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Keep Hope Alive
Just a reminder, Isabel Wilkerson will be giving her presentation, ” “Caste: How the hierarchy we have inherited restricts our humanity” from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, in Prem Sahai Auditorium (room 1110) in the Medical Education and Research Facility. I’m about halfway through her book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” It’s a…
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Just Got Isabel Wilkerson’s Book: “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents”
I just got a copy of Isabel Wilkerson’s book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” I read her other book, “The Warmth of Other Suns” years ago. It won a Pulitzer Prize. I read the first section, “Toxins In The Permafrost And Heat Rising All Around.” It brought back memories of the 2016 Presidential Election,…
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Could Artificial Intelligence Help Clinicians Conduct Suicide Risk Assessments?
I found an article in JAMA Network (Medical News & Perspectives) the other day which discussed a recent study on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in suicide risk assessment (Hswen Y, Abbasi J. How AI Could Help Clinicians Identify American Indian Patients at Risk for Suicide. JAMA. Published online January 10, 2025. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.24063). I’ve published several posts…
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Artificial Intelligence Can Lie
I noticed a Snopes fact check article (“AI Models Were Caught Lying to Researchers in Tests — But It’s Not Time to Worry Just Yet”) today which reveals that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can lie. How about that? They can be taught by humans to scheme and lie. I guess we could all see that coming—or…
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Remarks on Svengoolie TV Movie Phantom of the Opera 1943 and More
We watched Phantom of the Opera (1943 version) last night. And then, just for good measure, we watched the Phantom of the Opera (1925 silent film) today. We watched the latter on the Internet Archive. I’ll say one thing, the absence of commercials in the 1925 version is great. Even though I like cornball jokes…
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Amaryllis Progress and Other Notes
I have a few messages to pass on today. This is the last day of November and the Amaryllis plants are doing so well Sena had to brace the tallest one using a Christmas tree stake and a couple of zip ties. It’s over two feet tall! I’m not sure what to make of almost…
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Thoughts on the Big Mo Pod Show 034: Laughing in the Face of Death
I heard the Big Mo Blues Show just (Halloween theme) this last Friday night and was not surprised to see that one of the songs discussed on the Big Mo Pod Show on Saturday was Peetie Wheatstraw’s “Devil’s Son-in-Law.” When I first heard it, it got me chuckling because I didn’t understand hardly a single…
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Reading My Old Book in a New Light
Sena bought me a wonderful new lamp to read by and it improves on the ceiling fan light I wrote about the other day (And Then a Light Bulb Went Off).” The new lamp even has a nifty remote control with which you can choose the ambient feel. There are several selections, one of which…
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Because I Wanted a Hurts Donut…
I got an urge for a Hurts Donut so I walked on the Clear Creek Trail to Coralville get to the little hole in the wall shop. You can easily walk to several places in Coralville on the trail. Actually, I wanted to also check out the Coralville Public Library and see S.T. Morrison Park.…
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Saying Goodbye to Zem the Mattress
We’re saying goodbye to Zem the mattress. This raises important questions. Who the heck is Zem? Why does a mattress have a name? If you’ve ever read Douglas Adams’ book “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Five Novels and One Story,” you’d probably wonder why anyone should ask. The name Zem is given to…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 