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.

Charter Communication agrees to record settlement for fraud in its internet services

Charter Communications and Spectrum Management Holding Co. have agreed to pay $174.2 million for defrauding internet subscribers. About $62.5 million of the funds will go to refunds for consumers, making it, regulators say, the largest-ever payout to consumers by an internet service provider, or ISP, in U.S. history.

Charter Communications merged with Time Warner in 2016, and has rebranded the internet, phone, and cable service as Spectrum Cable. Providing services to more than 26 million customers in 41 states, it’s the second-largest cable operator in the United States by subscribers, after Comcast.

The Tuesday agreement settles a fraud allegation that New York state’s largest ISP denied customers the reliable and fast internet service it had promised.

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.

Security problem in Samsung smart TVs corrected for 2018, with an update for older sets coming soon

Samsung has fixed a security flaw in its smart televisions in response to an investigation into privacy and security standards in these TVs.

Consumer Reports reported in February it had found that millions of TVs from Samsung, as well as those from brands that use the Roku TV platform, could be controlled by hackers using easy-to-find security flaws.

The problems were discovered during a Consumer Reports-led privacy and security evaluation of five smart TV brands.

Comcast continues its poor customer service

On Wednesday evening, something happened to my Comcast internet connection. I was just starting to upload thousands of photos into iCloud which hadn’t been uploaded since early this year for some reason.

It was about bedtime, so I was hoping that when I woke up Thursday, it would be working. No such luck.

About 11 a.m., I noticed that my Comcast telephone wasn’t working either. Darn, darn, darn.

I called Comcast. An agent tried to reset my modem, telling me to wait 10 minutes to see if it worked. However, nothing happened.

Good deals for Father’s Day 2018

Not sure what get for your dad for Father’s Day?

Here are some suggestions from DealNews.com:

TVs

In the month leading up to Father's Day last year, DealNews.com saw plenty of TV deals for every budget.

Games

If your dad's hobbies include gaming, Father's Day is a good time to indulge him. During the month before Father's Day last year, DealNews.com saw the most deals on video games for consoles, although there was a good number of computer game deals, too.

Outdoor items

Maybe your dad loves the great outdoors. If so, there are plenty of deals on outdoor gear around Father's Day.

Tools

Unfortunately, for the do-it-yourself-loving dad, tool deals are less common this time of year.

Clothes

Apparel sales might not be common around the holiday, but there should still be a handful. Expect savings in the 20 percent to 30 percent range, or maybe a buy one, get one free promotion. 

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Trump showed in his North Korean press conference that he has strange view of government

Photo: Shealah Craighead

It was upsetting to listen to President Donald Trump’s news conference following his meeting with North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un.

Trump said the United States would stop its war games in the area, which would save “a tremendous amount of money.” He talked about how expensive it is to send bombers from Guam to the Korean peninsula for the war games.

While it was hugely inappropriate for Trump to be talking about the cost of the military exercises following a negotiation on denuclearization and probably unwise for him to give Kim this victory so early in the negotiations, it also showed how skewed Trump and his administration are on government spending.

Boomers concentrate on food, travel, and the comforts of home as June begins

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting thinks the month of June begins the best season of the year – the Farmers Market Season. Her market is a short drive away on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. When she walks to her local market Friday morning, she greets neighbors, meanders slowly from stand to stand, and fills her reusable, recyclable bags. Nothing in stores compares with the delicious flavor of fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, Baer says. Asparagus and strawberries displayed Friday morning were handpicked Thursday evening.

While Baer is busy drooling over Farmers Market produce, boomer bloggers are writing about menu labels, the challenge of trying new things, the Oregon Trail, Emmy Nominated TV programs, and limited water gardening.

Baer writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #549. Click here to get the links to the articles.

Have a great week and spend a few minutes visiting our fellow bloggers. They love to hear from you.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Freixenet makes millions of bottles of cava at a reasonable price

When my daughter, sister, and I headed to the Penedes region of Spain, famous for its cava or sparkling wine, the first winery we visited was Albet i Noya, a small winery that makes organic wines.

The second winery I selected, Freixenet, is the largest seller of Spanish cava in the world.

When we drove up to the winery, located in Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, we saw the famous Freixenet vehicles used in its advertising campaigns throughout the years. A convertible…

motorcycles, and...

a car.

Baby boomers offer their thoughts and observations on spring

It’s officially Spring – which is more important for some of our boomer bloggers than others. For Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski of Baby Boomster it’s not too significant because she lives in Californian, where all the seasons meld into one. However, our Best of Boomer Bloggers are spread all over the world. A couple of us are still in the snow and Sue Loncaric, who lives in Australia is enjoying autumn.

It’s also Earth Day weekend. People concerned about protecting the earth are raising awareness, so our children and grandchildren won’t have to suffer from our carelessness. Enjoy our spring thoughts and observations.

Topics for our bloggers include Earth Day, self-care and self-investment, creativity, breath, chronic illness, violent TV programming, and money matters.

Forstadt-Olkowski writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #543. Click here to find the links to these articles.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist