Posts filed under ‘OBSERVATIONS & OPINIONS’
ANOTHER RETIREMENT OBSERVATION
ANOTHER RETIREMENT OBSERVATION
I have reported, in the past, that ads saying they can tell you how much money you will need upon retirement to maintain your lifestyle, in my opinion, are scams. I feel the most important question which needs to be answered is how long you will live. The only people unfortunate to be able to answer this question with relative accuracy are those with a terminal illness.
Not long ago I heard statistics which gave me pause. It concerned salaries. I thought salaries are an important consideration needed in planning retirement. How long you will be retired and the changes in salaries and the price of goods are also important in determining how much money you will need, and I don’t see how anyone can accurately make those predictions, of course coupled with lifestyle.
I look at my own experience with starting salaries and length of retirement.
When I graduated from college in 1969 if you could find a job paying $10,000 a year you were lucky.
Not long ago I heard a report on salaries required by 17–28-year-olds seeking employment. One thing I found interesting is that it used to be during an interview salary was never mentioned until maybe the end. Now it appears that one requirement of the job posting is to list the salary along with the job description. Also, consider that the salary wanted by this age group, for many, is probably what they want to be paid for their first job.
Some applicants in this age group required a salary of $50,000-$100,000 to consider applying for the job. Twenty-five percent of this age group required a salary of $100,000-$250,000 to consider applying. Granted the salary considered great at $10,000 was 56 years ago. But some could be retired for 30 years or more. I’ve been retired for 17 years and can’t believe the increase in salaries and consumer prices since I’ve been retired.
Therefore, I think for anyone to advise you, upon retirement, how to have a financially worry-free retirement they would have to be able to predict the impossible.
First, and most important, is to determine how long you are going to live. That goes hand in hand with the salary you were making when you retired and at what rate salaries will increase during the rest of your retirement. And finally, the rate at which the price of goods will increase taking time and inflation into consideration. The answers to all these questions, I feel, would provide you with a worry-free retirement. But who, with any honesty, can provide the answers to all these questions?
MY SCAM EXPERIENCE
MY SCAM EXPERIENCE
I was on my computer when I suddenly got a blue screen from ‘Microsoft’ telling me that I was being hacked it had been locked, and not to shut off my computer. Also, the message gave me a phone number to call.
I called the number and was told all my personal information was at risk. They asked me for my cell phone number. I do not have a cell phone and that seemed to disappoint them. Then they told me not to answer my landline until the next day at 11:00 AM.
At some time during my interaction with them they asked to take control of my computer, and I allowed this. After all, I thought I was dealing with Microsoft. At some point I told them that, “I feel sorry for hackers because they lead such useless lives.” Little did I know that I was talking to a hacker.
When they called the following day they said they were going to connect me to my bank on a secure line. Now, the man I was talking to had a distinct accent. Who knows what country I was talking to? When I was connected to my bank on a secure line the individual I was talking to had the same accent. I immediately hung up, called my bank, and that was the end of the scam.
This happened more than a year ago. I don’t think I lost any personal information and had my computer checked to make sure there were no surprises lurking within.
I’m telling you all this because if you suddenly message from Microsoft like what I received telling you your computer is lock, which you will find is true, and give you a number to call, it is a scam. Shut your computer off and do not call the phone number. Hopefully, when you turn your computer back on it is no longer locked. If it is, you might need help to unlock it.
I hope you learn from my experience not to be scammed.
PREDICTIONS OF THE PAST AND FUTURE
MY PREDICTION OF THE PAST AND FUTURE IN A SHORT STORY
In the past I have referred to a short story published on my blog, The Superior Species, as a story in which I predicted the past. I have recently stumbled upon another example of that prediction.
I had mentioned that the Neanderthals are now known to have made jewelry, buried their dead and may have been able to speak. I recently finished reading a fantastic book, Embers of the Hands by Eleanor Barraclough, discussing the life of the Vikings. In describing different aspects of their life, she delves into the musical instruments they used. One of the instruments she dealt with is the flute. During that discussion she mentioned the oldest flute discovered, made of bone, to be perhaps 50,000 years old. She contributes its manufacture to perhaps the Neanderthals. This would indicate that they had knowledge and appreciation of music. Add more evidence of my predicting the intelligence of the Neanderthals.
It also appears that I may have predicted the future in this story as well. In a recent article in The New Yorker concerning the cloning of the dire-wolf pups it is mentioned that there may be a plan to clone a Neanderthal. Cloning a Neanderthal is the central theme of my short story The Superior Species.
Personally, I hope that is all I have predicted in my stories. To have any of the events in my horror or science fiction stories come to fruition would cause society major problems. Our current society has enough problems without my contributing more.
My next post will discuss my short story, The Universe in Balance. As I said above, if this story contains a prediction, we’re in real trouble
RFK JR. AND VITAMIN A
RFK JR. AND VITAMIN A
We live during a time where you can choose where to obtain your news depending on your viewpoint and what you are willing to accept as the truth. If you don’t like what you hear or read you can claim it to be ‘false news’ without supplying any proof of your claim.
This brings me to the purpose of this post. And that is information supplied by RFK Jr.
No, this isn’t about vaccines. There you can believe what you want to believe as true. Time will tell if your choice was right. This post concerns damage which is occurring now and is not subject to opinion.
Involving measles, RFK Jr. suggests antibiotics for treatment and vitamin A for prevention and treatment.
First, antibiotics do not do anything against viruses. If you want to waste your money be my guest. However, there is potential harm in using antibiotics when it is not necessary and that is development of resistant bacteria when the antibiotic is necessary and will not have an effect.
But the danger in something RFK Jr. is suggesting being used in conjunction with measles which is resulting in harm no matter what your opinion is and cannot be denied.
I do not know if RFK Jr. is aware of the fact that there are two classes of vitamins, water soluble and fat soluble. With water soluble vitamins if you take more than your body needs you pee out the excess. With fat soluble vitamins whatever your body can’t use is stored. RFK Jr.is advocating the use of vitamins A, a fat-soluble vitamin for use in conjunction with measles. As a result, some parents are overdosing their children with vitamin A and causing liver damage in their children. This is not false news. It is reality.
What I find disturbing is that RFK Jr. is not aware of the danger associated with his suggestion. What I find greatly disturbing is that no one corrected him before he began voicing his opinion about vitamin A. Now it could be that RFK Jr. did not seek any scientific counsel before making his announcement. But no matter what happened parents are overdosing their children, and in some cases, causing them liver damage.
WRITER’S FORUM PRINT RUN PODCAST
We’re going back, for a few days, to websites beneficial to writers. Then a bit of personal history.
WEBSITES HELPFUL TO WRITERS
This is a series of posts which, I think, will be beneficial to writers.
But first, I would like to include my usual warning about using websites.
Whenever you check a website you are, in my opinion and I talk from experience, being put on a list for sale. So, expect the possibility of being bombarded by ads from companies you, perhaps, have never heard of and have no interest in.
By the same token, I feel that once you call a business for information you are also put on a list, for sale, of similar companies to the one you have called.
That’s just how it is in today’s society.
I hope you find the information offered in these posts helpful.
Print Run Podcast
PrintRunPodcast.com
This podcast covers current publishing details writers need to know.
Details include strikes and trends to subjectivity in literary awards.
Episodes are available at a nominal price.
THE WIZARD OF OZ CONTINUED
THE WIZARD OF OZ CONTINUED
Much as today there was a wide gulf between the haves and the have-nots. Back then the haves were called robber barons and fortunes were made by the manipulation of the gold standard for money.
The have-nots were agriculture workers and the rest of the working-class. Sound familiar. A movement, popularism, was started in support of the have-nots and Littlefield ‘decoded’ The Wizard of Oz in relation to the times then in existence with some interesting comparisons.
In Littlefield’s thinking the yellow brick road represents gold and those in support of the gold standard and that road leads to the Emerald City where we meet the wizard of Oz who turns out to be a phony.
Dorothy lives in Kansas, a state at the time and still is heavy in agriculture. Along with the farmer’s theme the scarecrow stands for the frightened farmers.
The Tin Man represents workers who have lost their heart.
Now to the cowardly lion. That character represents William Jennings Bryan, a well-known fierce orator who accomplishes nothing.
Then there are the witches of East and West. These characters represent the two coasts where political power and cities holding financial power exist.
Now for the ruby red shoes. In the book they are silver in color, the metal which the popularists want to be made into the monetary standard replacing gold.
Finally, the value of gold is expressed in ounces. What is the abbreviation for ounce?
THE WIZARD OF OZ
THE WIZARD OF OZ
The Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum and published in 1900, is one of the most popular children’s books of all time.
The story, made into the famous 1939 movie, with the same name, is still watched with enjoyment. The story has also appeared in plays. The most recent example of a movie being Wicked. However, there is another interpretation of this story which is far from a childish theme.
In Fareed Zakaria’s book, Age of Revolutions he discusses the viewpoint of Henery Littlefield made in 1964 at the meaning of the story in relation to the conditions existing in the country at the time Baum wrote the story and the purpose of the work. The existence of the monetary gold standard in this country Littlefield suggests is the purpose behind the story. What follows is what Littlefield thought the story represented and I was astonished when reading it the connection between The Wizard of Oz and the gold standard. I think you will be too.
THE LONGEST MINUTE, A BOOK REVIEW
THE LONGEST MINUTE, A BOOK REVIEW
BY
MATTHEW J. DAVENPORT
The subject of The Longest Minute is the disastrous San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The destruction of property and loss of life due to the quake was huge. But the larger tragedy was caused by the massive fire which resulted from the earthquake.
The fire initially burned unchecked due to the magnitude of the destruction and the lack of adequate firefighting of that era.
One problem was the lack of fire hydrants due to corruption involved in their installation. Another problem was the formation of firebreaks by blowing up structures in the path of the fire. Initially, black powder was used due to the lack of immediate availability of dynamite. The black powder explosions only served to spread the fire with flying embers.
The emergency response was less than organized. A disaster of this extent was unexpected. The infant fire department was overwhelmed. The police were also stretched too thin, so assistance was requested from the military. The army and navy provided officers and men with their only orders were to aid the police with handling the disaster. That was it. There was a total lack of guidance or details on how to accomplish this. There was no plan, just do the job. Luckly, the military personnel assigned were resourceful and capable in making a meaningful contribution and provide immediate aid to population of San Francisco.
The level of destruction was not difficult to determine, but the loss of life was impossible to total. Many of the residents were reduced to ash mingled with the destroyed structures.
To deter looters the mayor issued a ‘shoot to kill’ order and at least one rescue worker was killed.
Once the world was made aware of the calamity, aid poured in without any hesitation. This was much different than the present-day opinion that no matter what happened in the United States the country could handle it on its own.
All in all, this is a thoroughly researched book providing a minute by minute telling of the disaster and the reconstruction of the city and how corruption in that effort reared its ugly head. And the telling heroic acts of individuals called upon to act with no plan, only a mission.
This book is a well-worth read of a major disaster experienced by the country.
WRITER’S FORUM BLACK ROMANCE
WEBSITES HELPFUL TO WRITERS
This is a series of posts which, I think, will be beneficial to writers.
But first, I would like to include my usual warning about using websites.
Whenever you check a website you are, in my opinion and I talk from experience, being put on a list for sale. So, expect the possibility of being bombarded by ads from companies you, perhaps, have never heard of and have no interest in.
By the same token, I feel that once you call a business for information you are also put on a list, for sale, of similar companies to the one you have called.
That’s just how it is in today’s society.
I hope you find the information offered in these posts helpful.
Girl Have You Heard
GirlHaveYouHeard.com
Brings attention to #BlackLoveCenterStage.
The podcast incorporates a directory of black romance authors discussing new books through cover reveals and reviews.
It also offers a place for readers to research by category.
The goal is not to exclude anyone but about intentionally offer a deep love and appreciation for an underrepresented category of literature and authors.
WRITER’S FORUM ROMANCE WRITERS
WEBSITES HELPFUL TO WRITERS
This is a series of posts which, I think, will be beneficial to writers.
But first, I would like to include my usual warning about using websites.
Whenever you check a website you are, in my opinion and I talk from experience, being put on a list for sale. So, expect the possibility of being bombarded by ads from companies you, perhaps, have never heard of and have no interest in.
By the same token, I feel that once you call a business for information you are also put on a list, for sale, of similar companies to the one you have called.
That’s just how it is in today’s society.
I hope you find the information offered in these posts helpful.
Fated Mates Podcast
FatedMates.net
This romance podcast covers published works and conversations with romance authors.
Discussed are topics from tropes to trends and many others.
Core focus is romance.
Walttriznastories's Blog 