Existential Ennui

~ Searching for Meaning Amid the Chaos

Existential Ennui

Tag Archives: medicine

Marijuana is My Friend

18 Saturday Jul 2015

Posted by Sherry in marijuana, Medicine, The Contrarian

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

marijuana, medicine, The Contrarian

001e95a94ffc099169ea25b7d0c42ab9 The following comes with all the normal provisos: I am not a doctor. I don’t portray one on television. As in all things that have to do with your health, consult with whomever you esteem as having expertise in the area you are concerned about. This is just information you might want to research yourself and decide whether it’s a good idea for you.

My husband is a Vietnam Vet. He came away from that war with PTSD. He was probably on the cusp of when the military was starting to take “shell shock” or “battle fatigue”  and other various appellations for PTSD seriously. He attended the PTSD clinic in Kansas City back in the seventies for some weeks.

In addition, he suffers from COPD, and a very strange and intermittent lack of balance which makes mobility difficult for him sometimes. The latter is usually attributed to several concussions suffered in youth and in a helicopter crash in Vietnam.

We live in New Mexico, a state that has a “medical marijuana” law. My husband is candidly, no stranger to pot. After all, we are from the 60’s generation and it would be expected that we had dabbled with cannabis and perhaps more over the decades.

In any event, my husband decided to pursue the issue in New Mexico. The process was easy for him. A quick trip to a psychiatrist for an evaluation, and the securing of his rather large PTSD file at the VA was essentially all that was required. My spouse was lucky in that a few years ago, the VA re-evaluated his PTSD pursuant to a renewed request for VA disability status.

His PTSD was diagnosed as active and ongoing, which, as I said, made the process with New Mexico fairly much a no-brainer.

Within a few weeks of his evaluation and submission of application, he received his card. We live in Las Cruces, which has several “drugstores” that cater exclusively to medical marijuana users, so my husband soon was purchasing weed legally for the first time in his life.

We were concerned that whatever relief he might garner from the marijuana vis-a-vis his PTSD might be overwhelmed by a turn for the worse in his COPD status. We expected that he might have to use it in the form of food or as a vape. But he started out in the traditional way: the joint.

After a week, an amazing thing happened. His breathing improved dramatically. Not just dramatically as far as he was concerned, but it was astoundingly obvious to me. I had long grown used to the fact that even walking from the car to the house left his breathing hard. The focus of walking straight seemed to add to his burdened lungs even more difficulty.

Yet, here he was almost NEVER breathing hard no matter what he was doing. Surely he was still taking his inhalers as required, but he was no longer waiting for his next dosage–he often forgot.

So much better did he feel in fact that he has started to ride the recumbent bicycle each morning, taking Diego for a good ride through the neighborhood. He returns in fine fetter and for a while at least, even his mobility improves.

I’ve done some cursory research. What I have learned is that a couple of very long term studies seem to have put to bed the argument that marijuana is even worse than cigarettes for the lungs. In fact, for “light users” there seemed no long term damage to the lungs at all. Even with heavy usage (daily) there seemed to be little change.

Beyond that, there seems to be an increasingly large anecdotal collection of data that suggests that contrary to expectations, use of marijuana seems to help COPD patients. A number of theories are advanced: the normal coughing that might bring up more phlegm and thus open the lungs, the deeper inhaling customary to pot smokers, or just the general relaxation of the body’s systems which allow for greater oxygen intake.

For whatever reason, some COPD patients have reported that they are doing much much better using marijuana. One person has gotten off inhalers completely.

While my husband has not experienced quite that dramatic an improvement, it has been significant. He has been much more active, which explains the bike riding. He sleeps very much better, the best in years. His balance issues come and go, but he feels that that is a worthwhile tradeoff for breathing so much easier.

I wondered whether I should talk about this, but it seems to me that the tide has turned on the issue of marijuana in this country. Colorado and Washington State have led the way, as well as a number of states that have legalized marijuana for medical purposes. People on Facebook, for instance, now talk openly, supporting further legalization.

I thought therefore that I had some obligation to speak out as well. If you have a medical condition and live in a state that allows medical marijuana, you might be surprised at the range of diseases or conditions that can be improved. Who would have thought that smoking a joint would help COPD?

As I said, I’m no doctor. I’m sure a boatload of them will still say it’s a bad idea. A boatload of marijuana supports will say otherwise. As far as I can find, most of the supposed dangers of marijuana are way overblown, and it seems certainly to be less of a health risk than alcohol.

I have no interest in talking you into anything. I just offer one story, one anecdote among others that suggest that some really good stuff can come from pot. I can’t speak to what that might mean five years down the road or twenty. It’s just more information for you to use as YOU see fit in determining your own care.

eda93dee27d97831028038e5489fbeb3

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Freakin’ Friday Follies

27 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by Sherry in Corporate America, Economy, Election 2012, GOP, Human Biology, Humor, Medicine, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Psychology, Satire, Sociology, teabaggers, What's Up?

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

conservatives, corporate greed, Election 2012, IQ, medicine, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, racism, Saul Alinsky, science, teabaggers

“To the moon, Alice, to the Moon!”

I just love Newt.

He gets in front of a bunch of ex-NASA employees, in a very depressed part of the state of FLOOREDA, and he garrrunteees that in his SECOND term of office as POTUS, he will ensure that we have a colony on da moon.

Now, you can call that Newtspah. And you would be right to do so.

But, he’s not our big winner this week.

No, our boy Mittens wins this week.

Why you ask?

Well, because he called out the Newtster on this promise, accusing him. . . .wait for it. . .  OF PANDERING to the audience.

He chided Newty for trying to promise his way to the White House by, in each state, finding some pet project that the residents were interested in, and then promising he would give them “it” if they were so kind as to vote for him.

Yes, he did.

And well, go ahead, yell it: THAT’S KINDA LIKE THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK oh Mitten-man, you who are known for your chameleon-like ability to change position based on the change of wind of public opinion. So ya win this week!

¶

Ahab or dear friend turned us on to this great little link that actually proves to be a rather well done study on the convergence of IQ, conservative thinking, and bigotry. Wanna guess what it tends to show? Dumb people tend to not have the capacity to see the “big picture” and so tend to fall for the easy simplistic structured and ordered world that conservatism offers. Those who are least capable of abstract reasoning, are more likely to fall for racism and other bigoted ideas.

Was there ever any doubt?

¶

Kevin Drum kinda proves the above study. Right now our boy Newt is the darling of the TeaNutz®, mostly because they have run through all the other possibilities and he’s what’s left. Well, tea bibbers are folks who believe in doing NOTHING about most things, and shrinking government. And at heart, Newt is a guy with grandiose ideas of being a world-wide mover and shaker. And that requires “DOING BIG THINGS”. But being light in the brain-case, said TeaNutz® have not yet puzzled that paradox out. And probably never will.

¶

I wanna share a little secret with ya. When you retire, even years and years after you retire? You will still smile a bit bigger when it’s Friday. It’s true. I swear it is. And late Sunday afternoon will find you feeling a bit let down. You will sigh as you see the sun go down. It happens. It’s just the way it is. And you can’t know that until it happens to you.

¶

Mittens has an ad in Florida wherein he goes after Newt for claiming that “Spanish is the language of the ghetto.” While not factually completely true, Mittens, when asked, inquired, “Is that one of my ads? I haven’t seen it. I doubt that’s my ad.” Of course the ad ends with the statement “I’m Mitt Romney and I approve this message.” Which means, I guess he doesn’t, or didn’t, or it’s all meaningless. But then, well I guess we knew all that anyway.

¶

Newtie Patootie invoked the name of Saul Alinsky again last night. It is supposed to raise all kinds of dangerous visions of commie boogeymen comin’ around to take away our freedoms. At least Newt is hoping it will. He, in his snooty, lookin’ down my nose at all of you, way of viewing the world, is assuming you have no clue who Alinsky is, and are way too lazy to find out.

What is rich of course, is that Saul Alinsky did most of his community organizing in Chicago, among poor working stiffs. And he did it with the full help and approval of the Roman Catholic Church, who joined him in his efforts to improve the lives of working folks. Oh, and Alinsky’s heroes? They were Jefferson and Madison, you know, the FOUNDING FATHERS, who are nigh on to gods to the Crazy Right.

Alinsky received the Pacem en Terris Peace and Freedom Award from the Vatican in 1969. Past recipients have been  Martin Luther King, Jr., Desmond Tutu, Cesar Chavez, Daniel Berrigan, Jim Wallis, and Lech Walesa.

Oh Newt? That would be YOUR Catholic church no?

¶

 Why we are right:

Caterpillar posted record profits this year. To the tune of 36% after taxes. Revenues increased by 2.65 BILLION.  Yet they have locked out workers at their Ontario plant in Canada, because the workers refused a cut in pay from $32/hr to $16.50/hr. Caterpillar CEO, John Oberhelman, made $10.5 million in 2010.

This is not class warfare. This is about fairness.

¶

Okay, I’ll let you off easy today. It’s Friday, after all. No Football.

What’s on the Stove? Leftovers: Chick-Ling Spaghetti Parmesan or Wild and Wicked Taco Soup (your choice). The latter recipe will be posted today, the former already is.

Related articles
  • Who Is Saul Alinsky & Why Is Newt Gingrich Yammering About Him? (themoderatevoice.com)
  • Newt Using The Saul Alinski Playbook (alan.com)
  • Gingrich: “I’m Going to Colonize the Moon” (weeklyworldnews.com)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Can I Have an Extra Day Please, with Sugar?

31 Thursday Mar 2011

Posted by Sherry in Abortion, American History, Astronomy, Budget, Constitution, Evolution, Founding Fathers, God, GOP, History, Human Biology, Humor, Psychology, Reproductive Rights, Satire, teabaggers, What's Up?, Women's issues

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

abortion, brain, budget, cosmology, David Barton, Eric Cantor, evolution, founding fathers, History, medicine, Mike Huckabee, Planned Parenthood, psychology, soul, teabaggers, women's rights

Everybody has those kinda days. When you get up already behind. This is usually the result of “sleeping in”. I’m a 7 am kinda person. I find that a humane time to arise. Some days, I don’t quite make it. Thus, I’m behind.

Tomorrow, I’m shopping, so I’m not sure I’ll get to blogging.

The Contrarian, however, puts his time to good use. He’s a thinker. Remember his desire to hold a thinkathon? Much easier than having a walkathon he thought.

When he thinks too much, well, I usually get concerned. His latest “breakthrough” is a humdinger.

The Contrarian has long pondered the existence of the soul. That has led him to toil in the backyard of the differences between humans and other animals. That place, he contends is where one might locate the seat of our divine connection. With me so far?

The places tred by medical men and women, philosophers, and theologians. What of the soul?

And, as I said, he thinks he has had a breakthrough.

He asks this question:

Is there any other animal but humans who react with distaste to the fart?

I know, its blasphemous. It’s crazy. It’s absurd, illogical, and downright unpretty. It is the Contrarian. Don’t blame me. I’m just reporting the news.

♦

If’n you didn’t know, the right-wing religious are, as you know, against abortions. And they are very against Planned Parenthood, and they devise all manner of nasty things to “prove” that PPH should be shut down. One of their more ingenious methods is to claim that PPH is about the business of genocide of the African-American population. This because statistically more black women obtain abortions than white or Latino.

Now the fact that this has to do with poverty and lack of access to medical information and contraception at the same level as their more wealthy white counterparts is ignored. No, it’s so much easier to suggest that PPH has as an unstated goal, the destruction of an entire people.

I imagine that the NAACP and other African-American groups are so grateful to the white folk for being so concerned for them. Yes, I guess we can all be grateful to those benevolent white people.

♦

Roger Ebert talks about what he understands as the Universe and evolution. It’s a lovely piece. Makes ya feel all warm inside for reasons I cannot explain. Least it do for me.

♦

See, now we know that serendipity is real. I mean, after writing about the Contrarian and his “breakthrough” I come across this article: Natural History of the Soul. Nicholas Humphrey argues that spirituality is essential to consciousness. Read it in The New Humanist. Humphrey is an evolutionary psychologist, and he’s written a book called Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness. Looks like a very interesting read.

♦

If there were any question about the agenda of Mikey Huckster, read on. It seems Mikey attended one of those uber right-wing  conferences, one that featured pseudo-historian David Barton and his revisionist history of the founding of this country. Why Mikey was just adoring of said Barton and said the following:

 “I almost wish that there would be, like, a simultaneous telecast, and all Americans would be forced–forced at gunpoint no less–to listen to every David Barton message, and I think our country would be better for it.”

Of course, in the “official” video of the event, the “joke” was scrubbed. And of course, Mikey meant every word, until he realized it wouldn’t play well outside his crazy base.

♦

Good news to report. I don’t have a link, but I’ve heard or read it in so many places that it is obviously true. The teabagger phenom is beginning to wane. Their unfavorables are now above their favorables. Which is all the more amusing since the Prez wannabes are all still dancing like marionettes to the teabagger tune, afraid to pirouette too far from the dark force. 

This is causing all sorts of problems with the budget. Word is that Boehner wants desperately to make a deal rather than shut down the government, but he dare not piss off the wonkettes, who are picketing in Washington, even as we speak. Well, we all knew this would happen didn’t we?

And who might you ask is riding to the rescue? None other than boy wonder Eric Cantor. Cantor has introduced a bill that will be voted on in the House on Friday, entitled, “Government Shutdown Prevention Act.” What it does it tell the Senate to act on the budget bill before the deadline and if it doesn’t the House passed bill will become the law of the land.

Yes, you heard that right. Cantor is simply tearing the Constitution up and making up his own new one. Yes, that’s some pretty strict construction there Mr. Cantor. Uh…do you dance too?

♦

What’s on the Stove? Fajitahs!

Related Articles
  • Mike Huckabee thinks all Americans should be forced at gunpoint to listen to David Barton (heartchasms.wordpress.com)
  • Huckabee Wants Barton to Teach All Young Americans [Dispatches from the Culture Wars] (scienceblogs.com)
  • David Barton: Bad Preacher, Terrible Exegete (scotteriology.wordpress.com)
  • Soul Dust by Nicholas Humphrey – review (guardian.co.uk)
  • The Books Interview: Nicholas Humphrey (newstatesman.com)
  • Anti-abortion billboard using Obama’s image raises ire (windsorstar.com)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

It’s Hardly News Anymore

12 Saturday Mar 2011

Posted by Sherry in Essays, Health care, Humor, Individual Rights, Iowa, Media, Medicine, Middle East, Psychology, Satire, Sociology, teabaggers, What's Up?

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Health care, Japanese earthquake, Libya, medicine, news, nuclear power, pharmaceutical companies, psychology, Qaddafi, sociology, unions, Wisconsin

It occurred to me today. Well, it occurs to me often, but today I decided to mention it. Given the speed of information whirling around the globe as fast as light, it’s no wonder.

Given our attention spans being shorter than the nose on a gnat, it’s no wonder.

Today’s news is piled upon the trash pile, often to be utterly forgotten except by a very few.

Today, the news is dominated by the tragedy in Japan. Well it should be, for what has happened there is truly devastating to all of us. We sympathize with the pain and wreckage that consumes a nation.

We are slowly forgetting about Libya and the utterly inhuman slaughter than is beginning there as Qaddafi looses his mercenary forces with appalling determination to exterminate those who had the temerity to ask him to stop using them as his private empire of greed.

We are still sympathetic to Wisconsin, but after all, it’s got to take second place to the deaths of thousands, whether through natural disaster or human evil.

We have pretty much forgotten Haiti, except to nod in sadness when some celebrity needs to shore up their public persona by making a trip there to “help out.”

To say nothing less than other notables for a day or a few. Who remembers the name of the latest Medal of Honor recipient from Iowa? Or the wrestler from Iowa who forfeited his match rather than wrestle a girl?

We know that parts of the East Coast are facing or living with flooding, but really, isn’t that just part of life in America every year some place?

We don’t know what is going on in Egypt today, even though a couple of weeks ago, we knew in a nuanced way, all the players.

Who knows what is happening in Iraq? We’ve officially ended that war, even though we are still there, doing something or other. Marches occurred there. Is there a government in place? I can’t remember. We crossed it off our list.

I wonder what it feels like to be the center of attention nationally or world-wide? And then, suddenly the phone no longer rings, there are no reporters at the door. No Hollywood promoter interested in doing a movie, no publicist interested in “talking about a book.”

I wonder what it feels like to return to obscurity. I know what it’s like to be obscure. Most of us do. Most of us have always been so, except to a few friends, coworkers, and family. But to be “somebody” for a minute, and then poof, back to obscure? That must be a tough thing to get through.

What’s it like to be recognized wherever you go? To the supermarket, “hey aren’t you the _________?” Until one day, someone says, “hey. . .” and you turn in expectation, smile ready, “yes I’m. . .” and then you hear “hey bud, you dropped your glove.” No sign on his face that he knows you from Adam.

Just wondering what that feels like.

♦

It appears that sentiments are growing for the institution of a “no fly zone” over Libya. The Arab League has voted in favor of it. I think perhaps all agree that Qaddafi is so insane that he will kill all the rebels. The atrocities are starting to mount up. Something must be done, but what? I surely have no answers.

♦

I’ve been hearing in various places that the union busting efforts in Wisconsin, may have unintended consequences for the extreme right-wing exemplified by Gov. Walker and his troupe of big business supporters. Unions may in fact have a resurgence across the land as people stand up in solidarity in favor of collective bargaining as the champion of workers rights and protector of Americans in labor.

A huge rally is scheduled for Madison today. We hope that it numbers in the hundreds of thousands. This will be rectified.Of that one can be quite certain.

Lest there be any doubt that the move in Wisconsin was solely to hurt the Democratic Party, here’s the Repuklican Senate Majority Leader in his own words:

If we win this battle, and the money is not there under the auspices of the unions, certainly what you’re going to find is President Obama is going to have a much more difficult time getting elected and winning the state of Wisconsin.

We hope with all our being that these bastards are voted out, recalled, or impeached as the case may be. To use the law to effect political advantage and to do it so openly, callously, and against the welfare of the people of your state is stunningly reprehensible.

♦

Our good bloggy friend, Distributor Cap has a good post on nuclear energy in the wake of the Japanese earthquake. While they insist that there is no real danger, one reactor has blown up, and fears are that the Japanese may be downplaying the danger. This is to be expected of course, but gives every one of us pause. While nuclear power is seemingly necessary, its dangers cannot be lightly dismissed either.

♦ 

The wacko right who are not politicians, and thus not sucking off the teat of big business, has been well taught to mouth the mantra of “free market” economics and “trickle down” theories. They are taught to recite ad nauseam that if only business is happy then all of working stiffs will get our fair share. Shall we just mark this up as another example of corporate largess then?

KV Pharmaceuticals of St. Louis has been given FDA exclusive rights to sell a drug called Makena, a drug that prevents premature childbirth. The drug is cheap to manufacture and has been priced at $10 a shot. KV has raised the price to $1500 per dose. Their explanation? Women will be willing to pay the increased amount to avoid complications to their newborns, such as mental and physical disabilities.

Yes, that is their explanation. Because the results of not taking it could be catastrophic, women will pay the extra monies. No word yet as to what poor women are supposed to do.

Are you sick to your stomach now? Can’t wait to hear the spin the “kill Obamacare” crowd will put on this.

Related Articles
  • Qaddafi’s Firepower Puts Libyan Rebels on the Defensive (businessweek.com)
  • Qaddafi Forces Blast Oil Port to Force Out Rebels (foxnews.com)
  • Michael Moore on Wisconsin’s Union-Busting: Is This War? (blogher.com)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

You Must Be Malaysian!

01 Wednesday Dec 2010

Posted by Sherry in Essays, Humor, Iowa, Life in the Meadow, Short Stories, The Contrarian

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Iowa, life in the meadow, medicine, The Contrarian

I’m married to a Malaysian. I did not know this for eleven + years. What’s more, I never even had a suspicion that the Contrarian was not a full-blooded Iowa farm boy of pale-Euro descent.

How did we find out? The doctor told us. And doctors aren’t often wrong on these things.

‘Splain it to me Lucy, as Ricky used to say.

Yesterday, (you noticed my absence I hope), we spent some time at the VA in Cedar Rapids. The Contrarian has had increasingly limited mobility in his shoulders with severe pain. I put it down to bursitis. Anyway, (oh it probably is bursitis by-the-way) his new doctor, “Susan,” was going over some of his other recent tests.

As usual, they all gush and rush to share with all the other doctors his phenomenal and frankly weird cholesterol numbers. He has amazingly low bad cholesterol and freakin’ high “good” cholesterol.

Well, it turns out that there are only three reasons for such a result:

  1. A super great low-fat, salt, sugar diet. This one is laughable in regards the Contrarian. He thinks that bacon/peanut butter sandwiches are breakfast food, followed only by his second favorite: bologna/peanut butter. Gravy is something that is drinkable, and a meal is not a meal without red meat, or pork chops. So this is not the source of his medical miracle.
  2. An exercise routine that borders on world-class athleticism. We are talking triathlon here. To know the Contrarian is to know why couches were invented and lazy boy (soooo aptly named) chairs. Plenty of times the dear man lumbers from the bed to his chair where he remains with the ubiquitous remote all day until he lumbers back to bed. He does, however, lumber to the kitchen table for one of his meals, because I insist.
  3. You are Malaysian. No, before you ask, I have no freakin’ idea why this is the case.

So you see, he must be Malaysian, since it is not remotely possible that he qualifies in the other two categories. The things you learn in marriage. I’m not sure how I feel about all this. I don’t know anything about Malaysia, except that the Google Images suggests there are lots of nice beaches there, so it could be okay with me. I’m keeping an open mind.

Personally, I think there is another answer. My husband, after all, spent a year in that general area fighting a war. And I think some monkey bit him and mutated a gene. I’m not quite sure of the medical how-to’s about all this, but I’m pretty sure that explains it.

If that doesn’t answer it, then I figure his father, who also fought a war in the South Pacific, got bit by the monkey and he genetically infected his offspring with this stupidly-super-healthy cholesterol thingie.

There must be an answer, or I’m forced to question whether God has been hitting the sauce again, or was, during the conception of one of his children. I mean, you cannot imagine the ribbing and all-around crap I have to take because of this.

The twinkling eyes, the nodding head, the “I should write a diet book” talk. I get it all. The sanctimony is dripping.  I mean it’s simply not fair that he can sit there doing exactly the opposite of what every decent doctor in the land would tell a person. It’s not fair.

Oh and get this. He is pre-pre-diabetic. This means nothing much, except that it means he can eat sugar like crazy and not put on weight. Yeah, and the doctor said, he might have been that way from birth too. How nutzy is that? How deeply unfair? God, what is this?

The rest of us struggle and gain three pounds just looking at a dove chocolate, let alone eat it. And he waves his candy bars (yes I said, bars) in my face and chortles with delight.

I nag and cajole all the day long on better diet, exercise, and all around good health, and this man not only refuses to engage in anything remotely resembling sane eating and exercise, and then to boot, gets his doctor to back him up.

I spent a number of hours last night, discussing this all with God, and he just says, “trust me, I know what I’m doing.”

I’m not sure I can swallow that any more. I’m not sure I can take it any longer either. I mean he’s being merciless in teasing me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think there was some bribery involved and a payoff. Yeah, that’s probably it.

About the only good this has done me is that dinner planning has been simplified. Just make that a plate of lard with a dessert of butter.

And I’m packing to visit the homeland. Those beaches look mighty inviting.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Just Another Day at the Races

04 Monday Oct 2010

Posted by Sherry in Essays, Evolution, GOP, Human Biology, Humor, LifeStyle, Media, Medicine, Nicaragua, Psychology, Satire, teabaggers, The Wackos, Uncategorized, What's Up?

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Campaign financing, Dana Milbank, evolution, fiction, Fox News, Glenn Beck, GOP, lifestyle, medicine, neuroscience, Nicaragua, nonconformity, OneNation Rally, Paul Krugman, the arts, US

Morning!

There is a new post over at Walking in the Shadows should you be interested. I’m keeping more of the religious stuff there rather than here, unless I think that the posting is of interest to all. This latest one, is I guess, but I posted it there anyway.

I’m back to using Foxfire Mozilla again, and finding it works fantastic. The issues I had with it and my blog are gone, as well as my reader issues. On top of that, it solved problems that were so bad on FB and Twitter, that they were getting virtually unusable for me. So hurrah!

Don’t know how much time you had to devote to the OneNation Rally this weekend. I had precious little, but I gleaned a few things: Fox gave it a lot of notice, figuring I assume that they could spin it in either direction. A big crowd = tons of progressives unhappy with Obama, or a small crowd = the progressive movement is puny.

So far, I can get no reliable numbers, but most seem to think that the crowd was smaller than the teabagger picnic. In any case, the pictures are dramatically different. Teabagger rally = old and white, while OneNation = all ages and diverse ethnicity.

***

New definitions of “ugly American” are emerging as we find out how actual military doctors from the US of A, conducted human experiments on Nicaraguans during the 40’s. All that talk about Hitler mind you was going on at the time. I just can’t think of why so many folks in other countries hate us, can you?

***

Head over to MotherJones in general and peruse. They have article after article on who gives the money, what groups give the money, what candidates are spending the most, where they get their money, who they defend on Congress and so forth. There are probably 8-10 articles in all. Worth your time to take a look.

***

A really not-to-be-missed post by Paul Krugman on the insidious and blatant take-over of the GOP by a very few ultra-rich families, including our own favorite Foxy Noise. No pretence here, just power grabbing. And the ones who are being duped? The poor teabaggers of course.

***
Sharron Angle is one of those alleged humans who just amaze you that they can walk upright. I mean the woman has the brain of a slug. Sad to say, Harry is so despised, that she still manages to hang on in the race. But really, just how much ineptitude can Nevadans tolerate before they bite the big ugly and vote for Reid? She’s caught on tape trying to talk fellow teabagger candidate Scott Ashijian to back out.  Nothing terribly wrong here, just amusing, as she touts O’Donnell and Scott from Alaska as people she thinks are “real.”
***
There’s a new book about Beck, by Dana Milbank. It might well be worth the purchase. Milbank documents how Beck uses his favorite boy Hitler to attack everyone. This time it’s Gore and the UN. Oh, I’m gonna try to get this gem! Read more from Milbank here.
***
Chris Guillebeau is a blogger and self-styled non-conformist. Read about his take on life and whatever in this 3quarksdaily interview. You can visit his blog here. He has visited 151 countries in his quest to visit them all. Lots of strategies to living your life your way.
***
Why do we like art? No, not like. Why does our heart soar, our breathing change, our pupils enlarge, why do we lose track of time? All this when something hits us deeply? Why are we captivated by a story? A song? Why did we and do we spend time, energy and money on that which is fiction? We wouldn’t do it unless there was some evolutionary benefit you know.
***
Related Articles
  • Dana Milbank Says Glenn Beck Is Dangerous (newsbusters.org)
  • Glenn Beck’s Hitler fetish (economist.com)

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

What’s Up? 06/18/10

18 Friday Jun 2010

Posted by Sherry in Education, Energy, Environment, Evolution, God, GOP, Human Biology, Presidency, Psychology, Sarah Palin, Sociology, Uncategorized, World History

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

BP, education, empathy, environment, evolution, God, Jewish history, Joe Barton, medicine, Obama, oil spill, Reagan, Sarah Palin, Sharron Angle, wingnuttery

I awoke to day two of sunshine! Well, it was a shock of course, and I don’t want you to get too excited, for the forecast (I know, why bother?) is not good.

Decidedly not good. The heavens are scheduled to spew! later today, and perhaps dangerously so.

I’m trying to be stoic and not spew here.

So, hopefully there is a thing or two out there that we can find that will enlighten our souls and raise us all to a higher plane of contemplation. Yep.

Science takes a look at figuring out why we like what we like. It’s a long, but thoughtful review in part of Paul Bloom’s book, How Pleasure Works.

Emory University studies chimpanzees to help learn when and how humans developed the valued empathy behavior. These nearest cousins of ours regularly sympathize and comfort members who have been victimized by aggression from others.  

Ever since South Carolina was placed on the terminally stupid state list, well we expect about anything. Senator DeMint, (the one running against the fake Democrat Greene, who barely knows that he lives in South Carolina), is helping out pal Sharron Angle ( the uber nut case running as an uber teabagger in Utah against Harry Reid), by getting the uber crazy right wing American Vision (who wants Merika governed by the bible as they interpret it), to help raise funds for said Angle’s campaign. Crazy is as crazy does.

Everybody knows that education in this country is pure crap. D-Cap via BMT makes a good case that it went off the trolley with the Reagan administration (you know the ONLY freakin’ Rethug administration in modern history that they can cling to [and they do] as something to tout?). He makes a good argument. Read Bob Bennett is a jackass.

Idiocy rules in Rethunglian land as we know. Butthead Joe Barton, (R-TX) saw fit to apologize to BP for the terrible treatment they had received at the hands of the Obama administration. Guess Joe figures the oil won’t come to Texas and that his constituency are unlike the rest of the Gulf residents who patently dispise the company. Par for the course since so many Rethuglicans are back to drill baby drill rhetoric. No shame and no brains. I simply cannot wait to see what kinds of money Barton gets from oil interests. Oops, gee. what a surprise. Turns out Barton gets more money from the oil industry THAN ANY OTHER HOUSE MEMBER. Read it!

Andrew Sullivan wrote a good piece on Obama and what he has done. Blame the media for focusing usually on the wrong stuff, and the progressives wanting too much, and the right just crying non-stop, Sullivan argues that Obama has and is taking the right tone and tack. See what you think.

For the first time, a significant Jewish history site, centering on Eastern Europe,  has been created. It is supposed to be friendly to both the casual reader and the reseacher and student alike. Take a look.

A commentor left a lovely link to a great article on Chance, Choice and God. A thoughtful post.

For chuckles, read Liberals Hate Palin Because She’s  Beautiful. The writer seriously claims that this is behind the media’s and general populations dislike of  the Palinator (that woman is an idiot). It’s kinda sad to think that conservative thinking is so shallow, and if you don’t believe me, read to the end and see that the author just wants to paint as “ugly” all liberal women. Dude you are so superficial it’s pathetic.

Best not to miss D-Caps great parody of our Sarah (that woman is an idiot) gettin’ in touch with the Prez with advice on how to handle the oil spill. Pricelessly hilarious as always.

hope you find sumpin’ to read here! lol…

Bookmark and Share

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

Who We Are

Thinking non-stop since April 15, 1950. We search for meaning amid the chaos.

Giggles

Laugh as Long as You Can

Subscribe

Subscribe in a reader

Donations Joyfully Accepted

Calendar

February 2023
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  
« Nov    

Follow Me!

Follow afeatheradrift on Twitter

Facebook

Sherry Peyton
Sherry Peyton
Create Your Badge

Words of Wisdom

The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die. ~~Sen. Edward M. Kennedy~~

Recent Posts

  • We moved to Blogger
  • Moving to Blogger
  • Christianist Doublespeak
  • Next Week I’m Gonna Start Biting People
  • Time to Report for Retirement
  • The Best Little Whorehouse in Boulder? Or How I Loved to Learn Republicanese Gangsta Style
  • The Power of the Post
  • The Exceptionalism of the United States of America
  • Can We Stop With the Illegals Shit?
  • I Laughed, I Cried, I Spat Epithets, I Chewed the Rug
  • *Temporarily Asphyxiated With Stupid
  • Are You Having Trouble Hearing? Or is That Gum in Your Ear?
  • Collecting Dust Bunnies Among the Stars
  • Millennial Falcon Returning From Hyperbole
  • Opening a Box of Spiders

A Second Blog

  • Extraordinary Words
  • What's on the Stove?

History Sources

  • Encyclopedia Romana

The Subjects of My Interest

Drop the I Word

We Support OWS

Archives

The Hobo Jesus

Jesushobo With much thanks to Tim
Site Meter

Integrity

Twitter Updates

  • @realDonaldTrump #YOUREFIRED 2 years ago
  • Tales From the Pandemic acrazyladyblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/09/tal… 2 years ago
  • @MarshaBlackburn Stop the racism trumpish cultist 2 years ago
  • @realDonaldTrump NEVER you asshat. We await your removal via straight jacket and handcuffs. 4 years ago
  • Melanie says women's claim of sexual assault not suff evidence,. Women's voices minimized. She's as sick as tRump.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 4 years ago

World Visitors

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Existential Ennui
    • Join 2,450 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Existential Ennui
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: