https://aarp.cvent.com/c/calendar/f3f6fe86-2c5c-4199-afb9-09999ff23bb6

One of the longest-lived email newsletters in existence is “This is True.” Randy Cassingham, an EMT? in Colorado, is the author. Every week he writes a paragraph each about several weird things that have been in the news, with his own humorous observation at the end. It’s very entertaining reading!

Randy also sells those “Get Out of Hell Free” cards that you see from time to time…they were actually passing them out at a real-life funeral I once attended.

Randy has been writing This is True since 1994. Basic subscriptions are free, but if you pay you get a lot more stories in the Premium edition. You can subscribe at https://thisistrue.com

Credit cards from half a dozen or more banks offer a variety of sign-up bonuses. The offers can confuse even the smartest travel hacker.

A useful way to help figure out which credit cards are both achievable and lucrative, personalized for your particular situation, is the Card March tool.

Using the tool is a leap of faith, because you have to enter your name, address, and last 4 digits of your social security number. It’s OK, it’s a legitimate website. Using it will not affect your credit score.

After you enter your information, the site will suggest some credit cards that you probably will qualify for. If you click one of their links and are approved for the card, you get the card and all its benefits and Card Match gets a referral fee…that seems like a fair trade to me, because they have to pay for their website hosting.

The best way to get a boatload of frequent-flyer miles is with credit-card signup bonuses, and Card Match is a great way to find out what deals are available.

Some frequent-flyers like to apply for lots of credit cards. Often they will do all the applications in one day, a process called an app-o-rama.

This blog post describes what the author believes is a better way to apply for multiple credit cards, a method likely to get more approvals. He calls it an “elongated app-o-rama.”

A New and Better Way To App-O-Rama

As the blogger points out, the results of an elongated app-o-rama are very much YMMV (Your Mileage/results May Vary).

Leaving pets behind is not an option for Canadians fleeing wildfires. Two airlines are bending their own rules to help.

Fort McMurray, a town in western Canada, has been devastated by a still-intense wildfire. Over 1000 homes were burned, and the residents had almost no warning that they needed to evacuate.

Pets are being airlifted to safety.

Many residents grabbed their dogs, cats, fish and birds and headed for the nearest operating airport, planning to stay with relatives in some other area. Under normal conditions, these animals would not be allowed to fly free…or even at all.

In response, at least two Canadian airlines are waiving their normal pet-transportation fees and letting pets fly free with their owners.

http://mashable.com/2016/05/10/fort-mcmurray-pets-plane-cabin

These good-Samaritan airlines are Canadian North and West Jet.

This article, dated April 22 (yesterday), has an excellent list of steps to take if / when your PC becomes infected with malware (viruses, trojans, ransomware, crimeware, etc.).

http://www.pcmag.com/article/343882/how-to-remove-malware-from-your-pc

The article is from PC Magazine, a reputable source.

Citi is tightening up on how often you can churn some of their credit cards.

http://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/citi-credit-card-churning-change/

The changes are not so draconian as Amex’ once-in-a-lifetime rule.

Some websites let you select the currency you wish to use for payments. For Americans, currently enjoying a very strong dollar, it often makes sense to select a foreign currency. This Miles to Memories blog post gives an explanation:

http://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/pay-foreign-currency-save-money

Others have noted the ability to use this “trick” for online purchases of Norwegian Airlines tickets (select the Norwegian Kroner currency).