Alzheimer’s Fears

Today would be the anniversary of my mother's birthday, but she's been dead for some time now. Alzheimer's killed her. She lost the ability to swallow, so she couldn't eat or drink. Since she had left an advance health care directive that no feeding tubes would be used, essentially she starved to death. She was only 66. Mom was diagnosed with the disease when she was 52. She'd been having troubles for a good while before that, so hers was a very early onset. You lose people twice when they have Alzheimer's: once when their mind goes and they are no longer themselves, and then when the body finally dies. Early onset Alzheimer's may be genetic, and even dominant, according to a number of studies, such as this one. There are lots more studies, but many are very technical and not worthwhile to link here. Essentially, some forms of early Alzheimer's are inherited about 25% of the time. So my siblings and I have a big shadow lurking: which one of the four of us will be the one that develops the disease?

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Rapture Leaves Pets Behind

Why didn't I think of this? Someone has gone into the business of insuring that your pets will be cared for when the Rapture comes and your loving pets are left behind? One such company is here. For the small price of $110, a group of "dedicated animal lovers and atheists" will agree to care for your pet if you are taken to the heavens sometime within the next ten years. I assume you could renew the contract upon payment of more money if your pet is still alive and you have not been taken by Jesus. If you simply DIE, the contract does not apply. Apparently these animal lovers will only go so far. If you die, and your dog is left homeless, the dog is on its own.

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Lose your religion for tax purposes

A Jesuit college in St. Louis just won a Missouri Supreme Court case allowing them to get public money, $8 million of it, for their college.  Not being one that believes public money should be spent in support of religion, I was aghast.  "How could that possibly happen?" you might say.  The answer…

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Ignorance is bliss-or is it?

Sometimes I wish I believed in prayer.  I wish that I could plead, I wish that I could sacrifice, I wish that I could count beads or light a flame and a great omnipotent being would be coerced or convinced to grant my desire.  Some people think that you can pray for anything and that sometimes those prayers are granted.  They pray for trivial things, such as a new house, a car, for air in a nearly flat tire, or that they won’t be late for work.  My favorite example of this is expressed well in the old Janis Joplin’s song, “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz”.  For those of you too young to remember Janis Joplin, her gravelly voice belting out those words was unforgettable.  The lyrics are:  

“Mercedes Benz”

 Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?
My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz ?  

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?
Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh Lord, won’t you buy me a color TV ?  

Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?
I’m counting on you, Lord, please don’t let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a night on …

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