Wednesday, October 19, 2005

This is a GREAT read ....!!!!!!!

Subject: FW: Seniors, they are a true example!!!!


Financial Services ProfessionalSubject: Senior's Moment
A 98 year old woman wrote this to her bank.
The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published
In the New York Times.


Dear Sir
I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to
pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three 'nanoseconds' must have
elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of
the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly
deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in
place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief
window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of
penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.


My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me
to rethink my errant financial ways. I noticed that whereas I personally
attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am
confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity
which your bank has become. From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal
with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan payments will therefore
and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by check,
addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you
must nominate. Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any
other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an application
Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete.
I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about
him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.
Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be
countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her
financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities must be
accompanied by documented proof. In due course, I will issue your employee
with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that
it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the
number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your
phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery. Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me,
press buttons as follows:


1-- To make an appointment to see me.
2-- To query a missing payment.
3-- To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
4-- To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
5-- To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6-- To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7-- To leave a message on my computer. (a password to access my computer is
required. A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the
Authorized Contact.)
8-- To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
9-- To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on
hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this
may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the
duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must
also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new
arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous,
New Year.


Your Humble Client




Remember: This was written by a 98 year old woman)




JUST GOTTA LOVE SENIORS!

Just one more shot

Ohio State got their ass kicked last Saturday .... MICHIGAN STATE LOST the game, Ohio State DID NOT WIN. They looked horrible ...
Old Coach .... "we got the momentum going right before the half, and kept it going"
Extraordinary ... they were even trying to figure out if there was not some way they could still win the national champsionship ... to me .... its a laugher.
A W is a W ... not doubt about that .. there should be a new catagory W (OSU) .. that would clarify the type of win .. either a STEAL ... LAST MINUTE .... OPPONENT LOST THE GAME ... something to clarify ....
I honestly hope they begin to realize that it is just a game ... the school, nor the players will live or die by the results ... I guess if I was making the kind of money coach is ... I would hype it up to. He is living in the past ... Woody is gone, there will never be another one ....
They just make to beg a deal out of the game ..... starting with coach ... someday, and it has already happened ... they will have the "fans" whipped up to a frenzy ... and something drastic will happen .... and then .... they will wonder .. "what happened" ...

Sunday, October 09, 2005

I apologize ....

I apologize to all my OSU friends ... I was an OSU fan for many years ... and then, after Woody, and Earle, the program went to hell. I think money took over, coaches salaries went thrugh the roof, and the key word became ... MARKETING ... HYPE, DO OR DIE, IMPORTANT ... it's not, its just a game. And last night, IN MY OPINION, the loss to Penn State could not have happened to a more arrogant, conceited, over rated team, than the OSU Buckeyes .. I don't know where they hype starts ... Tressel or where, but every game so far has had NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RAMIFICATIONS .... Texas .. "Maybe a repeat in the Rose Bowl." They were so sure about the Rose Bowl. They looked stunned last night .. "How could this happen?" "We are so great"

Go back and look at the pre-game comments ... Arrogance. I predicted 2-1 after their first three games. I predicted 3 to 4 losses during the season ... we'll see what happens. They were LUCKY to win a Championship, when they did. During that season, if 1 of 8 plays had happened differently ... NO CHAMPIONSHIP. They LUCKED OUT .. and, I think it's the worst thing that could have happened to them. They still replay that season on TV. IT IS JUST A GAME ....

Remember when Woody talked about his players ... he know about their scholastic achievements and was proud of them .. and "he's a heck of a good tackler" .. etc. Look at the money that old Joe Paterno has GIVEN back to the school .... for a LIBRARY .. a place for his players to STUDY.

MARKETING = MONEY = SUCCESS = MONEY = MARKETING ... I'll bet poor old Coach Tressel didn't sleep well last night. But, they had a good excuse for losing ... they had a week off prior to the game ... GOT STALE ... AND they couldn't land at the right airport and to ride on a bus, and, and, and, and. Simple truth, a good, hard fought game to me, the difference was focus .... Penn State wanted to win ... Ohio State thought they would win .... they were told so. They heard in on the radio, saw it on TV, and read it in the papers. Hey, that week off did it, you lose your timing, not as sharp, not our fault, that damn week off. Just ask coach, he'll tell you.

I am sorry, but, it could not have happened to a more ARROGANT bunch.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

TIME GETS BETTER WITH AGE

I learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing "Silent Night".

Age 5

I learned that our dog doesn't want to eat my broccoli either.

Age 7

I learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.

Age 9

I learned that just when I get my room the way I like it, Mom makes me clean it up again.

Age 12

I learned that if you want to cheer yourself up, you should try cheering someone else up.

Age 14

I learned that although it's hard to admit it, I'm secretly glad my parents are strict with me.

Age 15

I learned that silent company is often more healing than words of advice.

Age 24

I learned that brushing my child's hair is one of life's great pleasures.

Age 26

I learned that wherever I go, the world's worst drivers have followed me there.

Age 29

I learned that if someone says something unkind about me, I must live so that no one will believe it.

Age 30

I learned that there are people who love you dearly but just don't know how to show it.

Age 42

I learned that you can make some one's day by simply sending them a little note.

Age 44

I learned that the greater a person's sense of guilt, the greater his or her need to cast blame on others.

Age 46

I learned that children and parents are natural allies.

Age 47

I learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

Age 48

I learned that singing "Amazing Grace" can lift my spirits for hours.

Age 49

I learned that motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.

Age 50

I learned that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Age 51

I learned that keeping a vegetable garden is worth a medicine cabinet full of pills.

Age 52

I learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you miss them terribly after they die.

Age 53

I learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.

Age 61

I learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

Age 62

I learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catchers mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.

Age 64

I learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, the needs of others, your work, meeting new people, and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

Age 65

I learned that whenever I decide something with kindness, I usually make the right decision.

Age 66

I learned that everyone can use a prayer.

Age 72

I learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

Age 82

I learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch-holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

Age 90

I learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Age 92

I also learned that you should pass this on to someone you care about. Sometimes they just need a little something to make them smile.

Saturday, April 02, 2005


Joe Dooley
foto by jbd

Read and remember!

A corporate attorney sent the following out to the employees in his company.

1. The next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name, but your bank will know how you sign your checks.

2. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."

3. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

4. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have it printed, anyone can get it.

5. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a name, address, Social Security number, credit cards.

Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more. But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:

1. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.

2. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).

But here's what is perhaps most important of all : (I never even thought to do this.)

3. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name. The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit.

By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away This weekend (someone turned it in).

It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, etc., has been stolen:

1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285

2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742

3.) Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289

4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271

April Fools Day after ... In Ohio

April Fools Day is over, but the spirit lives on, in Ohio. Almost 7, Saturday Morning, looking out the window, raining. But, it will turn to SNOW, maybe get up to an inch. Hey, it's APRIL, but, it is Ohio.

I did get out in the SUN two days this week, it felt good, sweating in the SUN. Another plus tomorrow, my car clocks will be right. I can never find the book in the car that shows how to change the clock. It is so simple, but only two times a year. I never remember. So, half the year they are right.

The Pope is ill, gravely. He indicates that he is happy knowing that. Ironic it is happening so close to Terri Shiavo in Florida. We don't know if she was happy about it or not. I wonder if the autopsy will show that? CSI in Vegas or NCIS would know right away. I remember in the late 40's, I worked at a hospital, thinking about going into medicine in those days. My father was a doctor, and I vividly remember the first autopsy they let me observe. It was a brain tumor.

Dr. Pancho Padilla, from Cuba, a resident at the hospital performed it. A brain surgeon did the brain part. Pancho, after his training, went home, and became a physicial for .... yep ... Castro.

I remember I was apprehensive about it, how would I react. I had heard that you pass out when they make that first incision. I remember the odor in the room, when they opened him up, never forget that. It turned out to be not a lot less than ... cleaning a chicken. I didn't get sick, actually found it interesting. Pancho started oout in a broken English ... explaining to me what he was doing. As he would speak, he would get more involved, and finally, he would be speaking only Cuban.

The brain surgein was awesome. Scapel, quarter the scalp, pull down the four quartrs of skin, take a small electric saw, do a 360, then a small scalpel, a slow 360 of painstaking cutting, a large curved needle, into the head one way, then at another angle, and the brain lifted right out. One glob of red ... that is what ended his life.

But TODAY, if I had been watching all of these shows, nothing to it. Ducky did this or that on NCIS. There are a half dozen shows on that do all of that, one that shows babies being delivered, a lot of emergency room exposure, blood, organs. Awesome.

Wonder what is next, Teri, the Pope, Michael, still have Iraw, but that is getting old. There always seems to be a story brewing somewhere. As I recall, the Pope thing lasts a couple of weeks. The funeral, they choosing a new one, I remember the year there were three of them. I almost turned Catholic I was exposed to it so much that year. There was a big insurgence of new members in the church that year. Held up for a while, well, until they started finding out about all those priests, with all those boys.

The world keeps on turning, singers, no, that insults real ones ... people who derive their livelihood from making noises, continue to make billions of dollars. Comment on everything. I find that extraordinary. Utter gutteral noises, to a rythmic beat, show belly buttons, and more, wear a hat at a 45 degree rakish angle, clothes, well, if Momma had made them wear them when they were small, they would have reported her to some agency. How in the name of God, can someone appear on TV, hat all askew, pants that would serve as a 4 person tent, a shirt that could be inflated with hot air and used as a small balloon, and people take them seriously.

Appearance isn't everything, but......

Saturday Morning in Ohio

April Fools Day is over, but the spirit lives on, in Ohio. Almost 7, Saturday Morning, looking out the window, raining. But, it will turn to SNOW, maybe get up to an inch. Hey, it's APRIL, but, it is Ohio.

I did get out in the SUN two days this week, it felt good, sweating in the SUN. Another plus tomorrow, my car clocks will be right. I can never find the book in the car that shows how to change the clock. It is so simple, but only two times a year. I never remember. So, half the year they are right.

The Pope is ill, gravely. He indicates that he is happy knowing that. Ironic it is happening so close to Terri Shiavo in Florida. We don't know if she was happy about it or not. I wonder if the autopsy will show that? CSI in Vegas or NCIS would know right away. I remember in the late 40's, I worked at a hospital, thinking about going into medicine in those days. My father was a doctor, and I vividly remember the first autopsy they let me observe. It was a brain tumor.

Dr. Pancho Padilla, from Cuba, a resident at the hospital performed it. A brain surgeon did the brain part. Pancho, after his training, went home, and became a physicial for .... yep ... Castro.

I remember I was apprehensive about it, how would I react. I had heard that you pass out when they make that first incision. I remember the odor in the room, when they opened him up, never forget that. It turned out to be not a lot less than ... cleaning a chicken. I didn't get sick, actually found it interesting. Pancho started oout in a broken English ... explaining to me what he was doing. As he would speak, he would get more involved, and finally, he would be speaking only Cuban.

The brain surgein was awesome. Scapel, quarter the scalp, pull down the four quartrs of skin, take a small electric saw, do a 360, then a small scalpel, a slow 360 of painstaking cutting, a large curved needle, into the head one way, then at another angle, and the brain lifted right out. One glob of red ... that is what ended his life.

But TODAY, if I had been watching all of these shows, nothing to it. Ducky did this or that on NCIS. There are a half dozen shows on that do all of that, one that shows babies being delivered, a lot of emergency room exposure, blood, organs. Awesome.

Wonder what is next, Teri, the Pope, Michael, still have Iraw, but that is getting old. There always seems to be a story brewing somewhere. As I recall, the Pope thing lasts a couple of weeks. The funeral, they choosing a new one, I remember the year there were three of them. I almost turned Catholic I was exposed to it so much that year. There was a big insurgence of new members in the church that year. Held up for a while, well, until they started finding out about all those priests, with all those boys.

The world keeps on turning, singers, no, that insults real ones ... people who derive their livelihood from making noises, continue to make billions of dollars. Comment on everything. I find that extraordinary. Utter gutteral noises, to a rythmic beat, show belly buttons, and more, wear a hat at a 45 degree rakish angle, clothes, well, if Momma had made them wear them when they were small, they would have reported her to some agency. How in the name of God, can someone appear on TV, hat all askew, pants that would serve as a 4 person tent, a shirt that could be inflated with hot air and used as a small balloon, and people take them seriously.

Appearance isn't everything, but......