Sometime it takes strength to be human. As we brave the cold weather and wait for spring, baby boomer bloggers are writing about difficult topics. They include:
The loss of a partner of 15 years due to cancer.
The skyrocketing rate of suicide for children.
What to do if you’re traveling during the current coronavirus outbreak.
Topics on the lighter side include:
A tour of the aquarium in Charleston, South Carolina.
A trip north to help with the grandkids in Vermont.
The eight most challenging things about restaurants.
Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #636. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers appreciate getting your comments.
Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling about 222,207 model year 2014-2019 Ram ProMasters vans equipped with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine.
The transmission shifter cable could separate, disconnecting the transmission shifter from the transmission, which could result in the inability of the driver to shift the transmission. The gear shift level position may not match the transmission gear, according to the recall.
As a result, the driver may not know the actual gear position and unintended vehicle movement could occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
It makes me so happy when the Academy Awards are over. Then, I can stop watching violent movies.
So this year, although there were some great movies, the majority still were overly violent and largely male oriented.
Here are my picks for the best movies made in 2019:
Best picture
I liked “1917” best, a tale of two British World War I soldiers sent on a critical, stressful mission. Although it was violent, it was about a war. It wasn’t gratuitous violence. I thought it was a well written, engaging story.
I also liked “Marriage Story.” The writing was good, and it was about something that happens to ordinary people, a bitter divorce, although the two main characters were an actor and a director.
“Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood” didn’t catch my fancy. Spoiler alert. About an egotistical actor and his stunt man side kick, it ends up with a different twist about the Charles Manson murders. To me, it didn’t seem like an important “story” to tell.
As for “Little Women,” I’ve never liked the story. Having grown up with two sisters, I don’t find the story of sibling rivalry among sisters that engaging. However, I did enjoy the costuming with 2020 being the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and revisiting an era when suffrage leaders were doing their work.
“Ford v. Ferrari” was very good, but “1917” was better. However, it was another buddy movie like “Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood.” It was discouraging to see the leaders of Ford Motor Co., in the 1960s, all white men. Not a woman or minority in sight. Not even as a secretary.
When I watched “Parasite,” I was glad when it was over. It’s a dark comedy set in Korea in which members of an unemployed family target a wealthy household. I was extremely anxious that the poor family would get caught, but disgusted at the rich family, some who could tell the smell of poor people who rode the subway.
I didn’t like “Jojo Rabbit,” a Hitler youth comedy, at all. With the rise of Nazism around the world, even in the United States, I don’t think a 10-year-old brown shirt having Hitler as an imaginary friend is funny.
I didn’t see “Joker” by choice. I just couldn’t stand the idea of watching the development of a psychopathic killer, who I’d seen in terrible, awful Batman movies.
For some reason, the Super Bowl this year seemed to be so violent and sexist.
I'm not a football fan, but I watch the Super Bowl every year to comment on the ads to see if they continue to be violent, sexist, and ageist.
This year, the game itself and the ads this were so violent, with dozens of ads for violent TV shows and violent movies. It was discouraging. After being blasted with all the violent ads, it hard to even concentrate on the others to see if there was anything worthwhile.
I was also disappointed with the half time performance. When it came time for women can take part in the Super Bowl, we had scantily clad women singing and dancing. It was so discouraging that women's role in the Super Bowl and on TV continues to be as sex objects. As one of my friends said when I commented on this on Facebook, let's have a marching band.
However, I didn’t see any sexist or ageist ads, which is a big improvement from years past.
This year, the most expensive 30-second ads cost advertisers $5.6 million.
Best ads
Google: An older man asks Google to see photos of his late wife, Loretta.
Jeep Gladiator: An older Bill Murray, of “Groundhog Day” movie fame, finds an orange Jeep in downtown Punxsutawney, kidnaps the groundhog, and goes on a series of adventures, saying “No day is the same in a Jeep Gladiator.”
Defendants operating hundreds of websites that promised a quick and easy government service, such as renewing a driver’s license or determining eligibility for public benefits, were ordered by a federal court to temporarily stop their activities.
The FTC alleges that consumers provided information because they believed the websites would provide the services. Instead, consumers received only a PDF containing publicly available, general information about the service.
The FTC alleges that the defendants’ sites used similar language to get consumers to give up their credit card information, personal data, or both.
It’s been a tough week. I had to organize the hundreds of photos I took at the National Women’s History Alliance conference in early January, which meant I lost time writing my book, “Follow the Money: My Life as a Financial Journalist.”
On Sunday, the Super Bowl was so violent, the game itself and the ads, and sexist, the half time show, that I’m trying to get over it before it before I write about the Super Bowl ads. Then, the delay in results for the Democratic winner of the Iowa caucuses disappointed. Next came the state of the union address, which I didn’t watch, but I’ve had to endure dozens of clips on the radio and television. Then, Wednesday, the Senate voted to acquit President Trump.
Can I go to bed and cover up my head?
Meanwhile, my baby boomer blogging friends are writing about:
A sailboat trip in the West Indies.
The challenges of shopping at IKEA.
The pros and cons of cruises.
What to do when mobility starts to decline.
The one thing you need to do to follow your dreams.
How North Carolina isn’t turning out to be warm for a winter vacation.
How to view your life with kindsight.
Carol Cassara of Heart•Mind•Soul writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #635. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers enjoy hearing from readers.
Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist
In Tuesday’s email, I received a notice from the Federal Trade Commission that outlines its proposal to reexamine the Funeral Rule. The rule, adopted in 1984, protects consumers from unfair and deceptive practices in the sale of funeral products and services.
My heart sank when I read the email. With the Trump administration destroying laws on pesticides, clean water, consumer protection, and many others, I worried this is another attempt to hurt consumers.
My first prize-winning article as a journalist was on funeral costs. I’m including the article in the book I’m writing on my journalism career, “Follow the Money: My Life as a Financial Journalist.”
The coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, has spread to at least 25 other countries. It has killed at least 425 people, and infected more than 20,500 in China. Among the countries with cases of the coronavirus are Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, and Vietnam.
In the U.S., 20 airports are screening passengers for the virus.
Symptoms of the coronavirus are fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, headache, shortness of breath, and gastro-intestinal problems.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday that four more companies are recalling inclined sleepers to prevent additional deaths and suffocation injuries.
Infant fatalities have been reported with other manufacturers’ inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, or under other circumstances.
At least 73 infant deaths have occurred in inclined sleepers, including the Fisher-Price rock ‘n play and the Kids II rocking sleeper.
The CPSC is proposing a new rule that would remove these products from market.
Parents and caregivers should stop using all versions of inclined immediately, even if it hasn’t been included in a recall, consumer groups advises. Consumers can contact the companies included in Wednesday’s recall and request a refund or voucher.
The companies and products in the most recent inclined sleeper recall are:
For more information, call Summer Infant at 800-426-8627 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.summerinfant.com and click on Safety Alerts and Recall Information.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a policy statement that attempts to narrow the federal law that prohibits abusive financial acts and practices by banks, debt collectors, payday lenders, and other consumer finance companies.
After the 2008 financial crisis, Congress passed a law that prohibits abusive acts or practices in consumer finance. Current federal law prohibits taking unreasonable advantage of consumers who don’t have the ability to protect themselves or lack an understanding of the risks in complicated financial contracts.
“Today’s policy statement attempts to rewrite federal law without authorization from Congress or a court order,” said Christopher Peterson, director of financial services for the Consumer Federation of America. “The new policy statement fabricates a ‘good faith’ exception that lets businesses engaging in abusive practices off the hook for financial penalties when they claim violations of the law were unintentional.”
