Month: May 2017

Disclaimer:  Information only.  Not medical advice.  Check with your doctor for more on this.

Like all people leaving their 20s, the monitoring of their health — in all aspects — is paramount.  And it will continue to be such for life, not to mention more so.  WebMD said (in a quiz on the site) that memory in different forms declines in the late 20s!  This is a wakeup call for me, already 29 years old.

This evening, in my beloved Britannica set, I decided to investigate aging and its impact on memory.  While the set is quite dated (1981) and research has increased since then, the article said, overall, the primary aspects affected are short-term memory and response timing.  On the other hand, cognitive decline is trivial concerning skills, facts, and vocabulary.

In other words, the aged actually learn just as well as younger adults.  Here’s the catch.  They tend to learn the material more slowly.

This provides some good news here, in case a senior citizen wants to learn something. But a younger person should teach it slowly, so the elder will retain it well.  In other words, go easy on them!  Don’t pressure them too much.

Also, while there are exceptions, the rule of thumb is that people in their, say, 30s, tend to make major contributions in science, math, etc. more often that 60-somethings.  This rule of thumb is reverse for religious, political, and administrative personalities, wherein experience is the principal factor.

And, despite their tendency to “keep to themselves,” due primarily to past experience, older adults are happiest when accompanied by those younger than them, and would rather stay in their communities rather than in institutions for seniors (e.g. nursing homes and assisted living facilities).  Good income and health contribute as well.

Of course, there’s Alzheimer’s and similar dementia disorders, but they are beyond the scope of this post.  This is focused chiefly on the brain power overall aged population.

Keep in mind that as one reaches the end, while learning is lifelong by nature, it becomes less and less important, namely concerning applications of such.  In another post sometime, I would like to discuss learning theories.  But this will suffice for now.

But again, like many others, age is what it is — a number.

Source:  Encyclopedia Britannica, 1981, v. 1 (Macropedia)

Whether you are mostly a fan of the Alphabet, the Peacock, or the Eye, referring to, respectively, the US networks of ABC, NBC, and CBS, let me tell you, in ten or 20 years they most likely will no longer be the leaders, if they are even alive at all.  The same fate for Fox, which after 30 years or so, still hasn’t quite matured as the Big Three have.  Despite having sports for many years, their primetime is only 2 hours, and there is no 6:30 pm newscast to compete with the other Big Three’s national news programs.  And just like foxes, the company that owned Fox was sly enough to create an entire cable network over 20 years ago.  As to quality, well, let’s just say it reports outside the typical pale of the media.

People would rather go to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and countless other platforms that present movies, shows, etc. (typically exclusive to a given service), come through the internet.  But this wastes a lot of moolah, because to get a full range of entertainment, I would recommend a digital cable, satellite, or similar service to get the potential for one to watch more.  Even if you don’t frequent key cable channels, they’re there for you, lest you want to watch one of their programs.

Even PBS has a rival of sorts now:  Curiosity Stream.  Yet, just like the other online TV platforms, this online TV service is of course, for profit.  Takes the “public” out of “Public Broadcasting Service,” doesn’t it?  LOL

At the other extreme, still others “cut the cord.”  They stick to the tradition of the airwaves, with some bonuses:  namely, a number of specialists in certain areas like movies, classic TV, etc., in addition to the master networks.  (read: the Big 3 or 4)  While it is not a clone of cable, it has some interesting programs that could be competent enough.  In a sense, it could be called “the poor man’s cable.”  And all you need to access the treasures thereof is a digital TV and antenna, or an analog TV with a “converter box,” as a “middleman” to re-process the signals into an analog format.  Even though analog TVs are no longer on the market (they left it in 2009 due to government order), they are able to attach directly to connections through non-broadcast TV systems, including cable, satellite, and others.

Whatever quality or quantity of television you watch, be a smart buyer.  That’s it in a nutshell, the decision is yours.

Obviously, no meat comes cooked (or frozen) from the start.  Neither should it be.  Barber Foods (as in the picture) and other companies make amazing stuffed chicken meals, containing such delicious fillings such as cordon bleu, Kiev, broccoli & cheese, and yum…Crème Brie with apples and cranberries.

They typically come boxed in pairs.  But these aren’t Hot Pockets. They are, in a word, raw.  Don’t dare nuking these, or you’ll be sick as a dog.  They take roughly about 30 to 45 minutes in your conventional oven.  But there’s no denying that the wait is worth it.  As always, patience is, decidedly, a virtue.

Check your grocer’s freezer today!