Journaling on estrip is easy and free. sign up here

Paul's Journal

paul
My Podcast Link

04/10/2012 20:43 #56341

May 15th, 1986 - Heavy Hangs The mortgage
Category: journals
The first time I heard about a mortgage...

image
lilho - 04/12/12 09:26
Aww, you would have been so fun teach. You writing is pretty darn good... I wish my students wrote that well.

04/10/2012 14:52 #56339

Dentists Sucks
Category: health
I have had way too many dental xrays over the years. I had them yearly as a child. Then as an adult I have had to many. Everytime, I ask if it is safe and they say the dose is so low it couldn't hurt anyone. Last year I got two panoramas. When I switched dentists, the other one insisted on a second panoramic with their machine.

Now a study comes out saying they cause brain tumors. It makes it sound like they hadn't really done many studies in the past either.

I wish I could take back all of the cat scans and xrays I have had. None of them found anything useful that didn't require manual evaluation. E.g. when they thought I had crohn's I had the cat scan followed by the colonscopy which "confirmed." When it was obvious my appendix had to come out, can scan again. When I was a kid and choked on a carrot, chest xray, when I got hit by a bottle someone kicked in college, chest xray, which they fucked up and had to do twice. Enough dental xrays that I couldn't even count them,

I think I am just going to say no more xrays for the rest of my life unless I am broken in car accident or something. Honestly, I feel safer with exploratory surgery, lol.
Deeper - 06/09/13 20:04

I just completely agree with you, there are ways too many x-rays and the whole thing is often as dangerous as ridiculous, for example :
* They always do some comparison with natural radioactivity, but a 1/10 second blast close to your sensitive organs with an equivalent power of lets say one our at 12'000 meters is just 24*3600*10 times more powerful and concentrated so it could completely saturate the possibilities of DNA correction!
* Sometimes you got protection some other time not, for the same x-rays! I asked once and I got the leaded protection with a amused laugh from the dentist (may be thinking what a chicken), otherwise nothing, forget it 10 seconds effort with a lead blanket is not a valuable effort (especially because it's not on the bill, it should be on the bill : lead protection on = 1$, so we'll get it every times).
* Some x-rays, the worst (panoramic) can't have protection for the thyroïd, because it interfere with the image quality (poor image quality, it's already not as good as bite-wing x-rays and can't detect small decays, so it sort of looks more like a toy, a bit like panoramic photography for landscapes, great views + you can examine some eventual problems with the neck arteries, great I don't want my dentist to mingle with my arteries). And on the top : panoramic, I saw 19 (to be crossed checked) times more radiation than bite-wings + no thyroid protection (probably a factor 10), so it probably blast the thyroid with 190 more x-rays than a bite-wing x-ray! Great, thanks to the technology and the beautiful images that create more problems than they solve!
* Trying to have some sort of control when fully horizontal almost unable to speak with someone specialist mister know it all better than you is almost impossible except if ready to scream, eventually jump of and never come back again! So some preparation must be done before!
* Last point (could add many more) : I think patient - dentist communication got much worst lately compared to what it was 50 years ago, mainly because :
o people look more like "objects" now : more image work, more submissive position (horizontally helpless), this is definitively not empowering the patients.
o dental assistants do a lot of work now, looking around, cleaning etc, so it's less human contact with the dentist, so automatically less empathy and it's easier to impose things on people when you don't have empathy for them.

So except having perfect teeth (growing, cleaning, nurturing) strategies and never going there what can we do ?
* Select a good dentist before hand, the best is probably to know directly a few people going there and be satisfied with their feed-backs.
* If networking fails a strict inquiry (www + phone) could be fruitful, but it's probably necessary to sample quite a few (10 ?).
* Networking is good because it also gives some sort of protection against possible abuse that would be automatically dispatched in the network, but on the other-hand most people seem to leave their brain in at home when the go to the dentist, so with some (90%?) dentist having strong ideas about what should be done or not imply a personality conflict, and you don't want to be in conflict with somebody that uses sharp tools in your mouth, so most people once in the submissive position tend to agree with anything, so we need good strategies to resist without upsetting the half-god hovering above you! Yes it's how it feels! And it would be very appreciated to have some suggestion about efficient communication strategies when half handicapped by the procedure (notice that the most important question always come when you are the most incapacitated :,open mouth, horizontal .... "sign here please", Yes it happens!)


@ExBuffalonian
"Some studies may link dental x-rays to brain tumors, but the same could be said for cell phones" Yep so we have accumulation of problem, so it's even more important to be extra careful.

"... some other group publishes a study that says they don't." : look what's the interest of the bigBucks, bigBucks always want more and obstacles between are not important, on the other hand no bigBucks involved with the whistle blower.
metalpeter - 04/12/12 19:00
The Concentration of High Magnetic waves.... Kinda like how sickness around those same kind of power lines occurs...
ExBuffalonian - 04/12/12 16:50
Some studies may link dental x-rays to brain tumors, but the same could be said for cell phones. For every study that says they do cause brain tumors, some other group publishes a study that says they don't. And no one seems to be tossing out their iphones.
metalpeter - 04/10/12 16:58
In Terms of Dentists I don't get it... But for any trauma it makes sense so you can see if soreness is sore or if ribs and stuff are cracked or broken or what ever I think the other scans are ok just not x-rays....
tinypliny - 04/10/12 16:07
The question is where are dentist lists? Or are they not in the practice of making loss making lists?
tinypliny - 04/10/12 16:04
:::link:::

04/08/2012 21:22 #56335

Cheesy Brown Rice Gratin with Zucchini and eggplant
Category: food
This was served at waster dinner at my aunts house today. The recipe was delicious and vegetarian for anyone interested, here is the recipe.

image

image
tinypliny - 04/09/12 21:43
With all that went in, it almost seems odd to call it vegetarian.

04/07/2012 18:14 #56331

Forever isn't always forever
Category: love
Well after 10 years (e:pmt) is officially just pt. (e:matthew) moved in a few days after I met him at Mid K in 2002 and we were pretty inseparable for many years to come. Many of the best moments of my life were spent by his side. I truly thought it would go on forever.

Sadly, the last couple years didn't go so smooth and (e:matthew) made the decision to move out this weekend, although it had been discussed for a while.

It really hit me when I was moving his bed out of the bedroom. Everything in the house is so him that I am going to have to change it all or be sad all the time.

I wish him the best and I hope someday we can be as close as (e:hodown) and I are now.Its so weird because I am so used to talking with him about everything... I hope he finds someone that can make him happier than I did because I think the only thing that will make me not sad is knowing he is happy.

image

image

image

image

image
image
oda - 04/18/12 00:09
Oh, Paul, I'm so sorry. I hope that everyone can move on and know how awesome and inspiring you have been to so many of us. Lots of love to you.
metalpeter - 04/12/12 19:46
Just wanted to give my perspective again for anyone who might not get it... I'm 39 and my one cousin is a couple years older.... So I don't know how long my Aunt was married to my uncle but 30+ years and she left him not sure why... Maybe once one retires things change or what ever but if they can't last who can..... In any event I hope all 3 of you that this is what is best and that you all can be happy...
shawnr - 04/12/12 19:25
Hey Paul. So sorry to hear this. We love you all three and are wishing the best for you. Hang in there.
chico - 04/10/12 21:39
Hard to believe and tough to accept. Fundamentally changing the nature of such a long relationship is very difficult indeed. Hoping you're all okay and muddling through.

Wishing P&T, and M, all the very best going forward.
jason - 04/09/12 17:00
Sorry to hear about it, P&T.
jolene - 04/09/12 16:14
I'm so sorry to hear this...strength and good vibes to all.
uncutsaniflush - 04/08/12 20:15
Wow! Strength to all of you. Good luck.
tinypliny - 04/08/12 15:43
time heals all. And optimism on everyone's part.
mrmike - 04/08/12 15:14
To echo Lee's thoughts, so sorry to hear it all, but good vibes to you all.
leetee - 04/08/12 12:26
Wow. I don't know what to say... except i am so sorry to hear this. Good luck, love and strength to all 3 of you.
heidi - 04/08/12 11:27
Much love to you all as you go through this difficult transition.
metalpeter - 04/08/12 09:29
I hope that he is leaving to Be Happy with someone or some other couple ..... Well he must cause when you move out you need to move into some other place..... I'm sure you 3 will keep it drama free..... Seeing as there is a big group of people you all know.......
metalpeter - 04/08/12 09:27
In Terms of the house : Yeah that is so Matt I say leave it like it is and just add things you like to it........
metalpeter - 04/08/12 09:26
To Me It seems Weird .... Not shocking cause the ugly fact is that most relationships at least now a days when people live so much longer then when Marriage was started and 20 years later one of them was dead..... But that being said if any of that makes sense I think to many of us it seems odd cause we know you as (e:PMT) Kinda like how when I met Jim it was Jim & James so when that went down it was so odd cause I knew them as two.....

04/07/2012 11:28 #56330

The Neighbor's Funk
Category: cancer
I can't believe our neighbors are getting those chemicals sprayed on their lawn. If the turf is not dangerous then why do we get a letter saying, "You may wish to take precautions to minimize pesticide exposure to yourself, family members, pets or family possessions." And just how are we supposed to do that exactly? Get a giant plastic barriers for our property line.

Don't we have enough toxicity in our lives that we don't need to add more for lawn vanity?

I guess it beats the neighbors behind us that spray their parking lot to prevent weeds.

image

image
metalpeter - 04/08/12 09:15
What ever company does it , I official story is that it is both toxic and not toxic..... In other words once the stuff has settled into the grass and ground (now this assumes that there is no water source for it to get into) it is safe... That is why they have the pet and kids warning.... Now I don't know enough about the science but it is dangerous to small things and to humans when you breath it in but after a couple of days no more fumes so you are ok..... Here is the true test though when you see someone spraying print up and make an Ultimate (Can't call it Frisbee legally cause that is a brand name and the sued) invite with all the friends and the sprays have to come..... Granted they don't know you but toss that out and I doubt they would come...Or maybe it is really as safe and not as they say.....
tinypliny - 04/07/12 12:43
Look at the names of some of those pesticides. Local war and associated collaterals - you.

I say you write to the city and say just notification is not enough. Lawns are exposed to everyone and all these pesticides are aerosols. Short of moving away till the aerosols are scattered and diminished in concentration, you don't have a way of protecting yourself. It is cause for worry especially because you are prone to more allergies and reactions than most people.

From: :::link:::


Volume median diameter of the suspended aerosol decreased from 14
to 2.3 µm during 1.5 h after application. Concentration of airborne pesticide decreased by 60% in the first hour after application and by 95% during 12 h after application.



And


Practically, the potential hazard could be mitigated through establishment of appropriate re-entry intervals and use of respiratory protection with appropriate performance criteria for workers re-entering the structure.



And of course, what about soil pollution?? How on earth will you keep this from leeching into your lawns and your gardens and finding a way into your food? This is so disturbing. I would strongly recommend talking and reasoning with your neighbours about the possible consequences of spraying on the general health of your household and persuade them to adopt more natural measures to get rid of weeds.