INSPIRATIONAL: Costco cashier Tony Barzar is a millionaire by slow and steady hard work

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/he-earns-33-an-hour-as-a-costco-cashier-now-hes-a-millionaire-1e9ba725?st=6YknCt&mod=1440&user_id=66c4b9c55d78644b3a882a4d

He Earns $33 an Hour as a Costco Cashier. Now He’s a Millionaire.

  • Long-tenured workers like cashier Tony Barzar are reliable, experienced and able to speed shoppers through a checkout line. Costco is willing to pay to keep them around.

By Sarah Nassauer
July 8, 2026 7:00 pm ET

*** begin quote ***

TUCSON, Ariz.—Costco cashier Tony Barzar unloaded his lunch in the breakroom, clocked in and headed for the checkout, just as he has for much of the past four decades.

That day, like most days, 60-year-old Barzar was assigned to the self-checkout area, a cluster of six registers. At 9:02 a.m., the first shoppers were ready to ring themselves up.

*** end quote ***

Not glamorous, not “big bucks”, but slow and steady wins the race.

A certainly no reason for ¾ of a million in student loan debt.

Maybe the zoomers need to adjust their expectations?

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RANT: Where are the “smart trash cans”?

Sunday, July 12, 2026

I want one that takes itself out to the curb on “trash day” and return to its spot when emptied.

Then I might believe that the machines are gonna take over the world.

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RANT: HANDICAP spaces

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Today, like many many other times, I see people use those spaces with no placard or plate. No one enforces it.  Argh!

–30–


ANSWER – RATED BEST: The three account solution — joint, yours, and mine

Friday, July 10, 2026

FROM REDDIT
Go to LifeProTips
r/LifeProTips

3y ago

*** begin quote ***

LPT Request: What is a good way for married couples to manage their money? Does it make sense to have a joint account? How do you decide how much of each paycheck goes into that account?
Finance

Edit: What is a good strategy when one person earns double what the other earns?

*** end quote ***

I “believe” that there should be a common account for expenses, and each partner have their own account to use as they see fit. In my 40 year marriage, my deceased wife was a great saver because she grew up “dirt poor”. Having her “own money” gave her the ability to relax and stop that fear. There were times when she made more than me and time when I made more than her. It was never an issue because we both contributed to the common account.

I read and see where many times the “breadwinner” is control freak and the partner usually the woman is left high and dry with nothing. I think the three account solution — joint, yours, and mine — puts the bully on notice that it’s a partnership; not a dictatorship. I “feel” that anyone, who insists on control, should be dumped immediately as “not ready for prime time” and should be returned to their parent for further training. You’re not going to change anyone and they could wind up literally killing you!

Still think that it’s OK to have it anyway that works for you.  Except that BOTH partners should have “life boat money” set aside in case it’s needed.  It can be divorce, but it also can be other things like surprise parties, birthday presents, hobbies, GoFundMe’s, whatever.

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RANT: “Hanoi Jane” deserves her own special ‘ring” in Hell

Friday, July 3, 2026

https://x.com/Ikennect/status/2059026118036881822?s=20

<<FROM TWITTER>>
<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2026-05-26>>

I am Ken
@Ikennect

*** begin quote ***
Barbara Walters writes:

Unfortunately, many have forgotten and still countless others have never known how Ms. Fonda betrayed not only the idea of our country, but specific men who served and sacrificed during the Vietnam War.
The first part of this is from an F-4E pilot. The pilot’s name is Jerry Driscoll, a River Rat. In 1968, the former Commandant of the USAF Survival School was a POW in Ho LoPrison, the “Hanoi Hilton.”

Dragged from a stinking cesspit of a cell, cleaned, fed, and dressed in clean PJ’s, he was ordered to describe for a visiting American “peace activist” the “lenient and humane treatment” he’d received.

He spat at Ms. Fonda, was clubbed, and was dragged away. During the subsequent beating, he fell forward onto the camp commandant ‘s feet, which sent that officer berserk.
In 1978, the Air Force Colonel still suffered from double vision (which permanently ended his flying career) from the Commandant’s frenzied application of a wooden baton.

From 1963-65, Col. Larry Carrigan was in the 47FW/DO (F-4E’s). He spent 6 years in the “Hanoi Hilton”. . . The first three of which his family only knew he was “missing in action.” His wife lived on faith that he was still alive. His group, too, got the cleaned-up, fed and clothed routine in preparation for a “peace delegation” visit.

They, however, had time and devised a plan to get word to the world that they were alive and still survived.

Each man secreted a tiny piece of paper, with his Social Security Number on it, in the palm of his hand.

When paraded before Ms. Fonda and a cameraman, she walked the line, shaking each man’s hand and asking little encouraging snippets like: “Aren’t you sorry you bombed babies?” and “Are you grateful for the humane treatment from your benevolent captors?” Believing this HAD to be an act, they each palmed her their sliver of paper.

She took them all without missing a beat. . . At the end of the line and once the camera stopped rolling, to the shocked disbelief of the POWs, she turned to the officer in charge and handed him all the little pieces of paper…

Three men died from the subsequent beatings. Colonel Carrigan was almost number four but he survived, which is the only reason we know of her actions that day.

I was a civilian economic development adviser in Vietnam, and was captured by the North Vietnamese communists in South Vietnam in 1968, and held prisoner for over 5 years.

I spent 27 months in solitary confinement; one year in a cage in Cambodia; and one year in a ‘black box’ in Hanoi. My North Vietnamese captors deliberately poisoned and murdered a female missionary, a nurse in a leprosarium in Banme Thuot, South Vietnam, whom I buried in the jungle near the Cambodian border. At one time, I weighed only about 90 lbs. (My normal weight is 170 lbs.)

We were Jane Fonda’s “war criminals.”

When Jane Fonda was in Hanoi, I was asked by the camp communist political officer if I would be willing to meet with her. I said yes, for I wanted to tell her about the real treatment we POWs received. . . and how different it was from the treatment purported by the North Vietnamese, and parroted by her as “humane and lenient.”

Because of this, I spent three days on a rocky floor on my knees, with my arms outstretched with a large steel weight placed on my hands, and beaten with a bamboo cane.

I had the opportunity to meet with Jane Fonda soon after I was released. I asked her if she would be willing to debate me on TV. She never did answer me.

These first-hand experiences do not exemplify someone who should be honored as part of “100 Years of Great Women.” Lest we forget. . . “100 Years of Great Women” should never include a traitor whose hands are covered with the blood of so many patriots.

There are few things I have strong visceral reactions to, but Hanoi Jane’s participation in blatant treason, is one of them.

Please take the time to forward to as many people as you possibly can. It will eventually end up on her computer, and she needs to know that we will never forget

*** end quote ***

I’ve ranted about her before. This just reminds me of her treachery.  

Why she was never prosecuted?


LESSONSLEARNED: Don’t fly into or connect thru DFW

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Early in my passenger flying days, I had an extremely rough ride going into DFW. After that I would NEVER fly into or out of DFW. If I was required to be in Dallas for my job, I’d fly to Houston and drive up. Later, IBM’s PC management team was wiped out by a DFW crash. (After that AT&T mandated no more than two employees would be on the same flight. I believe other corporations also did the same thing. Also, after that, my wife and I would rarely fly together. She believed I was the bad luck part of the marriage. Laugh!) This merely reinforced my belief that DFW was a direct portal to Hell. FWIW YMMV

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EVLYNN: The Universe either supplied what she wanted or she, in fact, “manifested” it.

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

A WEBSITE ASKED:

What is your favorite road trip memory?

Send us your answer! Reply to this newsletter with a brief explanation of your response, and we’ll reveal the top answers in a future newsletter.

# – # – # – # – # 

[Once upon a time, a long time ago, we drove to Biloxi.]

For the ride, we’d been to Barnes and Noble and got books on tape. (Like discs, but more fragile.) I had for my picks bought Denis E. Waitley’s “Empires Of The Mind” and Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. Both suggest, but Covey really pushes “manifesting” what you want and the Universe would supply it.

She groused about it as “absurd”. Now mind you we were on a section of road in Alabama that we had driven before where there was literally nothing. So I said to her, “OK, we’ll have an experiment. What do you really want right now?”

She snaps: “a Dairy Queen ice cream cone”. “OK, in the next ten miles, we’ll manifest a Dairy Queen.”

And, I made her chant “I see a Dairy Queen.” For the next ten miles. Every time, she wanted to quit, I insisted. Just as the odometer is going to click ten, we see a hand painted sign on a 4×8 plywood that said: “Dairy Queen”.

It was brand new but no signs. And, it was open.

We went in and the manager thanked us for coming. It was their FIRST DAY open and their signs were late. We had lunch and ice cream. I laughed and she accused me of cheating. She was convinced I saw a sign.

Overlooking all the facts.

The Universe either supplied what she wanted or she, in fact, “manifested” it.

— 30 —


TECHNOLOGY: Shutting Down Traditional Phone Lines

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

https://cordcuttersnews.com/california-wants-to-stop-att-from-shutting-down-traditional-phone-lines/

California Wants to Stop AT&T From Shutting Down Traditional Phone Lines

By

Luke Bouma

on
June 19, 2026

in
All News, News

*** begin quote ***

California regulators have formally accused AT&T of providing false information to the Federal Communications Commission in an effort to discontinue service on its aging copper-based wireline telephone network, according to Arstechnica. The filing, submitted by the California Public Utilities Commission on June 15, 2026, challenges AT&T’s petitions to preempt state rules and end landline obligations affecting roughly 199,000 customers. This comes as AT&T and others have been shutting down DSL and traditional phone lines that run on copper in many states.

*** end quote ***

Sad to say but as a fat old white guy retired injineer, copper-based wireline telephone network, sometimes called POTS (plain old telephone service) is and was very reliable and cheap.  Power outages, tornados, and human stupidity aside, you picked up the phone and got “dial tone”.

Don’t forget the AT&T tradition of the operator dying at the switchboard to alert everyone of danger. 

And, the old AT&T Motto, “no service is so urgent, that we can’t take the time to do our job safely”.  Never mind the wags that amended it to “take time for coffee”.

It was a “widows and orphans” stock, until in their infinite wisdom Judge Green and the FCC (a captive of the mobile telephone industry) decided that AT&T and the Baby Bells should be “aborted”.   One casualty was the greatest national resource “Bell Labs”. Another was the millions of retirees who had —  whether they knew it or not —  dedicated their lives to providing the BEST national telephone service. 

Shame on the US Gooferment for allowing this to fail.

Argh!

— 30 —


INSPIRATIONAL: My wife had to endure the old process … … 

Monday, June 29, 2026

https://openbionics.com/3d-printed-prosthetic-limbs-progress-in-prosthetics-challenges-in-access/

*** begin quote ***

At our Austin prosthetic clinic, upper limb specialist Travis Heins has seen firsthand how 3D printing can elevate the experience of receiving a prosthetic arm from a drawn-out series of appointments into a streamlined, more predictable process. Instead of multiple rounds of casting, adjustments and travel to and from the clinic, Travis uses digital models and printed test sockets to refine his patient’s fit in a fraction of the time. For families who often drive hours to reach a preferred clinic or rearrange work schedules for each appointment, these efficiencies matter.

“I print two test sockets from the same digital model, one based on conservative measurements and another designed for a more experimental fit,” he said. “Sometimes we end up going with the more aggressive modified one.”

*** end quote ***

My wife had to endure the old process … … 

… … (I’d say God’s replacement wife because the Universe knows how much I need help. And, it sounds disrespectful to say “second wife” and hurtful to refer to my sainted “first” wife as anything but the best thing that ever happened to me in my college days.  But enough distraction.) … … 

… … and the insurance company paid 60k$ and we had innumerable appointments for fittings.  And the end result sucked.  It was hard to get on and almost impossible for the two of us to get it off.  

AND most disturbing to her was that is looked like a man’s arm.

FMPOV the lack of an “elbow” was a terrible disaster.  

Maybe the new stuff will be better.

BUT, (and there is always a BIG butt), not in our lifetime.

— 30 —


AI: What ClaudaAI (Claudia) can’t do — access Google Maps or saved places

Friday, June 26, 2026

*** begin quote ***

Dialogue – June 28, 2026

USER: Delete all New Jersey saved places in Google Maps

CLAUDE: I don’t have access to Google Maps or your saved places — there’s no Google Maps connector available to me.

To delete saved places in Google Maps yourself:

1. Open Google Maps and tap your profile icon
2. Go to Saved → Your lists
3. Open each list, find NJ places, tap the three dots on each, and select “Remove from list”

Or on desktop at maps.google.com, go to Saved in the left menu and manage from there. Unfortunately there’s no bulk-delete option in Google Maps — it has to be done one by one.

*** end quote ***

Argh!

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