The Culture that has been here all the time

Hello Friends,

Often, Science Fiction literature and films focus on violence and conquest. If ExtraTerrestrial Intelligent life forms came to study Earth and the humans that are the dominant intelligent beings here, they would find war and conflicts very common. 

The harshest blows of conflict in 2024 will likely fall on the world’s countries that are already the worst hit by violence. In 2023, 97% of all political violence occurred in 50 countries, as ranked by the ACLED² Conflict Index. ¹

Where is all the evidence that humanity is on a civilized, peaceful track? Wherever and however, humans learn lessons to strive to eliminate war and conflict, progress is slow, at best. In my 3/4 of a century of life, violence waxes, and wanes, but it is never eliminated. Will we ever truly become an entirely peaceful planet?

I don't know but I have my doubts

¹

^{2 The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) is a disaggregated data collection, analysis, and crisis mapping project. ACLED collects information on the dates, actors, locations, fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protest events around the world. The ACLED team conducts analysis to describe, explore, and test conflict scenarios, and makes both data and analysis open for free use by the public.}

Hello Friends,

What is forbidden during eclipse?
Do NOT look at the Sun through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or using a handheld solar viewer — the concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.

Eclipse Viewing Safety - NASA Science
nasa.gov

What not to do during lunar eclipse?
They may choose to avoid cooking or eating altogether, or they may only eat pre-cooked foods. Use sharp objects: Sharp objects are seen as symbolic of negativity. Some people believe that using sharp objects during a lunar eclipse can create negativity in your life.Mar 24, 2024

Can we do sex before eclipse?
Avoid intercourse.

“In the Hindu shastras, this event is considered to be an extremely inauspicious one, and consequently, the eclipses or grahans are believed to be a sign of bad omen,” she told DNA. However, science says that if you're having an off night in bed, it had nothing to do with the Moon.Nov 7, 2022

Myths around the do's and don'ts of Lunar Eclipse, Chandra Grahan
businessinsider.in

Hello Friends,

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real disorder that develops when a person has experienced or witnessed a scary, shocking, terrifying, or dangerous event. These stressful or traumatic events usually involve a situation where someone's life has been threatened or severe injury has occurred.¹

^{CAREGIVER STRESS not true PTSD yet it can be bad too.}

What are the psychological stress among caregivers?
Caregiving is rewarding but stressful

But the demands of caregiving also cause emotional and physical stress. It's common to feel angry, frustrated, worn out or sad. And it's common to feel alone. Caregiver stress can put caregivers at risk of changes in their own health.²

 

I now have to help care for my wife, and gradually, things are becoming more manageable, but I still have lingering stresses and aftereffects. It seems it will take time to approach a more normal feel of life. There are moments I want to sleep and other moments I feel like I should be doing more than I am doing right now. There are moments when I think I can do some things I put off and sometimes feel I should try to do it all at once. The bottom line? I need to understand and adapt to the new reality.

2

¹ 

Hello Friends,

Deception is all around us; many deceptions we immediately recognize, but many escape our ability to identify.

1. "We are the best . . ." Clearly, all products and all businesses or services can not be the best—there must assuredly be a ranking.

2. Look closely at a container of coffee and the price: Once coffee tins were 16 ozs, now they can be 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, or 12 ounces.

3. Is that price for each for 3, for 6, or the cost per ounce?

4. One size fits all?

5. Is that contract by the month there, quarter, or annually?

6. How soon will "0" APR end, and what % will it then become?

7. There is zero interest until you miss a payment; then, the interest charges go back to the start of the payments (retroactive).

8. Who are most, many, or some people? What are the numbers?

9. "Almost" anything is not what you might expect, i.e., almost new. What version is it? Is it an outdated model?

10. Is that price it? Or do you have to renew the contract in X number of days, months, or years?

11. Is that the same amount of product in that bag, or is there less for the same price?

Hello Friends,

I have been fighting off a cold, so I have still been less active. I want to remind everyone to keep up with visits to your doctor and maintain regular tests. It seems I have an endless set of appointments because I moved from NJ to PA, and the doctors here (VA and Private) want their baseline for my health. Twenty years ago, one doctor misdiagnosed me with asthma when I had heart failure. I arrived at the ER with only moments to spare or I would not be writing now. I Followed all the instructions, became a proactive patient, and not only survived and avoided a heart transplant, but my latest Cardiologist told me my heart was functioning as well as most seventy-six-year-old men.

The experience changed me. I don't let a doctor look for troubles I don't have, but I will keep up with annual tests, reviews, and visits to discover problems early and prevent bigger problems later. Moral of the story? Most of us would rather not see a doctor, but preventive care is worth the inconvenience. 

Hello Friends,

My wife unexpectedly reacted to a number of things that have revealed that despite her aphasia, she still is a complete person. If one pays close attention, one will learn that she understands more than I thought and even words—even managed to utter words and affirmation. In other words, she is still capable of understanding and giving consent. 

I had to learn how to understand and communicate with her, which has made a big difference. Is she like she used to be before dementia? No, but she is much more than I thought she was. She interacts better with people, laughs, and uses my name for the first time in a while.

The key has been the break in the isolation we were in. Grandson and actual friends have made all the difference.

Hello Friends,

Things have changed here for the good. My grandson is a blessing, and some blog followers added their help, so things are looking up for me with Jeanne's care, and my isolation is over.

A load shared is a load lightened.

Hello Friends,

A new friend is heading my way on buses, and things go wrong. Should we get upset? Will that change anything? No, and no. My education in the Army and Civilian schools emphasized adaptability and flexibility. How do we think and even think outside the box? Blind adherence to a plan that isn't working as expected will not get the job done. I learned an anecdote while in the Army about a mobile missile site that moved and was set up twice and did not function as expected. Another crew member was brought in and discovered that the original staff had made the same cable mistake twice. The new crew did not rely on anything but their judgment and experience and loved the problem. So when I discover a challenge, what is the first thing I do? I wiped away all preconceived ideas, started a new evaluation, and selected an option that may not have been the usual approach, but I discovered it worked.

Many may think mathematics is cut and dry with only one solution to a problem. Not so. Enter an algorithm:

What is the probability of an algorithm?
In algorithmic information theory, algorithmic probability, also known as Solomonoff probability, is a mathematical method of assigning a prior probability to a given observation. It was invented by Ray Solomonoff in the 1960s. It is used in inductive inference theory and analyses of algorithms.¹

^{" . . . Formally, the probability �  is not a probability and it is not computable. It is only "lower semi-computable" and a "semi-measure". By "semi-measure", it means that 0<∑��(�)<1 . That is, the "probability" does not actually sum up to one, unlike actual probabilities. This is because some inputs to the . . . "}

 Simply put theory isn't perfect and we must find a solution using observation, trial and error and even creative though. A negative connotation for some is "fudge factor."²

^{2 Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
fudge fac·tor
/fəj ˈfaktər,ˈfaktôr/
nounINFORMAL  a figure included in a calculation to account for error or unanticipated circumstances, or to ensure a desired result.
"the market soon recognized the fudge factor, half a point tacked on for the drought effect.}

^{Use your mind and make it work.}

¹

Hello Friends,

All over the world, there are variations in how people define themselves concerning existence. Some are criticized as believers in myths and fairy tales: Who is to judge this? I have been studying the spiritualism of the original immigrants from Siberia to the Americas, and I find it pure and refreshing. So many of the varied cultures have wonderful aspects not only the negative ones portrayed by "civilized people" (like the people who created the great wars, I suppose LOL)

This prayer is an example of their beauty and feelings about life: (its simplicity moves me)

Native American Cherokee Prayer Blessing: "May the warm winds of Heaven blow softly upon your house. May the Great Spirit bless all who enter there. May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows, and may the rainbow always touch your shoulder."

Hello Friends,

A word about milestone moments: When we reflect on our lives, we can see the milestones, but when we look ahead, we usually don't know what they may be. Exceptions like graduation, the birth of a child, and even buying a car or house. Others either turn out that way unexpectedly or are the result of hope for improvement. I chose not to reveal all the pending issues before me, but this is a week of "great expectations" for me. I have an excellent chance that I may be saying next week, why did I doubt I would make it "through the storms and emerge on a safe and calm shore?"

We all share the challenges and successes in life, and when we were born, no one gave us a brochure with our whole life laid out before us in a narrative or poem. We must write the book ourselves.