CommenTerry

Classic Rants and Raves #21

I just can't root for sports teams that have ugly uniforms. To me, it's comparable to making love to an ugly woman.

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TV shows from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and even 80's seem corny today. That's because we are so sophisticated now, perhaps too much so for our own good.

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Going against my better judgement has always proven to be the wrong decision.

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Never believe anything you see on TV during the months of February, May, July, or November. Those are sweeps months during which broadcasters will do or say anything to boost their ratings.

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Any letter or email that begins with, "it has come to my (our) attention", is usually bad news.

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Those who are paranoid should consider this: If people were really out to get you, someone would have gotten you already!

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Throughout your lifetime, you will meet dozens of people who can outthink you, outrun you, out hustle you, outmaneuver you, and outtalk you. But never let anyone outclass you.

Classic Rants and Raves #20

I don't know of any bad thing that ever happens at a good or convenient time.

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For those who have broadband internet connections, I see little or no need to be interested in satellite radio for the home. The internet offers a much wider choice of radio channels, both commercial-free and over-the-air, than satellite radio could ever match.

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Sometimes the lack of a response can speak louder than an actual answer. 

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Every baseball fans knows what a walk-off home run is, but have you ever heard of a "walk-out" home run? That's when someone on the visiting team hits a late inning home run to put a game away and the fans of home team subsequently begin to head for the exits!

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I once had a bad experience with a blind date -- her guide dog bit me!

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When I was a kid, I used to think Israel had a king named Barney. I had misunderstood some words to the "The First Noel." I thought people were singing, "Barney's the king of Israel!"

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It is always a very pleasant experience for me when I encounter a smell or sound that triggers a memory of something from my childhood.

Why Be a Cheapskate to Yourself?

I've often wondered why some people are willing to work so hard to save a little bit of money. Here's one example: There are people who will work 100 hours a year, keeping records of various expenditures, in order to save $500 a year in taxes. Think about it - 100 hours to save $500 - they are paying themselves $5 an hour. That's less than the minimum wage! Now if were to offer them $5 an hour to do some work for me, they would be insulted and would probably ask me if I was crazy. Yet they would be willing to pay themselves such a minuscule wage.  Go figure!

Classic Rants and Raves #19

The BCS ranking system used during the college football regular season is the only institution I can think of in which second place is just as good as first.

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Those who make a conscious decision to live "where the deer and the antelope play" have no right to complain about their lack of access to modern conveniences such as broadband internet service.   

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Never ask me to be myself if you might be offended by my behavior; never ask me what I'm thinking if you believe thoughts can be outrageous; and never ask me about my goals if you think some goals are unrealistic.

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Thinking of your age as if it were a temperature, you're still not old yet if you would need a coat, jacket, or sweater to go out in that kind of weather.

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If something seems unbelievable, that's probably because it's not true. 

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I noticed in my newspaper this morning that there are six new movies opening in my area this weekend and only one is rated "PG-13." Maybe there's hope for Hollywood after all!

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Expert status is something that is practically impossible to lose. Once a person has been deemed an expert in a given subject area, it doesn't seem to matter how many times he/she is subsequently wrong about that subject.

Terry's Classic Trivia #6

The longest period between someone being nominated by a major party for vice president and being nominated by that same party for president is 20 years. Bob Dole was nominated by Republicans for vice president in 1976 and then for president in 1996.

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There has been a Dole or a Bush on every GOP national ticket since 1976. That's eight consecutive tickets!

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Virginia and New Jersey are the only two states that hold their gubernatorial elections in the year following a presidential election.

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Glen Campbell's rendition of "Wichita Lineman" was played on the radio more than any other song during the 20th Century.

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When Zell Miller delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Republican convention, he became the first person in history to have done this at both a Republican convention and a Democratic convention. He was the keynote speaker at the Democratic convention in 1992.

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The last time a sitting senator defeated an incumbent president was in 1888 when Benjamin Harrison defeated Grover Cleveland.

Another Big-Government Imposition

Recently, an unwed couple in Kansas successfully sued a landlord for not not renting them a house. The landlord and his wife are Christians who whose moral standards would not allow them to rent to a couple living in sin. Of course, one of the hazards of renting out a house or an apartment is the fact that the government will not not allow you to rent to whomever you wish and will often force you to compromise your moral and religious standards. We will never have true freedom in this country until this unjust imposition on private property rights is abolished.

Another Major Advantage to Saving

I can never stess enough to young people the importance of saving money. Here's just one of the many advantages: Having money in savings allows a person to take advantage of "fire sales" in which items are being sold well below their actual value out of desperation on the part of the seller. At a time like that, the seller is trying to raise money very quickly and buyers generally have little or no time to search for a loan. Those with the ready cash usually snap up with goods. Those without the cash lose out.

Life Insurance Falls Short of its Ideal

Unfortunately, life insurance is different from all other forms of insurance. Various types of liability insurance protect a person's assets against undue losses from lawsuits. Automobile insurance will pay to fix or replace a person's car or truck when it is damaged. Home owner's insurance will repair or replace a person's home when it is damaged. Health insurance will pay for medical professionals to at least try (they may not always succeed) to maintain people's health and/or make them well again when they are sick. However, life insurance makes no attempt to maintain, protect, repair, or recover a person's life!

Buy Now -- Never Mind What It Costs!

I recently received a flyer from my cable company, announcing the availability of its new high-speed internet service. The price of the middle tier was advertised at $27 per month for the first six months. Nowhere on the flyer did they state how much it would be after the first six months. I promptly threw it into the trash can. I refuse to purchase something from someone who withholds information about the cost of that product. Obviously, there's something about it they don't want me to know.

The Media Should Learn to Speak the Language

TV and radio reporters are supposed to be able to pronounce words correctly. However, there are many words that they consistently mispronounce. Here are just a few examples: many of them will pronounce "focus" as "fokiss", "jewelry" as "jewlery", "nuclear" as "nukular" (the President is also guilty of that one), "realtor" as "realator", "consider" as "kinsider", "Chicago" as "Chicawgo", and "chocolate" as "chawcolate."

This seems hypocritical to me as broadcast media types in general look down their noses at people who have southern accents or drawls. What is it they say about those who live in glass houses?