Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I'll start with something that should be flamingly obvious. Murder is a bad idea and I shouldn't do it. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2268-2269) By murder, I mean deliberately killing an innocent person. Which is what someone who apparently expressed "ill will" against corporate America has been charged with. This isn't what I'll be talking about in my 'Saturday' post. But an insurance executive from Minnesota getting killed is still international news, and the situation touches on points I think are important. Some expert said the way folks are reacting is "deeply concerning". More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been praised. American healthcare has problems, but I see the killing and praise as bad ideas.)

Our number-two daughter starts radiation therapy this week.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Cancer treatment for one of our daughters starts today. Besides health concerns, I realize that this will take a great deal of time out of each week.)

Good news from number-two daughter's operation last week. As she put it, 'I've still got my smile'. Medicos had gone back into her neck last Wednesday. One of the possible outcomes was disruption of nerves that control the lower-right side of her face.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Still dealing with cancer in the family: second operation, and no news from the man in the extended family who couldn't walk.)

First, the good news. Our number-two daughter's cancer is slow-growing. The not-so-good news is that it's aggressive. And, of course, that she's got cancer. I learned about the cancer in early January. 1 The family knows a little more now, and I've gotten the okay to talk about it. Which isn't easy. I've been — distracted — and that'll very likely continue. Putting Feelings in Perspective Previous Experience "...Feelings, Woah, Woah, Woah, Feelings...." Diagnoses, Definitions, Surgery, and (Probably) Good News Another Operation, Radiation, and Prayer More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (I learned that one of our grown children has cancer a few weeks ago. I know a little more now. This week I talk about feelings, health, and what comes next.)

Looks like word is getting around, among historians at any rate, that the "Dark Ages" weren't an abyss of superstition and ignorance. I see that as good news, and recommend reading the rest of Meg Leja's Smithsonian Magazine article. I've highlighted parts of this excerpt, and talked (briefly, for me) about the medical angle of post-Roman Europe under Respecting Ancient Authorities: Above and Beyond the Call of Reason .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (The Medieval roots of modern medicine: excerpt from a Smithsonian Magazine article, how I see monastic medicine and the Renaissance.)

First, the good news. Two days of this month's quest for a prescribed medication have passed without incident.... ...Sometimes the authorization gets processed in a timely fashion: and includes a 'do not provide before' date which matches the day on which my current supply runs out. Sometimes that doesn't happen. Last month was one of those times. What follows is my account of last month's epic prescription quest; a saga fraught with suspense, drama, defeat, and ultimate triumph — — Along with what I see as at least a partial explanation for why a seemingly-straightforward process is anything but. Controlled Substances Act: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time "Reefer Madness", "Captain Planet", and Perceptions Scheduling Scary Substances August, 2023: Another Chapter in Brian's Saga Red Tape and Me A Glitchy AI and the Value of Typing Exercises Living in a Less-Than-Ideal World A Frustratingly Inappropriate "25...

I'll be talking, briefly, about my most recent effort to both follow the rules and get a needed prescription. (Spoiler alert: I finally got the stuff, and have maybe three weeks before wading into this mess again.) But first, an even briefer look at something I'd much rather have been talking about. Yellowstone: Earthquakes Happen Prescribed Medications, Controlled Substances, and Me It Could be Worse Postscript: Success! Until Next Month More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (My monthly efforts to get a prescribed medication were more than usually frustrating this time. I talk a little about that, and less about Yellowstone geology.)

First, the good news. I am not experiencing withdrawal (or, more politely, "discontinuation syndrome"). The not-so-good news is that I'm putting off what I was getting ready for today until next week. This 'journal' post is in part an explanation: Decisions — or — Ducks in a Row and Other Alternatives Smoke in the Air, Health Issues and a Needed Prescription Responsibility and Requirements, Reasonable or Otherwise Benefit/Risk and Labels Learning Experiences Diagnosis An Informed Decision, Unforeseen Results "Reefer Madness", "Frankenfish" and Me "...Odd or Eccentric"?.... I Can See That Schizotypal Personality Disorder: Two Lists Navel-Gazing — or — The Paranoids are After Me! 😉 Disorders, Cultural Expectations and Making Sense Living Up, or Down, to Expectations Being Out of Step A Few Good Ideas More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Disorders, controlled substances and me. I need a prescription which requires monthly aut...

The good news is that this week's SNAFU doesn't happen nearly as often as it might. And I live in an era where folks like me have options that simply were not available in my youth. The not-so-good news is that I'm not perfectly perfect in every way. Nobody currently living here on Firebase Earth is, actually; but I'm a tad more positively off both the 50th percentile and society's fluctuating notion of perfection than many. And that's another topic. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (One of my meds is a controlled substance, so each month I need to ask permission to get the prescription. This month my request may have been lost. Again.)

Gene-editing rules showed up in my news feed last Monday. So, indirectly, did genetically-edited twins who, as far as I know, are still alive. If I'd known how little I'd be able to verify about Dr. He Jiankui's famous (or infamous) twins, maybe I'd have picked another topic. But I did find a fair amount of information about genetic editing technology, and a hint at why Dr. He's science project produced twins: Gene-Edited Twins At Least Two "World's First" Defining "First" Not-So-Good News CRISPR Technology and Surprisingly Long-Tongued Rabbits Procedures, Perspectives and People CCR5Δ32, Recent History and Speculation Chromosomes, Science and Twins TALEN and CRISPR: Repurposing Prokaryotic Molecules A Genomic Revolution: New(ish) Territory Louise Joy Brown, HEK 293 and Me Making Sense: It's an Option Bioethics, From a Former Lab Rat's Perspective More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Genetically edite...

Suicide was in the news, briefly, this weekend. Euthanasia, actually. Or assisted death. Whatever folks call the process, it's arranging for someone to die. Or, being impolite in my choice of words, killing someone. For thoroughly nice motives. More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Canada has helped the terminally ill die since 2016. Euthanasia services are now offered to more sick and mentally ill citizens. Some doctors wonder if it is a good idea.)

It hasn't been quite four years since a small patch on my tongue's underside went numb. My wife said I should call our town's emergency room, so I did. I'd long since learned that she's got common sense.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . A checkup and changing plans: atrial septal aneurysm and other medical terms, mostly good news from the scan. And a happy musical memory from 1963.

(From Gustave Doré, via Library of Congress, used w/o permission.) I'll be talking about ADHD, PDD, PTSD, ASD and me; and what that alphabet-soup assortment of acronyms means. But first, a spot of poetry. "...Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had tried to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—...." (" The Raven ," Edgar Allen Poe (1884) via Wikipedia) Fast-forward 35 years — More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(Norbert Nerdly — my frustrations, personified.) If you have tried writing a comment on one of these posts, thank you! And if you have been unable to do so, sorry about that. You're not alone.... ...That process hasn't been made any easier by "difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as 'brain fog')" that I've been experiencing.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

(From Jürgen Ludwig, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) I talked about angels, real and imagined, last month; mentioned Doctor Faustus' big plans, including putting a brass wall around Germany, and said that I'd talk about Valdes and Cornelius next month. Then I got sick. I'm still running a fever; but considering that this is COVID-19, it could be worse. "Next month" is now this month, so I'd better introduce Valdes and Cornelius: "friends to Faustus," Marlowe calls them in the dramatis personae.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Another week has passed, and I still haven't written about fusion power experiments on both sides of the Atlantic. It's on my to-do list, but I'm putting it off until I'm less distracted and more clear-headed. Besides, this has been an distracting week. Or I've been distracted. Which isn't quite the same thing. So - Tuesday I saw a doctor, who told me that I've caught COVID-19: along with about 80% of all Minnesotans. I decided to skip getting a blood test to verify my COVID-19 status: partly because it wouldn't make a difference on how I deal with the situation. And partly because I didn't see a point in expending resources just to satisfy my curiosity.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

If you haven't already, you'll soon read about a new development in the war between science and religion. " How Covid Raised the Stakes of the War Between Faith and Science " Tish Harrison Warren, The New York Times (November 7, 2021) " Reviews | How Covid raised the stakes in the war between faith and science " newsnetdaily.com (November 7, 2021) Alleged war, at any rate. I can't read the original piece in The New York Times, since it's behind a paywall.... ...I did, however, find this snippet in an online blurb.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Since I'll be talking about COVID-19, variants, and the pandemic, clarifications may be in order. I had COVID-19 vaccinations in May and June, because I thought it was a good idea. Politicos, partisans and crackpots have been throwing accusations and assertions about the pandemic at each other. I'll be talking about that, but I'm not 'political.' I've neither been proclaiming that one political party is in league with the Antichrist, nor denouncing another as a tool of fascists and racists. And, although I think the COVID-19 pandemic is real, I haven't been dreading America's impending doom and destruction. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I haven't been following the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but could hardly help noticing major stories in my news feeds. Some of them weren't what I'd call news. Not "news" in the sense of being unexpected. China won the table tennis medals, for example, and COVID-19 put a crimp in events and/or coverage thereof. That last, actually, was news of a sort. COVID-19 coverage outpaced team Russia doping news this time around.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America . (Methylphenidate, Ritalin, has been in the news lately. I talk about that, a delayed diagnosis and why I take methylphenidate and other prescribed meds.)

CANADA BURNS AS SMOKE SHROUDS MINNESOTA!!! Well, no. Not really. Although that'd make a dandy headline. On the other hand, maybe it's too obviously overblown. Maybe there's a fine line between headlines that grab attention without inspiring thought and those destined for supermarket checkout lines. Or maybe it's more a matter of style and content. And that's another topic, for another day. At any rate, wildfires in two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Manitoba, triggered an Air Quality Alert for my part of Minnesota. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .