Thursday Thirteen

New things I've learned this week -

1. Temporal arteritis, also called giant cell arteritis (GCA), is a systemic inflammatory vasculitis of unknown etiology that occurs in older persons and can result in a wide variety of systemic, neurologic, and ophthalmologic complications. GCA is the most common form of systemic vasculitis in adults. (Mostly it means you have severe pain in your temple and eye. I don't have this but the doctor thought I might. I've had a bad headache in one eye for 10 days.)

2. Alexa on Kindle Fire HD cannot be turned off, apparently, and sometimes it just up and talks to you whether you think you have it on or not. I tried to remove the app but it keeps replacing itself. It's a little spooky.

3. February set records for weather all around the nation. Chicago broke a 146-year record for lack of snowfall. Our area had its hottest February on record. March came roaring in like a wild lion yesterday. Is this our new normal?

4. You can clean jewelry with toothpaste. I had no idea.

5. Persimmon tea is supposed to help with stomach issues. I am going to find some on the Internet and give it a go.

6. Lamps today are (a) ugly, (b) poorly made, and (c) expensive.

7. Bethesda, a video game group that makes The Elder Scrolls series (my favorite), allegedly is working on Elder Scrolls 6, but it's all hush-hush. I want to know more!

8. You can have shingles without a rash. (I don't have shingles, either, but that was also suspected for a little while.)

9. TMJ, or temporomandibular disorder,  causes the following: popping or grating sound when you open or close your mouth; headache or pain in your jaw, ear, neck, or face; pain or swelling of the jaw muscles; tingling or numbness in the jaw or face; trouble opening or closing your mouth, or your jaw locks. (This is what they decided I do have.)

10. The concept of individuality ultimately breaks down society. I didn't learn this: I am observing this and watching it happen all around me.

11. There is a chaos theory in sociology which actually has to do with order and not disorder. Nature, including some instances of social behavior and social systems, is highly complex, and the only prediction you can make is that it is unpredictable. Chaos theory looks at this unpredictability of nature and tries to make sense of it. You can read more about it here. Breakdowns in the social structure lead to disorder and chaos, and appears to be cyclic. What cycle do you think we are entering?

12. I started reading about chaos theory because of a video game I am playing. It is a city simulation, and if you don't keep things equal and correct, the little people in the city become unhappy, sick, starve, and die. This means resources must be allocated accordingly; too much on one side and the other side starts going downhill. It also resonates with our current economic climate.

13. This story in The Guardian indicates that Shell knew in 1991 that climate change was a danger to humanity. Like other corporations, though, the company took no stance and made no changes. Because, you know, money.


*Do we do stuff that makes us feel good, or stuff that actually does good? That's my question for the week.*

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 489th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.