Odds and Ends ~ 8 ~ A rant & a book review too

Last week I saw a truck with a curious business name painted on the side; a truck belonging to a mobile car detailing shop. The name was:

"Sanctified & Satisfied"


I can understand "Satisfied", but "Sanctified"? That puts a whole new spin on the washing of cars, doesn't it? ("It's not just clean - it's sanctified!")

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Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. -Robert Brault, software developer, writer (1938- )

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A RANT ON BANKS!

How can banks justify charging a fee to cash a check from an account of their own customer? I attempted to cash my paycheck at my boss's bank last Friday, and was told they charge $5 for the privilege. I left, and went to my bank to deposit said check, but not before I registered my displeasure with the teller. "That's just nasty", I said with a sneer on my face. "All the banks are doing it", replied the teller. "That doesn't make it right!", I fairly screamed.

I would understand if I was trying to cash that check at some other bank - but the one it was drawn on? GIVE ME A BREAK, people! That is why I am investigating what it takes to join a credit union. They don't seem to have so many rules, restrictions and usurious charges!

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BOOK REVIEW:

Anderson Cooper's book "Dispatches from the Edge" is both a hard and an easy read. It is well written and straightforward, but it is hard in the aspect that he covers all the tragic disasters and wars in the world. His reporting is gritty and matter-of-fact; not flowery prose which has been cleansed of all the hard-to-take events we normally shy away from. He definitely digs deep to get the human interest point of view; interviewing the people involved and not just the politicians. He gives a voice to the downtrodden of the world when they have none.

The chapters about wars, famines, hurricanes and tsunamis, are interspersed with memories of his childhood, and his older brother who committed suicide by jumping off the 14th floor balcony of their Manhattan home, in plain view of his mother, Gloria Vanderbuilt. Even though the tone of these events is very sad, you can definitely see how the "Child is the father of the man" (I can't remember where that quote came from, but I am sure someone will tell me). If you enjoy non-fiction, you might like this book. I read it over a weekend at the beach.

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SIRIUS:

You remember how I was rhapsodizing about the satellite radio (Sirius) I found on my new car? Well.......it's gone - expired - died a rapid death. We went out to eat last Friday and listened to it on the way to the restaurant. When we got back in the car it was gone, and the "view bar" said "No signal - call 888 - ___ - siri. The nice lady who answered sympathized with me, but said that the one year contract had expired on that car. I almost cried. She tried her best to get me to renew it, but I am a hard sell and need time to consider the ramifications....LOL. Should you decide to gift me with a new subscription, I can give you the corrrect pin number to give that nice lady.

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I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be. -Thomas Jefferson, third US President, architect and author (1743-1826)