Monday morning mail bag

Before heading off for a mini-vacation, I wanted to leave you with some recent comments from readers about a variety of things.  They range from the sad and se...

Before heading off for a mini-vacation, I wanted to leave you with some recent comments from readers about a variety of things.  They range from the sad and serious to the weird and funny.  Back shortly.  Meantime …

“I am saddened and also amused by what you’ve dubbed the Great Hack Attack of 2015.  It is pathetic that our government and its contractors of choice allowed this vital information to fall into the wrong hands.  Then the government sends us an ooops-sorry-alert by e-mail!  Duh!  I fear this is just the beginning.”  Back To The Future

 

“My wife (retired fed) has received a notice from OPM that her account may have been hacked. Any suggestions on what she should do?”

 

Some people have suggested that feds consider a credit freeze. One expert says there are even better ways.  Take this, for example.

 

Death, Divorce, TSP:  “My wife and I are both feds and she is going to take a TSP loan and we were a bit surprised that I need to sign a consent form for it.  Just wondering why I need to sign off on it, would I be responsible for repaying it if she can’t?” Kyle in Maine

 

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board said Kyle would not be liable … BUT “Spouses have an interest in the TSP because it’s retirement.  Presumably in retirment her TSP will keep them in the style they want.  Or, if they get divorced, he would have rights to her TSP account, so if she’s taken a loan and depleted the account, he could be out of luck.  Therefore, the law requires spousal consent.”

 

Always Leave Em Laughing:  Finally, these brighten up your day comments from regular contributor Stan the Man.  In response to a recent column about the “joys” of turning 70, Stan had this to say:

 

“Many people over 70 can go to the dentist by parcel post.

 

“I had a conversation with my father when he was 95. I told him time seemed to go faster the older I get. He replied, “Wait ’til you get to be my age. Every 15 minutes it is breakfast.”

 

In response to the recent column comparing the recent OPM hack to the 1950s  Steve McQueen teen sci fi  “thriller”,  “The Blob”,   Stan had these thoughts:

 

“Watching teenagers making out is not as interesting as watching giraffes necking.

 

“The spin that politicians and government spokespeople put on things to make news more palatable to us is analogous to the Blob trying to make itself more attractive by putting on eyeshadow.”

 

That’s all for you Stan.

 

As for me, back shortly!


 

Nearly Useless Factoid

By Michael O’Connell

Federal Report reader Kyle in Maine had a question about a recent NUF that referenced Donald Duck’s nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie:

“Our son is 2, so we watch a lot of Disney Junior and I’ve noticed that Minnie Mouse has nieces and Mickey and Donald both have nephews, but there’s never any mention of them having any siblings. If you guys could solve the mystery of who the parents of these nieces and nephews are, that would be great.”

Huey, Dewey and Louie’s mother is Della Duck, Donald’s sister. But in the 1938 animated short “Donald’s Nephews”, their mother is called Dumbella [Perhaps a family nickname? — MO’C]. The boys are sent to live with their uncle while their father is recovering after being injured by exploding firecrackers placed under his chair as a practical joke. In later stories, there is no mention of the boys’ parents and Donald is considered their legal guardian.

Mickey’s nephews are Mortimer “Morty” and Ferdinand “Ferdie” Fieldmouse. Their mother is Mickey’s younger sister Amelia Fieldmouse — called Felicity Fieldmouse in comics published by Edgmont Publishing. Her husband, the boys’ father, is Frank Fieldmouse.

Now, here’s where things get a little confusing.

Minnie’s nieces are Millie and Melody Mouse. However, Minnie has had several sets of variously named nieces over the years — Lily and Tiny Mouse, Pammy and Tammy Mouse, Zizi Mouse (in Brazil or Italy) and Angela Mouse. These may all be the same mice, but with different names. According to the Disney Wikia, Millie and Melody’s mother’s name is Mandie Mouse.

Source: Wikipedia/Mickey Mouse family

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