Posts Tagged With ‘ History ’

One of the best consumer actions in recent years is the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2011. Established after the Great Recession of 2007-08 to set up one federal agency to help consumers with their financial issues, the CFPB has made great strides in improving the position of consumers in the marketplace. Previously, seven different federal agencies were responsible for consumer financial protection, but none viewed consumer financial protection as their top priority. Examples of how the CFPB has benefitted consumers are it recouped about $16 billion for consumers,... Continue Reading

I love Ireland. I was so fortunate to travel there with my daughter Lisa in 2016. So, I decided a good way to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day Friday is to post some of the photos from our trip. We were fortunate to meet with some of my grandmother Laura Baylee Slingsby’s relatives. Laura was born in 1877 in Ontario, Canada, and died in 1939 in Cashmere, Washington. Here are the Bailey family members that we were able to meet in Kilkishen, County Clare. It was such fun. This is Lisa at Bunratty Castle. Located by the River Ratty in County Clare, Bunratty Castle is the most authentically restored... Continue Reading

Movies continue to be one of the most popular past times in the United States. Joseph Campbell, American author and teacher, called them the great American dream machine. However, in my opinion, movies fall short because they focus so much on violence. For many years, I’ve written about how violence in the media is harmful to children. Despite this finding, movie makers continue to produce violent movies, and, the violence gets worse every year. In this list of the Oscar contenders, my picks are shown in bold. At the end of the article, you’ll find my recommendations listed, along with those... Continue Reading

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” because 37 percent of women don’t use the internet and 259 million fewer woman have access to the internet than men. If women aren’t able to access the Internet and don’t feel safe online, they’re unable to develop the necessary digital skills to engage in digital spaces, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM related fields, according to the United Nations website. The purpose of International... Continue Reading

Presidents’ Day sort of sneaked up on me this year. At times in the past, I’ve written about Presidents’ Day as a time to appreciate our democracy and celebrate the many freedoms we have as a result. As thoughts of democracy come to mind, the war in Ukraine looms large. With President Biden traveling there for the first anniversary of the war, it makes one wonder about the senselessness of war, once again, and how long it will take for this one to end. A day off? Only 24 percent of civilian workers receive a paid holiday for Presidents’ Day. The United States is the only advanced economy... Continue Reading

This year at Thanksgiving, I’m thinking about my mom and dad. They met on a wheat ranch during the Great Depression and had virtually nothing with which to start their married lives. When I was married in the 1960s, my former husband and I also had nothing. However, we did get college degrees. I’m thankful for the careers I’ve had as a result that first college experience and several others including a master’s degree. This year for Thanksgiving, the average person’s spending over the five-day Thanksgiving period is estimated to be $301, with 97 percent of Americans planning to celebrate... Continue Reading