A time for renewal & a question for regs

Ed Brayton brought up an interesting discussion last month, would any of you prefer a subscription option which would eliminate ads? These fees are usually calculated so that they generate the same revenue as the ads would for a regular reader anyway, it’s just a matter of personal choice.

Speaking of revenue, I’m in much better shape than I was a few weeks ago when dozens of readers saved my ass. But if anyone feels like dropping a small gift into my paypal account on this holiday weekend, or if you feel the same about any other bloggers here, there should now be a donate button in the margins. My direct address for PalPay is my email address, darksydothemoon domain A-O-L. Again, I’m in fine shape and in no dire need, but if someone does want to drop a dime, I won’t accept anything over $10.03 cents (The .03 is FtB’s signature meaning it’s atheist money).

Rejoice ye Lagomorphs, your day of atonement has arrived!

As the waning gibbous moons races toward the western horizon and dawns break east, a brief period of mass hysteria will grip Christendom the world over tomorrow, in fact it has already begun. Zombie resurrection may be the center of ancient ceremony, but here in the hallowed chambers of Godless HQ, we know what’s really important: family, food, and easter eggs! On the later there lays two intertwined tales, one with tails, one without, and a story of love right down to the flowers and sweets.

It begins a long time ago in this galaxy, but back then it was far, far away. If you could travel back to that time and place, about 150 million years, you’d be well advised to watch where you step! Saurian monsters abound, hungry eyes watch from ambush. With all that to worry about, it would be easy to miss the most important new organism to arise in ages, standing low amid the tangled ferns and towering conifers. [Read more…]

Question for serious runners and crazy body nazis

After getting the news two days ago that my heart checked out superb after having a massive MI a couple of months earlier, that indeed there appeared to be no damage (Although that has yet to be confirmed with further testing) I guess I got pumped up. I managed, on a treadmill, to beat my old record on a mile of 5:27 by a few seconds. I’m still overweight for a serious runner, jogging/running this hard is very new to me (The upside? I have no impact issues). I weigh just over 160 and that’s at only 5’8″, but I think there’s potential. I have a big set of lungs and the doc says as hearts go, mine is large — not enlarged, just big for someone my size. Plus I’m certain I can lose another 20 – 25 lbs by early to midsummer.

Assuming everything tests out OK in my next follow up in 60 days … my question for the runners among you: how realistic would it be to train to break 5 minutes and if that’s even in the realm of possibility, what would be the safest or smartest way to go about doing that? [Read more…]

The rupture of the plaque

The video above gives you basic understanding of the complex and morbidly fascinating pathology of arterial deposition and the role played by inflammation. But there’s more, as explained to be my cardiologist yesterday: substances such as a nicotine and other drugs, or even a good scare can lead to what’s called a plaque rupture and once that happens the next stop on the line a few moment down the road can include sudden cardiac arrest. [Read more…]

Good news from the cardio front

After suffering a major heart attack over the holidays, getting a stent put in during January, losing almost twenty pounds since then on top of the nearly forty I had lost before (Well, there’s overlap, I’ve gone from my all time super obese high of 210 pounds to about just above 160 now), quitting smoking, stopping bad food and consuming nearly zero cholesterol, and enduring all kinds of panicky neurosis for the last few weeks — much of it made worse by my terrible day job pay and low disability payments based on that pay — my cardiologist gave me a clean bill of health today. I still have some anxiety issues, but for the most part I feel so good it can flirt with feeling high or a little bit manic at times.

He said using only the data gathered this week, detailed EKGs, blood work, and direct examination, he would never be able to tell I had ever suffered a heart issue of any kind, let alone a massive MI. In another three months I’ll get the full echo-sono-stress test work up to compare cardiac function with past tests which he suspects will yield the best prognosis possible. I just wanted to pass that on and thank those of you who provided all kinds of support through this ordeal, up to and including sharing your own personal stories and encouragement with me via email and coughing up heard earned dough when I was in dire need.

Dear hellbound Godless atheists

That’s not what Michael Gerson started out with in his latest opinion piece, and, well, I’m not even sure if that’s what he’s going for, it’s quite a word salad. He starts out by recognizing the ranks of the non religious have swollen, takes a back-handed swipe at Dawkins, basically states the polls are skewed and a big chunk of the twenty percent reporting as “nones” are really religious — including presumably a Godly number of you lying atheists and agnostics. Then finishes up with this head scratcher: [Read more…]

One hopes the North Koreans haven’t completely lost their minds

We can only hope the North Koreans haven’t completely lost their minds and are angling for something tangible. On first glance that seems like a safe bet — they surely know any aggression toward the US would be suicidal — but then again history is full of idiots who drank their own koolaide and condemned themselves, their regime, and their innocent population to endless horror: [Read more…]