Is There Intelligent Life on eBay?

Today, eBay announced that they had overpaid for Skype, the free phone service they purchased two years ago, and cited that the service had not met the company's profit and revenue objectives.

In what has to be the strangest deal I've ever seen, somehow, eBay won't have to pay all the money promised at the beginning of the deal. In either case, it looks like eBay made a bad deal for their investors. Skype was supposedly going to be used by every auction user on the planet, but most of us who list and sell on the site really don't want to be bothered answering phone calls.

Naturally, eBay executives never bothered to ask sellers if they would be interested in using a service like Skype. Had they, maybe they would have saved themselves some money and embarrassment. Oddly enough, eBay stock was up nearly a buck after the news came out.

Hot Football Picks

Normally, I don't boast, but last weekend I was KING OF THE NFL, romping home with a stellar 11-3 record in Week #4 Against the Spread.

See for yourself, the only games I missed were Atlanta over Houston, Tampa Bay over Carolina and Indy over Denver.

And there were a fair share of upsets, all correctly picked by me. I had the Browns over the Ravens, Detroit over Chicago, the Bills over the Jets and Oakland over Miami. Plus I had the two big ones, Arizona over the Steelers and Kansas City over San Diego.

Yes, I am doing a bit of chest thumping. Nothing like an 11-3 week to inspire some confidence. You can get all my picks for free every week, at SNAP CENTRAL or purchase my single college and pro BEST BETS for a very reasonable price.

Would You Sue Your Web Host?

Here's an interesting quandary. My web site hosting company refuses to answer any correspondence from my lawyer. The reason my lawyer is trying to contact them is to avoid a lawsuit.

The crux of the matter is that I've had intermittent uptime issues which got so bad over the summer that I pressed the company for first, six months of free service, and later, a refund of $400, to which the COO of the company agreed.

Now, more than a month later, nothing. No refund, no free service, not even a response to emails. They just think I'm going to forget it.

The company hosts this site, but I'll risk them shutting me down when I sue. Over the course of 4 years, because I run PPC ads, has cost me a ton of money and untold amounts from people who just plain could not access the site during one of their unplanned downtimes (at least 30 of them).

There are lots of web hosts out there. The one I'm with isn't the best, though I'll admit, now that they've moved me to a new server (4th time), it's better. But I know it's only a matter of time before the downtimes begin to occur again. I'm not leaving until they pay up or get the subpoenas. That's my leverage at this point.

Immigration and self-actualization

Soul Twins: A Latino Journey From The Edge To Self-redemption. By Oscar Vega Romero. ISBN 978-0-915745-93-7. $22.95 162 pages.

With immigration currently a topic of great debate, this new novel by Mexican author Oscar Vega Romero offers a glimpse into the world of illegal immigrants who cross the border to the United States seeking a better life.

Based on his actual experience, Vega Romero contends "My view as a Mexican is that my people are hard workers who possess a strong desire to succeed in life. I was only one of the many Mexicans willing to face the prospect of death and of leaving a mother bereft, by crossing the United States border illegally, in the attempt to make their dreams reality."

The book is designed to help men and women improve their lives through positive ideas. Filled with heartfelt honesty and passion the novel traces the author's life from gaining entry into the US, being institutionalized and finally coming to some light and a new way of seeing life in more positive, constuctive and fulfilling ways. Soul Twins is a story of self-actualization available from Floricanto Press.

Gain Perspective from Ken Burns' "The War"

If you are at least half aware of your world, you probably have tuned into PBS to view at least a couple episodes of Ken Burns' opus on World War II, simply titled, "The War." It's a lengthy examination of the "Great War" which took place in the 1940s between the Allies (the United States, Russia and Europe, generally) and the Axis (Germany, Italy and Japan).

What I've come away with so far is a better understanding of what actually took place in the decade preceding my birth, an understanding of what sculpted my parents' opinions and lifestyles, and, especially after viewing last night's episode with my father, an appreciation for his experience at the Battle of the Bulge.

I strongly suggest that everyone watch at least some of this series. It's extremely strong and the images are powerful. Most of us have no idea of the incredible suffering that people of the generation before the Baby Boom endured. It will also give you some perspective on our current bogus war in Iraq and how it doesn't really compare to the most serious conflict the world has ever seen.

If you watch "The War" for a couple of nights, you'll be convinced that President Bush's over-promoted "War on Terror" is a complete contrivance and that our current leaders have tried to fool us into thinking we're at war when we're really not.

Please, take a look around. We're at peace. Our leaders are lunatics.

Baseball Playoffs and World Series

File this under shameless self-promotion. With the greatest month of sports just beginning, you can get all the insight and coverage you'll need for the MLB playoffs and World Series on my Baseball On Deck blog. Not only do the playoffs begin this week, but NFL and college football is mid-season, and the NBA and NHL seasons begin. They ought to rename October Sportober. There is no more exciting time of year for sports fans.

Coverage begins today with a recap of the one-game playoff between San Diego and Colorado, won by the Rockies, 9-8 and the playoff schedules. On Wednesday, I'll break down the four divisional playoff series and announce my picks for AL and NL MVP and Cy Young awards. After that, game previews, recaps and commentary.

There are also advertising opportunities available. You can check my ad offers at ebay for details.

And don't forget to get updated College Football Top 25 plus my college and NFL picks every week at Snap Central. My NFL picks were 11-3 last week!