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- November 16, 2021
- The Trouble with Open Source Software
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I had been using a check writer of my own design using Apache's Open Office with a database and several merge field forms I wrote up one afternoon years back.
All was idyllic in the presence of a single checking account until that fateful day I needed to add a second one.
Thinking all that needed to be done was clone the original install and use the new data ... WRONG camel breath.
Nothing worked at all.
So I went ahead and bought a canned check writer with unlimited accounts which does everything my scripting did as well as operate properly in the presence of multiple account iterations.
The moral of the story is free software is typically supplied "as is" and they could really give a rip if there is trouble with anything you want to do that falls outside the "community support forums" which proved totally ineffective and quite infuriating in my particular case.
The secondary moral is "you get what you pay for".
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- November 15, 2021
- Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day 2021
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It is November 15 and that makes it Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day.
The day meant to clear out your fridge of all those suspicious foodstuffs which may be growing colonies ... or worse.
Hygiene is not solely a bodily function. It is important to maintain environmental hygiene as a matter of health maintenance.
So when that pitcher of tea has the appearance of pond scum or that old bowl of guac seems to be growing larger and greener or those orange slices seem to be active penicillin cultures it's important to dispose of them and any other products which may be assuming a life of their own in the cold dark reaches of the fridge and wipe those surfaces down which may have become innoculated in the process.
Being somewhat of a germaphobe in the finest Sheldon Cooper tradition I rarely allow anything to linger long enough to fester and spoil in my fridge.
Besides, I typically have the stuff eaten long before any danger is even possible.
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- November 14, 2021
- World Diabetes Day 2021
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I have metabolic syndrome X aka 'adult onset diabetes' according to the International Classification of Diseases.
This refers to a bunch of health conditions appearing in conjunction which increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and also diabetes ... but sharing the same ICDA code makes me call it all the same thing.
This metabolic syndrome includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol levels and is said to increase a person's risk for heart attack and stroke.
The waist enlargement not withstanding, the entirety of the disorders do not have a lot in the way of symptoms.
The prescribed path of treatment includes weight loss, exercise, a healthy diet, and stopping of smoking. Medications are typically a part of the treatment regimen.
Today we have another World Diabetes Day which is the primary global awareness campaign focusing on diabetes mellitus and is held under the auspices of the International Diabetes Federation. Metabolic syndrome, adult onset diabetes, and juvenile diabetes are all under the umbrella of this awareness.
So if you find yourself diagnosed with any of those conditions which may be classified in the realm of diabetes you should be under the care of your healthcare professional and follow their instructions.
During the interim, have a happy World Diabetes Day if there is such a thing.
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- November 13, 2021
- World Kindness Day 2021
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Today we have another World Kindness Day.
This international observance happens each November 13 since 1998 under the auspices of the World Kindness Movement which is a coalition of nations.
It is observed in a multitude of countries and that participation is increasing over the years in support of the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
In my existence I can think of much less worthwhile pursuits. Love is kind.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Holy Bible
King James Version - Comments (0)
- November 12, 2021
- Happy Hour Day 2021
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I used to be somewhat of a barfly. Yes, in my Navy days I used to go to the EM club on the base and get schnockered. I used to throw down the brewskis with the best of them ... even after an exceedingly late start. That was then. This is now.
I haven't had much alcohol to drink over the past 24 years. This corresponds to the passing of my good friend Dewitt with whom I normally had the occasional snootful. Nowadays I don't keep much in the way of alcohol in the house due to the infrequent visits of an alcoholic friend who can turn up an entire bottle and guzzle it down before my very eyes.
Today is Happy Hour Day. Happy hour refers to a period of time during a day when establishments sell drinks and food at a discount.
Originating in various barrooms, nowadays many restaurants are also known to hold happy hours and offer drinks and appetizers at reduced prices. Usually, a happy hour includes multiple drinks and appetizers for the price of one.
I have a few acquaintances who track happy hour locations, times, and offerings to my amazement. One fellow in particular is a walking and talking encylopedia of happy hours and similar events in the local area. He also reeks of alcohol on occasion. I sometimes think it exudes from his pores.
I get offers to join in from time to time. I don't recall many episodes of attendence in recent history — likely a whole decade or more. Many countries ban happy hours in drinking establishments due to the fear that it will encourage binge drinking and alcoholism.
I care little for drinking anymore and therefore my participation in happy hours is nonexistent after never being much to 'write home' about. However, in the spirit of 'to each their own' I don't hold imbibing against anyone and your participation in happy hour is totally your option as far as I am concerned.
So to all you liquored up lushes have a grand Happy Hour Day !
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- November 11, 2021
- Happy Veterans Day 2021
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I am a navy veteran. I didn't like the Navy when I was in and lord knows I could have done a lot better ...
But I've made my peace with the lackadaisical enlistment and until their sorry ass Treasurer pissed me off I was contributing to the USS MacDonough Reunion Association monthly in an effort to make further amends.
Some of my cohorts at work whined about being veterans and not being off for Veterans Day.
I told them that the incorporated municipality did not honor veterans because of other chosen official holidays.
Veterans Day was once called Armistice Day. It is a federal holiday in the United States observed each November 11 in the name of honoring military veterans discharged honorably.
For those of you who are veterans I'm happy to wish you a happy Veteran's Day whether you work the day or not !
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- November 10, 2021
- USMC Birthday 2021
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I recall the Marine Corps League and how it took my best friend, the late Dewitt Casey, away from me.
Whereas prior to this time we were boon companions and virtually unseparable; when the Marines retook him he was lost to me forever by and large.
Once a marine always a marine. He was happy to belong and participate fully.
Innumerable times I would stop by his place in Red Bank, South Carolina for a visit to find him out and about. Later I would learn of his latest escapades with the Corps like trips to Paris Island and such.
Then one fateful day a few years into his discovery of 'the league' he spent the night at the VA Hospital and came back around six pm with the news that he had several blocked vessels in his heart and was 'inoperable'. Very soon afterwards he returned from a Christmas visit to Sambo and Sharon's house in Lancaster and was gone the next day having passed on Cedarcrest at the wheel of his automobile while returning from local errands.
He was buried in the cemetery at Lancaster, SC where we spent considerable time over the years in that Marine Corps League uniform he so dearly loved.
The United States Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated every year on November 10th replete with a traditional and formal ball and cake-cutting ceremony.
On this day in 1775 the Continental Marines were established.
So as the adage goes 'once a marine always a marine'. The devil dog Dewitt Casey is in heaven, likely still dressed in that uniform he took me all over the place while in pursuit of the various pieces from which it is comprised. I have missed him sorely over the years.
Rest in peace.
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- November 9, 2021
- World Freedom Day 2021
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Now I've never been one to involve myself in international affairs. This is primarily a function of my international travels and always attempting to mind my own business.
One of the longstanding issues of World War II was the divvying up of various nations by the victors as if they were spoils of war and I have always frowned upon what I view is forced alliance to some bully nation just because they think they can have their way with you.
Same holds true for bully incompetents running IT departments for incorporated municipalities. I have a low tolerance and separate myself from them and their stupidity.
Today we have another World Freedom Day.
It was created to annually commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall after World War II.
On June 12, 1987 in a speech then President Ronald Reagan admonished
at the Brandenburg Gate referring to the Berlin Wall in West Berlin.Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall
I caught the speech on the news at that time.
I feel this was the impetus for the act which followed on November 9, 1989 when the Berlin Wall was torn down.
World Freedom Day is a United States federal observance declared by President George W Bush to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe.
It began in 2001 and is celebrated each November 9.
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- November 8, 2021
- A year without Alex Trebek
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Mom is a fan of Jeopardy. For years she watched Canadian-American Alex Trebek host the program as she sat and posed questions to the various answers displayed on the game board.
He received the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host eight times for his work on Jeopardy.
Mr Trebek passed a year ago on November 8, 2020 at the age of 80 after a 20 month battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Mom, like so many others, was hoping he would beat the diagnosis.
George Alexander Trebek was born July 22, 1940 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada and grew to be a popular television personality and game show host from 1961 through 2020 and was a beloved figure to the fans of Jeopardy all over for 37 seasons running 1984 until his death in 2020.
Born in Canada, he became a naturalized US citizen in 1998. He also served as host on a number of other game shows, including The Wizard of Odds, Double Dare, High Rollers, Battlestars, Classic Concentration, and To Tell the Truth.
He also did cameo appearances as himself in various films and television series.
Alex Trebek continues to be missed. Rest in peace.
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- November 7, 2021
- Dr Billy Graham's Birthday in Heaven
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Billy Graham was an American evangelist, an extremely prominent evangelical Christian, and an ordained Southern Baptist minister.
William Franklin Graham Jr
November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018
When I was a kid Billy Graham was one of those who ministered to my mother via his television ministry called television 'crusades'.
They were a frequent part of my evening television during my elementary school years as my mother was devout in the finest tradition of believers and spiritual persons.
Over the years I became able to name the various others in the Billy Graham Crusade and could even predict various moments such as when he would call the participants down to accept Christ as their personal savior.
During that period in my life my ideas regarding Heaven, Earth, and Christianity, were not as evolved as I feel they are today.
Therefore I was wide open to him and his ministry whereas in later life I may have had various controversial attitudes which I typically keep to myself to avoid conflicts.
I watched his life progress over the years and monitored his decline as he approached his end which happened at Montreat, North Carolina on February 21, 2018.
The world is a sadder place for me personally without Dr Graham and his wife, Mrs Ruth Graham with whom I also communed at various times over the years on the airwaves of television.
I rejoice in his faith for it was him who said
I know who I am, where I've been, and most importantly, where I'm going.
Rest in peace.
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- November 6, 2021
- National Saxophone Day 2021
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The saxophone holds the distinction of being the only brass instrument in the woodwinds family.
It has a dynamic range which exceeds many other instruments and it's sound can be either soft and melodious or powerful and driving depending on the skills of the one playing it.
November 6th brings us National Saxophone Day.
It is held each anniversary of the birth of Antoine-Joseph ‘Adolphe’ Sax, the inventor of the saxophone.
One of my favorite musicians was the late great Clarence Clemons who played the saxophone for the East Street Band and various other solo endeavors.
He passed this worldly existence on June 18, 2011 but prior to that time gave the instrument a power and range uncommon on the world stage.
The saxophone is utilized in both classical and jazz music and it imparts it's imprimatur on each and every piece in which it is utilized.
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- November 5, 2021
- Bank Transfer Day 2021
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I used to be a customer of the local credit union. Business with them was totally unsatisfactory. First of all, they think they own you and have this requirement to treat you like an irresponsible child though you earn much more than they do.
Secondly they incorporate this insipid stance of treating the "customer" like some "member" subject to any rule they capriciously make up on the fly.
Needless to say I left in a huff never to return.
I see these poor smucks on television doing ads for the credit union and think how utterly sheeple these low end earners appear bragging about their nothing relationship with a valueless institution.
I'm left feeling that my fellow humans should be bitch slapped like the credit union's bitch they appear.
Today is Bank Transfer Day.
Initially formed as a consumer activism movement whereby persons were beckoned to switch from their commercial bank to a so-called not-for-profit credit unions with an imposed deadline of November 5, 2011.
While I view a lot of the fees imposed by banks as ridiculous and their customer service abysmal with outsourcing to compensate for incompetent IT departments, the credit unions are just as bad with a different set of violations to shove up your ass at the drop of a hat.
Can you say CUNA Mutual, boys and girls?
Needless to say the recurrence of Bank Transfer Day has neither inspired me to return to the godforsaken finances of Credit Unions and I'd just as soon never see some of the lamer infantile officers in those institutions ever again.
Give me the title of "customer" over "member" any day.
Boo !
See also:
Bank Transfer Day 2019
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- November 4, 2021
- The Wizard of Oz first televised 65 years ago
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When I was a kid I used to catch The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, and Bert Lahr at every opportunity — and it was a thrilling time for me personally.
It had one of those magical moment connotations in my mind like many of the holiday specials I used to watch and it excited me to realize the treat I was about to enjoy.
The film The Wizard of Oz from 1939 aired on television for the first time in 1956 and was seen by an estimated 45 million viewers.
That viewing was 65 years ago and would make the anniversary a year younger than me. Suffice it to say that my viewings ocurred years later because these are memories of the time I was in elementary school in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Over the years it enjoyed repeated airings on TV and these helped make the movie the enduring classic. I used to watch each and every one I encountered while sitting before the tube.
One of those things about it I recall is just how endearing it became in my lifetime and how I could stop everything for the duration of it's showing.
Now, I just flip the channel. It's sad to note how my brazen tastes have devolved over the years — and I think it's a function of CGI and that inability to shock me like those special effects of days gone by did so well.
Ah, to go back and do it all over again.
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- November 3, 2021
- My Sister had a heart attack
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Smoking is hazardous to your heath. My sister smokes and ended up in the hospital.
She said the trouble began last Thursday. She ended up in the hospital when the pain became too much to bear.
This was Saturday. She toughed it out until she her pain tolerance broke down. She said that the administration of a nitroglycerin patch during initial treatment provided virtually immediate relief.
They did a heart cath lab procedure and she ended up with a stent to treat an almost totally occluded coronary artery to the tune of 98-99% blockage. One of the coronary vessels was characterized as "collapsed" and was judged untreatable.
It seems that her denial regarding smoking ALL THESE YEARS was not believed by her heart.
When you have a 4 vessel bypass it is not a good idea to continue smoking.
It's a sad notion that her home situation is not conducive to a healthier lifestyle.
Sadder still the fact that you walk into a house and are overwhelmed by the thick second hand smoke permeating the entire living space.
I am reticent to enter the place now. You take your life into your own hands just trying to be socially aware.
It is a difficult matter to make your feelings known regarding this blatant disregard for healthy lifestyle choices.
My family seems to fight me tooth and nail when I decline to both ignore and condone these activities.
I'm left feeling that I am simply to remain complacent and just let her finish killing herself off.
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