UPDATE: Annoying Commercials

Looks like Ford (and/or Taylor Hicks' agents) got the idea, from the numerous blog entries and messages I saw when verifying the brand for Hicks' commercial. They haven't been playing the whole "singing" commercial all the time, now. They play the band under the announcer, and at the end of the commercial, cut to Taylor singing, "All that I can see... Possibilities". Man, it's MUCH easier to take now. As a tag, I like it. As the main commercial, after the first time in the evening, it was ok. But it was too much to have it on almost every break.

As for the comments about Jon Lovitz... I STILL like Lovitz... Have since he was the "liar" on SNL ("Yeah, yeah... That's it!") But, Subway needs to alternate Jared and the others into the rotation. You see Lovitz on every break, and it's time to visit Quiznos!

Speaking of Quiznoes, whatever happened to Baby Bob? - or Bobette (heard the baby was really a girl). Guess she grew too old for the spots, huh? (Thank you, aging!)

Oh, and as far as the sub commercials go, (and pizza, and...) You ever notice that the food looks SOOO much better (and the sandwiches so much thicker) on the commercials than they do in real-life?

There's a new batch of commercials for Geiko. A "faded/fading" celeb sits beside a "normal" person who tells about how Geiko is so great, "translating" it into their style (not necessarily what was said, but...). Charro ("hoochie coochie!" looking VERY hot for her age) does the "Spanish" thing (excited, like she always has been), Little Richard "Woo Hoos" everything (I can't really understand either), and Burt Bacharach plays piano and sings Geiko's virtures. It's nice that they have someone else doing it besides the Aussie-accented Gecko, and something other than the damn cavemen having lost his appetite after his friend ordered "roast duck". HOWEVER, while I can believe they managed to get Charro and Little Richard (both commercials are extremely annoying when seen too many times), I cannot BELIEVE they got Burt Bacharach to sit there and do this. I always thought he was too classy for this type of thing. (Apparently, not... Then again, he WAS always able to make fun of himself, if I recall). DAMN, though... Typical overplay. (Maybe we can ANNOY them into buying our stuff!)

Hey, and Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News) did a story on Head On. And said the same thing I did! THEY GIVE YOU A HEADACHE! (Hey Brian, did you get that from my blog? LOL)

Me and VR Part II

UPDATE on my last post:

I sent a copy of the link to the governor. Thought he might like to know about situations like mine!

I got a call today (July 27, 2006) from my VR Counselor (VRC). The vendor asked about what my new van was. I'm not sure why she couldn't look at prior emails, or my website, but I told her. She conferenced me with the vendor and asked, and I answered, again.

The vendor said, that it would work (that's what VR's NY "checker" had said, too), and said:

1. they needed the authorization (VRC said she'd FAX it to them, once she got it written out completely and ok'd by her supervisor, hopefully TODAY!)
2. they had to order the parts (a week to 10 days to get in after the order)
3. that he'd be "comfortable" with a completion date of August 25th. [This, of course, doesn't mean they'll WAIT until closer to that date... Just "in case of delays" getting parts, etc., so it may be an "at the latest" date. - bracketed are my thoughts -bs.]

KEWLNESS! At least it seems to be moving again!

Apparently, it can't be done in a day, as we originally thought. He said the day we brought the van in, they'd check measurements to see how far to move the seat, and where the hand-controls should be installed. Over that and the next day or so, they would move the seat and install the controls. The next day, they install the "scooter dock" (lift), and we'd come back that or the next day, make sure everything fit, the Crossroads Driver-Evaluation/Trainer would inspect, and make sure I could drive it, and we take it home!

My responsibility is to let the Crossroads counselor know when it will/may be, so she can make plans to be there when she needs to be, and I will do that by giving her a link to this entry. (JR - In case you missed it, they are "comfortable" with an 08/25 "completion date" for VR. Again, I'm not sure if that's WHEN it will be done, or an at the "latest" date.)

I will also send one to my father, so he's warned (got that Dad?) that we MAY need a ride back home from - then (maybe) 2-3 days later, back to - the vendor (Indy, South of 465). I will wait until I get the call from them and ask how we are to get home and back to them. Maybe someone there will drive us, or maybe we can "hitch" a ride back to from the Crossroads counselor, if she's doing training near here, to go back. (That's when she really needs to be there.)

BUT, it feels a LOT closer than it has since the first vendor was talked to.

YAY!

***

AND, I JUST got the following (after entering the above):

----- Original Message -----
From: [VR Counselor]
To: [me]
Sent:
Thursday, July 27, 2006 3:36 PM
Subject: RE: Sanders [VR COUNSELOR] -
HELP, PLEASE!

Bill, I just wanted to let you know that I just faxed the authorization for
the van modification to [vendor], with my supervisor's signature on the
authorization. [VRC]

Me and VR

Hmmm... Just realized I haven't said anything about my hand-controls and lift for my van since I first said something about it A MONTH ago (Me, Myself and I: Where've I Been?)... Here's THAT situation from the beginning:

In Feb 2003, my job was "eliminated". I spent the next couple of weeks updating my resume, setting up my website, and hitting every free freakin' job board I could find, applying, re-adjusting my resumes for their formats, etc., and looking for a job for which I was qualified... My salary expectations dropped from what I had been being paid (mid-50K) to entry-level (30K) over the next few months. NOTHING! (See my site and online resumes for more, there.)

In July or so, 2003, I started talking with Voc Rehab about help finding a job. (My right foot has NO toes, anymore, and my left no big toe, and I have neuropathy 1/2 way up my calves.) This didn't keep me from walking, but I'd had enough surgeries and problems getting around while recovering, I had an old scooter and lift in my van. The scooter was way too small, and the lift was an old one my father bought from someone off their front porch... Both WORKED, but ...

From the beginning, one of the things noted by my counselor was that I needed a better/new scooter (bigger) and van modifications - A new lift, probably hand-controls, etc. to help me get around. I had a few meetings with Job Counselors, and nothing came of them (I was having foot problems - ulcers that kept coming back, etc., but made every meeting and could have made any interviews that came my way, even if were using crutches on my scooter.)

In November, 2003, I fell, tearing the quad tendon from my kneecap (completely), thus not being able to walk at all. After FINALLY getting into an orthopaedic surgeon, getting an MRI, getting back with him for him to "read" the MRI and tell me I needed surgery (why I had to go in is ANYBODY's guess... could have told me that over the phone, and we KNEW that already!), and being referred to another ortho surgeon in Indy, I had surgery to repair my knee. 5 days later, I was in a Rehab Center (read nursing home) for five weeks with a "towel rack" (external fixator - held my knee straight with bolts through my muscle into the bone) on my leg. Then they removed that, put me in a plastic, wrap-around splint set at 0 degree bending for another 5-6 weeks, then I was allowed 30 degree bending for another month or so. For that last month, I started on physical therapy. After 26 or so once- or twice-a-week visits, I could walk from my car into therapy, do the exercises, and walk back out with a cane, instead of a walker. So, most of 2004 was shot to hell as far as finding a job or being there so they could fit van mods.

Oh... While I was in the nursing home, my scooter was delivered. Nice... Problem was I couldn't ride it for some time afterward. BUT, at least I had a new scooter that would more closely fit me!. My Dad "lent" me a couple of aluminum fold-up ramps he'd had to get when my Mom had foot surgery, but with my feet, knee and new weakness/balance problems, I couldn't do much to help set them up. So, my wife, father, one of my sons, whomever was available, took me to any doctor appointments, and I occassionally went (and still go) shopping with my wife. The scooter is for the longer trips (like shopping), but I can't drive, so someone has to take me. My parents live in Lafayette half the year (about 45 minutes away), one son was going to Purdue (just graduated, looking for a job in his field), and working almost full-time, and the other lives in the Indy area with his mother (again, about 45 minutes away.)

Then, sometime late 2004 or so, I got a letter from Voc Rehab that I was being dropped, since there'd been no contact for some time. GEEZE! (I didn't hear from THEM...!) I got that straightened out, was "re-setup" for van mods, the "job" idea had turned into a "business idea", and I had to write up my proposal for VR. Meanwhile, I waited to hear from Crossroads, who evaluates and does the driver's training. I met with VR about my business idea, that would provide a possible business for me, and help for various agencies of the government dealing with these issues, and they kinda "poopoo'd" it, saying it wouldn't make any money. (It's genealogically/historically related... Ancestry has since added a database containing SOME of what I wanted to do, only it's under THEIR subscription. And very little from Indiana. Hmm... Can't make money on it? Ancestry thinks so, anyway!)

Since the attempted "drop", I kept in contact with VR via email at least once every couple of weeks. I kept reminding my counselor that I needed van mods, and couldn't do much, now, with my feet AND knee, without them.

Around May, 2005, I contacted my VR counselor to find out when I was going to hear from Crossroads, and she said she'd find out. She sent a referral in June, and I waited. For the next six weeks, I emailed her every other week or so, and every Friday or Monday (the only days she apparently reads her emails) after my emails, she MIGHT respond that she'd check on it. FINALLY, Mid-August, she contacted them and they said they'd called ME in January (I believe I had either just had or was just going in for a foot surgery), and were waiting to hear from ME.

Some time in there, all my benefits (Cobra, Severence Pay, Unemployment, and Extended Unemployment) from my prior job expired, I managed to get on Social Security Disability (which barely covers my house and bills) and Medicare (which barely covers... Well, you get the idea).

I got an appointment for a Driver Evaluation in late October, so had to wait until then. Meanwhile, I had ANOTHER surgery on my feet, and complications ensued. My podiatrist assured me that I'd be able to walk as needed for the appointment. My wife got a new job, working 3rd shift in a factory. This wasn't TOO much of a biggie, except for doctor's appointments... They needed to be early, so she could take me (I, obviously, still couldn't drive - and she wouldn't let me, anyway, and VR said the way I was driving before was probably illegal), get home, and get some sleep before waking up late afternoon/early evening.

The Crossroads appointment came, and because my walking was limited, we used a wheelchair to go in and talk with them. I FINALLY met with the Driver Evaluator, went out and she looked at how I fit in the van, and using THEIR van, had a quick test on my dexterity using hand-controls. (I did well!) She figured all the things I would need, and that was that.

So, NOW the ball's rolling the right direction, right? Huh!

In mid-November, one of the emails I sent to my VR counselor asked how things were going with my van mods. She replied that she needed to review the report, which she hadn't done YET. They FINALLY contacted NY (the people who verify the need, get the bids for the work, and make recommendations), who said the mods were not major, so would not REQUIRE us to get a new van, but I had to get mine (a 96 Gran Voyager) inspected for drivability. And, early December, they put out requests for bids.

I had questions (among them, who in Lebanon could do the type of inspection that VR would accept?), that weren't answered until late December. VR WOULD pay for the inpection, but needed an estimate. The only people in town that I knew of that could do it would charge $250 for it. GEEZE! I drove that thing to Carmel from Lebanon (30 miles) and back every weekday for years, and had very few problems. And had driven various other places (Lafayette, Indianapolis, Evansville, etc.) without a problem. Now someone would inspect it, I'm sure FIND problems that needed fixed, and I'd have to pay for them with my limited income. NICE. And if the inspection was $250, what would the "repairs" be?

Anyway, Mid January, 2006, I found that I had copies of the authorizations for Crossroads to do driver's training, but SHE (the Driving Trainer/Evaluator) had never gotten a copy. I sent them to her electronically, we set up times for her to come to Lebanon to do it, and I was "trained" using hand-controls (their van). (Most had to do with correcting the "bad habits" I'd picked up in 30+ years of driving! The idea was to "get me through the test" as well as remind me of those "errors". Within a week, my wife wanted to go van shopping. She wanted to sell her car to her daughter, whose car was in worse shape than the van (not that it was in THAT bad-a-shape, but it WAS 10 years old and over 100.000 miles on it). We went, found one (a story unto itself), I informed VR and Crossroads, it was close enough to the same that they wouldn't have to rebid the modifications, and I no longer needed the inspection.

Through February, I finally got my driver's training. In early March, I had my driver's test using hand-controls, and passed. My license was amended. This means I can't legally drive without hand-controls. (I haven't except for driving the old van home while my wife drove the new van, and it was a little scary! No... No close calls, only very nervous putting on the brakes with my partial foot after not having driven for some time!) I had understood that the bids would not have to be made again, but no one was sure until NY said the new van was close enough they didn't have to be.

In mid-April, everything was FINALLY set. All (2) bids were in, we knew who it would be, and it would be done quickly, right? Huh!

We talked to the low-bidders to verify they could do it, and things looked good. THEN, for the next few months, my VR counselor tried, I tried, even my father (closer to them) tried to get hold of them. All VR needed was a "completion date" and authorizations could be sent. NOTHING.

Voc Rehab FINALLY (mid-July) contacted the people they go through in NY to ask what to do when the "low bidder" (apparently required by the state, unless I can cough up the bucks to make up the difference which I can't) doesn't respond to them OR me, and my counselor, someone higher up in VR, and I all received copies (the next day) recommending we go with the higher bid. That was July 11th.

It's now July 23rd, and I haven't heard word one from VR for a while (again). I have no clue what's going on. I can't get my couselor to respond to email. She's only in the main office Monday and Friday (and apparently that's the ONLY time she even LOOKS at her email or anything to do with emails she's received.)

I've kept Crossroads "in the loop" and apparently, my VR counselor DOES respond when SHE asks a question, but not me (at least all the time).

My last email to her forwarded a copy of my July 14th email and follows:

From: Bill Sanders
To: [VR Counselor]
Cc: [Crossroads Trainer]
Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 3:35 PM
Subject: Fw: Sanders [Counselor] - HELP, PLEASE!

[Counselor],

What's going on? It's been two weeks since I asked, three since [NY] said "use [High-bidder]".

I don't understand why I don't get answers to my questions ("Will THEY contact me to set up an appointment?" and "Let me know if I need to do anything.", and most especially "What's happening with this?".)

At this point, unless [High-bidder] can get on it right away, I guess there's NO CHANCE to get it done before Chris' daughter has her baby.

Please help us get this finished.

Bill

[That email refers to the prior email, sent July 14, that said:]

I kind of expected to hear from you today about this, since [NY] sent it last Tuesday...

So, what happens now? I assume you:

• probably have to get permission to use the higher bid
• contact Superior for a Completion Date
• (maybe forward them the package of work, again, since it's been so long)
• send (can you fax, it's faster) the authorization for them to do it under FSSA/VocRehab auspices
• and what...(?) Will THEY contact me to set up an appointment?

Let me know if I need to do anything. You know I have copies of all MY emails to and from you, me, [Crossroads] and [NY], if you need any of them.

Chris' [my wife's] daughter is going to have a baby in Fort Branch/Evansville area, and they were talking about around August 8th. Chris is "waiting for the call" to zip down there to be with her in the delivery room. She's afraid the old van won't make it, so will need to drive the new van then. I would LIKE to try to get it done before then, if at ALL possible.

Any chance?

It's been ALMOST THREE YEARS since I've driven (except that one time, training and testing) and with it so close I can taste it, I'm antsy. When all this started gas was HIGH at $1.40 or so per gallon. NOW it's $3.00 per gallon. I probably won't be able to do the business I'd thought of because of this. It would have required me to drive around the county. If I had been able to when I could, I MIGHT have actually been making enough money to cover the gas. Now...

And so I wait...

Annoying Commercials

I'm sure I'm not the only one annoyed by certain commercials on TV. The late-night and weekend infomercials are annoying enough (considering they play certain ones almost nightly for months), but I'm talking about those 30-60 second "spots" played on most channels, especially networks, all the time.

It's to the point where a half-hour show is closer to 20 minutes, an hour show is more like 40 minutes in length, and a movie, that's 90 minutes on the DVD takes TWO FULL HOURS to play on most non-movie or pay-per-view channels. This is bad enough, but then we're subjected to certain EXTREMELY ANNOYING commercials.

Sometimes the annoyance is the commercial itself. (And how they got past test-panels, I'll NEVER know!) Sometimes the annoyance is the number of times a commercial is shown on any given day.

Examples:

1. Head On (one I just saw).
   This is the OTC (Over-The-Counter) "stick" headache medication that you don't take internally, you spread (like deodorant) on your forehead. EVERY commercial I've seen for it, repeats a 5-10 word sentence THREE TIMES before they get to the actual commercial. I figured out, today, why they do that - The constant repetition GIVES you a headache, and immediately, they tell you how to "make it better."
2. Ford (Taylor Hicks) - "Possibilities"
   You know... I've seen Taylor on a BUNCH of shows since his American Idol win. I really do like the guy. I also like the commercial for Ford with Taylor singing and dancing on a round, Plexiglas stage with the cameras zooming in and out... I KNOW you've all seen it more than once. The problem I have is how OFTEN it's played. Once or twice a day (and separated by more than a 5-minute show segment) is MORE than enough. I also realized last night that the edit they used of the song has Taylor (an American Idol!) singing FOUR OR FIVE FREAKIN' NOTES OVER AND OVER. It''s just one of the "Possibilities" that when Taylor FINALLY releases his first album (old-folk-talk for CD, kids), and the first single is "Possibilities" that it will tank. And, if all the other songs on the album sound the same... He's history.
3. Daimler-Chrysler (Dr Z Series)
   The number of times these commercials are repeated are annoying, too. They have 3-4 of them, but seem to use the same one or two on any given night (or he's in EVERY DAMN commercial break). Why can't they alternate them more? As with Taylor's commercial, Dr Z is likeable, but how many of you want to see him smash that car and look at least as (if not more) disheveled as the "reporter" in the car? Or one of those kids actually pull his mustache as he's asked if it's real? At least he gets his "comeuppance" in the one where the more recognizable "Hemi Kid" (not the one that says "Sweet") is the director ("ACTORS!")
4. Nationwide ("Life comes at you fast" - Kid on a Swing)
   How many want that kid (when he's grown, of course) to fall off the swing and hurt HIMSELF? The first couple of times, it was cute. A couple of times to figure out and verify "How they did that" (When the dad pushes the little kid the second time, he steps forward, someone catches the little kid off camera to keep him from swinging back, and someone else drops the big kid, aimed perfectly at the Dad after he steps up.) After that... I want Dad to go flying WAY off the screen and the kid to break the branch on which the swing is hung. Don't you?
5. Mazda CX7 ("This guy is the man")
   Now, to be honest, I like the "Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" Mazda commercials. But this one has been repeated WAY too many times! (Two guys walking downtown, one points the SUV out to the other, pointing to the "leather seats" and other nice things, saying "This guy is the MAN", as a pretty girl comes out, presses the button to unlock the car ("beep beep"), gets in and drives away.) And the "Listen and Learn" on (hikers come on a road, one says "What's that", smarty says "Listen and learn", lays his ear on the ground, describes the vehicle coming, and says "Sports Car" at the end as the SUV goes by) is getting on my nerves, too!
6. Hardees' Milkshakes (My Milkshake Is Better than Yours)
   Two guys shaking cows, making their udders ... "shake" to make "milkshake"... Get it? This is just strange. They're using a song that's EXTREMELY sexual in nature (Kelis sings it, apparently), and her "Milkshake" AIN'T cows' milk! And some of the cuts in the commercial are ... disturbing... As in the first one (one guy, one cow, "Shake That Thing" - again, a strong sexual reference song), there's at least one shot of the guys behind the cows, hands on the cows' ... hips ... and a swat to the cow's ass... The guys are so close to the cows ... Uh ... That's enough on that one. I think you catch my meaning. The songs aren't that bad, but the sight of those guys shaking those cows... Eouw!

Now, I graduated about 30 years ago from Purdue with a degree in Mass Communication/Radio-TV, and understand the theories behind all of these. But, if you make something annoying, it can backfire on you. Rather than being "memorable" it becomes something to avoid. And, if you avoid the commercial, you avoid what the advertiser WANTED you to see over and over. You may also NOT purchase something because you hate the commercial so much.

I thought they had test-panels for these things. They should add playing it over and over again. (I've also begun to hate - at least for a while - certain "older" songs I used to love, because the commercials they're in are overplayed. I HATE THAT!)

Anyway, that's my take on just SOME of the annoying commercials out there.

Which ones annoy you?

Bill Sanders

DOUBLE-DAMN THEM!

Ok... Yesterday's post did NOT have to do with any "problem" I, personally was having with banks or Credit Card Companies. THIS one DOES.

BG: I very seldom use checks anymore. With the advent of online banking and bill payments, I do as much as possible online. I use a debit card most of the time, and a credit card for prescription payments, and maybe a few other things (literally... just a few). I've been a member of this bank for over 10 years, and had not needed the credit card until fairly recently, when another CC I had (the only one I was using at THAT time) got screwed up (ONCE!), and interest rates on it went to 33%!

Here's what happened.

Today, I got the bill for my credit card (yes... the ONE credit card that I use). Again, it's through my bank and I got it because the interest was low, and I needed to close out that other card. (This was a few months ago.)

Since that time, I have made MORE than the minimum payment, in some cases HUNDREDS of dollars more. The interst rate on old purchases went up to 18%, I called them and got that down to a promotional rate. The interest on new purchases started at 13% and has been creeping up, slowly, but was still well below 15% UNTIL THIS BILL.

I make my payments online. When I display my accounts, both my checking account and my credit card account show on the same page. Clicking on them shows the transactions. On the credit card account, there's a "Pay Now" link, which I use, transferring the money from my checking account to pay the credit card bill. To keep track of this (and because my parents did this in all their business and personal accounts), I write on the bill when I make the payment. I write the amount, the date, how it was paid, the check # (back in the day), and when, according to the payment manager, the check will get to the one owed. In this case, last month, I wrote that I'd made the "larger than owed" payment and date the transfer was to have been made (immediately) on the bill.

They never got it. My checking account does not show any payment and my credit card account does not show any payment. Now, I owed TWO MONTHS, a $29 LATE FEE, my interest rate for new purchases jumped from under 15% to almost 25%! This all made my minimum payment jump from $22-25 to over $100. So, I called the number on the bill to find out what happened.

Again, they don't show that I made any transaction, and it seems they don't give a damn! A bank I have been with for 10 years and more! Oh, the guy I talked to first says he "took care" of the late fee, and I made a $100 payment (did it online while he was on the phone) to cover the rest and "bring your account current", but he could do nothing else. He passed me off to customer service to see what could be done about the percentage rate.

Jason (who answered "Collections", but then, when I called him on that later, he said he was sorry, that he was with the bank's customer service), there, said there was nothing he or anyone else could do to authorize the lowering of the interest rate back down to last month's level. I asked what I could do and he said I needed to "keep current" for 6 months(!) and THEN they might consider lowering the rate back down. I said "Let me get this straight, the bank screws up my payment, and I get screwed, huh?" Let's just say he was VERY unsympathetic.

After I hung up, I pulled out all my credit card bills for this year, and looked them over, realizing that I'd made above-the-minimum payments since I got it (in fact, the first two bills' minimum payments were ZERO dollars, and I paid almost $500 on them!). So I called the number again, and found out that the ones I call are only authorized to handle billing disputes, and payments (late and otherwise). THIS girl didn't even OFFER to patch me through to customer service, not that SHE wasn't sympathetic, but still...

SO, a customer for over 10 years misses one payment (apparently through no fault of their own) and they are STUCK with a 25% interest rate for six (6) months on their credit card. Make sense to you?

BTW: I DID point out to the first guy and Jason that 25% was in the realm of LOAN SHARK percentages, and stated that I HOPED this was being recorded ("Your call may be recorded for ... " whatever reason), so that maybe someone else would understand the frustration.

Oh... And the first guy I talked to said he'd seen this happen a number of times, where people think they made the payment and closed the screen, when they DID NOT hit that last SUBMIT button.

So, if you use online banking and transfer money from one account to another, MAKE SURE that you hit all buttons correctly (which I'm POSITIVE I did), and, if you can, print off the screen showing that you DID make the payment. It may be the only proof you have.

Just one more indication that industry and financial institutions could give a SHIT about you.
-BS

DAMN CREDIT CARDS and Their Finance Charges

Isn't it amazing that Credit Card companies are complaining that more and more people are filing bankruptcies, yet they continue to use loan-shark interest if you are late on ONE FREAKING PAYMENT by ONE DAY? No. Not me, but I know people.

When interest rates were low a number of years ago, the "penalty rates", etc., were only a few points higher. When interest rates went to 18 percent, penatly rates went to 21 or 22%. NOW, interest rates are almost as low (if not as low) as they were before, but the penalty interest rates are 27-33%! WHAT THEY HELL IS GOING ON?

They will also raise your rates if you've been late on ANY (recent) payment that appears on your credit report. WHY? If you're not late making payments to THEM, why should they care if you were late to another to MAKE their payment?

It's absolutely ridiculous that your interest can jump from under 9% to 30% in ONE PAYMENT. It's also unfair that the finance charges you can incur equal or exceed your payments. There should be a limit (apparently it's over 30%!).

I've also known people who have actually filed bankruptcy. Sometimes they're told not to make any more payments (good for your credit score... of course, if you're doing so to file bankruptcy...) Others had to manage to save $700 (maybe by not makeing more payments...) or so to pay a lawyer for help in filing. Now, if you can save $700, why file bankruptcy?

The government regulates "price gouging" on various things. Why not credit cards? Limit the "penalty interest" to a ONE TIME RAISE of 5 points above what it was when you were late. If you continue to have problems, then they call (and not the nasty "collection agency" calls, but someone within their company who can ACTUALLY help you).

Credit Counselors may need to be regulated, too. I understand some will get your money, and there's no PROOF that they made the payments to the companies as they promised they would. If they will take your case, and deal with the credit card companies, THEY should get the calls, and be penalized, NOT YOU. (Many Credit Couseling Companies are PAID by the credit card companies to make collections... THIS IS NOT RIGHT.)

At least one site I saw recommends that to deal with the situation, you simply stop making the payments to the company, instead putting that money in a savings account. Let them call you a certain number of times, then ask if they'd take the money in your savings account to eliminate everything you owe them, and, according to the site, the majority of the time they will, basically "eating" 50% or more of the debt, just to get the lump-sum of the rest of it. (Of course, you need to make sure to get proof they've actually eliminated the debt, and that they've notified the reporting agencies that you no longer owe the debt, so can no long be late. AND, of course, he offers to help you through the process...) I don't know that 1) this is ethical; 2) not dangerous. The claim is that your credit score will "take a minor hit" during the process, but once the charge is gone, your score will start raising, again.

It seems there's no legal or ethical way to "get out from under" consumer debt. Unless you can fully pay them off, it seems like a mathematical equation approaching zero (1/n+1 where n starts at 1 and grows... You will NEVER hit zero, even when n is infinitely large... It's ALWAYS just out of reach.)

Just like gas prices, when the companies find out what the market will tolerate, you can never expect those prices to go back down to levels EVERYONE can live with. Well, when interest rates were 18%, the credit card companies found that the market would tolerate 21%+ penalty interest. When the rates went down, they DID NOT lower the penalty rates.

It seems that if the credit card companies will negotiate a payment of 50%+ LUMP SUM to eliminate the debt owed them, they should also be willing to forgive part of the debt on the card, without the debtor resorting to non-payment or threat of bankruptcy. (Suggestion, simply drop ALL of the accrued finance charges and start them over - ONE TIME OFFER!) AND, if a person has made payments regularly and on time, if they're late once-a-year (AND only for that company's payments!), it should be forgiven.

(Oh... And at least one of the people I know in these "straits" CONTINUE to receive credit card offers - some with low interest rates, some with high - even from the SAME company!)

It seems to me that if credit card (and other loan) companies don't want to play fair with the public, it's time for the government to step in and and MAKE them, and SOON!

Where've I Been?

Ok... So I'm not very good at "keeping up" as far as journalling my activities and interests go. Sorry!

I've been working on adding new content to and revamping Orange Frog Productions (my website.) I'm trying to do as much as possible in CSS and SSIs. Currently, the site uses external javascripts for some of the formatting, and this causes the warning bar to appear. I've worked out some problems (using divs, a class to indent instead of "blockquote" and other things), and am working on splitting the site into three sections (main, personal and scams/shams... ) with a link to my subweb, LYAO OnLine. It will take a while to convert all the current pages to the new styles (especially with working on other things), but I believe it will be well worth it.

Speaking of LYAO, I'm continually adding to the LYAO subweb... I'm revamping and adding all the old LYAO joke-letters to the site. So far, I've got between 60-70 from 1998 in there... a few more months of those and I can start on 1999! Then only 6-8 more years to go! WHEW! I didn't realize I'd put out so many of them! AND, after a hiatus, I'm pretty-much back to sending them out at least once-a-week.

I've also been working on some genealogy (distant cousins). I'm having problems finding my great-great grandmother (Florence Elizabeth Rawlings/Rawlins/Rollings/Rollins/etc. b:06/1860 IN, d:03/07/1920 Sheridan IN, m:12/18/1877 Hamilton County, IN to John Charles Freemont Emry/Emery b:1857 OH) ) with her parents in ANY census records (I use Ancestry.com.) My only conclusion at this point is that I have the wrong parents for her (Aaron and Hester A (Stephens) Rawlings/Rawlins/etc.?) Anyone have any ideas? (This and the following paragraph may appear in a genealogy category/section of this blog, too.)

BTW: Those of you with ties and/or relatives from around Sheridan, Noblesville and Boxley, Hamilton County, IN and Lebanon, Boone County, IN should know there's a great monthly newsletter put out by Barb Hiatt of Lebanon (formerly of Sheridan area). The site is www.sheridannews.net. The newsletter is called "Our Home Town" and past newsletters are archived. Barb gathers and posts information about the happenings in these areas, the obits and asks for "memories". I have found hundreds of items on family members (many distant and many not-so-distant) cousins and relatives in the archives. You can sign up for the newsletter on the main page. The archives are "passworded" (a simple password to remember) and there's a pretty good search engine used in them. Barb is "genealogically inclined", so tries to make sure there's family information in the obits. Check it out.

I'm STILL waiting to get hand-controls and other modifications to my van through Voc Rehab (see OFP, What's New(s) for more). I can't believe that it's taken almost three (3!) years to get to the point where at least we have the bids and are just waiting on a completion date from the vendor so authorizations can be sent out. I can "get out" now and then, when I have someone to drive me and help get my scooter out of the back of the van using aluminium ramps. (I can walk some, but if I will have to walk very far, I need to use the scooter.)

My son graduated from Purdue, May 12th, and because my wife works third shift and sleeps during the day, and because I couldn't ask my 70+yo father to help with the ramps, I couldn't go. (Ok... and because of the hassle of driving a scooter around Purdue with all the students and parents and...)

My uncle's girlfriend's mother and uncle - her mother's brother - passed away just a few days ago (within a couple of hours of each other) and, for the same reasons, I couldn't go.

Luckily (if you want to call it that - scheduled for a Friday, so my wife could sleep after it), I made it to my ex-wife's mother's viewing a couple of weeks ago. ("Ex-wife's mother?" you ask. Yes. I spent 15 years with my ex and had two boys. The divorce was between me and HER, not her family, and her mother was STILL my sons' grandmother... Right? Even if we didn't get along, I needed to at least "make an appearance".)

If my van was modified, I'd have at least had the option, the prior times. GEEZE!

And, of course, all the "good" television shows (as far as I'm concerned) have been running their season finales.

I don't know how well I'll do on "keeping up" here, but I guess we'll see. Check out those links (and the ones on the side.

Later

Mother's Day, 2006

I received an email today that prompted me to write. Be sure to check out my Writings section at Orange Frog Productions and especially Prompted by Email - I Love You.

There are plenty of other things to see at OFP. One of the more popular seems to be the Scams, Shams and Flim-Flams section, dealing with Infomercials, Fraud and Phishing and Rumors, in that order.

I put the main links and a few other "family" site links in the sidebar, here.

If you want to know EVERYTHING that's there, check out the OFP Site Map. Like I said, there's a lot of handy and (I think, of course) good stuff there!

New Blogger Alert!

And so it begins... I've never "blogged" before. However, since I started putting stuff on my webpage, and hadn't gotten any responses (despite views), I thought I'd try it out. I'm not sure how I will use this, so will have to see how this goes.

This will be my "main" section, where I will note changes to some of the websites on which I work, talk about what's going on in my life (for those interested) and... we'll just see. I will probably set up other blogs... Again, we will see.

I have various interests and my family looks to me to research some of the emails they receive. I help them out with step-by-step instructions that will probably (I hope) help others who use PCs and Windows (no flames from MAC or Linux devotees... They're what I've been using for years, so I know many of the programs they use.)