Can you imagine who is currently camping in the back country right now? "So, what happened while I was gone?"

I worked in the life insurance industry most of my career and watched them move the needle on "acceptable" readings - the biggies are BP and Cholesterol and pre-DM is making the strong showing, but I would have to say SSRIs are probably ahead of it for now (have you noticed the big push for 'mental health' recently?). But it gets back to the same old same old: pills, pills, pills - the more expensive, the better.

I didn't know they bought Fred Meyer. 😳

That could be 187 comms - kill an industry?

Wasn't DJT saying something a week or so ago that no one would be in the facilities? I am not remembering it fully - too much going on to keep track- but IIRC it was kind of a warning to 'get out'.

I just got mine 2022 Jeep Cherokee - not the Grand Cherokee, which means it's basically a car - almost $450.

I am going to have to steal 'moron fatigue'. 🤣

Thx!

I worked with a guy who had appendix cancer. This was maybe 15 years ago. It is kind of like pancreatic in that it usually isn't caught early, which makes treatment difficult. My understanding was one of the treatments was a "wash" of his abdominal cavity - basically, they make an incision, drop a bunch of chemicals in, sew you up for a couple of hours and then go back in to clean it out. I heard about this treatment second hand from my old boss as I had left the company at this point, but it sounded like medieval torture. Sadly, he did not make it. I don't think he was even 40 years old.

If you don't mind, how long did it take to go away and how much/how often did you apply it?

That happened after 9/11 and for quite awhile. I remember the Guardsmen at the GG Bridge. People would bring them food because it was obvious after awhile they were bored.

No kidding. Isn't the city alone 500 square miles? I think the county is over 4000.

The way to win is to not play the game.

"Say it, do it, preach it, shout it, but never, absolutely never, believe your own bullshit ." - Steve Berry, The Templar Legacy.

I don't know if it is taught or just instinct. If you think about little kids, they ALL scream. So an argument could be made that it instinct, but men are taught to suppress it.

I recall a time when my cats were in the front window going nuts at something on the porch- I went outside to take a look and a rat ran in front of my feet. Without thinking, I screamed and jumped up on the step - a complete cartoon image if you had watched. Admittedly, it was kind of pathetic, but I remember it happening without thinking.

Yeah, this isn't so much a ideological switch as it is "this is what we think will max the stock price".

I am so sick of this. If I had a day where I was in charge, my mandate would be that going forward all legislation going forward would be written with quill and ink. Sorry if you'll have to practice penmanship. Deal with the hand cramps.

It is pretty rich coming from a regime that knowingly put up a guy with cancer/dementia for the Big Job to be calling anyone else a terrorist.

I know, I know - you have to show people, etc. But to read it all again makes my blood boil.

There are a number if biblical deltas next month.

I think this probably is a reason we are so drawn to wade at the waters shore - lake, river, ocean. We are attracted not just because it's pretty, but we are a part of it.

DMSO is great. I use the 70% gel which is just like using aloe vera, but doesn’t smell as nice. . (The one drawback is initially it kind of smells like garlic. But no has told me I smell like garlic - unless they are just being polite.) You can get a little jar of it for about $20-$25 on Amazon. I did see they have a rose scent, which I may try the next time I purchase.

The current ICD has over 14,000 codes and when you include subcategories, it is close to 70,000. Insane.

Oh, but AI will solve it!. Uh-huh. I would say I have a bridge to sell, but things seem to crashing into them.

This is a problem in multiple lines of coverage - the idea that we must have guaranteed platinum care for everyone. Guarantees cost money. Period.

Insurance tends to be the convenient whipping boy for lots of issues. I am not saying they don't share some of the blame, but one thing that doesn't get enough attention is how much private equity is in the healthcare space. PE's primary focus is EBITDA - not customers (patients).

Not knowing Scott Adam's at all, I am just going to do a little armchair psychology. I am guessing he is dealing with a myriad of feelings - fear, anger, sadness, second-guessing - he is grieving, and grief can make you an asshole sometimes.

I suspect he is probably overwhelmed with well-intentioned advice and would really rather it all stop because it is a constant reminder of the situation he is in. Also, he may just be losing the will to fight. I think once you get to that point, it is hard to overcome. The mind is powerful as we have all witnessed over the last few years.

(There is a line that Sally Field says in Forest Gump when she is dying and FG asks why and she just says "It's my time." Maybe it is that simple.)

That and vineyards.

I drove down to LA two years ago for the first time in a long time - probably close to 20 years. Drove down 101 and back I-5. I was amazed at the number of vineyards and the lack of everything else.