BagOfNothing.com

• A tweet that made me think:
  • While “rubbing salt in the wound” often refers to needlessly adding pain, the origins of the phrase come from rubbing salt into a wound to prevent infection. It hurts, but it protects.
• I mentioned shopping for a new car. What was odd was that the night before I decided to visit the dealership, I was cleaning out my Nissan Leaf. I’ve had zero problems with it and rank it as one of my best purchases. However, that evening, as it sat in the garage undisturbed, it started to honk as if someone had pressed the panic button. But my key fobs were undisturbed.
• Sometimes, you just have to celebrate the small victories in life. Since I have no one to share them with, I will share one with you. I was bothered by a situation at work that my manager and no one knew about. I thought the best way to address the issue was to craft an email and send it to a particular group of people. This had the potential to backfire, but I was lucky. Here is my manager’s response.
  
• Some added sugar sources are worse than others for disease risk, study suggests

Researchers looked at sugar consumption in three categories: sugary beverages, sweets like pastries, and toppings like honey or sugar added to tea or coffee, according to the study.

Consuming sweet drinks (all sodas and fruit drinks that were not pure fruit juices) was associated with a higher risk of heart disease than those individuals who had more baked treats, but surprisingly those participants who consumed the least amount of sugar did not end up with the lowest risk of heart disease.

• This sentence from this article about Macy’s caught my attention.

The investors claim that Macy’s real estate, including its flagship store at Herald Square in New York City, is worth up to $9 billion on the open market, nearly double Macy’s closing market value Monday of $4.7 billion.

• Thanks to the alleged United Healthcare CEO killer with washboard abs, I no longer can use the excuse that it’s because I have metal screws in my lower back. Thanks a lot, Luigi.
• So, a McDonald’s employee tipped off authorities, leading to Luigi Magione’s arrest. Here’s what would need to happen for the up to $50,000 reward to be paid out. I think it’s interesting you can’t self-nominate.

  • Until a trial can be held and a perpetrator is convicted in a court of law or at least indicted, no one will be eligible for the reward.

  • To be eligible for a reward through the FBI, you would first have to be nominated by a U.S. investigating agency such as the Department of Defense or the FBI to receive the reward, according to the FBI’s website. A person who provided information cannot self-nominate.

  • An interagency committee then reviews the nomination and its legal eligibility. If it is determined that the information provided merits a reward, the suggestion is passed on to the Secretary of State, who makes the final decision. In federal cases, the Attorney General must also agree.

• Surely, I’m not the only one sick and tired of the Amazon commercial with the janitor singing “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” Sure, it tugged at the heart the first million times I saw it, but is there a way I can pay Amazon not to air that commercial on any of my devices anymore? I know the Burt Bacharach estate would highly disagree with me on this, but I want to maintain some level of sanity. Getting through the holiday season is hard enough.
• I thought the United Healthcare CEO murderer was going to get away with it. I haven’t followed the story closely, but it seems he was only identified because he pulled his face mask down while flirting with a girl. That was his mistake, talking to a pretty girl he’ll probably never see again but will remember forever. For such a smart guy, he thought it was a good idea to carry all incriminating evidence on him.
• How can it not be Donald Trump? I say Elon would be a close second, considering how well SpaceX did this year and his influence on the election.
  
• It’s silly when people vilify this woman.Taylor Swift Gave a Whopping $197 Million in Bonuses to Eras Tour Performers, Crew on Top of Their Salaries – Over the past two years, Swift gave out $197 million in bonuses to everyone working on her Eras Tour, including truck drivers, caterers, dancers and musicians
• It’s so much fun watching The Manning Cast with Bill Belichick. I did catch some of the Simpsons version and they were much too kind to Jerry, who should have looked much closer in age to Mr. Burns.
  
• On the Manning Cast , Cris Collingsworth talked about his time with Al Michaels. He said it was in Michaels’ contract that when the broadcast starts, he gets a full minute of time in which he’s the only one on camera. Ego trip.
• Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Armani Latimer: “Alopecia Helped Me Realize I Don’t Have To Be Perfect”

• Congrats and much respect to Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Armani Latimer. She revealed she had alopecia on the Cheerleaders Netflix show America’s Sweethearts. She had been wearing a wig all season but performed bald for the first time during Monday’s game between the Bengals and… pic.twitter.com/UrM3m3jsFf

  — Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) December 10, 2024

• As much as I love my beloved 2014 Nissan Leaf, I’m starting to explore my options. I love not having a car payment, paying for gas, oil changes, and other maintenance, or worrying about belts or hoses. I’m also trying to weigh my wants vs my needs. I work from home, and the furthest I drive each week is 11 miles to play trivia. But, with the colder weather, my Leaf’s full charge shows 65 miles, which is really closer to 55 miles. Range anxiety is weighing in, and I think I’d like to explore being able to do more social activities, like in the downtown Dallas and Fort Worth areas.
• I looked at buying a newer model Leaf, but some folks on Reddit encouraged me to look at the Chevy Bolt. To my surprise, for the same price range ($17-$21k) and model years (2021-2023), I can get an extra 100-mile range with the Bolt. Not to mention, Nissan is in dire straights, and some think it may not even survive 2025. However, Nissan replaced the Leaf with the ARIYA, and I really like how the interior and the climate control buttons are integrated into the dash panel. It’s fancy and futuristic. I doubt I’ll go with it since its range is about 215 miles when I can get closer to 250 miles and more affordability from the Bolts. And, it fits my simple lifestyle.
  
  
• More than likely, I plan on turning my Leaf in. I’ve been offered $1,000 – $1,200. There’s a part of me that would love to keep it as a first car for my 14-year-old. It would be a great first car for a kid who only needs to the school, practice, and allher friends that live by. But, she’s not too fond of the Leaf and taking what she said in context, her and her brother’s vehicles will be taken care of by their very wealthy grandparents.  So, as much as I’d like to provide my kids with their first car, I think I better take advantage of focusing on what’s best for Team Keith.
• One dealership in Plano had three Bolts. One was a larger model, almost like an SUV, and the other two were smaller and very similar to my Leaf. Before I start to get attached to a make and model, the biggest thing to me is how comfortable I am in the driver’s seat, leg room, line of sight, and other similar factors. So, I arranged a visit to the dealership.
• I’m still looking at electric vehicles (EVs) because I want to take advantage of end-of-year federal tax credits. Not to mention, I have no idea what the new administration is going to do when it comes to EVs. Trump has expressed a huge dislike for EVs and any federal tax credits related to them. However, since he’s now close to Mr. EV Elon Musk, who I think holds a lot of influence on him and his team, things can change. So, I can only go with what I know now. Qualifying used EV purchases can fetch taxpayers a credit of up to $4,000, limited to 30% of the car’s purchase price. A new EV can fetch taxpayers a credit of up to $7,500.
• After arriving home from the dealership, I did more research. Upon closer inspection, the dealership included the potential tax credits for used EVs in the price. Which, I don’t qualify because I exceed the annual income threshold, which I think is $75,000. However, that left the larger Bolt, a 2023 model with only 13,000 miles. I thought I could be eligible for the $7,500 credit, basically a third of the online price. But it looks like I won’t qualify for that one either. Even if the car qualifies as a new EV car for a financial institution because of the year and low miles, it will still be considered used, and I still wouldn’t qualify since at least one person or company was the initial buyer. But of all the stuff that bothered me, when I looked at their first offer, they added a “Dealership Fee” of $2,599, which came out of nowhere. The interest rates they were offering were in the six-percentage area. The salesperson returned, talked to his manager, and was willing to take $500 off the car and go down a whole percentage point. Then, for the first time in my life, I stood up, said, “I’m out,” and walked out the door. They tried to tell me that’s the best rate I can get anywhere else. Then I showed them what Navy Federal was offering for new and used vehicles in the high four-percent area. They told me there was no way I’d be getting a better interest rate. And the one thing that really ticked me off, they added a “Dealership Service Fee.” They told me it’s a list of several fees climbed together and make up for market changes. I didn’t like that, and that certainly wasn’t transparent pricing.
• The dealership later called to talk numbers, and as they don’t use any messaging system to show their price and terms. They want customers to consider this portion, and they promised me they had met my demands of a loan in the low to mid 5% range and for the price I wanted.
• I always prefer to work with USAA regarding this sort of stuff, so I decided to try Navy Federal Credit Union since they have better rates and my father’s Navy and Army service would allow me in. After eating lunch with a friend on Saturday, I drove to the nearest Navy Federal Credit Union branch. In less than 20, maybe 25 minutes of time, I was approved for membership, printed and handed my new debit card, and approved for a new car loan with a very competitive interest rate, but still not what I could get when I owned a house or become indebted by divorce attorney fees. To prove my father was a service member, I had his DD214 pulled up on my phone, but through the process, they never verified if I actually qualified as a member. Either way, in and out in less than 20 minutes with a new debit card I could immediately use was impressive.
• The dealership called again, the sales manager, and asked what would it take to get me in that car. I told him more for my trade-in and to waive that sticker shot fee of $2,599. But with all the rain and the SEC championship about to start, I wasn’t going anywhere for the rest of the evening.
• Georgia, wow, one heck of a team. I’m still glad to see that the Longhorns have a chance to win it all. But if it happens, I hope they play Georgia one more time to make it feel more legit.
• Made me laugh.
  

  it just kept going pic.twitter.com/BS9Bg0EKl3

  — non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) December 6, 2024

• Social media was not the place to be if you were looking for any sympathy for a health insurance company CEO who was murdered in cold blood.
• ERCOT says Texas ‘in a pattern’ for a deep freeze that could boost likelihood of winter grid outages
• Nissan may not survive 2025 – Nissan’s financial situation has taken a turn for the worse, and the Japanese automaker is now in dire straits with just 14 months to turn things around.
• Lance Armstrong’s Unknowing $100,000 Investment in Uber Saved His Family 9 Years Later
• Evil – Bullies sneak into hospital to take photos of girl, 12, they drove to attempt suicide
• Tesla Cybertruck Owner Says Carrying Hay Killed His Truck’s Air Suspension, Now His Cybertruck is Slowly Sinking into the Ground
  • A fault in the Cybertruck’s bed design allows debris to easily get trapped in the under-bed compartment. If moving hay, it blocks the air compressor intake, causing it to overheat. This affects the air suspension, which causes the truck to sink lopsided.
• This was trending on Twitter last night. He made news last year; this is how you pronounce his name – ka neigh ga. He had offers at Army, Air Force, and Navy. That was news to me; I didn’t think service academies offered athletic scholarships. I thought they were all walkons. But this is what I found out:

  All students at U.S. military academies receive full scholarships that cover tuition, room, and board, plus a monthly stipend. They also offer athletic scholarships for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NAIA, and NJCAA. On average, 34% of all student-athletes receive athletic scholarships