2016 Summer August 26 Friday

2016 Summer August 26 Friday

71 degrees this morning, walk 36:26 minutes 

Cooler weather due to storms.  Most of the storms (lightning and thunder) are bypassing us although I could see the lightning in the distance when I walked this morning.  

If it had gotten any closer I would have stopped walking! 

Noted that I thought yesterday was “Friday” all day, and apparently I thought so in the morning also, since I apparently labeled the title as August 25, Friday.  May be a matter of expectations.  

Trying to decide if we should “refinance” our mortgage, even after the short time we have had it.  It really depends on the length of time we will stay at the house.  Right now, I don’t see us moving for the foreseeable future, or maybe I should say the unforeseeable future, since we never know what the future will bring.

Assuming the “refinancing fees” estimate is correct, it would be like getting an annuity after 3 years on the fees.  Not a large amount, but every little bit can always help.  In a way, the only way you can lose is if you move.  If the interest rates keep going down (not likely) you can refinance.  If they go up, your interest rates stay the  same.  

Looking around during our search to refinance, there are a lot of crooks out there. They might call it “business” but I all it thievery.   Somehow a promised 3.25% mortgage suddenly becomes 3.89 % etc!   At least they have to disclose their figures now.  

As I have mentioned before, I think the “ethics” courses so popular in the 80’s and 90’s (and maybe now, I don’t know)  just taught people how to be unethical more efficiently.   

I cannot believe that some of the drug companies are allowed to gouge sick people so brazenly and even brag about it.

Just as bad are some of the “private equity” and “hedge funds” who are no more than thieves.  

Of course, even worse are some of the “class action” law suits that are nothing more than extortion by attorneys and the court system.  As an example, a company  just sent me something about a “class action” law suit.  The attorneys were making over a million dollars.  Each “damaged” person got a year membership free (about $25).  And that is if you wanted to bother reading and following a bizarre list of instructions of how to claim it. I assume the attorneys get the unclaimed funds also.  Nothing but legal extortion!

I normally try to “opt out” of such class action lawsuits to avoid paying even a penny of the attorney fees they collect.  Or maybe the correct word is “extort”.

I can feel the end of summer in the air and as activities change.  School starting, baseball ending, football beginning etc.  

I have about decided I will need to get the book I am listening to on Tesla and read it, or at least read certain portions of it on his inventions.  I am amazed at some of his inventions.

I am not quite sure why I haven’t heard more about Tesla before this.  He is right up there with Edison etc. in his advanced inventions etc. He actually built a working prototype for each patent.  

I think it is like anything, it is a matter of promotion of the invention, and the ability to get funding to complete it etc.  Not necessarily bad, just a fact of life.  

Like now, many of the inventors at the time were funded by “backers” who I assume made their money back when the patents were sold or the invention was marketed.  

This is the last weekend before Labor Day weekend, traditionally the “end of Summer” at least as we know it. 

That’s it for now, Friday, August 26, 2016.