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Friday,
July 30, 2010
As
July comes to an end, we find out that the current recession
that started in 2007 was even worse than we thought. The
recovery is slow, very slow. At least we are recovering. Do the
politicians even care? I'm not too sure. It seems that the
Republicans and Democrats are too busy fighting each other to be
concerned about the nation's problems. We have so many problems,
but the politicians are arguing with each other, trying to get
the upper hand, and well, doing what they do best - selfishly politicizing.
They want to win. It seems like they want to win at any cost.
The loser in all this is the United States of America and it's
people. Too bad politicians. Too bad our governmental leaders.
Yes, too bad America.
Wednesday,
July 21, 2010
What
is going on with our government. Not so much our government, but
the Obama administration? The media, especially right
conservative cable news outlets, jumped the gun on a potential
racial discrimination story. A video of an incomplete, out of
context quote from a speech given by an USDA employee was posted
on a conservative site. Conservative cable news outlets jumped
to conclusions. The Department of Agriculture forces the Georgian
USDA employee to resign. Later, after the entire video,
speech, was explored it turns out that the USDA employee
was referring to a 1986 incident where she discovered the
difference or relationship between race and socioeconomic
conditions. The whole incident was misconstrued by the media.
The USDA employee was actually displaying the best qualities of
an empathetic, real American. Now what? The incident still isn't
over. The White House is still trying to politicize and control
the incident. What is the problem? The NAACP has apologized to
the lady. Why doesn't the White House apologize and instruct the
Department of Agriculture to reinstate the lady? Unbelievable.
Stop the politics. Do the right thing. The White House, i.e. our
government must not overreact to media inferences. When faced
with media dilemmas, the government should stop, gather
pertinent information, review the facts and then act in a
responsible, direct manner. As far as the media, what goes
around comes around. The media has a job to do, but that job
should be done in the most reputable, honest and empathetic way.
Don't rush to judgment for personal or political gains. Let the
facts speak. Above all, speak the truth. Be professional.
Monday, July 19, 2010
I
was bored Saturday afternoon. While perusing the TV offerings, I
notice that TVLand was having a mini-marathon of Hot
in Cleveland. Some marathon, the show has aired 3 or maybe 4
episodes thus far. Promotion, I guess. I decided to give it
another chance. Not too bad. It was funny. I did laugh out loud
a couple of times. The three younger stars were funny, but predictable.
Each seemed to be a conglomeration of previous comedic roles
from former TV series. Nonetheless they were funny and I was
oddly engrossed in the show. Betty White was outstanding. I
suppose she, too, acted as a combination of previous TV
characters, but she was unmistakably and refreshingly funny.
Maybe it's just me, but the 80's something women was extremely
funny in the schemes and situations she found herself. Carl
Reiner played her love interest. He was funny, too. Maybe I was
just empathetic to the 80 - 90 crowd, but those two oldies made
my Saturday afternoon.
Big
Brother 12 is progressing nicely. The saboteur was the first
house guest evicted. Awe too bad, she didn't win the $10,000.
I'm not on a first name basis with the cast, yet, so, I don't remember
her name. I will say that Brandon and Rachel seem to be a repeat
of Jeff and Jordan from last year's show. Jordan won the grand
prize. There is another rumored twist this year - two housemates
have an unknown previous relationship. That twist may be
revealed in the next few weeks. One thing about Big Brother,
little twists and turns are continually born on the show. It's a
good summer run. I don't think that I would feel the same about
it if it were a regular season show.
Mid-term
election politics is heating up. I watched a debate among the Arizona
United States Senate candidates on C-Span yesterday. John McCain
is in a tight race with two highly connected Tea Party
candidates. He may actually loose the primary. The Tea Party
people may be the undoing of the Republican party in the 2010
mid-term election. If enough Tea Party conservative Republicans
win their respective primaries the Democrats will have a better
chance of being elected in November. It's all up to the
independents. The mid-terms should be good TV entertainment. The
results are not as predictable as once thought. Can't wait. And
then on the day after the mid-terms, the primary season for the
2012 presidential election begins. The preliminaries in 2011 and
then the primary elections and caucuses in 2012, climaxing
with the presidential campaign and election. Great excitement,
great TV viewing, but what about the interests, well-being and
good of the American people? Oh, you mean politics is not a
reality show?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
I
was perusing a Northeast Ohio newspaper online this morning and
ran across an article delineating the heartbreak and disappointment
of the local Cavs fans. A sports bar owner was
removing LeBron James memorabilia from the walls of his bar.
Fans were livid over LeBron's announcement. One fan was
crying. Another said, "It's the worst thing that has
happened", in his life. How sad. LeBron may have crushed
his Cleveland fans, but he was perfectly legal in his decision.
The decision was made by LeBron because he must have felt that
it was in his best interest to make it. Fans get over it. This
is a perfect example of how the values of the American people
have gone a skewed. With all the problems facing the United
States, a basketball players decision to leave Cleveland is the
"worst thing that has happened" in the life of the
aforementioned person? Get a grip people. It's just basketball
for goodness sake. Talk about the economic downturn, look how
much money is wasted paying exorbitant salaries to these grown
men playing boyish games. Give me a break. The 3 Miami Heat
stooges lost a lot of money teaming up in Miami, poor guys. They
still will be paid millions of dollars - LeBron and Bosh
six-year $110.1 million contracts, Wade $107.5 million. Talk
about tragedies. The real tragedy is the fact that the American
people allow this unrealistic, sick worshipping of people to
take place. Outlandish salaries for any so-called celebrities or
media personalities no matter the category, sports or other, is
irrational, inappropriate and highly irresponsible in my
opinion. No wonder America and other countries have faltering
economies. Priorities. It's all about priorities.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
LeBron
James goes to Miami. Actually, when LeBron gave his great
decision he said that he was going to "South Beach".
The Miami Heat does not play on South Beach. South Beach
is a part of Miami Beach and Miami Beach is a city in Miami-Dade
County, Florida. So to what was LeBron James referring? The
night life? The sex exploitation? The drugs? The celebrity? The excitement?
The after midnight till dawn lifestyle? All of these are
associated with South Beach. There are many good, positive and
endearing aspects of South Beach. However, South Beach is
basically known for it's party atmosphere. It seems to me that
LeBron's choice of basketball teams is dubious at best. I feel
bad for Cleveland. Not because LeBron James left the Cavaliers,
but for the reasons and manner in which he did so. Just a note
to the wise, be careful for what you wish. Also, the Heat
may not be a winning team in spite of the 3 stooges (Wade, James
and Bosh). Did you ever hear, "The best laid plans of mice
and men", thing? Think about it. I hope the Cavs get
motivated, play their best and win the ring next year.
Big
Brother 12 (2010) started out with a bang. It's amazing how
fast this game gets going. There is a saboteur twist this year.
Who is it? I have my guess. Could it be the girl who hurt her
knee during the first HOH competition? She was forced to sit out
the competition. The viewers will find out Thursday. I am so
tempted to download the spoilers. If I do that, then the TV
edition loses something for me. I don't care. I'm going to see
what the spoilers are saying.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Oh
boy! CBS's Big Brother 2010 debuts tonight. Can't wait.
This is the only reality show that I watch. Maybe because I
started watching the 1st production in 2000 and continued every
summer thereafter. Maybe it's because it's a summer program
ending right before the debut of the new TV season. I must
confess, sometimes I do get bored with it, but I do try to keep
up with it. Sometimes I download the spoilers from the Internet.
In any case, it starts tonight. By the way, the new Betty White
show on TVLand, haven't watched it since the first episode. Not
too funny. Kind of boring and predictable. Speaking of the new
TV season, it seems like so many shows are being dropped this
year. I may not have regularly viewed any of them, but they were
there if I needed them, so to speak. Many of them will show up
on cable. They will live on as reruns for years and years.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
We
are in the second half of 2010. How's your tax planning going?
Haven't thought about it lately? Actually you haven't thought
about it since you filed your 2009 tax report? Think about it.
Tax planning is a continuous thing. Do you check your home
budget much? You should. Don't tell me you have a great job and
you don't need to watch your spending. That kind of thinking is
just irresponsible. No matter your job or your bank account,
your financial standing should be one of the most important priorities
in your life. Money affects all aspects of one's life. Mid-year
is an opportune time to recheck your budget, your tax standing
and your financial standing. If you haven't been functioning
with the help of a financial budget, start now. There are plenty
of financial record keeping programs on the software market.
Quicken is an excellent example. You don't have to get the most
expensive edition. Choose the one that meets your needs. Does
your employer hold you responsible for your work activities? Are
your employment resources monitored? I bet the answers are,
"Yes". If your employer is concerned about
productivity and profit, why aren't you? Financial well-being is
a function of planning, monitoring and adaptability. A budget
helps you achieve financial well-being. Income tax planning
should play a major role in a successful budget plan. Make the
most of your resources. July is a good time to address tax
planning issues. It's a good time to double check deductions in
an attempt to lower your tax burden. Financial planning software
allows you to monitor financial transactions. Documentation of
financial transactions, especially tax deductible transactions
will enable you to prepare end of the year tax reports with
ease. Income tax filing will be a matter of editing, sorting and
printing records from your financial planning program. The goal
here is to make your tax filing as easy and stress free as
possible. Also, you will keep more of your hard earned money in
the process. Do you prepare your own tax report? Software tax
preparation programs fill the shelves at most computer stores.
Turbo Tax is a great example. Choose the form that meets your
needs, follow directions and prepare your own tax report. Using
tax prep software is like having a tax prep representative at
your disposal, without the fee. Turbo Tax asks you all the tax
related questions and addresses them based on your unique
situation. Many tax prepare services miss deductions because
they fail to communicate effectively with their customers. Do it
yourself and cover all your bases. If you must secure a tax
professional (professional, really?) do so in a responsible
manner. In any case, educate yourself so you can take advantage
of all tax deductible expenses by your intelligent and
responsible daily living. Financial success doesn't just happen.
Make it happen.
Monday, July 5, 2010
The
day after the 4th of July. July 4th was on a Sunday this year.
So, today, the Monday after the 4th is a holiday, too. That's
nice. It gives the working stiffs who are usually off on Sunday
any way a day off work for the holiday. What? Sounds like the
the holiday is being milked for days off. Not really, but it
would make more sense to me to celebrate the holiday any holiday
on the actual day it falls. The working crew and their
contractual agreements should be worked out privately. A lot
less confusing. Anything for an extra holiday. I'm confused.
What about those people who work on the 4th of July. When do
they get their day off? I visited Starbucks yesterday. There
were attendants working. I didn't brew my coffee myself and it
wasn't self-service. Grocery stores were opened. Many stores and
businesses were open. When do these workers get their day off?
Fair? I am a firm believer that each job is important and each
worker is important for doing that job. Wouldn't it be nice if
all workers, heck, all people were afforded the same rights and privileges
regardless of job classification? Well, maybe in the perfect
world. In the U.S.A. where all people, among other things, are
equal, as expressed in the celebration of the 4th of July
holiday, certain people may be a little more equal or important
by virtue of employment. You betcha. That's America, once again
speaking with forked
tongue. You get the picture. There are plenty of ambiguous
statements in the documents of a so-called democracy. The United
States of America is no exception. An American caste system of
sorts? Maybe, but mobility within the so-called caste system, if
in fact it exists, is dictated by one's ambition and resourcefulness.
That fact makes America great. All people have the freedom and
right to pursue their own pathway in life. That pathway is
self-inspired, self-motivated and self-achieved. It is limited
only by the lack of vision, motivation or resourcefulness of the
individual. America has people who achieve different levels of
success and reap the benefits of those levels of success. Each
person has the same freedoms and rights to pursue his or her own
dreams regardless of personal, demographic or any other
differences. America is great because all people are afforded
the same option of success. Now the definition and level of
success may be different for people, but they have that option
of obtaining their goals, no matter the level of those goals.
America is great because Americans are a great people. Happy 5th
of July.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Happy
4th of July! I wonder how many Americans really understand the
significance of July 4. One of the cable news outlets talked
about a poll they conducted concerning the 4th of July holiday.
I don't remember the exact results of the poll, but the results
were discouraging. A lot, I mean a lot, maybe even a majority of
Americans polled did not know the country America declared it's
independence from on July 4, 1776. Some said France, China,
Spain, Japan and a few other guesses. Why should that surprise
me. Many people I come in contact with everyday do not know the
current events of the day. Many otherwise able, aware and
competent people I interact with daily are pleasantly pleased
about their own ignorance of current events, not to mention
history, world or American. Many of these same Americans are so
concerned with their own personal life and mundane affairs that
they have no desire to spend any of their energies on anything
not in their narrow frame of interest. Is there any question
that these types of Americans would not be knowledgeable
concerning their country, politics or anything other than
themselves? To me, this is the basis of the American problem.
Many Americans live narrowly defined, selfish and self-consumed
existences. They are oblivious to anything or anyone who is not
involved in their little lives. It's only when a situation or
person threatens their sweet existence do they become aware of
the bigger picture. At these times they are so uninformed, ill-equipped
and lacking empathetic concern to effectively deal with the
situation or person. Once the threat is over, they return to
their skewed, unconcerned and other-oblivious existence. Well,
that's America. I guess everything American - mom, the flag and
apple pie - must include - selfish, oblivious and self-consumed.
S.O.S. to the U.S.A.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
July
already. Where does the time go? Wherever it goes, don't waste
it.
Sometimes we spend so much time talking about how fast the time
goes that we never really enjoy it. Enough talk. However
you spend your time, enjoy every minute of it. That goes for the
4th of July weekend. Take the time and really celebrate America's birthday.
Larry
King Live on CNN will end at the end of the summer.
Larry King made the announcement last night. Actually he tweeted
it and then announced it on his show. Another American legend
bites the dust. Larry King is one of my favorite TV cable news
personality. He is authentic, real and a man of character. He
has had his share of problems and bad times, but on the air, he
was and is a pro. It seems like so many giants are passing on,
one way or another. I feel that this is truly a defining moment
in time. However, the moment may not be all that good. On a
broader scale, it seems to me that the world as we know it is
forever changed. This seems to me to be the moment that we will remember
as the definitive changing of the guard in modern times. Life
will never be the same again. This has happened many times
before. This kind of occurrence, this change in all we hold of
value has happened to people in history. However, this time, I'm
not sure that the change will result in a positive growth in
human terms. Is it the beginning of the end? Probably not. But
the world will never be the same again. I hope you are sensing
the big picture here. Larry King's show ending is not a
paramount occurrence in my life. What's paramount is the
combination of all the changes that have happened, are happening
and will happen in the near future. In short, the world is a
mess, the United States is in turmoil, politics is taking a turn
for the worse, human beings are becoming less humane and more
contorted. In short, life as we have known it is over. I'm sure
people have experienced similar feelings throughout history, but
the totality of today's conditions may be the perfect storm for
eternal change. To deal with this we must accept it and prepare.
We must do this on an individual, personal basic. We must assess
our own situation, decide our own priorities, seek personal
solutions and then live to the best of our ability. In the end,
change is inevitable. It is a personal thing and must be dealt
with as a personal matter. The secret to our individual success
lies in our preparation, acceptance and action. For me
personally, I see this time in history as a challenge, a gift
and an opportunity for growth.
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