Consumer Reports:
Among the winners: Taxpayers who take the standard deduction. About 70 percent of Americans fall into this category. A near doubling of that deduction to $12,000 for individuals, $18,000 for heads of household, and $24,000 for joint filers—combined with some more generous tax brackets and rates—would mean less tax taken from most individuals’ and families’ paychecks, according to multiple analyses.
Dec 18, 2017
The New Tax Bill's Winners and Losers. Merry Christmas if you take standard deduction
Mother rabbit battles hungry crows on banks of the Rock River
Here's a timeless video I made a number of years ago about a life and nearly death battle in my own backyard in Janesville. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did making it.
Dec 12, 2017
Chicago Christmas Greeting
Panhandlers and a preacher who said I wasn't going to heaven...characters from my Thanksgiving weekend visit to Chicago. And a Chicago Film archives movie showing the world famous automated puppets in Marshal Fields Christmas windows
Dec 4, 2017
Dec 3, 2017
Nov 27, 2017
Richest Women: Janesville's Diane Hendrick second on list
Richest Women: Oprah, Sheryl Sandberg on Billionaires List | Money: "There are now 18 self-made American women who are billionaires, up from 16 last year. The top 10 are all worth $2 billion or more. Janesville's Diane Hendricks ($4.9 billion), the cofounder and chair of the wholesale building supplies distributor ABC Supply, is second on the list"
Bling in the Holidays
FTC Consumer Information: " If you’re looking for that special little something, jewelry might do the trick. But do you know whether you’re buying a trinket or a treasure? If you’re on the hunt for holiday glitz, keep in mind these pearls of wisdom:"
Nov 21, 2017
FCC Approves New Rules to Block Robocalls
Consumer Reports: "FCC Approves New Rules to Block Robocalls
The move might stop some robocalls, but consumers still need to take precautions
Nov 13, 2017
Nov 6, 2017
Oct 30, 2017
Janesville Girls see Niall Horan of One Direction
This story revolves around singer Niall Horan from One Direction. I am an old man but after watching this Vevo video of him, I get why young people enjoy him so much.
Oct 23, 2017
Oct 15, 2017
Oct 8, 2017
New Google Pixel Phones Launch with Portrait Mode, AR-Friendly Google Lens
Consumer Reports:
The Pixel 2 starts at $649 for a 64GB model & the base price for the Pixel 2 XL is $849. Are they worth the cost?
Oct 2, 2017
Sep 24, 2017
Sep 10, 2017
Wisconsin's historic lumber schooners - YouTube
Wisconsin pioneers of the 1830s and '40s--largely Irish, German and Scandinavian immigrants--came west on paddlewheel steamboats. They harvested lumber from Wisconsin forests and shipped it to Chicago and eastern markets in hundreds of specialized lumber schooners. Boat makers in Wisconsin ports such as Manitowoc, WI built the tall, wind-powered ships. Even after the rise of steam boats, these lumber schooners continued to sail into the 20th century--The Great Lakes Maritime History Project. Historian Rob Burg says the lumber Schooners had an "open hull, lacking any interior compartment below deck to allow cut lumber of all sizes to be loaded." Shyboygan City Historian Bill Wangerman says the 19th-century lake schooner was the 18-wheeler semitrailer truck of its day, and the Great Lakes was its super highway."
You make me smile
If you want to see children smile, take them fishing. Check out the happy faces at That's a Keeper Bait Shop on the Rock River in Janesville, WI
Aug 27, 2017
Aug 20, 2017
Enjoy the pelicans...They're leaving in Sept
We are seeing more and more pelicans in Wisconsin. They fly up the Mississippi River and follow the Rock River North. Glen Loyd found a colony on Lake Michigan in Sheboygan.
"Stories like these are why you should always check with BBB before hiring contractors
Wisconsin BBB on Twitter
Check contractors out with WI Consumer Protection, too. Call 1 800 422-7128
Did you receive a "free cruise" robocall? You may be eligible for a settlement.
consumerist
Also be careful if you are offered a free vacation as an incentive to buy a product.
Aug 14, 2017
Aug 6, 2017
Jul 24, 2017
Wolverines in Wisconsin
A viewer responding to my 2015 video above says she may have seen a wolverine recently near Horicon Marsh, a state and federal wildlife sanctuary in Wisconsin.
Jul 23, 2017
Jul 16, 2017
Jul 9, 2017
Jul 2, 2017
Decorah fledglings lack eating etiquette
The Decorah EagleCam looks a little soggy from all the rain, but it dried out for some cool closeups of this year's fledglings
Jun 26, 2017
One fine day on Lake Michigan
Relax and enjoy Lake Michigan and seagull flybys in Glen Loyd's music video.
Say “seagull” and most people know you’re talking about a gregarious, white-and-gray waterbird common around harbors and beaches and highly tolerant of humans. Of the 19 North American gull species, the Ring-billed Gull is the one you’re most likely to see around the Great Lakes. It can be found along the ocean coasts, but many of these “seagulls” never see anything except fresh water all their lives. Although referred to as seagulls, a common misnomer, these are properly called gulls.
----University of WI Sea Grant
NASA: Goop’s ‘Healing Stickers’ Are An Expensive “Load Of BS”
Consumerist
My thanks to Consumer Reports and its Consumerist blog for all of the stories and advice. Anytime you are making a major purchase, check it out with Consumer Reports at your local library. A subscription is a good investment, too.
Don't every buy a new or used car without Consumer Reports! They rate new and used cars in their April issue and have advice on how much you should pay. Years ago when I was a TV consumer reporter in Green Bay and passing on advice from Consumer Reports, car dealers got together and withdrew a million dollars in TV advertising!
Jun 18, 2017
Sweet Purple Martins smile on the Rock River
Hope is the thing with feathers
By Emily Dickinson
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all....
Glen Loyd says that bird could be a purple martin. (Darker birds are male. Lighter, female)
Jun 11, 2017
Peregrine falcon rescues her falling baby
Glen Loyd has dramatic video of a peregrine falcon mother saving her baby falling from Great Spirit Bluff on the Mississippi River near La Crosse, WI
The baby is believed to be fleeing black flies which suffocated two other siblings by clogging their airways.
Another sibling fell or jumped out of the nest but was recovered.
A Raptor Resource climbing team cleans out the out the nest, applies insecticide and returns the two surviving siblings
Jun 4, 2017
3 big birds on the Rock River
Glen Loyd likes to show and tell about the Rock River in Janesville. It is not just a Mississippi tributary, he says. It has an interesting history of its own. It was Chief Black Hawk's River. It was Ronald Reagan's River. And Abe Lincoln knew the river as did the French Voyageurs. And today the Rock River helps generate electricity to light up Chicago. In addition to all of this river bragging, Glen shows how the River can make you happy, too.
May 30, 2017
Black flies & gnats can kill eagles & cranes
In the past few years, black flies--also called buffalo gnats--have been blamed for the death of eaglets in Wisconsin and other states. The publication Two Rivers Outdoors explains : "... in late spring and early summer... they swarm and bite birds and mammals.... Male black flies do not bite, but females of most species must feed on blood to produce eggs....
May 21, 2017
May 15, 2017
World's fastest animal in Wisconsin
Glen Loyd has made a musical of the Wisconsin peregrines with a video produced by the We Energies power company. We Energies has been assisting with peregrine falcon recovery since the early 1990s to help reestablish the raptor since its decimation during the 1960s. More than 230 peregrines have hatched in nest boxes high on We Energies towers.
How to Find Reliable Car Mechanics and Repair Shops
Consumer Reports
Before using a car repair shop, check for complaints with state consumer proection agencies and the Better Business Bureau. In Wisconsin call the WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Proection 800 422 7128.
Robocalls Flooding Your Cellphone? Here’s How to Stop Them
The New York Times (If you are blocked, Google headline)
May 8, 2017
May 1, 2017
Stunning portraits by high school and middle school artists
"Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master," said Leonardo da Vinci. I'm sure that is the goal of art teachers in our schools. But even when they don't surpass their teachers, art is fun for most kids and what they create is cherished by parents and grand parents.
Apr 24, 2017
Decorah North eaglets turn gray
"The Decorah Eagles begin courtship in October, productive mating in late January or early February, and egg-laying in mid to late February. Hatching usually begins in late March to early April, and the eaglets fledge in mid-to-late June. While young usually disperse between August and October, the adults remain on territory year round," Raptor Resource Project
Apr 16, 2017
Smallest Decorah eaglet doing better
Last week, Glen Loyd ended his video hoping the smallest Decorah eaglet-- a scrawny, skin-and-bones punching-bag for siblings--would survive. Well, the eaglet may make it.
Apr 10, 2017
Decorah eaglet dies; another bullied
This is a sad video about a Decorah eaglet death and bullying of another. Parents might want to screen it before showing to children. The Raptor Resource Project says, "We are sorry to announce the death of youngest North eaglet DN6. We believe that DN6 died of hypothermia...weakening it to the point it could no longer feed."
9 Secret Ways to Use Toothpaste That Will Make You Smile
Money Talks News
From cleaning piano keys to zapping pimples, toothpaste has many great — and cost-effective — applications
Find the Right Lawn Mower Type for Your Yard - Consumer Reports
Find the Right Lawn Mower Type for Your Yard - Consumer Reports: Is a battery-run mower right for you? When is a riding mower justified? Consumer Reports breaks it down for you.
Apr 3, 2017
Fresh fish for Decorah eaglet
A comment really got to me Thursday when a woman said to the just hatched Decorah eaglet in my video: "Welcome to the world, fuzzy one. You will fly someday"
Here's the fuzzy one getting fed:
Mar 26, 2017
Mar 20, 2017
Decorah eagles...wind storm, snow, rain
Like most of us, the Decorah eagles have been harassed lately by wind storms, rain and snow
Mar 12, 2017
Mar 5, 2017
Nesting Decorah eagle slaps at danger
Green Bay native Kevin MacLeod composed the music and Eagle Whisperer18 recorded the video from the Raptor Research Project Eaglecam and pulled highlights.
Feb 27, 2017
Downpour on Decorah eagles...golden sunset
The Decorah Iowa eagle couples in the Raptor Research Project are egging each other on and the 35 day countdown to eaglets has begun.
Feb 21, 2017
Decorah eagles 1st egg of 2017
Glen Loyd has been tracking two eagle pairs at the Raptor Resource Project in Decorah Iowa. The North pair produced the first egg of the year on Sunday.
Feb 13, 2017
Courting Decorah eagles and nest violaters
Glen Loyd says the Decorah, Iowa eagles have been courting, but so far no eggs.
Feb 6, 2017
Feb 5, 2017
Western Union to repay scam victims
The Morning Call
Scammers have used Western Union to scam hundreds of victims in Wisconsin!
Famous artist Norman Rockwell sold Parker Pens
Wikipedia says Norman Rockwell (1894 - 1978) was a painter and illustrator whose works enjoy a broad popular appeal for the reflection of American culture. That's why the Parker family of Janesville, WI hired him to help sell Parker Pens in the late 1950's
Three of the Parker illustrations are art treasures now and were sold recently by the Parkers for more than $400,000. You will seen these illustrations in Glen Loyd's video. The Parkers have helped Janesville and Wisconsin causes with donations and leadership.
Jan 30, 2017
Jan 29, 2017
Crystal-Clear Closeups of Decorah Eagles
Decorah, Iowa eagle eggs are expected in a month or more. Meantime parents adjust nest and survey other creatures below.
Jan 23, 2017
Parker Pen heirs sell multi million dollar art and furniture collection
In my music video this week you will see two examples of early American furniture...each worth a half million dollars. The entire collection, owned by heirs of Janesville's Parker Pen, is worth multi-millions.
Opinion: Why You Should Spend Money on Experiences
Money
I don't agree with this. I think that saving money is a smarter idea for a happier life.
Jan 22, 2017
Jan 16, 2017
Wisconsin's ancient effigies of man and birds
Wikipedia: "The Man Mound is a prehistoric humanoid earthwork located in Greenfield, Sauk County, Wisconsin, east of the city of Baraboo.
How to Protect Your Car From Rodents | Rodent Tape
Consumer Reports News
This article was interesting to me, but to me the only practical advice given was mouse poison mixed with peanut butter or mouse and rat traps in the garage.
Jan 9, 2017
Magpies menancing eagles
Wikipedia says magpies are considered one of the most intelligent animals in the world, and the only non-mammal species able to recognize itself in a mirror. They often pull the tail feathers of other birds and steal their lunch. They also like to pull this on dogs and cats for fun.
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