My "Adventure" with Covid19 - Part 2

TThis is how it all started for me. On February 11 or 12th, I am not real sure was when I started to get extremely sick. This was right after the "big freeze" of 2021. I had been working before all the time, and I thought I had been exposed in all my public dealings with Covid19, so I figured I had some immunity. Boy was I wrong.

After a few days of being quite sick, my wife insisted that I go to the hospital. On February 15, I went to the UTMB in Angleton, apparently, they either were not taking new Covid19 patients, or their allotment of Covid19 beds was full. I was transferred to UTMB Clear Lake right away.

The first few days are pretty fuzzy in my mind, as I was really out of it mentally speaking. I believe of the first or 2nd day I was there in the hospital, I got up and took all of the things I was connected to equipment off. I wandered around my hospital room dazed and confused. This was the beginning of a new journey for me. I was so sick, that I had no idea exactly how sick I really was. At the time, I could not think clearly at all. I could not remember what I had done that day, or conversations that I had already had.>p? This was just the beginning of a long and hard recovery, and I really had no idea want awaited me in this process.

More to come later. Stay safe!

Covid19 Has Been a Challenge

I have experiencedquite a time withCovid19.Idecided to chronicle my experience with this pesky disease. Just to give you a tease of what is to come, I have been to the hospital 3 times.I have 28 days in the hospital, allCovid related. This has been quite an experience. Many changes have taken place for me and in my life. It will still be some time before I get back to "normal." I won't be able to work in the classic sense for at least a few more weeks. for the next several days I will chronical these events in this blog. I am hoping it will be a bit therapudic for me as well. All the best until next post.

What Everyone Needs to Know About Background Checks

I recently received a call about background checks.  The potential client wanted a background check run on them to find out why they weren't hired, and the potential employer told them it was because of the background check.  The potential employer did not say anything specific.

Here is the rub. They are required by law to tell the potential employee why:

"You must be told if information in your file has been used against you. (emphasis mine) Anyone who uses a credit report or another type of consumer report to deny your application for credit, insurance, or employment – or to take another adverse action against you – must tell you, and must give you the name, address, and phone number of the agency that provided the information."  (Taken from A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act from the FTC)

It cannot be spelled out any more clear than that.  Also, as a company that conducts the backgroud check, that company is required to inform the person that the check was conducted upon to notify that person.

Duties of users taking adverse actions (emphasis mine) on the basis of information contained in consumer reports. If any person takes any adverse action with respect to any consumer that is based in whole or in part on any information contained in a consumer report, the person shall (1) provide oral, written, or electronic notice of the adverse action to the consumer;

Here is one of the key reasons - you have a right to dispute anything in the background check that may be negative.

"You have the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. If you identify information in your file that is incomplete or inaccurate, and report it to the consumer
reporting agency..."

The bottom line is - if you have been turned down for employment, rental of property, or anything else because of background check - you have a right to know.

Stay Safe!

Very Odd Parts to the Pipe Bombs Sent Out to Former Democratic Leaders

This whole Pipe-Bomb activity seems suspicious at best.  If someone is doing these acts of terror, they should be arrested immediately and the full force of the law should come down on them.

Why do I say if?  Because all of the envelops shown on the news show packages without the common post office cancelled stamps.  Also, the $3.00 of stamps would not be enough to mail out the metal pipe bombs shown in the photos.  It would not be nearly enough.

Personally, I have never received any package through the US Mail without some sort of Post office markings on them.

Here are 3 of the photos that took me all of 15 minutes of internet search to find them (I am sure there are more):

These are all from screen shots

Even the left leaning New York Times expresses doubt about these packages. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/nyregion/clinton-obama-explosive-device.html

Whatever you do - Stay Safe!

When the Gatekeepers of Your Identity Are Hacked

Well, it looks like Equifax just got hacked.  The "credit reporting agency" says it may have affected 143 million people.  That is essentially 2/3rd of the people in this country with credit.

According to Bloomberg, Equifax is "also offering free credit-file monitoring and identify-theft protection."  That last part - identity thef protection - Heh.

Who do they report identity theft to?  That is the question

Some Post Harvey Thoughts

Right after a disaster, the cockroaches come out in droves.  In this case, by cockroaches, I mean scammers, thieves, and all around bad folks.

I will get back to the bad guys in just a minute.  If your home was damaged by Harvey, before you do anything else, take photos of all of the damage you find.  Then, make sure you repair Things like the roof or broken windows and keep the receipt.  This will all come in handy later.

If your vehicle took on water higher than the floorboard, do not try to start it.  You may cause more damage than the flooding did.  Take it (towed) to the same kind of dealership of the make of the car and have them check it out.  Hopefully you were smart enough when you  bought car insurance, that you purchased the highest towing coverage you can (it is the least expensive thing to buy).

Oh, and the stupid crap about having to file your insurance claim before September 1, 2017 is just that.  A bunch of crap.  HB 1774 does not change the insurance claims process. A person making a claim with his/her insurance company after September 1, 2017 will go through the same process as a person making a claim before September 1, 2017.

Back to the roaches, er bad guys.

If any contractor comes to your house to give an estimate - do not pay them anything.  If the contractor says they will "negotiate" with the insurance company, send them on their way.  If someone comes to your house claiming to be an insurance adjuster, that person should have ID, and should know your name and who you have a policy with, and the type of coverage.  If they don't, send them on their way.

If any contractor tries to act like there is some sort of rush to get things done, send them on their way.  FEMA will not be going door to door - anyone who says they are FEMA going door to door is likely a crook.  You have to apply for assistance with FEMA before they send anyone.  Then they will arrange an appointment.

If anyone wants to get any information from you that appears to be a possible contractor or represetative from the government.  Ask for ID.  Take a picture of that ID.  Do this befor speaking with them.

Whatever You do - Stay safe!

Something Some Folks Should know About School Zones

Note - this is not legal advice, it is however a practical explanation of traffic laws (at least in Texas)

Ok, near me there are some school zones tat are marked improperly.  What they do is they have  a traffic control device (sign) that ends the school zone, but then they have an "END SCHOOL ZONE" sign way after, by Texas law, the school zone ends.

Traffic law is pretty simple for the most part in Texas concerning signs.  The most recent traffic control device, or sign, sets the speed.  Example, you are approaching a town and you are on a road marked "SPEED LIMIT 75".  That means the speed limit is 75 MPH. When you come upon a "SPEED LIMIT 65" (the most recent sign) that sign designates the speed limit to be 65 MPH.  Now the same is true leaving the town.  You start out , say at a 30 MPH speed limit.  You see a sign that says "SPEED LIMIT 45" (most recent traffic control device) so now the speed limit is 45 MPH, and so on, and so on.

So, here is the problem - the school zone starts with a "SCHOOL ZONE SPEED LIMIT 20" (with some specific times). It means during those times, the speed limit is 20 MPH and you cannot use a wireless device while driving in the school zone.

Then you come upon a "SPEED LIMIT 35" sign.  At that point you may or may not be in the School Zone, but the speed limit is now 35 MPH.  There is later a sign that says "END SCHOOL ZONE" and "SPEED LIMIT 35."  Since there is a sign that says "END SCHOOL ZONE" it designates that the area where you cannot use a wireless device is now over, or ended.

However, intentional or not, the "SPEED LIMIT 35" sign in the middle of the school zone sets the speed limit back to 35 MPH.  That is the most recent traffic control device and it sets the speed limit, just as the "SCHOOL ZONE SPEED LIMIT 20" had set the speed limit to 20 MPH from the previous speed limit.

If it was done intentionally, I smell a speed trap.  If not, well, they may need to remove some unnecessary signs.

Whatever you do out there - Stay Safe!