Don Jose'

What an eye opener my first trip to the UK was about 30 yrs ago. Right there, on a mid day soap opera type show in my hotel room,...total female nudity from the waist up.

Over here in the " Good 'Ol USA", we are still in the stone age. Why is that you think ? It's almost like we are still the immature step children of the British. But hey, George Washington and his troops kicked the crap out of them way back in 1776,..so why are we still behind them when it comes to adult imagery on our TV's ?.

I am a former engineer, believe in reality, physics and cause and effect observations I've made all my life.

Just met a surly 60is gal who dismissed my desire to think carefully before having any "elective , not mandatory " surgery after age 70 as it has been shown to result in the patients premature death on many occasions. Her dismissive reply was that " What the heck should anyone care ? Our death is already predetermined, nothing we can do about !t ! So why be concerned ? Just do whatever you wish and don't worry about it."

Her fatalistic outlook took me by surprise,..if she's right then many doctors would go out of business was my reply, to which she just sneered. Are there many people like this around ? If so, what do you call them ?

Have been using windows XP all the time, since 1st computer 13 1/2 yrs ago. unsure what lies ahead. Have decided on a Dell desktop,..but a bit aprehensive about these new operating systems. Thanks

It's 7 yr old Dell, w/nice 17 " flat screen, Tower ( Dimension E310 ). Will even throw in an almost new Deskjet 3740 printer,..and even the older wood desk. My concerns are the small amounts of old personal data & risque pics on the computer. Can these ever be erased completely ?

Was going to put an ad on Craigslist but now have a couple of friends advising me to just destroy the whole thing,..speakers and all, as by deleting entries to the "recycle bin", then deleting the bin is not enough,..my stuff will still be retrievable..

Have just decided to simplify my life somewhat,..getting older, friends & relatives dying off, mostly spam in " in box ",..not getting enough enjoyment out of the computer for the $61/mo Comcast is charging me.

Thanks for any advise.

Is the brownstone building that Theodore ( he disliked the name Teddy ) Roosevelt was born in at 28 E. 20th St., in Manhattan, in Oct 1858, still standing in it's original form ? Or has it been bulldozed down ? Or has it been leveled and a replica built on the site ?

The only president born in NYC,..am curious as so many old historical buildings have been thoughtlessly destroyed over the last 100 or so years. ( The building in Philadelphia where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence was bulldozed down as late as 1929 )

What ? The NFL's premier rookie quaterbacks knee is no longer hot news ? Pro football is a rough sport, just hoping this fine prospect will survive as good as he was 9 months ago.

The latest I heard is that he is on his way today ( Tues, 01/08/13 ), to Pensacola to have the knee thoroughly evaluated to see how many ligaments & tendons he has left, if any. Although no one is certain, there are now many ( the team doc for one ) who are deeply concerned about his having a full recovery,..ever !

If the prognosis is bad, as I suspect it will be, I predict he will be retaining a high priced lawyer in the next few months to insure his financial well being for the rest of his life.

So sad,..so avoidable. Anyone hear any recent updates ?

No one is talking about it, but the crowd I was with last night watching the Redskins/Seahawks game were appalled about what happened to Robert Griffin, the Skins quarterback. From the middle of the 2nd quarter onward, everyone was hollering for Mike Shanahan to get him out of the game as he was obviously hurting bad. So the question we all have now is, can Shanahan and/or the team doc be sued by Griffin's family if his career is ended or even shortened because of the serious injuries he suffered due to Shanahan's refusal to do what was right, - relieve him much earlier than he did ? Sure, RG 3 wanted to play but an experienced coach must do what is best for his franchise player's health and well being, AND the team, right ?

A friend just gave me a Crosman 765 Pumpmaster .177 caliber BB/pellet rifle her ex bought at Walmart. I have a critter problem( mainly squirrels ), in my backyard near the 4 large mango trees and need something to help deal with them. Have heard that pellets are better at killing them than BB's, but now realize there are many pellet types. Does anyone know which ammo would be best ? I have a 1/4 acre lot and will be shooting from 20 - 30 yards or so.

Whats to become of my new York Jets ? Have been rooting for them since getting my first season tickets way back in '67, when they drafted the inept and flamboyant Joe Namath. Can you imagine a qb with more career interceptions than TD's ? Now they've gotten themselves into a worse mess,...with coach Ryan, qb imposter Mark Sanchez and then there's Tim Tebow standing in the wings. Whats to happen with Tebow ? What a mess,...Guess this years Superbowl is out, right ? Or do they still have a chance to get there ?

Are the majority of the American retirees who chose to live full time in Costa Rica now having second thoughts ? Besides the ever present dangers of home/vehicle break-ins, I hear now that there are taxes & fees being slapped on homes & incomes that didn't exist 5 years ago ? Is this true ?

I hear doctors warning about type 2 diabetes and how easy it is to get. I am mid 60's, 6' 2" tall and weight 232 lbs ( just put on 6 #'s in last 6 mos ). I feel fine, swim laps 3 x a week,..a bachelor so eat my own easy to prepare, fast type food. Healthy so far, just curious how those three 12 oz beers a day might effect type 2 diabetes. Thanks.

Having grown up in Manhattan, I was an avid Giants fan. Saw Willie play many times since his rookie year in 1951. So to me, he was the very best,..but then my Dad said Cobb was the best. Here's two reasons he quoted, the first was a game he saw in person :

1. A game that illustrates Cobb's unique combination of skill and cunning occurred on May 12, 1911. Playing against the New York Highlanders, Cobb scored a run from first base on a single to right field, then scored another run from second base on a wild pitch. In the 7th inning, he tied the game with a two-run double. The Highlanders catcher vehemently argued the call with the umpire, going on at such length that the other Highlanders infielders gathered nearby to watch. Realizing that no one on the Highlanders had called time, Cobb strolled unobserved to third base, and then casually walked towards home plate as if to get a better view of the argument. He then suddenly slid into home plate for the game's winning run. It was performances like this that led Branch Rickey to say later that "[Cobb] had brains in his feet."

2. Five times in his career, the first in 1907, Cobb reached first, stole second, stole third, and then stole home

After these stories I had to agree with my Dad. Willie was great, but never did any of those things.

So what is the consensus out there ? Who was best ?

In my humble opinion, it is that little gal Ennis, what a competitor ! Great Britain's first gold medal. Seeing her win that last race, after competition that lasted for days,...now she is being hailed as " The Greatest Female Athlete in the World. " I have to agree,..all I can say is WOW !

How about it, any other compelling stories ?

Could a Hydrogen Peroxide solution, ( the 3 % variety sold in stores plus maybe water ? ), be used as an effective, ( and cheap ), mouthwash ? A few friends say yes, then asked my dentist and he says " no, don't use it. " I brush 2 x a day and floss once a day religiously, but still had 2 cavities last year costing me almost $600 to fix. Looking for an easy solution perhaps,..but curious, what do you think ?

I am a 60 y.o. single male who has never been there before. Not so interested in an all inclusive resort. Will be there for 2 weeks and more interested in getting an overall look at the entire country, including various towns, beaches and some nightclubs/bars. Not sure where would be the best home base for such a trip. Is it possible to travel west to Haiti ? How long a drive would it be from Port au Prince north to Cap Haitien ? Thanks.

Have heard various scenarios,.." he will have no trouble doing that; he may or may not be able; and he will definitely not be able. " What's the true story ? What must happen for it to be repealed ?

I just turned 74 and for the first time in 62 years, I will have no income from a full time or part time job for the entire year of 2012. The only income I will have for this year will be my social security, a small pension, ( less than $500/mo ), and the minuscule interest from my savings account. I also live in Florida, which has no state income taxes. So, since I expect this situation to continue indefinitely, can I just forget about filing an income tax return next year, and every year after that ?

I speak good Spanish for a gringo, ( not even sure they speak it there - do they ? ), and am planning my first trip there solo in June or July. I am a 65 y.o. virile bachelor interested in seeing the country, beaches and meeting some young ladies for fun & good times. I am not rich so am feeling that those swanky " all inclusive " resorts like Punta Cana are not where I want to go. A friend my age recently suggested a hotel in Santo Domingo or the one other city there, forget it's name. How do you all feel about this ? Is the US Dollar accepted there ? Flying direct from Miami I suppose is the best route, right ? Are the woman friendly towards senior gringos ? So many questions,..hopefully STD's and Aids are not a problem there like they are in Honduras. Am looking forward to my 3 week trip, even if the ladies don't materialize, am sure I will have a good time. Just trying to get a feel here from knowledgeable travelers before shoving off. Thanks.

I speak Spanish fairly well, enough to easily make myself understood in Cuba. However I haven't traveled there in ten years and have recently heard of a new Cuban currency called the CUC ! On my last trip so long ago, they were accepting American dollars and everything was so simple. There was, of course, the Peso economy that still exists today, this only for the poor Cubans. One look at me and they all immediately asked for dollars which was fine with me. Now however Cuba has come up with a CUC currency that is new to me. What is the exchange rate ? Is 1 CUC = 1 US Dollar ? How does an American or Canadian tourist convert his dollars into CUC's ? And where is this done ? After a tourist arrives in Havana or before he leaves his country of origin ?

Have also heard of the 13 % conversion rate that goes straight to Fidel, so I expect a 3 week trip there will be quite a bit more expensive than it was in 2002,..right ? I also imagine that the remaining CUC's can be exchanged back into US Dollars at the airport in Havana uopn leaving,...correct ?

Any recent, reliable info will be appreciated. Gracias.