We bring you a way to get free Hilton Gold status, airport testing, Covid scams, Forrest Fenn treasure found, lots of material today about all you need to know about countries in the world, best personal finance and Covid coverage, best places to travel in 2021, airline systemwide upgrades, most spoken languages, get deeper into AA miles, crazy Dalton Highway roadtrip, learn about vanilla in Madagascar, the end of Walmart MS…maybe, some amazing photographs about wrestling in the 1970s and lots more!
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Blog Housekeeping: This blog never stops evolving. Last Friday’s post was huge and readers agreed. And I felt the pain of putting it all together for you. Therefore, this blog will publish smaller posts going forward when I find it suitable to do so. Perhaps sticking to no more than five items in each blog section. Or whenever I feel like it. Always sticking to the blog mission stated above. Will try to add more on the personal finance section going forward. The only certainty is that I will not post on a weekend. Other than that, just keep coming back to see when a new post appears. Or enter your email address on the right and click the Subscribe button to receive an email whenever there is a new post. I am also going to start posting more credit card personal referral links as the affiliate links no longer get much love and they will eventually be taken away from me any day now. Let’s see how this goes before I give up or evolve again, still trying to making minimum wage blogging, sad lol.
This goes out to subscribers via email the day it is posted at 8 am. After that I may add something new in the body of the post and I indicate it like this: Update.
If you are not into the frequent flyer miles/points game please feel free to skip the MILES & POINTS and most of the BLOG BUZZ section.
Stay positive, test negative!
TOP PICKS
Top picks are not excerpted at all. I recommend you find time to read every word!
This…It ends like this: Like Merkel says, we are going to look back on this and be completely ashamed that we didn’t do these things and that we elected people that won’t advocate for these things on our behalf and that we let 300-400,000 Americans die and countless others lose loved ones and go bankrupt and get evicted and lose their businesses and be chronically ill and be food insecure and and and. If we aren’t ashamed, if we don’t reckon with all of this someday, then maybe nothing can redeem us and we deserved it all.
This is just so cool.
The Top 10 Most Spoken Languages
MILES & POINTS
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If you do not see a credit card with my affiliate links, perhaps I could refer you? Contact me please, thank you!
Offers that stand out are the 75,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points for the no annual fee Chase Ink Cash and Chase Ink Unlimited business cards, the 70k Chase United Explorer card and all three personal Southwest credit cards now offer up to 80k Rapid Rewards points to sign up.
Must click: Credit Card Recommendation Flowchart. Click on any of the two links on the top to bring it up. Updated due to the pandemic. Amazing work. For newbies: MUST read the section titled “Notes for Newbies”. Chase Bank is being extremely stingy in approving business cards lately, fyi.
This is a positive move: Hilton Diamond Members Can Gift Diamond Status. I am Hilton Diamond since I am an Amex Hilton Honors Aspire cardholder. And it looks like my son will be getting Hilton Honors Gold status soon. If he ever starts business travel again I am going to tell him to see if he can focus on Hilton properties instead of Marriott as Marriott Gold status does not get you much at all. On the contrary, Hilton Honors Gold is pretty good. This is my Amex Hilton Aspire card REFERRAL link if you are interested in a premium card.
Pretty good podcast if you want to learn more about AA miles: more valuable and less elusive than they seem.
Nice job by the Hyatt IT team. IF this works as intended, it may save a phone call! Hyatt Makes Combining Points + Cash Really Easy, With “Pay My Way”.
TRAVEL
Some interesting places: Best Places to Travel in 2021. I predict an explosion in travel in…2022. I really want to visit Vietnam.
Fascinating article about vanilla. I guarantee you will learn something you did not know, I sure did! How Did Madagascar Become the World’s Biggest Producer of Vanilla? A tale of a botanical mystery, colonialism, and savvy marketing.
I had heard about this highway but I never had any aspirations of driving it. I still don’t 🙂 The Ultimate American Roadtrip: A Complete Dalton Highway Guide. That is A LOT of driving! Last time I did so much driving up to the Michigan Upper Peninsula my ass and lower back were sore for days! Add the fact that there is a risk of the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere and lack of comfortable lodging and food outlets and I think I will pass. If you do it you can brag you did something crazy though! These are very helpful: Tips and Tricks for a Dalton Highway Road Trip.
GlobalGaz has a really good video about the ever controversial topic of: How Many Countries Are There in the World?
Another awesome VisualCapitalist visual: Visualizing the Most Populous Countries in the World.
COVID-19
This is a really good vaccines synopsis: What you need to know about the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Interesting to see that XpressSpa and the parent of Priority Pass lounges are leading this effort at the airports: Even With Vaccines, Airport Testing Is Here For the Long Haul.
The most massive operation to beat the virus by mass vaccinations has started! How Many Vaccine Doses Will Your State Get? The logistics of this just boggle the mind!
PERSONAL FINANCE
Another fantastic personal finance read by Jonathan Clements: Long Time Coming.
If money issues had the urgency of a broken air-conditioning system on a 100-degree day, we’d all be in great financial shape. [Amen!]
Be careful out there! Scams likely to heat up after COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
You may have heard how the Airbnb IPO had a huge pop in its first day of trading. And imagine you told them to take a hike back when they started and were looking to sell 10% of the company to receive just $150,000 funding! 7 Rejections.
On June 26, 2008, our friend Michael Seibel introduced us to 7 prominent investors in Silicon Valley. We were attempting to raise $150,000 at a $1.5M valuation. That means for $150,000 you could have bought 10% of Airbnb. Below you will see 5 rejections. The other 2 did not reply. The investors that rejected us were smart people, and I am sure we didn’t look very impressive at the time. Next time you have an idea and it gets rejected, I want you to think of these emails.
Wow, unreal! The Essex Boys: How Nine Traders Hit a Gusher With Negative Oil. I remember that day but I was too chicken to make a move lol.
Diversification is the price you pay for not making a killing in exchange for not getting killed.
CURRENT EVENTS/POLITICS
The legalization of marijuana continues with more states allowing it. And then I came across this and I was shocked that this is happening in Oklahoma of all states! How One of the Reddest States Became the Nation’s Hottest Weed Market. Oklahoma entered the world of legal cannabis late, but its hands-off approach launched a boom and a new nickname: ‘Toke-lahoma.’ Maybe we hold the first ever TBB conference in Tulsa lol!
Well, this is huge in Michigan (and Ohio): Huntington and TCF Financial to merge in $22 billion deal. I had a business account with Huntington Bank once…when they gave me $750 to open one. Hard to believe but I never banked with TCF Bank. I can already see several branches of both banks near me that will likely close. Very encouraging they are going to stick with the Michigan footprint in a big way.
37 days left for sanity to return to the White House…This sums it up well:
ODDZ & ENDZ
The guy who did it is from Ann Arbor and I may have seen him around town! The Man Who Found Forrest Fenn’s Treasure. This became an obsession. Like my blog has become for me…but in this case no one has died…at least not yet woohoo!
Imagine watching this 5.57 mins short film while you are under the influence of psychedelic drugs! Repetition is an attempt to convey the importance of our endless endeavours toward human development and growth amidst a chaotic and disorienting landscape. The struggle for a fruitful future is challenging with the distractions of everyday life alongside its ever-growing technological ‘advancements’. The hope is for humanity to strive through all of this in a meaningful and positive way. For the record, the TBB organization (lol) does NOT condone the use of psychedelic drugs. Or any drug! No, ibuprofen is great to fight inflammation!
One of the sweetest threads I ever came across on Twitter!
I LOVE Texas Monthly. Here is another gem only these guys can manage to publish: The Thrills of Houston’s 1970s-Era Friday Night Wrestling Come Alive in a Stunning Photo Book. Nearly fifty years ago, photographer Geoff Winningham spent months documenting wrestlers, and the fans who cheered them on, for his book ‘Friday Night in the Coliseum.’ Amazing photography!
BLOG BUZZ
We are now entering BLOG BUZZ, a section for advanced hobbyists and veterans of this fast imploding hobby and also a section where I go on and on about some stuff that happens in my life because it helps me feel better about myself.
In case you are not a free agent these days: Systemwide Upgrades Compared: AA, Delta, United. I have not been an elite flyer since 2012 I believe. I had a great Platinum run with Northwest Airlines and then managed to keep it for a few years with Delta. And then I told them to buzz off! Son is AA Platinum Pro and has one 500 mile ugrade in his account…how do you use these darn things? Have they been extended too due to Covid? Can he use them for family/friends? If yes, how?
Looks like the end of an era at Walmart? Or is it? Update: Walmart Manufactured Spending Policy Memo: “That activity should be stopped”.
Looking to have some bigly stays in Hyatts in 2022. What are your top three Hyatts that can be somewhat of a bargain and have outstanding chances to score a suite upgrade (or no shenanigans using a confirmed suite upgrade)?
I got an email from Award Wallet titled “your World of Hyatt stay”. My first thought, hmm, that is weird as I am not staying in one until mid January. I open it and BOOM, it is all about selling me the credit card so the company earns the sales commission. How sneaky is that? So, if you are looking to get the World of Hyatt card because you may have Globalist aspirations, taking advantage that it will give you ten elite nights instead of five, a free night every year, of course the 50,000 World of Hyatt points, another free night after $15k of spend and more, two elite night credits after every $5k of spend, here is my REFERRAL link, thank you!
I thought about going the Substack email newsletter subscription route but I think that service is getting way too popular and I am sensing fatigue by consumers…how many newsletters can you receive and pay for? Plus, I think keeping it free helps more people. We’ll see how this goes…
Reader Oliver posted this picture of me from the Star Alliance MegaDO II we attended back in 2010…I was fatter back then! Yeah, it was during the time United was buying Continental.
And I leave you with this…
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Welcome back to more frequent posting. I predict this will significantly reduce TBB’s loss per post.
We are in no rush to get the vaccine quickly-my wife calls this stage four testing.
It’s been pretty easy to do nothing for 10 months. Now things will start to happen much faster, and will seem faster still since we’ve all been half asleep.
Have a great week!
It is looking up Sam. Have had a long streak of $0 haul on Sundays…But I broke it yesterday with, please sit down, $0.84 cents! I mean, I heard they canceled an urgent (zoom) meeting over at TPG lol.
We’ll see what happens…we are in uncharted territory here…
Thank you!
I paused to send links to the Post vaccine tracker to family and friends.
You’re right about Hilton gold status. It can be a big deal. Last big conference was at a San Diego Hilton and it made a considerable difference.
You are always welcome…we may have vaccine paralysis soon…less than a year since the first case came here….from Chyna…and also from the day that it went up to 15 and soon after that it never went down to zero…
HH Gold is almost as good as HH Diamond. For now at least…
Whooo!!! BRONZE for the Pacific North West! What a great Xmas present to wake to here with a Bonuz Buzz Blazt in my mailbox!!
Man, thanks a lot! Got some more good reading here. You’re right though, that last one was massive! This is great and I like the unexpectedness of it all, too! Wheee!
With me…expect the unexpected. I like variety in my life, I get bored easily.
As far as the next one…it is in process…it will post…not saying when 🙂
Good morning Buzz,
Thank you for the unexpected, a very pleasant surprise. Have a great week!
De nada 🙂
I grew up in Minneapolis where TCFBank was Twin City Federal.
I think at this point every bank in the US has had a former name. And I think we have a long way to go with these mergers.
Twwet of the day is the guy who suggested a way for the Cleveland Inidans to clean-up their name.
Just use “Indians”.
I wonder how Dan of DansDeals feels about this. 3/10? 🙂
Joke of the day:
The gorilla runs up behind the lion, grabs on, and has his way with him. The gorilla then takes off running, with the very angry lion on his heels. As they run through the jungle, the gorilla gets a bit of a lead, and sees a British safari camp ahead.
The gorilla enters the camp, grabs some khakis that are hung out to dry, and puts on pants, a shirt, and a hat. He sits on a chair by the campfire and grabs a copy of the local paper, pretending to read, to hide his face.
The lion enters the campsite and lets out a huge roar. He yells, “did anyone see a gorilla run through here?”
The gorilla, in full disguise, calls out, “you mean the one that fucked the lion up the ass?”
The lion exclaims, “oh my god! It’s in the paper already?”
If that was you Rams…I knew you were not a lost cause.
Biden won again today by the way. Why are you still supporting a LOSER?
Cool photo! I wanted to do that at a ua event but they wouldn’t let me 🙁 Still had a ton of fun.
I had never seen it before. I have one I remember at the podium pretending giving a speech…which I still find hilarious.
Biden elected 46th President for the 100th time. Can we finally get rid of the electoral college vote? It’s ridiculous to see Hillary cast a ballot on behalf of NY. There shouldn’t be an intermediate step where Ken and Barbie can just flip the vote. It’s not 1788.
I agree. It is an embarrassment! States can still get their two senators…
84 cents Sunday was followed up by 66 cents Monday.
Most demoralizing aspect of blogging. By far.
One day I am going to shut this baby down and move on…and be like Mile Nerd.
Phuuuuuck.
Ok, you all have a good day.
Next post coming…Just got an idea…two conversions to publish next post…aha! TPG approves? Because as the blogger who sold way too early once said “It’s all about conversions”.
Ok, time to take out the garbage bins to the curb…you all behave.
You too proud Rams 🙂
Here’s an opportunity to improve your numbers.
FACEBOOK BUILDS TOOL TO LET FANS PAY CELEBRITIES FOR FACE TIME…
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebook-building-tool-let-fans-193441604.html
Maybe Jr can help you monetize this.
I can see Ingy using it…pay him a dollar to say “Credit is your most important asset” 🙂
I delete this shit daily!
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What is “extremely” free of grammar and punctuation errors? The way I see it, the crap they send will either be error free or not; throwing in “extremely” is just a gratuitous word addition. And Native writers? Native where?
So, do I post tomorrow? So soon? Since last time this blog earned 64 cents and lost a net of 1 subscriber (gained 1, lost 2)…
I have already in the draft:
2 Top Picks
3 in Miles & Points (including one I hope no one posts it from the numerous blogs that post shit all day long)
5 in Travel
6 in Covid-19
5 in Personal Finance
3 in Current Events/Politics
2 in Oddz/Endz
4 in Blog Buzz (three are in ranting mode)
It is 12.30 pm Tuesday…
Is Wednesday posting too often? Please consider the $ per hour? 🙂
Phuck it, I am going to make myself a Greek salad and think about it…
Has everybody been saving their Country Inn & Suites points? This upcoming place in Santorini looks nice:
https://www.zaffronhotel.com/
Wrong side of the island. Great if you enjoy watching and hearing airplanes.
With the new contract, Giannis must be the highest paid Greek in the US and richer than Arianna Huffington!
Still looks very nice! Did honeymoon there, good memories. Still have 300k+ Radisson points left!
Yeah, Giannis can still leave for a big city before he is 30 🙂
I had the post almost ready to go today…Then I looked at the $ clicks…At $2.11 I changed my mind.
Will there be a post tomorrow here?
Come back to find out to increase my page view and make more money on ads…oh wait.
Update: There was a $10 donation from a new donor. Ok, new post tomorrow Thursday coming, thank you!
We have talked a lot here about how CDC let us all down…Here is an article that explains why:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/us/politics/cdc-trump.html
CDC will rise again…starting January 20, 2021 🙂
Maybe for 4 years. There needs to be a permanent fix because there may be another Trumpolini in the future.
My suggestion: permanent appointment of a CDC director for 4-8 years. The CDC needs to be more independent than the supreme court (insert joke).
Redfield was either too weak or afraid to lose his job. The man had no cojones. If you can’t even handle Ivanka’s interference in COVID guidelines you have zero managerial skills.
Agree on everything you said. Except “maybe for 4 years”….I sure hope it happens a lot faster for the sake of us all. The talent IS mostly still there…this all had to do with the Trumpolini type politics shit.
Redfield: That sight of him when Trump visited CDC and how he was looking up to him when he uttered “maybe I have a natural ability”…will forever be with him, what a sad legacy to live down to smh.
Buzz-
Does using your Amazon link to buy at Whole Foods get TBB a commission? I keep hitting it but then you say it was a low or zero day.
To the same point, if I use the TBB link, will the spinach be any fresher?
Redfield and the CDC have been completely compromised. Maybe he’s weak, more likely Trump just rolled over him like everyone else. I wouldn’t trust the CDC to say a cup of coffee is safe, much less a vaccine.
Oh, sorry-coffee. Any news on you-know-what xxxdon?
I think so, you made me look. There was a batch of WF orders on December 8…maybe a few orders here and there since then. Hmm, u visited TPG lately by accident and they hijacked your Amazon cookies? 🙂
As far as the spinach being fresher if ordered with my links? No doubt…but you must hurryyyyyy 🙂
Redfeld will leave a sad legacy…tried to do his job without looking over at the White House near the end but it was way too late by then…
No idea about that pardon….he is probably too busy trying to stop the steal I guess…
35 days left…
Has everyone forgotten what Albert Einstein famously said?
Albert Einstein: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Wouldn’t Trump’s filing 40 lawsuits, losing all of them but still claiming fraud, fit that description?
Going to go out on a lamb, sorry limb, and say…yes 🙂
A group of us drove the Dalton from Fairbanks to Atigun Pass and back in 2012. We also flew a day trip from Fairbanks to Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) on the Summer Soltice. I would highly recommend both for those looking for fairly easy adventures, and concur with the safety guidance provided in the articles. As long as you prepare properly, it’s no big deal in summer.
Here is a picture:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pJ1lMXkD3nbV0XU4gYJfAZ-7q27Li69Z/view?usp=sharing
Awesome, thank you.
There is a neighbor of mine, fellow hobbyist, who goes to Barrow often, got some gig to teach at a college there.