The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

The best and worst super bowl ads of 2019

For years, I’ve written about the Super Bowl ads because they get so much attention. Since so many of them have been violent, ageist, and sexist, I think it’s something that consumers need to know about.

However, this year, before I evaluate the ads, I need to comment on the NFL’s attempts to smooth over its botch response to black athletes kneeling when the national anthem is played to protest police brutality and racism.

Dr. Bernice A. King, the youngest child of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, came out on the field before Super Bowl LIII for the coin toss. Two civil rights leaders, Ambassador Andrew Young and U.S. Representative John Lewis, joined by her.

Top 10 stores for Cyber Monday shopping

Cyber Monday isn't just for Black Friday leftovers. Some of the year's best sales will take place on Monday, Nov. 26. So, you may want to save part of your holiday shopping budget for Cyber Monday deals.

Which stores will be offering the best savings? DealNews.com offers 10 suggestions, based on the best sales last year from Cyber Monday and the Sunday before.

1. Amazon

Best for: Gaming, toys, home, and almost anything else you can buy online

While plenty of other retailers offer Cyber Monday sales, none of them match Amazon's. Last year, DealNews.com saw three times as many Cyber Monday deals at Amazon as the next highest retailer.

What did you think of the ads during the Winter Olympics?

During the Winter Olympics this year, it was refreshing that the ads didn't continually feature violence. Every year, I write about the Super Bowl ads, which this year, as usual, had dozens of violent ads, mostly movie trailers. Now, I'm watching the 2017 Academy Award nominated movies, most of which are violent or have some violence.

Winter Olympic ads cost between $700,000 and $750,000 for 30 seconds. Although NBC said it set a record for national advertising sales in this year's Winter Olympics of $900 million, some of the top spenders in the past have withdrawn, such as McDonalds, from advertising, and others, such as General Motors, Procter and Gamble, and Coca-Cola, have cut their spending.

See "Here's What the Winter Olympics' Top Sponsors Have Planned for the Pyeongchang Games" to watch some of the ads from this year's Winter Olympics.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Super Bowl 2018: Ads still mostly violent and ageism makes a comeback

A 30-second TV ad for the 2018 Super Bowl cost more than $5 million, down from $5.5 million last year. About 100 million people watched the big game, which is why advertisers are willing to pay so much for the ads.

Unfortunately, the ads again this year were violent, violent, and more violent. That was due, in large part, to the awful violent movie trailers and ads for TV shows. I just don’t know why children are allowed to watch so much of this kind of violence on television. I don’t go see horror movies and I don’t want to watch ads for them – ever.

Fortunately, Betty White or another person wasn’t tackled and thrown to the ground as happened in the 2010 Snicker’s ad or a man wasn’t slapped in the face because his sandwich was good.

However, the ad makers, and the companies that hire them, can’t resist using violence to sell.

Best ads

Ads for the Olympics featuring stories about how some of America’s top athletes became successful in their sports.

Arrow nocks recalled by Ravin Crossbows due to injury hazard

About 220,000 Ravin arrow nocks are being recalled in the United States with about an addition 3,600 recalled in Canada. Arrow nocks are small, plastic parts that take the full force of each arrow shot and transmit that force to the arrow shaft. 

If the nock isn’t fully engaged with the bowstring, the crossbow can fail to discharge when the trigger is pulled and can result in the bow discharging while re-nocking of the arrow, posing an injury hazard to users.

The firm has received 44 reports of the arrow nocks malfunctioning. There were 23 reports of finger injuries, including six serious injuries.

Let’s have gun control now

If not now, when?

After 26 people were shot dead and 20 injured at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, on Sunday, President Donald Trump said the shooting was caused by a mental health problem not an issue with gun laws in the United States.

What?

Every day, 93 people are killed with a gun in America. In 2016, the number of gun deaths climbed to 38,000. Since the massacre in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and injured hundreds, 33 mass shootings have occurred in the United States in places such as Maryland, Ohio, and California. With the shooting in Texas on Sunday, the number is now 34.

“The alarming frequency with which we watch terrifying scenes unfold in our communities is devastating – and it’s not normal,” said Gabby Giffords, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who was shot in 2011 while meeting with constituents in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona.

How to escape from the daily bad news

Photo: Carol Cassara

Since our current president was elected, American is being barraged with news item after new item every day on crazy things the president is doing and thinking. I recently sent an email to KUOW, the national public radio station I listen to regularly, asking them to air some positive opposing view every time President Trump is on with his demeaning, derogartory comments.

Andrew Weil, M.D., an alternative medicine physician, recommends avoiding the daily news to improve your health.

“I’m not advocating that you become uninformed about the state of the world,” Weil said in a Huffington Post article. “But in addition to the recommendations I make about how to nourish your body, I think it is important to become aware of what we put into our consciousness as well.”

He suggests that “images and reports of violence, death, and disaster can promote undesirable changes in mood and aggravate anxiety, sadness, and depression, which in turn can have deleterious effects on physical health.”

See the article “10 Ideas for Avoiding the News of the Day” for suggestions from one of our boomer bloggers.

Another suggests taking a look at her photos of clothing from the Summer of Love exhibit at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco to take a break from daily bad news. Yes, bell bottoms, leather clogs, granny dresses, tunics, leather jackets, suede fringe jackets, the maxi coat, the peace symbol, button covered jackets, boots to wear for all occasions, tie dye, and more.

Watch out for ‘free’ trial offers: You could end up paying for items you don’t want

If a company offers you a free trial, you may be getting yourself into a lot of trouble if you sign up.

Hidden strings attached to a deal can get you involved up in hard-to-escape buying plans that charge you for products or services you don’t want.

That happened to many consumers who signed up for “free” online trial offers of golf and cooking products and services, according to a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit.

Sellers that went by names such as Golf Online Academy and Kitchen Advance offered “free” trials really were “negative option” offers. That means you’d have to cancel before the trial period ended – or be automatically enrolled to get regular shipments of items and pay regular charges.

Missing the Olympic Games, but not the commentary

For the last two weeks, I've really enjoyed watching the Olympic Games.

Phenomenal athletes, tremendous challenges, and high drama.

Michael Phelps of Team USA bringing his medal total for swimming to 23. Sprinter Usain Bolt from Jamaica winning three gold medals in three races for the third time. Simone Biles emerging as the world’s top new gymnastic all star. USA newcomer Katie Ledecky winning four gold medals in swimming in her first Olympics.

The Olympics: Why the emphasis on beach volleyball on TV?

I'm really enjoying the Olympics. It's fantastic to see such fabulous American athletes and athletes from other countries doing so well.

But it seems that every other time turn on the television, NBC is showing beach volleyball. I haven't seen archery, fencing, or some of the other less well known sports. Maybe I can find clips on YouTube.

Anyway, congratulations to all the athletes who participate. It's a wonderful opportunity to watch athletes making such a contribution to their sport.

Copyright 2016, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist