Monday, March 06, 2023

Vermont Scrabble, LOL!




 

16 comments:

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    1. Ukraine had a significant surrogacy industry before the war. I've been wondering if the same was true of Russia-- women birthing children for money from Americans. There was probably some truth in the claim that the Trump Tower meeting was about adoptions.

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    1. {listener}

      With my Irish & Scottish heritage with a slight amount of Viking and a family history of heart disease, I sent a note to my PCP to ask if I should be tested.

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    2. I think it becomes symptomatic rather early in life.

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  3. Yesterday we couldn't see the mountains; cloudy all day long, with light rain much of the day. Today is very clear, and there seems to be even more snow on the mountains.
    ----Alan

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  4. Words from Jimmy Carter - The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions – all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views (This editorial originally appeared in The Age on April 27, 2017).

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    1. Great article. I wasn't fully aware of all the early efforts. I became legally blind in 2000, ten years after passage of the ADA. I was very aware of how results of that act helped me keep working and functioning in society. And by then it seemed natural to take pride in my identity. Participation in, and volunteering for, the Disability Pride Parade came naturally.

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    2. Bill, I have always admired the many ways that you have not let your disability keep you down, and the ways you have made a difference for others as well. But I don't think I ever noted that you were sighted until nearly retirement age. If you don't mind my asking, did this come on slowly or fairly quickly? What most helped you to process and accept the diminishment of sight?

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    3. I think the best answer is that it was quick but not without warning. Age-related macular degeneration is typically a slow process but it can sometimes go "wet." That means abnormal, fragile blood vessels develop and then break, exposing the retina to blood. And blood scars the retina, leading to a rapid loos of sight. This happened at age 59. No treatment at that time, so that eye ended up unable to see the eye chart at all -- just to count nearby fingers. Four years later the same thing happened with the right eye. There was now an initially experimental treatment that halted the scarring while I could still see the eye chart's second line. In other words, my vision was exactly at the point that defines legal blindness.
      What helped me to process and accept this? More than anything else, just the idea that "things happen." Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but in either case you deal with them. And it was easier to deal with them because there were now assistive devices that helped me keep working.

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    4. Thanks, Bill. Amazing the difference in just those four years. I'm glad the treatment came along in time for your second eye, at least. I'm always so grateful for the bright, creative minds that invent new treatments, technologies and devices that are useful. Your perspective that "things happen" is a good way to deal with it. I'm 67 and am sure things will be happening more and more as I age. Thanks for the outlook.

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