Touring the Valley

Random Thoughts

Image from an alchemical manuscript by an unknown author, ca. 1725

Sadists will not protect us.

It's amazing to see how many infectious disease specialists and Constitutional scholars have suddenly become aviation experts.

I want an app like Shazam, but for faces.

We are the descendants of the survivors.

Even the Twilight Zone never had an episode when all the criminals were turned loose and all the law enforcers were fired.

If I had marched into US government offices with some buddies and taken over the computer system, my friends and I would be sitting in jail right now.

Reliable Health Information

"The Bad Doctors" (1892), James Ensor

Now that we can't trust the CDC or any other U.S. government-controlled agencies to give us reliable information, consider using websites in other countries.

Some other alternatives are private hospitals and clinics. The biggest hospital in your region probably has a good website with lots of information. Also, look into the websites of The Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Will You Love Me Tomorrow?

"Opera Reminiscences: Desdemona and Othello" (1829), William Heath

"Love at first sight" happens, but is it effective as the basis for a long-term relationship?

The first time my grandfather saw my grandmother in the schoolyard, he said, "That's my girl!" They married a few years later, and were together for life.

I had a teacher in elementary school who married her husband the day they met. At the time she told us her story, they had been married 15 years.

I know a couple who married just two weeks after meeting. They are still happily together 30 years later.

Hubby and I felt instantly connected the night we met. That was 40 years ago.

The Cleveland Clinic is a bit skeptical.
PsychCentral isn't convinced.
The counselors at Brides recommend slowing down.
Psychology Today says it isn't real.
Love at first sight is a theme or plot point in many movies.

Random Thoughts

Illustration: "Dante and Beatrice before the Light." (ca 1450), Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia

I knew some guys who had a garage band, but they didn't have a garage, so they rehearsed in someone's living room. They couldn't think of a name for the band, so they jokingly called themselves the Living Room Four. I misunderstood, thinking they had said Living Room Floor. I still think they should have used that name.

One of my high school teachers told us that the best way to improve our writing was to write something every day. I write every day. I don't know if my writing is getting better, but it is getting easier.

There were things I worried about in elementary school. I worried about failing an arithmetic test. I worried about wetting my pants. I worried that lunch in the cafeteria would be disgusting. I didn't worry that my friends and their families would be dragged from their homes and sent to another country.

In college, I took a class called Journalism 101. The teacher was adamant about knowing how to ask good questions at a press conference. Nobody in the White House press corps ever took that class.

Remember Me

Toward the end of her life, my grandmother had difficulty recognizing familiar people. One afternoon, her sister came for a visit, and they had a long conversation about the good old days. Later, Grandma commented, "That woman sure knew a lot about my sister!"

On another occasion, the whole extended family was at a party (someone's birthday, I think). Hubby and I were talking to Grandma. Suddenly, as she looked at him, her face lit up with recognition. "You're Bob!" she exclaimed.

"That's right," he agreed.

Then she turned to me with a smile. "And you're Bob's wife," she said.

Yep.

An Old Friend Returns

Pandy is just about my age. This little bear was my childhood protector and companion, who for some reason was left behind when I moved out of my parents' house. Forty years later, I was sorting through boxes of junk in my mom's house, and was thrilled to find Pandy mixed up with a bunch of old papers and tchotchkes. I tried to clean the once-white fur, but the discoloration seems permanent. Well, we all show a little wear and tear with time. Now my panda pal watches over me once again.

WASPs

Recently, an "executive order" from the head of the Republican administration removed information about the Women Airforce Service Pilots from Air Force training courses.

Here are links to some web pages and articles that describe this part of American history.

UPDATE:

Following a widespread public outcry, the Air Force announced it would reinstate videos about the Tuskegee Airmen and the WASPs to the basic training curriculum.

Tuskegee Airmen

Recently, an "executive order" from the head of the Republican administration removed information about the Tuskegee Airmen from Air Force training courses.

Here are links to some web pages and articles that describe this part of American history.

• Wikipedia
•Tuskegee University
•Tuskegee Airmen Inc.
•Air Force Historical Support Division
•Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

Thinking About Big Things

Illustration: "The March of Intellect"(1829), William Heath

We don't need "critical" thinking as much as we need just plain thinking. When a madman claims there is a giant faucet, so big that it takes a full day to turn the handle, and that faucet directs all the water of the Pacific Northwest to either flow naturally into the ocean or to be redirected to drought-plagued California, it shouldn't require any kind of fact-checking or research. All that is needed is thinking. Think about what the world is like, what water is like, how rivers and oceans function.

If you were tempted even for a second to believe in the magic faucet, some realistic thinking would snap you out of it. Unfortunately, we seem to be living among a population that doesn't know what the world is like or what water is like, doesn't know how rivers and oceans function, and - most of all - doesn't know how to think. Fifty, forty, even thirty years ago, if a guy like that had appeared on TV making a claim like that, people would have had a hearty laugh before changing the channel. The show would not have been renewed. A third-grader in 1955 (the year donald was in third grade) would have known immediately that the giant faucet claim was ludicrous.

Yet now, many adults seem unable to think clearly enough to understand the difference between reality and nonsense. So let's assume that the giant faucet story seems credible. Why have we never heard of it before? A faucet that could control the flow of mighty rivers would be a remarkable engineering feat. When was it built, and by whom? Was it part of the Public Works Administration in the 1930's? Why have we not seen any documentaries about it? Why is it not a famous tourist attraction? These are some of the questions a person capable of critical thinking might ask, questions a middle school student might ask. Yet no reporters have asked these questions. Surely, the vast majority of the White House press corps know that there is no magic faucet. They can easily make the truth known to the public by asking the obvious questions.

If fact-checking and research are deemed necessary, send an expedition to the headwaters of the Columbia River to look for the faucet. Spend some time in a library checking the newspaper archives and the encyclopedias for stories about the great faucet project. Ask a few hydraulic engineers if such a thing is possible. Today's "journalists" won't do that work, not even the relatively easy work of asking the person making the claim to provide supporting facts for the claim.

It's Only Money

Illustration: "A World That Quickly Turns" (1855), Anonymous

My friend Gail seemed like a sensible person, certainly not someone who'd be considered irresponsible or wildly extravagant. She had a good job in a higher-than-average income bracket. Nothing made me suspect she had big financial problems.

There were little things about the way she lived that I noticed. When she needed cash, she went to a convenient drive-through ATM that wasn't owned by her bank, and paid a transaction fee every time. In her bathroom, she had the most expensive brand of toilet paper. Her cosmetics were a pricey imported brand. She had several sets of nice dishes and table linens that she alternated to match the season or the holiday. Although her fashion style was casual and slightly rumpled, she wore top-tier clothing brands. She leased her car. Her son took a lot of music and art lessons, and went to fancy summer camps.

These aren't bad things. I don't think any one of her spending habits doomed her, but I do think she had a habitually careless attitude toward money. There were probably a lot of things going on that I didn't know. Eventually, she accumulated unmanageable credit card (and other) debt and found hereself in danger of foreclosure, unable to pay the bills, avoiding phone calls. She got some relief by filing for bankruptcy, a long, painful process that trashed her credit score.

When it was over, I noticed some subtle changes at Gail's house. Her toilet paper was now the Kirkland brand from Costco, and her moisturizer was Olay. She bought a pre-owned car. She still liked those upscale clothes, but she waited to buy them at clearance sales. Her son was now old enough to have a job, and he paid for his own activities.

Overall, Gail's life didn't change much. She still had that well-paid job and still lived in the same lovely house. It seemed that now she paid more attention to costs, and that she was serious about budgeting for the big things, like a nice European vacation and a better car. But she still used the drive-through ATM.

All Wet

Illustration: "Water" (1793), William Blake

I see a lot of ads for walk-in bathtubs. These tubs have a little door that you are supposed to open, walk in and sit down. In theory, the closed door is sealed so the tub won't leak when you fill it. These seem to be aimed at seniors (and perhaps people with disabilities).

You're going to have to sit there (maybe in a cold bathroom) while the tub fills. Then, when you've finished your bath, you've got to wait (wet and possibly shivering) while the tub drains, before you can open the door and leave. This does not seem like a good idea. I have seen at least one brand that claims to have a fast-draining system and a heated seat so you won't get chilled while waiting. They suggest "multi tasking" by rinsing (won't that add more water?) while draining.

A more practical solution to bathing for the mobility-impaired is a walk-in shower with a chair or stool and a hand-held spray. This lets you get in and out quickly and does not require prolonged standing. For those who really can't stand or walk, there are shower/commode wheelchairs designed to roll into a shower or perch over a toilet.