![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 45 to 69 of 135. Go back in thread:
Posted by sigismund on July 19, 2018, at 14:54:53
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » sigismund, posted by beckett2 on July 18, 2018, at 23:50:40
Well, at least AMLO won, that was something. Hilary Clinton green lighting the coup in Honduras wasn't. I did enjoy "Sicario". Neoliberal policies in Central America plus DEA aid. I forget what Meridia is. Guatemala has been genocidal my entire life now. I think, but am not sure, that Fidel Castro and Gabriel Garcia Marquez were in the same city in 52 when the first coup happened. Where though?
That was a typical move. Give the children their legal due, but make it as painful as possible, then blame it on the Democratic Party.
That is political debate these days, here as well.
Posted by sigismund on July 19, 2018, at 14:59:36
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by beckett2 on July 18, 2018, at 23:23:48
Well, it was broken by people so people can fix it, if they can figure out what has to be done and cooperate.
Posted by sigismund on July 19, 2018, at 15:41:18
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 19, 2018, at 14:59:36
All over the world.......
Posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:39:40
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by beckett2 on July 18, 2018, at 19:50:39
> Hello Alex and Sigi, how are you?
I am good. Busy. But good.
I am learning to swim. I have just learned about Misty Hymen's (real name???) fish tail underwater swim and I'm fairly inspired about becoming a beast in the pool.
> I see AU is further limiting immigration. Smart in many ways-- if it can be done without the cruelty.
Yeah, that's probably true.
> I would live in AU or NZ in a heartbeat, as much as I love CA.
I don't know where I would most like to live, if I had options. I guess it would depend on more particular features. The particular house and my particular commute and so on. I have enough trouble thinking where in NZ I would like to live given options. I think I would like to experience more of overseas. A change is actually quite nice. The US was a bit of a culture shock for me. Strangely... You know how people say 'Seasons' is one of the best expansions for the Sims because of how it is such a significant qualitative change to the game play that makes it so much more realisltic...
Well... Seasons... We simply don't got 'em.
And our holidays are whacky and out of synch and simply don't make sense because of that.
And the lack of tips makes for AWFUL customer service.
Yep.
But I'm sure my complaints about city living ain't got nothing on the complaints about city living I could well have when it came to Sydney or lots of different American cities or LA or NY. So...
> WA State, which looks like NZ in some areas.
Uh oh. Where's that?
Wisconsin?
I'm a lot hazy on US geography. Some people brought me some good american cheese, though, just to show me that it could be done. And I saw some AMAZING organic avocados out of California...
Posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:40:11
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 18, 2018, at 5:35:22
> Move to a third world country where lack of advanced health care leads to a faster deliverance.
That's what happened to my Father, right here. Dx lung cancer. Dead in a few months.
I have wondered why we haven't gone into health-tourism. I mean, tourism is a such a big deal, here. You think we could sell skiing / abortion holidays. Or similar...
The article about 'trauma' was interesting.
I think there is a lot of truth to it -- but I think it is probably not the whole / full story.
There used to be... Probably still are... Cases of people who have the resources they need / access to the things they need... But do experience mental health issues. Like how... Wealthy and clean living and basically healthy people sometimes do get rare forms of cancer and the like. Get mowed down by buses, or whatever. Not the majority of people or cases, to be sure. But, uh, those were supposed to be the cases that medicine was about. It is just that other things.. Legislation etc has failed to protect the people... Lack of access to healthy food etc... People are trying to grow their rest home businesses etc...
The Trump busker was hilarious.
Posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:59:14
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:40:11
Differnet countries have different laws on who is allowed to study skeletal remains. How much time needs to have passed, I mean.
I think it is partly about giving medicine (pathologists) the opportunity (though perhaps that's not the right word) to recover recoverables like implanted devices, and the like...
But it is interesting that a few of teh workhouse buildings were handed over to district health boards.
If you find skeletal remains at a building site you need to get a determination on whether the remains are likely human and how long ago they deseased in order to determine whether the issue is forensic (medicine, pathology) or bio-archeological (so non-medical researchers are allowed to study them)
Posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 16:19:20
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » beckett2, posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:39:40
We are locking up NZ teenagers I see. Have we put any on Manus yet? Why not? Why discriminate?
I would like to be reading the Op Eds in the Dominion Times.
Posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 16:22:13
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 16:19:20
>The Trump busker was hilarious.
You are familiar with Blink182 and the Wiz Khalifa? You don't want a deficiency or a blockage of those.
Posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 16:34:04
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:40:11
I forget what I have read, but every day new chemicals are created, and tons of existing ones are distributed.
Even 300 years ago so much mercury was used at Potosí in Bolivia extracting the silver that it was to be found in glacier cores from then in Patagonia recently. I'm never surprised when people get cancer.
Posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 17:51:06
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 16:34:04
In case you don't know......
https://www.google.com.au/maps/search/manus+narou+new+guinea/@-2.1026136,142.4862601,6z
Posted by beckett2 on July 20, 2018, at 19:36:12
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » beckett2, posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:39:40
Hi Alex, WA s Washington State, on the Pacific north coast.
What's Sims?
I didn't know you visited the US. Where did you visit?
And I don't know about that fishtail. Swimming is one of the best exercises. I swam in college, but wrecked both shoulders and neck. The neck was from reckless dancing :/ My core strength was never great, and I'm too flexible. Not realizing this until years later, I guess I would overextend into any sport, damaging my joints. Wheee!
Are you still lifting?
Posted by beckett2 on July 20, 2018, at 19:44:58
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 19, 2018, at 15:41:18
> All over the world.......
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oehNwdslCX8&frags=pl%2CwnBeautiful, down to the gold foil hair. Paul Simon's The Boxer. Gorgeous sad song. I can cry almost anytime I hear it. Because the last stanza :,(
Posted by beckett2 on July 20, 2018, at 20:13:31
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:40:11
> > Move to a third world country where lack of advanced health care leads to a faster deliverance.
>
> That's what happened to my Father, right here. Dx lung cancer. Dead in a few months.
>My dad had mesothelioma. But he had good care and lived with it longer than said. Important was hospice that helped him die comfortably.
There is health tourism, yes? (Maybe I'm mid-conversation.) We might have more abortion holidays here if our Roe V Wade is overturned (rights to an abortion). (Our Supreme Court has outgrown it's usefulness the way it is set up.)I've heard of plastic surgery tourism. Being from the US, plastic surgery is popular, and people take vacations in Singapore and Brazil (no one I know!) Frankly, when I see a UK celebrity, I love the crooked teeth. Lovely actually. Another thing about the States. Everyone is supposed to have their picture taken laughing, with shiny teeth. Especially our Republican Party, laughing hyenas: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/4/13/1756864/-Breaking-Paul-Ryan-Endorses-Kevin-McCarthy-to-Succeed-Him-as-Speaker
I miss 19th century portraits before people learned to smile for the camera.
Posted by beckett2 on July 20, 2018, at 20:16:09
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » beckett2, posted by alexandra_k on July 20, 2018, at 10:39:40
Alex, p.s. I've only lived in the states. I'd like to travel before things (or myself) crumble. Wanderlust.
Posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 22:52:53
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » alexandra_k, posted by beckett2 on July 20, 2018, at 20:16:09
We have always had good cartoonists.
Posted by sigismund on July 21, 2018, at 14:39:16
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 22:52:53
Perhaps Trump is trying to detach Russia from China? Then war with Iran? Or even the Bannon thing of a war between Christian Civilisation and the Chinese. Just before the next presidential election, the Iranians need to be provoked to attack, perhaps Israel.
Posted by beckett2 on July 21, 2018, at 14:50:07
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 21, 2018, at 14:39:16
> Perhaps Trump is trying to detach Russia from China? Then war with Iran? Or even the Bannon thing of a war between Christian Civilisation and the Chinese. Just before the next presidential election, the Iranians need to be provoked to attack, perhaps Israel.
The above is totally over my pay grade. There is a weird thing going on between the US, Russia and China. Isreal and Iran. What would be the benefit of war with Iran? It can't be oil?
Bannon is both interesting and disgusting and malignant. From Breitbart and the Mercers to the WH. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYysrAg8Yf0
So really, why Iran?
Posted by beckett2 on July 21, 2018, at 15:10:28
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 20, 2018, at 22:52:53
> https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/21/its-the-australian-values-test-for-new-immigrants-get-it-right-or-get-in-the-van
>
> We have always had good cartoonists.Most excellent. I have a supporting 'subscription', one I suppose ofr the many Americans crazed by the election. I couldn't afford an additional subscription, so their offer is very kind.
First Dog on the Moon (does 'on' get capitalized?) is fun, which is very important these days. Loved 'country'. Manus Island is heartbreaking. What is the official function? Is it for refugees waiting for asylum hearings?
Right now, zero tolerance seems to be not allowing people to even ask for asylum. Plus language is a barrier http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-mayan-indigenous-languages-20160725-snap-story.html
The tragedy and outrage is the US hand in destabilizing Central America. Trump loves to blame the victim. As does Stephen Miller.
In case you haven't seen it, but you likely have. The cartoon brings it to mind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L0JLWM4xTQ&frags=pl%2Cwn
For good measure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDbx1uArVOM&frags=pl%2Cwn
I know you've watched it, so feel free to ignore.
Posted by beckett2 on July 21, 2018, at 15:22:41
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by beckett2 on July 21, 2018, at 15:10:28
She mentions Anthony Bourdain. That still hurts.
Posted by sigismund on July 22, 2018, at 5:45:07
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by beckett2 on July 21, 2018, at 15:10:28
>The tragedy and outrage is the US hand in destabilizing Central America. Trump loves to blame the victim. As does Stephen Miller.
Ah yes. I only heard a couple of things about Stephen Miller at university or whatever you call it.
A psychologist would just say it was projection of guilt, 'Caliban's rage at seeing his face in the glass'.
Manus is this island (Is it in New Guinea?) to the north of NG where we send / have sent the boat people, of which there will be many more with rising sea levels, for example from Bangladesh. Thus the borders are being militarised by people who pretend they don't believe the science but use this as an opportunity to..........well, I don't know what they want, apart from winning elections. (The conservatives of the past often seem so much more rounded.) They are surprisingly successful. We'll see if Trump wins in 2020. Does he really live on cheeseburgers? I was hoping Rupert still had a bad back, but hear he is holidaying with Jerry in the Mediterranean.
Since the collapse of the MSM I don't get to see that much about Australian politics. FDOTM is our politics, I am ashamed to say.
Posted by sigismund on July 22, 2018, at 14:20:00
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » sigismund, posted by beckett2 on July 21, 2018, at 14:50:07
>US, Russia and China. Isreal and Iran.
Don't forget Saudi Arabia, our brave ally in the war against terror.
>What would be the benefit of war with Iran? It can't be oil?
It may be more silly than it appears. Before federation Queensland, that state in the north east sent a gun boat up to the island of New Guinea to seize it as a colony. What else can you do with your time? The British were not impressed and took it for themselves. The Japanese needed to feel civilised helping and disciplining 'lesser breeds without the law', as did the US more than 100 years ago. Where is Puerto Rico anyway?
It could be revenge for the Iranian Revolution. One might have thought that the poisons, weapons and information given through Rumsfeld to Saddam, and a million dead was enough.
Putin has no interest in regime change in Tehran. If it's not oil it's the one belt one road, pipelines, and the switch from the US$ as the reserve currency.
Posted by sigismund on July 22, 2018, at 20:12:42
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 22, 2018, at 14:20:00
No, no. A couple weeks ago I went to a convention at the, its called the IRE, Investigative Reporters and Editors; it was a group started in the 70s, in the wake of Watergate. And the conventions have slowed down in recent years as the economy has faltered, the newspapers have laid off people, and etc., etc. And Im not talking, Im not blaming the lack of reporting on lack of resources; theres still plenty of money to do the stories. But what happened, usually they have six, seven hundred; the last convention, just three weeks ago in Orlando, had 1,800 people sign up. Becauseheres my reading of ittheres so many young kids who are appalled by the rise of Trump, and Trumpism, and the vulgarity thats creeping in, much more so directly. Young kids are flocking back to journalism schools, because they see, still see journalism as a way to maybe get things changed. Theyre not running the venture capital like they were decades ago; theyre running the journalism. Eighteen hundred is an enormous crowd, of mostly young; people in journalism school, people in small newspapers, people in the internet. So I was wildly impressed by that, in a downtime when the markets bad, theres so much, theres stillBob, theres still a lot of people out there wanting to get more from the newspaper business that theyre getting, and the media business that theyre getting. And they, I think the whole Trump thing could be a boon for journalism in different forms. Newspapers are in trouble, but there are different forms. So I end up feeling pretty optimistic right now about newspapers, the future; today, no, were still, the main papers are still stuck in a rhythm thats just, I dont quite understand, they wont get out of it. But I think changes are coming. Im glad I did what I did now, because I do have something to say to young kids. And Im saying it. I go around saying it all the time. I think you do, too. I think what youre saying is, we do need a change. That it cant go on this way, because look where we are. Were in dire straits around the world. Were not liked, were disliked. Were waging war. Were seen as the most dangerous country in the world. All the polls show that, the approval polls, 42 percent of the people in the world dont like us, et cetera, et cetera. And so it has to change, or were in for someI dont know, the next generations will be in real trouble. So I think we still have time to change it.
Posted by alexandra_k on July 23, 2018, at 2:08:18
In reply to Re: Paul Jay, posted by sigismund on July 22, 2018, at 14:20:00
I had heard vaguely about detention camps in Australia. Or just out of Australia (so what goes on there is not covered by Australian laws - or similar). It isn't something that I have followed, though. I have also vaguely heard that NZ has detention / refugee camps in Auckland, and probably other places around the country, too.
It is a really hard thing. I guess it takes time and money to process people. To have people look into their story, I mean, and see if there is coroboration for who they are. Whether they have certain qualifications, or not, worked certain jobs, or not, whether they are involved with people who may have hostile intention, or not. And so on... Whether they are the criminals of the country, the major persecutors who have realised their time is up back home and that is why they are fleeing for a 'better life'. Or whether they really were the victims of the unaccountable persecutors back home...
I do worry that most of the immigrants we accept (in NZ, anyway) are likely to be persecutors back home. Because people here seem so very corruptable by shiny things. So... How bad do detention / refugee camps need to be in order for only those genuinely seeking refuge to be willing to be placed in one? I think there may be an element of that... An element of that in the advertising about them -- I mean.
Consider the middle managers in Ireland... The ones who got rich(er) from subdividing the land into smaller and smaller and smaller blocks to sublet. Those people. As a group it seems that those people are most culpable. But I guess those are the people who made enough to flee... And, from their perspective, if they didn't subdivide smaller and smaller they wouldn't have made the money they needed for them and theirs to flee... The problem (well before the famine) was the extreme poverty that had such a high proportion of people in Ireland getting by with sections only small enough to support them with potato... And of course 'groups of people' is problematic.. And me (especially) is a really great fan of not blaming the... uh... idiosyncratic... for the failings of their various groups.
Sigh.
I usually... Interpret... An ambiguity in refugee situations. It is common to see a man tightly gripping a woman's wrist with a child carried in front of him.
If it was a true family situation... I think it likely the guy would be more protective of the woman and child... Rather than brandishing them about as... Hostages.Apparently there is evidence that those who have been victimised are most likely to go on to be persecutors / abusers. That's how come one of the Medical Schools here asks about whether you have anything to declare (or whether the police may have anything to declare) about your status not only as persecutor (offender of crimes - whether you have been the object of inquiry OR convicted) BUT ALSO whether you have been recorded as having been the victim of violent crime. Or a witness of violent crime. Because that's the point of ''Dexter'' - right? To make sure that the (rather large) class of people who have witnessed violent crimes never ever ever ever ever get to obtain professional employment. Because of ''Dexter'' (folk psychology and the hollywood psychopath) - right?
It's not at all about blaming the victim. Or about keeping the oppressed (those who lacked the power to have the record expunged) oppressed... It's for the good of us all?
Yeah, right.
Australia really does have some wonderful cartoons / cartoonists. That is CLASSIC about the potato (the abundance of potato being a symbol of wealth, clearly).
Sigh.
I have to sit the UMAT on Wednesday:
I can't talk about any of the practice material questions, but mateship, sports teams, and the like, are themes that have occurred. I won't lie, I seem to do best on the 'Aussie values' section (aka 'Interpersonal reasoning'), but it is an odd thing. To be sure. They are actually fond of cartoons -- and interpretations of them. Australia does indeed like a good cartoon. I won't lie -- some of the questions are brilliant. But some of them a a bit odd, for sure.
Posted by alexandra_k on July 23, 2018, at 3:31:00
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » alexandra_k, posted by beckett2 on July 20, 2018, at 19:36:12
The Sims is a computer game.
This is probably far more than you wanted to know, but the first 2 minutes tells you the basic idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohwbklm3w_E
The Sims seasons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5XWyPgUCm4
valentines day is in the spring? (fall southern hemisphere)
thermostat inside the house? (lmfao)
no skin cancer from sunburn? (i remember the non-burny sun)
harvest meals in fall / autumn? (spring southern hemisphere)
winter for indoor decorating? (bbq beach time over here)It is sort of a user interface friendly version of second life... I think... sorta...
I remember being simply blown away by how fun dancing was in second life. Virtual dancing. Yeah. The Sims just sorta works... In some weird way...
I spent nearly a year in North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
I also visited St Louis, for around a month.
I was diverted to a Texas airport at some point and was disturbed that the largest fries that I could buy from the airport McDonalds were not very large indeed (Mike Moore does not know what it means to try and survive on potato, methinks).I was amazed at how different States genuinely did have something like a distinct feel of different countries (says the girl from NZ where Australia is a different country).
I have never been to Europe (e.g., England vs France sense of different country).
But some sense of diversity in the USA, for sure.
Also some sense of diversity within North Carolina, for example. I had one hispanic friend who was a grad student at Duke -- but otherwise only saw hispanic people serving in the lunch cue or working on the road works. UNC Chapel Hill was all about women's rights (around 1/2 the graduate student intake being female) -- but my heart went out to the one (and only) local, black, graduate student in the department. Who was rather ashamed(?) to acknowledge all of us in front of his actual friends... Diversity...
Beckett... Are you a girl or boy? You don't have to say... Typically girls have more trouble with long limbs, but is not always the case. My core strength is terrible. I don't quite understand this because I have a short torso with long limbs. I have only recently come to understand that the idea of long limbs is that weight creates torque -- so with longer limbs you need a stronger core than most because you have more torque (force trying to rotate) than most transferred from your longer limbs. So... The dwarven folk are stronger for their shorter limbs... It isn't that they have a stronger core than me -- it's that they don't need as strong a core as me because their limbs simply don't create as much torque about their joints. So... They can move the weight better (from a stronger core -- since you can't shoot a cannon out of a canoe) whereas I have trouble because I leak power from my core because my limbs are so long and everything sort of goes... All mushy, really, and collapes into a pile of mush whah whah poooooooooor me. Buuuuuuuut long limbs are fun in the pool...
I have learned 'train the muscles - spare the joints' is really really true. If you can activate the relevant muscles (basically all the muscles you have got) about the joint then you can hold the bones such that they don't create much stress about the joint. It is a hard thing to train, though. Requires a lot of focus. Into what is most comfortable for the joint -- which is simultaneously often what is hardest with respect to muscular recruitment about the joint. Basically training the muscles to activate to pick up the load instead of grinding the cartilage / bones. It's a fiddly little thing to be doing... It's what I've struggled to be doing such that I can do the weightlifting that I do (to the extent that I can do it). Weightlifters (with their naturally dwarven stature) simply don't understand what the big deal is... But swimmers get it... Because with swimmer limbs (long limbs) having muscular control of the lever (arms and legs) about the joint such that you don't distress the joint is a really big deal. I've worked really hard and from a swimmer point of view what I can do (that I've worked hard for) is an accomplishment. The dwarven folk are still puzzled at how / why 35kg front squat (*ss to grass) is really very genuine work for me, indeed, when the dwarven folk females in my weight class are front squatting around 100kg, however...
I am lifting still, a bit. Not as much. I would like to be lifting a 15kg womens bar with 10kg bumper plates (so 35kg total for clean and jerk and snatch) but I only have access to 20kg bar and 40kg with bumpers is too much for training weight... And with less than training weight I can't drop the weights if I get into trouble... So... Just mucking about the with 20kg bar mostly and trying to get my front squat back to a 5x5 @ 35kg at least - and ideally up to 5x5@40kg because that will give me a little to burn...
My ankle dorsiflexion and foot flexibility generally is getting quite a lot better in the pool... Which is good... But then I really need to work on strengthening (on land) the new ROM I've got (or I'll likely injure the joints - for sure).
Hospice helped my Dad die comfortably, too. I do appreciate that. Even though... Everyone was too quick to... Accept his death. I don't know...
Yeah, the surgery tourism. I don't know why we haven't gone that route, here. I mean, all the sell-out ways to make money that people are constantly up to that seems like the really f*ck*ng obvious no-brainer of a money making scam to anyone with half a brain solution... I mean ACC and no fault ffs... No right to sue for f*ck ups...
Change is often appealing. I understand the desire to experience more of the world. For sure. I still have it, too. I've just become so very much aware of how so very nearly the same geographical terrain can result in such fundamentally differnet experiences depending on where you sit in some sort of a hierarchy.
Perhaps the thing to do is to simply move on until you find yourself with an acceptable way of / position in life.
That's why people flee flee flee all the skilled and talented people can't flee any more quickly than they are currently doing from here... Because those people don't thrive / flourish here. That's simply not... Rewarded. Or something.
Posted by alexandra_k on July 23, 2018, at 3:46:54
In reply to Re: Paul Jay » beckett2, posted by alexandra_k on July 23, 2018, at 3:31:00
beckett: there is a youtube video that is linked from the blog post.
she doesn't dolphin kick (up and down undulation) underwater... she turns onto her side underwater and tuna-fish kicks (from side to side).
and, of course, now that she's proven it to be a faster technique...
now (and only now)
bio-physics steps in to say 'sure because of this'
but, uh,
why aren't they predicting future technical innovations, then??
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