Author: coastcontact

I am a somewhat cranky but mostly optimistic 65 plus who refuses to give up on this maddening world. The purpose of this BLOG is to express my feelings, thoughts.

“It’s A Wonderful Life” is a Message of Hope

Clarence the Angel and George Bailey 

In honor of the film’s 65th anniversary, the Los Angeles City Council declared Friday “It’s A Wonderful Life Day.”

Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, for the one or two people who still haven’t seen the classic Frank Capra film “It’s A Wonderful Life,” is a man driven to the brink of suicide when he comes to believe his life never really mattered.

“My father always said that ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ was the best movie that he ever made,” Tom Capra said. “As a matter of fact, he said it was the best movie ever made.”

“It carried with it the message that you can find in each of my dad’s films. The message of hope,” Capra said. “Maybe like George Bailey, we should pause for a brief moment and examine our lives and see if we can make a difference as long as we never give up.”

It’s available in on DVD from Netflix and it airs again Saturday night on NBC.

This story originally posted by the Associated Press.

Basic Digital Camera Sales Are Falling

This article appeared in the Los Angeles Times dated December 23, 2011

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/…echnology/2011/12/phone-camera-photos.html

The essence is 27% of photos and videos taken this year were shot with smartphones — up from 17% last year. Not surprisingly, sales of the basic digital point-and-shoot cameras suffered.

For the upper-level point-and-shoots — with optical zooms of 10x or greater and an average price of $247 — unit sales grew 16%. And digital single-lens-reflex cameras — with an average retail price of $863 — were popular enough that some camera shops were out of them the week before Christmas. Unit sales were up 12%.

All of this according to a survey by NPD Group (formerly National Purchase Diary), a leading North American market research company.

Best Buy Screw-up Means the Economy is on an Upswing

Some shoppers are having a very frustrating holiday season, thanks to retailer Best Buy. Some of their gifts aren’t going to make it in time for Christmas, according to Moneyland.

Amazon along with some major on-line photo suppliers ran out of some cameras a week before Christmas.

ABC television reported an upswing in car sales during December.

In the latest sign that the economy is surging at year’s end, unemployment claims have dropped to the lowest level since April 2008 as reported by the Associated Press.

Unfortunately, whether you are buying a new washing machine or a new television, the goods are not manufactured in the United States.

Still there are signs of growth in house construction and other businesses.  Let’s not forget the increased employment in North Dakota thanks to oil extraction activities.

70% of or economy is based upon consumer consumption.  Reports are indicating a 6% increase in sales over last December.

It appears we have turned the corner!

Lower Social Security Taxes Harm Everyone

Surveys tell us that congress has a favorable rating by about 9% of the population.  That is significantly worse than the president’s rating that is about 45%.  In spite of that the congress continues to behave as if they had public support.

The most recent outrageous decision was the vote by the Senate to extend the reduced Social Security tax for two months rather than the one year requested by the president.  To add to this foolish political dance the House refuses to confirm the Senate’s regulation.  The consequence is that there may not be an extension of the lower tax regulation.

The idea of reducing the Social Security tax is a bit of political nonsense.  The law puts $20 a week more into the hands of those earning $50,000 per year.  This is not a consequential tax reduction.  It is enough to buy a half a tank of gasoline for most cars (not SUVs).  The effect of the first year of this lower tax has been reported to be zero.

So why is the president pushing so hard for this lower rate?  He will win the political argument no matter how the congress votes.  If the law is not passed he will blame the Republicans and point out that they only favor tax cuts for the rich.  If the law is passed he will point out that it was he who triumphantly won a tax cut for the average man despite the efforts of the Republicans to block fairness.

The worst part of this law is that it lowers tax collections needed to support the Social Security trust fund.

This entire tax battle is another example of politicians legislating short term benefits at the expense of long term financial needs of the nation.

Mitt Romney is Out of Touch with Working Americans

Let’s be clear about this situation.  I know some people who really have no concept of living in a 1200 square foot home.  Worse yet they have no idea what it is like to go without a meal.  Mitt Romney is one of those people.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa—Mitt Romney opened himself up to criticism Friday by saying he didn’t understand Medicaid until he started working in government. The Republican presidential candidate later tried to clarify the comment, but Democrats had already pounced, saying his words were further proof that the multimillionaire businessman is out of touch.

“You wonder what Medicaid is, those that aren’t into all this government stuff. You know, I have to admit. I didn’t know all the differences between these things before I got into government,” Romney told voters at a campaign event. “Then I got into it and understood that Medicaid is the health care program for the poor, by and large.”

 

Medicaid is a federal-state health care program for the poor and disabled.

Romney tried later to clarify what he meant, telling reporters traveling with him to South Carolina that he understood the program but didn’t quite grasp how it was funded. He called his earlier comment a “self-deprecating understatement.”

Democrats said the comment showed Romney doesn’t understand working-class people.

“One has to wonder how Mitt Romney thinks he can represent American workers, their families and seniors when his concern for the poor and the middle class comes across like an afterthought,” Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.

Romney, who was in his late 40s when he ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 1994, told reporters that his prior work for a health care consulting company taught him how important Medicaid and Medicare, a health care program for seniors, are to hospitals.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Jewish Newlyweds

Please excuse the four-letter words toward the end of the

following story… I would have deleted them, but the story wouldn’t be the same..

—

A young Jewish couple got married and went on their honeymoon.

When they got back, the bride immediately called her mother.

“Well”, said her mother, “so how was the honeymoon?”

“Oh mama”, she replied, “the honeymoon was wonderful! So romantic”… Suddenly she burst out crying.

“But, mama, as soon as we returned, Sam started using the most horrible language — things I’d never heard before!

I mean, all these awful four-letter words!

You’ve got to take me home!!

“PLEASE, MAMA !”

“Sarah, Sarah”, her mother said, “calm down! You need to stay with your husband and work this out. Now, tell me, what could be so awful?

WHAT four-letter words?”

“Please don’t make me tell you, mama,” wept the daughter.

“I’m so embarrassed, they’re just too awful! COME GET ME, PLEASE!!”

“Darling, baby, you must tell me what has you so upset. Tell your mother these horrible four-letter words!”

Sobbing, the bride said, “Oh, Mama…, he used words like: “DUST, WASH, IRON and COOK…

“I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes,” said her mother.

Occupy Wall Street

The revolution continues worldwide!

The world economic order is on the verge of collapse.  European financial markets are in turmoil.  The real unemployment rate in the U.S.A. is probably closer to 12%.  More people stopped working last month than were hired into new jobs. 120,000 new jobs but 315,000 people stopped seeking employment.  The Federal government points to a lower unemployment rate as a sign of success.

Occupy Wall Street link is added to my blog Roll.

Fear of Retribution Results in Bigotry

I admit to being somewhat frightened by the growing number of Muslims in the United States.  Their desire to enforce Sharia law could become a serious problem.  At the same time I want to support our desire to recognize everyone’s right to practice their religion no matter what that religion may be.

Lowe’s, the nationwide big-box home improvement chain, is facing criticism for its decision to withdraw advertising from a reality cable show about American Muslims.  Their decision was based upon pressure from the Florida Family Association.  That group described the television program as “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.”

“I’m saddened that any place of business would succumb to bigots and people trying to perpetuate their negative views on an entire community,” said Suehaila Amen, one of the cast members of the show, in an interview with the Detroit News.

Thus I am faced with a dilemma.  It happened that the program appeared on my television on the TLC channel just minutes before I saw the news item about Lowe’s pulling their advertising support.  The program really is a harmless and somewhat silly show focused on five Muslim families in Dearborn, Michigan.  Honestly the program was not very engaging.  The program definitely did not promote Islam to the rest of American society.

The same channel could provide programming focusing on Hassidic Jews or the Amish.  Perhaps they could offer a program about Sikh’s in America.  Here, where I live, there seems to be a large Indian and Sikh population.

Lowe’s is just a half mile from my home and Home Depot is 1¼ mile from my home.  Lowe’s has the right to do as they wish.  The Los Angeles Times editorial in their December 14 edition points out that Lowe’s has the right to cancel their advertising.  The Times is correct.  I just cannot stand for bigotry!