again with the taxes

So...finally did my taxes again with TurboTax on the web.

1. On Mac OS X this year. It won't work with latest versions of Firefox or Chrome. What? Had to dig up Safari...which at least worked.

2. Partnering for discount with Schwab. I couldn't tell that there was a discount taken at any phase...despite using the weird Schwab gateway? Just like last year.

3. Import of data from Schwab, Wells Fargo, and Mint--all partners or owned by Intuit!!!--doesn't work right still. Mint didn't get anything. And the 1099 info from Schwab was messed up again like last year--which cost me hunderds of $$$ last year. (It doubled the 1099 entries!!!)

4. So expensive to file state and fed that next year I will do the whole stupid thing on paper to save money!!!!

Intuit sucks!!!! I hope they don't ruin Mint--the rest of the company is rubbish.

Japanse politics

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fb20110306a1.html

Here's a great article about the inept politics of the last year after the LDP got tossed out for it's routine corruption and malfeasance. Enjoy!

Japan: how about some real coverage?

I find the coverage of Japan to be really lacking. Very surface...no solid info.

Also, no coverage of the political crisis and weakness of the current gov'ts. Japan supresses all unfavorable coverage--it's a sort of cultural trait compounded with the language issues. As one that lived in Japan even for a short time (1 year) the gov't and crime scandals that are covered in the local press are amazing. Constant gov't scandals in Foreign Ministry, etc.

The Japan nuclear industry was also routinely shabby--I would lay money that most of the bad stuff happening due to the earthquake at the affected reactors will be found to have been completely preventable if the regulators would have enforced actual law. 2 backups both down? On all reactors?

Japan's leadership and excellence in the private sector (Toyota, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Hitachi, Sharp, etc.) is only matched by the routine corruption and incompetence of it's government. Go read www.japantimes.co.jp and www.yomiuri.co.jp for a few years, you'll see what I mean.

Good luck to all--people of Japan deserve better!

KTCA Almanac

http://www.tpt.org/?a=almanac

Yes, Almanac is an excellent program. Easily the most worthwhile weekly MN public affairs program--also the only one.

Yet, it is so suffused with "default" leftist thinking that it is infuriating to watch. Any GOP/IR guest that counsels limited gov't, limited spending is routinely insulted and mocked by the rest of the panel...who have such outrageous views that they are literally hilarious.

DFL = never enough spending, always need more spending, must have gov't solution for everything.

Is MN a particularly worst case? Or is it that the overwhelming leftist leaning of the media is even more acute at the local level nationally?

MPR also suffers from this same problem. Ironically, they are staffed by the same people on air--who knows about behind the scenes?

Sadly, the U of MN constantly is in the left camp. Is there no amount of funding that the U can succeed with? Is the U leading in anything anymore? Except spending? Why isn't there a widely available and trustworthy benchmark for higher ed spending...some index based on teaching & classroom vs. admin costs?

headphones

So...bought some Sennheiser 203's the other day. Not sure I like them better in terms of sound or comfort compared to my zillion-year old Sony MDR-V150's???

On Wisconsin!

Could it be that the "blue lefty meanies" of the MSM are undone at last? The strife in Wisconsin over the place of unions in education and government seems to indicate that the jig is up. The left there seems to posit that "give me more money" is the only correct and defensible position. Any attempt to thwart that aim must therefore be more than wrong: evil! So any lengths are sanctioned in turning back the tide of refuseniks on gov't spending. The MSM immediately carried this narrative.

What would have happened without the diversity of the blogosphere, talk radio, and FNC?

Similarly in MN, not only MPR is constantly running petulant "you stole my cheese" spots while asking for money! The discussion of MN State budget, and particularly "Local Government Aid" is likewise hilarious. Why should Minneapolis, St. Paul--or any Ramsey or Hennepin County cities--get any LGA at ALL??? If they can't find a way to provide "basic services" with nearly 100% of the population and capital (and the Capitol!), shouldn't the buggers all be turned out in the next election for city and county???

Wall St 2: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

YATOSM: Yet Another Terrible Oliver Stone Movie.

This time "Wall St 2".

Wow...rare is the movie that I have to force myself to finish...but this was one. Terrible script, terrible direction. HORRIBLE SOUND TRACK of random crap by David Byrne!!!!??? Felt bad for all the actors...must have signed on before final script???? Nonsense plot that made no sense...and OPENS with bogus fusion science stuff. It was almost as dumb as in "Twister" where the bad guys were "corporate tornado chasers"--the bad guys in Wall St 2 are the same as the good guys--boring investment bankers.

Terrible direction...there was a scene near the end that should have been important--if it had dialogue and real characters--that had the character in the foreground out of focus with Shia LaBeouf in focus in the background. There was no importance to the composition--I think it was just sheer laziness.

TERRIBLE! DO NOT RENT! NOT EVEN TO SEE "what happens". A WASTE!