Steve, I talked sent this listing to my sister-in-law and we had a chat about it. Her reflex reaction was negative and she didn't change her mind. She just really didn't like the idea. I chose her to be the trustee of my Trust. I'm very grateful she agreed. We've sorted a few decisions. The car is sorted (17k price point used Hyundai Accent, approx. 40k miles, almost showroom condition), a substantial investment account in my name-- that in addition can be used to pay expenses of the car and home both in my name, not the Trust's on the advice of my attorney, and we've agreed I will buy a home in a cash sale. We pretty much agree on everything. We're mindful that these monies are to last for my lifetime. She told me to remember I chose her because she's practical. Well, that's part of it. She's very accomplished and responsible. So, she all but ruled it out, didn't like the idea, and didn't like the price. We're going to revisit it after the storm and after I read wtg's links and research Florida's current laws. She likes the idea of the mobile home I want to buy. I like it too. It was my idea. Nothing's perfect. Land lease parks are transitioning from family to corporate township all over. They hike the rents substantially and have separated out certain things that used to be included in lot rent (water, waste removal) and added them as fees. I think I could weather the storm. There are many who can't. There are many people already who are elderly and managing to keep their homes but can't afford everything they need and have to choose what to do without. I'm leary of condos in Florida. Believe me. I live here and I hear about it. I haven't ruled them out. Living in an apartment is much nicer than living in a mobile home. In a perfect world, I'd my an old stock concrete block house but they're risen to astronomical prices. The bottom line is it's a blessing to be have options.

Damn, Jon! It’s been that long! It’s incredible, really, and I’m so glad it’s working out for you!

For whatever reason, iPhones do not do a resize of photos on the phone. Other phones do. Andy’s procedure should work great for anything other than an iPhone

@wtg Good advice. This miserable backwater requires that I call the county - CALL! - before each and every election to request a mail in ballot. We’re doomed.

I’ve made soup from a dried mix. The Hurst “ham bean” one. No bueno. The big beans stay hard and the small beans turn to mush. I’ll have to try the Bobs version. His stuff is generally solid

Lady at the grocery store today. “I think everyone in Ohio is going home to eat milk and bread sandwiches wrapped in toilet paper!”

@Lisa said in Question for SK (and anyone else who'd like to chime in): something he could do after work, from home Maybe he can find an online tutor?

Great news, jon-nyc! Coming back to the US sounds like pins and needles.

@jon-nyc said in Keep it up Democrats in Congress ...: I think most every democrat agrees there’s no higher priority than to defang Trump. That’s going to happen in the midterms if at all. The optimal strategy is therefore one that make taking the house and senate most likely. Everything else is preening. I'm in board.

Twilight is divided into three types based on the sun's depression angle below the horizon, measuring the transition between day and night. Civil ((0–6 degrees) below) allows for outdoor activities without artificial light. Nautical ((6–12 degrees) below) enables marine navigation by horizon and stars. Astronomical ((12–18 degrees) below) provides enough darkness for observing faint stars.

Public opinion on ICE: [image: 1769181183305-img_8136.jpeg] Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/us/politics/poll-ice-immigration.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlA.H1W-.menbHL_P0R_d Over 80% of Republicans think ICE's enforcement are "just right" or want ICE to go even harder.

For those who suffered through the shingles vaccine, some good news. Last April I wrote a Ground Truths entitled “The Shingles Vaccine and Reduction of Dementia.” At the time many were unaware of this unanticipated relationship based on 2 large natural experiments. Two new studies this week have advanced our understanding about the potential biological impact of the Shingles vaccine, independent of its effects for preventing Shingles or direct action vs. herpes zoster virus and reinforced its protection from dementia, ~80% of which is attributable to Alzheimer’s disease. In this post I won’t get into the details of what I previously wrote (please link back for more perspective), but instead devote the text to the new findings. https://erictopol.substack.com/p/spotlight-on-the-shingles-vaccineagain?publication_id=587835&post_id=185215801&isFreemail=true&r=1v8sh2&triedRedirect=true Topol's earlier post: https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-shingles-vaccine-and-reduction

Canada/Carney disinvited. Guess Carney's remarks in Davos didn't sit well with the orange man. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/international/2026/01/23/trump-withdraws-canadas-invitation-to-board-of-peace/

Chas, If you are interested in board games but don’t have someone to play with, there are a lot of solo games out there! Some are made specifically for one player. Others are multiplayer games that have solo modes. It’s quite popular! But there is also a huge online boardgaming space as well! There are many popular board games that have iPad apps available. Some of them allow you to play against an AI player in game. Others allow you to play with other people. I do play a few apps against the AI on my iPad (Splendour, Railroad Ink, Castles of Mad King Ludwig, Ganz Schön Clever, Evolution). There is also a site called Tabletop Arena which is board games that you play against other human players. Many of my board game friends have accounts and play a tonne online! I don’t enjoy the online experience for board games, but I am in the minority. Some of the games on BGA can be played with a free account, but there is (of course) a paid version which allows you to play all the games available - and there are a LOT! If you want more info about specific physical games that play well solo, I can help you out. If you want more information about Tabletop Arena and how to find people to play against who are happy to help a new player, let me know and I can ask some of my board gaming friends what they suggest!