Another cool and clear day, warming later. Maybe. It did get a bit overcast yesterday but it certainly stayed warmer. Never did rain, so I’m calling that a ‘nice day’. Hopefully today will be too.
It would be nice to have the weather station set up at the BOL and have a full time internet link to it. And monitor stuff like freezer temps and if there is water in some place it’s not supposed to be. Like dripping from the attic ladder…. for instance.
Overflow tray overflowed. Water was dripping from my ceiling here again. Joy. We still haven’t gotten a contractor to replace the HVAC. And I haven’t fixed the ceiling from last time either.
At least D1 noticed and I could remedy the situation. It wouldn’t have been a flood, but it would have damaged the floor.
I tell you, it’s always something.
Today should be a bunch of home stuff, shopping, and maybe a pickup or three. I should also get over to my storage unit and move more stuff around.
Oh, and I need to get the dead thing (probably a rat) out of the garage. So much joy.
You need to think about rodent and pest control. I’ve got 18 bait stations and two buckets of bait blocks. I really hope that’s enough, but they seem to be like the cicada, coming back when you thought they were finally gone for good.
Stack some more stuff. Broken record here (to use some boomerspeak ™ ) I know. But it’s still good advice.
nick
I was looking at the site. The tools really look top notch. I did notice that some, such as the can wrenches, and P-tools were marked "authorized users only" or somesuch, which of course makes them even more fascinating. So, what are they for?
So, what are they for?
— mainly opening up and getting into telcom infrastructure, all the green boxes along the road.
n
The Federal income tax started as a populist concept promoted by the media of the day (sound familiar?) which was promised as being limited to the top X% in order to get the necessary amendment through ratification in the states.
A wealth tax would require a similar amendment to apportion without regard to state population, and I doubt any changes to the constitution for taxation purposes could make it through the current political environment.
it’s always something
—Roseanne Rossannadanna
Not a week goes by in our house that we don't miss Gilda. I quote Miss Emily Litella almost weekly. Such a loss.
I am sitting in a day surgery center wearing a mask. And freezing to death. The wife is having cataract surgery.
No where else in the state of Texas are people wearing masks.
The Federal income tax started as a populist concept promoted by the media of the day (sound familiar?) which was promised as being limited to the top X% in order to get the necessary amendment through ratification in the states.
A wealth tax would require a similar amendment to apportion without regard to state population, and I doubt any changes to the constitution for taxation purposes could make it through the current political environment. I
Within 10 years, everyone in the population worth more than $100,000 would be paying the wealth tax. Except, the billionaires. They would payoff Congress to get out of the tax as they always do.
Taxes are for peons.
BTW, we do have a wealth tax. It is called the Alternate Minimum Tax.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/alternative-minimum-tax-amt#:~:text=The%20alternative%20minimum%20tax%2C%20or,are%2026%25%20or%2028%25.
Note that it is phased out after one million dollars in income. The millionaires have paid off Congress to remove the hurt.
Only the peons pay AMT.
Visit Downtown Austin. Or Costco near where I live.
The healthcare C-suites are the most inserted into Biden's backside so they will be among the last to drop the mask kabuki.
When I had my colonoscopy last month, the surgery center insisted we wear their masks rather than the real N95 masks that my wife brought from the VA clinic. The provided masks from the center looked like they came from those boxes Sam’s sells which are labelled “Not for use to prevent spread of respiratory illness.”
Kabuki.
Black man that still brings millions to Hollyweird ain't gonna lose his Oscar. Plus, BLM would burn Hollyweird to the ground. Rich old WHITEY! people run the Academy Awards.
AMT is still about taxing a "fair share" of *realized* long term capital gains in a given year.
The Prog dream is taxation of unrealized gains and, for peons, an imputed income tax on homesteaded properties.
This is where I remind everyone that "all taxation is theft".
n
Wow, not only is 3G shutting down but so has Blackberry.
https://www.cnet.com/google-amp/news/almost-a-decade-later-blackberry-ends-support-for-its-classic-phones/
Evolve or die. My main business is facing this issue. I am looking for a sugar daddy.
@Lynn: I had cataract surgery on both eyes, very successful. Good luck to her!
Yes, if those who come to incarcerate you for not paying their required amount, it is theft.
Nick says:
And we have no honest/real/actual representation.
Yes, I am still alive and kicking (and complaining). Visit every day to see what others are saying.
Enjoy today because the Gooberment is trying its darndest to make tomorrow worse for us real citizens.
I have had to lock down my domains as the "provider" has messed them up. So I am using one of my Gmail accounts.
Eric (aka DadCooks)
The FDA has just approved a 4th Moderna anti KungFlu shot for those over 50. Off to my pharmacy now.
The Prog Dream Income Tax Form:
1. How much you make?
2. Send it in.
Nice to see you, DadCooks!
Blackberry blew their security reputation more than a decade ago, with management giving signing keys to select Gulf states with, shall we say, a flexible understanding of concepts like journalistic freedom and privacy. The platform deserved its fate.
@Nick: re remote monitoring of the BOL …. Wyze has several products that would be helpful, including a water leak monitor and a home temp/humidity sensor.
Of course, they all need a wireless and interwebs connection. They actually have quite a few interesting products. I just have their cameras, which work well. And their handheld vacuum.
Well…it shouldn't be that way. I remember someone once saying "I like taxes, because they pay for civilization."
Which is true enough, only: Modern governments need seriously trimmed back. They could perform their actual, legitimate duties on a fraction of the taxes they now take.
@brad:
Definitely true. But here in UK, and I suspect everywhere, most of the tax take goes down the gaping, bottomless pit that is the social security budget. And most of that goes to the professionally indigent.
"Social security" covers a multitude of sins – anything from pensions (state 401k, if I understand correctly) to more-than-subsistence payments to the unemployed, and a host of others. It should not be possible to have luxury goods (like large-screen TVs, top-of-the-range smartphones, and similar) on unemployment payments, especially long-term.
Of course, I am in receipt of social security, in the form of state pension, but even so…
G.
I remember someone once saying "I like taxes, because they pay for civilization."
— there is an 'ante' for sitting at the civilization table. I've noticed however that .gov never asks for less or is satisfied with what they got last time, and since there hasn't been a 'reset' in 200 years, the beast has grown out of control.
n
Here is some more of the linguistic fraud. When talking about raising taxes, they say that those whose taxes should be raised are not paying their "fair share." Have they ever said that they should lower taxes on those that have been paying more than their "fair share"?
Do they ever tell the truth?
30+ years ago Tennessee installed a 1% tax to help the schools. It was sold as temporary and would be removed when no longer necessary. The "temporary" tax is still being collected. It will never end.
The lottery was installed to help the education system with all proceeds going to the school systems. The proceeds do go the school system. However the state removed the funding from the general fund that the lottery provided. If a school got $1 million from the general fund the school now gets $1 million from the lottery and nothing from the general fund. Basically all the lottery proceeds wound up in the general fund. Bait and switch.
The lottery does fund community college and provides some scholarships. The promised benefit to the primary and secondary school systems really did not appear. The funding for the schools remained at the same level. Only the source of the funding changed.
Politicians scammed the general population, again.
TN has no state income tax (not counting the Hall Tax) but has high sales tax, 7.75% with local tax adding 2.00% for a total of 9.75% at time of sale. What I think is really wrong is that food is taxed. Food is a necessity and should not be taxed. Fast food and restaurants should be taxed but not the grocery store.
The governor id proposing a temporary 30 day stop on tax at grocery stores. I guarantee that is one tax change that will be temporary. Reductions are always temporary, increases are never temporary regardless of what spews from the mouths of those cretins in government roles.
In the US, government spending goes to various welfare programs, including Social Security, and the Department of Defense pork spending, $800 billion proposed for next year, which is another form of welfare depending on how you look at it.
Contrary to popular belief, the Social Security Act passed as part of the "New Deal" in the US does not guarantee payouts, only collection. Payouts are at the discretion of Congress, just like any other welfare program.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10662173/Florida-cops-seize-weapons-arm-small-army-rowdy-spring-breakers.html
interesting photos and some observations. If you can tolerate the anti gun bias.
n
And when did Prince Phillip die? Missed that.
n
— it always goes from equal to special…
n
Let me fix that for you…
The Prog Dream Income Tax Form:
1. How much you make?
2. How much do you have saved?
3. How much in the way of “unrealized” assets do you have?
4. Send in 110% of everything above.
The Federal income tax started as a populist concept promoted by the media of the day (sound familiar?) which was promised as being limited to the top X% in order to get the necessary amendment through ratification in the states.
It was the top 1% to start. Millionaires only just for the duration of the emergency.
“In 1913, the top tax rate was 7% on incomes above $500,000 (equivalent to $13.1 million[88] in 2020 dollars) and a total of $28.3 million was collected.[89]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax_in_the_United_States#Income_tax_rates_in_history
Which is where the word "fungible" comes in.
I first ran into that bait-and-switch with the United Way scam. They introduced a policy to let you direct your funds to the charities you like, and away from the charities you don't. But then, behind the scenes, they made sure their pets like Planned Parenthood received full funding from the undirected contributions.
I WISH the State and Federal retirements were structured as 401K's. At least for all jobs that aren't 1st responders (Police, Fire, and Military). That would put a cap on the costs.
@nick:
11 months ago.
G.
Too many "L" 's?
n
–ah, read more of the article and now I understand. Took a while to get the memorial set up.
n
I WISH the State and Federal retirements were structured as 401K's. At least for all jobs that aren't 1st responders (Police, Fire, and Military). That would put a cap on the costs.
My friend's son who has been an IRS field agent for 13 ? 15 ? years has a 401K. No pension. He thinks all federal employees since 2000 ??? are on a 401K.
"xkcd: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio"
https://xkcd.com/2599/
Oh yeah, statistics lie.
Explained at:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2599:_Spacecraft_Debris_Odds_Ratio
Calling Chuck Waggoner, calling Chuck Waggoner! 😉
Here's an example of pensions gone wild at a school district I won't mention, *cough* San Bernardino *cough*:
The current Administrator is on the hot seat with almost half the school board wanting to cashier him for a lousy job. He's been there only about a year. If they cashier him and buy out his contract, he is already eligible for retirement in the SB City system. His pension is $36,000. That's $36,000 per MONTH. That is the reason SB has already gone through one bankruptcy.
I missed my calling.
If he hasn’t done the job, can him for cause or give him a Sicilian retirement.
Many of those pensions have a survivor's benefit. So, you'd have to "retire" the spouse too.
The Buttplugs are a bunch of misinformation idiots:
Chasten Buttigieg lets us know that Gov. Ron DeSantis can’t make the LGBTQ community disappear with a pen
The ProgLibturds want SCOTUS Thomas to *resign* over his wife's texts. Then it should be ditto for the 'plugman.
Chasten is coming to the front as a flaming Gay Libturd. God help us all if Petey goes anywhere in goobermint.
And, Geez, just Geez:
FL Kindergarten teacher whining about NOT discussing his love life with his students is exactly WHY the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ LAW was needed (watch)
According to OPM they still have a pension, but it is a hybrid plan: Pension, Social Security, Thrift Savings Plan.
https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/fers-information/
What did the clod make a month while he was *cough* working *cough*?
I was searching for unclaimed property and found some mineral royalties for my MIL's husband currently reported as abandoned property. But to claim the property is going to require some documents that I do not have and will never have. The state wants his will which is long gone and lost in his wife's papers. I also have to file one of those documents, an affidavit of heirship with the county in which he lived. That would be Bexar County in Texas. How do I even do that? I also have to find the documents that indicate he was the owner of the mineral rights. Where do I even find those. Is it even worth the hassle for less than $1K? There is also the issue of his daughter filing to get a share of the current mineral revenue which may complicate things. A lot of aggravation and effort for not a lot of gain.
You have a problem with the Clinton retirement plan? Or is that more of a "stay out of jail free" plan?
The only thing that's more permanent than a "temporary tax" is a "temporary home for a stray cat".
I'm guessing this is a complete Union take over of a school district. He'll make as much as the POTUS when he retires. After working in SB for years now, I know the whole city goobermint is in on the gravy train. The only way the city can survive is with a Kalifornia bail-out.
Not so much. Cat’s die.
Actually, that’s an idea: Link every law to a cat and have it die with the animal.
We’d have 500million cats in this country, and have to invent new uses for cat shit, like making it legal tender for politician’s salaries.
And then the cat linked to the original law would die and …,
Yes, if those who come to incarcerate you for not paying their required amount, it is theft
Left something out, now.
Yes, if those who come to incarcerate you for not paying their required amount are wearing guns, it is theft
Everyone except the very old – who remember all the amendments – gets original Social Security wrong. It was indeed originally an annuity with a guaranteed payout of 3% of their wages during participation. Yes, it has been morphed into an awful mess, but that does not negate what it started out as.
The original Social Security Act not only guaranteed payment to qualifying people who paid in, it even arranged to pay any remaining as a lump sum to that person's estate after death, including those who died before reaching 65 years old.
From the Social Security website:
https://www.ssa.gov/history/35act.html
People who paid in but who weren't eligible for full benefits in old age were, under the original Act, paid in a lump sum at age 65:
And if anyone had been overpaid during life, the government would collect the overpayment from their estate:
Which is why I recommend you draw SS as soon eligible for *full* SS. The whole thing could collapse any year.
Pierce County, Washington. If that sounds familiar, that's probably because you have seen an episode of "Cops". The producers have a good relationship with the Sheriff.
Chasten already got a gimmie book deal last year. I saw print copies on the shelves at Amazon's physical store in town and BookPeople at the Austin airport.
I'll bet those print copies were not returned to be pulped.
Yes! I'm one of those who wouldn't be eligible for "full retirement" until 66 1/2. I did the calculations, comparing the total amount lost between 62 and 66 1/2, and discovered if I waited, it would have taken me until age 75 to just break even. 13 years to break even. The gained difference, for me, was not sufficient to wait. So I went ahead and began drawing at 62. Later this year I will sign up for Medicare.
Your goobermint at work:
Department of Education to ‘monitor’ so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to see if it violates federal civil rights law
Nuttin' better to do. The DoE is, has been, and will be useless. Another Dept. with too much power.
Two court cases clarified that the language of the Act allows Congress to change the rules at will and established the payroll deduction was a tax for general welfare purposes to avoid 10th amendment problems.
Googling quickly — Fleming v. Nestor and Helvering v. Davis?
I'm sure NaN will chime in if I'm wrong.
Of course the Feds left themselves an out, especially Roosevelt, that old con artist.
Live in Florida, and you’ll hear the fringe people arguing that SS is illegal. Usually it is groups like THRO who backed Perot early, but the Dems weren’t above using the lack of payout guarantees to scare the h*ll out of the oldsters, particularly when their power first began to slip in the state in the 90s.
As soon as Casey DeSantis tweeted that her cancer situation was under control for the time being, 2024 started in Florida.
Beyond Presidential politics, the Progs and the media in the state still believe that the 2018 election for Governor was "stolen" from Benny Crump crony Andrew Gillum.
Party at Kitty and Studs.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/13/andrew-gillum-allegedly-found-inebriated-in-hotel-room-where-cops-found-meth/
My wife has a pension and a 401(k) at the VA. She's only been a Federal employee since 2019.
Will we see more of Val Kilmer?
The story is that Kilmer only participated because of a contractual obligation, but I'm sure the studio made it worth his while financially.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL3CTra4bS4
Social security is another example of bracket creep.
If you draw social security and have other income, you can get taxed on your social security payments.
The thresholds have never been increased since enacted in 1983. From 1983 to 2022, the CPI is up 190%, so they would have to increase the thresholds by nearly 3 times to get them back to the original purchasing level.
Bastards. They sure haven't been shy about hiking their own salaries–up 2.49x since 1983.
Trivia note:
I have never been able to sign up on the social security website.
It insists that my cell number is VoIP and ineligible.
I piddled with the math at started SS at not quite 63. Who knew "start in July" means "start in August"? Anyway, I could have waited for a couple hundred more a month but breakeven was 78 or 80. Why not get it while the getting is good?
I need to look into the Medicare stuff. Maybe I'll get a letter to remind me?
Anyway. The house and land are paid for. All I have to come up with is electricity, phone, and Internet. Oh, and rent aka property taxes. Sling and Amazon Prime can go away, that's currently about $80 a month. Almost what the rent is. Then I have some savings and no telling what the 401k is worth. It seems to bounce up and down. Pretty sure I have to start drawing from that at 70…. nothing says I have to leave it in the bank for a potential nursing home to grab.
Once Mom's house sells, that's hopefully 60 or 70 grand in the bank.
My math isn't guaranteed but I think I'm gonna be good. I won't need to be working at a convenience store or picking up cans on the highway. Win!
I have a cell phone. No problem. Plenty of folks said I would have to go to the SS office in person. I did everything on-line.
It feels like it is too early to call but Spring is here in the telecommunications butthole of Texas.
The little mesquite tree started leafing out over night. And hummingbirds, too.
If Spring moves north about 10 miles a day, Brownwood and Comanche in eight days.
Nearly a year ago. The kabuki that is the UK Royal Family doubled down on make believe with a socially distanced funeral attended by 30 people to set an example for the commoners in the era of Covid.
Soldier on. Stiff upper lip.
LOL. All the insurance companies deluge you with letters when you turn 65.
You are aware that most "medicare" plans are insurance companies managing Medicare with kickbacks from the .gov, right? Applies to Advantage, Supplement (Medigap), Part D, etc. They all want your signature, and in the case of supplemental plans, your money.
I found a good insurance agent who handles only Medicare and other health insurance, and she walked me through the landmines. Her commission comes from the insurance companies, so it cost me nothing extra.
I went with a Medigap Plan G. If you like HMO's, there are incredibly cheap Advantage plans. I don't like HMO's, and I want to travel. Advantage makes that harder.
My biggest beef is with this thing called IRMAA. Because I went from a high earner to zero income, and they use 2 year old income data, I'm being charged an arm and a leg in increased premiums. I've filed all the forms and I'm waiting for it to catch up; there's supposed to be relief when you have a life event such as
getting firedretiring."Asia’s Autocrats Are Calling, Mr. Biden" by Patrick J. Buchanan
https://buchanan.org/blog/asias-autocrats-are-calling-mr-biden-159221
"While it flew 600 miles from Pyongyang into the Sea of Japan, the mammoth missile flew for 71 minutes, reaching an altitude of 3,852 miles. Had it been fired in a normal trajectory, its missile warheads could have reached Washington, D.C., and every city in the USA."
Oh my. He now has an ICBM. Now he just needs to downsize his nukes.
Yeah, they managed to gyp me out of two and a half months: "Your benefit starts the next month after you turn 62." "We pay one month in arrears so your first check isn't paid until the next month after you are eligible." and finally "Your check will arrive the third Wednesday" but my birthday fell on the second Wednesday….
I have not gotten anything official on Medicare but I am getting a lot of flyers from companies trying to sell me their "advantage" plans etc.
I know we HAVE to sign up PDQ when turning 65 in order not to have a penalty, so I will be calling them four months out if I haven't heard from them. I will elect to also get Part D for medicines.
I seriously doubt that I can afford a supplement, so I will probably keep my membership in CHM, a Christian cost-sharing co-op. They have a deal where with Medicare their Gold part is only around $100 per month. This is not insurance, so it does not cover co-pays for regular visits etc, but will reimburse me the excess after Medicare from hospital or other significant events.
I DO recommend people get a Medicare Supplement if they can afford the premiums. There is a brief time limit to sign up for one after Medicare starts, and if you miss that, none of them will cover you later.
Because we could not afford a Medicare Supplement, Paul doesn't have anything but Medicare, and we've only had one slimy little rural hospital that gouged us on the bill. All others, our part has been very minimal. I don't know what it would be like elsewhere for other people. His part of doctor visits is usually $40. His part of out patient surgery in Waco for an every-6-month procedure is $220. Hendrick in Abilene, bless them, only charged us $1600 for our part after his emergency femoral artery bypass, which included ER visit, surgery, and two weeks in the hospital before transfer to a nursing home. We did not ask for special treatment, that was standard. Hendrick now owns our local hospital so we don't expect any surprises there.
Nice! I will start watching the mesquite trees down the block. Once they leaf out, no more frosts! It would be great if we didn't have to wait until Easter to be certain. "Don't plant before Good Friday" is wise advice, but that last minute freeze doesn't happen every year. I'm ready to see the back of Winter.
His health issues are heartbreaking. I remember reading about this filmed memoir, but did not realize it had been released. I'll look for it on DVD.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_(film)
Originally this article was in NYT Magazine in May 2020, but that one is behind a paywall now, so here's … I think …. an open copy of the text. Fans might enjoy it.
https://lightlynews.com/2020/05/06/magazine/what-happened-to-val-kilmer-hes-just-starting-to-figure-it-out/
I think that has been changed to 72 for Required Minimum Distribution. Which is 4% of all the untaxed investments based on the value on January 1 of the year.
I navigated the Medicare obstacle course. I chose regular Medicare rather than the HMO. Too many restrictions on doctors and services on the HMO. I also got a supplemental insurance policy, Plan G, the best, to limit my out-of-pocket to about $1K for both the wife and I.
I get junk mail almost every day about Medicare plans. Trash fodder.
I waited until 66 to draw SS as I had planned to work until 70. Earn a salary before full retirement, in my case 66, and the SS gets reduced by a significant amount while still employed. I retired at 65 and 6 months. I was on Medicare. Waited until I was 66 (my full retirement) to apply for SS. My break even point was 87, about the time I figure I will be little more than a pile of ashes.
>> Wow, not only is 3G shutting down but so has Blackberry.
I still miss the Blackberry physical keyboard, especially now that the ol' fingers are not as nimble as they used to be.
But then, now there's this.
>> That's $36,000 per MONTH.
Wow, up there in Fauxi territory!
I can't seem to get excited for the sequel. I'll wait for the free version to come out.
I get Tricare For Life as a supplement. Plus any drugs I can get on any base are free.
Same with MrsAtoz and myself. She still makes significant income.
>> I DO recommend people get a Medicare Supplement if they can afford the premiums. There is a brief time limit to sign up for one after Medicare starts, and if you miss that, none of them will cover you later.
IIRC, you can sign up later for a Supplement plan but then you're subject to their underwriting health qualifications. Maybe Charles Atlas would have been eligible, just maybe.
one of my trade magazines just ran a really good article on social security, with graphed lines for different retirement ages showing the breakeven. Looked to me like most people should take the money as soon as they can, unless their health is good and family history is exceptional.
I'll try to find something linkable.
n
https://hotair.com/jazz-shaw/2022/03/29/the-bitter-harvest-putin-will-likely-reap-from-ukraine-n458792
@nICK
Which one?
I waited until 66 to draw SS as I had planned to work until 70. Earn a salary before full retirement, in my case 66, and the SS gets reduced by a significant amount while still employed. I retired at 65 and 6 months. I was on Medicare. Waited until I was 66 (my full retirement) to apply for SS. My break even point was 87, about the time I figure I will be little more than a pile of ashes.
I figure that Social Security will be means tested in the next 10 years. Or not. But probably so, the savings are just too much.
https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/pandemic-accelerates-depletion-us-social-security-trust-funds-treasury-2021-08-31/
"WASHINGTON, Aug 31 (Reuters) – The coronavirus pandemic will cause the main U.S. Social Security trust fund reserves to be depleted in 2033, a year sooner than an estimate made a year ago, as a steep drop in employment shrank revenue, the U.S. Treasury said on Tuesday."
"The Medicare Hospital Insurance Fund reserves are expected to be depleted in 2026, the same as last year's estimate. This will allow Medicare to pay only 91% of scheduled "Part A" hospital and other benefits from expected revenues at that time, Treasury said."
I don't know what they are are going to do about Medicare, that is the scary fix.
Which one?
— yeah, that's the thing…. the one I thought it was didn't have anything like it online. I'll have to look back at the pile…
n
@nICK
Which one?
AARP just had a big article on Social Security.
https://www.aarp.org/retirement/social-security/info-2020/10-myths-explained.html
"Social Security is enormous and complex, paying out nearly $100 billion a month to some 65 million retirees, people with disabilities and their family members. It's wildly popular, supported by more than 90 percent of U.S. adults across the political spectrum, according to a 2020 AARP survey. And it's critical to older Americans’ financial health, with 4 in 5 of those polled expecting to rely on Social Security during their later years."
That is 20% of the populace is getting social security checks. And it is going to increase before it starts dropping as the last of the baby boomers retire.
I think the incompetence of the Russians is overstated in the Western media. Again, this is the first time any military force has faced an opponent with the civilian communications and transportation infrastructure to support Fedex overnight deliveries and Egg McMuffin breakfasts at McDonalds, not to mention audio/video production and distribution capabilities in every pocket that would have been pro level even a decade ago.
Everyone is taking notes, especially the Taiwanese.
@Greg
Incompetence is certainly a factor.
As is:
lack of preparation
bad tactics
poor equipment
green recruits
and
lack of popular support.
I've seem some hilarious complaints in the Western press that economic auctions against Russia and confiscation of super yachts*, etc. is probably illegal. Yeah, compared to what? Not doing a farking thing until Putin, already a war criminal, pops a nuke or uses outlawed CBW weapons?
And the irony of the very same tactics on a much smaller scale being used by one of the premier democracies of the world against it's own citizens is stellar, as is the total lack of concern and/or consequences.
*Yeah, about that: The yacht that's allegedly Putin's was reported to have an anti-missile defense system. Cool. Where can I get one, in a world where pulling into port in a two-master with a couple of rifles for self-defense will get you arrested and imprisoned?
@drwilliams, turns out it was Journal of Light Construction, and the article isn't up on the web yet. Poke me next month, if you remember, and I'll check again.
n
>> I figure that Social Security will be means tested in the next 10 years. Or not. But probably so, the savings are just too much.
All the more reason to start your withdrawals sooner rather than later.
I want as much of what I put in back before there is no more "back."
Although don't assume our Congress-critters wont consider a claw-back component (exempting themselves of course).
@alan:
That has applied to me for years, especially since my fingers are quite stubby. Touchscreen keyboards are difficult for me to use, so I carry, and use, a stylus. It slows my typing, but who types War and Peace on a touchscreen?
Yes, I have the original Planet Gemini, and it's both better and worse than any other smartphone. Yes, the keyboard is better (not as good as the Psion 5, which it is frequently compared with, but good) but it's a MediaTek chipset, as is the Astro, which means you'll be lucky if you get 1 Android major update from them, due to MediaTek dropping support for their older (as in 1 year old!) chips.
My Gemini runs Android 8.1, although it was shipped with 7. It works, and I've just had to replace the battery (which is a "send it back to the factory" job) but at least it can be done, even after 4 years.
G.
>> Yes, the keyboard is better (not as good as the Psion 5, which it is frequently compared with, but good)
@Geoff, had a Psion 5 for a number of years – great tool.
FFS, what sort of bubble do they live in?
HALF of all characters.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10666065/Disney-prez-says-mom-transgender-pansexual-children-wants-diverse-characters.html
n
@ray:
In my case I became eligible to draw State Pension at 65, and could still continue to work, but I decided not to take my pension, since this gives a 10% uplift per year of deferment, and I was 5 years away from paying off my mortgage.
Of course, 3 years later, $EMPLOYER decided to make me, and half my immediate colleagues, redundant. The redundancy payment was a serious piece of change, so I left full-time employment, mortgage paid off, and in receipt of a total pension (state and occupational) not much less than my previous base salary. So I'm doing quite well, thank you.
Here in UK, we don't have to worry about medical costs, because NHS. And thank $DEITY for it – my cancer treatment 3 years later would have been crippling.
I'm cancer-free at the moment, so treatment appears to have been successful. My oncologist gave me a 95% chance of surviving for at least 5 years. That was 3 years ago, so we'll see what transpires.
G.
Added: I need a new keyboard on this Dell laptop. It consistently misses certain keys. I have to proof-read closely.
@alan;
I've still got mine. And a Psion 3A. And several Palm Pilots. They all still work, AFAIK.
G.
Excellent!