Unofficial Off Topic Thread

[sk47]

Teenager who aced driving test is denied a license for using a Tesla (msn.com)
Hello; Read this to see what the story might be. Figured it was to be a fluff piece. One part did prove of interest. That being the question of how well a person who has only driven cars with features such as a Tesla can function in an old school vehicle. The story cites the braking system of a Tesla.
My first car back in 1965 was a four door Chevy with no power anything. I had a 1972 Porsche 914 bought used in the 1970's, also no power anything. Skip ahead a three decades and i go look at an old 914 to buy. Even tho I had owned one for nearly 12 years decades earlier the manual brakes and steering took me a bit to get use to. I do wonder how a driver with no past experience might do.
Not much of a link nor much of a post but might raise a question or two. I already have run into salespeople who cannot drive a manual. Will there someday be a population who cannot drive at all if cars do become self-driving?

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[sk47]

Bing Videos
Hello; This is a video of army ants making a chain with their bodies to get at/ invade a wasp nest under a house's soffit. A wild thing to see.
Many decades ago, when young I read a book titled- Langerin (sp) Versus the Ants. Years later Charleton Heston was in a move made from that book. Hope the homeowner gets away OK.

 

[sk47]

3 big changes are coming to Medicare in 2025 — here’s what you need to know before the open enrollment period (msn.com)

“Finally, agents offering support to seniors signing up for healthcare coverage will be compensated differently starting in 2025.”

“The government will pay $100 more per enrollment to agents who sign seniors up for Medicare Advantage Plans or Medicare Part D for the first time — a significant increase from the proposed $31 pay increase for agents.”

“However, Medicare is ending sales incentives for agents who currently receive bonuses, including volume-based bonuses, for signing people up for Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicap Plans or Part D. Medicare is also putting a stop to agents and brokers collecting "administrative fees" above the fixed compensation cap the government has put in place.”

“The hope is that providing agents with fair initial compensation will no longer incentivize them to steer seniors towards plans that may not be a good fit.”


Hello; My comments- I have a land line. I also have a dumb cell phone. On the land line I get, on some days, around 15-20 calls trying to sell me something, scam me or sign me up for Medicare plans. Looks like I will get even more calls next year as the pay to sign me up will jump up to $100.

Not clear to me how the second paragraph above will affect calls. Maybe ending bonuses will stop some of it, but I have doubts. I and others with land lines will be targets.

Guess I should have figured there is money behind the hundreds of phone calls I get each month about Medicare in some way. So, it seems the government is paying people to aggravate me every day except Sunday.

For a long time, my land line was thru AT&T, and I had no options purchased. I switched to a local fiber optic cable last spring for internet. The land line phone option is only $25/month, so I took that option. Now I have a vocal announcement of who is calling. I can know who is calling without picking up. Thing is the callers are tricky. The announcement will be that the call is from a local area or some person's name. Rarely the case. Somehow, they disguise themselves.

I have an answering machine and often wait to see if the caller starts to leave a message. Legit callers often do. The others do not.

Back to Medicare. I understand old folks like me should be told about benefits. I get documents in the mail explaining them. I do not see how this cold call way to get the message out is good for me and others. These paid agents apparently have to sign me up in order to get paid. Wanna bet my best interest is not on their mind?

 

[sk47]

Hello; I live around 60 miles from Newport TN and a little over 100 miles From Ashville NC. I got lots of rain & wind but no flooding and very little wind damage. I know a lady who has family & friends in NC who lost everything. She is putting together supplies and plans to take them to the area. I will add to her supplies.
I hear stories of folks with supplies and offers of help being turned away. I do not know if such is true and hope it is not true.
I also have been hearing today that FEMA is nearly out of monies to help folks who lost so much. Something about that the FEMA monies already had been spent on illegal immigrant aid. Afraid this has a ring of being true.

 

[sk47]

peanut the squirrel news - Search
Hello; Saw on Gutfield last night a story Peanut the squirrel. Seems seven or so NY city officials raided an apartment and removed a pet squirrel and racoon. After being removed both pets were killed because of a supposed rabies fear. The TV show featured video of the pet interacting with the man who took in the baby squirrel after its mother was killed.
When I was a kid i took in a baby squirrel for the same reason. I kept it for several months then released it.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

peanut the squirrel news - Search
When I was a kid i took in a baby squirrel for the same reason. I kept it for several months then released it.

Released it? So you say but the authorities can't take the chance that you really did. Prepare to be boarded!

 

[sk47]

A Virginia toll road saved an RV-driving dad 20 minutes — and cost $569

Hello; Take the long way home.

 

[sk47]

Researchers make troubling find while examining insect behavior: 'We're going to have a hard time with all sorts of other animal populations'
Hello; Here is where I may show some ignorance, but here goes anyway. The link above is the product of a limited study on a particular insect -leafhoppers. The study implies they cannot reproduce above some set temperatures. The study also tries to expand this finding to other species, I assume, of insects. The warning is whole insect populations will die off and disrupt food chains and have a domino effect on human food supplies. This is, it seems, A climate change scare story.
At least two things come to mind to potentially refute the doom & gloom scare. One being insects are known to live in the hottest environments of the earth. Another being, if my recall is accurate, there were insects thriving millions of years ago during previous "Hot climate" times. I think one episode was during the Carboniferous Era. The time when so many coal beds were laid down. Fossil evidence of dragonfly insects with 24 inch wingspans is known. I may be off on the heat of that era.
There used to be an idea held about evolution. The notion has been many species have survived drastic ranges of climate over great lengths of time. That adaptations for these ranges of climate happened. That there are at least two sorts of adaptation. One being behavioral and the other tied to genetic adaptations.
A small part of these notions, I think, is because species survived past climate fluctuations they may be able to adjust to such changes again. Behavorial adaptation is easy enough to grasp.

The other, phenotype adaptation, is harder to pin down. What i learned decades ago likely is some updated by now. No point in my describing the ideas. More to say I think many species will be able to adapt to a warm world if such happens.

Chemical pesticides are likely more of a threat to beneficial insects such as bees.

 

[K4fxd]

Chemical pesticides are likely more of a threat to beneficial insects such as bees.

This

 

[K4fxd]

One only needs to look at the Jurassic era. Average temps were higher along with C02 levels somewhere around the 5000 PPm area and O2 was also very much higher. The Earth supported Dinosaurs. HUGE animals that could not be supported today. Global warming might affect some ocean front property, but will not in any way harm life on this planet.

 

[sk47]

‘Animal Protein Overconsumption’: UN Climate Confab Attendees Urge Countries To Implement Tax On Meat
Hello; Here we go. A sin tax on meat.

 

[K4fxd]

Hello; Here we go. A sin tax on meat

Already there. Costco prime strip steaks went from $9 a pound to 15

 

[sk47]

Already there. Costco prime strip steaks went from $9 a pound to 15

Hello; Ouch!!

 

[K4fxd]

I can't even afford flat iron steaks anymore. Hopefully things will change. Gas is already lower than it has been the last 4 years..... I paid 3.15 for 93 today, without any discounts.

 

[sk47]

I can't even afford flat iron steaks anymore. Hopefully things will change. Gas is already lower than it has been the last 4 years..... I paid 3.15 for 93 today, without any discounts.

Hello; I do hope gas will go down more. It may take time for new policies about drilling, pipelines and such to make it to increased production. One stumbling block might be the current release of fuel form the strategic reserves will stop. That had the earmarks of an election ploy. The releases probably only accounted for a few cents per gallon is what I did read.
We may see more monkey wrenches thrown into the systems between now and January 2025. Saw the last day or so a new tax on methane emissions. My hope is they do not do some things which cannot be reversed on the way out. Fingers crossed.

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