,

Talk about small fish in a big pond. The lies and untruths of this pathetic fairy have been exposed today for the whole world to see [ again ].

The NZ government is steadfast in the explanation of their treatment of the illegal wonabee judge. They DID NOT refuse her a visa as they kept her passport whilst they sorted out the compassionate grounds. gates should be thoroughly ashamed of himself for trying to put blame on such a compassionate administration as NZ.

Maybe the poor poofter’s piles are playing up and he needs to go to NZ for surgery.

Of course he can’t go to India for his treatment as he knows that he would leave their hospital / butcher shop minus a kidney.

To make it worse for the irrational lunatic, the Australian govt today refuted his nonsense of them refusing visas for the pathetic fools coming from Ceylon to prop up a failing military junta.

It was wonderful for the Australian govt to tell these desperate for work idiots that they would not be allowed into Australia once they have taken an illegal oath.

They have not realised that the international legal system will now black-ball them along with gates and connors.

Talk about small fish in a big pond.

Whilst these fools are in Fiji, they may like to explain their part in the killing of so many of their countrymen. Perhaps these pathetic individuals are getting out of Celyon before their crimes catch up with them.

To sum this missive up, garter clade Gates has again been proved to be a fool, an idiot and a liar by the international community. Maybe he will respond by citing again the “Magna Carta”.

byR.Solivakasama

Reply by Evander 2 hours ago

Fiji Truth Commission Movement my pleasure guys, go for it.

FIJI’S FINANCIAL WOES & CONTROVERSY KEEPS UNFOLDING!!!

read more,

FHL managers survive ‘no confidence’ scare

The management of Fijian Holdings Limited has endured calls for their resignation over the failed purchase of BP Southwest Pacific.

The matter dominated much of the discussions at the company’s annual general meeting at the Holiday Inn in Suva on Friday. But in the end shareholders gave their backing and urged that extra caution be taken on future deals.

FHL spent $3.7million on the deal before pulling out in July this year when it could not secure funds.

The meeting heard that $1.65m was spent on consultancy and legal fees, $795,000 for airfares of FHL directors and consultants when they were seeking funding from India, and $300,000 on bank charges.

About $530,000 was spent on the 14 employees of the Hindustani Petroleum company that were to manage BP Southwest Pacific but were already based in Fiji while negotiations continued.

FHL management expected to reap healthy benefits from the $190m deal while certain shareholders cringed at the risk of taking on such a relatively large investment.

“You have failed us in this deal,” said shareholder Colonel Sakiusa Raivoce while questioning the decision of FHL management.

“Why should we get overseas consultants when we have experts locally, like Jo Marr and Saimoni Lutu and others….they know things about oil!

“Is this the end of the $3.7m? You should step aside if you can not do this deal. This is money we have worked hard at.”

The mood at the packed Lali Room at the Holiday Inn was tense while many seemed embarrassed by the sudden turn of events. FHL chairman Isoa Kaloumaira and managing director Sereana Qoro managed a dry smile as they sat facing the company’s owners.

Col Raivoce asked if the management team will be investigated and informed the meeting that he has already lodged a complaint with the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption.

“You will be investigated, if not by this government, the next government will,” he said.

Qoro, however, assured that the “BP Oil is not over” and that they were having discussions with other companies “on other ways we can continue this deal”.

She explained that a deposit of $F18m ($US10m) during the bidding process has been returned along with $F2.4m interest, due to the 20 per cent devaluation of the Fiji currency.

“BP Oil is a huge money making opportunity. This is not the first oil bid, we didn’t succeed the last time so we tried again and we will keep trying so we can move forward. We will continue to look for opportunities with your ideas and opinions in mind,” she said.

Kaloumaira dispelled speculations they had entered into the oil deal without much ground work.

“We had received assurance locally from the Reserve Bank and others of their financial backing for the BP deal,” he said.

“But the climate changed, prompting the locals to pull out and advise us to seek funding overseas instead. But due to the economic and political situation in April, it did not look too attractive to them – so after that difficulty, we decided to pull out./b> [refer Back to Democracy discussion forum by Suliasi Daunitutu on Matavuvale.com

Yesterday morning, Governor Granholm signed into law the 09-10 State of Michigan budget, this bill will have dramatic effects on the Michigan public school system. It cuts at least $292 per student from every district and up to $600 from some districts. This means that most districts will have to make personnel cuts in order to stay in the black, for many districts these cuts will be relatively minor; since they have already gone through dramatic cuts. However for larger districts these cuts will be server, many of the large districts are looking at laying off upwards a 1/4 of their teaching and support staff. These cuts will eliminate programs that are needed by ESL, non-traditional learners and at-risk students, whom are students that desperately  need these programs in order to stay in or be successful at school.

This morning Gov. Granholm released a statement to the effect that she will not give up on finding funding for schools, but I truly  have to doubt the sincerity of this statement. We all know that hard decisions had to be made and that people would be losing their jobs because of those decisions, but our schools will not recover from these cuts and those teachers that do get laid off very well may have moved out of the state when they are called back. I have to ask the question, what is our state government doing?

10 things not to say when calling someone about your bill

Customer Blunders

1. I am a doctor – Your title does not matter!

2. I am a professor – what difference does this make?

3. You are incompetent- you are calling an incompetent person?

4. You must be black- so!

5. I’m going to cancel- Threats do not work most often

6. I want credit for my time- companies do not pay you for your time, you do not work for them

7. I want credit just because- because what?

8. Can I have my service for free- No, this country is based on capitalism!

9. My neighbor gets this price- Companies can not talk to another customers services

10. I’m on  a fixed income- is your fixed income $300 or $300,000 per month?

Als je vanmorgen tussen 11 en 12 dacht: wat valt die Sander in de herhaling op de radio, dan kan dat kloppen. Wegens technisch maar vooral persoonlijk falen van mijn kant, is de show van vorige week herhaalt. Excuses, zondag ben ik er weer, live en wel!

For every military hero or band of rebels who defied overwhelming odds, there’s usually a handful of strategic or tactical blunders on the opposite side of the equation.

Here’s the worst of the worst.

Source:
http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-military-catastrophes_1p.html

For every military hero or band of rebels who defied overwhelming odds, there’s usually a handful of strategic or tactical blunders on the opposite side of the equation.

Here’s the worst of the worst.

Source:
http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-military-catastrophes_1p.html

On Sunday December 21st 2003, Tom and I were married in our home, standing near our Christmas tree, with bare minimum of friends & family as our witnesses. One thing we didn’t count on was for the Reverend to be so hurried that he made a couple of mistakes. For one, he asked if I would take Rick. My husband’s name is Tom. Secondly, and probably the greater offense, the Rev. performed the dreaded White Rose ceremony.

Forgive me if you are a fan of the White Rose ceremony. Hubby and I did not request it, and couldn’t believe our eyes when those artificial flowers appeared. Two bogus, long-stemmed roses which must remain together as symbols of our love. If either of us were angry with the other, we were to remove one rose from the vase. Hold up! Vase? These plastic perennials were not getting their own vase! But I digress. Our partner would surely notice the single rose and clear the air.

Over the years the roses have endured much abuse in the hands of our two daughters. The girls have devised their own sport. Fencing with flowers. Invariably each night I mend the flowers and place them atop my dresser mirror.

Somehow the flowers have weaseled their way into my heart, and as strange as it may seem, I am comforted when I see them together. Perhaps they do represent our life. Exhausted and abused by our children daily, finding refuge in our bedroom each night.

Haha! The White Roses made it into this picture!

• What happened at your wedding that you didn’t foresee?
• Are you a fan of fake foliage?
• How do you know your partner is miffed?

I have seen the future of air travel. And it’s covered in Telecom ads.

If you haven’t been broke and in Europe in recent years, you may not be familiar with Ryanair. Among the no-frills airlines specializing in short distances and absurdly low prices, Ryanair is the most vile, audacious and offensive. And usually the cheapest.

The idea of an under-$50 flight gets most Americans all hot and bothered. It’s just another way those Europeans have it better than us—universal health care, social welfare systems that work, less violent crime, tougher environmental laws. And cheap flights. I’m talking 5 Euros cheap. I’m not sure why Europe gets to add this to their ever-expanding repertoire of ass-kicking, but my guess would be that the airlines have to compete with competent, efficient train service. Take Amtrak, or God forbid, Greyhound across the country? Down to LA? I think I’ll pay the $125.

When I was figuring out the general itinerary for my last trip, I checked out flight costs for my longest distances on FlyCheapo. I came across Ryanair, and thought there was something wrong. A one-hour flight from Marrakesh to Seville for 5 Euros? Porto to Madrid also for 5? Are you kidding me?

Well, yes and no. The thing with Ryanair is that there’s catches. Enough to warrant a mitt—or the ability to read fine print, follow rules to a tee, and tune out advertising assaults. And you’ll need a pinch of luck. I took 2 flights with Ryanair; here’s some survival tips on what to expect from Europe’s most infamous airline:

The first trick to surviving a Ryanair flight is to read every rule and instruction, and treat it like the gospel. It is. Any attempts to bend the rules promptly results in a hailstorm of fees. Size and weight requirements for both checked and carry-on luggage, for instance, aren’t approximations. Carry-on baggage over 10kg? That’ll be 20 Euros. Forget to print your boarding pass at home? That’ll be 40 Euros. Traveling with an infant, surf board or guitar? Another 20-40 Euros. You’ve gotta pay to check a bag, but if it exceeds 15 kg, there’s an additional per kilo charge. If you’re a non-EU citizen, you have to have your passport checked by immigration control; forget that, and, yes, it’s another 20 Euros.

In preparation for your Ryanair flight, don’t even think about fudging on the details. Check-in closes exactly 40 minutes before the flight departs; arrive even 3 minutes late and you’re SOL. Have your printed boarding pass in hand, and get your passport checked.

Get to the gate early. Don’t sit in the hard plastic chairs—stand as close to the gate as possible. Ryanair doesn’t assign seating, which at first seems counterintuitive—it takes longer for people to board when they’re elbowing and jostling and trying to find their own seats. But, as always, there’s a catch: you can pay 4 Euros for priority boarding. Most of the folks doing this are traveling with small children, or those infants they paid an extra 20 Euros to hold on their laps.

As boarding time approaches, expect to see a steely-faced attendant walking up and down the line of anxious passengers, examining each carry-on item. It must be under 10 kg, and it must be only one bag. That means purses, laptops, water bottles, plastic bags carrying your wilted sandwich from earlier that day—it all counts. This is where they really rake in the extra fees. I only saw one man successfully evade the attendant, putting a jacket on over his fanny pack and untucking his shirt so you couldn’t see the waist strap. Smooth.

When it comes time to board, don’t expect anything fancy like gates or protected corridors. You’ll be scurrying across the tarmac and scampering up stairs (front or back, they open both up for maximized efficiency). Hustle on to the plane while perky young attendants bark at you like PE teachers: keep moving! find a seat! don’t block the isle! move quickly! go!

You’ll discover a couple of unusual things about your Ryanair aircraft. One, there are no tray tables. That safety card with a creepy characters acting out worst-case scenarios will not be a folded card in a pocket, but pasted onto the seat back in front of you. The overhead bins will be covered in Telecom ads, like a bus or metro car.

Once you’ve buckled your seatbelt, you’ve successfully completed the first stage in surviving a Ryanair flight: you’ve negotiated the rules and fees. Now it’s time to sit back and… be marketed at.

It’s ingenious, really, and I’m not sure why other airlines haven’t thought of it yet. Maybe they have, and Ryanair’s just the only one ballsy enough to go through with it. They’ve got a captive audience on an airplane, and Ryanair makes use of this ideal situation. In a 55 minute flight, I counted 4 opportunities to buy things. Jonesing for a cigarette? Buy our Smokeless Cigarettes for only 6 Euros. Make use of Ryanair’s exclusive inflight mobile phone service, and text and chat your heart away for only 2 Euros a minute. Buy Nescafe coffee for only 3 Euros. Get your gambling fix by buying a scratch card for only 3 Euros—and don’t feel guilty because some undisclosed amount of the proceeds goes to charity (here the flight attendant actually walked the aisle saying, “Win 10,000 Euros, save the children”). And let’s not forget duty-free shopping.

All this means that the attendants are basically talking at you the entire flight. Part of the reason is that announcements and sales pitches need to be made in multiple languages, but still. I recommend headphones. A smiley “no thank you” is as effective as a mean scowl, so pick whichever one fits your mood. No charge.

Now, when you’re descending into your destination, you may think the battle’s almost over, but here’s where the luck comes into play. I was fortunate on my 2 flights, because I landed in the airports and cities I thought I’d be landing in. Not so for all Ryanair passengers. I’ve heard horror stories about people landing on some lonesome runway 20 kms from the city they’d booked for. Notice that on your Ryanair itinerary, specific airport names aren’t given, just the names of cities. This allows them to land in the regional area of whatever destination, but not necessarily the main (and more expensive) airport. So, if you’re among the unfortunate, how do you get to where you thought you were going? Ryanair is nice enough to arrange for a bus. Which you can ride for 20 Euros.

Seeing as though I landed where I was supposed to, only had one flight time changed and neurotically followed every rule, my Ryanair travel experience wasn’t so bad. I actually don’t mind being inundated with ads and paying checked bag fees if it means I’m flying for a total of 25 Euros. And judging from the number of filled seats, I’m guessing I’m not alone.

Ryanair certainly hasn’t won any friends with its wily antics (this guy is pissed), and there’s an art to surviving their flights. But until they start charging to use the bathroom (they lost on that one), I’ll still grab a cheap flight with them whenever I’m in Europe. And my guess is that US-based airlines will begin moving more in this direction—hey, they’re already charging for checked bags. Only their flights ain’t no 5 Euros. (Oh, Europe, there you go again…)