so put down that broom, and build yourself an outhouse.
I wish my introduction to this topic had not been so scatological, as a close relative [but not that close!] described how people were getting poop enemas, the poop coming from immediate family members, to repopulate their innards after a particularly brutal run, pardon the pun, of antibiotics, or to combat other, seemingly less related, autoimmune disorders.
And it seems to answer a question that we have often wondered about: why weren’t kids dropping like flies from peanut allergies when we were kids? And is it really true that autism rates, for example, are increasing, or are we just seeing increases in numbers of people seeking and finding medical attention and more and more knowledgable medical personnel, giving better diagnoses?
So back to the inimitable Russ Roberts, who seems to be on a roll, finding yet another book we would all like to pretend to have read, An Epidemic of Absence, in which the author discusses how researchers went from looking for things that had been added to our environment to looking for things that had been removed, to help explain modern epidemiological findings.
Unfortunately, after it is over, you will discover everything really was your mother’s fault, and it is too late to do anything about it.
Oh, and all those jokes about the farmer’s daughter? It turns out you will wish that apocryphal slut had been your mother:
Velasquez-Manoff on Autoimmune Disease, Parasites, and Complexity
Moises Velasquez-Manoff
Moises Velasquez-Manoff, author of An Epidemic of Absence, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book–a discussion of why allergies and autoimmune diseases have been on the rise in the developed world for the last half-century. Velasquez-Manoff explores a recent hypothesis in the epidemiological literature theorizing the increase is a response to the overly hygienic environment in rich countries and the absence of various microbes and parasites. Velasquez-Manoff also considers whether reintroducing parasites into our bodies can have therapeutic effects, a possibility currently under examination through FDA trials. The conversation continues a theme of EconTalk–the challenge of understanding causation in a complex world.
So do have an ashful Ash Wednesday, there just might be something to it!
Dude S. Those are great pictures and it is amazing how things can really seem to matter, even a promise to the dead. And how pointless the controversies of the past seem when you think of that poor kid lying there.
As to the waitress and her pointless conversation. We used to talk of people as being either what people or why people. What people tell you endless anecdotes about their day. Why people want to know why stuff happened. I pick up on that conversation because the wife of a friend once spent an enormous amount of time at a party telling me all about the food at a wedding she had been at, and I didn’t even know the people she was talking about. It bothered me at the time as I could not for the life of me figure out why she was telling it to me. But there was no reason. It had happened to her recently and she just started in on the description …
I am a real receptacle of emotion, and people often tell me very personal things, often on first meeting, so I expect the story to get somewhere. And I am very bad at small talk so don’t know how to respond. It has lead to over consumption of wine, as I hunt for an exit, and find it in the bottle in front of me …
And having been properly respectful, let me just say that watches and soldiers has been somewhat destroyed by Hollywood and that master of understatement, Christopher Walken.
And I do prefer feeling over thinking, to some extent, and agree that one develops life skills that skew the results. More and more as I get older too. And I have seen the harm relying too strictly on thinking can cause in personal lives.
Which leads me to say, DP, that I am very sorry you were abused like that. No wonder you carry anger with you. One of my brothers had a friend whom I think I might have mentioned who’s dad was a baptist preacher (this was in Texas), who was beaten ritually every Sunday, in case his dad had missed his sins. It was not an option in our house, and I carried that through with our kids too. Just once, when middle son, for absolutely no reason, except an interesting character, bit hubby hard on the arm as he was reading him a story, and got an instinctive swat as if he were a wasp or hornet.
Sad to say, we had been having a real battle over the biting, and that one swat ended it all for good. Or ill. But it was totally called for, and you really will get hurt if you go around biting large men, so the life lesson wasn’t far from the mark, so to speak.
But again, sorry you had to experience that. Tough hand to be dealt.
the physical abuse ended at 16 YO or so. but that was not the end of the abuse unfortunately. the obvious stuff is much easier to put behind. but this forum isn’t the place for discussing it. thanks for the empathy of course!
if you guys remember, i always loudly disagreed with the suggestion to just ignore abusive personalities on message boards and blogs. now you can at least partly understand why. that policy does not work in the real world, and even less on the web where abusive jerks need fear little or no consequences. i myself have seen enough of the libertarian fantasy world of no regulation or policing. more often than not the most outspoken proponents of individual rights are the real belligerent assholes.
yes – i agree that the photos are excellent, and tell a story. a weird thing to say maybe, but a good friend of mine died on his 21st birthday. because of that i will always remember him as a young man.
i dunno DN. i keep coming up as INTJ…
http://www.16personalities.com/
Just got back from a fire course offered by our local chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts. Burning is used to help restore and then maintain native prairies. I have a bit more time this year and will be volunteering my time to them. If you guys are interested, I can post some pics of what we do. Sorry, couldn’t find a prairie fire vid.
One of the pieces of equipment we learned to use was a back pack/hose w/ a trombone action wand about the size of a flute. Of course as the newest volunteer, they put it on me and when I got that wand in my hand I thought, now if I was an extrovert, I would bring that wand to my lips, lift one leg and make wild eyes. Of course I didn’t.
Yes, more years can lead to living askew to our type, and mis-testing. And, people don’t always see themselves that clearly. Having someone close go through the 4 dichotomies is probably way more accurate than any of these quick internet tests.
DP is conscious of how others feel, practically to a fault!! INTJs spend 90% of their existence inside their own head trying to figure out intuitively how things work.
Funny INTJ story, My sister (INFJ) has an 11 year old son who is an INTJ. He’s a fine young man but my sister used to just worry and worry that he was going to grow up and become a serial killer, as he doesn’t like any of the social stuff she drags him into, and he is NOT a feeler. And he is painfully deliberate, in his talking, putting on his shoes, etc.. because he is focusing on how it all works.
One day it took him an entire minute to ssllloooowwwllllyyyy dump the fast food cartons off of a tray and into the waste bin. he tilted it really slow, and watched it, and tilted it some more etc etc… she calls me- “WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM”.. lol, nothing, he’s probably looking at the angles on the tray, and the friction pattern and how tall the drink cups are relative to the size of the hole,… maybe the sizes could be changed to make the trays dump better, etc etc.. that’s just how INTJs work.
But since he’s made it this far and not became a serial killer, she’s ok with it. And he’s a cool kid, but INFJ moms are on the sharp lookout for anything wrong with any of their pack.
she homeschools the 2 kids, boy 11, girl (ESFP) 12. ESFPs are performers (e.g. Elvis was an ESFP) and man is she.
She will write quick play, then hand out invitations to whoever is at the house, and then put on an impromptu “show”. And some of them are pretty good. And talk! man can that girl talk, and good conversation, but her poor little brother INTJ doesn’t have a chance!! lol. She has read something like 4000 books and she’s 12. Moby Dick, Gone With the Wind. G.A Henty(?) books, all the classic authors. but so true to her type, and so different from her brother who is so true to his INTJ type. But knowing their types has been SO helpful for their parents. Especially INFJ mom.
ah, fun stuff.
put your gear on and come on over. i want you to melt my yard.
some of my INTJ traits are a source of humor for me, and horror for my wife. the one i have the most fun with is that i really could not care less about fashion, and i also like to wear my cloths until they practically fall apart. so every time we are going out in public, she has to consult first on what i intend to wear. of course, if i have had the foresight i will have already donned my favorite pair of Levis, faded almost white, with my underwear showing through some of the holes. i also will be wearing a shirt that looks like it has already been used as a rag. a little house paint on a shirt is no reason to toss it out, right? i always say the same thing, “is it OK just to wear what i have on?” and she always replies with, “you cannot really be serious!” this skit is played out at least once a week around here. 🙂
edit: at least i think that’s an INTJ trait.
Back in my younger days with the department of natural resources I helped out on some controlled burns. Carried the piss can. Yup.
It’s hot sweaty work. Not something I ever thought about volunteering for, but hey whatever floats your boat.
I found this webpage with a lot of pictures that looked really familiar to me.
http://oaksavannas.org/fire-preparation.html
I took a longer test, and now you will be happier with my results:
I am a bit surprised that I do not appear more logical! According to the GRE I am pretty darned logical when compared to my cohort. And worry about my children? Who me? I still remember panicking about middle son not looking people in the eye when he was about four, and once at karate when the Sensei was saying something to him on the way out, just reaching down and turning his head up. He is the performer in our family. Musicals even. Likes to be the DJ. He is the tornado. Not me. I am, as my strangely accurate horoscope mug says, en francais: reserve, charmeur, fidele and independent. I really like that mug.
Aha – a shirt that has been or looks like it has been used as a mop is not a point of pride! I sense a trait in my hubby is not so rare. I am sorry, but you must tell your wife she is right, and has all my empathy. Or sympathy. Or both. But wifely solidarity must be declared.
Clothes may not make the man, but they do make the man’s wife happy, and that is almost the same thing.