Culture

Scary Charts – 08.13.23 (and yet another Dark Side of Tik Tok)

/ SupremeCmdr / 2 Comments

APC indicates annual percentage change. This study of alcohol-related mortality in the US suggests there has been a significantly higher rate of increase in deaths among female individuals in recent years.

Trends in Alcohol-Related Deaths by Sex in the US, 1999-2020 — http://10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.26346

In March 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported an unprecedented spike in stimulant prescriptions between 2020 and 2021. Perhaps most surprising was that the demographic showing the greatest increases in stimulant use – an increase of almost 20% in one year – were in women in their 20s and 30s…

But while the internet exploded with ADHD content, researchers in Canada began sorting #ADHD TikTok videos into categories based on their accuracy and helpfulness. They reported something important: A majority of #ADHD content was misleading. Only 21% of the posts provided useful and accurate information.

More adults than ever have been seeking ADHD medications – an ADHD expert explains what could be driving the trend — https://theconversation.com/more-adults-than-ever-have-been-seeking-adhd-medications-an-adhd-expert-explains-what-could-be-driving-the-trend-206052

Alcohol AND amphetamines. Self-diagnosed ADHD. SMH.

Scary Charts – 06.12.23

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Source: 3 in 4 managers find it difficult to work with GenZ — https://www.resumebuilder.com/3-in-4-managers-find-it-difficult-to-work-with-genz/

Source: Millennials or Gen Z: who’s doing the most job-hopping — https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/blog/how-long-should-you-stay-in-a-job

There’s no malicious intent here. I’m not playing generational war games. Any relationship you see between these two survey results could simply be spurious.

Or not.

Elder Abuse

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Most of the time I just delete shit like this. Then, unsurprisingly I get another text.

What chat? Why do I feel like I’m being targeted?

HomeVestors, the self-proclaimed “largest homebuyer in the United States,” goes to great lengths to distinguish itself from the hedge funds and YouTube gurus that have taken over large swaths of the real estate investment market. The company says it helps homeowners out of jams — ugly houses and ugly situations — improving lives and communities by taking on properties no one else would buy. Part of that mission is a promise not to take advantage of anyone who doesn’t understand the true value of their home, even as franchisees pursue rock-bottom prices…HomeVestors cautions its franchisees never to take advantage of sellers who are unable to understand negotiations. But by the time he left that evening, Evans had a contract to buy the house for roughly two-thirds its value, signed in Casanova’s shaky script.

The Ugly Truth Behind “We Buy Ugly Houses” — https://www.propublica.org/article/ugly-truth-behind-we-buy-ugly-houses

Full disclosure – I have no clue who sent me these text messages and the source may not be HomeVestors.

Please read then share the entire article. You can’t be too safe nowadays.

The more I think about this form of elder abuse the angrier I get. Then again, maybe I did have a conversation about a different property.

This text message was for a property I don’t own.

(I am) Flunking Retirement

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments

Participants with the most positive views of aging were living, on average, 7.5 years longer than those with the most negative views. 90%: the percentage of centenarians who were functionally independent in their 90’s.

People who live long lives can teach us how to live healthy lives.

Flunking Retirement – https://ysph.yale.edu/about-school-of-public-health/communications-public-relations/publications/public-health-magazine/article/flunking-retirement/

The source article is an interview with two Yale alumni who are still working at the age of 82. Both are youngsters when compared to…Willie who just turned 90 and still working.

Food Addiction

/ SupremeCmdr / 3 Comments

Addiction to Highly Processed Food Among Older Adults — https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/reports-more/report/addiction-highly-processed-food-among-older-adults

Read the press release here – https://ihpi.umich.edu/news/1-8-americans-over-50-show-signs-food-addiction-u-m-poll-finds

Read more about the Yale Food Addiction Scale here – https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/fastlab/yale-food-addiction-scale/

Step 1: I admit I am powerless over pizza.

The picture above is a normal size slice at Benny’s. The tall beer can was strictly in the picture to provide perspective. For more about Benny’s see https://garyskitchen.net/worship-the-whale/.

The Labor Force Refuses to Grow – Age Discrimination?

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Ageism?

Ageism is a real problem. And it could also be responsible for the low labor force getting stuck at this level. Boomers are now between around 56 and 76. This is a huge generation. And in tech, when the hiring manager is 32, and you’re 56, it’s tough getting that job. And when you’re 62, it’s even tougher just to get anyone’s attention. Some succeed. But many don’t.

Many of these people, often with a superb job history, may never get a job in their field again. Many of them made enough money to where they don’t have to work. They’d like to work, but it’s tough getting ignored or rejected time after time because of age.

And they give up “actively” looking for a job, and thereby they’re removed from the labor force. They were dropped from the labor force due to ageism, not because they wanted to retire. And they might tell everyone, after they give up looking, that they’re “retired,” when in fact, they’d love to work in their field but are locked out.

I Want to Add a Word about Ageism in this Bizarre Labor Market and How it Hits Labor Force & Unemployment Numbers — https://wolfstreet.com/2022/07/08/i-want-to-add-a-word-about-ageism-in-this-bizarre-labor-market-and-how-it-hits-labor-force-unemployment-numbers/

The entire post from Mr. Wolf is worth reading. Obviously there is no data to support ageism as one of the causes for the lack of labor force growth. But it certainly is an interesting hunch.

At last count there were 240 comments on this article.

Okay, Houston, we’ve had a problem here. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/50-years-ago-houston-we-ve-had-a-problem