The boomer blog roundup is a collection of like-minded blogs
cooperating to share their best stories of interest to the Baby Boomer
Generation.
As cold winds blow, and even blizzards rage, boomer bloggers
have a lot to say.
They’re writing about movies for grownups, midlife changes
and lessons, how the economy affects boomers, delayed retirement, and life in
the Middle East.
In addition to my blog, other members of The Best of
Boomer Blogs are: The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings Over 60, Arabian Tales
and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, Blue Blinds, Life After Marriage,
and Tao Flashes.
Be sure to stop by again next week to see what our
baby boomer bloggers are writing about.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Last year, I wrote that the Academy Award nominated movies for 2011 were less dark and violent. Not so for this year.
Unfortunately, the nominees for 2012 hugely reversed that trend.
I was hopeful when I saw the nominated movies “Lincoln,” “Argo,” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” Those movies were excellent, I thought. Then I saw “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Django Unchained,” and “Skyfall.” These movies are way too violent.
“Zero Dark Thirty” showed extensive scenes of torture. When I first saw torture in “Casino Royale” and “Slumdog Millionaire,” I was appalled. However, the scenes were short. In “Zero Dark Thirty,” the torture scenes went on and on.
For “Django Unchained,” the producers must have sat around a table and talked about what violent and terrible things they should show in a movie that haven’t been shown before. They came up with a sadistic plantation owner who did horrible, sadistic things to his African-American slaves. Oh, boy.
Movies are such a powerful media. Anthropologist Joseph Campbell called movies the great dream machine. Movies could offer so many positive images and stories of inspiration for children and teens. Instead, violent themes are repeated over and over. I’ve written about the impact I think so many violent images in movies, television, and video games have on children and young people, contributing to increased violence.
Here are my choices for the 2012 Academy Award nominated movies:
Best Picture – “Lincoln”
It’s an outstanding movie. Knowing the early work of the Republican Party related to its actions to free the slaves, especially in today’s extremely divisive era, is important history for Americans to know or revisit.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to see “Amour.”
Actor in a Leading Role – Daniel Day-Lewis
I thought Day-Lewis did a tremendous job portraying Lincoln.
Actor in a Supporting Role – Alan Arkin for “Argo”
I thought “Argo” was a good action movie without dozens of people being brutally murdered.
Actress in a Leading Role – Naomi Watts for “The Impossible”
When I went to my local independent film theater, I happened to see this movie which was doubled-billed with the Short Film – Live Action nominations. About the tsunami in Indonesia, it was bloody, with many dead bodies. However, the images were part of an event that actually happened.
Naomi Watts is a skilled actress, who carried out the role of the severely injured mother very well.
Actress in a Supporting Role – Sally Field in “Lincoln”
Mary Todd Lincoln was a complex personality, and I think Sally Field did a good job in her portrayal of her.
Cinematography – “Life of Pi” and “Lincoln”
Animated Feature Film – None
None of the films nominated in this category are deserving of an Academy Award. That these kinds of films are what American movie makers think are good entertainment for children is discouraging. “Frankenwennie” is a terrible, an oddly drawn animation about a boy who makes his dog and other creatures come to life. “Paranormal,” another oddly drawn animation, is about a boy who can talk to the dead and saves the town.”Brave” is yet another violent Disney princess movie. “Wreck-It-Ralph,” about a game character who leaves his game, is unremarkable.
Costume Design – “Lincoln”
Direction – Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln”
Film Editing – Michael Kahn for “Lincoln”
Music – Original Score – John Williams for “Lincoln”
Music – Original Song – Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth for “Skyfall” and Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri for “Pi’s Lullaby”
Production Design – Rick Carter and Jim Erickson for “Lincoln"
Short Film – Live Action – “Asad,” “Curfew,” and “Henry”
I was surprised about the depth of the movies in this category. Many offered a view of what might happen in daily life here and in other countries. “Asad” is about a Somali boy who is faced with choosing between piracy and fishing. In “Curfew,” a depressed man is saved by reconnecting with his family. “Henry” is about the trials of a man who faces the changes of Alzheimer’s disease. “Buzkashi Boys” tells the story of two boys in Afghanistan who are
trying against tough odds to shape their futures.
Sound Editing – None
Most movies are too loud so I wouldn’t select any of the ones I saw for an Academy Award.
Sound Mixing – None
Again, I didn’t enjoy the sound of any of the movies I saw.
Visual Effects – Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer, and Donald R. Elliott for the “Life of Pi.”
I’d read the book, so I was very interested in how all those difficult scenes with the tiger could be filmed. It’s one thing to write about them, but another to produce them for a film.
Writing – Adapted Screenplay – Michael Haneke for “Amour”
The other nominated movies that I saw in this category, which aren’t worthy of an Academy Award: “Django Unchained,” “Skyfall,” and “Zero Dark Thirty.”
Let me know about your opinions on the Academy Award nominated movies in the Comment section below.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Every year, I write about the movies nominated for Academy
Awards. I think Hollywood puts out too many terrible, violent movies. Along
with violent TV programs and video games, I think all these violent images
affect children and adults, leading to increased violence in society.
Visit my blog Sunday for my list of which movies I think
should win Academy Awards.
AARP began giving out the awards to call attention to, with
the aging of baby boomers, the fact that more movies should be made for older
adults. The group was tired of so many teen movies.
Here are AARP’s winners for 2013:
Best Movie for Grownups – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
Best Director 50+ - Steven Spielberg for “Lincoln”
Best Actor 50+ - Denzel Washington for “Flight”
Best Actress 50+ - Judi Dench for “The Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel”
Best Comedy – “Bernie”
Best Supporting Actor 50+ - John Goodman for “Flight”
Best Supporting Actress 50+ - Jacki Weaver for “Silver
Linings Playbook”
Best Screenwriter 50+ - Ben Lewin for “The Sessions”
Breakthrough Accomplishment – Dustin Hoffman, director
of “Quartet”
Best Grownup Love Story – Helen Mirren and Anthony Hopkins
for “Hitchcock”
Best Intergenerational Movie – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Best Documentary – “Searching for Sugar Man”
Best Time Capsule – “Argo” set in the 1970s
Best Foreign Film – “Amour” – Australia, in French with
English subtitles
Best Buddy Picture – “Robot and Frank”
Best Movie for Grownups Who Refuse to Grow Up – “Moonrise Kingdom”
Readers’ Choice – “Lincoln”
I applaud AARP for offering this awards program to help improve
the quality and diversity of the movies shown in American.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Last week, I was confused when I saw an article with the
Mount Rushmore presidents on a Presidents’ Day article. Then, I looked it up.
I was surprised to find that some people are looking at
Presidents’ Day as broader than a day to celebrate the lives of George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They also add Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt,
the two other Mount Rushmore presidents.
In additional, several articles said it’s a day to celebrate
the lives and work of all presidents.
What? I decided to look up the official view of Presidents’ Day.
It’s George Washington's Birthday that is
celebrated as a federal holiday on the third Monday in February. It’s one of 11
permanent holidays established by Congress.
Washington's
Birthday was celebrated on February 22 until well into the 20th Century,
according to the National Archives. However, in 1968 Congress passed the Monday
Holiday Law to "provide uniform annual observances of certain legal public
holidays on Mondays." By creating more three-day weekends, Congress hoped
to "bring substantial benefits to both the spiritual and economic life of
the nation."
One of the
provisions of this act changed the observance of Washington's Birthday from
February 22nd to the third Monday in February. Ironically, this guaranteed that
the holiday would never be celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, as the
third Monday in February can’t fall any later than February 21.
Contrary to
popular belief, neither Congress nor the president has ever stipulated that the
name of the holiday observed as Washington's Birthday be changed to
"President's Day."
Interesting. For myself, I’m sticking with Washington and
Jefferson.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
I’m the host for this week’s Best of Boomer
Blogs #296.
The boomer blog roundup is
a collection of like-minded blogs cooperating to share their best stories of interest
to the Baby Boomer Generation.
As we experience the last
throws of winter, boomer bloggers have a lot on their minds.
Tom Sightings of Sightings
Over Sixty just got home from his Snowbird trip to Florida. In his article,
“It Drives Me Crazy,”
he relates some of his experiences on the road. Hint: Stay away from
Washington, D.C.
Laura Lee Carter, of the Midlife Crisis Queen, writes that perhaps you
didn't know, but you have the option to become more optimistic at any age, and
there are many benefits. Let Laura Lee teach you what she's learned about the Science
of Optimism and Resilience.
This week
the United Arab Emirates
newspapers reported that users of TripAdvisorranked the Sheikh Zayed
Grand MosqueNo. 16 on the list of the top most talked
about attractions in the world. It joins the ranks of such iconic
global sites as Sydney Harbor, the Coliseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris,
and Central Park in New York City. Arabian Tales Katie Foster explains what makes this mosque so special.
On my blog, I let consumers know about two big corporate
settlements:
Transocean Deepwater Inc. pleaded guilty to a violation of
the Clean Water Act for its illegal conduct leading to the 2010 Deepwater
Horizon disaster and was sentenced to pay $400 million in criminal fines and
penalties.
After nearly five years of litigation, a settlement was announced
on behalf of investors totaling $688 million in class actions against Merck
& Co. Inc., Schering-Plough Corp., and Merck/Schering-Plough
Pharmaceuticals.
Be sure to stop by again next week to see what our baby
boomer bloggers are writing about.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Taylor Farms Retail Inc. is recalling some of its Organic
Baby Spinach products with the potential to be contaminated with
Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli.
No illnesses linked to this recall have been reported, the company said
in a statement.
However, Taylor Farms
advises consumers that if they have eaten its spinach and experienced any
symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately.
The brands involved are: Central Market Organics, Full Circle
Organic, Marketside Organic, Simple Truth Organic, and Taylor Farms Organic.
All brands are marked to be sold by Feb. 24. Click here to see the size of the packages of the brands sold and their UPC number.
The spinach was sold in Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana,
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, Minnesota, Missouri,
Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, New Jersey, New York,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia,
Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
If you have any questions about this recall, call 855-293-9811,
or fill out an online form and a Taylor Farms representative will contact you.
It brought joy to be able to give a nice present to my
great-niece. However, I was furious to get a letter from my bank with a mistake.
My best consumer experience: Getting the coupon price on a
gift
When my sister and I went to visit my niece in the Fort
Lauderdale area, we went to the mall for a walk before we headed to Bahama
Breeze for dinner.
We went in the Justice shop, a store with clothes for kids
and teens, which is the favorite brand of my niece’s daughter Savannah. My
niece showed us two dresses that Savannah liked that were on sale.
When we finished our walk and went by the shop, I suggested
we buy the dresses for Savannah for an early birthday present.
When the sales associate scanned the first dress, she said
the dresses weren’t on sale without a coupon. They would be $50, not $30.
We were flabbergasted. We didn’t notice that a coupon was
required. My niece had other coupons for Justice, but they weren’t valid until
the next day.
We looked at each other and were getting ready to leave when
the sales associate rang up the first dress at the sale price. Then the second
one.
It turned out well, but we noticed as we were leaving the
mall that none of the other retail clothing shops required coupons for their
sales.
My worst consumer experience: Getting a letter from my bank
with an error
This month, my mortgage is paid off. Hurrah.
However, I was very upset when I got a letter from my bank
saying that I had requested my automatic payments be stopped, so I would be
getting statements or a payment coupon book for future payments.
What? Doesn’t my bank know that I only have one partial
payment left?
When I called on Monday, the person at the Payoff Office
said the letter was a form letter that was generated. The bank can’t take a
partial payment from my bank account so the letter was sent.
I told the banker that I’d paid thousands and thousands of
dollars of interest over the years on the mortgage and I expected a higher
level of customer service.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
After
nearly five years of litigation, a settlement was announced Thursday on behalf
of investors totaling $688 million in class actions against Merck & Co.
Inc., Schering-Plough Corp., and Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals.
These
two actions stem from claims that Merck and Schering, which merged in November
2009, artificially inflated their securities by concealing information and
making false and misleading statements about the anti-cholesterol drugs Zetia
and Vytorin, attorneys for the plaintiffs said in a statement.
The
plaintiffs alleged that even though the defendants knew that a clinical trial
of Vytorin, called “ENHANCE,” demonstrated that Vytorin, a combination of Zetia
and a generic statin medication, was no more effective than the cheaper,
generic statin drug at reducing artery thickness, the companies championed the
“benefits” of the drugs, attracting billions of dollars of capital in the
process.
Yielding
to public pressure to release the results of the ENHANCE trial, the plaintiffs
alleged that the companies reluctantly announced that the cholesterol drugs
showed "no statistically significant difference" in plaque buildup,
and that news of these negative results and their related consequences caused
sharp declines in the value of the companies’ securities, resulting in
significant losses to investors.
The law firms Bernstein
Litowitz Berger & Grossmann and Grant & Eisenhofer represent the Merck
class. Bernstein Litowitz and Labaton Sucharow represent the Schering class.
Among
the plaintiffs are the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, Public Employees'
Retirement System of Mississippi, Louisiana Municipal Police Employees'
Retirement System, Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund, and General Retirement
System of the City of Detroit.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Transocean Deepwater Inc. pleaded guilty Thursday to a violation of the
Clean Water Act for its illegal conduct leading to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster
and was sentenced to pay $400 million in criminal fines and penalties, Attorney
General Holder said in a statement.
In total, the amount of fines and other criminal penalties imposed on
Transocean are the second-largest environmental crime recovery in U.S. history
– following the $4 billion criminal sentence imposed on BP Exploration and
Production Inc. in connection with the same disaster.
“Transocean’s guilty plea and sentencing are the latest steps in the
department’s ongoing efforts to seek justice on behalf of the victims of the
Deepwater Horizon disaster,” said Holder.
Most of the $400 million will go toward protecting, restoring, and rebuilding
the Gulf Coast region, he said.
BP and Transocean have now both been held criminally accountable for
their roles in this disaster, said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer
of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
During the guilty plea proceeding Thursday in federal court, Transocean
admitted that members of its crew onboard the Deepwater Horizon, acting at the
direction of BP’s well site leaders, were negligent in failing to investigate
clear indications that the Macondo well was not secure and that oil and gas
were flowing into the well.
Under the court order, $150 million of the $400 million criminal
recovery is dedicated to acquiring, restoring, preserving, and conserving – in
consultation with state and other resource managers – the marine and coastal
environments, ecosystems, and bird and wildlife habitat in the Gulf of Mexico
and bordering states that were harmed by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
This portion of the criminal recovery will also be directed to
significant barrier island restoration and/or river diversion off the coast of
Louisiana to benefit and improve coastal wetlands affected by the spill.
An additional $150 million will be used to fund improved oil spill
prevention and response efforts in the Gulf through research, development,
education and training.
Transocean was also sentenced, according to the plea agreement, to five
years of probation – the maximum term of probation permitted by law.
A separate proposed civil agreement, which would resolve the United
States’ civil Clean Water Act penalty claims, would impose a record $1 billion
civil penalty and require measures to improve performance and prevent
recurrence. The proposal is pending in federal court.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
