papsrus

Yes, this will no doubt take a few times through to digest. Some fairly detailed thoughts. I read it through once earlier today (yesterday, actually) and want to give it a fresh read. I hope you've put this here in order to generate some feedback. In that spirit, Allen, do you feel that some of these issues are part of a particularly American experience? Or do you think that these cultural/racial tensions more universally understood? Does the improvising musician in New Zealand get all this business about fetishization of Negritude? I can't help but wonder, if these conflicts are largely, if not entirely, the product of an American experience, do they even resonate in places with other perhaps different and more dominant cultural moorings. Not that any of that would diminish the importance of what you're saying, but perhaps there are other lenses through which to view all this. I'm sure there are. ... in other words, how would you explain all this to a Martian?

Yeah, Tebow, or actually his fans, were pretty much calling the shots as far as who was going to play QB in Denver. Elway found the perfect way to get out of that situation. The only way he looks bad now is if Manning gets hurt, can't play, and Tebow replaces an ineffective Sanchez and somehow scrambles the Jets back into the playoffs. But that could never happen, right? ... No way. ... right?

Elway must be thanking his lucky stars for Manning getting him out from under the fan obsession with Tebow. Pretty much the only way he was going to sidestep the Tebow situation without criticism was by landing Manning. Well played. Note that Tebow and Sanchez were not that far apart in QB ratings. Note also that Sam Bradford had a lower quarterback rating than Tebow, for whatever that's worth. Why trade for him if you're New York? Sanchez is pretty close to being a bust. Tebow will juice interest among fans and merchandise sales for the Jets while they go figure out Plan B on a long-term quarterback. ... Tim-sanity? And who knows, maybe if Sanchez continues to struggle, Tebow might actually work in the Jets' run-oriented offense. Then it'll be heralded as a brilliant move. So if you're the Jets, Tebow has limited downside, and the almost certain upside of generating buzz, along with the further upside that he might actually perform better than Sanchez in that offense. Sanchez hasn't set too high a bar, afterall.

Best wishes for all success. Looking forward to the music Allen. ...

Thanks. I won't worry about it. There's really nothing in there of any value anyways, I don't think. -- Especially my posts.

I was checking my profile today to look for a post I had made and noticed someone identified as "Guest" had checked out my profile here last October. I had assumed that only members had access to the profile information other members, not that that would deter anyone from joining and nosing around if they really wanted to. But I didn't realize guests had access as well. Is this correct? Or was it some sort of snafu? Paps

Just got an amazon email promoting both "Blues & the Empirical Truth" and "Really the Blues?" as the top two items on a list introduced by, "Are you looking for something from our Blues department?" Nice!

You did the right thing, Jeff. It's possible that the sudden change in his environment has triggered your father's heightened confusion. Short-term memory loss is a different thing than dementia or Alzheimer's, as I'm sure you know. Rod's thoughts about blood flow are worth paying attention to. My mom had COPD and it was a real tricky thing to deal with as she declined. Consider asking his doctor about getting his oxygen and, just as importantly, his CO2 levels tested. These will tell you if he's getting the necessary oxygen to his brain and expelling the necessary CO2. Sorry to get all arm-chair doctor on you, but my experience with my mother tells me that these things do affect memory and cognitive function in general. Be a little cautious about the guidance that the staff at the facility gives you. They sometimes tend to want to offer reassurance and comfort, rather than clinical solutions, to both residents and family. Does the facility have a doctor or nurse either on-staff or who visits regularly? If they do, consult with them. One big positive of the move is that your father is now surrounded by his peers, which can stimulate him. And hopefully the facility has activities that will be of interest to him, and he'll make some new friends (as well as a few folks who rub him the wrong way -- both are good and normal). Encourage him to get involved in some of those activities and even participate with him a little bit at first, if you can. Is there an art studio, workshop or piano? A dining room? A bar (Don't laugh. The place my dad and my now-deceased mom moved into has one -- with one of those piano players who plays "the music of your life" at cocktail hour). One day at a time, and try to ensure that the facility is aware of, and pays attention to, your father's particular needs. And that they make an effort to integrate him into the community. Best, James

Good to see you check in Bruce, and glad to hear you're in fine spirits. (I think there may be a way to customize the color scheme here if the default isn't to your liking. I seem to remember messing around with that at some point, although it might have been the previous design.)

Same here. Although I have run across your posts from time to time on older threads. I don't feel quite right welcoming you back since you were here and gone long before I arrived, but ... welcome back!

I have a bacon chocolate bar sitting in a gift back on the counter since Christmas. Haven't cracked it open yet. Salty and sweet. Makes sense. Just haven't had the urge. ... Hope the bacon keeps

I don't see any photo on your profile page. You were offline when I checked. Maybe it only loads when you are online? dunno but I think your avatar looks swell.

Not directly related to what you're talking about, but I found this fascinating video presentation on the topic of intuitive "sixth sense" technology to be along the same lines: interacting with technology in more "human" ways, generally speaking. (I started a thread about this a few months ago, but no takers.) If you think of things like Siri, for instance, or manipulating images on a computer screen by using your fingers rather than a mouse, these seem to be a more intuitive and natural way to interact with technology than was available even a few years ago. Hope I haven't slid off the rails too far from what you were getting at. The linked video above starts slowly, but it is interesting enough to watch all the way through, I think.

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Please don't take offense, but that is a good line. I guess I'm a cold SOB, but I haven't given Whitney Houston too much thought since her death, or prior, really. Sad ending. Strong voice. A human being like the rest of us, warts and all. That's about it.

Has Bruce been around? Hope so. Here's wishing you a happy birthday!

Hell hath no fury. ...

Yes, he's a good guy. Hope he checks in.

Alabama moves on and will play the winner of the Giants-Packers game.

I think the bowl matchups this year were affected by the fact that two SEC teams are playing in the BCS title game. That wiped the SEC out of the Sugar. And I think the Orange is locked into taking the ACC champion regardless of ranking. If Va Tech had taken care of business in the ACC title game, the Orange would have had a higher-ranked ACC representative (and I guess would probably have been more competitive). I kind of think of the Cotton as a BCS bowl anyways. It should be, IMO.

Agree. The way I saw the replays, he had the ball, then his left elbow touched down inbounds (just), then he tumbles out of bounds, never losing control of the ball. It was an amazing grab, and it seemed pretty clear to me that there wasn't any video evidence that would justify overturning the original call of a TD. Seems like Va Tech couldn't catch a break all night. They pretty much shut the Michigan offense down for most of the night -- 184 total yards to 377 for the Hokies. And they get robbed of a chance at winning the game on that call? hm.

The football gods were not with Va Tech tonight. Nor the refs. That dude caught the ball, IMO. Or at least there wasn't enough there to overturn it.

Michael's Milk. The stuff they give you to put you under. One second you're looking at the IV saying, "All right, but whatever you gotta do nobody goes near my ass." The next second you're waking up, except it's a half hour later. ... and you can't drive.

The prep's a drag, but the milk is great, isn't it?

Looks like you're right. For some reason I thought they applied this year, too. Hm.