Each month, the President of CMERA, Chuck Cullen, publishes his account of the universe we live in. His post may include information, news of interest to retirees, and/or opinions of the world around us.
Contents of The CMERA Chronicles are those of Chuck Cullen solely, and may or may not reflect the views of the Governing Board.
July 2026
Am I Human??
I recently went online to get some claim information about a product I purchased on a website. Once on the company’s website, I found the Customer Service icon and clicked on it. I was then asked to provide my name, address, email address, etc. Only then was I asked to describe the problem. Once that was completed, I was instructed to complete a CAPTCHA. This term stands for Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. It is usually a check box or series of pictures some of which contain a specified item. You have probably encountered one of these tools to determine if you are human. I checked the box, submitted my inquiry, and received confirmation that I am a human.
I was then asked a series of questions in writing to determine the validity of my claim. As soon as I answered one question, I was immediately faced with another question. Then another. I was waiting for a human voice but all I got were more questions. Finally, getting frustrated, I entered a fake nonsensible answer. I wrote that my coffee maker would only work during the afternoon, never in the morning. There was a brief pause in the message exchange. Then a message appeared informing me that a Customer Service Representative would be taking over the message exchange.
In other words, I had to first prove to a machine that I am a human so I can discuss my issue with another machine. Only when I did not provide that machine with a common answer, I was then transferred to a real human. When the Customer Service Representative asked me about my issue, I immediately replied by asking for proof that he was a human.
CRS
The Cincinnati Retirement System holds regular meetings at City Hall. They are usually broadcast on CitiCable. Agendas and minutes from each meeting are also available online. You can even appear in person. Sometimes, the financial reports can be a little technical but it’s my (and your) money they are discussing so its important.
The CRS met for a regular meeting on June 4, 2026. Some of the highlights included:
- The actuarial value of the health care fund is 200.8%. That means that for every $1.00 needed to pay for healthcare, the fund has $2.00. For the pension fund, the CRS currently has only 68¢ for every $1.00 needed. The recent changes to the CRS are designed to increase that $0.68 to $1.00 by 2049.
- At this time, there are 4,200 people receiving a pension check from the City while 4,528 are receiving health care benefits.
- The Board reviewed the process for the election of new Trustee.
Newsletter Email
CMERA is trying to determine how many members would prefer to have their newsletter sent to them as an email attachment. Once we have a better understanding of how many members prefer this method, we can then determine if and how we can accomplish this project. So far, 12 members have requested the emailed version. If you want your newsletter by email, send an email message to: hello@cmera.org. For those who prefer receiving the newsletter by mail, don’t worry. We have no plans to discontinue that method.
Logical Conclusion
The country experienced a rash of tornados during the middle of June. There were five in the Cincinnati area. As expected, news outlets reported on the damage and they also captured one or two homeowners saying how the storm reminded them of a train. One story that caught my attention is the person who concluded that the tornado in his community was the result of traffic turnarounds that were recently installed nearby. “We never had a tornado here until they put that turnaround here.”
City Budget
On the day I had an alignment for my car, City Council approved the City’s operating budget for next year. One discussion had to do with the Farmer Music Center being built at the site of Coney. Some Councilmembers wanted to provide $2.0M for the project while others wanted to use those funds to fix streets. After much debate, the money was allocated to the Music Center. I just hope the attendees are able to negotiate the potholes on their way to the events so to avoid the cost of an alignment.
EMO Music
During Taste of Cincinnati, one reporter asked about entertainment. The event representative began reading off a list of music genres. I heard ”emo” mentioned as a type of music. I was not familiar with that term so I did a search. I learned that “emo” music is a term used for hardcore emotional music. I listened to a few samples and decided that I could live without it.
Member Resources
The updated website has a listing of contacts for services for our members. If you have any suggestions , send them to: hello@cmera.org
Until next month…