The Ban on Plastic Grocery Bags

Plastic bags haven’t been banned yet where I live.  However, my favorite grocery store recently eliminated single use bags.  Other stores in my area have imposed the 10 cent per bag fee.

When the bags were free, I’d use them to line my kitchen garbage can and collect waste from the cat boxes.  Now that I don’t get them, I’ve resorted to buying plastic bags for the garbage can.  (Interestingly, the bags I now buy cost $2 for a box of twenty, or 10 cents per bag, the same as the verboten grocery bag.)  As for the cat waste, I’ve found that both newspaper bags and produce bags (which are still free) work well enough for this.

According to Wikipedia, an organization has formed to lobby against bans on plastic bags.

It all seems so senseless to me.  Is there really a good alternative to plastic bags for kitchen waste?  What else would you use to contain used coffee filters, spoiled food, and grease-soaked paper towels?  Would you expect a paper bag to remain intact long enough to be carried out to a receptacle at the curb?

Or perhaps I’ve overestimated human efficiency and resourcefulness.  Maybe I’m part of a very small minority that now has to buy the same number of bags that I used to get for free.  Maybe all along most folks have been buying garbage bags and would just fling the free grocery bags out a window when they got home.

I think a more ingenious solution would’ve been to somehow mark each dispensed bag with a means to identify the person who received it.  Then when it’s eventually removed from where it was snagged in a tree, officials would know whose bag it was and levy a penalty against that person.

Well, in fact, these bags do have identifiers.  But of course they don’t identify the bag recipient; they identify the manufacturer.  If the plastic industry wants to continue manufacturing the bags, and consumers want to continue using them, why bother to fight them?  Just levy penalties against the manufacturers whose bags are found littering the environment.

What do you think?

#NaBloPoMo2019

Dear APA -- Let's Rethink ADD

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. (Attributed to Albert Einstein by author Matthew Kelly)

This is an open letter to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which came up with the term “Attention Deficit Disorder”...

How dare you!  I see myself as Perception Enhanced.  You so-called normal people have a deficit.  I can’t imagine how you can endure such a severely filtered experience.

My inability to block out distraction is my Superpower.  While I might not catch every word said to me in a conversation, I’ve listened to five other simultaneous conversations and determined that the car trouble that the woman is describing is probably due to a clogged fuel filter.  I’m referring to the woman in the red dress who’s standing by the window who’s been nursing the same drink for 45 minutes.

Also I’ve been hearing excess noise from the vacuum pump in the factory.  It sounds like the bearings are wearing out.  It’s been getting progressively worse over the last few weeks.  Why doesn’t anyone else know about it?

I’m wondering which of my idiot coworkers put the toaster oven right under the paper towel dispenser.  It’s an obvious safety hazard!

As well, why is the clock on the fax machine 1 hour 15 minutes ahead?  I can understand how it can be exactly 1 hour ahead as we’ve switched away from Daylight Savings Time 8 weeks ago.

What if Perception Enhanced individuals were in the majority?  You APA folks who are Perception Deficient would have to live in our world.  Suppose I were your boss: “Why didn’t you advise that woman to have her car’s fuel filter checked?  Why didn’t you have the pump serviced before it failed?  Didn’t you notice the sound it was making?  Relocate that toaster oven before it starts a fire!  Why haven't you fixed the clock on this fax machine yet?”

Anyway APA, instead putting so much energy into devising derogatory terms for us, tweaking diagnostic criteria, and developing treatments and therapies, you should direct most of your resources into changing society.  Promote acceptance of Perception Enhanced people and help us find ways to be rewarded for our strengths.

Can't Get Here From There

Whenever I hear journalists discuss Syrian refugees, they usually mention how Turkey and Greece are overwhelmed by the huge number of people, followed by a plea for cities in Europe and USA and even Australia to allow more immigrants.  But I never hear about refugees going to the wealthy middle eastern states of Saudi Arabia (20.5), Qatar (73.7), Kuwait (29.3), UAE (40.4)¹.  Why?  A busload of Syrians can travel from Aleppo to Riyadh in less than one day.

It makes me think the “Muslim Invasion Theory” is real.

Distance from Aleppo to Riyadh: 1570km (20.5)
Distance from Aleppo to New York City: 9000km (56.1)
Distance from Aleppo to Paris: 3145km (36.4)

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¹The numbers in parentheses are the GDPs per capita in thousands of US dollars of the respective countries, according to the World Bank: http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD

Alternate Advice

I read the “Ask Amy” advice column nearly every day.  Yesterday's column kept gnawing at me to respond with “Alternate Advice.”  Let's start with the letter from the advice seeker:

Dear Amy: My wife and I love the beach. We walk on the beach, kayak and picnic, and in the summer we swim. 

When it's hot, and the beach is crowded, my wife invariably asks me, "Are you checking out that girl in the bikini?"

I always say no, which is a lie she sees right through. An argument ensues, dampening our otherwise beautiful day.

I am in my 50s. I have no delusions of long-term futures with young girls (or anyone else) on the beach, but I love to look at attractive females. I try, apparently unsuccessfully, to be discreet, but my natural instinct is to stand and applaud. I know I sound like a dirty old man, but I doubt I am alone.

So, how can I be honest and not hurt my wife? And can we still go to the beach?
-- Lying on the Beach

This would be my response:

Dear Lying: You're not alone.  First, get a pair of dark, wrap-around sunglasses.  A hat is not enough to protect your eyes from the sun, a lot of which is reflected off the water and sand.  Plus, they'll afford you some privacy from your creepy wife.

Yes, I think your wife is creepy.  Here's a woman who, situated in a relaxing natural environment, is too obsessed with what you're thinking to pay much attention to the limitless sand and surf, the sea breeze, the variety of people.  This tells me that she is way too insecure or she wants to pick a fight with you. 

Here's how I would react.  First I would blatantly admit (without being defensive) that I was checking out the girl in the bikini.  Then I'd follow up with one or more of the following (or something similar): 

“That polka dot bikini she's wearing reminds me of that old song....” (1) And then I'd start to sing the song.

“I wonder if Tommy Hilfiger carries around a bag with her name on it.” 

“Doesn't she work at the library/coffee shop/drug store/church?” 

“Don't get jealous.  She's not at all my type – she's just too old.” 

But then it's important to follow up with, “Why do you ask?”  Not gruffly, or with an annoyed tone, or as a “piss-off” type of reprimand.  Ask with genuine concern.  Because it's a very good question.  Why is she so tuned in to you in this wonderful environment? 

And what's so bad about looking at a woman who is essentially walking around in brightly-colored underwear, which is precisely what a two-piece bathing suit is? 

If your wife's erratic behavior continues or gets worse, mention this to her primary care doctor.  She might need the help of an endocrinologist to treat the effects of menopause, or a mental health professional to deal with insecurity. 

Note that while I'm siding with you, it's under the assumption that:

1. You're only looking and not actually standing and applauding, nor are you fondling yourself, or whistling, or making lewd comments like, “Ooo, what a piece of ass...”
2. You're not checking out young girls but rather young women.

(1) Don't try this on a nude beach.

Here's the advice seeker's letter but with some minor changes:

Dear Amy: My husband and I love the beach. We walk on the beach, kayak and picnic, and in the summer we swim. 

When it's hot, and the beach is crowded, my husband invariably asks me, "Are you checking out that guy in the Speedo?" 

I always say no, which is a lie he sees right through. An argument ensues, dampening our otherwise beautiful day. 

I am in my 50s. I have no delusions of long-term futures with young guys (or anyone else) on the beach, but I love to look at well-built men. I try, apparently unsuccessfully, to be discreet, but my natural instinct is to stand and applaud. I know I sound like a cougar, but I doubt I am alone. 

So, how can I be honest and not hurt my husband? And can we still go to the beach? 

-- Lying on the Beach

In this version of the letter, the husband sounds jealous and maybe a bit possessive and scary.  The first step on the road to being a victim of spousal abuse is to rearrange your thinking and behavior to placate your partner, even if you've done nothing wrong.

Ms. Dickinson's response seemed to imply that the husband was actually standing up and applauding.  She writes, "All 'attractive females' know when they're being checked out. Some may enjoy the attention, but even if they do, the last thing they want on their day at the beach is a round of applause from you."  [My emphasis]  And the title of the web page is "Man at the beach gives bikinis a round of applause."  Huh?

The page also features a video with the caption, "Sexually objectifying girls and women leads to aggression toward them, a recent study has found."  Amy, I look at attractive things -- artwork, flowers, cars, architecture, and, yes, women.  It doesn't mean I want to have sex with them.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/askamy/ct-ask-amy-ae-0425-20170425-column.html

Chanting for World Peace and Happiness

If you've ever thought about praying for world peace or happiness, today of all days would be a good day to start.

Below is a link to a page with videos that describe one Buddhist practice of chanting.

Please try it.  Or pray in your own way.  Everyone's contribution counts!

http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/beginnersresources/howtochant.php

Post Election Speech

Many friends and relatives, both online and in real life, are upset, stunned, ashamed, worried, etc. about the results of yesterday's election. Their reactions are extreme in some cases.

One loved one exclaimed, "Don't say to me to relax, take a deep breath, everyone's gonna be alright...":

But we do need to relax; we do need to breathe. However we should not be complacent and assume that everything will work out.  We must work hard to tip the scales back toward love and compassion.  Treat all humanity with respect and honor.  All life is precious.

As an artist / engineer, I can do this.  I think you can, too. A difficult challenge has been set before us, and we will "up our game" to meet and exceed this challenge.  Be positive.  Be a beacon of light and hope.  Only then will everything be alright.

Peace and love to you all!

When Do You Use "We"?

"What do guys see in her?" my wife might ask about any of her friends.

This is obviously treading dangerously into "Does this make me look fat?" territory.  The best response is to shrug an "I dunno" back with a slightly dumbfounded look.  But not too dumbfounded, because, after all, the discussion is about one of my wife's friends.

But in my mind, the answers come easily, "They see a tight ass," or "They'll go after anything in a skirt," or "She looks easy."  Notice that I use the pronoun "They" not "We," even in the privacy of my compartmentalized mind.  But I'm a guy, so why don't I say "We" as in "We see a tight ass?"  Because let's face it, I do like a tight ass.

The reason is that the question, "What does guys see in her?" is subtly loaded with loathing.  It's like asking, "Why do [disgusting] dogs like to roll in shit?"  "Because, my dear, we like tight shit." "I dunno."

Even for neutral questions, I might hesitate to use "We" at least until I'm comfortable with the direction  a discussion is taking.  Consider this exchange:

"Why do engineers always talk about their gadgets at parties?"

"I dunno"

"I mean there's so much to talk about: the latest movies; the weather; the upcoming election..."

"Well I guess it's because they think gadgets are cool."

"Gosh if you've seen one gadget, you've seen them all."

"Oh, but we understand the technology behind them."


The biggest reason I avoid using "We" is because I don't feel I belong to any group.   A quiet sense of alienation has followed me around like a shadow all my life.  I've always felt like an outsider, an imposter, to the human race.

What about you?  When do you use "We?"

Handicapped / Reserved Parking Signs

If this news item about the petition to change handicapped parking signs came out in April, I would've assumed it was an April Fool's prank.  Instead, the month was September, which is nearly as far away from April as it's possible to get.

I'm not opposed to the message that disabled individuals are active and capable members of society.  The problem that I have is that it fails to address the bigger issue with the public, which is that they're mostly unaware of (and somewhat intolerant of) people with "invisible" disabilities.  The common view is that if you don't have a wheelchair, crutch or cane, then you don't need to (or shouldn't) park in a reserved spot.  The assumption is that such people are privileged folks who obtained their signs illegally or under false pretenses.

But people with chronic fatigue, lupus, multiple sclerosis and many other conditions, often appear whole and able-bodied.  Maybe their affliction is in remission.  But it could come back at any moment.

I'm not disabled but my wife is, so we have a placard that entitles us to park in handicapped parking spots.  There are times that I'll be alone in the car and park in the handicapped spot in order to pick up or drop off my wife.  Anyone who sees me do this would wonder why I need to park there.

We don't drive with the placard in place.  There have been times that we've parked in a handicapped spot and forgot to hang the placard from the rear-view window.  Surprisingly we never got a ticket for doing that.

Here's a link to the "position paper" published by The Arc of the Farmington Valley, Inc. 

What do you think of the new sign?

That Twee Thing

Tuesday's Colin McEnroe show on "Twee" whisked me all the way from "What on Earth are they babbling about?" to "Oh my Gosh I LOVE TWEE!" before it ended.  Mr. McEnroe often takes on important and controversial issues.  So devoting the entire show on something called "Twee" must mean that "Twee" is important, right?

But in the beginning it really didn't seem so important after all, as they struggled to define the term.  The thing that caught my attention was a person called "Zooey Deschanel" whom I've never heard of before.  They'd repeat her name, Zooey Deschanel said this, Zooey Deschanel did that.  And all this in the context of this "attitude" called "Twee".  I was so intrigued that I actually picked up my Android tablet and used Google's voice search to find out "Who is Zooey Deschanel?"

I saw several images of the beautiful entertainer / actress, plus a list of TV shows and movies that she performed in, almost all of which I'd never seen or even heard of.  The only movie that I was familiar with was one of my all-time favorite movies, "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."  Yes, Zooey Deschanel played the role of Trillian, whom I'd wistfully imagine asking me to go to Madagascar with her.  "Yes, of course, I'd love to!" was always my reply.

My favorite scene is the one in which Zooey shoots Zaphod with the Point-of-View Gun.  Of course, it's so much better when viewed in context with the story line.

When I connected Twee, Zooey Deschanel and the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" movie, it helped me define and pinpoint that movie, and how its tone differed so much from the books in Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's" series.  Yes, while the books depicted the Universe (or at least the Galaxy) as a harsh and unforgiving place in which if anything could go wrong it would go wrong at the worst possible moment, the movie was Twee, wasn't it?  It was a place where torture involved having to listen to really bad poetry.  It was a place where the zots from numerous Vogons' guns couldn't possibly hit you because the Vogons were such poor marks-creatures and their firearms so cheaply made.  It was a place where, if your house got bulldozed to make way for a bypass on a planet that was demolished to make way for a hyperspace bypass, someone would come along and make exact replicas of both.

Wow.  Twee.  I love it!

Ebola, Science and Civil Rights

Should all people who enter the USA from Ebola-stricken countries be quarantined?

Maine resident Kaci Hickox returned to the US after caring for Ebola patients as a nurse in West Africa.  She arrived in New Jersey, and she was detained in a tent under strict quarantine, even though she had no symptoms.  New Jersey allows its own healthy residents to self-monitor for symptoms of Ebola, but the state's officials didn't know what to do with Kaci.  All this despite scientific evidence that Ebola spreads only when the infected person experiences symptoms, such as a fever and body aches.

Now Kaci is back home in Maine and remains healthy.  As a nurse who fought to contain the deadly virus, can she not be trusted to self-monitor and report for medical treatment at the appropriate time?  Some people don't think so.

There are some US politicians who would impose a travel ban on West African countries.  Those who disagree say that such a ban could be circumvented.  They say that infected individuals could arrive here indirectly, so it would be better to permit them to travel normally and simply monitor them.

It almost seems reasonable to me to give the Ebola medical volunteers complete freedom to travel, provided they monitor themselves for symptoms and maintain a record of their contacts and activities.  What do I mean by “almost”?

“Almost” means that I'm not 100% certain that these volunteers are unable to transmit Ebola when they are asymptomatic.  Basically, I don't trust science.  Science lives by its data.  If it lacks data, or if the data shows poor correlation between Thing A and Thing B, it will announce that there's no evidence that Thing A causes Thing B.

Correlation is wishy-washy.  A study could show poor correlation between Thing A and Thing B even if one instance of Thing A was “well associated” with Thing B when 99 others weren't.  That one data point might be considered an outlier and discarded.

Thus when a so-called medical expert recently claimed that there's no evidence that someone with no symptoms can spread Ebola, and that Ebola is spread only through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, I became suspicious.  To believe in this claim, I'd need to read the study, look at the data, understand the limitations of the measurement system, etc.

I'd want to know why science was unable to find evidence.  And yet science seems to be unable to explain how other seemingly well-equipped medical volunteers became infected.

Bodily fluids can be coughed into the air and sneezed onto a surface, and then you and I could come into contact with it.  Science might claim that it's unlikely that we'd catch Ebola this way.  But not impossible.

What do you think?

No More Tobacco at CVS

CVS pharmacy recently announced that it intends to stop selling cigarettes starting October 1, 2014¹.  This announcement comes out just over fifty years after the US Surgeon General released its report that linked smoking with disease².

A pharmacy is a place where people who are sick obtain products that are supposed to make them well.  So it's ironic that pharmacies also sell products that are known to make you unwell.

Tobacco is just one example of such a product.  But consider sugar.  Although the Surgeon General hasn't mandated the labeling of sugar-laden products with health warnings, it does state that "...eating healthy means ... limiting intake of ... added sugars."³

Sugar can be found in some form in every drug store.  It's in the candy isle, of course.  And in the soda aisle.  Some larger stores might harbor it in the freezer case in the form of ice cream and other frozen desserts.  Then of course the seasonal isle erupts with candy right after Labor Day with Halloween candy, which transforms into Christmas candy on November 1, then into Valentine's candy in January, and ultimately appears in a majestic fanfare as Easter candy at various times in Spring.  Come Memorial Day, sugar goes on a much needed vacation, at least until it becomes fashionable to eat candy for Independence Day.

Eventually CVS will find it necessary to eliminate candy from its stores once it realizes that selling candy "...is inconsistent with our purpose – helping people on their path to better health."¹  It might take CVS another fifty years to reach that conclusion, although without the profits from tobacco sales to keep it afloat, CVS might not be around that long.

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¹ https://cvshealth.com/newsroom/press-releases/cvs-caremark-stop-selling-tobacco-all-cvspharmacy-locations
² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179276/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK179276.pdf
³ https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/eat-healthy/dietary-guidelines-for-americans/index.html

2020-02-29 SPG -- Updated broken links in footnotes.

The Right to Drive

The mantra of the typical instructor of a driver's education class is, "Driving is a privilege, not a right."

While that may be true, it's a mistake.  The US constitution guarantees our right to "bear arms."  Yet it has no say in the matter of personal transportation.

Frankly, the fault lies with the men who wrote the Unites States constitution, those anarchists / terrorists, who were more concerned about defending themselves against an all-powerful government than with commuting back and forth to work every work day.

Today a typical American has less of a need to use a gun than to drive a car.  In 2009, 209 million Americans had a driver's license¹, while in 2010 only 32 percent of the 115 million households (36.8 million) harbored at least one firearm^2,3.

We've been driving for over a century.  It's time that the constitution caught up with us.

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¹U.S. Car Fleet Shrank by Four Million in 2009 - After a Century of Growth, U.S. Fleet Entering Era of Decline, by Lester R. Brown, January 06, 2010

²How Many People Own Guns in America? And Is Gun Ownership Actually Declining?, by Madeleine Morgenstern, March 19, 2013

³Total Number of U.S. Households, Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Research Date: 10.27.2012

Minefield in the Cafeteria

My workplace is a minefield of diet booby traps.

Each month, the company brings in a large birthday cake to celebrate that month's birthdays.  The cake arrives at the cafeteria in time for the 10am break.  I can resist it at that time.  But if there's still some left at 4pm, it's difficult to ignore.

The cake isn't as bad as the various surprise treats that sometimes appear.  When I know the cake is there, I can prepare myself to resist it or avoid the cafeteria altogether if necessary.  But an unexpected box of donuts, French pastry or home made fudge all bypass the more evolved portion of my brain, stimulating the reptilian brain into reflex action.  My hand darts out like the sticky tongue of a frog¹, and before I know it there's a morsel in my hand.

Coffee is like that, too.  Coffee causes fluctuations in my blood sugar, and it increases stomach acid, so I need to avoid it.  But it's in the cafeteria, too, just eying me in the sultry way of a temptress who knows the secrets of pleasure.  Even when I go to the cafeteria to get hot water for tea, I'll change my mind and take coffee instead if it's strong and freshly made.

An increasing number of employees are playing the hospitality game.  They display dishes of candies in their offices or on a central table in their departments.  The sales people are the worst -- they're so darned people-oriented.  Which is why I like to stay in the engineering department.  Food doesn't move,  or make a cool noise, or feature flashing lights, so it doesn't adorn our department.

Actually I tried maintaining a candy dish.  The hard candies were so unpopular, they started to undergo desication, so I had to discard them.  But the chocolate is both popular and tempting.  Unless my coworkers beat me to it, I'll finish it off myself after a few days.  It got to be expensive after several weeks, especially since I buy the higher-end stuff -- individually wrapped pieces from Dove or Hershey Bliss.  Even Hershey Kisses would be too low-end for my dish.

Yesterday was the day after Halloween, so I expected candy to be everywhere.  But I was disappointed surprised to find very little candy.  What little there was was the incredibly cheap stuff, like the obligatory mints you might find in a bowl on the way out from low-end diner, except sour and wrapped in faded paper.  They come with a small axe and a sign that says, "Break open in case of low blood sugar."

Is there a point to this post?  Yes.  It is, in fact, a rant against a society that fails to recognize food addiction.  You won't find cigarettes, alcohol or opium in the work place.  They're not even advertised in newspapers.  Why?  Because they're addictive.  But nobody considers food and beverages to be addictive, so those of us who struggle with food addiction have no respite.

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¹ Yes, I know that frogs are not reptiles, thank you.

Water

It's an unusually hot day here in New England.  We scramble off to run our errands, always remembering to bring our water bottles.

Thirty or more years ago, we never worried about water.  But today we stock up on cases of bottled water, or we tote with us stainless steel or plastic bottles to refill.  Even my camera bag has an outer pocket specifically designed for a water bottle.

I remember the period in the late 1970s in which bottled water emerged.  It was Perrier that started advertising on television.  I don't remember their commercials, but I do remember Robin Williams' comedy routine in which he satirizes them.  (Captured on "Reality, What a Concept.")  "When I want to blow a dollar on a bottle of water, I buy Perrier."  Then there was Saturday Night Live's skit, which I cannot even find the words to describe.  They were funny because back then nobody drank water -- it was something you mostly watered plants with, or washed the car with, or peed in and then flushed.  And it was free.  Paying a company to bottle it for you so you could drink it was bizarre.

I remember being thirsty when I was a boy.  There was the time I was at summer camp, confined to the gym and forbidden from going into the hall to drink from the water fountain.  I pleaded for a drink and the camp counselor pointed to a crowd of boys in a corner.  As I got closer I saw a sweaty boy sucking from a half gallon bottle of Pepsi, the other boys begging for him to share.  I was grossed out.

Another time was during a car ride with my mother who was running errands.  I kept saying, "I'm thirsty.  I'm thirsty!"  When she stopped to pay a bill at the dentist, I was filled with hope.  I asked her to get me a little paper cup of water.  But she came out empty-handed.  Not many cars had air conditioning back then.  Ours certainly didn't.  And its interior was black.

At the half-times of soccer games, we'd get sections of oranges to refresh us.  Sometimes there was a two-gallon cooler of water for the whole team to share.  But at the end of one soccer game, I remember being driven to drink from a nearby stream.  "Are you crazy?  People pee in that stream!" they all said.  I didn't care.  But my father shook his head solemnly and gave me one of his looks.

Maybe all these memories of thirst are fueling our current obsession with water.  What are your memories of thirst?

Expectations

I wasn't really aware of expectations until I heard a sermon from our Pastor recently.  He started to talk about his expectations of the worship experience.  He said that he expected love, forgiveness, inspiration and healing from G-d¹.  All of this was in stark contrast to my expectations -- I had virtually none.

Well, I had the most basic expectations.  I would participate in a worship ritual that would involve standing, sitting, and kneeling; speaking, singing and listening; learning, day dreaming, and socializing.  I expected nothing from G-d -- I never do.  He/She/It is this pervasive presence that simply exists out there, like air, sunlight and gravity.  I expect nothing ever from It, except that It Will Always Be There.

Expecting nothing from G-d isn't really a bad thing, actually.  I used expect scrutiny, criticism and punishment.  I spent several long years healing myself of those expectations.

I thought about Pastor's and my expectations often throughout the service and afterward.  I realized that the Pastor's expectations focused solely on what he expected to receive from the situation, whereas mine were mostly centered on what I was supposed to offer.

I need to psyche myself up for worship.  I have to "shake my sillies out" so that I can pretend to act reserved and normal, not contentious and weird.  For example, I expect that when the Pastor talks about some supernatural experience that a prophet supposedly experienced, I will have to suppress the urge to stand up and say, "Don't you think that Ezekiel had eaten something hallucinogenic to see that?"

Expecting to get something from every situation -- that's a Me-generation thing, isn't it?  It's like asking or thinking "What's in it for me?" all the time, don't you think?  Does everyone think this way?

Try this: go into the next situation expecting to give something.  It could be a trip to the store, a coffee date with a friend, a meeting at work.

At the store, don't think "I'm going to get everything I need on sale."  Think instead, "I'm going to help someone reach for a product on a high shelf."

At the coffee date, don't think, "I expect sympathy from my friend when I tell her about what my fool of a husband said to me last week."  Think instead, "I expect to say or do something that will deepen our friendship."

At the meeting, don't think, "I'm going to show off so that I can finally get a raise."  Think instead, "I will mention how hard my coworker worked to get his project to me on time and in perfect form."

Try just for today, just for the next hour even, to expect to make the world and the people in it better.

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¹Here I avoid referring to the deity by name in respect of the Jewish custom, even though I am Christian (or at least I started out that way).

Is It Selfish To Choose A Life Without Prescribed Medications?

This is in response to the post on Blogher, "Is It Selfish To Choose A Life Without Prescribed Medications?" as well as some of the comments that follow it.

Consider the following scenario:
An individual with a history of allergies, including cat dander, has been prescribed two different inhalers to control asthma.  The patient has also reported effects from eating certain foods, but the allergist refuses to test for food-related allergens.  The patient pays attention to the effects of foods on his own.  After a few years of conscientiously using the inhalers, the patient finds out about a Naturopathic Doctor who has been able to "cure" patients of their allergies.  After consulting with this new doctor, the patient undergoes the recommended diet plan and supplement schedule.  After only one week, the allergy symptoms have improved remarkably.  About six months later, a cat is introduced into the household with no adverse effects.  A few years go by with good results except for some difficultly breathing in the fall when not adhering to the diet.  The patient now shares a home with four cats and one dog.  One fall day, the patient is working outside in the yard and inadvertently inhales a dense cloud of dust from a moldy pile of grass clippings.  Later that night, his breathing is labored even though he self-medicates with Benedryl and Sudafed.  Finding no over-the-counter rescue inhaler, he decides to go to the walk-in clinic for a breathing treatment.

Should the insurance company pay for the breathing treatment?  One could argue that if the patient had been taking the prescribed medication, the breathing treatment would be unnecessary.  Another could argue that by carefully seeking alternative treatment, including diet changes, the patient has saved the insurance company the cost of years of medication, which more than offsets the cost of this one treatment.  Who's right?

How about this:
At a wellness visit, a primary care physician advises his otherwise healthy 35-year-old patient of "dangerously" high cholesterol.  The patient says he will alter his diet in order to try to reduce it.  At the next visit, the doctor finds that the cholesterol has lowered several points but is still way above the upper limit of 200.  The patient agrees to take a statin drug to lower the number.  After three months, the patient's cholesterol has been lowered successfully, but liver enzymes are off, so the doctor adjusts the medication.  After one more adjustment, the blood tests indicate an acceptable level of both cholesterol and liver enzymes.  After a few years, the patient seeks the advice of a Naturopathic Doctor for fatigue, brain fog, weight gain and increased appetite.  The doctor implicates metabolic syndrome (the patient does have a family history of diabetes) and suggests that the patient discontinue the statin medication, which can result in insulin resistance as well as  weak and damaged muscles (including the heart muscle) even though blood tests do not show the damage.  The patient goes on a special lo-carb, anti-inflammatory diet as advised by the doctor.  The diet is intended to address the fatigue and brain fog, but because it will promote a much lower insulin response, it should also prevent arteriosclerosis.  After one week, the patient notices remarkable improvement.  The brain fog is gone, and he's quickly gaining strength at the gym.  Further along, he notices that he awakens refreshed in the mornings, his elbow and knee pain is gone and he has almost no allergy symptoms.  However at his recheck he finds that his cholesterol has returned to its "dangerously" high level.  The new doctor says not to worry about this.  The LDL is high, but other risk factors, such as triglycerides, HDL, C-reactive Protein, are all good, and there are no symptoms of heart disease.  Besides, high cholesterol on its own isn't correlated with heart attack, and statins are remarkably ineffective at preventing heart attack while they promote diabetes.

If this individual should require a stent or bypass surgery, should the insurance company pay for it even though the patient ignored the advice of his PCP?  If the patient should die of something unrelated to a heart condition, can his life insurance company refuse payment on the grounds that the client changed his treatment plan?  Suppose the patient continued the statin and wound up with diabetes.  Can the patient sue his PCP, the AMA or the drug manufacturer?

Election -- Just the Beginning

For citizens of USA, today's election is really just the beginning of a new cycle of democracy.

It's not enough to vote at each election.  The real democracy happens when you contact your elected officials and let them know what you're concerned about.

While it's true that letters and e-mails are handled by staffers or interns of members of Congress, it takes only about seven letters about a particular topic to attract a law maker's attention.  It's a lot more effective for a law maker to earn your re-election vote by addressing your concern than by making robo-calls, mailing postcards and advertising on TV and radio.

Here are some links to get you started....

http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/How_to_contact_senators.htm
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

KONY 2012

Since 1987, Joseph Kony has abducted more than 30,000 children in Central Africa and forced them to be child soldiers in his Lord’s Resistance Army.  The KONY 2012 campaign employs film, social media, street art, and face-to-face interaction to make the case that the arrest of Joseph Kony this year is one thing we can all agree on.

To find out more, please visit http://www.kony2012.com/.

And please spread the word.

Road Rage Innoculator

Those of us who drive have encountered drivers who cut us off, drive slower than we'd like, drive faster than we'd like, follow behind us too closely, and (generally-speaking) annoy us.

It's tempting to honk, shout and make hand gestures at them.

But many years ago, it occurred to me that I don't know who that person is whom I'm gesturing at.  What if it's a friend of mine, or my Mother-in-Law, or the Pastor at our church?

Then I expanded that list to include elderly folks and those who are disabled or are on pain medication.  How can you rant at someone whom you feel sorry for?  Besides, would you really want someone who's taking an opioid to be going as fast as the rest of us?

This morning I realized I'm allowing for another class of drivers -- teenagers.  This comes from being the parent of a teenager.  That annoying driver could (one day) be my own daughter or one of her friends.  Would you give the finger to your own daughter?

Then the epiphany landed on me.  Everyone is someone's daughter (or son).  I should rant at no one.

So that leaves me with only one outlet -- traffic lights.  Yes, when the light turns red right in front of me, and I'm alone in the car, I give it the Finger below the dashboard, where only I know about it.

The Stop Killing Dogs Petition

I'd like to bring to your attention a petition "to stop brutal torture of dogs and dog meat consumption in South Korea". Please go there and sign it if you agree with it.

I'd've signed it right away if the petition had been limited to calling for a ban on the torture and inhumane treatment of dogs. But it doesn't. It also calls for South Koreans to stop eating dogs. I quote from the petition, "...it is a great injustice to allow dogs to be bred, raised and slaughtered for meat." If we in the USA can breed, raise and slaughter cows, calves, lambs, chickens, turkeys, pigs, etc., why can't South Koreans eat their choice of meat? So I declined to sign the petition.

Furthermore, I'm suspicious. I wonder how factual are this website's claims. And when I get that way, I tend to go to Snopes to see if the topic of dog torture has been discussed. While I did not find a reference to the petition or the website it's hosted on, I did find this Snopes page on Joey Skaggs very interesting. And most of the top forty search results on "dog torture" refer to cases within the US. Not one refers to any Asian country, except for #30, which refers to the actual petition.

So what do you think?