Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	Archive through January 25, 2024	25		02/04 03:16am
	Archive through July 01, 2024	25		07/05 07:36pm
	Archive through August 22, 2024	25		10/23 07:56pm

Be well!

By Jean Sexton Beddow (Jsexton) on Monday, August 26, 2024 - 11:51 am: Edit

I am so happy for you!

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, October 25, 2024 - 07:39 am: Edit

I moved a discussion to REAL WORLD MILITARY as it was turning this topic into RWM2.

By Roger Rardain (Sky_Captain) on Saturday, October 26, 2024 - 02:24 pm: Edit

In 2023, my wife's dentist noted a spot on the side of her tongue. A biopsy found to be pre-cancerous.
In Feb-Mar 2024, the spot returned worse than before. Another biopsy showed cancer.

Surgery was at the James Cancer Hospital in Columbus OH in early May 2024, they removed 30-40% of her tongue, replacing it with tissue from her wrist.
Radiation treatments were recommended, Six weeks of treatments followed, ending in late July.

Friday Oct 18 she had a CT scan. It showed no signs of cancer and no areas of concern. She is oficially cancer-free.

It has not been a good year for us...

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, October 27, 2024 - 11:12 am: Edit

Our prayers are with you Roger!

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Tuesday, November 05, 2024 - 12:44 pm: Edit

A reminder for everyone who has not voted to go to the polls and vote today. Of course, one may choose not to vote.

I only urge everyone to make a conscious choice, and follow up on that choice.

By Warren Mathews (Turtle) on Saturday, December 21, 2024 - 11:06 pm: Edit

If anyone has a working IOmega 250MB USB Zip Drive they are willing to part with. I will be happy to pay for it + shipping.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Saturday, December 21, 2024 - 11:35 pm: Edit

Wow, that's some old tech there.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Sunday, December 22, 2024 - 08:12 pm: Edit

Let me check, I have an IOmega drive just not sure what is was.

By Paul Franz (Andromedan) on Wednesday, December 25, 2024 - 08:25 am: Edit

Merry Christmas!!!

By Joseph Jackson (Bonneville) on Wednesday, December 25, 2024 - 11:29 am: Edit

Merry Christmas!

By Vincent Solfronk (Vsolfronk) on Wednesday, December 25, 2024 - 06:02 pm: Edit

Merry Christmas!

By Soeren Klein (Ogdrklein) on Tuesday, December 31, 2024 - 06:25 pm: Edit

It is midnight over here in Germany!

Happy new year, everyone!

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Soeren Klein

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, January 01, 2025 - 11:51 am: Edit

I applied for a job in Slupsk Poland!

Should be fun if I get it.

By Lawrence Bergen (Lar) on Thursday, January 02, 2025 - 09:41 pm: Edit

My mom 82 broke her left ankle and had surgery. I am flying out there tomorrow to spend a few weeks helping her and my dad while she begins to recover.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Thursday, January 02, 2025 - 09:56 pm: Edit

May she recover quickly.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Monday, January 06, 2025 - 12:15 am: Edit

My aunt passed away Saturday morning. She was diagnosed with a bleeding brain tumor on Christmas Eve and admitted to hospice care on Monday. Thankfully she did not have to suffer long and passed quickly. She was visited by all her kids, grandkids, brothers and sisters before her passing.

She will be missed.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, January 06, 2025 - 01:48 am: Edit

Our prayers for your family, Ryan.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Monday, January 06, 2025 - 10:45 am: Edit

My condolences, Ryan. My better half lost a 102-year old grandmother over the holidays as well (funeral was two days after Christmas).

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, January 06, 2025 - 02:10 pm: Edit

Ryan, my prayers and condolences for your loss.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, January 06, 2025 - 03:05 pm: Edit

Ryan:
I am sorry for your loss.

Jessica Orsini:

I am also sorry for your loss.

To you both, may they know better days in the world to come.

By Ted Fay (Catwhoeatsphoto) on Monday, April 21, 2025 - 03:38 pm: Edit

Rest in Peace, Pope Francis.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, May 25, 2025 - 05:45 am: Edit

INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE
As you go through life, you should be accumulating retirement funds in a number of accounts of various types, usually stock market funds.
When it's time to retire and cash in the retirement to live on, here are some thoughts.

1. Roths are cool since money taken out of them creates no tax liability.

2. Generally speaking, any money in any kind of IRA is going to be taxable income when you take it out.

3. The first time you get money out of an account and have it wired to your checking account, the fund won't do it unless they are really really really sure that you are you. That often means getting your bank to issue a "medallion signature" on the withdrawal form. Banks are really picky about doing this since if some crook tricks them into giving your money to the crook, the bank that issued the medallion is on the hook for the money. This could take days of tedious form filling. If you have to do this by power of attorney, it takes even more paperwork and a special "still in force" form.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, May 25, 2025 - 01:44 pm: Edit

Just a note in passing:

Everyday in the United States, we all seem to get exposed to all sorts of advice, opportunities and retirement advice.

Don’t fall for the “Golden Opportunity “ or the “Only chance to Invest” schemes, in some ways, the Gold sellers are worse, offering Free silver or complementary gold coins or other gimmicks.

If it seems too good to be true, very often, it is.

In the case of Gold and Silver, the coins or gifts are either worth far less than the advertising says its worth, or it has limitations in the fine print that often eliminate the company’s liability.

The age old phrase “Let the Buyer beware” is even more true now than ever.

A local bank, here in Minnesota is offering “$600.00 to switch”, what they don’t say in the headline, is that to qualify for the $600.00 incentive, you have to deposit a significant amount of money, and maintain a $10,000.00 average daily balance for 90 days or more, and then the bank determines if you qualified for the payment.

A scam that I have experienced, is a call from “your medicare supplement company”ofering all sorts of free services.

The catch is, in order to verify that I am who I say I am, they need me to tell them my state drivers license number, and expiration date, my birth date, my social security number, aoh, and by the way, do I own my own house?

Turns out that it is a call center in india that has been making spam calls to the area for years.

Surprisingly, people have given them the information only to find that all sorts of things happen.

Loans get taken out in peoples names “secured” by the equity in their house, credit card accounts (in india) get opened, which very quickly get maxed out and soon get turned over to collection agencies etc.

Bottom line, know who you are talking to, and never, ever release sensitive information to strangers.

By Kevin Howard (Jarawara) on Monday, May 26, 2025 - 02:59 pm: Edit

Also remember, if they ask a yes or no question, never answer yes. Answer "correct", or verbally restate the information if needed. If they ask "Are you Kevin Howard", you say "I am Kevin". (Unless, of course, you're not Kevin Howard.)

If you answer yes, they have a recording that you ordered the full set of encyclopedias, plus a new engine for a motorboat, plus life insurance, etc. After all, you said "yes".