Friday - March 29th, 2024
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Tom Lashnits

 
State of the Country
April 1st, 2023
State Of The Country &Raquo; Question 5663412 340

      Possibly you’ve seen reports about a Wall Street Journal/University of Chicago poll that recently took the pulse of American sentiment.      To me the amusing — and somehow sad — thing about it is that the conservative press (like the New York Post) screeches that the poll is proof Americans have fallen for the “woke” agenda. They have become soft and spoiled, interested only in money and pursuing their own pleasures. They are not as patriotic, not as religious, and not as family oriented as they used to be. Young people aren’t even interested in... Continue Reading

April 1st, 2023
Simple Pleasures
March 25th, 2023
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     It seems that most of the retirement advice we get these days is either about money — when to start taking Social Security, how to invest your 401K — or else about how to find meaning in life — you have to volunteer somewhere or maybe find a job.      Well, that might be true in the early days of retirement, especially if you retire young, in your 50s or early 60s. But the older we get, the more it seems like the simple pleasures become more important.      Here are a few of my simple pleasures. Maybe you have some others you can suggest.      Dinner.  I really... Continue Reading

March 25th, 2023
Whip Inflation Now
March 18th, 2023
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     Remember that old line from President Ford? Actually, I think it was subject to a lot of ridicule, because it seemed so ineffective at the time. And of course it is ineffective as a national policy. But there are some practical ideas — as well as a particular frame of mind — that can help us save some money and deal with inflation that’s currently running at about 6 percent or so.      For example, Billionaire Warren Buffett knows a thing or two about saving (as well as earning) money. He famously lives in the house he bought for $31,500 in 1958, now worth about $700,000.... Continue Reading

March 18th, 2023
The Odd Oscars
March 11th, 2023
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     The Academy Awards are bring held on Sunday night, a time when we find out the best actress, best actor and best picture of 2022. I know you’re supposed to be breathlessly amazed at how wonderful these movies are. But, at least for the moment, I take a more jaundiced view.      I read an article the other day reporting that the “Oscar Bump” has not been as big this year as in years past. The Oscar Bump refers to a sudden increase in ticket sales for the nominated movies, since the nominations pique people’s interest.      The article blamed Netflix for the... Continue Reading

March 11th, 2023
Sea and Sand Festival
March 7th, 2023
Sea And Sand Festival &Raquo; Img 1949 2

      We just got home from our Snowbird trip to Florida and South Carolina. Our last weekend in Charleston — or at the beach outside of Charleston — the town held its annual Sand and Sea Festival, which includes a street fair, live music, a sidewalk sale, lots of eating and drinking . . . and among the younger set, more drinking.      The highlight of the weekend is the sand castle building contest, which started on Sunday surprisingly early in the morning. We sauntered out to the beach a little before noon, thinking we had plenty of time to watch the festivities, only to find... Continue Reading

March 7th, 2023
Outsmarted by Artificial Intelligence?
February 25th, 2023

     Have you heard about ChatGPT, a user friendly application of Artificial Intelligence? You’re supposed to be able to ask any question, and it will write an essay that gives you a cogent answer that is accurate and reasonably comprehensive. Or as the website says, it “is trained to follow an instruction in a prompt and provide a detailed response.”      So I decided to try it out. I made a simple request:  Explain how the world is different today compared to 1970. Here is the response: The world today is vastly different from the world in 1970 in several ways. Some of... Continue Reading

February 25th, 2023
Longevity Report Card
February 18th, 2023
Longevity Report Card &Raquo; Paprika 3212148 480

      How long we live, and how healthy we are, depends partly on the lottery of birth — how healthy our parents were and how long they lived. We’re winners if we drew the longevity card from our parents, not so lucky if we drew the fat card, the alcoholism card, the cancer card, or a predisposition to any other disease.       Still, there’s a lot we can do to help ourselves live longer and feel better, no matter who our parents were — or however much we may have mistreated ourselves in our younger years. If a person smoked when they were young, for example, but has... Continue Reading

February 18th, 2023
Where Am I?
February 11th, 2023
Where Am I? &Raquo; Img 1925 2

     I’m on vacation. Yes, I know, some people ask: How can you be on vacation when you’re retired? Well, trust me, pre-retirees and other people still working, and as my fellow retirees can attest . . . you can.      I was in Florida for a week or so, then met up with my wife for a few more days in Florida, and then we started driving. I won’t say how far we drove, because, as a test of your geography skills, you can try to figure out where we are from the directional signs below.      In case you can’t read the sign, we are 619 miles from Cleveland, and 4270... Continue Reading

February 11th, 2023
What’s Interesting About Florida?
January 28th, 2023
What'S Interesting About Florida? &Raquo; Img 1879 2

     I’ve been on the road, traveling to and through Florida, for about ten days. For those of you who don’t know Florida, I thought I’d tell you what’s interesting about the state.      The beach. There’s lots of it. There’s so much of it that even though Florida is crowded, the beaches are not. Well, maybe there are a few crowded beaches — South Beach? Fort Lauderdale? Lido Key? — but that’s only because people want to see and be seen. There are miles and miles of beautiful uncrowded beaches. And the sand is nice too. Where we go in... Continue Reading

January 28th, 2023
30 Seconds Of . . .
January 21st, 2023

     This is the first time I’ve been to Florida since before the pandemic. As I sit here staring at the ocean, I don’t have much to say. So I thought I’d just share a moment of peace and tranquility — the kind you get staring across the sand as the waves roll in — for anyone who can’t get to the beach this winter. Enjoy!  Continue Reading

January 21st, 2023