Author: honeyrand
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Death and Stickers
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When Jim died, and I was transferring all the insurance to my name, I got sticker shock. Three cars. A dual-engine Tesla, a Mercedes AMG convertible and a Subaru Outback. Talking to the insurance guy, I said, “I don’t drive my car 9000 miles a year; I can’t possibly do…
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Was Your Ex a Cockroach?
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Most of us have been #coupled for some time or respectfully #uncoupled for a while. Still, I can remember a time when I would have taken advantage of a program like this. It’s right up my alley. Do something good, something fun, and have your say at the same time.…
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The Dung Beetle Shows the Value of Cooperation
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Cooperation. In a “let’s do this together” world makes sense. But do we live in a “we’re in this together” world anymore? With media emphasis on our polarization and our own daily experiences, do we feel “together” in the greater sense or just with our tribe (as the media are…
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New Habits for the New Year
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I’m not one for resolutions, but Jim and I used to have a ritual that on New Year’s Eve, we would go to some place for fancy food and talk about the year just lived and consider the year to come. This is the first time that I can remember…
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Signs of Intelligent Life
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Scientists had a 20-minute discussion with a humpback whale in her own language. They say it could help humans chat with aliens one day. While chatting with creatures that share our planet is laudable, even cool, I cannot recall an instance when aliens showed up and it was good for…
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No calamari for me
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I don’t eat calamari anymore. Sy Montgomery’s book, The Soul of An Octopus changed how I think about them. The novel Remarkably Bright Creatures simply reinforced how the species is remarkable. They play with caretakers. They demonstrate memory and preferences for people and toys. Cognition. They are thinking creatures. And…
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Is it safe to sit on a public toilet?
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Catching up on casual reading this am and came across this article in Real Simple, September issue. Is it OK to sit on a public toilet? Most people say absolutely not, but epidemiologist say, go ahead, a public toilet isn’t the dirtiest thing in your (potential) life. The takeaway: “The…
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Dystopian future begins now?
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Did you catch this story in late July? The CDC found an illegal, unregistered laboratory in Fresno County, California. They found 20 potentially infectious agents. Lab mice. Medical waste. Hazardous materials. Xiuquin Yao was identified as the company president through emails included in the court documents. The lab may have…
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I donated my boobs to science
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I donated my boobs to breast cancer research. Last week I had my annual breast exam. For the men following, if the woman in your life has not shared the joys of this, please know that our breasts are mounted onto a machine, twisted and squeezed in plexiglass to look…
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Who Ate the First Oyster?
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Am I the only one who thinks, “Who figured this out?” Like, how did someone reach into a river, pull out a soft rock and think, “I’ll be we could use this as a fertilizer?” (Phosphate) Or, who took a look at flaky, greasy graphite and thought, “I bet this…