The one and only hack I've had that caused any damage at all was a Ransomware attack that locked up all jpg, doc, txt, and a few other file types. And it came in through Debi's Windows computer, jumped to the LAN and hit my external backup drives that were formatted as NTFS. Every since, I have one backup drive as EXT4 and one as NTFS so it can be read on Windows machines after I'm gone.
I have a heavy hand also, and it took me a while to find a cheap keyboard with just the pressure I like on the keys. Ironically it is a cheap, or used to be cheap, GigaWare keyboard sold by Radio Shack which is now defunct. Good thing I bought a case of six of them when I did, and I'm now on the last one of them. But I'm not typing all day every day like I used to be, so don't seem to wear holes in the space bars like I used to, or the L key, followed by the A key.
I was given one of those ergonomic keyboards once for free. Used it for a whole week while typing up a book, but both my elbows and shoulders ached when I was at it all day, you have to hold your elbows away from your body to use it. I guess that kind of keyboard would be ideal for a fat person, but a skinny runt like me, it was most uncomfortable to use.
I'm sure many doctors use that method, and I guess I heard about this doc, only because he is local and gets written up a lot in our local rags. Debi's mothers doctor often got full page spreads in magazines and the newspaper, due to all of the community things he was involved in for most of his life. Rarely see positive write-ups anymore though, most of the time it is about huge lawsuits against certain doctors or medical groups for one thing or another. Heck, we had a whole clinic closed down for double billing Medicare and insurance companies, and they didn't think they did anything wrong, ha.
Pencil Sharpener
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Re: Pencil Sharpener
Ransomware is about the most malicious infection we will see on our personal computers. About all you can do to protect yourself is what you have already described. Have backups on air gapped drives and up in the cloud. The cloud backups would be pretty much platform independent, but not everyone feels comfortable connecting to it. It's OK to have a LAN drive backup in two formats, but the most secure is detached storage. That means the cloud in most cases, or a portable hard drive.
The type of switches used on a keyboard would not matter to a person who can wear out the space bar. LOL The switch is not the problem in that case. Your probably could get around it by wearing surgical gloves, but then you would have sweaty hands. I can't think of a practical solution in your instance. I guess buying cheap keyboards in quantity is as good a solution as any.
I'm going to visit with my doctor tomorrow. This is an annual visit that used to be just to verify that I am still alive and that he could renew my prescriptions. Those visits were pretty informal and didn't involve many questions or procedures. Now and days Medicare offers to pay for a wellness check every year. I used to get those checkups when I worked for Motorola. Their insurance people said there were fewer claims and less expense if everybody saw a doctor at least once a year. Medicare is probably going on the same assumption, but it is an optional thing that I have turned down in the past. The doctor no longer does those impersonal check ups but insists on doing the Medicare Wellness check. Apparently he gets reimbursed a lot more for that than a normal checkup. That means filling out a lot more paperwork and sitting in the examining room longer than I care to. It also has a bearing on my health risk factor, which is a number Medicare uses to determine reimbursements. I've read where the higher the risk the greater is the doctor's reimbursement which is why he might like to look for trouble in spite of my protests.
The type of switches used on a keyboard would not matter to a person who can wear out the space bar. LOL The switch is not the problem in that case. Your probably could get around it by wearing surgical gloves, but then you would have sweaty hands. I can't think of a practical solution in your instance. I guess buying cheap keyboards in quantity is as good a solution as any.
I'm going to visit with my doctor tomorrow. This is an annual visit that used to be just to verify that I am still alive and that he could renew my prescriptions. Those visits were pretty informal and didn't involve many questions or procedures. Now and days Medicare offers to pay for a wellness check every year. I used to get those checkups when I worked for Motorola. Their insurance people said there were fewer claims and less expense if everybody saw a doctor at least once a year. Medicare is probably going on the same assumption, but it is an optional thing that I have turned down in the past. The doctor no longer does those impersonal check ups but insists on doing the Medicare Wellness check. Apparently he gets reimbursed a lot more for that than a normal checkup. That means filling out a lot more paperwork and sitting in the examining room longer than I care to. It also has a bearing on my health risk factor, which is a number Medicare uses to determine reimbursements. I've read where the higher the risk the greater is the doctor's reimbursement which is why he might like to look for trouble in spite of my protests.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
Although I have been lax about doing it. I have external drives, one up here and one down at the house, that are not connected to anything. About once every three months, I will back up my connected external to the detached external, then mirror the detached external with the one in the house by carrying it up here and connecting both of them long enough to do the copy. Then of course I carry the drive back down to the house and put it up on the shelf where I keep it. And I really need to do that again while everything is working OK as far as my backups go. I hear my 2 tb drive won't last as long as my old 500 mb external IDE drives. I'm so long between using them, I often wonder if the capacitors will dry out, hi hi.
I think the more expensive keyboards are made with better quality and harder plastic keys.
I know we used the old Royal typewriters with the metal ring and plastic disk for over 40 years and they held up.
The newer Royal typewriters had green plastic keys, probably Bakelite keys with the color for the letter going all the way through the key to the other side. But even then, I never saw one wear out. Neither did the keys on my Swintec typewriter I used daily for many years.
I had one early IBM keyboard that I never wore out the keys on, but it was the old big plug and even when keyboards switched to the PS2 style, they still worked on some computers, but not all of them. Then they came out with USB keyboards and for several years, you could use an adapter to plug them into a PS2 connection. But new keyboards, even with an adapter, will not work in the PS2 port, must be plugged into a USB port. Which is also the problem I had with my new wireless mouse. Good think I have a KVM switch with USB ports built into it that can be set to walk to the computer I'm on.
I get the annual wellness checkup myself, it is fully covered, no co-pay involved. My six month checkup has a co-pay of 20 bucks is all. I actually like the wellness checkup because it is more thorough than what the doc normally does. And they catch things the doc misses too. So I would say they are a good thing!
I think the more expensive keyboards are made with better quality and harder plastic keys.
I know we used the old Royal typewriters with the metal ring and plastic disk for over 40 years and they held up.
The newer Royal typewriters had green plastic keys, probably Bakelite keys with the color for the letter going all the way through the key to the other side. But even then, I never saw one wear out. Neither did the keys on my Swintec typewriter I used daily for many years.
I had one early IBM keyboard that I never wore out the keys on, but it was the old big plug and even when keyboards switched to the PS2 style, they still worked on some computers, but not all of them. Then they came out with USB keyboards and for several years, you could use an adapter to plug them into a PS2 connection. But new keyboards, even with an adapter, will not work in the PS2 port, must be plugged into a USB port. Which is also the problem I had with my new wireless mouse. Good think I have a KVM switch with USB ports built into it that can be set to walk to the computer I'm on.
I get the annual wellness checkup myself, it is fully covered, no co-pay involved. My six month checkup has a co-pay of 20 bucks is all. I actually like the wellness checkup because it is more thorough than what the doc normally does. And they catch things the doc misses too. So I would say they are a good thing!
Re: Pencil Sharpener
I'm happy to report that my doctor could not find anything wrong with me during today's visit. I'm actually felling pretty healthy in spite of the ailments that come with old age. So, since the office visit wasn't productive, he decided to do a series of blood tests. My history there is excellent too but I think it must be a requirement to check up on things he can't find with a stethoscope. I know how to prepare for those blood tests, although he does not require me to do any fasting. Apparently my cholesterol is not a problem.
As far as backups are concerned it's critical to have at least one clean set off line. Cloud storage might be the only exception. Since you aren't doing a lot of bookkeeping for your business these days, you don't have to be a critical as you were in the past. Be that as it may, those ransomware attacks can be disasters. Off line storage is the only sure remedy.
Speaking of the Internet, I ran across something you may or may not be interested in. Apparently there are now government programs available that will subsidize your Internet payments. Comcast is one of the qualified ISP's that are part of the program. So is my Spectrum. I didn't apply for the assistance yet, which I think is $30/mo credit toward your Internet connection, and I don't know how difficult it is, or what the exact qualifications might be. I will check into it later. If you think this might be of use to you, here is the link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/getinternet/ ... ternet.gov
Oh, and it doesn't matter what political party you favor in order to get this benefit. Thank you Joe Biden. LOL
As far as backups are concerned it's critical to have at least one clean set off line. Cloud storage might be the only exception. Since you aren't doing a lot of bookkeeping for your business these days, you don't have to be a critical as you were in the past. Be that as it may, those ransomware attacks can be disasters. Off line storage is the only sure remedy.
Speaking of the Internet, I ran across something you may or may not be interested in. Apparently there are now government programs available that will subsidize your Internet payments. Comcast is one of the qualified ISP's that are part of the program. So is my Spectrum. I didn't apply for the assistance yet, which I think is $30/mo credit toward your Internet connection, and I don't know how difficult it is, or what the exact qualifications might be. I will check into it later. If you think this might be of use to you, here is the link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/getinternet/ ... ternet.gov
Oh, and it doesn't matter what political party you favor in order to get this benefit. Thank you Joe Biden. LOL
Re: Pencil Sharpener
Glad to hear you got a wonderful report from the doctor and his lab!
The cost for cloud storage is a little prohibitive for the amount of stuff I have backed up.
However, a lot of it is useless stuff. I do have a partial backup of two things on DropBox, just in case.
My wife did check into it, and because she is currently working, and our combined incomes are greater than their low limit.
It's basically like everything else, they don't care how much you are paying out in taxes, utilities, and healthcare costs, they only look at the high income number.
FWIW: Debi's sister gets their Internet connection totally free, because she is both legally blind and disabled. It is through her Schmartz-Fone provider, so is fairly slow, and limited to usage. But it's enough, more than she uses anyhow.
The cost for cloud storage is a little prohibitive for the amount of stuff I have backed up.
However, a lot of it is useless stuff. I do have a partial backup of two things on DropBox, just in case.
My wife did check into it, and because she is currently working, and our combined incomes are greater than their low limit.
It's basically like everything else, they don't care how much you are paying out in taxes, utilities, and healthcare costs, they only look at the high income number.
FWIW: Debi's sister gets their Internet connection totally free, because she is both legally blind and disabled. It is through her Schmartz-Fone provider, so is fairly slow, and limited to usage. But it's enough, more than she uses anyhow.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
Of course it's always good news when the doctor tells you that you are healthy. He told me the same thing last year when I went for the wellness check, and in between visits I had to have hernia surgery. So, while I'm glad he thinks I'm healthy, it doesn't give me any guarantees about my future health.
I'm sorry that you didn't qualify for the $30 Internet assistance program. It does seem unfair to only use the gross household income as a means test, but I don't see any way they can make it more equitable. Everybody has different circumstances and the government has no way to check into any of that. I still didn't look up the qualifications for the reimbursement, and that is because I doubt we would qualify either. Neither of us are working, but between SSA and pension checks we are taking in too much money to be classified as poor.
There are rumors that the state of Missouri will be handing out what was called Stimulus Checks last year. I heard it both ways in fact, yes and no. The idea is to give us some cash to make up for the high gas prices and extra food costs. Apparently this is a federal handout given to the states to distribute at their discretion. Thus not all states are going to be issuing such checks. I have no idea what the amounts would be, but I can say that I'm counting on them being zero for this family. Maybe I'll be surprised, but I doubt it. We will seen next month.
I'm sorry that you didn't qualify for the $30 Internet assistance program. It does seem unfair to only use the gross household income as a means test, but I don't see any way they can make it more equitable. Everybody has different circumstances and the government has no way to check into any of that. I still didn't look up the qualifications for the reimbursement, and that is because I doubt we would qualify either. Neither of us are working, but between SSA and pension checks we are taking in too much money to be classified as poor.
There are rumors that the state of Missouri will be handing out what was called Stimulus Checks last year. I heard it both ways in fact, yes and no. The idea is to give us some cash to make up for the high gas prices and extra food costs. Apparently this is a federal handout given to the states to distribute at their discretion. Thus not all states are going to be issuing such checks. I have no idea what the amounts would be, but I can say that I'm counting on them being zero for this family. Maybe I'll be surprised, but I doubt it. We will seen next month.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
My pediatrician told my parents, around the time I was 12 years old, to expect I would have a hernia in about 4 to 12 months.
I have this little fatty area on the right side of my navel and about 2 inches wide by 3 inches tall. It has always been there, but did get a tad bit bigger when I was heating like a teenager, hi hi.
That was over 60 years ago and I've never had a hernia yet, hi hi.
I also checked the Link to Comcast to see what their requirements and options were.
You have to take the full-package of TV, Internet, and Phone, but at least it is the 100mbps package.
I have the 100mbps package and have never seen 100mbps yet, hi hi.
We were on DirecTV for a long time, but Debi switched back to Comcast again, because DirecTV went way up, and Comcast offered her a deal to come back. We save 19.95 a month by not taking their phone package which we don't want, since I have Ooma, which is free except for federal taxes which have actually come down a bit for a while, then jumped back up to higher than what they were before after Biden got in. It did go from 4 bucks a month to 6 bucks a month for taxes while Trump was president, but the made a sudden jump up to 9.95 a month shortly after Biden took office. Plus, after he took office, they started adding a 5% Tax to my add-on service. I keep it because I like having a landline phone.
Down here, instead of paying people a check, what they did was cut the price of gasoline down by 50 cents a gallon. Federal Tax is 56 cents a gallon, so now the Federal Tax is 6 cents per gallon, for the time being anyhow. But we have a slightly bigger problem. Deliveries of gasoline to the stations has slowed down. People are driving less, so they cut out the number of trucks making fuel deliveries, which has caused some shortages of gas being delivered. The non-company gas stations are who are getting shorted by delivery times, not the nationally owned gas stations. And around here, those are the ones most people get gas from, because they are always a bit cheaper than the nationally branded stations.
I have this little fatty area on the right side of my navel and about 2 inches wide by 3 inches tall. It has always been there, but did get a tad bit bigger when I was heating like a teenager, hi hi.
That was over 60 years ago and I've never had a hernia yet, hi hi.
I also checked the Link to Comcast to see what their requirements and options were.
You have to take the full-package of TV, Internet, and Phone, but at least it is the 100mbps package.
I have the 100mbps package and have never seen 100mbps yet, hi hi.
We were on DirecTV for a long time, but Debi switched back to Comcast again, because DirecTV went way up, and Comcast offered her a deal to come back. We save 19.95 a month by not taking their phone package which we don't want, since I have Ooma, which is free except for federal taxes which have actually come down a bit for a while, then jumped back up to higher than what they were before after Biden got in. It did go from 4 bucks a month to 6 bucks a month for taxes while Trump was president, but the made a sudden jump up to 9.95 a month shortly after Biden took office. Plus, after he took office, they started adding a 5% Tax to my add-on service. I keep it because I like having a landline phone.
Down here, instead of paying people a check, what they did was cut the price of gasoline down by 50 cents a gallon. Federal Tax is 56 cents a gallon, so now the Federal Tax is 6 cents per gallon, for the time being anyhow. But we have a slightly bigger problem. Deliveries of gasoline to the stations has slowed down. People are driving less, so they cut out the number of trucks making fuel deliveries, which has caused some shortages of gas being delivered. The non-company gas stations are who are getting shorted by delivery times, not the nationally owned gas stations. And around here, those are the ones most people get gas from, because they are always a bit cheaper than the nationally branded stations.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
It's interesting that the president, any president, would take an interest in the tax on your telephone. I thought congress had that responsibility, but perhaps I'm wrong. Ir you want the real scoop, you can look here: https://taxfoundation.org/wireless-taxe ... tate-2020/
I don't know the name of the cover bill that released the funds to the states to provide economic relief. I do know it was done under the Biden administration where any handouts to the common folks were strongly resisted by the Republicans in the senate. The interesting part about this distribution is in how it's being applied at the discretion of individual states. Some cities, such as Chicago, are also getting into the refund act. It seems like a sensible way to help people in that every state has their own set of unique circumstances and economic problems. The only downside I can see would be those states that drag their feet or don't distribute the funds at all.
The bottom line price for a gallon of gas in O'Fallon was $3.25 a couple days ago. That's down more than a dollar from the peak. For some reason we never reach the national average and are always a little bit under. I don't know how that happens given that the prices, as you point out, are determined by the distributors and not the individual station owners. Things could be different in STL, but out here at the edge of civilization we get relatively cheap gas.
I have the full cable package from Spectrum and they charge around $60/mo for the Internet portion. They say it's 100MB, but that is not the rate I see on my network sniffer. It's typically half that. If I give them just another $25, I can be told I have 400MB download speed. If that too averages half the advertised speed then the additional payment might be worth it should it come from the feds or the state reimbursement. Then, too, this is not a permanent handout. It has limits so that I'd not bother with it as long as I'm with Spectrum.
I don't know the name of the cover bill that released the funds to the states to provide economic relief. I do know it was done under the Biden administration where any handouts to the common folks were strongly resisted by the Republicans in the senate. The interesting part about this distribution is in how it's being applied at the discretion of individual states. Some cities, such as Chicago, are also getting into the refund act. It seems like a sensible way to help people in that every state has their own set of unique circumstances and economic problems. The only downside I can see would be those states that drag their feet or don't distribute the funds at all.
The bottom line price for a gallon of gas in O'Fallon was $3.25 a couple days ago. That's down more than a dollar from the peak. For some reason we never reach the national average and are always a little bit under. I don't know how that happens given that the prices, as you point out, are determined by the distributors and not the individual station owners. Things could be different in STL, but out here at the edge of civilization we get relatively cheap gas.
I have the full cable package from Spectrum and they charge around $60/mo for the Internet portion. They say it's 100MB, but that is not the rate I see on my network sniffer. It's typically half that. If I give them just another $25, I can be told I have 400MB download speed. If that too averages half the advertised speed then the additional payment might be worth it should it come from the feds or the state reimbursement. Then, too, this is not a permanent handout. It has limits so that I'd not bother with it as long as I'm with Spectrum.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
If you scrolled down on that list, you'll see the FEDERAL TAXES have increased dramatically after Biden took office.
Any handout we THINK is from the Government, actually comes out of OUR POCKET ten-fold or higher.
We don't have a state income tax here, so our state tax on gasoline is higher than most places that do have income taxes.
But normally, our price for gas is much lower than many other states.
I would imagine the gas taxes in O'Fallon are much lower than they are in any city in St. Louis County.
When we had DirecTV, and only got Cable from Comcast, it jumped from the 50 bucks a month when we had Comcast TV, up to 78 bucks a month for Internet Only. Now that we bundled with TV again, it is back down to around 60 bucks a month.
We do have one gas station by us that has Normal gasoline without Ethanol and he is only a dime higher for it than average for my immediate area for unleaded w/ethanol. He also has gas w/ethanol for about a dime cheaper than everyone else.
But if we drive across the County Line, we can save a whole 25 cents per gallon, which is why I get a fill-up when I have to go to my doctor out that way. But if you cross out of that county into the tourist trap counties, then gas is like a whole buck higher then everywhere else in the state.
Any handout we THINK is from the Government, actually comes out of OUR POCKET ten-fold or higher.
We don't have a state income tax here, so our state tax on gasoline is higher than most places that do have income taxes.
But normally, our price for gas is much lower than many other states.
I would imagine the gas taxes in O'Fallon are much lower than they are in any city in St. Louis County.
When we had DirecTV, and only got Cable from Comcast, it jumped from the 50 bucks a month when we had Comcast TV, up to 78 bucks a month for Internet Only. Now that we bundled with TV again, it is back down to around 60 bucks a month.
We do have one gas station by us that has Normal gasoline without Ethanol and he is only a dime higher for it than average for my immediate area for unleaded w/ethanol. He also has gas w/ethanol for about a dime cheaper than everyone else.
But if we drive across the County Line, we can save a whole 25 cents per gallon, which is why I get a fill-up when I have to go to my doctor out that way. But if you cross out of that county into the tourist trap counties, then gas is like a whole buck higher then everywhere else in the state.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
Been here six years now and can't say that I know anything about the state tax structure. The sales tax on groceries is down right reasonable is all I know. When I lived in a Chicago suburb the sales tax of that suburb was 7 percent or a bit more. A quarter mile north of my house was the next suburb and their sales tax was 12%. That seemed outrageous given that Motorola was located in that suburb as was the largest shopping mall in Illinois. I would assume both those companies were paying huge amounts of taxes, but you could not believe it going by the sales tax alone. O'Fallon sales tax is 4.86% and we virtually have no industry or wealthy citizens to support the city. I will note, however, that the population density in those Chicago suburbs is way greater than anything I've seen around here. That must translate into costing less to run the small city.
On average the cost of my cable package with Spectrum has increased $10 each year I've lived here. I have a magnificent view of the southern sky and am elevated on the side of a small hill. That would give me superior satellite dish reception when it isn't raining or snowing or foggy or too cloudy. I do get some stunning views of the full moon however. So far I'm not being assessed a fee or taxed for that pleasure.
The reason I sent the link regarding taxes is because it shows that over the years ALL taxing bodies have had an upward trend, not just the federal government's portion.
On average the cost of my cable package with Spectrum has increased $10 each year I've lived here. I have a magnificent view of the southern sky and am elevated on the side of a small hill. That would give me superior satellite dish reception when it isn't raining or snowing or foggy or too cloudy. I do get some stunning views of the full moon however. So far I'm not being assessed a fee or taxed for that pleasure.
The reason I sent the link regarding taxes is because it shows that over the years ALL taxing bodies have had an upward trend, not just the federal government's portion.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
Our sales tax here is 9.75% on almost everything, there are a few things, like certain groceries that are less.
My first Cable TV was Qube Cable, which consisted to two separate cables so you could interact with certain things they did on TV. Like voting for which contestant, or for playing an interactive game. We didn't have Internet yet back then.
When I did first get dial-up Internet, I made the mistake of choosing AOheLL. They charged us for all of their system uploads and some of them took so long, there was one time a got a 300 dollar bill and I had done nothing except wait for their system uploads. That was it for them! And when I went to Inlink who I was with all the years they were in business.
Then I went with the new connection provided by SLACC (St.Louis Area Computer Club) which was one of the oldest computing clubs in the U.S. of A. Back then it was all like a Unix clone, as no other computers were yet invented.
Yes sir, taxes have only gone up and up and up for as long as I've lived. Sad really! They should have never been allowed to cross 10% for any reason. That should have been the ceiling on all types of taxes!
My first Cable TV was Qube Cable, which consisted to two separate cables so you could interact with certain things they did on TV. Like voting for which contestant, or for playing an interactive game. We didn't have Internet yet back then.
When I did first get dial-up Internet, I made the mistake of choosing AOheLL. They charged us for all of their system uploads and some of them took so long, there was one time a got a 300 dollar bill and I had done nothing except wait for their system uploads. That was it for them! And when I went to Inlink who I was with all the years they were in business.
Then I went with the new connection provided by SLACC (St.Louis Area Computer Club) which was one of the oldest computing clubs in the U.S. of A. Back then it was all like a Unix clone, as no other computers were yet invented.
Yes sir, taxes have only gone up and up and up for as long as I've lived. Sad really! They should have never been allowed to cross 10% for any reason. That should have been the ceiling on all types of taxes!
Re: Pencil Sharpener
I think it was AOL who sent out advertising CD's by the dozens. I had quite a few in my collection by the time I was able to decide which company I wanted to sign up with. I chose Earthlink because they got good reviews and used the Sprint network. I believe they own Sprint now. They were not the cheapest ISP but they gave me great service. I went to DSL as soon as it was available and was able to get it on a dedicated phone line. The only reason they allowed that is because I had two lines to begin with. There was some legal mumbo-jumbo that prevented them from supplying it to a customer with only a single line. The phone company gave me a deal when I first bought the two line package. It was dirt cheap to get two lines if they were billed to the same number. I got that from Illinois Bell which was eventually bought out by AT&T. They honored the original agreement and I kept those two lines til the day we moved out. Never had a need for more than the 7 MB that DSL provided, but then I didn't watch much YouTube. LOL
I doubt that a limit could ever be placed on taxes. They could switch to a flat rate payable by everybody, however. That would get the rate into single digits for a long time especially if it applied to businesses as well as individuals. Because we live in a capitalistic based economy prices are almost guaranteed to rise over time. That applies to running a government too. Since both state and federal governments are always adding to the benefits and services provided to the masses, the cost of running said government will increase proportionally. If you cap the tax rate, then you would also cap the services provided. That's why there cannot be a realistic limit on the tax rate.
I doubt that a limit could ever be placed on taxes. They could switch to a flat rate payable by everybody, however. That would get the rate into single digits for a long time especially if it applied to businesses as well as individuals. Because we live in a capitalistic based economy prices are almost guaranteed to rise over time. That applies to running a government too. Since both state and federal governments are always adding to the benefits and services provided to the masses, the cost of running said government will increase proportionally. If you cap the tax rate, then you would also cap the services provided. That's why there cannot be a realistic limit on the tax rate.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
I still have about 6 of the metal tins they send the CDs out in, hi hi.
I save all the wasted and unwanted CDs I ruined or got for free and had no use for them.
I finally had enough I could cut them in half and use them on the roof of a dog house that doubles as an entryway to the basement for the pooches. It was still there when I moved out, but not as shiny as it was when I built it, hi hi.
Heck, eons ago I saved a lot of things I thought I might find a use for. Remember when ladies LEGG's Panty Hose came in a round egg like carton with a gold or chrome plastic lid? I collected enough of those to do a small narrow wall, floor to ceiling in my first apartment. Later I managed to buy hundreds of them to do a wall in a guys rec room.
There was a company who sold a super-miniature RC car, it too came packaged in an oblong egg with a clear top.
At the flower shop we had a ton of odd sized ceramic plant saucers just sitting in one of the potting sheds.
I placed some sphagnum moss in these, along with a couple of small plants, then set these clear tops over them.
Sold them as a mini-terrarium, and ended up selling out all of the little plastic domes I had acquired.
DSL is one thing I never used. Companies have tried to sell me DSL, but down here, our phone lines did not work well enough for DSL to work. I think I told you that story about having the guy come out who could do nothing.
Well, first we have to LIMIT the amount a Poly-TICK-ian can be paid, and how many Poly-TICK-ians we actually need.
I'm not exactly for a flat tax either, I don't see how it could work.
What Taxes they add for specific services should be spelled out in Black and White and cannot be used for anything else other than the Service the Tax was enacted for, and this should be on a town by town bases and under their control. With one added exception. They cannot charge a higher tax on the service than what it costs to get that service from a private company. Like what happened with our garbage collection back home. The city took it over and raised our real estate taxes to cover it. Trouble is, they got those taxes up to DOUBLE of what we all were paying for private service, that was much better than what the city provided. But of course they had to set up an entirely new fully staffed office of employees to keep track of their involvement in garbage collection.
SS was just fine until the government stole from it!
Most things were just fine until the poly-TICK-ians got involved in it, and for big bucks for themselves.
And WHY do we need 87,000 new heavily armed IRS agents? They are supposed to be Pencil Pushers!
I save all the wasted and unwanted CDs I ruined or got for free and had no use for them.
I finally had enough I could cut them in half and use them on the roof of a dog house that doubles as an entryway to the basement for the pooches. It was still there when I moved out, but not as shiny as it was when I built it, hi hi.
Heck, eons ago I saved a lot of things I thought I might find a use for. Remember when ladies LEGG's Panty Hose came in a round egg like carton with a gold or chrome plastic lid? I collected enough of those to do a small narrow wall, floor to ceiling in my first apartment. Later I managed to buy hundreds of them to do a wall in a guys rec room.
There was a company who sold a super-miniature RC car, it too came packaged in an oblong egg with a clear top.
At the flower shop we had a ton of odd sized ceramic plant saucers just sitting in one of the potting sheds.
I placed some sphagnum moss in these, along with a couple of small plants, then set these clear tops over them.
Sold them as a mini-terrarium, and ended up selling out all of the little plastic domes I had acquired.
DSL is one thing I never used. Companies have tried to sell me DSL, but down here, our phone lines did not work well enough for DSL to work. I think I told you that story about having the guy come out who could do nothing.
Well, first we have to LIMIT the amount a Poly-TICK-ian can be paid, and how many Poly-TICK-ians we actually need.
I'm not exactly for a flat tax either, I don't see how it could work.
What Taxes they add for specific services should be spelled out in Black and White and cannot be used for anything else other than the Service the Tax was enacted for, and this should be on a town by town bases and under their control. With one added exception. They cannot charge a higher tax on the service than what it costs to get that service from a private company. Like what happened with our garbage collection back home. The city took it over and raised our real estate taxes to cover it. Trouble is, they got those taxes up to DOUBLE of what we all were paying for private service, that was much better than what the city provided. But of course they had to set up an entirely new fully staffed office of employees to keep track of their involvement in garbage collection.
SS was just fine until the government stole from it!
Most things were just fine until the poly-TICK-ians got involved in it, and for big bucks for themselves.
And WHY do we need 87,000 new heavily armed IRS agents? They are supposed to be Pencil Pushers!
Re: Pencil Sharpener
My dad was like you in that he saved a lot of things for possible future use. As you probably know those future uses do not arise as quickly as does the junk you must save to meet the tasks. Dad wasn't quite as versatile as you are and thus his collection was limited. He was mechanically inclined and did a lot of repurposing much the same way as you do. I inherited some of those traits, but my collections never last a long time. At some point I get tired of collecting things that never got used and trash them all just to start a new collection. In my old age I don't do much of anything including collecting miscellaneous items. I do have a pile of business cards and a plastic box of paper clips and two file cabinet drawers full of electronic cables for devices that you can't find anymore. That's about it.
I recall those L'eggs containers and also thought they might be useful for something. It never occurred to me that they might make a great wall covering. LOL
Well, I think we are both old and experienced enough to know taxes will never be simple. However, the current administration is making a push to change that for most people. The IRS is on notice and funds have been allocated for them to streamline the tax system, particularly the online filing method. There has been some talk about looking into doing away with tax returns altogether and letting the IRS do the calculations for us. I don't know what any of that will end up being, but this is the first time in many decades that congress actually is attempting to change things.
The IRS, the USPS, and the federal prison systems were all gutted during the Trump administration. This was done to encourage those bodies to move into the private sector. The 86,000 new IRS employees you are hearing about will replace a lot of those who were fired in previous years. The auditing they will be doing will be focused on high income returns that generally have a lot of exceptions, deductions, and credits which have not been audited much during the last decade. Of course there are people who object to all of the above for one reason or another. All I can note is that at least an effort is being made and funds are provided to correct some past errors in thinking.
I recall those L'eggs containers and also thought they might be useful for something. It never occurred to me that they might make a great wall covering. LOL
Well, I think we are both old and experienced enough to know taxes will never be simple. However, the current administration is making a push to change that for most people. The IRS is on notice and funds have been allocated for them to streamline the tax system, particularly the online filing method. There has been some talk about looking into doing away with tax returns altogether and letting the IRS do the calculations for us. I don't know what any of that will end up being, but this is the first time in many decades that congress actually is attempting to change things.
The IRS, the USPS, and the federal prison systems were all gutted during the Trump administration. This was done to encourage those bodies to move into the private sector. The 86,000 new IRS employees you are hearing about will replace a lot of those who were fired in previous years. The auditing they will be doing will be focused on high income returns that generally have a lot of exceptions, deductions, and credits which have not been audited much during the last decade. Of course there are people who object to all of the above for one reason or another. All I can note is that at least an effort is being made and funds are provided to correct some past errors in thinking.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
Despite the fact of getting rid of everything when I moved south. I have amassed a bunch of stuff here too. Other than collectible items, I have been tossing a lot of things, finally.
I just don't seem to have the time or strength to get them ready to sell, and make a page for them. I have good intentions, and do have some things up, especially things I though would sell right away. But after six months on some, and a year or so on others, they still have not sold. Maybe if I would ship them instead of having the local pick-up only, a few might sell.
Many years ago, I played around with stretching glass bottle necks. They sold for a short time, then died out. So I sold the machine/heater I used for that purpose. Then when my sister was working at a bar/restaurant that sold upscale wine in bottles, she started keeping the bottles and gave me tons of them.
I used a glass cutting tool to cut them apart for various reasons. But I had all these bottoms I kept for some unknown reason. Too shallow to use as cups, or to even plant anything in.
I was over at my uncle Sid's house one day, and he has the wall on his front porch that looks like it was made from simple concrete pipes, spaced out in a pattern with square blocks. It looked nice, but birds were building nests in the pipes. Especially the ones up high and the ones on the side of the porch.
I did a quick calculation of how many pipes there were, and checked my wine bottle bottom collection. I had about 10 more than I needed to put one inside of every single pipe. Some fit snug, some were a little loose, but I put rubber bands around them to hold them snug until the caulking I put around each one had time to dry.
They looked really nice once they were in place, with the white ring around each, and the bottoms of wine bottles are indented a lot, so they caught the light in an interesting way too.
He still had a few birds that came to the inside of his porch to make a nest in that side of the tubes, so he bought a few dozen deep blue sponges, rolled them up and put them in the top three rows of pipes from the inside side. No more bird nests.
With nearly everything done electronically now these days, it probably would make sense to let the IRS handle filling out our tax forms for us. Heck, all seven times I was audited, I ended up getting money back from them, because I either didn't take some deductions I could, or they had other forms that fit my situation that knocked down what I owed, in some cases by a considerable amount. I was always afraid to use those forms myself, because their wording is quite tricky as to whether you qualify or not. But when they do it themselves and say I qualified but didn't take it, and they added it in, they can't come after me for what they did, hi hi.
There are only about 250 billionaires in our country, so I think 87,000 IRS agents is gross overkill. And why do they need to be armed with such heavy artillery? Something doesn't sound quite Kosher to me here Yogi!
I just don't seem to have the time or strength to get them ready to sell, and make a page for them. I have good intentions, and do have some things up, especially things I though would sell right away. But after six months on some, and a year or so on others, they still have not sold. Maybe if I would ship them instead of having the local pick-up only, a few might sell.
Many years ago, I played around with stretching glass bottle necks. They sold for a short time, then died out. So I sold the machine/heater I used for that purpose. Then when my sister was working at a bar/restaurant that sold upscale wine in bottles, she started keeping the bottles and gave me tons of them.
I used a glass cutting tool to cut them apart for various reasons. But I had all these bottoms I kept for some unknown reason. Too shallow to use as cups, or to even plant anything in.
I was over at my uncle Sid's house one day, and he has the wall on his front porch that looks like it was made from simple concrete pipes, spaced out in a pattern with square blocks. It looked nice, but birds were building nests in the pipes. Especially the ones up high and the ones on the side of the porch.
I did a quick calculation of how many pipes there were, and checked my wine bottle bottom collection. I had about 10 more than I needed to put one inside of every single pipe. Some fit snug, some were a little loose, but I put rubber bands around them to hold them snug until the caulking I put around each one had time to dry.
They looked really nice once they were in place, with the white ring around each, and the bottoms of wine bottles are indented a lot, so they caught the light in an interesting way too.
He still had a few birds that came to the inside of his porch to make a nest in that side of the tubes, so he bought a few dozen deep blue sponges, rolled them up and put them in the top three rows of pipes from the inside side. No more bird nests.
With nearly everything done electronically now these days, it probably would make sense to let the IRS handle filling out our tax forms for us. Heck, all seven times I was audited, I ended up getting money back from them, because I either didn't take some deductions I could, or they had other forms that fit my situation that knocked down what I owed, in some cases by a considerable amount. I was always afraid to use those forms myself, because their wording is quite tricky as to whether you qualify or not. But when they do it themselves and say I qualified but didn't take it, and they added it in, they can't come after me for what they did, hi hi.
There are only about 250 billionaires in our country, so I think 87,000 IRS agents is gross overkill. And why do they need to be armed with such heavy artillery? Something doesn't sound quite Kosher to me here Yogi!
Re: Pencil Sharpener
I love the wine bottle bottom scheme you describe. Ive seen walls similar to that where the piping is all glass and not just one end. The sun does indeed present a spectacular light show in that situation.
I think the IRS has a year to come up with a plan. As far as the electronic filing done by the IRS goes, people like Intuit and H&R Block are against it for some reason. Regardless, a plan must be presented by this time next year.
Roughly half of the 86,000 new IRS employees will not be new but replacements for those that were displaced previously. The actual new agents will be auditing those tax forms that have not been audited in the last decade. It will not apply only to billionaires either. The audits will focus on complex returns with a lot of complicated forms like the ones you mentioned. People who use simple EZ forms will likely be ignored.
And in other news, my wife is in the hospital after experiencing some fainting spells. She has vertigo to begin with and a ton of allergies. But they also discovered meningioma above her right eye. She will likely be in for a few days while they sort out the CT and MRI scans. I'll be there most of the day and may not be able to respond here at times. I'll catch up when I can.
I think the IRS has a year to come up with a plan. As far as the electronic filing done by the IRS goes, people like Intuit and H&R Block are against it for some reason. Regardless, a plan must be presented by this time next year.
Roughly half of the 86,000 new IRS employees will not be new but replacements for those that were displaced previously. The actual new agents will be auditing those tax forms that have not been audited in the last decade. It will not apply only to billionaires either. The audits will focus on complex returns with a lot of complicated forms like the ones you mentioned. People who use simple EZ forms will likely be ignored.
And in other news, my wife is in the hospital after experiencing some fainting spells. She has vertigo to begin with and a ton of allergies. But they also discovered meningioma above her right eye. She will likely be in for a few days while they sort out the CT and MRI scans. I'll be there most of the day and may not be able to respond here at times. I'll catch up when I can.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
There was a farmer who must have drank a lot of wine, because. He would drill a hole in the bottom of wine bottles and pass a fence wire through it with a kink I'm sure so they stayed in place. These wires with the whole wine bottles on them were spaced out around his farm between the top fence rail and lower fence rail. Over time, the number of bottles kept increasing.
It actually looked quit nice from way down no the highway. But I suspect some kids decided they would make great target practice, because a decade or so later, suddenly they were all being broken, mostly on the right side fence at first.
I've been using Free Tax U.S.A. now for at least ten years. No cost and worked better than TurboTax and HRBlock combined.
I still have to use the 1040A form, I think most seniors do, some necessary things are not on the 1040EZ we need.
The only time I could use the 1040EZ was when I was working part-time for a salary and had no other income.
Sorry to hear the frau is in the hospital. I hope they get her all fixed up and back home soon.
Don't worry about me, I'll still check in every day whether there is anything here or not.
Gotta take care of the frau as your first order of business, always!
It actually looked quit nice from way down no the highway. But I suspect some kids decided they would make great target practice, because a decade or so later, suddenly they were all being broken, mostly on the right side fence at first.
I've been using Free Tax U.S.A. now for at least ten years. No cost and worked better than TurboTax and HRBlock combined.
I still have to use the 1040A form, I think most seniors do, some necessary things are not on the 1040EZ we need.
The only time I could use the 1040EZ was when I was working part-time for a salary and had no other income.
Sorry to hear the frau is in the hospital. I hope they get her all fixed up and back home soon.
Don't worry about me, I'll still check in every day whether there is anything here or not.
Gotta take care of the frau as your first order of business, always!
Re: Pencil Sharpener
I guess old age has been taking its toll for quite a while with my wife of many years. Just about every kind of doctor on the hospital staff has had a look at her. Two or three things might be going on simultaneously and not all the test results are in yet.
One problem with my wife had to do with her blood pressure. Her BP dropped 30 points from a sitting to a standing position. That probably had something to do with her blacking out. They don't know yet why that happens but they decided go give her a heart monitor to wear for two weeks. It's like no other heart monitor I ever saw, and even some of the hospital staff never heard of it.
The actual monitoring device is about the size of a small matchbook. It snaps on to what looks like a transparent flexible circuit board known as the patch. The runners are actually the sensors and the device's antenna system. All this has a sticky side to attach to the skin and is replaceable. It's waterproof so that she can even take showers while wearing the device. It just cannot be submerged under water for any length of time. And, I suspect you won't be surprised at this, the companion device that she must keep close to her at all times is a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. There is only one program/operating system in the phone which uses the Internet to send the monitor signals to the nursing station and to some outfit on the east coast. Apparently a central processing center of some sorts. The phone not only monitors her heart but also diagnoses how the system is working. It tells her when she needs to replace the sticky patch and informs her of any other problems that might arise. If some noteworthy event should occur there is a single touch screen button to press which does a core dump of her heart and sends it off to the proper authorities. After the two weeks is up, they provided a box to return the monitor, the phone, and the charger cables prepaid.
For most of the afternoon today she was getting an error message saying the signal wasn't being transmitted. Everything looked OK but the damned device would beep and vibrate every twenty minutes demanding to be reset and try again. I finally decided it might be time to read the instructions, of which there is are few. All you have to do is attach the patch and start the phone ... ohhhh, and make sure both devices are fully charged first. We charged them both and everything was working perfectly when I left. I sure would have thought the people in the cardiology department would have known better, but apparently this technology is new to them too.
One problem with my wife had to do with her blood pressure. Her BP dropped 30 points from a sitting to a standing position. That probably had something to do with her blacking out. They don't know yet why that happens but they decided go give her a heart monitor to wear for two weeks. It's like no other heart monitor I ever saw, and even some of the hospital staff never heard of it.
The actual monitoring device is about the size of a small matchbook. It snaps on to what looks like a transparent flexible circuit board known as the patch. The runners are actually the sensors and the device's antenna system. All this has a sticky side to attach to the skin and is replaceable. It's waterproof so that she can even take showers while wearing the device. It just cannot be submerged under water for any length of time. And, I suspect you won't be surprised at this, the companion device that she must keep close to her at all times is a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. There is only one program/operating system in the phone which uses the Internet to send the monitor signals to the nursing station and to some outfit on the east coast. Apparently a central processing center of some sorts. The phone not only monitors her heart but also diagnoses how the system is working. It tells her when she needs to replace the sticky patch and informs her of any other problems that might arise. If some noteworthy event should occur there is a single touch screen button to press which does a core dump of her heart and sends it off to the proper authorities. After the two weeks is up, they provided a box to return the monitor, the phone, and the charger cables prepaid.
For most of the afternoon today she was getting an error message saying the signal wasn't being transmitted. Everything looked OK but the damned device would beep and vibrate every twenty minutes demanding to be reset and try again. I finally decided it might be time to read the instructions, of which there is are few. All you have to do is attach the patch and start the phone ... ohhhh, and make sure both devices are fully charged first. We charged them both and everything was working perfectly when I left. I sure would have thought the people in the cardiology department would have known better, but apparently this technology is new to them too.
Re: Pencil Sharpener
First off, I hope they are able to determine what is going on with your frau and can be able to fix it.
I'll keep her in my prayers for this now too!
My wife had a CPAP a few years ago she used for about six months is all. It didn't have any type of reporting system, other than some type of mechanical counter, like an odometer. I think it only read the number of times it pulsed or possible the hours it was on.
The one she has now connects through our WiFi modem and sends the report in. But I think it only reports how many hours per night she has it on is all. Because that is the figure the insurance companies want as to whether to pay for it or not.
My doc want's me on a BiPap, but I don't need it all night every night, only when I feel like I'm going into panic mode. Which can be any time during the day. So since the insurance won't pay for it, I'm not getting it.
Debi tried one of those instant and always reading monitors that check her blood sugar. I looked at it and can't quite figure out how it works, but it does have four needles that poke into her, so I imagine blood runs in two and out two of them. She didn't like it very well, and it didn't appear to be as accurate as when she does a finger stick. So she went back to the old way of doing the finger stick.
I was doing an arm stick on myself, and then found a place on one of my fingers that didn't hurt at all. It's the same finger I cut really bad with a hedge trimmer back in the early '70s.
I think I told you about the ordeal with my late wife trying to get a test which is common now, but back then they refused to do it, until it was too late. So I'm glad your frau's doc is staying on top of things!
I'll keep her in my prayers for this now too!
My wife had a CPAP a few years ago she used for about six months is all. It didn't have any type of reporting system, other than some type of mechanical counter, like an odometer. I think it only read the number of times it pulsed or possible the hours it was on.
The one she has now connects through our WiFi modem and sends the report in. But I think it only reports how many hours per night she has it on is all. Because that is the figure the insurance companies want as to whether to pay for it or not.
My doc want's me on a BiPap, but I don't need it all night every night, only when I feel like I'm going into panic mode. Which can be any time during the day. So since the insurance won't pay for it, I'm not getting it.
Debi tried one of those instant and always reading monitors that check her blood sugar. I looked at it and can't quite figure out how it works, but it does have four needles that poke into her, so I imagine blood runs in two and out two of them. She didn't like it very well, and it didn't appear to be as accurate as when she does a finger stick. So she went back to the old way of doing the finger stick.
I was doing an arm stick on myself, and then found a place on one of my fingers that didn't hurt at all. It's the same finger I cut really bad with a hedge trimmer back in the early '70s.
I think I told you about the ordeal with my late wife trying to get a test which is common now, but back then they refused to do it, until it was too late. So I'm glad your frau's doc is staying on top of things!
Re: Pencil Sharpener
Let me begin this reply with a thank you for your prayers. In my distant past I've seen some correlation between prayers and a positive outcome of a bad situation. Such seems to be the situation here with my wife. I don't want to bore you with all the grim details, but there are some points in this tale that stand out and make me want to share my thoughts.
My wife, Kathy, has experienced allergy related problems most of her life. When things turned really bad, we moved down here to Missouri to get away from the forest we lived in. Things went well for the first four years or so, but then an ENT specialist had to be found to help with the reemergence of her old allergy symptoms. Down here it manifests primarily as vertigo. It's not exactly a spinning sensation, but more like a loss of balance. Last year about this time she was bed ridden for a week before the vertigo backed off into oblivion. Things went well until this season when the symptoms came back. The long and the short of this story is that there is some therapy that can be applied to the inner ear and will eventually greatly relieve the symptoms. She has been taking drugs and inhalers but it finally came down to the doctor recommending the therapy.
About two weeks ago I heard a thud while wife was in the kitchen making her breakfast. She was laying on the floor disoriented when I got there. The same thing happened a week later, but I was there to catch her and provide a soft landing. She had no warning nor recollection of what happened, but she had a previously made appointment with her allergist on Tuesday. He did not think the black out was associated with the ear problem, but he wanted a CT scan done before he would schedule the therapy. He was very concerned about what was going on in addition to the vertigo. I believe I already told the story of how the hospital he recommended didn't meet our expectations, to say the least. However, both a CT scan and an MRI was performed successfully before I picked up my wife at 1:30 in the morning to rescue her.
The next day we decided to go to the hospital her regular doctor is associated with. It was a much more acceptable environment, but they too were concerned about the black outs and admitted her immediately. The MRI shows a tumor growing on the membrane surrounding the brain, and of course this brought up the possibility of seizures or something worse. Thus a neurologist was summoned and an EEG performed. In the mean time the cardiology department did some extensive blood pressure testing. It turned out her PB dropped 30 points when she stood up from a sitting position. That would be enough to knock her out and disorient her. But, why was it dropping?
So, about Wednesday it was determined she had vertigo, a tumor on the brain, and dangerously low blood pressure. That last item is very confusing because she is taking medication for hypertension. That's directly opposite the low BP measurement. As you could imagine there was a lot of angst and uncertainty. She literally had a dozen doctors consult with her and examine all the test results. Apparently they work as a team of doctors instead of individuals as is the case in most other places. The team finally came to the conclusion that the tumor being so small and so very slow growing was not an issue. There was no evidence of it acting upon the brain, thus not causing seizures. The low blood pressure had no measurable cause, so they determined she was not hydrated enough at the time. That was a definite possibility to cause the second event because she was not taking in the same fluids and solids after the first event. So, compression stockings and a gallon of water every day should fix the blood pressure problem. Unless it doesn't. Then the cardiologist she just acquire will come up with a different cure.
A physical therapist came in and made my wife perform some incredible head gymnastics which brought about the usual dizziness and nausea. It was temporary but we all saw the effects of the so called vertigo. The therapist claims doing that exercise every day will clear up the problem almost entirely. But, of course the therapist would not be around to help stabilize the situation. So, in lieu of that routine we have scheduled the therapy originally prescribed by the ENT specialist.
Let me tell you something about this Doctor Page, the ENT guy. He was one of the more friendly and approachable guys I ever met, but he was still a doctor and caused me to have some suspicions. It was he who sent my wife to that ER in Purgatory because it was just down the road a piece. So when the new hospital requested a copy of the MRI and all the reports, Dr Page was made aware of the situation. Today, he personally called my wife in the hospital to see how things are going. After he heard the whole story he was still recommending the therapy and has in fact scheduled it. But, we are still stunned by that personal call. He also requested a copy of the discharge papers so that he would know which doctors would be attending to my wife's other problems. I have had doctors call me, but it was with bad news every time. They never called just so see how well I was.
So, in the end, we now know more about the situation. There are some remedies we can apply on our own such as drinking fluids and wearing compression stockings. But all our worst nightmares simply did not happen. So I have to thank you for your part in the Divine Intervention. I am certain it would not have ended this way without your prayers.
My wife, Kathy, has experienced allergy related problems most of her life. When things turned really bad, we moved down here to Missouri to get away from the forest we lived in. Things went well for the first four years or so, but then an ENT specialist had to be found to help with the reemergence of her old allergy symptoms. Down here it manifests primarily as vertigo. It's not exactly a spinning sensation, but more like a loss of balance. Last year about this time she was bed ridden for a week before the vertigo backed off into oblivion. Things went well until this season when the symptoms came back. The long and the short of this story is that there is some therapy that can be applied to the inner ear and will eventually greatly relieve the symptoms. She has been taking drugs and inhalers but it finally came down to the doctor recommending the therapy.
About two weeks ago I heard a thud while wife was in the kitchen making her breakfast. She was laying on the floor disoriented when I got there. The same thing happened a week later, but I was there to catch her and provide a soft landing. She had no warning nor recollection of what happened, but she had a previously made appointment with her allergist on Tuesday. He did not think the black out was associated with the ear problem, but he wanted a CT scan done before he would schedule the therapy. He was very concerned about what was going on in addition to the vertigo. I believe I already told the story of how the hospital he recommended didn't meet our expectations, to say the least. However, both a CT scan and an MRI was performed successfully before I picked up my wife at 1:30 in the morning to rescue her.
The next day we decided to go to the hospital her regular doctor is associated with. It was a much more acceptable environment, but they too were concerned about the black outs and admitted her immediately. The MRI shows a tumor growing on the membrane surrounding the brain, and of course this brought up the possibility of seizures or something worse. Thus a neurologist was summoned and an EEG performed. In the mean time the cardiology department did some extensive blood pressure testing. It turned out her PB dropped 30 points when she stood up from a sitting position. That would be enough to knock her out and disorient her. But, why was it dropping?
So, about Wednesday it was determined she had vertigo, a tumor on the brain, and dangerously low blood pressure. That last item is very confusing because she is taking medication for hypertension. That's directly opposite the low BP measurement. As you could imagine there was a lot of angst and uncertainty. She literally had a dozen doctors consult with her and examine all the test results. Apparently they work as a team of doctors instead of individuals as is the case in most other places. The team finally came to the conclusion that the tumor being so small and so very slow growing was not an issue. There was no evidence of it acting upon the brain, thus not causing seizures. The low blood pressure had no measurable cause, so they determined she was not hydrated enough at the time. That was a definite possibility to cause the second event because she was not taking in the same fluids and solids after the first event. So, compression stockings and a gallon of water every day should fix the blood pressure problem. Unless it doesn't. Then the cardiologist she just acquire will come up with a different cure.
A physical therapist came in and made my wife perform some incredible head gymnastics which brought about the usual dizziness and nausea. It was temporary but we all saw the effects of the so called vertigo. The therapist claims doing that exercise every day will clear up the problem almost entirely. But, of course the therapist would not be around to help stabilize the situation. So, in lieu of that routine we have scheduled the therapy originally prescribed by the ENT specialist.
Let me tell you something about this Doctor Page, the ENT guy. He was one of the more friendly and approachable guys I ever met, but he was still a doctor and caused me to have some suspicions. It was he who sent my wife to that ER in Purgatory because it was just down the road a piece. So when the new hospital requested a copy of the MRI and all the reports, Dr Page was made aware of the situation. Today, he personally called my wife in the hospital to see how things are going. After he heard the whole story he was still recommending the therapy and has in fact scheduled it. But, we are still stunned by that personal call. He also requested a copy of the discharge papers so that he would know which doctors would be attending to my wife's other problems. I have had doctors call me, but it was with bad news every time. They never called just so see how well I was.
So, in the end, we now know more about the situation. There are some remedies we can apply on our own such as drinking fluids and wearing compression stockings. But all our worst nightmares simply did not happen. So I have to thank you for your part in the Divine Intervention. I am certain it would not have ended this way without your prayers.