Fri, 21 Oct 2005

 Donation Gatherers

 Something many people don't know is when you get a phone call asking for donations, that call is from a company that is hired to raise money. These comapnies can make a lot of money for themselves and the group who buys the service. In one way this is a good idea. It saves the groups from having round up volunteers to make the calls. I don't like the idea that hired company makes large sum of money. I just read about one company that raised over a million dollars. From that million the group was given about one hundred seventy five thousand. That is a lot of money that the group did not see. I can't help but wonder what happened to the rest of the money.

 One thing that really makes me wonder id a new tactic they use to get money. The phone rings and you answer. You are told that they are calling from the group in need of money. They are actually calling on behalf of the group and not from the group. Next they ask if you are willing to make a donation. If you tell them you are willing to donate ten dollars, they tell you it is not enough. They say they can accept fifteen twenty five or thirty five dollars. If you tell them you can not afford those amounts they hang up. I think that is stupid. Now instead of the ten dollars you were willing to give, they get nothing. Does that seem right to you? Because they are getting greedy they are getting nothing. I think if you are looking for a hand out you should accept anything offered.

posted at: 22:09 | path: | permanent link to this entry

Mon, 10 Oct 2005

    Laugh Tracks

  Why do sitcoms insist on using laugh tracks? I am watching television and there is nothing on but sitcoms. I fond some of them humorous but apparently as funny as I am supposed to. Lucky for me there is a laugh track to let me know when I am supposed to laugh. After watching a few stinkers I am not sure if the canned laughter is supposed to make me laugh or to make the writers feel good.

 I know the reason a laugh track is used is because laughter can be contagious. Most times when I hear the laughter, instead of laughing I wonder what was so funny. I understand that everyone has a different sense of humor but the people who make the shows want me to think something is outragiously funny when I find it slightly humorous.

 I guess I should be thankful for the laugh track. If there were no laughs I wouldn't know when something is funny and then the show would be too quiet. I wish they would can the canned laughs and let me decide what is funny. I may not be the smartest guy in the world but I do know when to laugh at something funny.

posted at: 22:13 | path: | permanent link to this entry