Hows the luck!?!

[November]

Three teenagers have been rescued from a remote stretch of Western Australia's Mid West coast after a distress message written in the sand was spotted by two pilots flying overhead

Teens rescued after pilots spot 'help' written in sand

The group became bogged along a remote stretch of Western Australia's Mid West coast and wrote "help" in the sand in desperation.

www.abc.net.au

Any luck in your local news?

 

[semiurge]

Not really, it's just the usual type of thing here. With extra nerviness regarding the forthcoming general election.

 

[Stake fodder]

This news story seemed double lucky. A police officer encountered a smoking car, and pulled the driver out, as well as oxygen tanks, before it caught on fire. Just as it did, a fire crew passed, and stopped to put out the fire.

'Sometimes things happen for a reason': Timely action from fire, police stops car fire before it turns tragic

"Public safety worked the way public safety needed to," one official said.

www.kcci.com

 

[Ethan Reigns]

Today was a day I should have more of.

I had two notices arrive in the mail, one for renewing my driver's license and the other for renewing my OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Program) card. I had everything I needed for the Driver's license but nothing to prove that I was a resident of Canada or that I could prove my identity. The worst thing about the Service Ontario place is the lineup of about 30 people inside the office and more than that outside in the hall to get a number and the wait for the usual sixty or so people who are sitting and waiting for their number to be called. When I got there, I thought it might be closed. No lineup outside. No lineup to wait for the number you get called by. There were only eleven people in the place and most of them were already at one of the 17 wickets. There was only one other person waiting like me. I got all the things I needed for the driver's license (which will get sent to me in the mail) and the guy asked if I would like to get the health card update as well. I said I didn't bring the documents with me since I didn't have the identity and residency evidence I needed. He said, "No problem. Do you have a credit card with your name on it?" I had a debit card with no name but I also had a credit card with my name, so he accepted my identity. He said my current photo ID driver's license was all I needed for identity.

What was usually a two-hour ordeal was over in fifteen minutes. Some days, I love my life.

 

[Stake fodder]

If we're including letters in the mail, then I will mention that I got a letter from the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) just before I was leaving for a 20- day trip. I get emailed photos of arriving mail, so I had a day to sweat over it. Fortunately, it physically arrived before I left. It said, "After reviewing your tax return, we have calculated your 2023 income tax.... Based on [this], you don't owe anything."

So, um, why are they writing? I calculated my own tax on my return, and did not indicate I wanted a review or anything. It didn't seem to be an audit. But whatever, I consider the IRS being satisfied with me to be a good thing! Whew!

 

[Stake fodder]

A 79-year-old man got rear-ended and carjacked. They dragged him from the car, beat him up, and stole his wallet. Seems like bad luck! But at the hospital, they detected an arrhythmia that would likely have caused a fatal heart attack in two or three months. He had stents put in four blocked arteries, and so is grateful to those car thieves. And he eventually got his car back.