Thursday, October 31, 2019

Science

Science time.  Levert e-mailed regarding the science of our bodies.  He has an uncle with Alzheimer's and found this article very interesting.

It notes that some scientist believe there may be a connection between deep sleep and Alzheimer's -- that, in deep sleep, we may be able to flush out the toxins that make you a risk for Alzheimer's.  And the article notes his reality, "Studies show that people with Alzheimer's often have sleep problems. And there's growing evidence that people with sleep problems are more vulnerable to Alzheimer's."

Do you have deep sleep?

I've been having weird sleep lately.  I'd honestly assume my life was winding down to judge by my dreams.  For over a month and a half, I dream about people like my brother.  I have a great brother so it's not like I'm having nightmares.  But I'm dreaming about things we did when we were little.  Or I'll dream about something that happened in third grade.  For about six weeks, I've been reliving the first nine or so years of my life nightly in my dreams.

When my great grandmother passed away, she'd gone to the hospital.  And it got to the point where there was nothing more they could do.  So she came back to our home and lived two more days.  During that time, she was remembering her childhood.  She would look around the room and talk to people she'd known as a child, as though they were present.  She'd think she was eating at a picnic with her grandmother.

These dreams I'm having don't scare me and I'm not thinking it's a sign or I'm about to die.  But this sudden topic matter change did make me thing of my great-grandmother (which is good -- I love and miss her).  I don't usually dream like that.

Traditionally, I have two types of dreams.  The first is food.  I'm eating or I'm cooking.  The second is a fantasy (which might get scary) and I'm usually shrinking at some point in that or else I get the ability to fly.

Still with science, Stephanie Pappas (LIVE SCIENCE) reports:


A glacier in Patagonia that has lost half its length in 30 years may be the fastest-thinning glacier on the planet.

The glacier, known as Hielo Patagónico Sur 12 (HPS-12), is perched in the Andes mountains in Chile. Researchers reporting in the journal Nature Geoscience in September found that HPS-12 has been losing thickness and retreating inland. According to their analysis of satellite data, the glacier lost 98 feet (30 meters) of ice thickness each year, on average, between 2000 and 2008, near its terminal end. At its fastest, the thinning occurred at a rate of 144 feet (44 m) per year, according to study co-author Etienne Berthier, a glaciologist at the University of Toulouse in France. The section where that thinning was recorded melted away entirely in 2018.


Well that's awful news.  Especially since I wanted to visit the Andes mountains in Chile.  I've wanted to ever since I read Shirley MacLaine's OUT ON A LIMB.  The description of the water, especially, struck me.  It might have been some water flowing off the Mantaro River but it was a mineral bath, with the water bubbling ("like champagne," she wrote), soft and thick.  I wanted to be immersed in that water.





"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Thursday, October 31, 2019.  Another US service member dies in Iraq as protests continue.


Kyle Rempfer (ARMY TIMES) reports:

 A U.S. soldier supporting the Inherent Resolve coalition in Iraq died Sunday, Pentagon officials announced Wednesday morning.

Sgt. Nathan G. Irish died in a non-combat incident at Camp Taji, sometimes called Camp Cooke, in the Baghdad Governorate.


Ellen Mitchell (THE HILL) adds, "Irish was assigned to the 25th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska."


 15 minutes ago
US soldier Sgt. Nathan G. Irish died in Camp Taji 3 days ago in a non-combat incident, as per US DoD.
1 reply3 retweets4 likes
 
 



  1.  16 hours ago
Jean and I are praying for the Irish family during this difficult time. We are grateful for Nathan's service and will keep those close to him in our thoughts.
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 19 hours ago
🇺🇸🕯🙏 OUR CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FELLOW SOLDIERS OF SGT. NATHAN G. IRISH.🕯🙏🇺🇸
 
 


Nathan G. Irish was 23 years old -- seven years older than the Iraq War itself.  The ongoing war.  I can remember when a man was traveling around the United States in 2007 and 2008 and insisting that ,if he became president, all US troops would come home.  Speech after speech, he said that.  He did become president, President Barack Obama, and he had two terms in the White House but he left with US troops still in Iraq.  Steve Bullock would like to be president.  He's running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination currently.  Currently he's the Governor of Montana and he issued this statement:


Lisa and I are heartbroken over the loss of Sgt. Nathan Irish. As a state and nation, we ask our brave soldiers and their families to sacrifice so much to keep our nation and communities safe. We send our condolences to Sgt. Irish’s loved ones during this difficult time. 

MTN NEWS offers this video report.





Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, sitting, eyeglasses and outdoor


That photo's from his FACEBOOK page.

Nathan Irish updated his profile picture.
July 15

He noted in August, when he deployed to Iraq:

Nathan Irish
August 31
Getting on the C-130 to head to Iraq and I see “City of Missoula” stenciled on the side, a Montana license plate hanging in the cockpit, and a Montana flag hanging in the cargo bay. Halfway across the world and it feels like I’m 6 hours from home.

He should never have been sent over there.

If Steve Bullock wants to issue condolences and run for president, maybe Bullock should take some time to comment on US troops still in Iraq.  Or does he think the best candidate is the one who has no position on foreign wars?

The cat doesn't have Steve's tongue when it comes to talking about the other candidates.  He's been very vocal when it comes to Joe Biden's potential use of a SuperPac.  He's against that.  He just shrouds in mystery his position on never-ending wars.

On the topic of Joe Biden, Cameron Easley (MORNING CALL) crunches the numbers of various Democratic candidates in a face off with Donald Trump for the 2020 election and finds that Joe Biden has slipped.  Of the top three Cameron looks at -- Joe, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren -- only Elizabeth has increased her percentage since June which leads Easley to note:

But polling suggests that many primary voters are backing Biden because of his perceived general-election strength. Forty percent of Democratic primary voters said in September that they thought Biden has the best chance of beating Trump in 2020, more than twice the share who said the same of any other candidate. To that extent, declining returns in head-to-head matchups against Trump may pose a unique risk to his prospects for securing the nomination.


In Iraq, protests continue.  FRANCE 24 speaks with Feurat Alani (author of THE PERFUME OF IRAQ).




Alissa J. Rubin (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:
Under pressure from a growing number of protesters, Iraq’s prime minister appeared likely Wednesday to step down in the coming days, although exactly when is the subject of negotiations between two powerful Shiite Muslim leaders.
In a letter to one of the men, the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said he would be willing to resign and call early elections. But Mr. Mahdi insisted that it be done according to the procedures in the Constitution.

That's hilarious.  If the Constitution had been followed, he wouldn't be prime minister.  Your named prime minister designate and from that day you have 30 days to put together a Cabinet.  But it was over six months later before he found a Minister of Interior and a Minster of Defense.  He never should have been prime minister per the Constitution so it's hilarious that now, to save his job, he's saying the Constitution must be followed.



  1.  24 minutes ago
Middle East|MENA this a.m. • Protests: Lebanon, Iraq • Iraq Prez to speak • US Patrols in NE Syria • Turkey-Kurds ceasefire collapsing • UAE withdraws from Aden Yemen • Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia meeting in DC 11/6: Dam dispute • Pentagon releases vid clips from Baghdadi raid
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  1. Show this thread


 44 minutes ago
: Iraq’s President Barham Salih to speak shortly amid deadly protests in the country — Iraqi TV.
2 retweets8 likes
 
 


 1 hour ago
protesters lose their fear Mass protests in are continuing despite a vicious crackdown()that has left 231 people dead. via
1 retweet3 likes
 
 





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