Lisa Genova: How your memory works — and why forgetting is totally OK | TED Talk

I found this a very encouraging TED talk. I’m putting this here so that I don’t forget it or, if I do, I’ll be able to find it again. By spending this much attention on it maybe it’ll be a little easier to remember when I need to.

Poem: String Theory

String Theory

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

-+-+-+ Latch-hook knots -+-+-+-+-+

+-+-+-+-+-+- of Space/Time -+-+-+-

-+-+-+ The warp and weft +-+-+-+-+

+-+-+-+-+-+- of the Universe -+-+-

-+-+-+ Weaver and woven -+-+-+-+-+

+-+-+-+-+-+- of God-Stuff +-+-+-+-

-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

I posted this on the prior version of this blog on November 28, 2010. It brings Mom to mind for me. Back when I was in college, she and I designed a latch-hook wall hanging based on an image of the Andromeda galaxy from a slide Dad got at the Palomar Observatory. We projected the slide on the latch-hook substrate and I outlined the structure of the galaxy in pencil. Mom (mostly) and I used the latch-hook tool and filled it in with a gazillion (I counted) two-inch snips of yarn – mostly black but with blue, purple, and yellow for the swirling galactic arms. She also made one of her early quilts with the same color scheme, the large blocks were stylized galaxies. The hanging and the quilt were the inspiration for the image evoked by the poem.

In Memoriam, Ten Years On

Mom died ten years ago this week. I posted the following on March 7, 2009 in the Blogger version of this site. A lot has happened since then and my grief, when I recognize it, is not strong or overwhelming. Mostly, I remember the good times and what she modeled for me. I know I’m a better person and parent because she was my mom.

The photo was taken on or around that day from the back patio of my childhood home. I’ve always loved the sunsets from there.

In Memoriam

In memory of Loretta Smith
Wife, mother, grandmother and more
We will no longer feel the touch of her hand
We will no longer hear the sound of her voiceHer knowledge, wisdom, and love live on in us
As we who were the beneficiaries of her generous life
Incorporate her gifts into our lives
And carry forward our versions of it
To those whose lives we touch

In this way she bequeaths to each of us
A strand in an unbroken web
Stronger for her care and our connections through her

In wonder we’re born
In beauty we live
In mystery we die

“How cannabis and cannabis-based drugs harm your brain” | Scents of Science

I am not a cannabis user but I believe that it should be decriminalized, not merely legalized… mostly. In addition, due to the racist and authoritarian origins of the War on Drugs, I think that all pot-related convictions should be expunged and that some form of reparations are appropriate though I have no concrete suggestions about how go about do that.

That said, I think that there is enough evidence to question the idea that cannabis is completely harmless. More studies need to be done and recommendations and policies based on the results of those studies need to be developed to help people weigh the costs and benefits of using this (or any) substance.

Long-term use of either cannabis or cannabis-based drugs impairs memory say researchers. The study has implications for both recreational users and people who use the drug to combat epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and chronic pain. They found that mice exposed to the drug long-term had “significant … memory impairments” and could not even discriminate between a familiar and […]

via How cannabis and cannabis-based drugs harm your brain — Scents of Science