Friday, November 01, 2024

RFK Jr., in charge of Women’s Health? Really?

Women must vote exactly as their husbands do? Really?

Are Americans willing to resume living in the Middle Ages or, more realistically, those pre-MAs?

In this election battle, highly visible key Republicans are pulling out all the stops now, hoping to gain more male voting. Until recently, the competition didn’t seem like such a gender feud.

I’ve preferred to consider Americans more politically mature, surely enough to abhor our presidential competition turning into a battle of the sexes. But now, that’s where it’s at, a down-and-dirty fight.

Frankly, even from the very git-go, and way prior to his famous escalator ride, I wouldn’t have voted for DJT for as much as a dog-catcher. I see him as a disgusting person, and worst for his lack of embarrassment about being considered such. His popularity with some Americans has encouraged a rise of more “Take the wins and to hell with everything else!” types.

Americans are accustomed to hard-liners in Congress who have supported Trump. We now see posturing at the Republican forefront increasing wealthy and aggressive types, like Musk, Vance, RFK Jr. (Daddy is roiling in his grave!), and others.

Gender differences were critical for our species’ survival at various points in human evolution. Slowly, those times changed, especially over the last seventy years, when they seemed to be going at warp speed.

Changing times and prosperity continually are affecting our social and health lives. Accordingly, humans must adapt and adjust their perspectives. “Can’t we all get along?”

Individuals in a Democracy who understand and accept changes contribute more effectively to its ongoing upward evolution. Nowadays, living quality equals a Democracy’s quest to boost its productivity and manage its economics.

Dear Friends: Be sure to vote, for much is hinging on election outcomes. Diana

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

To summarize for ya’all, despite my ongoing efforts to prevent my dog from escaping the fenced “dog area,” he’s still managing to bully out; however, as of today, Chase is still with me.

In a long conversation yesterday, a friend told me about her two twenty-something-year-old daughters and why they are conflicted about attending college. The youngest is a dental assistant who loves her work. Her dentist encourages her to become a dentist, and she wants to very much but fears incurring the enormous debt of attending dental school. She might instead settle on becoming a dental hygienist.

Her older daughter completed some college but couldn’t find local employment and sustainable wages, so she moved to Kentucky a few years ago and found work there with decent pay. She won’t return to higher education as its cost/benefit ratio isn’t in her favor.

To me, a college education is more than learning practice in areas of potential employment, although it does that. A college experience encourages self-awareness and confidence through real-time activities such as thought-exchanging, interactive listening, and identifying and debating specifics. These help individuals evaluate and understand their own positions more clearly.

Those “extras” of education help individuals “round out” and become more adept at finding appropriate work and negotiating for personal needs.

Hindsight tells me that the extras are essential for finding desirable work and navigating associated essentials. But today, perhaps thoughtful individuals in their twenties view the concept of debt as so real and burdensome that they disvalue more possibilities, like becoming more rounded out and capable of negotiating effectively for personal advantages.

If I’m out of step with the times, my life’s experience and observations have recognized the almost unmeasurable value of pursuing and achieving higher education.

Dear Friends: That’s my position; I’ll stick with it and not disregard pushback. Diana

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Earlier, as I began writing, unusual noises began hinting at rain. Suddenly, a hefty squall rushed over Central Oregon, where I live. Its racket lasted just moments, and its wake was eerily silent.

That brief environmental shift urged me to refocus and create a mystery novel instead of writing a blog. However, I’m not quick and clever enough to pursue such a sudden inspiration, but it’s parked in my head for more thinking later.

Now, I see a forecast that rain will occur for much of today. Anticipating mild cold and dampness is starting a push to revive my old, trusty slow cooker and create some kind of stew. The idea is becoming almost aromatic in my mind.

Thus, this True Fall Sunday begins. I am off from my part-time job and will be reading a lot. I want to stay abreast of the terrible wars occurring still among world nations, this country’s political battles, and its overpriced economy.

Dear Friends: Enjoy this pleasant day–staying dry or being in the rain–as you wish. Diana

Saturday, October 26, 2024

I don’t know where to start or what to write about. I’m closely following the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the ferocious battle for America’s presidency. It doesn’t help my brain’s muddled state that my dog has gone missing (again!) after being allowed a few moments outside earlier.

Russia is training North Korean Soldiers to help it conquer Ukraine. Israel and Iran are bombing each other. American women’s rights are on the firing line. There’s plenty to worry about. I add a personal woe to the world’s. Who needs a dog that can’t be contained, and ultimately, what may become of him?

My brain might feel muddled, but it is informed and has decent opinions. I hope Ukraine wins over Russia and joins NATO. I hope the Middle East’s mixed population can merge and learn to live together. I hope Iran’s restrictive ruling forces will be overthrown and replaced by enlightened leaders. I hope heavy tanks run over Putin and Kim soon.

China’s power, potential, status, and my sweet dog’s future are also important factors to consider.

Dear Friends: Think through elements, gain defendable opinions, and above all, vote! Diana

Thursday, October 24, 2024

This year, I made some decisions quickly. Each ended with me overpaying for an outcome that might have been different. Essentially, my intense, determined focus turned me into my own victim.

A common understanding is that humans often make fast decisions that will most likely have costly consequences. Another is that excitement’s effect can overcome an innate human need for caution.

I was following this year’s Nobel Prize award, which introduced me to Daniel Kahneman’s classic book, Thinking Fast and Slow, published in 2001. In it, he explains critical elements of human rationality and irrationality. Reviews of that book encouraged my brain’s rational side, and I ordered it.

The book’s main thesis is that there are two modes of thought: “System 1” is fast, instinctive, and emotional, while “System 2” is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. 

I often find myself thinking and deciding rapidly. I wondered if I could gain insights from Kahneman’s work to help me pause such active, almost overwhelming thought processes. Essentially, by slowing thoughts appropriately, ideas might start regrouping.

Applying correct knowledge also could mean bypassing the awfulness of brain drain, money loss, and postmortem anxieties.

The book arrived yesterday, and today, I will start reading it.

Dear Friends: Ideas that may facilitate fast-moving thought processes are welcome. Diana