Archive for December 2022
Has It Occurred To You . . .
. . .that
no one in the Bible
had one.
Use Glass For Leftovers
The discovery of plastic particles in human blood has magnified the warning about keeping leftovers and buying food in plastic containers.
Huge amounts of plastic waste are dumped daily and microplastics now contaminate the entire planet, from the summit of Mount Everest to the deepest oceans. People were already known to consume the tiny particles via food and water as well as breathing them in.
Keep food and drink in glass containers in your home to lower the danger to your health.
Those Who Claim . . .
. . .to have a clear conscience
probably just have a bad memory.
Why Collect in the First Place?
So you’re well on your way to completing the set of 50-state quarters that you began on a whim, decided to put them together for your grandkids, and then decided to do one for yourself.
What’s going to happen to the collection, whether it’s one or several sets, when you’re done? And will it (or they) sell for the profit you had in your head when you began? If you spend each set, you can buy $12.50 worth of something.
A recently-deceased relative left behind cartons of comic books and baseball cards. The recipient heirs haven’t found it worth their while to catalog the collection and have it appraised and offered in e-bay. It’s still just sitting there.
Collectibles are not only in the eye of the beholder, they’re also in the heart of the collector. They usually offer more thrill in the hunt and satisfaction in the acquisition than profit in the purse.
They give the collector a circle of like-minded colleagues to discuss likes and dislikes, as well as to brag about the latest addition to one’s collection. But you can conduct the same spirited exchanges over your favorite sports teams without having to spend the time and money tracking down another cloisonne piece for your collectible closet.
A Relative Says . . .
. . . they’ve solved a nettlesome problem.
Their new password is INCORRECT
so whenever they forget it,
their computer says, “Your password is incorrect.”
Thumb Drive Supports Safety Deposit Box
Keeping important documents, treasured heirlooms, and valuable jewelry in a safety deposit box long has been logged high on the list of secure venues. These boxes usually are in banks, which are difficult to break into and located in secure areas with alarms, video cameras, and top-notch locks. The vaults that hold safety deposit boxes are also reinforced to withstand fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.
You can use another tool to supplement the safety of important items.
You can scan or take pictures of your important papers and copy them into your computer, then download them onto a thumb drive, or several of them. Then you can wipe the material out of the computer so hackers can’t get at it. You can store one thumb drive in your safety deposit box along with your gold coins and important papers, keep one a in a safe place at home, bury one in the backyard and give one to your attorney.
I Used To Think . . .
. . . I was indecisive,
but now I’m not so sure.
Seniors Straining Economic Support
There were slightly more than 900 million people – about 12 percent — around the world aged 60 years and older in 2015. This number is expected to increase to 1.4 billion by 2030, an increase of more than 16 percent. By 2050, one out of five people – 2.1 billion scattered all over the globe — will be 60 or older.
Almost 90 percent of the Japanese believe this is a problem. Only one out of four Americans think this way. Since most of these people will be out of the work force, they will have to have fashioned their own retirement plans or be supported by somebody. Most people in most countries think the government should take care of its elderly. This socialism brush could be wider than anticipated and affect how the nations of the world are governed in the near future.
This rapidly aging population is creating an unprecedented set of problems, including a rapidly spreading and more diverse set of diseases, increased spending of time and money on health and long-term care, labor shortages, and steadily rising inflation chewing away at old-age income. Adding calluses to the problem is the fact that Social Security payments will probably be lowered when the surplus in the trust fund is depleted. The $2.9 trillion in reserves reported in 2020 is expected to be spent by 2034 – a year earlier than previously estimated.
When that happens, benefits payments will probably be slashed by about 25 percent if adjustments aren’t made in the meantime. This is happening because the millennium surge into the retirement age and the dwindling labor force that has Social Security support deducted from their paychecks. Simply, fewer workers will be paying for more Social Security recipients. While every elected official in Washington and every economist in the country knows the problem exists, no one has made any moves to fix any part of it.
The Major Problem . . .
. . . facing the development of
AI (artificial intelligence) is that
we’ll neve be able to overcome
natural stupidity.
Self-Image Usually Unclear
Many an old fogey walks away from a mirror muttering about not recognizing the image they just saw. But a lot of folks don’t recognize themselves as other people see them.
You may think you’ve spent a lot of effort to become a good listener. You’ve become so good you often know what people are going to say before they say it. So, to help them along, you rudely interrupt them and finish what they were going to say for them.
What about the chap who claims to be open to change and welcomes new ideas and developments as they take hold in society? At the same time, they keep reminding everyone loudly about the good old days.
You might think your good at conflict resolution, of helping to bring feuding relatives, coworkers, neighbors or colleagues together. They may see you just as a meddling, intrusive or bossy interloper who tries to impose your mores and morals on everybody else.
In A Moment . . .
. . . of mental and muscle inactivity,
it occurred to me that,
if the devil ever appears in public,
the cops can arrest him for possession.
Rosacea Not Rosy
If President Bill Clinton appeared red-faced when the Monica Lewinsky affair was made public, much of it could have been attributed to his rosacea. He is among the list of famous people who reportedly have the affliction along with such beauties as Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz and Renee Zellweger. The late Princess Diana passed it on to her sons.
Giants from the past who battled this facial skin disorder include artist Rembrandt, actor W. C. Fields and financier J.P Morgan, who’s bulbous rosacea nose convinced everyone he was a dedicated boozer.
One out of every 10 adults have rosacea. Such a pretty name for a global scourge that is marked by reddish flushed skin, pimples and pustules, and enlarged spidery blood vessels like varicose veins on the cheeks and nose. Most sufferers are women.
The disorder can begin slowly and, if not treated, will become more persistent and severe. Besides being unsightly, its symptoms can include itching, burning and stinging besides disrupting one’s personal and professional life. Researcher reported that more than 90 percent of rosacea sufferers said it had eroded their self-confidence and one-third of those surveyed reported having difficulty establishing new friendships and relationships.
One Of My Neighbors Here . . .
. . .looked surprised
when I told her
she drew her eyebrows too high.
Gray Divorce On The Rise
While the overall divorce rate has been declining over the last couple of decades, the one group bucking this trend is older couples in long-term marriages. The marital-splitting rate for couples older than 50 years of age has doubled since the 1990s and has tripled for those older than 65, according to reports by the Washington, DC-based Pew Research Center.
There are several reasons for this surge in gray divorce.
We’re living longer and couples are splitting rather than spending an additional 20 or 30 years with a spouse they no longer like. More women have become high earners over the years and no longer facc daunting economic problems if they decide to go it alone. Many couples decide to give up on an unhappy union after the children leave the nest.
This phenomenon is not restricted to the U.S. In Canada, the only age group registering an increase in the rate of divorce are folks older than 50. The divorce rate among “silver surfers” in the U.K has doubled since the turn of the century and the Japanese call gray divorce the “retired husband syndrome.”
Help Someone . . .
. . .out of trouble
and they’ll remember you
every time
they get back into trouble.
Aging Body Loses Temperature Control
The threat of hypothermia – when your internal body temperature slips below 95 degrees Fahrenheit – exists year around for folks whose age slips by 65 years. Most people are aware that they have to wrap up during frigid winter weather to avoid this condition, but seniors can still fall victim in air-conditioned buildings during the heat of summer.
Interior thermostats set between 60 degrees and 70 degrees can be dangerous for older folk so they should dress accordingly all year. Wear layers of clothing at all times. It’s easier to doff a coat or jacket than to shiver without one. Always wear a hat or cap and keep gloves handy. Take off any wet clothing and stay out of the wind, both of which can cause your body temperature to drop quickly.
If You Think . . .
. . .life is giving you melons,
you might be dyslexic.
Look After Eye Strain
Many parts of your body don’t work as well after your 50 as they did before you strolled through the half-century mark. A common but overlooked problem is dry eye, which results in itchy and burning eyes. The irritation often is caused by lowered tear production, which decreases with aging and can be exacerbated among snowbirds who spend their winters in dry desert climates.
Long sessions at your computer, driving, and watching television are also among the causes. Over-the-counter eye drops can alleviate the condition readily but you should have your eyes medically examined to determine proper treatment.
Another common complaint by the over-50 crowd is “floaters and flashes.” Floaters resemble black spots or cobwebs wandering through your eye and can be constant or episodic. Flashes, which also are episodic, are brief flashes of light. Both normally are harmless but should be checked because they can signal a detached retina, which can lead to blindness.
Mature Life Features 