WHAT?
There are times when the news fails to pass the sniff test. There’s a fly in the soup somewhere.
Deseret News reports: “11 survive ‘miraculous’ rescue following plane crash off Florida coast”
By Emma Neff, Wed, May 13, 2026.
What? They survived the rescue? I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. One would hope ….
People posted this: “Man Says Fortune-Telling Machine Told Him His Lucky Numbers and 30 Years Later, He Finally Won Big: ‘Is This Real?
Ok, so you can write off bad bets but only for the year you win a bet. The bet he won could cost up to $2 per day, that is potentially a $21,900 bet over 30 years.
He won $1 million. Minus federal and state taxes of $410,000 = $590,000. Minus time-cost of money spent over 30 years plus interest ($79,000) = NET BENEFIT of $511,000.
And it only took 30 years, so that is an average annual income of $17,033.
Hmmm! Doesn’t sound so swell now when you think of all the time he spent going to the convenience store. He could have been working a part-time job or side hustle for the same income. (Now! Consider that if he had failed to follow that clown’s advice, he could have won 20 years earlier.)
Bazinga published this: “They Opened An IRA Thinking Their Money Was Invested Automatically. Later They Realized It Was Just Sitting In Cash. ‘No Growth. Nothing’” by Adrian Volenik.
What? I guess we DO have to mention the obvious when talking about investments. “You must INVEST the money.” Apparently, they didn’t realize an IRA itself isn’t an investment. Instead, it’s simply an account that holds investments. It is bucket that holds money. In that bucket you can create investments.
The EASIEST investment (and fairly wise) is a mutual fund that mimics the “S&P 500.” Lots of companies have created them. They usually have very low managing fees. Get one without a “load.” Your money should grow at double inflation over time. Do you need to be invested in other mutual funds? Sure, eventually. But start with the easiest. And leave it alone. That’s your core investment.
MoneyWise writes: “Florida seniors say they’re trapped in 25-year solar panel loans after door-to-door pitches. The red flags they missed” by Mike Crisolago.
How many of these stories have I read? More than 40. I also listened to a HVAC person on the radio and he detailed that IF you are going to have solar installed you absolutely must use a company which installs all types of HVAC systems. Why? Those companies are far less likely to go out of business two years after install.
There are several red flags here. First, the company which sold the system only installs solar (a market niche which zooms and flags). Second, the company that gave them the loan was NOT tied to the product (payments were not tied to continued service support). Third, the expense (if the cost of the system is more than 10 times your annual electric charges you will never recoup the expense). Fourth, salesmen (if you didn’t contact the installation company, but they pitched it to you … ummm, run!). Fifth, loan payments are greater than your current electric bill (so, why are you buying something that costs MORE than electricity?).
Ohio Capital Journal reports: “Ohio AG Dave Yost is trying to dismiss 77 cases against former Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss.”
The article does a good job explaining why, as Ohio Attorney General, Yost has no choice. The reporting is NOT the issue with this story. Once you understand the facts, Yost’s decision makes perfect sense.
The “What?” issue has to do with the wacky “reader” comments. Somehow politics makes people lose their minds AGAIN. The commenters accuse Yost of every horrible crime in the book (and some that aren’t). However, Yost is correct and he is following the law.
Here are the facts:
– The doctor died years ago.
– At the time of his misbehaviors what he did was not registered as a crime in Ohio (a law was created in 1988 which MADE those misbehaviors a “crime.”). However, it is always the case that new criminal laws do not apply to prior events.
– All the cases are for events which happened prior to 1988.
– Therefore, IF Yost prosecuted Ohio State University for those events the judge would have no choice but to throw them out. It would be a waste of taxpayer money and rob time from prosecuting cases where criminals could be convicted.
Did any of the commenters even take time to READ the article. Obviously NOT! If you are going to comment, do your due diligence. To be clear, someone who was driving an automobile 80 MPH in 1880 cannot be prosecuted for a speed limit law that was not adopted until 1920.
Take the following with a grain of salt …
Huffpost included this huffy post: “I Refused To Visit My Dying Sister. People Were Shocked, But Here’s What They Didn’t Know.”
Nicely written by AI. It is not a true story, but it carries a bit of truth here and there.
One bit of truth, “You can forgive someone and still move on.”
Another, “When a person is dying, there is enormous pressure to soften the story.”
A couple truths can be wrapped in fake story, and that’s what we have here. Huffpost is continually anti-family. You will never read there a story about healthy reconciliation. That’s how I know it is a set up!
Knowing what the agenda is, you can find the fly in the soup much more easily.
Copyright 2026 Donald Whelpley
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere.
ALSO, Don is always open to offer his thoughts on various topics. If you have a specific request, you can let him know in a comment; he reads – and replies to – them all. ~ Sherry]
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