I don't know if I just happened to stumble across them, or if there are actually more idiotic responses to posts here. This forum discusses photography and general topics. Although The Attic comes close, we don't have a section for attacking, criticizing, and name-calling. It seems that more and more people are having trouble getting through the day without trying to make someone else look like an idiot. They don't realize that they are making themselves look like idiots when their only purpose in posting is to tear someone else down. Truly pathetic.

Someone on a different forum said that "photographers are horrible." Maybe there's some truth to that.

We had a total of four kids last night - sixteen last year. Two tiny kids were escorted by their parents, and six more came in groups of two and four. In the past, we've had over a hundred kids show up, with cars lined up on the street bringing them from far and wide. I know there are fewer kids, but that's a huge drop in numbers. What in the world am I going to do with all this leftover candy?

One thing was funny/creepy. A tiny kid, maybe two years old, was escorted by his parents, obviously his first year trick or treating. As I opened the door and approached him, he looked concerned and backed away. When I held out the candy, he smiled and approached me. That's scary! Imagine that same scene with a windowless van.

The first kid arrived at 6:00, and the last at 6:50.

I got a new chimney-cleaning brush. Unlike the other one that I ran up and down on a rope, this one is attached to a series of fiberglass rods, and they say to start at the bottom - inside the house - and run it up the chimney. I can imagine load of soot coming into the house, but I'll give it a try. The ladder is already positioned, so if this gets messy, I'll go up top.

If you don't hear from me after this, you'll know the trip up to the roof didn't work out very well.

It's a shame what's happened to the medical profession. This is the current weekly column published locally.

I remember the good old days when the doctor or his nurse answered the phone in person and said, “come right in at such a such a time.” Dr. Grant would even make house calls dispensing medicine from his worn, leather satchel.
Nowadays, one must first decide to go to a general practitioner, if such a person still exists, who will refer you to one or more specialists who, in turn, will each request diagnostics-x-rays, MRI, CAT scan, EKG, EEG with results you will never see unless you can access them through cyber-space portals. Not just one portal, but a portal for each mega-conglomerate-owned medical system. So, Nuvance has one; MAHV has one; each insurance company has one. These portals each have their own user ID and password. Good luck with that.
One also has to match the insurance coverage with participating doctors, hospitals, and medical groups. They, also, have multiple apps to track or access bills and statements.
I am fortunate to have good insurance coverage as a retiree. Insurance itself is a nightmare with paperwork and technical support. I get texts reminding me of appointments but only after I log in (another ID and password) to confirm my appointment and assure the company that four pages of personal and medical data are still current. Even after that, one must maneuver through the office scanning license and insurance cards and repeating one’s name and birthday like a parrot.
My wish for this country is to have some sort of standard insurance without the opportunity for fraud and political affiliation. We each deserve the same care. Unfortunately, our medical system is not medically based but financially based with business, not doctors and nurses, making the decisions that affect our well-being. The scariest part of it all is that some insurance companies are invested in medical conglomerates and drug companies.
End of rant.

The statistics on deaths from opioids are frightening. More than 100,000 people died in this country last year from overdosing. What the statistics don’t show is the number of people who are on opioids and don’t overdose and don’t become addicted. And, best of all, they get relief from pain that ibuprofen and acetaminophen can’t touch.

I am one of them. I take Hydrocodone. But I am treated suspiciously. Am I becoming addicted? Am I getting them from more than one doctor? Am I selling them to teenagers? The pharmaceutical companies and doctors created this mess and we who need the pain relief are suffering from their greed. I was even advised by my health insurance agent to stay with my doctor because I would have trouble finding another one who would prescribe them.

My pain stems from neuropathy. I only take them at night, and not every night. Thirty pills last me for six to seven weeks. Although I have chronic pain all the time, I take nothing during the day. I have tried cannabis, gummy bears, and that seems to work as well as hydrocodone. But my hydrocodone is free. And, it doesn’t really completely stop the pain.

My message here. Don’t judge people negatively who are on opioids.

I asked the question this evening, "Why do phones have more advanced technology than cameras" and part of the answer, "One reason why phones may have more advanced technology than commercial cameras is that phones have a larger and more diverse user base than cameras. According to a report by Statista1, there were about 5.22 billion unique mobile phone users in the world as of January 2021, compared to about 1.43 billion digital camera users in 2022. This means that phone manufacturers have more potential customers and more incentive to invest in research and development of new features and technologies for their devices"

Phones keep getting better and many are cheaper, the flagship phones continue to be the most expensive. I'm not getting rid of my Canon 90D and lenses but I'm very hesitant to change when really our newest cameras all brands are living in old technology compared to phones. In 1980 cell phones were a huge brick, with no text, no camera and they were dumb as a brick but they were a mobile phone. I read that the first shared cell phone pic was in 1997. Maybe the dates and info are off but the cameras we know and love/hate are falling behind and it doesn't appear that the big companies care or have a plan to meet the challenge. What are your thoughts?