I love comedy, but I am very picky about what I classify as comedy. Much of what is out there I don't consider funny, and a lot it not even worthy of noting as entertainment.
I am not a prude, I was a big fan of George Carlin and Richard Pryor, but I don't see the need for too many foul words to comprise an act. In fact, I believe it lowers the person by using four letter words when there are others that fit there just as easily.
Humor takes on so many forms - the slapstick comedy of Abbott and Costello; the animated cartoons antics of Heckle and Jeckle; and the comedy skit of Johnny Carson. They were clean, but brought more belly laughs than most of what you see on the Comedy Channel today.
I would like to share one example of good, clean comedy - at it's best. Check out these websites:
http://www.milkandcookies.com/link/138148/detail/
http://www.newsday.com/media/flash/2009-04/46217527.swf
Enjoy!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Credit Cards
At various times in my life I have had to resort to using my credit cards in order to survive. It was not a choice I wanted to make, it was out of necessity, and it has gotten me into trouble. They were a lifeline, and not always used for luxuries (although I have been guilty of overspending at Christmas and spoiling my family as well). In the last few years, however, I have been working hard at bringing those balances down because I don't want to be in debt anymore.
That being said, I want to rant about the banks and credit card companies who are taking advantage of people, and this new bill will not do much to make things better (although any attempt to rein in the runaway train is better than none).
When people make their payments on time, and do not abuse their cards, they should not be penalized with increased rates and lower limits. They should be rewarded to keeping the banks in business. Banks should not arbitrarily raise rates because they don't know how to run their business. The object is to advance credit to people who have a proven record of paying it back, and they in turn earn the interest these people pay to stay in business.
Banks have had too much leeway in the last decade. They charge astronomical fees, give less in interest on savings, and gouge those who can not afford it with higher rates, while giving lower rates incentives to those who have money. It has caused a lot of problems for this country - and yet the government bails them out when they get into trouble.
It is true, the collapse of the banking industry would be catastrophic to our economy, but handing them money to regroup without adding major strings was a big mistake. Some took advantage of it by buying even more banks who were financially in trouble. That does not sound like fiscal responsibility to me. They don't have to fund major sports arenas (let the owners do that), or offer bonuses to the same people who got them in trouble in the first place.
By withholding credit from businesses and people in need, who have shown the responsibility to pay back the loans, has done more damage to our economy than their poor judgement in the mortgage market. By making up those losses on the backs of the credit card holders is just another irresponsible act from people who don't really understand basic economics.
I have a few examples of stupid policies that hurt the consumer and make the banks fatter:
Example 1: When your due date is - say June 1, and you make your payment on June 1, or even May 31, you are NOT late! Computers have the capacity to process the payment on the same day it is paid online, and there does not have to be a 2-business day processing time.
Example 2: Making a payment online should NOT cost you $7 more than if you send it through the mail! A payment online does not require a PERSON to open the mail, locate the account, and enter the information. Online the money is wired from one bank to another.
Example 3: If you are one day late on your account you are showing in the credit reporting agencies as being late - up to 30 days! This brings down your credit score and allows the bank to notify other banks so they can raise your rates. Banks should not be able to access your credit report unless you are over 60 days late, unless you have given them written permission to do so. Too many people have access to your reports as it is, without your permission - and then they wonder how the identity theft crisis is rising. Prospective employers, current employers, banks, lending institutions and Joe the Plumber, all can access your credit report - and much easier than you can. (Try to get an error taken off your own report - it's like fighting the Hydra, you cut one head off but you still have eight more to fight!)
Before the government passes a new bill on credit cards, they need to confront a few more issues. This is too lightweight. Granted - the lobby for the banks and credit card companies is HUGE, and we are lucky to get any kind of reform. The problem with these bills is that politicians are trying to play both sides of the fences - getting re-elected and not making enemies (or losing campaign money) from the industry. I haven't come up with a workable way to get the best bill for the people passed without going through the bureacracy yet, but why waste our money on bills with no teeth? The best time to get the reforms done, without all the red tape and bull, was when we gave them the bailout money to start with!
Well, that is my rant for the day. Don't stop me now!
That being said, I want to rant about the banks and credit card companies who are taking advantage of people, and this new bill will not do much to make things better (although any attempt to rein in the runaway train is better than none).
When people make their payments on time, and do not abuse their cards, they should not be penalized with increased rates and lower limits. They should be rewarded to keeping the banks in business. Banks should not arbitrarily raise rates because they don't know how to run their business. The object is to advance credit to people who have a proven record of paying it back, and they in turn earn the interest these people pay to stay in business.
Banks have had too much leeway in the last decade. They charge astronomical fees, give less in interest on savings, and gouge those who can not afford it with higher rates, while giving lower rates incentives to those who have money. It has caused a lot of problems for this country - and yet the government bails them out when they get into trouble.
It is true, the collapse of the banking industry would be catastrophic to our economy, but handing them money to regroup without adding major strings was a big mistake. Some took advantage of it by buying even more banks who were financially in trouble. That does not sound like fiscal responsibility to me. They don't have to fund major sports arenas (let the owners do that), or offer bonuses to the same people who got them in trouble in the first place.
By withholding credit from businesses and people in need, who have shown the responsibility to pay back the loans, has done more damage to our economy than their poor judgement in the mortgage market. By making up those losses on the backs of the credit card holders is just another irresponsible act from people who don't really understand basic economics.
I have a few examples of stupid policies that hurt the consumer and make the banks fatter:
Example 1: When your due date is - say June 1, and you make your payment on June 1, or even May 31, you are NOT late! Computers have the capacity to process the payment on the same day it is paid online, and there does not have to be a 2-business day processing time.
Example 2: Making a payment online should NOT cost you $7 more than if you send it through the mail! A payment online does not require a PERSON to open the mail, locate the account, and enter the information. Online the money is wired from one bank to another.
Example 3: If you are one day late on your account you are showing in the credit reporting agencies as being late - up to 30 days! This brings down your credit score and allows the bank to notify other banks so they can raise your rates. Banks should not be able to access your credit report unless you are over 60 days late, unless you have given them written permission to do so. Too many people have access to your reports as it is, without your permission - and then they wonder how the identity theft crisis is rising. Prospective employers, current employers, banks, lending institutions and Joe the Plumber, all can access your credit report - and much easier than you can. (Try to get an error taken off your own report - it's like fighting the Hydra, you cut one head off but you still have eight more to fight!)
Before the government passes a new bill on credit cards, they need to confront a few more issues. This is too lightweight. Granted - the lobby for the banks and credit card companies is HUGE, and we are lucky to get any kind of reform. The problem with these bills is that politicians are trying to play both sides of the fences - getting re-elected and not making enemies (or losing campaign money) from the industry. I haven't come up with a workable way to get the best bill for the people passed without going through the bureacracy yet, but why waste our money on bills with no teeth? The best time to get the reforms done, without all the red tape and bull, was when we gave them the bailout money to start with!
Well, that is my rant for the day. Don't stop me now!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Whatever happened to cartoons?
On a recent visit by my 3-year-old granddaughter I turned the television on Saturday morning to find a cartoon show we could laugh at together. I didn't find one I thought was worth wasting time on. Whatever happened to Mighty Mouse, The Get-Along-Gang, or even the Loony Toon Babies?
I realize that, over the years, shows like Heckle & Jeckle and Tazmanian Devil have given way to new cartoons, but the ones out now are of war, fighting, and with avatars that would make Barbie blush. These are not shows for children, and the language is certainly not what I think a child of any age should be surrounded with. Cartoons seem to be geared more for adults than children, yet many people allow their children to watch them. Simply because they are animated does not make them for children.
Disney Studios and Pixar have always put out animated stories that are for family entertainment. I hope they continue to produce quality shows that give children a moral. We can do more with this type of entertainment then what is put on the television in the form of children's entertainment.
Happily my granddaughter enjoys Caiou and Dora the Explorer, which are wonderful animations, but that type of scheduling is rare compared to the action drama cartoons that are being produced.
Maybe it's time to take the old cartoons out of mothballs. After all, they helped in the development of the "boomer" generation - and we turned out pretty well.
myLot User Profile
I realize that, over the years, shows like Heckle & Jeckle and Tazmanian Devil have given way to new cartoons, but the ones out now are of war, fighting, and with avatars that would make Barbie blush. These are not shows for children, and the language is certainly not what I think a child of any age should be surrounded with. Cartoons seem to be geared more for adults than children, yet many people allow their children to watch them. Simply because they are animated does not make them for children.
Disney Studios and Pixar have always put out animated stories that are for family entertainment. I hope they continue to produce quality shows that give children a moral. We can do more with this type of entertainment then what is put on the television in the form of children's entertainment.
Happily my granddaughter enjoys Caiou and Dora the Explorer, which are wonderful animations, but that type of scheduling is rare compared to the action drama cartoons that are being produced.
Maybe it's time to take the old cartoons out of mothballs. After all, they helped in the development of the "boomer" generation - and we turned out pretty well.
myLot User Profile
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Garage Sales
Springtime in Michigan is so beautiful. The apple blossoms, forsythia, and redbud trees make the landscape colorful and the budding of the trees announce the promise of warmer weather.
Spring is my favorite season, partially because by the beginning of December I am already tired of snow, ice and cold, but also because there is new life in all the kingdoms. The deer are fawning, new baby squirrels are digging into the bird feeders, and flowers are starting to push through the surface of the ground like they are stretching after a long nap.
It also means the beginning of parades, cookouts and yard sales!
For any of you who are not a fan of yard sales or bargain hunters, you will shake your heads and stop reading. That's ok. Those of us who know the excitement of finding a "real" treasure will understand. Yard sales hold the possibility of getting a real deal on something you have been wanting, or needing, and can't afford.
You may find a piece of furniture you have seen in a catalog and can't afford at a new price, but with a little elbow grease and paint can restore to its original luster.
If you ever watched the television shows "Cash in the Attic" or "Antique Road Show" you can't help but be amazed at some of the things that end up worth thousands that were purchased at a yard sale for a quarter.
I totally clothed my girls (the boys refused to wear yard sale clothes) through elementary school with yard sale clothes. Living on a military salary is never easy, but my girls always looked
as if they had brand new clothes all the time because I could find a dress or complete outfit for $1. I actually come to realize just how addicted I was to buying them clothes and toys when my (then) 5-yr-old daughter, Ashley, was getting ready for school in mid-October and started to cry. When I asked her why she was crying she said she couldn't wear what I had put out for her. When I questioned her further she said, "Because I've already worn it once!"
Yard sales can be an addiction! There was a time when I couldn't pass one up. I had to stop to see what they had I could not live without. My car automatically slowed down when it approached a sign with balloons (and I always get aggrevated when the signs are up but the lettering is too small to see while driving by).
After the kids had grown I didn't stop every time I saw children's toys in the driveway or a sign with balloons. I do sometimes look in the paper to see if anyone is advertising something interesting, like a piece of furniture or yard tool. I lost my need to buy off my children with new trinkets, so my desire to brake at every sale had dwindled. It seems my children were the models to show off my frugal side, and my ability to compete with people who had money. Once they were grown I didn't have the need to show off my exemplary skills at bargain hunting.
It is, however, spring. And, things that have appeared to have died are now springing back to life. Who knows what old desires may rejuvinate. After all, I now have grandchildren!
Spring is my favorite season, partially because by the beginning of December I am already tired of snow, ice and cold, but also because there is new life in all the kingdoms. The deer are fawning, new baby squirrels are digging into the bird feeders, and flowers are starting to push through the surface of the ground like they are stretching after a long nap.
It also means the beginning of parades, cookouts and yard sales!
For any of you who are not a fan of yard sales or bargain hunters, you will shake your heads and stop reading. That's ok. Those of us who know the excitement of finding a "real" treasure will understand. Yard sales hold the possibility of getting a real deal on something you have been wanting, or needing, and can't afford.
You may find a piece of furniture you have seen in a catalog and can't afford at a new price, but with a little elbow grease and paint can restore to its original luster.
If you ever watched the television shows "Cash in the Attic" or "Antique Road Show" you can't help but be amazed at some of the things that end up worth thousands that were purchased at a yard sale for a quarter.
I totally clothed my girls (the boys refused to wear yard sale clothes) through elementary school with yard sale clothes. Living on a military salary is never easy, but my girls always looked
as if they had brand new clothes all the time because I could find a dress or complete outfit for $1. I actually come to realize just how addicted I was to buying them clothes and toys when my (then) 5-yr-old daughter, Ashley, was getting ready for school in mid-October and started to cry. When I asked her why she was crying she said she couldn't wear what I had put out for her. When I questioned her further she said, "Because I've already worn it once!"
Yard sales can be an addiction! There was a time when I couldn't pass one up. I had to stop to see what they had I could not live without. My car automatically slowed down when it approached a sign with balloons (and I always get aggrevated when the signs are up but the lettering is too small to see while driving by).
After the kids had grown I didn't stop every time I saw children's toys in the driveway or a sign with balloons. I do sometimes look in the paper to see if anyone is advertising something interesting, like a piece of furniture or yard tool. I lost my need to buy off my children with new trinkets, so my desire to brake at every sale had dwindled. It seems my children were the models to show off my frugal side, and my ability to compete with people who had money. Once they were grown I didn't have the need to show off my exemplary skills at bargain hunting.
It is, however, spring. And, things that have appeared to have died are now springing back to life. Who knows what old desires may rejuvinate. After all, I now have grandchildren!
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