Fool’s News

I am posting this entry for a friend of mine.  He uses a virtual office service because he currently lives and works outside the country (like I do).  He’s been using the same service for almost two (2) years and has been happy with them.

Recently, because of fraud on the credit card that funded the monthly Paypal payments for the service was cancelled.  However, the Paypal account had two (2) other backup credit cards on file.  Paypal refused payment twice for the month of September.

The virtual office company is Grace Corporate Park.

Despite receiving a first refusal for the September payment, Grace Corporate Park did not inform my friend of the denial until the second time (on September 13th).  Then, with an interceding weekend, the subscription was cancelled on Monday, September 14th.  Less than 48 hours notice to resolve the problem.

Now, Grace Corporate Park (sucks) is having the nerve to bill my friend an increased monthly rate for the services (33% higher!) AND is charging him another “initial set up fee” ($100).  [He paid it the first time 'round.]

What a disgusting company – Grace Corporate Park, that is.  After two (2) years of loyal service and, from what I understand, to be a pretty problem-free relationship, Grace Corporate Park is screwing him over.

What a piece of shit company.  Please do not use Grace Corporate Park!  If you use them, please move to another company as soon as feasible.  They are disgusting.

Worse yet, my friend’s birthday is this month.

But I suspect he’s there to tell his minions how to testify before the 15th…

This article questions some people’s weariness of public 9/11 memorials six (6) years later:

Again it comes, for the sixth time now — 2,191 days after that awful morning — falling for the first time on a Tuesday, the same day of the week.

Again there will be the public tributes, the tightly scripted memorial events, the reflex news coverage, the souvenir peddlers.

Is all of it necessary, at the same decibel level — still?

Psychologists were also interviewed for the article:

“It’s a good sign when people don’t need an anniversary commemoration or demarcation,” said Charles R. Figley, the director of the Florida State University Traumatology Institute. “And it’s not disrespectful to those who died.”

Laurie Pearlman, a clinical psychologist in Massachusetts, said, “Our society has a very low tolerance for grief — it’s exhausting and unrelenting, and we don’t want to hear about it.”

Others disagree.  “I would no sooner tell survivors of the Holocaust how to mourn or how to commemorate their atrocity, so why do others feel they have any right to dictate how family members should feel or memorialize our loved ones on Sept. 11 or any day, for that matter?” said Nancy Nee, whose brother George Cain died in the attack. “Six years feels like the blink of an eye. That number means nothing to me.”

Although I am somewhat divided by this issue (though I am leaning one way, for sure), my problem with Ms. Nee’s comments is that no one is telling her how to memorialize her loss – except that it’s time to stop using public funds for your grieving.  Take your enormous payoff from Congress (the World Trade Center fund) and have a private ceremony.  No one is telling you how to mourn.  Some people may be tired of it pre-empting television for the entire day.

As a final matter, Ms. Nee lost one person, her brother.  I lost both of my grandparents in the past three (3) years.  Do I get some television time, too?  Do I get money from Congress?  Sorry, that’s how I feel about it.

I just learned about María Amalia López, a 95 year old woman who has been blogging from Spain since December 2006 – on her birthday.  According to her blog, she started because her grandson who,  according to her is cheap, gave her the blog for her birthday.  [He must be really cheap since its a Blogger blog, which is totally free.  Hopefully, her grandson is like 10 years old!]

I don’t speak much Spanish, but apparently Ms.  López has become rather outspoken in her golden years.

I think this is great.  I bet blogging keeps her mind sharp and keeps her abreast of current events despite the fact that she now lives in housing for the elderly.

Good for her.  You can check out her blog here.