Sunday, December 10, 2017

Second Sunday of Advent


The LOVE candle is lighted, as well as last week's HOPE candle.


13 comments:

  1. We traveled nearly to the NH border today to enjoy "Woodstock Wassail" ~ an event the picturesque and historic town puts on each year. This was our first time attending. The event included tours of historic houses all decked out for Christmas, good food in the village, a parade of horses and buggies, carolers in period costume, 500 luminaries lighted at dusk on the town green, and more. Very nice! We had planned to end the day at "Cello by Candlelight", but snow was falling and the roads were worsening. So we headed north. A little before our exit, the snow ceased. No new snow up here at all. So we went to see the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas (about Charles Dickens). It's well acted, and is a good movie in general. We did feel that some of the story's darker aspects weren't fully resolved. I'd welcome your thoughts on this if you go to see it.

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  2. The Compelling Case For Working a Lot Less.[Click]

    I worked very long hours for a long time. Yesterday I came across reports of credible studies showing that people who work intermittent (as opposed to regular) night shifts are at increased risk of cancer—two or three times the regular risk of rectal cancer after only 11 years; I pulled (often irregular) night shifts for 26 years and came down with it after 16 years. That doesn’t establish cause and effect, but does make one wonder. The prevailing theory seems to be that upsetting the diurnal secretion of melatonin decreases overall secretion, which is what causes the problem because melatonin decreases mobility of colorectal cancer cells. So taking a melatonin pill after getting home would presumably help. I could never get more than four hours’ sleep after pulling a night shift.

    —Alan

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    1. That really *does* make one wonder, Alan...!

      I'm glad your lifestyle is gentler now.
      May you never have to come through cancer treatments again.

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    2. Thank you, listener. Chatting with my oncologist about my memories of treatment and how generally mild they were, he pointed out that the mind suppresses particularly unpleasant memories. The worst remaining memory from my treatment was the last ten days or so of chemo-radiation treatment. I am still working harder than I want to or should, but only for three months and a half more. I will probably start counting the weeks come January.

      --Alan

      P.S.: If you know someone who works nights, particularly rotating nights (nurses, for one notable example) feel free to pass along my suggestion about melatonin.

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  3. Replies
    1. I had up to this point been unacquainted with The Beaverton, but am going to remedy that forthwith; I am still chuckling over several of the stories I read there. Thanks, listener! BTW, Vermont is kinda Baja Quebec, right?

      Alan

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  4. I said to Mah*Sweetie today that the antics going on in DC will surely make a classic psychological study.
    He agreed and said it will also probably be made into a movie.
    I said I'd like to see that movie as it will surely have things in it that we didn't know. I said I wondered what they'd call it.
    He quipped: "All the President's Goons."

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  5. Macron awards US scientists grants for climate research in France in defiance of Trump[Click] Next round sponsored by France and Germany.

    “Arnold Schwarzenegger…argued that Trump’s rejection of the Paris climate accord doesn’t matter, because companies, scientists and other governments can ‘pick up the slack’ to reduce global emissions.”

    One nation, two tribes: opposing visions of US climate role on show in Bonn[Click] Nov. 9th.

    Spacewatch: Voyager 1 gets new lease of life[Click] Wow. Old gadgets rule!

    ‘Saluton!’: the surprise return of Esperanto[Click]

    Researchers sequence the Tasmanian tiger’s genome, showing it to be a closer relative of the kangaroo than the dingo[Click] Very interesting discovery about mechanism of convergent evolution.

    —Alan

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    1. One should distinguish between Trump's rejection of the climate goals Obama set under the Paris Climate Accord and his rejection of the Accord itself. His rejection of the Accord matters because it means that the US now has no influence on global climate policy. His rejection of the goals means much less because Schwarzenegger is 3/4 right. Government policy has an effect but it's not the main driving force.

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  6. OOPS! I seem to have missed the 11th when I set photos to post. Sorry about that.

    New post is up!

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