G+ Migration Blog

- mild lock - It would seem checking my email after several days was not a good idea. Re: immediately prior posting, I take it back. I may have to kill my sister, as well. What the fuck is it with this performative grief? Like, fine. Have a faith or a belief system or whatever. What happened to that being personal and private? Why can't people just say hey, somebody's ill, we're hoping for the best, support appreciated, or something, and not weep, wail, and gnash teeth on facebook? Oh, woe is me! Grief betide us! For lo, unto us are lamentations! And if someone who believes in something sincerely, for example, offers prayers, ok. You mean it genuinely as a way to offer support. Not my thing, but I can respect people who are trying to be respectful. But if one more member of my immediate family makes one more post saying the end is near, oh how we are suffering (WE?!?), PRAY FOR US, we need your prayers, I swear to Eru I am really gonna lose it on somebody if this keeps up. ...

- mild lock - One of these days, someone is going to have to explain to me why it is that the people in my family and many of my family's friends would rather get their information from the drama queens (mom/brother) with their own personal agendas (which the drama queens lack the insight to fully recognize themselves), or someone who doesn't know much but is chatty and traditionally female and sociable (sister - who at least respects privacy), instead of someone rational who might actually know what the hell is going on? Also, apparently if I am not gossiping away on facebook, I literally do not exist. They're all over my sister, and doubtless whatever fantasy my mother has out there, and my crazy bro brother, but not one fucking attempt to reach out to me. And they have my cell, and email, and even could message me through facebook which would hit my email. Not a damn thing. And I am unequivocally the closest person to my father, so I find this erasure unequivocally insul...

Is there anyone in this country who is not an unregistered foreign agent? https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/31/politics/w-samuel-patten-plea-russia-ukraine/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/31/politics/w-samuel-patten-plea-russia-ukraine/index.html

Really hoping that every report like this finally helps change the larger culture so these things never happen again. Church, school, high end, low end, rich, poor, boy, girl - nothing gets to say oh that never happens here and nobody should have to go through this. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/phillips-exeter-academy-new-hampshire-former-staffers-accused-of-abuse-2018-08-25/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/phillips-exeter-academy-new-hampshire-former-staffers-accused-of-abuse-2018-08-25/

I'm a little punchy after having been woken in the middle of the night. I know this because I read mentions of Trump on here and what goes through my brain is: 1) Nothing rhymes with orange. 2) Knock, knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad I didn't say banana? Brains, man.

- locked - Full context on computer fixing: >Woken at 12:30 am to help with dad needing meds. >Get downstairs and dad is ill and needing assistance, but not the meds I was specifically asked to get - per him, 'cuz I have this crazy habit of actually, idk, asking the patient? Mom is providing what assist is needed and has been. She thought he might need the other meds. >Fine, I'll give her a pass because we all want to do something even when there's nothing to be done and to be fair, she was also woken up to help him before she woke me up. >Mom then says, oh, btw, my laptop is frozen. >What? >She has managed to find the macbook equivalent of the blue screen of death. >She has not backed it up. >I try a hard restart anyway, because what the hell, I'm up. >Doesn't work. >Ok, nope. Not playing around with this right now. G'night, folks! #drama

No, mom. I will not fix your computer at 12:30 am. Going back to bed, now. #truestorybro

... either he knew or should have known about an effort to collude with the Russians.” Which becomes a he said, he said, doesn't it? And that's a joke at present. I will be very surprised if there are Watergate tapes of Trump incriminating himself. Also? We're all pretty clear by now that there's no such thing in law as "collusion". I guess that means some kind of obstruction charge? https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/is-this-watergate-or-peyton-place-clinton-impeachment-question-shadows-congress-in-trump-era/2018/08/25/9d83f0a6-a7c4-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4a1d3420514d https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/is-this-watergate-or-peyton-place-clinton-impeachment-question-shadows-congress-in-trump-era/2018/08/25/9d83f0a6-a7c4-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4a1d3420514d

I suspect the actual study may be slightly different than the articles about it. This article, for example, suggests bias by its quotes on things like how ridiculous the approach was that even conspiracy theorists didn't bite. That may be, but I and others have heard some of those statements and others very like them come out of people's mouths in anti-vaccine discussions and seminars and conferences, etc. So the Russians didn't just make things up, as suggested. They did research and maybe tweaked to try and amp it up, and maybe the attempt to amp up failed. Or this paragraph: More effective misinformation campaigns don’t contain messages with completely far-out correlations, as in the case of a Tweet that says something like “I don’t believe in vaccines, I believe in God,” which “doesn’t really make sense,” he said. Instead, they tap on something deeper that could be more plausible, if it wasn’t for the underlying facts. First of all, that isn't far out. There are a n...

So, this article is pretty great, anyway? Like, Nike did ok by Serena, here. But hello! on what Chris Evert re-tweeted. That's a hello for the original tweet writer, btw. However, if you ever wanted an education on racism and privilege, compare the higher percentage of supportive comments on the original writer's twitter versus the almost entirely whiny, privileged, rationalizations in the comments on Evert's retweet. I guess they don't like it when their barbie princess of tennis actually stands with a black woman who calls out racism and privilege like they see it (the woman who wrote the original tweet, who is not Serena). https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-response-french-open-ban-serena-williams-catsuit-2018-8 https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-response-french-open-ban-serena-williams-catsuit-2018-8

Reuters' coverage of this is much better. CNN's representation of Goolsby's grandstanding is exactly the kind of thing we need thoughtful reporters, journalists, editors, etc. not to do. The difference is immense. One gives his white supremacist lost cause nonsense a platform (CNN), the other makes it clear that it is nonsense (Reuters). "Police who did nothing" my aunt fanny. Badly done, CNN. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-protests-silentsam/seven-arrested-at-confederate-statue-protest-in-north-carolina-idUSKCN1LA0QQ https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/25/us/unc-silent-sam-confederate-statue/index.html https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-protests-silentsam/seven-arrested-at-confederate-statue-protest-in-north-carolina-idUSKCN1LA0QQ

Getting in the chair requires effort. So does lying down. #fellover

- public vague posting - On a nicer note, the vendors at the Farmers Market noticed my dad hasn't been around the last couple of weeks and asked about him. I just said he wasn't feeling well and left it at that, because respect for privacy and such. They said to let him know they were thinking of him. There's one vendor who is snarky like us and she and my dad and I enjoy a little badinage. She said she had noticed he wasn't quite himself the last time she saw him and hoped he felt better and then gave me some peaches for him. Then she gave me a hug and said to pass it on to him. I kind of lost it. Very awkward but she's cool. Being a greatest generation kind of guy he's not into expressing feelings, but my dad was really touched when I let him know. #goodvibes

- locked - She is literally following me around the house to make sure I am never alone with my father. We might have a secret conversation, or something. Also, I really should just secretly tape her because it is impressively persistent how she is trying any and all angles to mess with me mentally and emotionally because she does not want me at the oncology appointment on Monday. New repeated phrase: "I just want to make sure we are on the same page." HA HA HA HA HA HA no, fuck you we are not on the same page. Which I deep breathe and do not say and let her convince herself she has made her point. Because she keeps talking. It's kind of impressive. Like, if I carefully only say some things, making sure to push back on her but leave her room to misinterpret, she inevitably keeps talking until she convinces herself that she has taken control and made her point and I am complying with her wishes. And when she is not following me to make sure I am never alone with my dad, sh...

Well, so much for getting up. I mean, there's the random waking up at night, and then there's the sleeping through your alarm. Fun times.

Yes! He says he hopes to expand the team's research to other types of animals, including vertebrates. Until then, alas, we can't draw conclusions about the survival of certain couch-dwelling organisms. Aww. https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641623213/survival-of-the-sluggish-scientists-find-an-upside-to-a-low-metabolism https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641623213/survival-of-the-sluggish-scientists-find-an-upside-to-a-low-metabolism

Well, they used to be "tropical" diseases. https://www.bustle.com/p/chagas-disease-which-is-spread-by-the-kissing-bug-is-spreading-in-the-us-according-to-these-doctors-10232138 https://www.bustle.com/p/chagas-disease-which-is-spread-by-the-kissing-bug-is-spreading-in-the-us-according-to-these-doctors-10232138

Sigh https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/640992992/former-cdc-director-arrested-and-charged-with-sexual-misconduct https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/640992992/former-cdc-director-arrested-and-charged-with-sexual-misconduct

Sharing to everyone because who can't use a good, bitter laugh? Have I mentioned my mother? She called me on the phone from downstairs and said, "Your father can't see." So I said ok, I'll come down and see what's going on. Tl;dr he was sleeping in a chair in the living room and got startled awake from deep sleep and did, it seems, say he could not see. Because there were no lights on and it is dark out. Mind you, my mother did not wait for this revelation. However, I should know that she was not at all concerned and definitely not upset. She just thought she should call me. Not enough aunty faces in the world. P.S. After clearing up this little drama, she told me I should get a job. Honest to god. So. Much. Pathology.

One of my favorite logical fallacy memes: http://freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/File:Facts_about_water.jpg http://freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/File:Facts_about_water.jpg

- locked - Today was a wild ride. Took dad to oral surgeon. Dad freaking out on way there and uncharacteristically bit my head off. 2 hours later, he didn't take the tooth out. Dad not happy because expects they are referring him to only guy in town who does "high risk" who is at the terrible county medical center. Dad uncharacteristically bit my head off on way home. Characteristically, my mom refused to go do her usual Friday am thing so she was here no matter when we returned, and interrogated me and my dad upon arrival home. Upon her suggesting she should ask my dad something again, I suggested giving him a cooling off period. She oddly appeared to comply. Prescriptions from oncologist that were supposed to go in Thursday pm still not at pharmacy, so called oncology office (10:30am ish). Dad gets unexpected call from oral surgeon. He will take the tooth out on Tuesday morning! He felt he needed to have some specific extra prep just in case because of how much dad has ...

This, otoh, was an attempt at a pose with props. Didn't go terribly well but we got this one sort of picture (he was not into the props, at all).

Dog and I went to Bark in the Park on Sunday, which was part of a week of celebrations of the Frederick Law Olmsted designed park system. There was a professional photographer there snapping pics of all the dogs. She was good, too, because this was just a passing by shot, not a pose. There was a doggy parade, along with everything else, but we ended up leaving before that because somebody got a little too excited and when he gets too excited, he won't drink water and then he starts getting overheated. 45 minutes of hanging out with other dogs and their people and walking around the lake and the park and getting free treats from vendors wasn't exactly a bad morning for him, though. Man, if you could bottle this face, you could rule the world.

- locked - Made it to oncology office. Mom stayed in waiting room, grudgingly and with a lot of passive aggressive nonsense from the literal instant we got back to the waiting room. Anyway, biopsy says it is a recurrence of the lymphoma, it is not nice, they are recommending some form of chemo but because of what happened yesterday they are also referring at least as an initial step to the local cancer center because more testing to rule out other involvement and that will dictate the available options, if any. They also drew more blood to make sure there isn't anything ancillary that needs to be treated before Monday. Some comfort scripts being called in, oncologist said he's on call this weekend so call if anything needed. Also said the cancer center has a cancer urgent care that is open and if needed can go there. So we have a plan until Monday. Also, dad is finally having the bad tooth that started this all removed, after much nonsense. There was a debate but since the can...

- locked - Update: Mini crisis yesterday late pm. Of course developed during the couple of hours I was away. Important point is that it apparently prompted my dad to tell my mom that he wanted me there today at the oncology visit. Which made it easier that I had had a lengthy conversation with my sister about confronting my mom and telling her that I was the one who should be with my dad at that visit. Easier, not easy*. Upshot, though, is that while my mom may insist on being in the waiting room, she isn't coming into the exam room. That's the theory, at least. She's still convinced nobody appreciates her, etc. and has already been really awful at least twice this morning. I mean, does anyone have a surprised face? However, what is important is that the crisis in question stabilized so I think we can get my dad to the doctor today. There was real reason to think we were going to end up in an ambulance and at the hospital last night. I am busy sniffing my aromatherapy thing...

- locked - Having some anxiety issues. Not unrelated to dealing with my mother, but not 100% due to her behavior. It's just all additive, and this administration is not creating a comforting, stable general environment, tysvm, which adds to the fun. Like, it's all bothering me right now. Ok, I take it back. If I did not have to regard my mother as a threat, it would dial down the stress and anxiety a great deal. So it's not all because of her, but she is a major contributor. Today is not a good dealing day, is what I'm sayin'.

More about STEVE! https://www.cnet.com/news/meet-steve-the-mysterious-purple-ribbon-in-the-sky/ https://www.cnet.com/news/meet-steve-the-mysterious-purple-ribbon-in-the-sky/

HA. Yeah, ok, nutritional mumbo jumbo takes another one to the gut. https://www.newsweek.com/coconut-oil-pure-poison-says-harvard-professor-1082046 https://www.newsweek.com/coconut-oil-pure-poison-says-harvard-professor-1082046

Every time I read about this I hear Neil Patrick Harris doing the monkey voice from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/bright-purple-ribbon-named-steve-entirely-new-celestial-phenomenon http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/08/bright-purple-ribbon-named-steve-entirely-new-celestial-phenomenon

Oh, no. Aretha Franklin left no will or trust, attorney says https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/aretha-franklin/2018/08/21/aretha-franklin-no-wills-trust/1057966002/

Headline: Trump just deported a Nazi. That’s a move I can get behind. Oh, COME ON Wapo and Von Drehle. Trump is just using this as a 'look at what happens when you let in illegal immigrants' showboat. Personally, he could care less. Even if he wasn't trying to leverage this, a broken clock is right twice a day, and that's the max level of credit he deserves. Not to mention this is specifically about war crimes and war criminals, which is in no way comparable to anything else. So it is just insulting that Trump and company would use this or get any credit for the work of so many people for so many years. The one thing this article gets right is that the work of the people in the Justice Department to find and deport war criminals sends a message, and that message is even more important in the face of resurgent nationalism, racism, and anti-semitism all over the world. However, another thing it gets very wrong is the implication that somehow the Germans were more responsi...

Oo, Russia and Iran. This should be fun. https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/21/technology/facebook-disinformation-iran-russia/index.html https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/21/technology/facebook-disinformation-iran-russia/index.html

Catch-up posting: Not my most successful gardening effort ever. I think it took about 4 months for me to get these marigolds from seed to flower. The monstrosity in the middle (I think it's one of those hybridized African things) still has not flowered. Oh, well. At least they are pretty.

Catch-up posting: Tried a different local donut place. They had this 'tropical delight' - pineapple filling with coconut topping. The pink color is just because that's how they roll? Anyway, filling was bland and only minimally tasted like pineapple, although it clearly had pieces of pineapple in it, and you could barely taste the coconut on top. You did taste the pink colored plain white icing, though. Also, the donut was a little bit greasy and also kind of flavorless. I give them credit for trying something creative, but it leaves me doubting whether I will try their banana cream or other creative donuts.

Finally tried one of the newer local supposed to be authentic regional Chinese restaurants. The region being around Xi'an. It's really good. This is the "hot chili chicken". It's like the best popcorn chicken you've ever had. Surprisingly not greasy, flavored with szechuan peppercorns, red hot peppers, cilantro, green onion, and some other flavor I couldn't quite place. I would have liked the chicken pieces to be a little larger, because I prefer a little more meat than the breading, which is nice and crispy and light, but still. I always find Chinese food too salty whenever I get anything that is supposed to be authentic, but it probably wouldn't bother most people? The other thing I like about this place is that there is free hot tea. I am very fond of places with free hot tea.

This article amused me, I do not know why. https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/04/how-to-make-the-best-matzo-balls.html https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/04/how-to-make-the-best-matzo-balls.html

Well, I just took a nap. I hope it helps.

Let's play a game! Can you find the doggie?

Welcome back to the 1950s. (Officially, the pre-vaccine era is pre-1960. I am aware that it took well into the 1970s to get widespread vaccination even in "developed countries" and later than that worldwide). https://www.cbsnews.com/news/measles-cases-skyrocket-in-europe-killing-dozens/ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/measles-cases-skyrocket-in-europe-killing-dozens/

This'll be fun. I'm sure we're all shocked that extremes might be less than ideal. On to the next dieting fad. Both high and low percentages of carbohydrate diets were associated with increased mortality, with minimal risk observed at 50–55% carbohydrate intake. Low carbohydrate dietary patterns favouring animal-derived protein and fat sources, from sources such as lamb, beef, pork, and chicken, were associated with higher mortality, whereas those that favoured plant-derived protein and fat intake, from sources such as vegetables, nuts, peanut butter, and whole-grain breads, were associated with lower mortality, suggesting that the source of food notably modifies the association between carbohydrate intake and mortality. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(18)30135-X/fulltext

Stress eating the imported goods.

- locked - Pain meds got upped last night after: 1) The doctor called Saturday to clarify something in the records that would have precluded pain meds (I swear this guy is something else - he was working on Saturday when he technically is still supposed to be on vacation), and he sent the Rx to the pharmacy. 2) The pharmacy argued with the insurance company Sat pm to Sun pm. 3) My mother's controlling bullshit got shot down. Like, she starts from the place normal people go where there are completely reasonable questions and concerns, and then tries to verbally bully and browbeat everyone to make herself "right" somehow. A lot of this is inflexibility, which turns into some sort of perseveration, because I think she has a hard time keeping track of things when there is change going on, especially rapid and unpredictable change. Again, something a lot of people have issues with but when you are causing real harm to yourself and others, it's passed the normal/ordinary an...

I love reading drug side effect lists that say things like constipation and diarrhea. Not in the bottom, weird, rare, reported once in the entirety of recorded history side effects, top ten reported side effects. I mean, that's some ambivalent side effect list.

Not the best art, necessarily, but certainly has something to say. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45149478 https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45149478

First black African UN Sec'y-General. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-45232892 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-45232892

Catch up posting: Armenian festival. This was a new one for me and I'm not even sure they do it every year? There is a teeny, tiny Armenian church in Niagara Falls. Or there are two of them next to each other? I can't tell. I gather the community has shrunk over the years and many people have moved away. However, they have a festival once a year where people even come from out of town to help out. Total accident I heard about it. There is, of course, meat and fire - I got both the lamb chunks on a stick and the chicken chunk. Different from the other festivals they have rice pilaf with stuff in it, also bulgur pilaf, also bean salad, and they made the regional bread! There's a quarter of one of the round, relatively flat loaves in there. While these are things that would not be out of place in a lot of the other festivals, they don't have them. vOv? I limited my goody purchases to two types of Armenian sweet bread. The braided one is called choreg (or something like tha...

Am I black or am I brown? Who cares. PET MAH BELLEH. #baskingcat

- locked - This is locked to a small group mostly because I do not want to be thoughtless of someone else, who is having a worse thing. About 6 weeks ago, my dad started having pain in his shoulder, around the same time as he had a tooth infection. The head and neck radiation he previously received led to osteoporosis/necrosis that sometimes results in tooth issues. At first, we decided it might be muscular and unrelated, so dad got some massage therapy and treated it like it was just that. Then he started having pain in his lower back on the same side. This happened over a couple of weeks. When he told me about how this was happening, and that it was bad enough he thought he had a kidney infection, I had the sudden and very upsetting conclusion that the shoulder pain was referred pain. I won't explain the medical of why I thought that and was upset. However, he called his urologist at that point and his urologist was wonderful about seeing him in less than a week and then immediat...

For a company with corporate control of virtually all their locations, they don't seem to have the kind of control you'd hope they would. This was due to sloppy food handling practices - wrong temp for the food and such. Basic stuff for a restaurant to be allowed to remain open. https://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-illness-outbreak-source-confirmed-health-officials-2018-8 https://www.businessinsider.com/chipotle-illness-outbreak-source-confirmed-health-officials-2018-8

GROUND SPAGHETTI BREAKING RESEARCH. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/16/this-spaghetti-breaking-problem-stumped-physicist-richard-feynman-two-mit-students-have-now-solved-it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b35413cc95c7 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/16/this-spaghetti-breaking-problem-stumped-physicist-richard-feynman-two-mit-students-have-now-solved-it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.b35413cc95c7

This is how Trump ran his life and business. Sue everybody. It seems to have mostly worked for him personally, so I guess he figures it's how to do everything. Aside from the obvious issues and differences when it's the federal government, not to mention foreign countries, I can make a pro and a con on this, assuming we're taking it seriously at all. Pro: suing tobacco companies made a significant, overall positive difference in public health. Con: lawsuits are part of why we have few vaccines and fewer vaccine makers. Even those two points are probably too much subtlety for the blusterer in chief. https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/politics/trump-sue-opioid-companies-sessions/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/16/politics/trump-sue-opioid-companies-sessions/index.html

Seems apropos. #throwbackthursday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

Jfam. Art Caplan, who is an internationally recognized medical ethicist (not at Mayo) sums it up with the grossest of understatements: "This should never have happened," he said. "This is a cautionary tale." Sort of tl;dr (but you should read the whole two part story, because, jfam): 18 year old girl has life-threatening aneurysm Family gets her sent to Mayo, where surgeons spend a month saving her life Girl gets sent to rehab at Mayo Conflicts develop between family and rehab staff Rehab staff tries to get legal guardianship of girl without informing family Family and girl decide they want out Hospital won't let them They manage to leave anyway a la TV medical drama Police chase starts Family gets another medical opinion in another state Police chase ends Girl gets care elsewhere, graduates high school, and is doing well https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/13/health/mayo-clinic-escape-1-eprise/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/13/health/mayo-clinic-escape-1-epris...

There are always unanticipated consequences. The government certainly should be doing a better job of protecting smaller users of spectrum, including wireless audio. Hang on. I'll stop laughing in a minute. Forcing upwards of 30,000 community and school theaters to repeatedly spend tens of thousands of dollars, for many a crippling amount of money out of their limited budgets, is a dramatic, but quiet, assault on the arts. Waste of money anyway. These people should get real jobs. #sarcasm “Imagine if athletics had a problem, like if helmets needed to be replaced,” a high school theater director in California told me. “The school would likely step in to help buy new equipment. But for a $30,000 mic problem, schools will simply say, ‘Figure it out.’” Unless replacing those helmets would mean they didn't make those awesome smashing noises, because brain injuries are important, but you really can't disappoint the fans by taking away their sounds of violence. I mean, they might...

Sometimes, it is hard to get over the energy barrier to go do things.

It's everywhere. I get why there are people who think all the positives, but I worry that it will be just another iteration of forgetting to think about ethics and implications of bad actors and even just random garbage. Frex, one of the things that drives people nuts in very large studies is that you can tell if there's an error when you get to certain analysis stages, but then you have to comb through all the data entry by hand to find the one cell on the one spreadsheet that was entered wrongly. Then you have to go through all the procedures to document and correct and reanalyze. And that's for the entry errors you can easily catch. And there are always assumptions baked into any program, never mind any study. These things can affect outcomes. We like to pretend they aren't there and everything magically becomes objective but that's not how reality works. https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/clinicaltrials/74524?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2018-08-13&eun=g1034...

Nobody ever wants to fund public health. They usually want to blame it for things, though. Unless there's a plague. That usually busts people out of their complacency. Oh, wait. That's only if everybody dies. Nevermind. https://www.pressherald.com/2018/08/12/as-disease-bearing-ticks-head-north-weak-government-response-threatens-public-health/ https://www.pressherald.com/2018/08/12/as-disease-bearing-ticks-head-north-weak-government-response-threatens-public-health/

I had no idea this was such a vicious feud. So much for the purity and rationality of academics. And the article is right - it matters very much to what is currently going on with the climate and so forth to properly consider this, since we can't do diddly about an asteroid, but we can do something about what we do to the air and water and so on. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/09/dinosaur-extinction-debate/565769/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/09/dinosaur-extinction-debate/565769/

Happy birthday, I believe, Therese Noren?

I hate gnats. I'm just glad they weren't clouds of mosquitoes or black flies or no-see-ums. #vagueposting #csbp

I think I'm glad I didn't hear this interview. Doesn't sound like Morning Edition (NPR) did it well, at all. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/08/11/npr-teaches-listeners-on-the-proper-care-and-feeding-of-white-nationalists/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9adb5d5c3dd0 https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/08/11/npr-teaches-listeners-on-the-proper-care-and-feeding-of-white-nationalists/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9adb5d5c3dd0

No surprises, just the usual disappointment. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/11/traveling-while-muslim-the-case-of-the-exploding-chocolate-219347 https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/08/11/traveling-while-muslim-the-case-of-the-exploding-chocolate-219347

So, the only winning move is not to play? How does that help change a toxic culture, though? https://www.polygon.com/2018/8/11/17675738/ninja-twitch-female-gamers https://www.polygon.com/2018/8/11/17675738/ninja-twitch-female-gamers

Short term prediction: he will win the election, even though he apparently isn't going to campaign. At that point, he will try to juggle being in Congress and fighting the court case. There is a chance that the Democrats will have an opening to compete in the district, but the avid Trump supporters will vote for Collins anyway because they will believe that this is all a frame up/witch hunt and he will be cleared and get to keep his seat in the House, eventually. Of course, there's still almost 3 months to the election and anything could happen. https://www.npr.org/2018/08/11/637815184/congressman-charged-with-insider-trading-changes-his-mind-he-wont-run-again https://www.npr.org/2018/08/11/637815184/congressman-charged-with-insider-trading-changes-his-mind-he-wont-run-again

I really like this. https://www.qwertee.com/print/gamer-nouveau-1000 https://www.qwertee.com/print/gamer-nouveau-1000

Now that's an obituary. Paul Cantor died on August 10, 2018. He was not surprised. There were just too many things going sideways from the neck down. He had a deliciously eclectic career that spanned the private sector, public sector and civil society. From his early wet-feet days at World University Service of Canada, he went on to work with Canada's Department of Finance, Polysar Limited, CIBC, Confederation Life, National Trust, the Toronto Leadership Centre, Russell Reynolds Associates, and Bennett Jones LLP. Chutzpah, good timing, and perhaps the vision thing, led to increasingly senior appointments. But his mother always asked: 'Why can't you keep a steady job?' The whole thing is worth reading. http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20180811.93405050/BDAStory/BDA/deaths http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/Deaths.20180811.93405050/BDAStory/BDA/deaths

I had trouble falling asleep, but I slept just under 7 hours and woke up tired. Which is totally unfair, because I should feel loads more energetic than nights where I wake up every 1.5-2 hours and never quite manage to stay asleep. #csb

Geez. I hope they can help the 3 1/2 year old. I can't imagine what losing her, too, would do to the pod. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/researchers-wont-take-dead-orca-calf-away-from-mother-as-she-carries-it-into-a-17th-day/ https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/researchers-wont-take-dead-orca-calf-away-from-mother-as-she-carries-it-into-a-17th-day/

Wouldn't that be the Croxiguousness (Crocs + exiguousness)? https://mashable.com/2018/08/09/crocs-closing-twitter-reactions/#ZhMrEK5TKSqs https://mashable.com/2018/08/09/crocs-closing-twitter-reactions/#ZhMrEK5TKSqs

The Trump campaign plans to sell hypothetical Space Force branded merchandise to raise money for his 2020 campaign. Gee, why has no one thought to monetize the office of POTUS before this?! "President Trump wants a SPACE FORCE - a groundbreaking endeavour for the future of America and the final frontier," read the email from the Trump campaign. "As a way to celebrate President Trump's huge announcement, our campaign will be selling a new line of gear." And real Trump supporters get to vote on the logo! Here's my question: doesn't the military own its own trademarks and suchlike? So is it even legal for Trump to brand this as if it belongs to him personally, nevermind sell it? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45123606 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45123606

Um, can a judge do that? Sullivan also ordered that if the two being deported were not returned, Sessions, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Lee Francis Cissna and Executive Office for Immigration Review Director James McHenry would have to appear in court and say why they should not be held in contempt. https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/09/politics/judge-halts-deportations-sessions/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/09/politics/judge-halts-deportations-sessions/index.html

Never, ever thought there'd be anything on which I'd agree with Ana Navarro. I guess when it’s Melania’s Family, it’s “family reunification” and should be applauded. Everybody else, it’s “chain migration” and must be stopped. https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1027596055075086336 https://twitter.com/ananavarro/status/1027596055075086336

My dad, of all people, pointed this movie out to me. I need to go see it. I would have thought that regardless of how it came to my attention, but it boggles my mind every time something reveals that my dad is the less conservative of my parents and the one who is actually genuinely open to thoughts and concepts he didn't grow up with. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/movies/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/movies/blackkklansman-review-spike-lee.html

Calling Scottie Mattausch to the Pumpkin Spice phone. https://www.thisisinsider.com/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-debuts-august-28-2018-2018-8 https://www.thisisinsider.com/starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-debuts-august-28-2018-2018-8

To see a world in a grain of sand ... I knew western North Carolina was kind of a mineralogist's paradise, but I never did have the opportunity to hook up with some serious rock hounds and check it out. Bummer. https://www.wired.com/story/book-excerpt-science-of-ultra-pure-silicon/ https://www.wired.com/story/book-excerpt-science-of-ultra-pure-silicon/

I understand the real issues at play, here, but every time I read or hear "Space Force" I hear "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command" in Patrick Warburton's voice. Pictures like this one do nothing to counter that mental imagery. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/vp-pence-lays-out-trump-s-vision-establishing-u-s-n899176 https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/vp-pence-lays-out-trump-s-vision-establishing-u-s-n899176

The US isn't the only country with issues. It's interesting how recently the statue was erected (1982). He died in 1891 while still in office. That's a long time gap. While it's pretty recently that his leading role in establishing residential schools has been discussed, it's still notable that this isn't an old statue from way back when. Then again, there's hardly anybody who is more significant in Canadian history. It'd be kind of like removing a statue of Washington or Jefferson. https://www.cheknews.ca/victoria-mayor-remove-sir-john-a-macdonald-statue-reconciliation-477571/ https://www.cheknews.ca/victoria-mayor-remove-sir-john-a-macdonald-statue-reconciliation-477571/

Saga of the new glasses - not nauseated any more, just headaches. Bad ones. This is what I get for trying to save money and of course the place I bought them is on vacation this week so can't get anything done until next week and I am mad at myself. Also, the bad headache.

Fucking ridiculous. Drug tests are supposed to make note of this kind of thing and there should absolutely be provisions for retesting. Also, prove to me that a drug test needs to be that sensitive to pick up on someone taking street drugs or medication levels of purified opioids. I think we're a little out of control, here, with this war on drugs approach to everything. One bagel shouldn't trigger anything. http://abc11.com/family/mom-tests-positive-for-opiates-from-poppy-seed-bagel/3907260/ http://abc11.com/family/mom-tests-positive-for-opiates-from-poppy-seed-bagel/3907260/

Soap and clean water. All they need is soap and clean water and it's too expensive and unavailable. I mean, that's not the only reason Malawi is a breeding ground for resistant infections, but it's an easily fixed one. Where is all the international aid and people who know how to help fix these kinds of issues? https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2018-08-08/scourge-superbugs-killing-babies-malawi https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2018-08-08/scourge-superbugs-killing-babies-malawi

The Democratic party in Western NY is wasting no time talking this up. P.S. While talking on CNN, Chris Cillizza completely missed an opportunity to point out the gerrymandering that makes Collins' district so intractably Republican. https://www.vox.com/2018/8/8/17663938/chris-collins-arrested-insider-trading-immunotherapeutics https://www.vox.com/2018/8/8/17663938/chris-collins-arrested-insider-trading-immunotherapeutics

Another reason my mother is horrible: always have to blame someone. It has to be a named person's fault. Circumstances, random chance, unhelpful confluence of events - nope, blame someone, it's always their fault. And no, this is not about responsibility; that's different. Also, know that she would always have done it right or better. Example: broken deck umbrella gets put by the trash cans at the curb for collection. They do not pick it up. Potential reasons: It's not the week for picking up large trash. It fell over and they didn't see it. They're lazy and if it isn't in the garbage can for the automated machine, they don't get out of the truck and pick it up. There's some special trash regulation about how to get old deck umbrellas picked up. Her explanation: her husband put it out wrong. Of course, there also has to be the context of her being inordinately thrown off kilter over a stupid umbrella not getting picked up. It is annoying, mildly inco...

This is my mother's idea of caregiving: Dad says he "doesn't think he's gonna make it" in a partly serious, partly just frustrated way about having to eat a restricted diet because he's getting a PET scan. He's hungry and he's stressed and he doesn't feel well. Mom says "well, you could take a tramadol, then you'd be tired and dizzy and you wouldn't notice you were hungry" in this irritated, supercilious tone of voice, continuing with "but I know you stopped taking the tramadol because it makes you feel dizzy", in a sarcastic tone. See, he stopped doing what the doctor told him and now look at him, he's causing all his own problems, and, more importantly, he's making her life difficult. Oh, right. First she said "when you say you're not gonna make it I think it means you're going to die". It's pretty obvious that isn't what he meant and, oh, look, we've made it all about ourselves. ...

- locked - Something I ate? Overeating through stress eating? Mild panic attack? Heat and humidity? Early hot flash? No idea, but very ill all night with bad nausea, bad reflux, feeling flushed, and slightly vertiginous. Also moderately rapid pulse, a lot of flatulence and bloating, and shallow breathing and a stuffed nose. Mild other GI issue. All of which could literally just be bad reflux. So I breathed into a paper bag, got a wet wash cloth and 2 ice packs, and a small garbage can just in case, and tried to distract myself with random television. Eventually able to lay down and finally sort of slept but not enough so although I am feeling able to stand up and only mildly nauseated, an exhausted. Took a cold shower, allegra and meclizine, and my body has decided it's wanting a little glucose - not food, just some sugar. If I start to feel a little better I may take something for the reflux, which is also much milder. I have a lot of things I have to do today and I am feeling lik...

Further festival dining: Serbian festival. I think I posted a few years ago when I went and got the all the grilled meats you could possibly eat and took pictures of the church itself, which is pretty notable for its extensively hand painted interior. This time, I just got the cevap sandwich (still no ajvar - I disapprove) and left room for all the goodies. Specifically, two different kinds of Russian hat cakes (I love these things), plum kifli, walnut kifli, molded walnut cookie (I think these are called prace or sape); walnut stuffed, chocolate coated figs; and a selection of those wafer tortes. I particularly got a piece of the one with a close up because some witty and creative soul layered her wafers and cake and chocolate and caramel with cylindrical wafer cookies filled with chocolate so that when sliced every piece has a little face. After all the work they did, I had to get that one.

Sort of white pizza - one on the right is cheeseless. Both have roasted garlic spread on instead of sauce, minced fresh garlic, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, capers, fresh thyme, fresh savory, fresh oregano. The cheeses include chevre, part-skim ricotta, fresh microplaned romano, and little fresh mozzarella balls.

Accomplishment of the day on Friday: Paula's donut of the month - orange cream, like those orange creamsicle things. Pretty legit interpretation. Basically their angel creme with orange icing and some orange flavored angel creme. And part of one of those candy jelly orange slices for garnish. I passed on last month's because it was cotton candy and that seemed a little too much sugar. It was pastel blue and pink and purple. No actual cotton candy, of course, as it would have melted into the icing.

Landscape goats. No kidding. https://www.npr.org/2018/08/03/635363609/escape-goats-run-wild-in-boise https://www.npr.org/2018/08/03/635363609/escape-goats-run-wild-in-boise

O.O https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/05/us/hurricane-hector-hawaii-islands-wxc/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/05/us/hurricane-hector-hawaii-islands-wxc/index.html

Well, there's a portmanteau with disturbing implications. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-nra/hardline-u-s-gundamentalists-pressure-nra-from-within-idUSKBN1KQ09H https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-nra/hardline-u-s-gundamentalists-pressure-nra-from-within-idUSKBN1KQ09H

"At this time, the public health department does not have any laboratory confirmation that the cases are linked to pigs,” according to the county. “In each of the laboratory-confirmed local cases of influenza being investigated, patients have recovered on their own within several days.” Whether they recovered is not related to whether their illness came from a pig. https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/state/california/article216105140.html https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/state/california/article216105140.html#storylink=cpy

I don't know anything about real estate and development and buildings. It's appalling to me, however, that in a discussion locally about requiring a portion of "low income" housing in new buildings that what that actually means is a one bedroom apartment otherwise rented for $1500+/month would be discounted all the way to $1000/month. I'm sorry but in what universe is $1000/month "low income"? $24,120 annual income is the official federal definition of "low income" for a single person. Your rent just ate half your income. I hope you don't pay taxes. This is besides the information that what's needed is 30% of future housing to be low income in this city, but what's proposed is 10% or 15% because the developers can't recover costs and make money otherwise due to building costs and other stuff. Man, we are begging to be in a crisis of homelessness.

If you don't want people regulating your industry, don't be greedy or egotistical and think you know better than any available evidence. If you keep hurting people, eventually someone is going to figure it out and pay you less and regulate you more. And it is the responsibility of the whole field, not just the specialty to deal with this kind of professional ethics issue because the regulatory burdens and payment decisions then ripple outward and affect people who aren't being dangerous idiots. Not to mention they can end up hurting patients as well as helping them. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/health/opioids-spinal-injections.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/health/opioids-spinal-injections.html

In case, you know, you didn't have anything to be outraged over. Not that I'm surprised, but it's still disgusting, offensive, and well past time to not have this nonsense embedded in the culture. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/09/female-lawyers-sexism-courtroom/565778/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/09/female-lawyers-sexism-courtroom/565778/

This is a much better article than most of the type. Headline: White, and in the minority Sub head: She speaks English. Her co-workers don’t. Inside a rural chicken plant, whites struggle to fit in. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/07/30/feature/majority-minority-white-workers-at-this-pennsylvania-chicken-plant-now-struggle-to-fit-in/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7a3db491b714 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/07/30/feature/majority-minority-white-workers-at-this-pennsylvania-chicken-plant-now-struggle-to-fit-in/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.7a3db491b714

Really hard not to wish this idiot had been Darwinized. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/man-head-head-bison-yellowstone-prompting-warnings-national/story?id=57010279 https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Living/man-head-head-bison-yellowstone-prompting-warnings-national/story?id=57010279

Regrettable, but I shall not be paying for any of it. https://www.cnet.com/news/star-trek-expands-canon-with-new-show-patrick-stewart-jean-luc-picard/ https://www.cnet.com/news/star-trek-expands-canon-with-new-show-patrick-stewart-jean-luc-picard/