Oh how I wish this excellent - and deeply disturbing - video had been available during the zenith of the Occupy Wall Street Movement. I have read the statistics but have never seen such clear and visceral graphs. Well, we have it now. Let us share the wealth - of knowledge that is.
Showing posts with label Money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Money. Show all posts
Monday, March 4, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Kodlak
That’s Kodlak! He’s adorable! Yes?
Kodlak is seven months old and lives in Ohio with Lauren and Mike.
Kodlak has histoplasmosis and he needs a lot of medical care so he can vanquish that nasty fungal infection. Mike and Lauren are hardworking kids, a little younger than our nieces and nephews. The veterinary bills are already high and are going to continue to be significant as treatment will take several months.
Tonight Lauren and Mike launched a fundraising page for Kodlak over on Indiegogo. I had been hoping they would and as soon as I saw Lauren’s Tweet I made a modest contribution.
Kodlak reminds me of our cat Rory. Rory was a small, all black stray who found his way to us many years ago. He was ever so sweet. We called all the neighbors to see if he belonged to anyone. The elderly man next door said that he had been feeding the little guy, but that he couldn’t take him in. So we did. We took him to our wonderful vet who gave him a good check up, vaccinated and microchipped him. Unfortunately, little more than a week later, Rory was having trouble breathing. We rushed him back to our vet who ordered an X-Ray. That showed Rory had a very large infection in his chest. The doc speculated that while Rory was out in the wild he was in some sort of fight and was wounded in his side. The skin had healed over but the infection was growing inside and pressing on his lungs. Without the X-Ray there would have been no way to tell what was happening. That was why Rory passed his well-kitty check-up with flying colors only a week before.
Our vet ran an IV with fluids and handed us the X-Rays. We bundled Rory up in a blanket and I held him in my arms, with the IV bag in the air, while Chuck drove us to Tufts University Veterinary Hospital in North Grafton, Massachusetts. Our vet had called ahead so they were expecting us. They examined Rory immediately. The doctors told us they would have to perform surgery to drain the fluid and deal with the infection. They also asked for a substantial payment before they could operate. We handed over a credit card and well over a $1,000 was charged. They told us it could be closer to $2,000 when all was said and done. We didn’t have $1,000 to spare, but we knew we had to do all we could for Rory.
We drove home worried but hopeful. Surely, Tufts would be able to help. Shortly after arriving home we got a call. The doctors had Rory on the operating table and they didn’t believe he could be saved; the infection was too great; his body too severely compromised. They were calling us to get permission to suspend the emergency life savings measures they were performing. So we had to let Rory go. The next day we drove back to Tufts and picked up his body. We buried him under the crabapple tree.
Maybe it’s because Kodlak reminds me of Rory. Maybe it’s because I am familiar with what Lauren and Mike are going through with the backing and forthing to the vet and trying to administer medicines at home. Maybe it’s because Lauren is fierce and funny and does not suffer fools gladly and I admire her feistiness. Most likely it’s “all of the above” and that’s why I wanted to help.
I hope you will too. Here is their fundraising page: Help Kodlak Kick Histoplasmosis.
Even if you can’t donate right now, do click through to see some more cute photos of Kodlak on the “gallery” page.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Thank You TJ’s
For several weeks we have been devoting a great deal of time and energy to helping Chuck’s elderly aunt. Working with hospice has been of clear benefit to Tanta and a blessing to us. Every life is complex and complicated; Tanta’s no less than anyone else’s. We are wending our way through a life’s maze built on privacy and filled with explicit and sometimes contradictory requests and desires. We are learning a great deal. We are sad. And we are weary.
Ever since Trader Joe’s has been doing their “bring your own bag, fill out a ticket” raffle we have been faithfully filling out tickets. This has been going on for years. We have written our name and phone number on tickets and slips all over Massachusetts, in Rhode Island and out in Washington state. Week after week some other lucky TJ’s customer has won. That’s why we were so delighted to receive a phone call telling us that we had won the bring your own bag raffle! Several days ago we came home after a very long day on the road and being with Tanta, to see the red light on our answering machine flashing and four messages waiting for us. Three were about Chuck’s aunt. The last was a cheery message from a gal named Leslie in Shrewsbury saying we had won a $25.00 Trader Joe’s gift certificate! We listened to it twice and high-fived each other to boot!
Tonight, on our way home from Tanta’s, we stopped at the Trader Joe’s on Route 9 in Shrewsbury and picked up our gift certificate. Chuck couldn’t resist snapping this photograph. The gift certificate was a welcome treat; our names on the sign such good fun. And exactly what we needed right now.
Ever since Trader Joe’s has been doing their “bring your own bag, fill out a ticket” raffle we have been faithfully filling out tickets. This has been going on for years. We have written our name and phone number on tickets and slips all over Massachusetts, in Rhode Island and out in Washington state. Week after week some other lucky TJ’s customer has won. That’s why we were so delighted to receive a phone call telling us that we had won the bring your own bag raffle! Several days ago we came home after a very long day on the road and being with Tanta, to see the red light on our answering machine flashing and four messages waiting for us. Three were about Chuck’s aunt. The last was a cheery message from a gal named Leslie in Shrewsbury saying we had won a $25.00 Trader Joe’s gift certificate! We listened to it twice and high-fived each other to boot!
Tonight, on our way home from Tanta’s, we stopped at the Trader Joe’s on Route 9 in Shrewsbury and picked up our gift certificate. Chuck couldn’t resist snapping this photograph. The gift certificate was a welcome treat; our names on the sign such good fun. And exactly what we needed right now.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Need Or Scam & Does It Matter?
Back in May of 2010 I posted about my dilemma when it comes to being panhandled. Many of you shared your stories of when you do and don’t and the internal struggles you have. I came away from that discussion feeling that saying no was generally the best strategy and to always say no to giving someone a lift somewhere. However, in the twenty months since I posted “Need Or Scam?” I have witnessed several instances of generosity under comparable circumstances, by folks seemingly far less fortunate than I. I say seemingly because we never can really tell who’s the prince and who’s the pauper just on appearance alone. These have happened in Worcester, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and so on.
Late one night last winter, there was a young man who was a bit in his cups. He claimed he hadn’t eaten all day and wanted a couple of bucks to get a hamburger at the Burger King across the street from the Hess gasoline station in Webster Square in Worcester. He approached Chuck who was pumping gas. Chuck politely declined. Sitting in the car, I watched as the fellow went up to all the other customers. The only one who reached into his pocket and handed him a couple of bucks was a young man, dressed very casually, driving a beater. If I had been ranking customers socio-economically based on their rides, this guy would have been at the bottom.
Another time I was waiting for Chuck to sort out a transaction at the service desk in the Stop and Shop in Lincoln Plaza. It was late. The store was quiet with only one clerk near me ringing up orders. I watched as several customers passed through. I saw a young woman shopping with her pre-teen daughter. They were purchasing basic, no frills items. When the clerk asked if she wanted to donate to a local charity, the woman did not hesitate and said yes immediately. Then a man came through buying value sized bags of rice, cans of Spam and a few other basics. He too readily agreed to donate. None of the three appeared to have the last name of Rockefeller or Trump. But a couple of customers in office attire both declined to contribute - as had we when we were checking out. While not the same as being panhandled I was struck by the difference in responses.
These and several other moments have triggered interesting conversations between Chuck and me on our long rides between home and Rhode Island or home and Brookline. As a result, we ended up shifting our position on panhandlers from no to maybe.
This evening, we were driving back home from a tough visit in Brookline involving a medical appointment for a loved one. We ran a few errands along the way including stopping by the WalMart in Northborough. As we exited our vehicle in the bustling parking lot, a man in his late thirties or early forties approached us. He was holding a cell phone. He said he was driving between Worcester and Framingham and his car was running on fumes. Could we give him two or three bucks just to get a gallon of gas. He expressed embarrassment because of his predicament. He offered to mail the money back to us. (See paragraph one of Need Or Scam?!) Neither one of us fully believed him. Chuck glanced at me. I nodded and Chuck handed the fellow three bucks. The man repeated his offer to mail it back to us. (He had no way of knowing that was the least reassuring part of his story!) We declined and wished him well.
Will we always say yes? Not likely. But as we walked into WalMart we both felt glad that we had once again said yes. This time we understood that we had acted in a gray area, but that we had acted in kindness and with a desire to trust. We also knew the importance of letting go - not just of the three dollars, but of the decision. The money was moving on in the universe. We sent it with our best wishes.
Late one night last winter, there was a young man who was a bit in his cups. He claimed he hadn’t eaten all day and wanted a couple of bucks to get a hamburger at the Burger King across the street from the Hess gasoline station in Webster Square in Worcester. He approached Chuck who was pumping gas. Chuck politely declined. Sitting in the car, I watched as the fellow went up to all the other customers. The only one who reached into his pocket and handed him a couple of bucks was a young man, dressed very casually, driving a beater. If I had been ranking customers socio-economically based on their rides, this guy would have been at the bottom.
Another time I was waiting for Chuck to sort out a transaction at the service desk in the Stop and Shop in Lincoln Plaza. It was late. The store was quiet with only one clerk near me ringing up orders. I watched as several customers passed through. I saw a young woman shopping with her pre-teen daughter. They were purchasing basic, no frills items. When the clerk asked if she wanted to donate to a local charity, the woman did not hesitate and said yes immediately. Then a man came through buying value sized bags of rice, cans of Spam and a few other basics. He too readily agreed to donate. None of the three appeared to have the last name of Rockefeller or Trump. But a couple of customers in office attire both declined to contribute - as had we when we were checking out. While not the same as being panhandled I was struck by the difference in responses.
These and several other moments have triggered interesting conversations between Chuck and me on our long rides between home and Rhode Island or home and Brookline. As a result, we ended up shifting our position on panhandlers from no to maybe.
This evening, we were driving back home from a tough visit in Brookline involving a medical appointment for a loved one. We ran a few errands along the way including stopping by the WalMart in Northborough. As we exited our vehicle in the bustling parking lot, a man in his late thirties or early forties approached us. He was holding a cell phone. He said he was driving between Worcester and Framingham and his car was running on fumes. Could we give him two or three bucks just to get a gallon of gas. He expressed embarrassment because of his predicament. He offered to mail the money back to us. (See paragraph one of Need Or Scam?!) Neither one of us fully believed him. Chuck glanced at me. I nodded and Chuck handed the fellow three bucks. The man repeated his offer to mail it back to us. (He had no way of knowing that was the least reassuring part of his story!) We declined and wished him well.
Will we always say yes? Not likely. But as we walked into WalMart we both felt glad that we had once again said yes. This time we understood that we had acted in a gray area, but that we had acted in kindness and with a desire to trust. We also knew the importance of letting go - not just of the three dollars, but of the decision. The money was moving on in the universe. We sent it with our best wishes.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Occupy Democracy
In just over two minutes Robert Reich clearly sums up our current political environment. Had I been charged with this task there would have been many expletives and references to Alice down the rabbit hole. Good that we have Professor Reich!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Two Months Along
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) began on September 17, 2011. What impresses and truly humbles me is the tenacity of the OWS folks. They have been working at this for over two months. The movement started rather modestly but it grew and spread across the nation and then on to other parts of the globe. This has happened without an individual leader. The OWS folks embody the 99% which is us. Some have suggested that they need a leader or a spokesperson. If they had an individual leader they would risk the cult of personality and the media focusing only on the one and not the many. They are wedded to their General Assemblies and to consensus which is brilliant when achieved but a freakin' bear to process. Unlike many WTO meetings in the past, they have managed to keep most of the anarchist and disruptive types out of the movement.
In the beginning, many people were puzzled by OWS. Then they misunderstood it. Now more and more people seem to get it; seem to understand its importance. No single post or article responded to that initial misunderstanding better than Max Udargo's letter. I think the longer OWS folks hang in there, the longer the media keeps covering the movement, the longer we keep talking about it, the better the chances are that OWS will lead to positive change for us all. Yes, I still have hope.
And if I had felt my hope waning in the face of the deep pocketed purchasing power of corporations to buy elections, the intractability of right wing ideologues and all of the stupidity, callousness and calumny which presently passes for political discourse in this country - well, my hope would have been buoyed by this little video out of Littleton, New Hampshire.
In the beginning, many people were puzzled by OWS. Then they misunderstood it. Now more and more people seem to get it; seem to understand its importance. No single post or article responded to that initial misunderstanding better than Max Udargo's letter. I think the longer OWS folks hang in there, the longer the media keeps covering the movement, the longer we keep talking about it, the better the chances are that OWS will lead to positive change for us all. Yes, I still have hope.
And if I had felt my hope waning in the face of the deep pocketed purchasing power of corporations to buy elections, the intractability of right wing ideologues and all of the stupidity, callousness and calumny which presently passes for political discourse in this country - well, my hope would have been buoyed by this little video out of Littleton, New Hampshire.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Senate Bill 1853
There has been a great deal of misinformation out there about the United States Postal Service (USPS) and about other USPS related legislation. This bill, S. 1853, is the first one which addresses the biggest problem and respects the role of the post office in the everyday lives of rural and low income Americans.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon are co-sponsoring this sensible legislation which will lift the onerous requirement of pre-funding future retiree benefits 75 years in advance and on a steeply accelerated schedule. It will also put the United States Postal Service back on a path to financial viability.
Please take a moment to call your senators now and urge their support of S. 1853!
Need a phone number?
Click here.
Want more information on the bill?
Click here.
My post from back in August about the role of the Post Office in our lives.
Senators Bernie Sanders and Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon are co-sponsoring this sensible legislation which will lift the onerous requirement of pre-funding future retiree benefits 75 years in advance and on a steeply accelerated schedule. It will also put the United States Postal Service back on a path to financial viability.
Please take a moment to call your senators now and urge their support of S. 1853!
Need a phone number?
Click here.
Want more information on the bill?
Click here.
My post from back in August about the role of the Post Office in our lives.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Occupy Wall Street
When Occupy Wall Street began it got off to a slow and somewhat fuzzy start. The media, however, was even slower with its coverage. Now, after one month, Occupy Wall Street has picked up speed, gained participants as well as supporters, spread globally, is being better covered by the media, has raised the hackles of some police chiefs and mayors and has ticked off many of the “1%” and the far right.
Well done Occupy Wall Street!
Inevitably there has been criticism and a backlash. Some people misunderstand and mischaracterize the Occupy Wall Street participants as whiners, complainers or loafers. They miss the fact that the protesters are standing up on behalf of the vast majority of Americans, the “99%”.
Now we have an open letter penned by Max Udargo and posted over at the Daily Kos. In his letter, Udargo brilliantly explains why Occupy Wall Street matters and why it is vital to us, the 99%. It is a long letter. But it is a wonderfully readable letter. Udargo hits all the right notes and manages to put a compassionate, human face on the issues while at the same time providing historical perspective. I urge you to read it.
Well done Occupy Wall Street!
Inevitably there has been criticism and a backlash. Some people misunderstand and mischaracterize the Occupy Wall Street participants as whiners, complainers or loafers. They miss the fact that the protesters are standing up on behalf of the vast majority of Americans, the “99%”.
Now we have an open letter penned by Max Udargo and posted over at the Daily Kos. In his letter, Udargo brilliantly explains why Occupy Wall Street matters and why it is vital to us, the 99%. It is a long letter. But it is a wonderfully readable letter. Udargo hits all the right notes and manages to put a compassionate, human face on the issues while at the same time providing historical perspective. I urge you to read it.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Class Warfare? I Call Bull Puckey!
And thank heavens, so does Jon Stewart!
Do watch both videos in sequence.
The “F” word and a few others are bleeped, but probably NSFW.
Do watch both videos in sequence.
The “F” word and a few others are bleeped, but probably NSFW.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
The Local Hub
Just before we moved to our small town in Central Massachusetts we filled out all our change of address cards. Pretty much the first thing we did when we moved here was visit our new post office. We had a chat with the postmaster who told us what to do to install our shiny new mailbox. The day the letter carrier pulled up in front of our box, (now standing proudly at the side of the road), opened the door, slid in a couple of envelopes and snapped the door shut, we knew we had arrived.
For almost 17 years we have frequented that post office. When my sister was gravely ill 2600 miles away, it was that post office where I slid a card or note or letter into the box almost every day. Including shortly after closing one night, choked up and superstitiously scared that not posting that particular card to my sis would lead to a turn for the worse, the postmaster opened the door and wished both me and my sister well.
I even got to know a good friend via the post office. She has a box there and although we had seen each other around town, chatting inside the post office, then carrying those conversations outside was how our friendship evolved. I doubt we were the only ones to meet and connect that way. The bulletin board near the “Local” and “Out Of Town” slots is filled with what’s happening around town. And I’d bet my bottom dollar it gets far more traffic than the one over at the town hall.
Paperwork for our passports was filed in our local post office. Even though they have yet to be stamped by any country, it sure was nice not to have to schlep into Worcester or Boston and stand in line.
We mail all our holiday, birthday, anniversary and sympathy cards from the local post office as well. When we were mailing off the DVDs and books from Carrie and Al’s wedding they departed from there. And a trip back had to made to share the finished product with the staff!
When we were traveling back and forth to Seattle to be with Chuck’s Dad in his final year, we extended our stay once. I called the post office to let them know we would be gone an extra week. They said it was fine, that we had put a “will pick up” on the hold mail order. But then they added, that if we hadn’t called, they would have begun to worry about us.
After September 11, 2001 and the subsequent anthrax incidents, in addition to the usual card to our letter carrier, we sent a holiday card to our post office. We thanked them all for their service and their courage. We still send a card. We are still grateful for all they do.
Now there’s a way we can be of service to them.
The managers in charge at the United States Postal Service are working hard against their own letter carriers. They want to lay off workers as well as slash pension and health benefits. They keep claiming that if they were a fully private company (rather than a semi-independent federal agency) that they would have filed for bankruptcy. The problem with that statement is that it is false. Much of what has led to the losses at the USPS in the past four years has been a congressional mandate to pre-fund future retiree benefits 75 years in advance and on a steeply accelerated schedule - enough to crush any organization’s budget, especially in a down economy. They are the only federal agency required to do such a thing.
Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) introduced H.R. 1351. This legislation is designed to right the wrong committed by the Office of Personnel Management which has led to the enormous overcharges. Most significantly, it has kept millions of dollars of revenue out of the USPS which could have been used in day to day operations.
Please call your congressional representative. (You can find a list here.)
: : First off, please urge your congressperson to oppose the Postal Service's proposals to downsize its workforce through layoffs and strip its employees of their health and pension benefits.
: : Second, please tell your congressperson to support H.R. 1351 a vital legislative first step toward ensuring a sound financial future for the Postal Service.
Want more information? Please go to the website of the NALC - The National Association of Letter Carriers.
There are more issues on the table both for the employees of the Postal Service and the citizens of the United States. One of them is the proposal that the USPS should cut back from six days of delivery to five. Besides the significant inconvenience to the customers, the NALC has a list of reasons why five days just won’t work.
Another very disturbing plan is the USPS’ intention to close thousands of post offices across the United States - more than 3600 - many in rural areas. The most comprehensive website devoted to this is Save The Post Office created and administered by Steve Hutkins. The map of post office locations on the hit list alone makes it worth the visit. But the depth and breadth of the website is impressive and compelling.
For almost 17 years we have frequented that post office. When my sister was gravely ill 2600 miles away, it was that post office where I slid a card or note or letter into the box almost every day. Including shortly after closing one night, choked up and superstitiously scared that not posting that particular card to my sis would lead to a turn for the worse, the postmaster opened the door and wished both me and my sister well.
I even got to know a good friend via the post office. She has a box there and although we had seen each other around town, chatting inside the post office, then carrying those conversations outside was how our friendship evolved. I doubt we were the only ones to meet and connect that way. The bulletin board near the “Local” and “Out Of Town” slots is filled with what’s happening around town. And I’d bet my bottom dollar it gets far more traffic than the one over at the town hall.
Paperwork for our passports was filed in our local post office. Even though they have yet to be stamped by any country, it sure was nice not to have to schlep into Worcester or Boston and stand in line.
We mail all our holiday, birthday, anniversary and sympathy cards from the local post office as well. When we were mailing off the DVDs and books from Carrie and Al’s wedding they departed from there. And a trip back had to made to share the finished product with the staff!
When we were traveling back and forth to Seattle to be with Chuck’s Dad in his final year, we extended our stay once. I called the post office to let them know we would be gone an extra week. They said it was fine, that we had put a “will pick up” on the hold mail order. But then they added, that if we hadn’t called, they would have begun to worry about us.
After September 11, 2001 and the subsequent anthrax incidents, in addition to the usual card to our letter carrier, we sent a holiday card to our post office. We thanked them all for their service and their courage. We still send a card. We are still grateful for all they do.
Now there’s a way we can be of service to them.
The managers in charge at the United States Postal Service are working hard against their own letter carriers. They want to lay off workers as well as slash pension and health benefits. They keep claiming that if they were a fully private company (rather than a semi-independent federal agency) that they would have filed for bankruptcy. The problem with that statement is that it is false. Much of what has led to the losses at the USPS in the past four years has been a congressional mandate to pre-fund future retiree benefits 75 years in advance and on a steeply accelerated schedule - enough to crush any organization’s budget, especially in a down economy. They are the only federal agency required to do such a thing.
Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-MA) introduced H.R. 1351. This legislation is designed to right the wrong committed by the Office of Personnel Management which has led to the enormous overcharges. Most significantly, it has kept millions of dollars of revenue out of the USPS which could have been used in day to day operations.
Please call your congressional representative. (You can find a list here.)
: : First off, please urge your congressperson to oppose the Postal Service's proposals to downsize its workforce through layoffs and strip its employees of their health and pension benefits.
: : Second, please tell your congressperson to support H.R. 1351 a vital legislative first step toward ensuring a sound financial future for the Postal Service.
Want more information? Please go to the website of the NALC - The National Association of Letter Carriers.
There are more issues on the table both for the employees of the Postal Service and the citizens of the United States. One of them is the proposal that the USPS should cut back from six days of delivery to five. Besides the significant inconvenience to the customers, the NALC has a list of reasons why five days just won’t work.
Another very disturbing plan is the USPS’ intention to close thousands of post offices across the United States - more than 3600 - many in rural areas. The most comprehensive website devoted to this is Save The Post Office created and administered by Steve Hutkins. The map of post office locations on the hit list alone makes it worth the visit. But the depth and breadth of the website is impressive and compelling.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Hey! Verizon!
Chuck and I are Verizon Landline customers. We are outraged by a company which awards an enormous bonus to its CEO while trying to strip benefits from the workers who keep the phones in service!
The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) began bargaining with Verizon on June 22, 2011. On August 7, 2011 IBEW and CWA went out on strike.
IBEW International President Edwin Hill summed up the problem succinctly:
”This is a company with a $100 billion dividend. The top five company executives were paid more than a quarter of a billion dollars over the past four years. If a company like this is not willing to provide wages and benefits to enable its workers to be part of the mainstream middle class in America, then all who work for a living have reason to fear.”
Please take a moment to sign the petition over on the CWA page.
Back in February, I posted here about The Folks Who Brought You The Weekend. Read that if you would like one woman’s perspective on the historical and contemporary importance of unions - as well as my shame over have unwittingly been a scab when I was about eleven years old.
Image courtesy of CWA
Saturday, June 18, 2011
A Brief Explanation
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich explains the problems with the U.S. economy in less than 2 minutes, 15 seconds — replete with illustrations. Watch and learn...
Many thanks to MoveOn.org for this video.
Many thanks to MoveOn.org for this video.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
They Did It Up Brown!
There seemed to be two major camps in advance of the Royal Wedding. Either you were eagerly anticipating the event or you were seeking a complete media blackout until the couple was off on their honeymoon. I fell into the first camp. Unlike many here in the States, I did not set the alarm for 4:00 a.m. and have tea and scones at the ready as the festivities began. But the first thing I did upon awakening was find the best television coverage I could. I had hoped nothing untoward would mar the day. I had hoped that Kate’s dress would be stunning and completely unlike Will’s late mother’s gown. I had hoped that from start to finish the entire wedding and reception would have all the pageantry required, without tipping over into insensitive excess. Lastly, I had hoped that the vows would go smoothly, simply without the tangling of the order of names which had always stood out for me as such a troubling omen for Diana and Charles.
I was rewarded on every count. Most importantly, all the sincere romantic bits put me in mind of every other beautiful wedding I have ever attended - including when Chuck and I got married in our tiny living room almost twenty years ago! Will and Kate looked both happy and excited, while also seeming wonderfully settled and at ease with one another. I particularly loved all their quiet little exchanges. The dress was perfectly fabulous. The vows were lovely with nary a misstep. Their two kisses on the balcony at Buckingham Palace were certifiably adorable. The best surprise was Will and Kate driving off in that gorgeous Aston Martin Volante with Will at the wheel. The cherry on top? The fact that the Volante runs on E85 bioethanol, made from "English wine wastage"!
There are many anti-royalists in Great Britain and beyond. As an American, whose revered founding fathers threw off the crown, I have little right to speak. But it’s my blog so I shall! Without the Royal Family, without all of the trappings of the monarchy, Great Britain would be diminished. We give Great Britain all due credit for the seeds of our democracy and our jurisprudence system. But over the last century, Great Britain’s global influence has evolved and its “holdings” have decreased. If the British monarchy were abolished, Great Britain would eventually become just a unique political structure; England just another country. Despite all of the Royal Family’s occasional shenanigans and embarrassments, they continues to convey a valuable cachet outside of the realm. And I have to believe that cachet consistently translates into tourist cash.
That concludes the editorial portion of this post!
I am very happy that we were witness yesterday to such a delightful, charming and beautiful wedding. I wish the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge every happiness. When the day comes that William becomes King, I hope that they serve sensibly and consciously; with the same grace, good humor - and environmental friendliness they showed yesterday!
I was rewarded on every count. Most importantly, all the sincere romantic bits put me in mind of every other beautiful wedding I have ever attended - including when Chuck and I got married in our tiny living room almost twenty years ago! Will and Kate looked both happy and excited, while also seeming wonderfully settled and at ease with one another. I particularly loved all their quiet little exchanges. The dress was perfectly fabulous. The vows were lovely with nary a misstep. Their two kisses on the balcony at Buckingham Palace were certifiably adorable. The best surprise was Will and Kate driving off in that gorgeous Aston Martin Volante with Will at the wheel. The cherry on top? The fact that the Volante runs on E85 bioethanol, made from "English wine wastage"!
There are many anti-royalists in Great Britain and beyond. As an American, whose revered founding fathers threw off the crown, I have little right to speak. But it’s my blog so I shall! Without the Royal Family, without all of the trappings of the monarchy, Great Britain would be diminished. We give Great Britain all due credit for the seeds of our democracy and our jurisprudence system. But over the last century, Great Britain’s global influence has evolved and its “holdings” have decreased. If the British monarchy were abolished, Great Britain would eventually become just a unique political structure; England just another country. Despite all of the Royal Family’s occasional shenanigans and embarrassments, they continues to convey a valuable cachet outside of the realm. And I have to believe that cachet consistently translates into tourist cash.
That concludes the editorial portion of this post!
I am very happy that we were witness yesterday to such a delightful, charming and beautiful wedding. I wish the newly minted Duke and Duchess of Cambridge every happiness. When the day comes that William becomes King, I hope that they serve sensibly and consciously; with the same grace, good humor - and environmental friendliness they showed yesterday!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
The End of 30 Year Mortgages?
Here in the United States, 30 year fixed rate mortgages have been the only realistic means to home ownership for the middle class. They first began in the 1930s when the government stepped in to help stabilize the housing market during The Great Depression. B-flat, garden variety, 30 year fixed rate mortgages, taken out by responsible home buyers and written by honorable lenders, were not the cause of the contemporary mortgage crisis. Those responsible homeowners were, however, part of the collateral damage in as much as the values of their homes declined sharply. Now it seems as if all the responsible home buyers who wish to sell and buy a new home or get into the market for the first time, are about to get screwed out of the option of a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.
In a housing utopia we could all save for a few years and buy a home for cash - I said utopia! In an ideal world we could all afford a 15 year fixed rate mortgage. But with income stagnant and the buying power of the dollar diminished, the significantly lower monthly payment of the 30 year fixed rate mortgage is key to the equation. (For a $250,000 house, with 10% down, at a 5% interest rate, the monthly payment for a 30 year fixed is $1,208; for a 15 year fixed it’s $1,779 - a $571 difference.) But with the impending demise of the elder Fannie Mae and the younger Freddie Mac, 30 year mortgages could disappear and so too the dreams of home ownership for the middle class.
Paul McMorrow explains the problem in the Boston Globe and Binyamin Appelbaum explores it further in the New York Times.
Without a 30 year fixed from the Bailey Building and Loan Association, Mr. Martini and his family would not have been moving into their own home in Bailey Park. And George and Mary Bailey wouldn’t have been toasting them with “Bread: that this house may never know hunger; Salt: that life may always have flavor; Wine: that joy and prosperity may reign forever”. That was all from “It’s A Wonderful Life ”, but isn’t that exactly what we all want?
In a housing utopia we could all save for a few years and buy a home for cash - I said utopia! In an ideal world we could all afford a 15 year fixed rate mortgage. But with income stagnant and the buying power of the dollar diminished, the significantly lower monthly payment of the 30 year fixed rate mortgage is key to the equation. (For a $250,000 house, with 10% down, at a 5% interest rate, the monthly payment for a 30 year fixed is $1,208; for a 15 year fixed it’s $1,779 - a $571 difference.) But with the impending demise of the elder Fannie Mae and the younger Freddie Mac, 30 year mortgages could disappear and so too the dreams of home ownership for the middle class.
Paul McMorrow explains the problem in the Boston Globe and Binyamin Appelbaum explores it further in the New York Times.
Without a 30 year fixed from the Bailey Building and Loan Association, Mr. Martini and his family would not have been moving into their own home in Bailey Park. And George and Mary Bailey wouldn’t have been toasting them with “Bread: that this house may never know hunger; Salt: that life may always have flavor; Wine: that joy and prosperity may reign forever”. That was all from “It’s A Wonderful Life ”, but isn’t that exactly what we all want?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thank You USPS!
Today was expected to be the busiest day of the year for the United States Postal Service. May I say simply that Letter Carriers Rock! In the interest of full disclosure a member of our extended family is employed with the USPS. But I remain amazed that we have such an incredibly efficient postal service and we pay lower prices for those services than many other countries. So remember to thank your letter carriers this holiday season. And don’t forget, you can tip them too! *
* There are a lot of references all over the internet that there is a USPS regulation that letter carriers cannot accept gifts over $20.00. I can’t find that authoritatively on the USPS website. If you can find it, please leave a link in the comments. Otherwise, giving a gift in appreciation for great service from one human being to another, well, that strikes me as an entirely private matter... ;o)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Skeevy
The television advertisement for the 2011 Toyota Highlander gives me the creeps. It’s the one with the little kid dissing his parents’ older minivan, as he climbs into another parent’s Highlander. (While complimenting “Mrs. J.” on her choice of ride, he channels a young Eddie Haskell.) The kid’s tagline is: “Just because you’re a parent doesn’t mean you have to be lame.” Ouch. The base price range for this SUV is $28,200 to $43,755. Freakin’ A! I’ve got no problem with capitalism and free enterprise, but Toyota, is this really the path you want go down to peddle your wares in a recession?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
What He Said
Jim Gonyea, of Leicester has a great post on the proliferation of campaign signs on public land and vacant lots. Thanks Jim!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Put Your Money Where Your _____...
Mouth Is
Heart Is
Values Are
The right, the far right, the conservatives, the Republicans, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the tea-party-ers, Karl Rove and all the astro-turfers are pouring vast sums of money into political campaigns. After the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United it has been virtually no holds barred on how much money can flow in from businesses and anonymous donors. The amounts of money are staggering. The right doesn’t want to take us back to something they miss; something they feel we have lost under the present Democratic administration. They want to take this nation in an entirely new and dangerous direction.
So we, the little guys, the average American citizens, have to pony up. We have to put our money where are mouths are. If we want to scream every time the right wingers spew lies, then we have to open up our wallets and support the good guys. If we hate the vision of America the tea-party-ers paint, then we have to put pen to check and support the good guys. If we know that we need more time to haul ourselves out of the recession and keep building on what has been accomplished in the last twenty months, then we have to navigate over to candidates we believe in, click on the donate button and support the good guys.
psssst... Do $omething!
Heart Is
Values Are
The right, the far right, the conservatives, the Republicans, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the tea-party-ers, Karl Rove and all the astro-turfers are pouring vast sums of money into political campaigns. After the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United it has been virtually no holds barred on how much money can flow in from businesses and anonymous donors. The amounts of money are staggering. The right doesn’t want to take us back to something they miss; something they feel we have lost under the present Democratic administration. They want to take this nation in an entirely new and dangerous direction.
So we, the little guys, the average American citizens, have to pony up. We have to put our money where are mouths are. If we want to scream every time the right wingers spew lies, then we have to open up our wallets and support the good guys. If we hate the vision of America the tea-party-ers paint, then we have to put pen to check and support the good guys. If we know that we need more time to haul ourselves out of the recession and keep building on what has been accomplished in the last twenty months, then we have to navigate over to candidates we believe in, click on the donate button and support the good guys.
psssst... Do $omething!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
This Is Only A Test
I find it frustrating that gasoline stations can charge $75.00 to your debit card, just so they can be sure you have enough money to cover the cost of a tank of gas. The $75.00 disappears within a day or so and it does not remain on the permanent record. But what if I had $30.00 in my checking account and I wanted to put $15.00 worth of gas in the tank. Wouldn’t the $75.00 “test” withdrawal mean I go without gas?
On multiple occasions, we’ve had our bank freeze our checking account because in too short a span of time we have pumped gas twice. The actual gasoline charges show up from two different stations, perhaps one in Rhode Island, another in Massachusetts. But two $75.00 charges also appear. Those look as if we had bought gas in another part of the country, simultaneous with the other purchases. The bank’s computers read all of this data and raise a red flag - which we absolutely appreciate. But without those two “test” charges we wouldn’t be on the phone with the bank trying to sort out legitimate from fraudulent.
I know when the gasoline prices hit the $4.00 a gallon mark back in 2008 or so, there were many “gas and dash” thefts from gas stations. But there ought to be a better way to handle these transactions now.
On multiple occasions, we’ve had our bank freeze our checking account because in too short a span of time we have pumped gas twice. The actual gasoline charges show up from two different stations, perhaps one in Rhode Island, another in Massachusetts. But two $75.00 charges also appear. Those look as if we had bought gas in another part of the country, simultaneous with the other purchases. The bank’s computers read all of this data and raise a red flag - which we absolutely appreciate. But without those two “test” charges we wouldn’t be on the phone with the bank trying to sort out legitimate from fraudulent.
I know when the gasoline prices hit the $4.00 a gallon mark back in 2008 or so, there were many “gas and dash” thefts from gas stations. But there ought to be a better way to handle these transactions now.
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