Love and the City

A couple of evenings ago, I had just turned on the TV and was hunting, when I stopped on a news story about volunteers teaching adolescents to cook. The story returned to Susan Hay, well-known Global TV weather girl and charity worker. The camera was close in on her face and in that moment it struck me what a truly rare young lady this is.

With bigtime looks and small town personality, she could take the world by the tail if she wanted. But what does she do, instead?

From 2001-2003, she hosted a news segment titled "Heart of the City" about community involvement. In 2003, Hay went to Africa with World Vision to help children orphaned by AIDS. She went to Africa two more times to transform lives. As if that isn't enough, Susan is a spokesperson for four charitable and research foundations, runs marathons to raise money for leukemia research, and is currently hosting "Making a Difference" seen bi-weekly on Global.

Ok, back to that instant in time I mentioned earlier. Just then, they flashed Susan Hay's e-mail address on the screen, and I jumed up and wrote her a short note commending her for all the good work she does. Despite being at the TV studio at the end of a very long and arduos day, this lovely woman took the time right there and then to respond to my e-mail within fifteen minutes of my having sent it.

The world could use a few more Susan Hays.

Woo Hoo!

The good news: I just finished an online poker tourny where I finished eleventh out of 2,382 entrants!

The bad news: It was only a freeroll (free to enter with very small prize money put up by the poker site), so all I won for my three hours of "work" was two dollars. Yes, you read it right.

What's in your wallet?

For a Massachusetts man, the answer is "ten human teeth". A Wal-Mart shopper who was about to purchase a new wallet, opened up a compartment and to his horror made the grisly discovery. Police were called but with no blood or gum tissue, no D.N.A. identification could be made. A spokesperson for the world's largest department store said she believes it is "an isolated incident".

"believes"? As in she's not sure? Was she covering up the fact that several times a week Wal-Mart customers find teeth in the wallets they purchase?

How appropriate that this story came from Falmouth, Mass.

The Story.

Warning:

If you're thinking of getting one of those payday loans where you borrow a few hundred bucks to be paid within a week or two, think again. You'd be better off selling a kidney. Apparently, the fees and interest rates are so high that many people get into a vicious cycle of borrowing to repay the first loan. I always thought interest rates of greater than 30% or so were illegal, but it seems I've been wrong all along. Some of these places charge as much as 800% per annum!

One poor woman who borrowed $500 spent the next year trying to extricate herself and in the process paid over $6,000 in interest and fees!

Just thought I'd pass on the warning.

Quote

Shaquille O'neal of the Phoenix Suns after scoring 45 points against Toronto Raptors last Friday night:

“I’m the only player who looks at each and every centre and says to myself, ‘That’s barbecued chicken down there.”’