belief

"Belief without evidence is not a virtue, it is delusion." - Mr Atwater

Copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

"How SWEET it is."

I found a puzzle piece this morning out by the recycling bins.

I am reminded by the phrase made famous by Jackie Gleason,

"How SWEET it is..."

copyright (c) 2015

William Schaeffer

Why you are depressed:

Why you are depressed:

You are biologically pre-disposed to live in a certain type of egalitarian, trusting, sharing group where all members are taken care of regardless of their ability to contribute.  The less your actual psychological, physical, and social environment resembles this environment of health, and love and trust, the more likely you are to be have "symptoms of depression."

Just like infants will die if they are not loved, you as an adult will experience depression.

Capitalism, Feudalism, and Corporate work environments are antithetically organized to this type of communal equality and are the primary cause of depression in our society.   In fact, the MORE profitable, and efficient the organization is, the LESS humane, civilized, or healthy the work environment will be.

The structure of modern society itself is the cause of depression.

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Can diet cure dementia?

Can diet cure dementia?

Excerpt from an article on yahoo blog:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-r-beaudreault/can-dementia-be-prevented-through-nutrition_b_6847822.html

Amy R. Beaudreault author



"...Despite growing evidence supporting the positive role nutrition plays in dementia prevention, nutrition is rarely employed as a prevention strategy. A new study may change that. The linkages among nutrition and brain function are made clear in the results from a  first-ever randomized controlled trial of its kindled by Miia Kivipelto, MD, PhD published today in the Lancet.

The two-year research study measured the effects on brain function of an intervention -- which included nutritional guidance and management of metabolic risk factors -- for age-related dementia.Using the Neuropsychological Test Battery (NTB) test, intervention group scores for overall brain function were 25 percent higher. For executive functioning,  intervention group scores were 83 percent higher, and processing speed was 150 percent higher....

This includes studies on  vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and phytonutrients, such as those found in cocoa, berries, and nuts, some specifically looking at populations with dementia. Furthermore,  certain dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, may help prevent cognitive decline and dementia...

Let's consider a few additional facts: The global population is undergoing an extraordinary demographic shift. By the year 2050, the population of those older than 60 is forecasted to double from 841 million to 2 billion. Today, approximately 44 million worldwide live with dementia and by  2050 the estimate will reach 135 million (not to mention the costs-- $604 billion USD in 2010 and increasing rapidly). I'm scared, are you?"

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Rule of Thumb

"All the other fingers really hate the Rule of Thumb" - Mr. Atwater

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Poem with no words

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

WHO CARES NOW?

My friend from college just died.
He was 57.

He had an Engineering degree.
He worked REAL HARD to get it.
I know, because I was there.

He was a smart guy.
He could learn anything.

He got a GOOD JOB
With a BIG CORPORATION.
He worked hard
Many hours every day
And it was DIFFICULT WORK.

He bought a big house
and had lots of nice stuff
to fill that house.

And he went back to school
and he learned more things
and he stayed current
and he got a new job
and he worked real hard
and spent many hours.

He never married;
never had any real hobbies
and was frequently lonely in his free time.

He ate too much
He drank too much
He got cancer
and he died.

TOO BAD that he never learned how to live.
TOO BAD that College never taught him how to have a happy life.
TOO BAD he was so honest and he worked so hard for so many hours

WHO CARES NOW?

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Friendship is a privilege of the Ruling Class

Poem for the West

If you work eight or ten hours a day,

five or six days a week,

and you have a house,

you do not have time for real friendship.

You only have time to work.

Friendship requires time to maintain

Everyday

That is free, unconstrained, not rushed, and patient

If you work a job like this,

you have no free time,

and you have no real friends.

You just work.

You are a slave.

In the West,

Friendship is a privilege of the Ruling Class.

~

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

Would you rather be right or happy?

Recently on a crew bus I heard a man complaining about his wife and the fact that she didn’t understand basic science.  Apparently they were having a disagreement about evolution, or global warming, or maybe math itself.

Then another person replied, “Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?”

And I thought to myself, "This statement does not apply."

When talking about restaurant choice, entertainment selections, color combinations, wardrobe, or the relative merits of different popular songs, this is a great philosophy.   In the grand scheme of things, these decisions are relatively trivial and unimportant, so it is good to be flexible and accommodating; let your companions feel comfortable and make the choice.

But when talking about math or science, this attitude just does not apply.  “Rightness” or “Correctness” is not a personal characteristic of one of the debaters, but an inherent property of the data.   To establish correctness, you can independently verify results and double check the math.  This establishes a proof, given the assumptions of the observations.   If the assumptions are wrong, or too general, then the proof can be called into question.   But, if the assumptions are agreed to, then the proof stands as correct, or right.  It will be considered a fact. (note: "agreement" in THIS case is not "agreement between the disputing parties"  but is instead "the general consensus of the entire professional society.")

 If at some time in the future, new information leads to the reevaluation of the assumptions, then a new calculation for truth may be derived. Possibly the previous results will remain valid.

In any event, TRUTH IS NOT JUST AN OPINION.   It is a logically verifiable fact independent of subjective observation.   This TRUTH cannot be “agreed to”, “disputed”, or “ignored”   It just IS.  

Gravity is a good example.  Oxygen is another.   We cannot choose to disagree with Gravity, or have misgivings about Oxygen.  That is nonsensical.  In a similar way, we cannot cherry pick historical or scientific truths without sound logical reasons; based on observable and verifiable phenomena.

For some discussions, the phrase “Would you rather be right, or be happy” is irrelevant and dangerous.  It can lead to personal disaster.

For other discussions, it is as appropriately benign as the subject being discussed itself.  At those times, I heartily suggest being tolerant and even passive.   Let the other person dominate the conversation, talk at length, and have their own way.  But in the quest of TRUTH, you must unfortunately be uncompromising, vigilant, and absolutely honest.    

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

How to lose Weight

How to lose Weight
(from an email to a friend)

Unfortunately, the only way to lose weight is through diet modification.  Exercise does not reduce body weight or BMI.  It takes half an hour to burn 150 calories.  That is equal to one beer or one cola.  It would take three hours of high intensity aerobic exercise to burn off a six pack of beer or cola.

The only way I found to modify my diet is the "Diet Mantra" I tell everyone: 

"One gram of fiber for every one hundred calories" 

In layman's terms:

"All fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts are good." 

"No meat, no ice cream, no alcohol, no fruit juice."  

"Only drink tea without sugar or water." 

copyright(c)2015

William Schaeffer

An Eight and an Ace

I hired a two man crew to move the contents of my storage unit to a new location that is closer to my house and a little less expensive.  Outside in the driveway of the new storage facility, I found an Eight of Diamonds laying face down.  A half an hour later I saw this Ace of Clubs also laying face down in the parking space next to my car.

copyright(c)2015

WilliamSchaeffer