In the Seattle area on Sunday, the sky’s blue and it’s cold. That often happens here – when it’s not raining in the winter, it’s cold. I’m looking forward to spring, my favorite time of year, and planting my garden and seeing my rhododendrons bloom. Weeds, not so much. So,... Read more →

Are you a JetBlue customer? Have you experienced delayed flights? If so, you may be getting some money. JetBlue has agreed to pay a $2 million penalty for operating chronically delayed flights, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday. The penalty is the first time DOT has fined an airline... Read more →

More than 11 million additional people have the toxic “forever chemicals,” per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals known as PFAS, in their drinking water, new tests of the nation’s drinking water supply by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show. The tests confirm the presence of one or more PFAS compounds at 2,394... Read more →

With Thanksgiving coming up Thursday, all kinds of Thanksgiving memories are flooding my mind. After my dad passed away, I’d go to Wenatchee, Washington, to prepare the Thanksgiving dinner for my mom and me. I remember leaving after work for the three-and-a-half hour drive. Getting there late, I’d be making... Read more →

The evacuation of American Airlines Flight 2045 on July 12 at the San Francisco International Airport took longer to complete than the federal standard of 90 seconds. While only minor injuries were reported, delays in the evacuation created an unacceptable risk of major injuries or death for the passengers and crew. Read more →

Recently, when I traveled to Madrid, I noticed that more people weren’t using headphones or earbuds when listening to audio on their phones and computers. At the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, a man was sitting with his leg propped up on his suitcase listening to YouTube videos. It was really irritating. Another man had his phone on speaker. Read more →

Millions of people around the world are excited about the holidays. Shopping for gifts, gathering with friends and family, and attending religious events heighten excitement this time of year. Americans are expected to spend between 3 percent and 4 percent more in 2023 than last year, about $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion, according to a survey. Read more →

It’s a flurry of activity getting ready for the holidays. I’ve purchased my plane ticket to California, started my shopping, and am contemplating decorations. My daughters came for an early Christmas last year and the year before. I “decked the halls” with a living Christmas tree, got out the nice China and red table runner, and we cooked up a storm. Read more →

It’s that time of year again already. Thanksgiving, the American day of giving thanks, is this week. Ninety-seven percent of Americans are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving. The average person’s spending over the five-day Thanksgiving period is estimated to be $325. The average cost of a 10-person Thanksgiving dinner will be about $64.05. Read more →

It's amazing that as we’re all suffering from inflation so little is said about corporate price gouging and the role it’s playing in price increases. Fortunately, there’s a watchdog group that keeps researching inflation. Here’s the latest from Accountable.US: The increase in basic prices having risen at the smallest rate since September 2021. Read more →