Morning Update: 04/03/2024

Morning Update: 04/03/2024

May 3, 2024

An Empty Forest [original photo 2011 with AI background]

The pups weren’t of a mind to hang out in yesterday’s mid-80s temps. We’d go outside, I’d settle down in a chair, and they’d be ready to go back inside. They were out long enough to scare Lilly, the baby Jack Russel Terrier next door, out for her first walk on a leash. All it took was one big “woof” and she was telling her mom, “Nope, outside is too dangerous. Let’s go back in.” Hamilton was especially disappointed.

Thanks to Kat, we did get to have pizza for dinner. It’s been long enough since pizza was an option that the kids downed it gleefully for a change. They’ll be okay going another couple of months without it. I’m the one with the problem. Visions of a truly deep dish Chicago-style pizza wander through my brain, longing in my … stomach I guess, because my heart certainly doesn’t need that much cholesterol.

Otherwise, yesterday was rather boring. Oh, I did re-apply for Medicaid after finding out Kat and the kids were approved. The challenge is likely to be that we share an address and resources. We don’t go through the fridge labeling who gets to eat which food. We don’t have separate meters for utilities. We’ll have to see what happens. Having Medicaid back would open more housing choices.

Still, I don’t have any exciting news to share. I’m sorry. There weren’t even any interesting dreams last night. Headlines? Same stuff we’ve been reading about for over a month. No one’s changing their mind, Congress won’t get off their ass, rich people are getting richer and caring less about the rest of us, and stock values are up enough that Apple announced a huge buy-back for this quarter. Crude oil prices are taking a dump, but they’ll be back up when Israel inevitably turns Rafah into dust, just because they can and Netanyahu is a war criminal. An Oregon couple just let their two-day-old infant die because of their insane religious beliefs. An NYPD officer fired into the ceiling as he was breaking up a protest at Columbia University. No one was hurt so he’ll get a reprimand and be back doing the same thing this morning.

If you’re a fan of Rue21, liquidation sales are happening as the brand clears all remaining stock as part of its bankruptcy deal. The IRS announced yesterday that it plans to triple the audit rates on large corporations with assets of more than $250 million, large partnerships with assets of more than $10 million, and wealthy individuals with a total positive income of more than $10 million. It’s not as effective as eating the rich, but it could give a few a place on the menu.

This is that time of year when we waste time speculating on what’s going to happen next when we have no real clue as to what’s going to actually happen next. Isn’t life fun?

Hit me up and let’s get coffee. That’s probably the best way we can spend our time.

Morning Update / Personal

Morning Update: 03/25/24

March 25, 2024

We’re a week into G’s two-week spring break and it’s taking a lot of effort to keep the days straight. The alarm was off this morning and when the animals woke me up I had to look at my watch to know what day it was. Everything is a bit of a blur and to some extent, I’m thinking that may be acceptable, at least for this morning. There’s nothing that has to be done today, no deadlines, no appointments. The coffee shop is closed. There doesn’t seem to be a good reason to not sit here and binge more of NCIS Hawai’i.

The best part of yesterday was getting a visit from our friend “Bubbles” and her boyfriend. They were bringing a new PC tower for G to replace the one incapable of loading Windows 11. This gives him the ability to do more of the PC-based education and gaming things he’s wanted to do. It also gave us a chance to catch up a bit since we’ve not been able to see them for the past few years. I wasn’t the most mobile person I’ve ever been, but I was able to sit in my recliner and enjoy the company. The dogs provided ample security to make sure I didn’t fall over, or if I did it would be their fault.

The second-best part of the day was Kat bringing home pizza. The best part of pizza for dinner is that we almost always have leftovers, which means PIZZA FOR BREAKFAST! I haven’t had any yet, but I’m looking forward to a microwaved slice in a few minutes. At the same time, I look back and it feels a bit sad that I can no longer devour a large pizza on my own. That metabolism was gone before I started chemo. Now, it’s one piece at a time. There’s no having a second piece until the first one is digested.

Quiet days are welcome when the family is here. It’s not like being home alone. Human sounds are coming from different places in the house. There’s a chance for interaction if it’s desired. The cats are a little more lively. Today’s weather shouldn’t be bad so taking the dogs out won’t be as bothersome a chore. Maybe, just maybe, we can have a halfway decent day for once.

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12/11/16: 5 Things You Need To Know

December 11, 2016

charles i. letbetter - 5 things you need to know 12-11-16

Baby, it’s cold outside

https://youtu.be/ooHJxkcKr4U

Good morning! It is a brisk 21° this morning in Indianapolis. Many of us woke up to a dusting or a little more of snow covering the roads. Today’s forecast calls for a little more snow converting to ice and eventually rain before the day is over. The ice is what you’ll want to watch. While no significant accumulation is expected, we all know that any ice at all can make surfaces dangerous, so be especially careful before noon today.

Being the weekend, the world is a little quieter, which is a nice thing. We did manage to find five things we think you should know today, so let’s take a look at those now.

1. Tragedy in Nigeria

Worshipers at a church in Lagos, Nigeria were trapped this morning when the steel girders holding up the recently constructed structure suddenly fell. At this point, Associated Press is reporting at least 160 are dead, but that number is likely to rise.¹

Rushed construction is getting the early blame for the accident. Apparently, workers were rushing to finish the job in time for a special service there yesterday installing the church’s founder, Akan Weeks, as bishop. A crane being used to lift the steel girders out of the rubble is said to be hiding more bodies. Journalists in the area say that church leaders are attempting to prevent anyone from getting an accurate count of the dead or taking any pictures.

The Nigerian government has said there will be a full investigation. However, you should know that building collapse is common across Nigeria due to corruption with contractors and shoddy building practices. A similar collapse occurred at a church in 2014 killing 116 people. While two engineers and church leaders have been accused of wrongdoing in that collapse, the state government has not been able to bring anyone to trial.

^{1. Associated Press:}^{HOSPITAL DIRECTOR: 160 DEAD IN COLLAPSED NIGERIAN CHURCH}^{BY HILARY UGURU AND MICHELLE FAUL Dec 11, 4:43 AM EST}

2. From the You’ve-Gotta-Be-Kidding-Me Department

You’re probably not going to want to believe this, but the Ku Klux Klan has told the Associated Press that they’re not White Supremacists^₁. I know, crazy, right?

First off, let me just be very clear that the young woman in our picture is not a White Supremacist and does not support them in any way. We don’t have any pictures of sheet-clad idiots, though, and her posture in this image reflects the weariness we feel from having to put up with the constant babbling from the Klan and other white supremacy groups since the November election.

Of course, like most everything else the Klan and other hate groups say and do, this statement is utter nonsense. Even the Klan rulebook, published in 1915 and still used by many groups, declares them to be white supremacists dedicated to those ideals.

So, to all members of the KKK and any other neo-Nazi, white supremacists hate group, we have two words for you: fuck off. As long as you spew your hate, as long as you fail to recognize that all people have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as long as you paint swastikas and burn crosses, as long as you hide your identities under robes that represent hate, as long as your actions lean toward violence, as long as you claim that white people are the only ones fit to govern, as long as you attempt to deny people of color and equal place and standing, as long as you divide people by religion and country of origin, we are going to call you what you are: white supremacists.

We’re going to call you something else as well: Haters. That’s what you are and no matter how hard you try to deny it, an ass doesn’t become a thoroughbred just because you put a saddle on it. We’re tired of this nonsense littering our public discourse. Sit down and shut up.

^{1. Associated Press: “}^{KKK, OTHER RACIST GROUPS DISAVOW THE WHITE SUPREMACIST LABEL”}^{BY JAY REEVES Dec 10, 4:27 PM EST}

3. Our longevity just slipped a bit

Children born in 2015 are not likely to live quite as long as those born the year before. Now, before you go getting upset, the difference is only about a month. A child in the United States has a life expectancy of about 78 years and 9½ months, on average. This is according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control this past Thursday.¹ When compared to a 1950’s life expectancy of around 68 years, we’re not doing too bad.

However, this is the first single-year slip we’ve seen since 1993 when the US was in the middle of the AIDS epidemic. What is worth noting about this decline is that there is no outstanding disease or war factor that can claim responsibility. There were increases in deaths due to several of the nation’s top killers, from heart disease to chronic lower lung disease, accidental injuries, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, kidney disease and suicide.²

Who do we have to blame for this downturn? Ourselves, for the most part. While medical care among the poor and indigent remains a factor, the fact is we’re not taking care of ourselves, eating right, and exercising. I know I’m just as much to blame as anyone else. We all need to improve.

^{1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention: Mortality in the United States, 2015 By Jiaquan Xu, M.D., Sherry L. Murphy, B.S., Kenneth D. Kochanek, M.A., and Elizabeth Arias, Ph.D.

2. Associated Press: “US LIFE EXPECTANCY FALLS, AS MANY KINDS OF DEATH INCREASE” BY MIKE STOBBE Dec 8, 6:41 PM EST}

4. The Power of Pizza

Remember last weekend when some gun-toting conspiracy theorist walked into a Washington, D.C. pizza joint and opened fire? Well, as you might imagine, that wasn’t all too good for business. The pizza place, which has the rather strange name of Comet Ping Pong, has been struggling a bit this week since that happened. So have all the other businesses in that immediate vicinity. Even once the police finished their investigation and the tv cameras moved out, people were still a bit hesitant to satisfy their pizza craving in that part of town.

So, over 2,000 people showed up this weekend, starting on Friday, to show their support for Comet Ping Pong and other restaurants targeted by fake news stories. At one point, according to the Associated Press¹, patrons had to wait an hour and a half just to get a table and 45 minutes for take out. The restaurant has also been getting help through a GoFundMe that so far has raised over $28,000.

^{1. Associated Press: “}^{PATRONS USE DOUGH TO BACK PIZZA PLACE TARGETED BY FAKE NEWS”}^{By BY JESSICA GRESKO Dec 10, 12:38 PM EST}

5. And Finally …

If Kermit the Frog thought it wasn’t easy being green back in 1979, he’s really going to have problems with 2017. Pantone, those wonderful keepers of color definition, has decided that the color for 2017 is one called Greenery. According to AdWeek¹, the color was chosen to help us out with the year ahead. Given some of the other prognostications I’ve seen for next year, they could be right about this one. Green is widely known to be a color that has a calming influence. Given the political and economic landscape going into 2017, I would say we need all the calming influences we can get.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in a statement: “Greenery bursts forth in 2017 to provide us with the reassurance we yearn for amid a tumultuous social and political environment. Satisfying our growing desire to rejuvenate and revitalize, Greenery symbolizes the reconnection we seek with nature, one another and a larger purpose.”

I’m not sure painting everything green is going to help that much if we see the economy turn South or find ourselves in yet another war. Still, it’s not a bad color to look at. Be thankful they didn’t choose Puce.

^{1. AdWeek: Pantone’s Color of the Year Is Greenery, Designed to Perk Us Up in 2017}^{By Kristina Monllos December 8, 2016, 4:08 PM EST}

That will have to do it for today. Thank you for sharing your time with us. We look forward to seeing you back here again tomorrow.