Banks Have Gone Totally Mad Since Bailout

If you've followed the banking mess and their call for a financial handout---I mean bailout---you know that some of these fat cats made out like bandits. Take Citigroup, for example, which reportedly received at least $45 billion in bailout funds. Bank of America, which ranks #1 on my Customer Hall of Shame List, also got $45 billion.

But I guess that just wasn't enough because now it appears some of these same banks are dipping into our personal accounts to take even more money---although they say they'll give it back in a little while.

Today I went to the gas station and saw this interesting note on the pump:

VALUABLE INFORMATION FOR DEBIT CARD USERS

"When using a debit card, please be aware that your financial institution may place a hold on your account that may exceed the amount of your purchase. Shell is not responsible for placing and removing debt holds. Please contact your financial institution if you would like more information."

THANK YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS....


Yes, it appears these banks keep giving us all the business.

North Carolina Ranks Among the States with the Fattest Baby Boomers

During my adult life, I have lived in Ohio, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, West Virigina (which I rarely admit) and now, in North Carolina. Based on this study of obesity and baby boomers, I should be heading back to New England. Here are the states listed in order of where the fattest baby boomers live. Where does your state rank? (To read the entire report, click on the title for this blog post).

1. Mississippi
2. Alabama
3. West Virginia
4. Tennessee
5. South Carolina
6. Oklahoma
7. Kentucky
8. Louisiana
9. Michigan
10. (tie) Arkansas and Ohio
12. North Carolina
13. Missouri
14. (tie) Georgia and Texas
16. Indiana
17. Delaware
18. (tie) Alaska and Kansas
20. (tie) Nebraska and South Dakota
22. (tie) Iowa and North Dakota and Pennsylvania
25. (tie) Maryland and Wisconsin
27. Illinois
28. (tie) Oregon and Virginia and Washington
31. Minnesota
32. Nevada
33. (tie) Arizona and Idaho 3
35. Maine
36. New Mexico
37. New York
38. Wyoming
39. (tie) Florida and New Hampshire
41. California (23.6%)
42. New Jersey
43. Montana
44. Utah
45. District of Columbia
46. Vermont
47. Hawaii
48. Rhode Island
49. Connecticut
50. Massachusetts
51. Colorado

Top Ten Things Only Boomer Women Understand

This is a Top Ten List I saw on the website of my good friend and fellow Boomer Diva Nation member, babyboomerqueen.

10. Cats’ facial expressions

9. The need for the same style of shoes in different colors

8. Why bean sprouts aren’t just weeds

7. Fat clothes

6. Taking a car trip without trying to beat your best time

5. The difference between beige, off-white, and eggshell

4. Cutting your bangs to make them grow

3. Eyelash curlers

2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made

1. Other women


***I decided to alter that list and create one of my own for my fellow baby boomer women***


10. What it means to have a bad hair day

9. The need for flat-heeled shoes

8. How to make leftovers taste better than the original meal

7. How to make fat clothes look chic

6. The difference between fat and pleasantly plump

5. What is means to have a "personal summer"

4. What it means to be uappreciated even when you give your all.

3. How to make aging look good

2. The inaccuracy of every bathroom scale ever made

1. What it means to have a real girlfriend


Please feel free to add to this..........

Will Father's Day Someday Become Obsolete?

Today is the day children across America are celebrating their dads. Even though my dad is deceased, I still honor his memory because he was a great father who had a strong presence in my life.

But, unlike me, my daughter does not share that sentiment. She does not acknowledge her dad on this day---or any other day for that matter. Why? Because he was an absent father. Yes, we were married but his actions made him appear absent more often than not. When you see your mom struggle to make ends meet because dad doesn't pay child support, he doesn't try to stay in contact, doesn't participate in your school activities, or offer to help with college tuition, its easy to just forget rather than celebrate Father's Day.

The sad thing is there are many children who feel like my daughter and what's even worse is some children never have the benefit of knowing who their Father is because mama doesn't know. (Just watch a Maury show sometime).

A National Household Education Surveys Program shows that 28% percent of White students, 39% of Hispanic students, 69% of Black students, and 36% overall live without their fathers.

Here's another startling statistic from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

About 1.7 million babies were born to unmarried women in 2007, a 26 percent rise from 1.4 million in 2002 and more than double the number in 1980. Unmarried women accounted for 39.7 percent of all U.S. births in 2007 -- up from 34 percent in 2002 and more than double the percentage in 1980.

So you tell me, what does the future hold for Father's Day about 10 years from now?

You Know You're a Baby Boomer If...(Part II)

You rode in the back of the station wagon and you faced the cars behind you.

Schoolhouse Rock played a HUGE part in how you actually learned the English language.

A predominant color in your childhood photos is plaid.

You remember the Flinstones in Primetime.

You grew up with neighbors you actually knew by first and last name.

You had a rotary dial telephone.

You weren't considered fashionable if you didn't own a pair of black & white saddle shoes or a pair of stride rites.

Good TV reception came with a pair of pliers and a coat hanger.

There was such a thing as penny candy--and you could always stock up.

You remember the oil crisis in 1973--which resulted in the price of oil per barrel to rise from $3.00 to $12.00 (The price of gas was $0.24 in 1957--the year I was born).

If you're still making the hand gestures every time you hear the Y.M.C.A. Song.

You know you're a baby boomer if garters were how you held up your hose. (Thanks to @LeslieLSC from Twitter)

You Know You're a Baby Boomer If...

You've seen every Brady Bunch episode at least twice.

You remember Michael Jackson when he was black.

You remember Sally Field as The Flying Nun.

You remember when VCR's cost $2000!

You remember cigarette commericals on TV.

You owned a pair of pedal pushers--or at least know what they are.

Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

Your back goes out more than you do.

You finally got your head together, now your body is falling apart.

It takes twice as long to look half as good.

Many of your co-workers were born the same year that you got your last promotion.

The clothes you've put away until they come back in style... have come back in style.

The pharmacist has become your new best friend.

You come to the conclusion that your worst enemy is gravity.

You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.

Flip Flops, Baseball Caps and Cancer

Did you know flip-flips and baseball caps could pose a hidden health risk when it comes to skin cancer? That’s the word from Dr. Anthony Peterson, from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. He says most skin cancers occur on the parts of the body that are repeatedly exposed to the sun. The problem with flip-flops and baseball caps is that they leave the tips of the ears and the tops of the feet dangerously exposed to sun damage. The potential for skin cancers in those areas are real, especially on the tips of the ears.

More than 1 million cases of nonmelanoma skin cancer are found in this country each year, according to the Cancer Society. Most of those cases are considered to be sun-related. They develop on sun-exposed areas of the body, like the face, ear, neck, lips, and the backs of the hands. Depending on the type, they can be fast- or slow-growing, but they rarely spread to other parts of the body.

Doctors say melanoma is almost always curable when it is detected in its early stages. Although melanoma accounts for only a small percentage of skin cancer, it is far more dangerous than other skin cancers, and it causes the majority of skin cancer deaths.

You can prevent all forms of skin cancer, including melanoma, by avoiding overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Here are some tips from medical experts:

• Use a sunscreen with an SPF of least 15 daily. Wearing sunscreen in the early fall is just as important, too.
• Wear protective clothing outdoors, including a wide-brimmed hat, a long-sleeved shirt, and pants.
• Stay out of the sun during the midday hours (10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.).
• Use a higher SPF when at higher elevations.
• Avoid sunbathing and tanning salons. UV rays from artificial sources such as tanning beds and sunlamps are just as dangerous as those from the sun.
• Set a good example for your children by always using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing.