Friday, May 12, 2017

The bizarre and trendy world of theoretical physics - go quantum!

Here's the thing, even if all this stuff is true what difference does it make? What would be the purpose of a parallel universe or several of them aka the multiverse? If Hitler were bad in each universe it's just a variation of a tragedy. Many redditors have talked about the JFK assassination and how in the original timeline as they call it the JFK car was a 4-seater with four occupants and in this reality it's now a 6-seater with six people (just go along with this for the sake of argument). This is literally just one of hundreds of examples of what believers call "the Mandela Effect." Again though even if this were true what difference would it make? It's still the same tragic event with some critical details changed. Maybe in another version Lee Harvey Oswald forgot to brush his teeth that morning. Biocentrism is another yuuuuuuge idea and all the rage now and one of its controversial propositions is when you die say of a sudden heart attack or car accident you automatically get shifted over into an almost similar dimensional experience and continue with your life as such. Even Charles Manson? Whatever happened to Hell? Don't expect Pat Robertson to get on board with this. The New Age Movement is now inextricably linked with quantum mechanics and have greatly expanded on the ideas of theoretical physics but in the way they like. A prime example is life coach Cynthia Sue Larson who to be fair does have a degree in physics but she posts some fairly startling things. She and many others say you can literally reality shift your life into more positive directions as in literally quantum jump to other more favorable alternate realities. Now even if this is true (did you pick up on my theme yet?) you'd still have to go to the same job in the morning. So the name of your favorite breakfast cereal might be slightly off it would still not be enough to make a difference imo. Getting back to biocentrism for a minute if you go to YouTube and type in "we're all dead" at least 50 and probably more videos come up. Only on YT can you have a cabdriver with no college degrees expounding on quantum physics. The death theory is interesting on certain levels but again why would we still have to go to work in the morning? Some redditors have made another issue of the human anatomy evolving over time (if only Charles Darwin were alive today! Oh wait maybe he is) but again what difference would it make? still get the same crappy constipation and make the same 3AM bathroom trips. I can't wait for the next PBS special on all of this:)

143 comments:

  1. IMO, the rapid development of technology, the pace of modern life, the instant communication and to some extent
    a distrust of science affect us all. Some, perhaps most,
    feel their spiritual or mystical feelings and perceptions
    unaddressed or even scoffed at. Religion, which has always
    filled that need, is no longer The Church, but an arena of
    competing entities from say Bill Weise to Pope Francis offers a smorgasboard of answers. Among these some may be
    right and some may be wrong, some help and some confuse. It
    is not surprising therefore, that those that seek and ponder end up at Reddit, send what they can't afford to
    Pat Robertson, buy séances and a plethora of new age books,
    destain debunkers, and continue to seek the spiritual in an effort to accommodate the cold hard confusing times.
    IMO.

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    Replies
    1. I think too debunkers also tend to disdain the believers. There are many reasons some don't like debunkers. In the view of some they tend to not look fairly at the evidence (which I might lean towards myself). They also take a certain joy in pricking the bubble, throw the kibosh on that ghost-hunting party. The believers also may not like to be told they maybe wasted half their life on something like the intrepid yeti researcher/explorer who trekked miles in the snow all over a creature who doesn't exist. The reasons are many.

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  2. I was never a fan of the quantum version of the multiverse which holds that every possible outcome needs to be realized in some other actual universe like Hitler winning WW2. In my view God would not make a universe where every tragic event needs to be replicated in some way across multiple realities with usually minor but sometimes major differences. It serves no purpose, it's needlessly confusing and it's just an example of modern physicists going too far down the sci-fi road -- egghead intellectual masturbation. A parallel reality/universe or split reality is another subject. One could come up with a few reasons why a God would operate the universe this way. What would be the purpose or reason for such an alt-reality or perhaps the better question what problem is being addressed by the parallel?

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    Replies
    1. IMO, science and science fiction share a commonality in topic, but are separated by non fiction and fiction
      attributes. Personally, I'm OK with investigating, pondering and concluding "I don't know". But there is
      the human drive to find out and know: it drives learning, technology, historical investigation. The life long Yeti researcher must find satisfaction in the search, not the conclusion; what do ghost finders
      do with captured ghosts..it gets complicated. I was
      once tasked with finding a more sensitive ammunition primer, one that worked with hair triggers and modified weaponry. I was most reluctant, the existing
      ones being hazardous enough to produce, and wondered
      about the resistance to shock, static and other handling and transport. But 'customers want it' was
      the driver. So, I invented one of those dual ingredient 'in situ' methods, where inert ingredient
      A, a powder, was squished into the detonator cup, a
      drop of Ingredient B was added, the stuff turned from
      light blue to dark red, and was dried on the window
      sill. Loaded up the ammo and sent it to ballistics
      for testing. "How did that work out for you guys?"
      "Uh, too sensitive. 90 percent of the rounds went off
      when we put them into the weapon chamber." The point
      being that parameters seem to have their limits and further investigation becomes an exercise in pointlessness. Still, we admit of the Azimov quote-
      "Great discoveries are not made by 'Eureka! I have found it!' but by "Hmmm, that's interesting' " As for God vis a vis the multiverse concept, I find no
      scriptural reference (you know, like Noah built in ark
      in one OT book, but built a canoe in another). One
      thing to consider: by definition a universe is one
      thing with universe properties, but a dimension is another thing with dimension properties. Any premise
      need address such.

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    2. My problem is theoretical physics has become too theoretical. Take Michio Kaku theoretical physicist and futurist. He says in your living room right now there are an infinite number of parallel universes but you can't tune into them because they're at other frequencies. To be perfectly frank this makes no sense. So your local Walmart may be a Stop 'n' Shop at the same time and also a Sears a PetSmart and Hyundai car dealership. WHY would God make the universe this way?

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    3. Common sense-wise, we mostly agree on the 4 tactile
      dimensions which occur in sensile space: width, length, depth and time, to wit:
      "A five-dimensional space is a space with five dimensions. If interpreted physically, that is one more than the usual three spatial dimensions and the fourth dimension of time used in relativitistic physics. It is an abstraction which occurs frequently in mathematics, where it is a legitimate construct. In physics and mathematics, a sequence of N numbers can be understood to represent a location in an N-dimensional space. Whether or not the universe is five-dimensional is a topic of debate"
      Debatable because it is 'occurs in mathematics' and
      is a 'construct'. I would posit that the construct
      of the abstraction remains just that, just like the
      pesky "I", the square root of minus one, a mathematical entity with no value or solution, that
      pops up so much in electrical engineering. The real
      tactile existence of neither of these constructs
      exists, despite their occurrence in higher mathematics. To give them imaginary properties is
      a stretch; a baseless stretch IMO. As for Dr. Kaku,
      he needs one of those old wooden radios where you
      turn the dial and lock onto the sought frequency, of
      wherever on the electromagnetic spectrum. Let me know when he does.

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    4. I'd like to go shopping with Dr. Kaku and his frequency ring.

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  3. Replies
    1. Hmmm..never heard of Patribiotics. But then, I've never had a fecal transplant either.

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    2. Never heard of them either. It was a prominent card on my google newsfeed just now. Something to whet Shaw's appetite?

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  4. Getting back to that Zapruder film it always seemed a 4-seater to me but I was never a student of that particular subgenre of history. One thing it is not is a mandela effect or actual reality shift. If it is now a 6-seater then either many of us misremembered OR a group of sick minds somehow altered that archival film. It has nothing to do with multiverse or that Jackie might have did it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How many seats..let me count the ways; driver and ss
      agent in front row, Governer Connaly and wife in second row, President Kenney and wife in third row.
      That would make it a presidential limo convertible with 3 bench seats, capable of hold eight or nine
      passengers if they were typical high schoolers. Not
      one to start rumors, but it has been suggested that
      Cynthia Sue Larson and Bill Weise were in the trunk
      making out. Or was that the 50th dimension of the
      19th parallel universe?

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    2. Mandela Effect hysteria is what it is. Folks are literally having meltdowns over this.

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  5. Thinking though Orrin Hatch would probably not be a bad president. He has an old-time family sitcomy feel, perhaps a little strict. Wears a suit and tie to Sunday breakfast.

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    Replies
    1. Pretty decent guy..fellow Mormon of Mitt, who also was a good candidate. Although, next to the Donald...

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  6. The Donald, who awhile back termed the Pope "disgraceful", will be visiting the Vatican next week. Should be warm and cozy, no? We learn that Callista Gingrich, 3rd wife of Newt the Lizard, is being considered as ambassador to the Vatican. IMO, her only downside is having married a philanderer; a devout Catholic from a tiny Wisconsin village, she graduated from Luther (oops) College and established a scholarship program there. So, while devout,
    she is ecumenical. Newt would live in Italy where his is working on his "Life Of Trump"..no doubt another best selling hagiography. I gotta empathize with Francis,
    just saying.

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    Replies
    1. Is there any parts of the Fatima secrets still unreleased like one day we'll have a doofus as president?

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    2. Not sure about Fatima, but there have been predictions, sort of-
      source A ,
      source B , source c . Nostradamus fans hover over "“The great shameless, audacious bawler. He will be elected governor of the army: The boldness of his contention. “The bridge broken, the city faint from fear.” ..etc, including the 3rd Anti-
      Christ and the beginnings of the apocalypse. I could go with shameless audacious bawler, but the
      rest seems a stretch. Your Reddit people may be on to something..Nov 9th, 2016, we got shifted (or
      shafted) into an alt-universe?



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  7. Here's the problem with modern physics. IMO theoretical physics has become too New Agey. Is there a reason why some of our top theoretical physicists keep insisting on the idea of a multiverse? I see a psychological need here. Most people would probably agree being locked into one absolute reality is a downer. Well maybe Brian Greene and Geordie Rose can help. Along comes the New Age promising you have the power to change reality, the Universe is shifting in your favor. Many people are in a rut. It's attractive and has some top scientific backing to boot.

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    Replies
    1. A placebo construct for the "psychological need"? There are claims that the T-physics types are gung ho
      new age-wise beliefs, but then, I once worked with a
      MS Geology guy that used plate tectonics, but since
      he was a born again new earth type, he figured the
      continents all shifted quickly just before the hypothetical flood. I'm gonna go with the broader
      stark difference between science and new age constructural placebo, the alt-world doing nothing
      for me.

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    2. New Age bases itself on quantum theory but takes it ten steps further. If the Many Worlds Interpretation can't be tested somewhere down the road it has no practical value imo. New Age and theoretical physics - is there a need for either?

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    3. With no real evidence for parallel universes why are top cosmologists and physicists like Max Tegmark and Brian Greene pushing the multiverse. Is the proposition of parallels supposed to solve a physical/mathematical dilemma otherwise why propose it? Hence an emotional need maybe. It seems like every time you visit a science website half the time they're talking about parallel realities. Do they expect to find one?

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  8. All things considered, if Trump can be president, I see no reason why you can't be Pope.

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  9. The more things change the more they stay the same.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hence inertia, stagnation, not getting anywhere. For me nobody represented the status quo and business-as-usual better than Hillary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like the definition of conservative?

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    2. Hillary was the logical choice but that doesn't translate into exciting or change just that the local dogcatcher should have beaten a Trump.

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  11. Yall are way over my head as usual. On a side note I had a patient with chronic c.diff and the only thing that cured him was a fecal transplant.

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    Replies
    1. Where do they get that stuff...is there a donor clinic?

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    2. & if you donate do you have to report it on your income?

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  12. I actually think they stopped doing it. In the case mentioned above the donor was a brother in law. I always felt that as a vegetarian my gut flora was inherently healthier than most and that I would be a great donor. I don't know if they paid people to be donors but what a great gig that would be, no? Anyway it cured that c.diff, what a relief that was for all of us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C. diff is a member of the spore forming clostridium
      family. In addition the difficile family which attacks the digestive system, others of the genus include tetanus, gangrene and botulism. Besides being aggressive human pathogens, these anaerobes are spore formers with the potential for powerful resistance to antibiotics and other harsh conditions. Bad hombres all.

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  13. With Trump sharing classified information with the Russians Pope Francis might be meeting with President Pence, maybe President Ryan. Who knows?

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    Replies
    1. We're talking about the real dimension/universe here,
      right? "Hey Rusky, trade you some top secrets if you
      let me put a hotel in Voronezh..maybe on the Beryozovaya Roscha waterfront? Be quiet, Spicer,
      you're fired"

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    2. Going out on a limb, but my studies suggest the TS
      info originated with Jordanian intelligence. If so,
      that source will dry up..and if so score me 10 points for being well read.

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  14. I'm starting to feel the 'Bern' again.

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  15. Things just get worse every day, don't they? If this had been HRC they would have burned down the WH by now in their eagerness to get her out.

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    Replies

    1. Seems to be an alt-double standard. Obama reviled for
      trying to get healthcare for people. Trump, no problem
      for being a poster boy for the clueless. Off to jail
      for Hillary for being a well qualified woman candidate, GOP mourning for Trump firing a professional FBI director and trading top secrets to the Russians for cheap hotel property. If GOP congress
      doesn't man up, we are in for a hallucinogenic four years of alt-reality and the GOP is relegated to the dustbin of history. Make America Disgraced Again.

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    2. The perils of partisanship when you don't know when to get off the ship.

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    3. Don't give up hope though. I'm sure behind closed doors the GOP would vastly prefer a President Pence or Ryan. I think it's just a matter of getting enough data and documentation. Trump is definitely throw-under-the-busable.

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  16. Today over on YouTube they have a brief 5-minute video on the IBM Quantum Experience User Guide. By comparison your dvd instruction manual is a piece of cake.

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  17. I'm beginning to really worry about CERN .

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  18. The "Onion" alt-hilarious. We have a knack for laughing at
    even un-understandable stuff. Back in the day there were Earth, air, fire and water. You know, things that you could
    see, feel and experience. Such is progress.

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    Replies
    1. I think there's the most mild touch of we sure hope you guys know what you're doing. We don't want to someday be dealing with a Judge Judy Administration.

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    2. The current administration is circling the wagons..
      but still looking for the wheels.

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  19. Has your auto insurance carrier sent you the free add on
    for vandal protection yet?

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  20. I got nothin. On the bright side McCain is starting to make Watergate comparisons. The voices for impeachment I am starting to hear from multiple sources. Surely the end is near. Or at least closer than it was.

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    Replies
    1. Will they really waterboard Spicer and Conway?

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  21. The Trump/Comey/Flynn affair is it. Watergate 2, the downfall of the Donald who should have stayed in business. Rest easy Shaw!

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  22. Astronomers are beside themselves over the latest rather thin evidence for a multiverse. A cold place in the original radiation spewed forth from the Big Bang and so they're speculating over a parallel or multiple worlds in higher dimensions colliding against our universe. Are alt-realities supposed to resolve a mathematical problem, a philosophic problem? or are we all trying to find a non-Trumpian universe?

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    Replies
    1. IMO, "rather thin" is the operative phrase. You touch the reality of the alt-universe/dimension construct as arising from values substituted in
      statistical mechanics sub-atomic theoretical calculations; which apparently solves the equation
      and apparently produces a philosophical problem.
      A problem which both fields feel compelled to attempt explanations, and which others grasp to fuel their
      own rather outlandish conclusions. Like sasquatch,
      hard evidence has been very difficult to find. IMO,
      the "Trumpian Universe" is a bizarre condition based
      on human fallibilities in dealing with the dizzy pace of human development. I sort of think...

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  23. Technology continues to outpace my understanding of it. Some things are just over my head .

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, start messing with tools on that site, maybe
      querying "what is the meaning of life?" and you might
      initiate the Singularity.

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    2. & Judge Judy taking the oath of office with Dr. Phil becoming Chief Justice of the SCOTUS.

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  24. Roger Ailes passed away last light. We presume he is currently in negotiations with St. Peter regarding his
    karma situation.

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    Replies
    1. Since this is a science blog Robert Lanza wrote the famous book on biocentrism. Accordingly according to this theory Ailes upon his passing automatically got shifted over to a nearly parallel dimension where he's causing trouble. I always get him confused with Karl Rove like they all start blending together after a while.

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    2. Ailes was significant in the victories of Nixon, Reagan and both Bushes. He teemed with the infamous Lee Atwater. So I'm thinking he arrives
      at the heavenly reception center; St. Peter goes over his life resume; decides to divert him to Hell;
      Satan rejects him as too overqualified for that region and assigns him to a ghetto in an alt universe which consists solely of flaming liberals.
      For Eternity.

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    3. You know some people just have that corrupt Boss Tweed look about them: the jowls, the cigar-chomping, the whiskey laugh and breath, the backroom poker hall meeting places. Wasn't he being charged with sexual harassment or something? I get 'em all confused like I said. I think the entire FOX News Channel has been charged with sexual harassment.

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  25. My friend wanted to get a haircut the other day so I went with him to the salon. Young guy ahead of him was getting his hair cut first. A long job but through it all the guy would not take his eyes off his smartphone. Barber spun the chair around held up the mirror asked questions and the young man's gaze was cemented on his device. I'm a societal oddball that way. All throughout the day I hardly look at my phone.

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    Replies
    1. As a smartphone outsider, I can only observe that the
      device can serve as best friend, life controller, outlet to alt-reality, a collection of hackable apps,
      a hapless pet requiring frequent recharging, a diversion for the bored student in class, a tool for
      cyber-bullying, an encyclopedia for the overloaded
      brain, a communication device for the speechless,
      and a handy thing in an emergency. Dunno, don't have one.

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    2. Same day as the hair salon I saw a young woman in a mall on a moving escalator going up and she was seriously texting away. Dunno, I'd be afraid of a shoelace or something getting caught.

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    3. Youtube has a slew of distracted device owners, presumably taken by another distracted device owner.
      When these things first came out back in the late eighties, salesmen were the first users. I was talking from my office with a Danish guy, who liked me as the "only American who ever heard of Schleswig-Holstein". He was calling in from traffic
      in Spokane about copper plating chemicals.."Ja, vee
      gotten der phosphates und der chlorides und I be
      down dare in yust a couple hours...BANG...Oh mein
      Gott, I been accidented!" _gotta be one of the first
      side effects of the phenomenon.

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  26. There's kind of an alt reality with my mother whom I am going to go spend the weekend with. I don't mention how she voted for Trump and she doesn't get querulous about what's going to happen to her Medicare. The whole thing just gets ignored. It's funny, when individual topics come up, like climate change, she is right there telling you how real it is. The environment? She lives at the beach so she's all concerned that the beach should stay nice (ie no offshore drilling). She's concerned about the animals, she's conceerned about this and that, all very nice. Her big problem is that she HATED HRC SO FREAKING MUCH that she would (and did) vote in Satan. I would throw it in her face but what would be the point. She knows she messed up bigtime. She posted on FB one time about how 'classy' Melania was going to be as a FLOTUS which instantly prompted me to respond with a link to the naked photoshoot. She has since dropped that line of attack. Since then she has posted variations on the "hate HRC" theme and I reply the same way every time: HRC won the popular vote but she lost the election. Can you get over it and start worrying about the disaster you put in the WH? These things don't get discussed face to face, just in the alt universe of FB. It's really a passive aggressive mess. On a brighter note they've opened the pool by her house so I'm packing the 70SPF and my bathing suit.

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  27. I was never a fan of HRC but didn't apply the usual default reasoning that I had to vote for him. I still feel good about it, the conscience is clear and I was never on the Trump ship so when it finally goes down...say when Comey starts testifying. Meanwhile the right-wing feel he's being picked on and he has the biggest persecution complex of any president in history.

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    Replies
    1. I recall Trump on the stump declaiming "I could shoot
      somebody and I wouldn't lose a voter". Reveals a lot
      about the man and his followers.

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    2. Bunker mentalities. Dems always vote for Dems and Repubs Repubs. Trump could defecate in the middle of Disney World and cons would still say the NY Times is treating him unfairly.

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    3. Gee, do they sells tickets for that? Regarding the Dems, I think the Bernie run caused them serious problems. I liked Bernie's ideas, but figured he
      couldn't get anything passed: the only Republicans
      I like are bewildered RINOs-decent people wondering
      what the hell happened.

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    4. Jack Kemp too long gone. I know I know too Reaganesque. Mitt Romney not a problem. I think those who pushed HRC and that means practically the whole DNC thought it was just a matter of fate/destiny. First black president first woman president. There's always the glitch in the matrix though.

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  28. Ever considered a job as Special Prosecutor?

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    Replies
    1. I've often wondered though having watched enough crime on tv how many people are in cemeteries because somebody put them there and got away with it? I'm way too biased, cynical and maybe at times conspiratorial to be an objective special prosecutor. IMO Trump is guilty the day he took the oath of office.

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  29. Watching "Interstellar" a sci-fi movie starring Anne Hathaway, Matthew McCounaghey (spelling?) and Michael Caine as head of a special NASA project. Many people have memories of Michael Caine passing in 2002. Such is the state of our neural networks. His posthumous movie career is none too shabby though. What's it all about Alfie?

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  30. Trump is off on his extensive foreign trip . We ponder whether his
    knack for spontaneous speaking will affect the rest of the world. For example, in Arabia he will give a speech written by aide Stephen Miller , the anti-muslim guru.
    "Greetings, gathered Sheikhs. Your hotels are yuuuuge, but
    you ragheads piss me off". Then on to Israel to visit buddy
    Netanhayu and meet with Palestinian leaders..that situation
    is already tense, but could get tenser. On to meet the Pope:
    "Hey Popie, nice digs-ya know the last thing we need is a
    progressive on the Thrown of Peter..Catholics like me better than you". Then on to the world economic summit in
    Brussels: "I just wanna mention that I'm richer than Luxemburg". You like movies, but this has the makings of
    a political Pink Panther. Should be fun to watch.

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  31. He's not visiting CERN?

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  32. I was thinking if Anthony Weiner is in the market for a new car he might want to consider one of these.

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    Replies
    1. I don't even trust cruise control, never use it. I mentioned that on a blog one time and another guy said he was worse...didn't trust power steering and power brakes. Consider you are in a driverless computerized car going 75; five lanes crowded traffic
      and a microchip comes loose. Car goes berserk, thinking it is a demolition derby. Who gets the citation, you or the car?

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  33. The latest must have feature in some new cars. Personally I can do without and also think this makes it much more attractive to the criminal types out there.

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    Replies
    1. I'm still upset that they took out ashtrays and the
      cigarette lighter, replacing them with a dozen drink
      holders and a 12v plug-in. My question- when will they
      do these wonderful upgrades on riding mowers?

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    2. The autonomous software would seem eminently hackable by remote. A techno-gift to the CIA and ISIS. Lack of ash trays encourages more drivers to throw their butts out the window which they might do anyway but just saying.

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  34. The survivalist literature struggles to keep up with automotive technology. For example:
    "Okay, here's a little idea for a home defense device I came up with while organizing my workshop today:
    Take a 2x4 or 2x6 about 10 feet long. Drive 5 or 6 inch nails through it at about a 45 degree angle around 2 inches apart.
    And voila! You have a homemade spike strip like the police use for high speed chases. You can use stakes to secure it across your driveway. Or if you wanted to more permanently close off a driveway or small road you could use concrete or cinder blocks to hold it in place. Sure it's not a permanent or tamper proof fixture, but it will literally stop the trespassers in their tracks and if they happen to notice it, it will slow them down while they have to remove it, giving you a little extra time to plan, flee, or barricade.
    So tell me what you all think. Is it even worth the time or is the whole idea stupid?"
    Wanna bet his mailman complains?

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    Replies
    1. Speaking of which are Sasquatch a protected species?

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    2. Not sure. Maybe catch and release?

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    3. Didn't I see on the news yesterday there was major snow in Denver then to the south/midwest I think major tornadoes? Seems to me a little end-timesy. Should I be prepping? Should we blame the GOP? Was Al Gore a prophet?

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    4. Yup, was a big cold front came in off the Pacific coast. Rained down here in the valley, but the mountains 10 miles south were all white and some interstate passes were closed. Denver, it seems can have snow anytime of the year. At least we don't have hurricanes out here.

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  35. But can he cure tinnitus? I'll take a little corruption if he can make the noise go away.

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  36. Not a cure for tinnitus yet, but 3D bioprinting is soon to take off. Maybe big factories
    manufacturing synthetic organs; a few more years and you could whack out a liver on your very own 3D printer. Hackers
    would forget spamming and start producing androids. Need
    another brother, a wife?

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    Replies
    1. Drink 'til you get cirrhosis of the liver then just print up another liver. Cool. Is there an app for that?

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    2. Gives more credence to the BORCT: Body Organ Rearrangement Conspiracy Theory. There could in the near future be someone with their head up their...

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    3. Kidneys now higher up underneath the ribcage, a larger liver near the lungs and the stomach higher too. Larger heart in the center of the chest. As you say more room now for a megacolon. What are Dr. Oz's thoughts?

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    4. Cuba almost in the Gulf of Mexico. Looks like you could almost swim there. I have to stop drinking:)

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    5. Have you tried any of the Trump Cocktails ?
      Donald is a teetotaler; IMO, a few drinks now and
      then might mellow him out, or minimally affect his
      texting ability.

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    6. What none for Transportation Sec'y Elaine Chao?

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  37. Wondering what are Pat Robertson's thoughts on can a liberal be raptured? Do they first have to get Bill Wiese's stamp of approval?

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    Replies
    1. Not sure if ol Rev Pat knows the difference between
      raptured and ruptured. I still think he looks part
      Leprechaun: "Aye, these be me pot o gold pieces sent by my faithful, here at the end of the rainbow". I sometimes catch his replies to write in questions- "Mrs. Broadbottom writes in asking how to
      remove the Devil from her front shrubs. Well, Mrs. B"

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    2. Are the Bill Wiese hellfire videos on dvd yet? Nice gift for your fundie neighbor.

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  38. As you probably expect, they are working on your next colonosopy . Hopefully it won't be hacked by Snowden.

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  39. Old School/New School - Many years back doc sent me for a kidney echo to see a possible correlation between the kidneys and high bp. Take my shirt off, lie on my back and she applies the gel. Then the test and I'm thinking the kidneys are up here now? Now maps have South America way to the east of NA like it's ready to break off from the neck of Central America any minute. Trump is now the leader of the Free World on his first foreign trip. Many are positing some knuckleheads at CERN did something. I hope I don't dream about neutrinos tonite.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Reddit map people often use a semi-Mercator projection in which the longitude, verticle on a globe, is arrayed in widening angles. This common type of mapping makes S. America appear further west.
      Check a globe, maybe one from 1966 like mine, and you will find that Atlantic side of S. America lies about 18 degrees W, directly beneath the center of Greenland. As it has since before Columbus. IMO, poor Mandela is getting a rap for people who either can't remember or never knew. Just saying :)

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    2. I knew there was an explanation. It's early, let me wake up.

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    3. Oh yeah I meant to say. Einstein's theories are generally accepted as correct. The curvature of space-time caused by a round planet like Earth causes gravity. If you have a flat earth how can you have gravity?

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    4. My understanding of Einstein Gravity (tenuous at best) is that mass, rather than shape is the source
      of space-time curvature. IMO, from a pragmatic Newtonian POV, objects in space tend towards roundness do to their own gravity: like making round
      lead shot by dropping molten lead from a tower (which is still done in that industry-as the molten drop falls through (limited) space it is attracted to its own theoretical center, and in the case of
      BBs or buckshot, it is perfectly global when it hits
      the cooling water. Scale the phenomenon up, and you
      can apply it to stars, suns, planets etc. The lumpy
      misshapen asteroids are fragments which arise from
      the breaking of some mass previously cooled. That concept permits of a flat earth, but obviously does
      not prove the earth is flat. I think..it is early and I am having a problem keeping my pipe lit. And I admit of a basic stupidity: it took three of us an hour to fix the new HD TV last night. It was stuck on a fixed frame of some guy on PBS, and we
      tried the TV remote, the cablebox remote and the VCR remote: nothing worked and the guy just sat there staring at us from the big wonderful HD screen. We tried unplugging and replugging all of the many connections, and Viola! the cablebox flickered red, green and white and the whole thing
      came back to life. Ever watch Dumb and Dumber?

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    5. It would be nice though if modern cartographers or the news media every once in a while explained why Cuba is now in the Gulf of Mexico and why SA has drifted 509 miles to the east. Just a viewer's complaint.

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    6. So the Flat-Earthers are covered on gravity at least. I think both our understanding of Einstein is tenuous.

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    7. Given imaginary and real anomalies and tying them to
      technology has some worrying about the Singularity.
      But, we may be missing the more obscure, but real
      signals regarding pole reversal .
      The first clue, IMO, would be geese flying north
      for the winter and south for the summer, their noggins running on a north magnetic pole. People with pacemakers would be affected and who knows what
      the heck your MRI would look like. Would the North
      Star have to be renamed? Would it follow that East
      and West would require reversal. Most importantly,
      would Cuba go where it is supposed to be?

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    8. I prefer my Cuba off in the Caribbean. Some of the trendier physicists are now saying quantum may apply to macro too, that everything including you me and the geese are in a superposition of states. If the pole shift occurs during Trump's reign it wouldn't surprise me. Over in these parts the Canada geese hang all winter. V-formations what's that?

      Delete
    9. Reality glitches do seem to happen on occasion. Many years ago I kept a religious novel on my bookshelf with a yellowed newspaper review of the book on the inside. One day I decided to throw the review out and about two weeks later it was back in the book again in the same tattered condition. There's a small parking lot I've frequently parked my car at for my daily walk. Always struck me as too small and there's a rather large cement shed in the corner with only a couple of paved spaces on the side. So one day I go there the next day and there's now two extra spaces on the side of the shed. Better for me but there was absolutely no sign or trace of work that was done the day before. On other rare occasions there's stories of how did the cat get inside the house from the outside when the doors were all shut and nobody said they opened a door. The cat was seen on the patio just two minutes before. One moment three used cigar butts on the cigar ash tray and the next no sign of them. Not swept on the ground by the wind or anywhere. Interesting incidents mostly minor but I don't do what many of the Redditors do and theorize there's a group of aliens in outer space somewhere with a network of computers who created a simulation or else a time traveller came from the future. Things you can't explain that make life interesting and unnerving at the same time.

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    10. Pondering the subreddit r/MandelaEffect (it's addictive) and don't know why it's come to resemble the great Abortion Debate. The passions and absolutely no common ground. New Age vs. hardcore skepticism/scientific materialism.

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  40. Read an article today about how in Texas they're passing a bill to let nurses, pharmacists, lawyers and anyone else refuse to do business with anyone on the grounds of their religious beliefs. Like the pharmacist doesn't want to give me my scrip because I'm a Hare Krishna and it offends his religious sensibilities. Or like recently the funeral home that refused to cremate the gay guy. I would barely believe such a thing is true but there it is. You don't get last services based on your sexual orientation while you were still living. Tell me again how Christians are persecuted in America?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The ghost of Fred Phelps lives on. The sheer range of cultural views out there astonishes. In NYC you'll see a penis float and further west they refuse to cremate the gay. There really are two Americas.

      Delete
    2. Did Bill Weise run across Fred Phelps on his tour of
      the pits of Hell? Peculiar, the Fundies; they can study and quote the bible like A students- but its
      meaning escapes them. It's like being narrow and mean are the qualifications for baptism.

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    3. Hate the sin but love the sinner has now become hate the sin and hate the sinner.

      Delete
    4. Pondering the religious freedom paradigm: Famous clinic run by a Sikh genius physician (We cure the
      Sikh). The place has a 100% cure rate on tinnitus
      and Z-Man gets an appointment. He is disappointed when they announce that their religion does not permit them to business with Christians. That being the Dominion Law under Secretary of Religion Ralph Reed, Z-Man next heads for Hobby Lobby. just pondering.

      Delete
    5. If I remember my Ralph Reed back in the day he tried to cultivate a less-than-scary image as head of the Christian Coalition. I think this annoyed liberals as he was supposed to come out with fangs. He's still around?

      Delete
    6. Ralphie is still around. Like psoriasis, he is hard to get rid of and keeps coming back. The Godly
      blend of Fundies and Politics can make a man rich.

      Delete
    7. Ralphie was born in 1961 and born again in 1983.
      He weighed 7 lbs the first time, weight details are
      hard to come by when he was born again.

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    8. So you're not taken in by his boyish charm, his moderate persona on tv.

      Delete
    9. Can you be born again as an atheist?

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    10. It is my understanding paganism is not atheism. Everybody seems to have something but the atheists are happy with nothing.

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    11. Kind of interesting the way some people 'convert' going from deeply religious to agnostic and from atheist to deeply religious. Searchers.

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  41. Pondering the Dead/Alive Again phenomenon which has gained some traction over at Reddit. Glitch in the theory: Many remember John Goodman passing some time ago. Now even if this were true shouldn't every news outlet have as its banner headline "Why is John Goodman Still Alive?" Fallon would have him on the show asking the same question. Of course the media could be stupid too which is not that much of a stretch;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I understand, Reddit has some really good stuff too. Esp, in helping organize the March for Science,
      etc.

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    2. IMO the mods could do a better job reigning in posters who brutalize other commenters. Otherwise they have every topic imaginable.

      Delete
  42. Tech woes: got a smaller HD thin screen for the basement study. Daughter helped to set it up. I moved the server box
    higher for the remote and every thing ran perfect. But it
    wouldn't turn off; with either the Tv remote or the server remote. She discovered that you could run the TV while sitting down, but to change volume or turn it off and on,
    you had to stand up. We surmise the specific IR wavelength
    for those functions require a slightly different angle. Put
    the box on the floor and everything works well. In what universe does gigabyte TV equipment depend on whether the box is 3 ft above the floor or one the floor? And why does
    the 35 page instruction manual ignore that? So, to remember
    the problem and fix, I paraphrased the orthodox catechism:
    Sit to watch and change channels/Stand to turn off/on and change channels/kneel to pray that damn thing works next time. Would St. Jerome approve?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also the remotes have way too many buttons 80% of which you never use. You come back from the kitchen and sit down on the remote now you got problems.

      Delete
    2. They have smartphones, why not a smartremote? You know, just one button and it does the rest.

      Delete
  43. Trump flew into Israel directly from Saudi Arabia and announced that he had just arrived from the Middle East.
    I'm thinking the Reddit postulators been moving the Levant
    over to Cyrenaica and switching Falujah and Fargo..while
    dragging Cuba around?

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  44. In other news the Dalai Lama is coming to Raleigh in October. I spent quite a bit of time in Tibetan Buddhism before settling where I am now so I'll be taking off time for that.

    I'm still in volume 4 of 8. It remains fascinating. The whole schism with the Orthodox church is discussed in minute detail. One simple phrase (filioque) is basically the whole crux of it. I'm still in the Middle Ages, we've talked about Charlemagne and the Vatican becoming a temporal power. This was quite a great 1.99 I spent for this book.

    Another book I just got it a cookbook called NYC Vegan. It has recipes for iconic NYC dishes (avogolemono soup, a ruben, tofu benedict) and best of all a recipe for my beloved black and white cookies that I can't buy because they have eggs. I plan on getting into this book very soon, but not tonight because it's lasagna tonight.

    Thoughts on Manchester? I am always sort of surprised how groups claim responsibility for tragedies. I guess I shouldn't be, but on the other hand if the man is dead who really knows for sure? ISIS could be just trying to capitalize on the terror. I hear Trump called them 'losers'. Yeah, that's presidential.

    ReplyDelete
  45. I can't go vegan. I love to play around with eggs. Trump the orator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't go vegan because I refuse to give up dairy but I love vegan cookbooks because they have no eggs.

      Melania looked awful at the Vatican btw.

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    2. I'm big on eggs and seafood; my wife hates eggs and seafood. Eggs are are great source of protein and contain nine other essential nutrients. They have had a bum rap for years because of the cholesterol
      content, but have no triglycerides (which I tend to
      have personally in abundance). It is hard for us
      Twinkie/corndog/apple pie/sausage/deep fry types to
      diet. My method is to try and eat things I hate.
      They are great for you, and since you hate them,
      you just don't eat much. The BB-Jenny Craig approach.

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    3. My doctor is thin as a rail, has been for years. Not an ounce of fat. I don't think he eats.

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    4. Physicians are thinner in general than the rest
      of us. Who would go to a 600 lb doctor?

      Delete
    5. I would if he could cure tinnitus.

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    6. I like it when doctors tell a patient they should lose weight but they don't tell you how. I like it how the medical establishment keeps informing us we need around 8 hours of sleep a night but they don't tell us how (for us poorer sleepers).

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  46. Sleep hygiene is a real thing. We go to bed at the same time every night (7, lights out by 830) and he gets up at 330, I get up at 4. I have to be especially careful of my sleep habits because of the bipolar thing. Social rhythm therapy is a cornerstone of my existence. All I need is a bad night to potentially set me off. That said, I think the worst times are when you sleep but you feel like you have been up all night.

    Two of the girls I work with are getting ready to do a 21 day sugarbuster diet that is promoted by their chiropractor (I am not a believer in chiropractic). No grains, no potatoes, no pasta, smoothies (eew) twice a day, 50 percent calories from fat (yes really), 25 from protein, 25 from carbs. There is no way I could do this diet being vegetarian but who would want to? Although I could happily eat avocadoes all day. So I will let you know how this goes. My thing with chiropractors is, they never cure you, they just go on forever adjusting. And apparently they work on babies too. I just don't buy it, it smells like quackery to me. Do you think they could adjust your tinnitus?

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    Replies
    1. I forgot to mention no milk products whatsoever on that diet. Hence why I cannot possibly do it.

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    2. If tinnitus cannot be cured you'd think they can at least adjust the volume. Chiropracters I kind of don't have an opinion on. They seem to be semi-respectable or at least tolerated by the medical establishment. Adjusting the spine kind of scares me though.

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  47. The best Chiropractic Colleges have an extensive curriculum ,
    even including biochemistry/microbiology. Never been to one
    and never will, though. Twisting the neck is not medicine and Z-Man is right, their patients are always returning for
    more adjustments. Knew a woman saw a chiropractor for years,
    swore by his skills. Last year she had neck surgery, is fully cured and now feels as I do about the spine manipulation industry.

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  48. Currently watching a Japanese monster movie I saw when I was about six years old. 1970 - "War of the Gargantuas" (or Day of Upper Management).

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    Replies
    1. My sister is in an aging facility with early Alzheimers. She sits and watches CNN all day long,
      getting more and more alarmed, with breaks for meals.
      Her kids brought her some sort of little e-game board
      and now she does that all day. Same difference, I guess.

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    2. The dreadful Alzheimer's. Do they know what causes it? Where does the name come from? Must be hard on a marriage.

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