$0.41 for a Letter

The US Postal Service suggested to increase the first class stamp by 2 cents to $0.41. I think the last time the rate increased was early 2006. I don't remember because I don't use stamp anymore. The last time I bought stamps was before Christmas of 2006 so I can send a few Christmas card through the mail. Majority of my holiday greetings were done via emails or ecards. Only a few people, like my grandmother, still uses snail mail cards.Â

 My normal needs for stamps have all been replaced by online bill paying and emails too. In total, my annual stamp usage is about 20. I wonder if I'm the norm or the leading edge of technophiles.

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Rats, Rats, and more Rats

Rats and cockaroaches were filmed running through a KFC/Taco Bell restaurant in New York City's Greenich area. Local news crew interviewed people on the street making statements that they will not return to the establishment ever again.

 I have been to that specific fast food joint before, during my graduate school days. Since it is located 5 blocks away from NYU and right next to the subway entrance, it was extremely convenient. I always thought the place was a little dirtier than other food places in NYC. But, seeing the rats scurrying around the seats made me gag.

Beyond the disgusting images, my thought moves to the franchisee. The location is a prime spot, on a main avenue, near an international University with tens of thousands students.  That's on top of foot traffic in the area. The franchisee must have paid a handsome amount for the licensing and rent for the location. How can a business person not care about the investment that much to let it be tarnished to the point where recovery will be impossible.

I doubt the KFC/Taco Bell will be there for long, even if the health inspectors give it a clean bill of health. That location will have a hard time attracting another food services entity. It will turn into another tattoo parlor, sex novelty shop, or another Baby Gap.

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Prince Harry off to Iraq

It's official, Prince Harry will be sent to Iraq along with his Blues and Royals squad. British officials have already announced that Prince Harry will not be assigned to any duty that will attract attention and pose additional danger to his fellow squad members. To me, that sounds like Prince Harry will be in the command center somewhere and never really expose himself to any danger and see real action.

 Of course it is great propaganda for the royal family to have the third in line to the throne to demonstrate his allegiance to his men. Historically, war heroes became kings and emperors. Alexander, Julius Caesar, just to name a few. Staying within the British history, Richard the Lion Heart was in battle majority of his reign. Looking even in the more recent history, Harry's uncle, Prince Andrew flew battle helicopters in the Faukland War.Â

 I support Prince Harry going to Iraq. It's his duty to be there. The British people and people around the world will see him as a leader, a warrior, and a man worthy of the royal title.Â

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Apologies from Jet Blue

 I'm so special. Today, I received a personal apology letter from David Neeleman, Founder and CEO of Jet Blue. He apologized for the delay and the inconvenience his company caused me over the Valentine's Day flight delay in the Northeast that cascaded to the rest of the country.Â

Okay, it wasn't really a personal letter. It's a form letter sent out to everyone who belongs to the Jet Blue database. I and about several million people received the letter. Jet Blue's attempt at winning back their customer and rebuilding their brand and reputation has been a big talking point on many cable news and business new channels.Â

 Personally, I appreciate Jet Blue's effort. I wasn't effected by the delay since I was no where near an airport during Valentine's Day and the days after. I did read about the passengers' account of being stuck in the sweltering plane sitting on the tarmac for 10 hours. I can empathize. I was stuck in a plane for extra 3 hours circling the San Francisco airport because there was cloud cover over the landing strip. A cloud! A cloud stopping a 747 from landing, sure. I don't remember what airline I was on, but it didn't apologize or make any effort to ease my dislike of it.Â

 I have always like Jet Blue's service and value. Although heir effort to clean up their tarnished reputation has an eye on the bottom line, I'm appreciative of their effort. Not too many companies take the extra steps to make me (their customer) feel important. And, it worked. I will continue to include Jet Blue in the pool of airlines to use whenever I need to travel.Â

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