FreeCreditReport.com Really Works
Posted by Mitch on May 27, 2008
Different kind of post today. I’m hawking FreeCreditReport.com because they really work. How do I know this? I’m a member, of course.
Here’s my story. I went to this site last September and signed up to get my free credit reports, just like the commercial stated. Then I went ahead and signed up for the monthly credit alert. This followed my wife and I being turned down for a line of credit at the bank where our mortgage is.
Then I started noticing different agencies looking at my report. I knew this because FCR (that’s what I’m calling them for now) sent me alerts each time there was an inquiry. Next thing you know, I started getting phone calls and letters from collection agencies, even though I knew I didn’t owe anybody. So, I finally took a good look at the report. I noticed that there were two derogatory reports on there, and I knew I had paid at least one of those for sure. I thought I’d paid the other one, but I wasn’t sure.
The one I was able to take care of fairly quickly, as I had something proving that the account had been settled years ago. The other one, in my heart I knew I’d settled it, but I wasn’t sure I could prove it. Credit agencies are wild, though. They don’t wait too long to decide to get to the escalation process. What’s also funny is that multiple agencies will be going after the same amount; I believe that’s fraudulent, but so be it.
Then I got a break. I found a letter that showed that I had set up the agreement to pay back an outstanding debt. I remembered the phone call and I remembered the guy, and I had his name on the letter outlining the agreement. Now I was set. I contacted Experian through FCR, and I also contacted the company that I’d paid this account to, back in 2004, of all things. Like the other company, they had never reported it as being satisfied, and, of course, now I know why we got turned down. Sheesh!
Now, here’s the upswing. Just by sending my request through FCR that I was disputing the derogatory statement, my credit score jumped up 60 points. I now have the letter proving that, indeed, the account is satisfied, though the weasels didn’t back date it because they said they didn’t have full access to records that old (yet we’re supposed to have everything if they happened to contact us, right?), so the letter is dated fairly recently. My credit score should jump up a bit more, as this will mean I have nothing bad on my report. Course, it would be great if their letter showed that it was taken care of four years ago, but hey, we take what we can get.
So, it’s been worth it for me to have FreeCreditReport.com following the activity on my account, and I can wholeheartedly recommend them. Of course, you don’t have to pay anything if it’s your first inquiry, or if the last time you checked was more than a year ago. Per federal law, we all get one free credit report a year. But these guys have done well for me; and there you go.
Bobo Brazil, WWE Hall Of Famer
Posted by Mitch on Feb 7, 2008
It’s Black History Month, and it may seem odd to talk about someone who was a professional wrestler. However, I’ve always loved wrestling, and when I was a kid, one of my favorites was a guy named Bobo Brazil, probably because he was one of the few black wrestlers of the day, and a good guy to boot.
With all the problems there used to be between the races, along with segregation, and the stories of trailblazers like Jackie Robinson who broke color barriers in professional sports, I have to admit that I never thought of wrestling as one of those sports where a black man would have problems breaking the color barrier, and how, oddly enough, someone like Bobo Brazil could actually make promoters break the color barrier.
First things first; for some odd reason, we can’t even get confirmation on what his real name was. Wikipedia lists it as Houston Harris, but they haven’t been able to confirm it, nor his actual date of birth. What is known is that he started wrestling in the 1950’s against all black competition, traveling with other wrestlers, sometimes in places with segregated audiences, which was standard for the time. What eventually happened, though, is that the fans clamored for Bobo to be put into matches with white wrestlers, and seeing the tides of change, it happened. And, because he crossed lines, and the fans loved it, other wrestlers were finally able to compete against anyone, and it made things better for everyone.
To read more about Bobo Brazil, check out this page from the WWE Website; not sure how long it’ll be up. And while you’re there, since I have no real idea how many people might be wrestling fans, check out some of the other black wrestlers from the past that are being highlighted this month. It makes for good reading, whether you are a fan or not.
Martin Luther King Jr, The Finale
Posted by Mitch on Jan 21, 2008
No advertising today. In the news today, scholars were saying that the only thing most people know about Dr. King is the “I Have A Dream” speech he gave at the Washington Monument in 1963. Obviously, he was so much more than that, and his full legacy can’t be questioned. However, the thing that always made the most impact to me was his final speech, the day before he was assassinated. I remembered hearing the speech as a kid of 8, having it not really mean all that much to me at the time, but making me cry the next day. I wasn’t sure why them, but I know how; because it seems like he called it.
So, here’s that final speech, April 3rd, 1968; happy birthday, Dr. King:
Black People Who Have Embarrassed Black America, Part Two
Posted by Mitch on Dec 26, 2007
I just finished reading this blog entry from a guy who calls himself HoustonNY titled Black People Who Have Embarrassed Black America, and I have to say he pretty much got it right on the head, though I will always defend Michael Jackson to the end; long history there.
However, he’s a relatively young man (okay, born in the 70’s, but still,…), and I think there’s more that has to be added to this list. Oh yeah, for those that don’t know it, I’m black myself, and I’ve been embarrassed by a lot of things that I keep to myself. But, well, it’s time; so,…
Isiah Thomas, for saying that it’s okay for black men to call black women the “B” word, but not for white people to call them that.
Kayne West, for being a punk because he thinks more about himself than others think about him.
Nas, for being immature to believe that naming his next album the “N” word is a good thing.
Ward Connerly, for thinking that the only way to make things balanced in the world is to make it harder for black people; how much can one man hate his own race (oh yeah, I keep forgetting about Clarence Thomas).
Onterrio Smith, for bringing the term “whizzinator” into the American lexicon.
Naomi Campbell and Foxy Brown, for not remembering that their rappers, nothing special, and that they don’t have the right to hit others and think they can get away with it. At least Li’l Kim was an adult about it all.
Bill Cosby, not for the message that he’s putting out now, but for how he’s doing it.
DMX, who can’t seem to understand that he not only can’t own any guns, but can’t take them with him to airports.
Troi Torain, the NYC DJ who said he wanted to kill another man’s wife and sexually molest his 4 year old while on the air, and the people who are bringing him back on the air.
Lawrence Phillips, a football player with lots of talent but no understanding that one can’t go around beating up women.
O.J. Simpson, who used up his Get Out Of Jail Card and still found his way back in; I guess he likes the food.
Marion Jones, for making us all believe you were just so much more talented than everyone else, smiling all the way to all those endorsements, then slamming us all on the back end. People want to slam Barry Bonds for alleged steroids use, but even if he did it, it wasn’t illegal in his sport; it was in yours.
The Playa’s Ball; I mean, an awards show for pimps?
Marcus Wesson, who killed 9 of his own family members, some of them born because of incest he caused.
Colin Ferguson, who shot 32 people on a train in New Jersey, saying he didn’t want to kill any of them while in New York in tribute to the black mayor at the time, David Dinkins
I think that’s enough; I’m depressing myself. Thanks HoustonNY!
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