03 January 2013

Notes - kissing cousins: viewpoint / Coke effects / radiation / weather


         0832 hours. Earlier I awoke thinking about the humor [Grandma's Story - 8] in the term "kissing cousins" in that we are all blood cousins so to speak. Then when I volunteered to go get and deliver the morning papers (it was 13 degrees outside at the time) lo and behold I looked up to see a Half Moon in the upper western sky. More good humor, I chuckled. Such is life, such I hope these Merlyn books reflect it from time to time. The royal bloodlines are a put on and reinforced by legend and mythology. Human beings seem to like these sort of things from time to time. I would think by this time in the world in all of the cultures there have been in the world, and all the royal cultural lines we are all royals by now from one culture or another and we are all commoners for the same reason. That's the way I like to think about it. 

          Personally, I have taught two royal lines along the way. One Russian and one Kenyan, a prince and a princess, at least that is what I have been told. I have also taught many others from all parts of the world, same smiles, same laughter, same anger and frustration and sadness, same aloneness, all the same humanity. I read it on their faces and in their personal essays. 

         These words remind me of a quick flash memory I had while relaxing in the tub yesterday. With shut eyes I saw the white whale from the original film, it floated by not more than ten feet away I saw his eye looking at me as I looked at him as he passed by ever closer in a diagonal from my right to left. I opened my eyes and thought Moby Dick, Ahab and Melville. Queequeg used the same words, "same, all the same" in the context I had just used them here. 

        This is a fact, we are all human, no question about it in my mind or heart or soul either for that matter. We are all kissing cousins, we understand what it is like to live on a planet with a large moon out there not so far away and a sun much further away. Leave the 'sin' out of it for a change just accept our humanity as it is first. That's how I see it.

         Too much preaching, you think, but that was/is not your intent. You are expressing a viewpoint, as I understand it, you are legally allowed your viewpoint. Post. - Amorella


         Coming on noon. Carol needed ink for the Canon printer and is leaving within a half hour for her Blue Ash Retired Teachers luncheon in Madeira, not too far from where you and Laney had drinks at Starbucks.

         1136 hours. Ink never runs out unless you are using it. I think it is a law of physics. Anyway it was a rush as I was awoken from a nap by, "Did you get the ink?" On the way I had a real Coke. I cannot remember the last time I drank a real Coke with sugar, caffeine and all the other ingredients in it. Now I am hyper with a buzz. Amazing, all this is from one 12 oz. can of Coke. I'm even in a slight sweat. I hardly ever sweat, never on purpose if I can help it. This would be funny to put in Pouch-8, Yermey has a Coke for the first time. What a shock to the system that would be.

         We can work that bit of humor in, though I doubt most readers could relate to it. I am reminded of when you did not eat food and drank nothing but diet colas and water for thirty-three days trying to purge your system of excess weight. Then after you fainted in the school library you took the rest of the day off and had a small bowl of Kellogg's Raisin Brain. The milk and flakes going down your throat -- you could feel it all the way to your stomach. - Amorella

         Gary Popplewell the main school counselor is the only one who knew my condition besides Carol. Actually, I didn't miss the food most of the time because I saw it as 'habit' forming. I don't remember being hungry after the first few days. Alas, eating is habit forming, just like life. I am in my black lounger chair in the bedroom looking out. Lots of birds, mostly chickadees and woodpeckers at present, one huge redheaded woodpecker larger than a pigeon. I don't think I have ever seen one that big. Blue winter sky, very pretty backdrop to scores of trees and the bare branches.

         Return to the keyboard when you've worn off the chemicals. Later, dude. Post. - Amorella


          Coke effects is a good title. Leave it. Let others use their imagination for a change. How's that for dark humor? - Amorella

           Good one, Amorella.


          After supper. Yesterday Doug sent you the following article, I have selected the first part for explanation. - Amorella

** **
From: Huffington Post:
Alzheimer's Disease May Be Danger For Astronauts Exposed To Space Radiation, Mouse Study Suggests           

By: Charles Q. Choi
Published: 12/31/2012 06:41 PM EST on SPACE.com
Radiation in space might harm the brains of astronauts in deep space by accelerating the development of Alzheimer's disease, a new study on mice suggests.
The research reveals another risk that manned deep-space missions to places such as Mars or the asteroids could pose, scientists added.
"This study shows for the first time that exposure to radiation levels equivalent to a mission to Mars could produce cognitive problems and speed up changes in the brain that are associated with Alzheimer's disease," study author Kerry O'Banion, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said in a statement.
Space is filled with radiation that can harm people. While Earth's magnetic field generally protects the planet, once astronauts venture beyond low-Earth orbit, they are constantly bombarded by a shower of dangerous particles known as cosmic rays. The longer an astronaut is in deep space, the greater the risk, which is especially of concern given NASA plans for manned missions to an asteroid in 2025 and to Mars by about 2035 — the round trip to the Red Planet alone could take at least two years. . . .
Now scientists have for the first time examined the effects space radiation might have on neurodegeneration — in particular, the biological processes in the brain linked with the development of Alzheimer's disease, which typically involves progressive mental decline over several years. They found "galactic cosmic radiation poses a significant threat to future astronauts," O'Banion said. . . . 
         
** **

On 1/2/2013 12:31 PM, orndorff wrote:

Sadly interesting! Thanks, Doug! I'll have to keep this one.  Dick

** **
Dick, Yes this could be quite a set back. Means we will need lots of radiation shielding which usually means lots of weight which means lots of fuel and much bigger rockets than we are developing now. I don't think I will live long enough to see us land men on Mars. Saw a program the other day where they are trying to use hydrogen filled plastics as low weight shielding as they are mainly shielding against high energy protons from the sun.

Doug

** **

I want this in the notes because this is something we need to address early on in this coming Pouch-8. You know of no means to counter act on neurodengeration but feel this needs to be addressed, as it is a potential problem. This has been resolved not from the outside, a shield of some sort, but by 'filtering', 'cleaning' and re-stimulating (pun intended) cell growth from within. This is one of the reasons the marsupial humanoids have average lifetimes of between 450 and 520 earth years. - Amorella

You're right. I have been thinking about some sort of shield to counteract the radiation. In 20,000 years your solution appears more reasonable as longer alien age span has already been implied. (2010)

Post for now. - Amorella


         2028 hours. I am ready to do some work on Pouch-8. What is going to be the focus please? Do we begin with the humans the next day? I mean, looking back Blake was talking about "penis envy" of all things.

         Let's jump ahead. A month (moonth) or so has passed and there has been no further contact. Blake assumed there would be something, an email at least. Make it 1 March 2012 and put a marker on it. See what the headlines were in The Plain Dealer on that day or one close to it. - Amorella

         It's Thursday and the center of the page focus is "Chardon School Shootings article: TEENS: 'WE'LL ALL GET THROUGH IT TOGETHER'. The top, above THE PLAIN DEALER, reads: "Cavs falter in third period, lose to Knicks, 120-103".



From: Cleveland Front Page. com

         The Cleveland weather for 1 March 2012:

"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The weather pendulum will continue to swing erratically today, with snow showers likely, possibly mixing with rain after 9 a.m., then gradually ending and then reaching a high of 42. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Overnight, look for low temperatures around 34 with a west wind at 8 mph becoming south.

Here's the rest of the National Weather Service forecast:  

Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 57. South wind between 7 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday night: Showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then a chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 36. South wind 16 to 18 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of showers, mainly before noon. Partly sunny and breezy, with a high near 42. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Sunday: A chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 37. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Sunday night: A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent."

From: blog.Cleveland.com
***

         I notice the newspaper date and weather have been used before. With the plane it is understandable, but why now?

         Blake wants to take the plane up as the weather is not too bad. He wants to keep in practice for bad weather flying. He just wants to be prepared so since the weather is a little mixed but the high will be in the low forties. It won't be too bad. Less than an hour of flight time, swing over downtown and fly along I-71 to Medina and follow I-271 up to the lake and along the lake back to Burke. He wants to leave between ten and eleven and be back by twelve.

         I will have to check with Doug on the reasonableness of this.

         2159 hours. I'm done for the night.

         Post. - Amorella

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