Project Veritas vs Google

Both Google and Vimeo have taken down James O'Keefe's video on Google's manipulation of results so that someone like Trump is never elected again.

Video:



Story:

Project Veritas

But I Couldn't Prove It In Court

This was on Drudge today: Hospice Death Dreams Study  It found that dying patients have similar "dreams that aren't dreams" of being visited by loved ones who have previously passed.

What I 'know' about this comes from reports of people who were at a person's passing, and a 'similar-but-different' experience of mine, and that of a friend.

The first time I heard of anything like this was when my Grandpa died. I remember mom remarkinmg that he seemed at pease, and was smiling when he went. She said she thought it was because he could see Grandma and relatives waiting for him.

When I was about 13 or 14, Mom and I drove up to to see her cousin's daughter take vows at the Immaculate Heart Sisters' novitiate in Montecito. (And I'm pissed that I don't remember her name.)  We met, and started walking up the hill to the ceremony. My Novitiate cousin and I were chatting, and the subject turned to an end of life experience she had heard of. An aunt was dying, and her husband was racing to get to her before she passed. He saw, as the house came into view, light streaming from all of the windows. When he got into the house, he found his wife had passed just about the time the house came into view. And everyone there swore that most of the lights in the house had been off.

After her sister passed away, my friend Carole had a dream of her. As she told me, the dream wasn't a dream, she was talking with her sister about how she had passed.

And finally, my own experience - some time after my mom passed, I had a dream of having a conversation with her. It was short, and the only thing I remember was her telling my that I was going to be all right.

When I awoke from that dream, I realized that it was not like any other dream I had ever dreamt. It wasan actual conversation with Martha.  It felt "different".

I have had 'premonitions' that were true - a friend had called, and I "knew" it as I got a block or so from the house. When I came in, mom mentioned that my friend had indeed called.  This happened twice, and I have no explanation for it. All I knoew is that I was dead certain that my friend had called. I'm relating this just to show that the kind of certainty I experienced when mom visited me was neither unusual, nor surprisingly new.

I know that some medical profesionals have said that the 'moving to the light' experience can be explained by chemicals produced in the brain when a patient is near death or dying; and that it's just a function of physiology.  I do not know if this is just musing, conjecture, or is being studied. But I won't be surprised when someone uses it to explain what is documented in the Hospice Buffalo study.

Me, I have some conjectures and beliefs about it.  One conjecture: assume there are chemical processes in the brain associated with near death/dying, and that they are common phenomena. What if, instead of the chemical process causing the experiences the dying have, the chemical processes are caused by the "dreams that aren't dreams"?

Is my conjecture ameinable to evidentiary proof? Possibly, but I have no idea how go about it. Is my conviction that my conversation with mom wasn't a dream provable?  Same answer - I hve no idea how to prove it.

All I can say about my conversation with mom, and the other stories I've been told is I believe it. I spoke with mom.

But I couldn't prove it in court.

(Bumped, Now More Than Ever!) Happy Holidays...

...by which I mean:

Happy Thanksgiving

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year!

And, this:

I am told that this is President Eisenhower's recipe. Go. Enjoy!

Justice Kavanaugh Update With More Funny

I've followed the hearings the last couple of weeks, on Twitter. It was akin to watching a giant, pustulent boil burst, and the turn into an ope, weeping sore.  I confess that I felt a tremendous lightness when I heard the news (Drudge).  Twitter has opinions up the wazoo, as usual, and some pretty clever images.

but these two are what the whole furrball was about:

 Judge Kavanaugh swearing the Comstitutional Oath.  It's being administered by Chief Justice John Roberts, with his wife (holding the Bible) and daughters.

Here, he is taking the Judicial oath, being given by Retired Justice Kennedy, whom Justice Kavanaugh is replacing.

The to pics above  were taken  by Fred Schilling via the Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States.  HT @JusticeKavanaugh   (Not really Justice Kavanaugh)

OK, the funny:

This was posted w/ the caption stating Judge K. heading to his swearing in, which was a private ceremony.  He and Mr. Grassley are obviously going to have their own kegger, probably with 'Cocaine Mitch' and 'Take-No-Prisoners' Graham.

That's all, folks!

Well, not quite.

UPDATE:

This one for the historical, yet cynical humor  I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they are sitting out on the patio by themselves, have a beer or more, telling confirmation hearing stories.

Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh on the bench Tuesday:

Kavanaugh: “Dude…”
Thomas: “I know, Brah. I know.” pic.twitter.com/euhplXuFDI

— Fuzzy Chimp (@fuzzychimpcom) October 6, 2018

Buy A Nun A Book Day

...is approaching once again - September 17.  Once again, I will be sending books to the good Holy Names Sisters who taught me in my callow youth.

It's a nice way to say "Thanks"!

Ranty Nurse Amy - Updated!!

Update: We reached the goal for Amy!!  Thanks to everyone who donated!!

I didn't realize what a horribly rough patch @RantyAmyCurtis is going thru. Her story popped up in my Twitter timeline, and I got myself involved in the conversation about it. It got a tad heated (not between Amy & me), I was behind a couple of really nice chocolate stouts, and thought to myself, "Self, we gotta do something about this."

Amy wants to get her marriage annulled, and the Church's ecclesiastical court fee to process it is $500.00, which she does not have.  That, plus other debt I know nothing about, have her in a tight bind.

Did I mention she is raising three boys?  By herself?? While she went to nursing school, graduated, passed her boards, and went on to qualify for a specialization as well.  All of this reminds me of Martha, and what she went through to adopt and raise me.  (Story here, if you're interested.)

So. I said to myself, "Self, I can stay online here and try to talk my ginger friend down."  That, as you might expect with a ginger,  didn't exactly happen, but it at least stopped. I knew that there was really nothing I could say to Amy that would make it all better, so what could I do? "Self, I said, let's go set up a gofundme for her. She can get the annulment, and have a life free from the ton of spiritual baggage of not having it."

So, I did.

From about midnight last night until just before I posted this, the fund is at $200.00.  Wouldn't it be great to have the $500.00 funded by tomorrow night? Once that happens, I'll ask her if she wants to continue to raise money to help w/ her debts or not.

So, click the link, and make a donation so Amy can freely get on with her life!

P.S. To my ginger friend:  I have a great deal of respect for you as a person of faith, a successful business woman, and as a person.  I have found that, without intending to, I manage to step on your toes from time to time. In our conversations, it is never my intention to cast things in concrete. Last night, all I was trying to do is describe what Amy is up against, not defend it to you. I am sorry that I didn't make that clear to you.  I can describe a bunch of things about the Church petty well, even though I disagree with some of them.

Again, I am sorry for the misunderstanding.

Updated: Thumper and Me (Cross posted from the 'Window' blog)

Update: So, off we went to the vet last week.  Thumper was knocked out, blood drawn, and X-rays taken.  X-rays came back clean.  Initial bloood word showed that, yes, his thyroid numbers are low.  Vet wanted to do a more specific test, which I ok'd.  There was enough blood from the draw to do it, which was good.

Bottom line: his thyroid is low, so he is now on a thyroid med.  After a month, the vet wants do do another test to see what's happening.

Started them med last Friday (7/20). He seems to be a bit calmer.  He's hopped into my lap a few times, letting me pet and scratch him. He also comes up to me for attention. If he's focussed on something not me, I can get his lead off without lighting him up.  It's very clear that he is uncomfortable if I bend down and reach for him. Potentially hazardous to me. He sems to improve a tad every day, so patience and caution are the most important thiings for me to bring to the game.

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About a month ago, the day after my second cataract surgery, Thumper decided that he didn't want me touching him. I've talked with two dogtrainers, who have done some informd speculating, and the concensus is, get him a physical.

So tomorrow, we are of to the vet. "How", you may ask, "can he get a physical when no one can touch him?"  The answer is, anesthesia. He will be knocked out, poked, prodded, x-rayed, and assesed.

And then we'll know if he is salvagable. By which I mean, 1) can he and I somehow get along btter, being a happy, fun dog; 2) do I take my loss and return him to the shelter; or 3) is he so far gone physically that the only answer is putting him to sleep.

To recap, I lost Baxteer, Benny, and Griffin last year. I've been depressed since Thanksgiving.  (I'm just figuring that out, and yes I have a Dr's appointment scheduled).

This truly and deeply sucks.