Just Wow

[I am Reality]

50 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

In this list of Atlanta's tallest buildings, it's interesting to note the buildings actually underway are well short of those previously erected. In fact, the city's tallest buildings go back to the 80's and 90's at a time when Orlando was getting its signature talls. As we might expect, Atlanta's two tallest buildings were trophy edifices built in honor of two of the city's major banks (one of which, C&S, crashed and burned in the '90's.)

Of the buildings actually underway, only one tops out a whopping 9' above our SunTrust Center. The remainder would fit in comfortably with our newer talls. Atlanta is also not contending with height restrictions from a close-in general aviation facility.

It's also notable that Atlanta's tallest buildings are not downtown but in fact up the road a piece in Midtown or beyond. 

As klstorey and jrs2 noted on another thread, we have a 40-story building underway in the tourist district, which is fitting given that tourism remains our #1 industry.

Given the much smaller base from which we began (it has been suggested Orlando's growth pattern runs about 25 years behind Atlanta's), we  seem to be  right on track.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Atlanta

From Wikipedia

 

One of those new buildings in downtown Atlanta will be the Anthem Tech Center.  

It will house 3,000 new tech employees.

Great addition to the Atlanta corporate community. 

 

 

[I am Reality]

Orlando ranked #8 for top hipster cities in the world.

https://www.movehub.com/blog/the-hipster-index/

[I am Reality]

Miami just can't get its act together on a new soccer stadium.  

David Beckham released the latest proposal for the stadium 2 days ago.  Already, 2 of the 5 Miami City Commissioners have said they are against it.  They object to using a city-owned golf course for the land. 

Beckham has been struggling for years to get a new team and stadium.

In comparison, building the Orlando stadium was much smoother.  

[I am Reality]

The Orlando Magic has dumped Papa John's.  A surprising, but necessary, decision.  

[spenser1058]

We're #17! One of the most amazing parts of our GDP success is that, like PM Golda Meir once observed about Israel, we've done so well without a drop of oil.

Florida's GDP hits $1 trillion mark: As a country, it'd rank 17th in world
http://bit.ly/2uxG6BN

From the Sentinel

Edited July 14, 2018 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Tampa's 131st birthday was yesterday. Our younger cousin was founded in 1887, 12 years after Orlando. Happy Birthday!

I mostly couldn't resist posting this because of the city hall pic. It's just about my favorite municipal building in the country.

https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/happy-birthday-tampa-city-celebrates-131st-birthday-sunday/1304471130

From WFLA

 

[spenser1058]

Tronc has just informed me that my e-subscription is doubling to $15.96 for four weeks  (not even the whole month!) effective in August.

That means they believe the Sentinel to be more valuable than the Washington Post or the New York Times. I beg to differ.

I'll miss Scott Maxwell, Matt Palm, Mike Bianchi and Joy Wallace Dickinson but not that much.

I'll come back when Tronc stops eviscerating what was once a decent paper and lets the St. Pete Times buy our local shrunken broadsheet.

Edited July 17, 2018 by spenser1058

[dcluley98]

Having grown up with St. Pete Times living in Palmetto, FL, I never knew how bad other news sources were. TBT is so good it makes every other "news" source look like birdcage material. 

Edited July 17, 2018 by dcluley98

[HankStrong]

32 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

Tronc has just informed me that my e-subscription is doubling to $15.96 for four weeks  (not even the whole month!) effective in August.

That means they believe the Sentinel to be more valuable than the Washington Post or the New York Times. I beg to differ.

I'll miss Scott Maxwell, Matt Palm, Mike Bianchi and Joy Wallace Dickinson but not that much.

I'll come back when Tronc stops eviscerating what was one a decent paper and lets the St. Pete Times buy our local shrunken broadsheet.

I don't think it is worth FREE, but that's just me.

[I am Reality]

I nearly just feel out of my seat.  An OBJ article today says FL is a top 5 state for retirees.

My family spent yesterday looking for a nursing home for my father.  He's in the hospital with advanced Alzheimer's.  

A case-management worker at FL Hospital told us just yesterday that FL offers the WORST Medicaid benefits IN THE NATION for nursing-home care.

I have been busy and cannot check that out further.  I have no reason to dispute the caseworker though.  Her job is placing patients in nursing homes.  She would know. 

I can say with certainty that FL offers horrible benefits (Medicaid, education, or otherwise) for my special-needs son.  We are active in the special-needs community and everyone agrees that the situation in FL is awful.  In fact, my wife and I were separately warned about the problem BEFORE we even moved here. 

What is going here? 

[aent]

1 hour ago, I am Reality said:

I nearly just feel out of my seat.  An OBJ article today says FL is a top 5 state for retirees.

My family spent yesterday looking for a nursing home for my father.  He's in the hospital with advanced Alzheimer's.  

A case-management worker at FL Hospital told us just yesterday that FL offers the WORST Medicaid benefits IN THE NATION for nursing-home care.

I have been busy and cannot check that out further.  I have no reason to dispute the caseworker though.  Her job is placing patients in nursing homes.  She would know. 

I can say with certainty that FL offers horrible benefits (Medicaid, education, or otherwise) for my special-needs son.  We are active in the special-needs community and everyone agrees that the situation in FL is awful.  In fact, my wife and I were separately warned about the problem BEFORE we even moved here. 

What is going here? 

Its quite simple. Regardless of the lack of government benefits, people still absolutely love the area and the services that are offered, even if they have to pay out of pocket.

[I am Reality]

40 minutes ago, aent said:

Its quite simple. Regardless of the lack of government benefits, people still absolutely love the area and the services that are offered, even if they have to pay out of pocket.

I can't dispute that.  The state has always been very popular with retirees (and non-retirees, for that matter).  And I can easily see why retirees would want to move here.

I don't understand some of the decision-making in Tallahassee though.  It seems pretty fundamental to take care of the dying and disabled.  I'm not sure many people know (or think much about, or in my case, believe) anything about government benefits when they move. 

On a more general level, I don't understand why Florida never expanded Medicaid.  Virginia recently expanded it and Utah will soon vote on it.  

Edited July 17, 2018 by I am Reality

[AmIReal]

Florida does indeed have a terrible Medicaid offering, though it is not ranked the lowest.

You refer to "nursing home" and that may be what he needs. I just want to point out that nursing home and assisted living are not synonymous and if his needs can be met by an ALF it would be a better choice. Also, if he is currently in a hospital and is discharging directly to a rehab center Medicare would (should) pick up the bill- at least for a while.

Here is a local resource that my be helpful- http://www.oneseniorplace.com/

Good luck.

[spenser1058]

This is kinda wonkish but it's a great look into how manufacturers determine where to locate a business. Although it's Urban Econ 101, the results are often surprising.

For example, the idea that a rural location is always cheaper than an urban one may not be true.

Also, although it's all you often hear from politicians, taxes may have very little to do with the decision (which makes sense, if you're a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail.)

Finally, an entrepreneur may be as driven by liking an area or having roots there as the economics involved. All important things to ponder as we look to widen the region's job base.

For Manufacturers, a Complex Mix Can Determine Location  
https://nyti.ms/2Jvq1C0?smid=nytcore-ios-share

From the NY Times

 

Edited July 17, 2018 by spenser1058

[HankStrong]

I'm a fan of the word WOW.

 

Just WOW.

[aent]

9 hours ago, I am Reality said:

I don't understand some of the decision-making in Tallahassee though.  It seems pretty fundamental to take care of the dying and disabled.  I'm not sure many people know (or think much about, or in my case, believe) anything about government benefits when they move. 

Yes, I think people just look at if others of their type are happy here. Looking at places like The Villages and similar retirement communities, the answer is no doubt, of course, yes, there is little as extensive as what we have in Florida anywhere else in the nation.

Like everything in life, there is pros and cons that need to be evaluated, and the government taking care of the elderly does have unintended consequence. When the government has it covered, its less likely the family takes care of them, thinking the government and its facilities got it handled, thats what the government is telling them. But usually the families are quite a bit better at it as they care more about the individual and making sure things are good and right for them, so that discouragement can be pretty negative.

I personally don't believe any significant number of people are really dying due to a lack of access to healthcare in the state of Florida, at least not in the suburban or urban areas. Our emergency care system takes care of the people regardless of their ability to pay, and there are tons of charity programs even if people can't afford anything at all. Maybe we're overburdening and abusing our emergency rooms with our system, but its not causing people to die anymore than other countries having as part of their systems which treatments are worth it, and for what ages and whatnot. Healthcare access is a finite resource in every country, and there has to be some system to determine how to distribute it.. we don't have a ton of physicians not seeing any patients because they won't get paid for it, quite the opposite. In recent years, every time I talk to anyone, there is waiting lists to see every single reasonable or good doctor with first available appointments frequently months out unless it gets deemed an emergency or otherwise critical.

 

[I am Reality]

19 hours ago, AmIReal said:

Florida does indeed have a terrible Medicaid offering, though it is not ranked the lowest.

You refer to "nursing home" and that may be what he needs. I just want to point out that nursing home and assisted living are not synonymous and if his needs can be met by an ALF it would be a better choice. Also, if he is currently in a hospital and is discharging directly to a rehab center Medicare would (should) pick up the bill- at least for a while.

Here is a local resource that my be helpful- http://www.oneseniorplace.com/

Good luck.

Thanks for the thoughtful response.  

He will be released into short-term care first (Medicare for the first 20 days; Medicare + secondary insurance for days 21-100).  

Then it's straight, private-pay in a private long-term nursing home (he has good savings and won't qualify for Medicaid).

A nursing home we visited yesterday is $16k PER MONTH.  The place was alright, but honestly nothing great.  Other homes are around $10k/month.

Private-pay charges will burn through almost anyone's savings.  I don't think anyone is fully prepared for that.  

 

[AmIReal]

You could consider setting up a Medicaid trust which transfers his assets to a trust allowing him to qualify for assistance. Also, if he ever served in the military he may qualify for a VA benefit that covers home or facility care. There are some income limitations, but can also be worked around with a Medicaid trust.

[dcluley98]

21 hours ago, HankStrong said:

I'm a fan of the word WOW.

 

Just WOW.

 

 

[I am Reality]

Neo apparently felt it appropriate to delete my earlier posts.  I felt, and still feel, that others went waaaay below the belt by making fun of my posts about my hospitalized father.

Neo also felt it appropriate to keep the offending posts.

Shame on everyone involved. You apparently have no limits.  You have stopped the pretense of trying to have a civil conversation.  And shame on Neo for condoning hatefulness.  If he wants to suspend me, he can.  He has proven himself complicit.  He has no place "moderating" this forum. 

[Neo]

1 hour ago, I am Reality said:

Neo apparently felt it appropriate to delete my earlier posts.  I felt, and still feel, that others went waaaay below the belt by making fun of my posts about my hospitalized father.

Neo also felt it appropriate to keep the offending posts.

Shame on everyone involved. You apparently have no limits.  You have stopped the pretense of trying to have a civil conversation.  And shame on Neo for condoning hatefulness.  If he wants to suspend me, he can.  He has proven himself complicit.  He has no place "moderating" this forum. 

I did not delete your post and made a comment to the report you filed. I'm pretty dang sure that the 'wow' post you're referring to was in response to this post: 

I absolutely do not 'condone' hate and I'm not 'complicit.'

Please read through things before jumping to conclusions. If I'm incorrect about any of the above then I will take appropriate action. As it stands right now I absolutely do not believe that any post was directed at you or your dad.

[I am Reality]

10 minutes ago, Neo said:

I did not delete your post and made a comment to the report you filed. I'm pretty dang sure that the 'wow' post you're referring to was in response to this post: 

I absolutely do not 'condone' hate and I'm not 'complicit.'

Please read through things before jumping to conclusions. If I'm incorrect about any of the above then I will take appropriate action. As it stands right now I absolutely do not believe that any post was directed at you or your dad.

Bullcrap.  I'm not going to argue with you.  None of them even denied it.  I don't know how you guys sleep at night. But whatever.

[Neo]

1 minute ago, I am Reality said:

Bullcrap.  I'm not going to argue with you.  None of them even denied it.  I don't know how you guys sleep at night. But whatever.

I'm not taking your bait, but I will say this. I can only act on what I see. I see a post in response to someone else, not you or you dad and no reference to it anywhere. You are making an assumption, a far reaching assumption IMO which is your opinion and your right. It is also their right to not respond to you and it is quite possible that they have you on their ignore list meaning that they never did and never will see the response that you made.

[dcluley98]

I did not respond to the earlier comment for obvious reasons, but rest assured that the video I posted above has absolutely nothing to do with the user "I Am Reality" nor his father. It is just a funny video response to Hank. 

I wish the best for this person's father.  

[HankStrong]

My conversation with dcluley98 & Spencer had NOTHING to do with IamReality's father.  ZERO.  It was originally about a NYT article and the Owen Wilson response was awesome & directed at me, not IAR or his father.

I have IAR on my ignore list.  I saw people responding to them, but ignored it as we were instructed to do instead of angering people.

 

On a side note, earlier this year I lost a very close relative who fought Alzheimer's for over a decade.  I watched them lose everything and I find nothing about people dying for that horrid disease to be funny.   I spent thousands of hours sitting with them watching their mind rot away until eventually their brain forgot how to do basic functions like eat, breath, and use their kidneys.  It's not even vaguely funny.  HOWEVER, it had nothing to do with urban planning in Orlando, so I never mentioned it.

 

 

ETA:

My comment about WOW and JUST WOW were supposed to be a play on the thread title.  Which Spenser created and named.  It was supposed to reference the fact that he implied in the very beginning that the things he was posting would make someone exclaim WOW.  Since that post did.  I exclaimed it.

Edited July 19, 2018 by HankStrong