MY WRITING JOURNAL

Friday, September 3

Populist Press

Yesterday, I had my 6 month visit with my cardiologist and these visits are not just contingent upon my age but because in 2009/2010, I had 5 stents put into my heart arteries on the left side (3 in the LAD) to avoid having a triple bypass performed.

My Cardiologist suggested that I have a STRESS TEST to ascertain if my stents were still doing their job and/or if other blockages had formed that may be hindering my ability to perform physical tasks that I had previously attributed to my sedentary lifestyle resulting from constant fatigue as a result of my 13 year battle with cancer and on-going cancer treatments.

So... I have 20 days to prepare my body for this physical test that only lasts 6 minutes. But, since I have been sitting around for the last 6 months, I am not sure if I will have the physical strength to complete this test... so, a gradual build-up my my endurance will give me a slight advantage... at least I am hoping.

What saved my life in 2008 was the fact that I was healthy and tiny vessels to carry blood had been created by my own body to compensate for the blockages. For the last 13 years, I have continued with my healthy eating so I am hopeful that those tiny vessels are still there and are still operating effectively.

If my stress test shows no additional blockages, my Cardiologist only wanted to see me once a year, but I objected to that because of my ongoing battle with cancer and the fact that cancer treatments can impact the functionality of the heart... so, we agreed to continue our 6 month visits.

You have to take charge of your own healthcare sometimes and not always listen to these doctors...

Norway

Increase in Diabetes

Diabetes surged among American children, teens and adolescents to 2017, according to new federally-funded research spanning nearly 20 years finding a 45% increase in type 1 diagnoses, and a 95% growth in type 2 diagnoses.

"Increases in diabetes are always troubling – especially in youth. Rising rates of diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes, which is preventable, has the potential to create a cascade of poor health outcomes," Dr. Giuseppina Imperatore, chief of the Surveillance,

Epidemiology, Economics, and Statistics Branch in CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation, said in a statement issued Tuesday. "Compared to people who develop diabetes in adulthood, youth are more likely to develop diabetes complications at an earlier age and are at higher risk of premature death."

Findings published in JAMA on Tuesday indicated that Type 1 diabetes persists as the most common type of diabetes among U.S. youth. Results stemmed from an average of 3.5 million Americans under age 20 studied on a yearly basis from 2001 to 2017 across areas of California, Colorado, Ohio, South Carolina, Washington State, Arizona and Mexico.

Results indicated significant increases in type 1 diabetes among Americans 19 years or younger, from 1.48 per 1,000 young people to 2.15 per 1,000 by 2017, or a 45% increase over 16 years, whereas the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among kids aged 10-19 increased from 0.34 per 1,000 youths to 0.67 per 1,000 youths, or a 95.3% increase over 16 years.

Study authors noted no significant differences in the increases in diabetes prevalence across sexes.

The study found the largest increases in type 2 diabetes were among Black and Hispanic youth, with increases in the estimated prevalence of type 1 diabetes greatest among Black and White youths. Kids under age 9 with type 2 diabetes were excluded from the study due to small sample sizes.

Diabetes is a chronic health condition impacting how the body converts food into energy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease." READ MORE

Hurts So Good

Shorter Work Week

More than ever, workers want to work fewer hours, saying they can be just as effective in less time – and happier, too. They may be on to something.

We’re living in an age of radical transformation in the workplace. Options like all-remote or hybrid – which were completely unthinkable for most people just two years ago – are now becoming part of work mainstream.

The idea of shrinking the workweek is also gaining traction, particularly in light of recent examples of workforces who have successfully trialed a reduced-hours’ week.

A shorter workweek could take various forms. There’s the four-day week, where you reduce your working hours by 20%. There are different models; everyone at a company might take the same day off, or people chose the structure that works for them, like taking two afternoons off.

Or you might just reduce the workweek by a certain number of hours, from 40 down to 36, for example. A commonality across all models is that you’re not cramming your previous work span into a shorter timeframe, like working 40 hours in four days; you are removing a portion of your total work time for the week. Most importantly, salaries remain the same.

Experts and workers alike are debating the idea, because the pandemic has forced us to take a long, hard look at the modern workplace, and associated themes like work-life balance, mental health and worker flexibility.

Proponents argue that a reduced-hours working model can help address many current work negatives, making employees more productive, healthier and happier. READ MORE

Ridin' Cowboy

Edge of Seventeen

Forty years ago, Stevie Nicks struck out from Fleetwood Mac, launched a solo career – and created a truly iconic song in the process. Nick Levine explores its power and influence.

For even the greatest rock and pop stars, striking out from the band that made their name can be a major challenge – just witness Mick Jagger's solo career. But one musical legend who had no trouble asserting her independence is Stevie Nicks.

When she went solo in earnest 40 years ago, the woman who had been integral to Fleetwood Mac's transformation into the world's biggest band carved out an identity as a star in her own right. She didn't just make a chart-topping album, Bella Donna, but came up with a stunning anthem that only seems to grow more popular with age.

Edge of Seventeen wasn't the first or highest-charting single from Nicks' debut record Bella Donna. It was preceded by Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, a melodramatic collaboration with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Leather and Lace, a more delicate duet with the Eagles' Don Henley, both of which cracked the US top ten.

But more than any other Stevie Nicks solo moment, Edge of Seventeen has entranced subsequent generations and helped to define the singer's standing as a rock icon: not just as member of Fleetwood Mac, but as an artist in her own right.

It's a song that operates on several levels – at once an instant hit of rock drama and a heady meditation on death – and seems to yield something new every time you play it. Its distinctive 16th-note guitar riff – played by Waddy Wachtel, a legendary session musician who also worked with Cher and The Rolling Stones – remains electrifying every time you hear it. READ MORE

Summer

Thursday, September 2

Canada's Trudeau

Think About It

Thoughts and Feelings 4

Afghanistan Influences Asia & China

Like many across the world, millions in Asia have been shocked by the scenes of desperation coming out of Afghanistan - with some asking if America can still be trusted.

Last Sunday evening - just a week after the Afghan capital Kabul fell to the Taliban - US vice-president Kamala Harris landed in Singapore for the start of a whirlwind Asian tour.

She has since sought to smooth ruffled feathers by saying the region is a "top priority" for the US.

But is it enough to reassure those concerned in Asia? And can America fend off China's attempts to seize on what some say is a golden opportunity for anti-US propaganda?

Anxious murmurings
On Monday, Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong warned that many in the region were watching how the US repositions itself in the fallout of Afghanistan.

For two of America's biggest regional allies in particular, South Korea and Japan, public confidence in the US has largely been unaffected - but there have been anxious murmurings from some quarters.

Some conservatives have called for their militaries to be beefed up, arguing that they cannot fully trust in America's promise to back them up in a conflict.

The US presently has tens of thousands of troops stationed in both countries, but former president Donald Trump's America First foreign policy had strained relationships.

In an interview with ABC News last week, US President Joe Biden insisted there was a "fundamental difference" between Afghanistan and allies like South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, saying it was "not even comparable". READ MORE

Thoughts and Feelings 3

Tortoise Going in For The Kill

In what amounts to perhaps the most unhurried act of animal predation ever caught on camera, researchers have filmed for the first time a giant tortoise slowly – ever so slowly – closing in for the kill.

This drawn-out encounter – between a lumbering, almost leisurely giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) and its grounded bird prey – is gruesome to watch. But it's also entirely transfixing.

After all, we've never seen a tortoise 'hunt' anything before. Who knew these dawdling giants had it in them?

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing," says biologist Justin Gerlach from the University of

Cambridge. "It was horrifying and amazing at the same time."

The footage, captured on Frégate Island in the Seychelles archipelago, shows a female giant tortoise slowly pursuing a flightless lesser noddy tern (Anous tenuirostris) chick.

In a new study describing the encounter – said to be the "first documented observation of a tortoise deliberately attacking and consuming another animal" – the researchers indicate the hunt lasted seven minutes in total, including a passage where the tortoise pursued the chick along the top of a log.

The video – captured by Anna Zora, deputy conservation and sustainability manager with the Frégate Island Foundation – lasts for only a fraction of that, but it's enough to unequivocally show a deliberate, calculated attack on the part of the tortoise. READ MORE

Thoughts and Feelings 2

Living A Good Life

What does a good life look like to you? For some, the phrase may conjure up images of a close-knit family, a steady job, and a Victorian house at the end of a street arched with oak trees. Others may focus on the goal of making a difference in the world, whether by working as a nurse or teacher, volunteering, or pouring their energy into environmental activism.

According to Aristotlean theory, the first kind of life would be classified as “hedonic”—one based on pleasure, comfort, stability, and strong social relationships. The second is “eudaimonic,” primarily concerned with the sense of purpose and fulfillment one gets by contributing to the greater good. The ancient Greek philosopher outlined these ideas in his treatise Nicomachean Ethics, and the psychological sciences have pretty much stuck them ever since when discussing the possibilities of what people might want out of their time on Earth.

But a new paper, published in the American Psychological Association’s Psychological Review, suggests there’s a another way to live a good life. It isn’t focused on happiness or purpose, but rather it’s a life that’s “psychologically rich.”

An interesting and varied life
What is a psychologically rich life? According to authors Shige Oishi, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, and Erin Westgate, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Florida, it’s one characterized by “interesting experiences in which novelty and/or complexity are accompanied by profound changes in perspective.” READ MORE

Thoughts and Feelings 1

Wednesday, September 1

Bill Maher on Afghanistan

Blamin' Biden

TO BLAME means to assign the responsibility to something or someone...

Our current President of the United States wants to blame everyone elsefor his failure of departure in Afghanistan but himself... even though he has been quoted as saying, "the buck stops here..."

YES... it is true that the State Department SCREWED UP

YES... it is true that Military Intelligence SCREWED UP

YES... it is true that the CIA Intelligence SCREWED UP

YES... it is true that our Afghanistan Partners SCREWED UP

BUT... the fact remains that our COMMANDER-in-CHIEF, who is the President of the USA, is ultimately responsible for EVERYTHING that happens on HIS or HER WATCH...

Not only is our current president responsible for the 13 American lives that were lost as the military was trying to evacuate Afghanistan, but our current president is responsible for the LOSS IN AMERICAN CONFIDENCE by all of the world leaders, especially Great Britain whose PARLIMENT unamiously voted NOT TO SUPPORT any further military operations with AMERICA as long as JOE BIDEN was president...

What an INSULT to America...

MORE IMPORTANTLY... what message did our current president send to other world leaders who are not friendly with us... like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, India, etc... what impression do they have of AMERICA NOW?

I don't give a damn if a Republican or a Democrat is President because since 1960 nothing has really changed in the US of A and we have had many Presidents... but, what I do care about is how the rest of the world perceives us as a GLOBAL LEADER...

Additionally, our global image and poor economic growth could cause the IMF (International Monetary Fund) to change the global currency of trade from the US dollar to the Chinese YUAN...

China's economy is growing faster than our economy

China's military is larger than our military

China's navy is larger than our navy

China's technology is growing faster than our technology

China owns 1/3 of all US National Debt

Our current President has laid the foundation for the USA to lose its global leadership status and respect...

OH YEAH.... forgot to mention that Afghanistan is THE NUMBER ONE BREEDING GROUND FOR TERRORISTS...

Not Taught In Public Schools

Three Laughs

Tony Says

Hawking's Black Holes Paradox

Netta Engelhardt puzzles over the fates of black holes in her office at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1974, Stephen Hawking calculated that black holes’ secrets die with them. Random quantum jitter on the spherical outer boundary, or “event horizon,” of a black hole will cause the hole to radiate particles and slowly shrink to nothing. Any record of the star whose violent contraction formed the black hole — and whatever else got swallowed up after — then seemed to be permanently lost.

Hawking’s calculation posed a paradox — the infamous “black hole information paradox” — that has motivated research in fundamental physics ever since. On the one hand, quantum mechanics, the rulebook for particles, says that information about particles’ past states gets carried forward as they evolve — a bedrock principle called “unitarity.”

But black holes take their cues from general relativity, the theory that space and time form a bendy fabric and gravity is the fabric’s curves. Hawking had tried to apply quantum mechanics to particles near a black hole’s periphery, and saw unitarity break down.

So do evaporating black holes really destroy information, meaning unitarity is not a true principle of nature? Or does information escape as a black hole evaporates? Solving the information paradox quickly came to be seen as a route to discovering the true, quantum theory of gravity, which general relativity approximates well everywhere except black holes.

In the past two years, a network of quantum gravity theorists, mostly millennials, has made enormous progress on Hawking’s paradox. One of the leading researchers is Netta Engelhardt, a 32-year-old theoretical physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

She and her colleagues have completed a new calculation that corrects Hawking’s 1974 formula; theirs indicates that information does, in fact, escape black holes via their radiation. She and Aron Wall identified an invisible surface that lies inside a black hole’s event horizon, called the “quantum extremal surface.”

In 2019, Engelhardt and others showed that this surface seems to encode the amount of information that has radiated away from the black hole, evolving over the hole’s lifetime exactly as expected if information escapes. READ MORE

Photographer

Magnetic Fields Singing

Our planet’s magnetic field is “singing.” The European Space Agency just released a recording of the frequencies generated as a solar storm collided with Earth’s magnetic field. It was released alongside new findings published in Geophysical Research Letters this week.

What is it? Solar storms are the eruption of electrically charged particles ejected from the sun. When those particles reach Earth, they come into contact with the planet’s magnetic field. The first region of the magnetic field they hit is called the foreshock. The interactions of the particles with the foreshock causes the release of complex magnetic waves.

How was it recorded? ESA’s Cluster mission was able to record these magnetic waves as they scatter into higher frequencies. When scientists covert these frequencies into audible signals, the result is the ghostly sound that you can hear below. When there are no solar particles to contend with, these magnetic waves oscillate on a single frequency and so would convert into a very different, mellower “song.”

Cluster (technically Cluster II, as the first mission was lost in a launch failure) is a set of four spacecraft launched in 2000 and positioned out in Earth’s magnetosphere to study its interaction with solar wind. The spacecraft regularly venture out into the foreshock. The new findings and recordings were made from an analysis of data collected during six solar storm collisions observed from 2001 to 2005.

So what? Earth’s magnetic field is the planet’s primary line of defense against harmful solar activity that could knock out many orbital and terrestrial instruments and power grids. The authors of the latest study used computer simulations created by a model called Vlasiator to illustrate how changes in the foreshock affects how the energy generated by solar storm interactions propagates down to Earth.

As it turns out, the disturbances felt at the foreshock are much more complex than the research team anticipated, presenting another uncertainty that could affect how we forecast potential space weather threats. As usual, we need better data. Turns out these eerie recordings are less a novelty soundtrack and more an urgent alarm for us to do more to study these processes.

COVID vs VOTING

A Colonizing Space Mindset

An artist’s rendition of a future space colony. Credit: Shutterstock

It was a time of political uncertainty, cultural conflict and social change. Private ventures exploited technological advances and natural resources, generating unprecedented fortunes while wreaking havoc on local communities and environments. The working poor crowded cities, spurring property-holders to develop increased surveillance and incarceration regimes. Rural areas lay desolate, buildings vacant, churches empty—the stuff of moralistic elegies.

Epidemics raged, forcing quarantines in the ports and lockdowns in the streets. Mortality data was the stuff of weekly news and commentary.

Depending on the perspective, mobility—chosen or compelled—was either the cause or the consequence of general disorder. Uncontrolled mobility was associated with political instability, moral degeneracy and social breakdown. However, one form of planned mobility promised to solve these problems: colonization.

Europe and its former empires have changed a lot since the 17th century. But the persistence of colonialism as a supposed panacea suggests we are not as far from the early modern period as we think.

Colonial promise of limitless growth
Seventeenth-century colonial schemes involved plantations around the Atlantic, and motivations that now sound archaic. Advocates of expansion such as the English writer Richard Hakluyt, whose Discourse of Western Planting (1584) outlined the benefits of empire for Queen Elizabeth: the colonization of the New World would prevent Spanish Catholic hegemony and provide a chance to claim Indigenous souls for Protestantism. READ MORE