Every day so many of us struggle with what we consider ‘fair’ or right in the world. Randy Pausch shows us that being consumed by that question can be a distraction from what is truly important – to live our lives to the fullest no matter the cards we are dealt.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Randy Pausch, noted CMU prof, succumbs to cancer.
His work has touched the lives of many, his “Last Lecture” has inspired people around the world.
There’s a wealth of information in the peer reviewed papers at nejm.org that I plan to read over the following few days.
Surgical versus Nonsurgical Treatment for Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis – May 2007
Back Surgery — Who Needs It? – May 2007
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis – February 2008
Surgical versus Nonsurgical Treatment for Back Pain – September 2007
Surgical versus Nonsurgical Therapy for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis – February 2008
Spinal-Fusion Surgery — Advances and Concerns – Februaru 2004
Surgery versus Prolonged Conservative Treatment for Sciatica – May 2007
Spinal-Fusion Surgery — The Case for Restraint – February 2004
His family and friends share his funeral wishes.
Ever have “that talk” with your family or loved ones? The one where you discuss how you want your funeral to be? Yeah, it’s a morbid topic to be sure, but following are some links I want to read when I get the chance:
American Catholic: Cremation: New Options for Catholics
American Catholic: Cremation and the Catholic Funeral
USAToday: Catholic parishes yield to cremation trend
Catholic Culture: Cremation Ashes to Ashes
Mark Morford, at SFGate, in April, wrote a lyrical, powerful piece about music the Earth itself is generating: “In other words, you love loud punk? Metal? Jazz? Deep house? Saint-Saens with a glass of Pinot in the tub? Sure you do. That’s because somewhere, somehow, deep in your very cells and bones and DNA, it links you back to source, to the Earth’s own vibration, the pulse of the cosmos. Oh yes it does. To tap your foot and sway your body to that weird new Portishead tune is, in effect, to sway it to the roar of the universe. I mean, obviously.”
As he mentions, scientists have been debating the source (or sources) of the ‘hum’ for a long time, a sampling:
Space.com (2000): Source of Earth’s Hum Revealed, Space Symphony Possible (Inaudible sound waves in the lower atmosphere that push and pull on the ground).
NPR: Detecting the Earth’s Hum for What It Is (it comes from the globe’s largest oceans during winter, apparently the result of powerful winter storms)
New Scientist (2007): Earth’s hum linked to coastal waves
LiveScience: Earth’s Hum Sounds More Mysterious Than Ever (might be caused by forces shearing across the world’s surface, from the oceans, atmosphere or possibly even the sun)
Mark Morford says this is the kind of thing, in our day to day driven world, we don’t take a moment to stop and ponder: “This is the kind of thing that, given all our distractions, our celeb obsessions and happy drugs and bothersome trifles like family and bills and war and health care and sex and love and porn and breathing and death, tends to fly under the radar of your overspanked consciousness, only to be later rediscovered and brought forth and placed directly in front of your eyeballs, at least for a moment, so you can look, really look, and go, oh my God, I had no idea.”
He’s right. My friends shake their heads at me sometimes and tease me for being a bit of a “hippie” for pondering this stuff. But it’s these kinds of mysteries that take my heart to flight, sing to me, and lighten my step as I think about the wonderful world we live in.
But they will be unavoidable today. So all I will say is when I get home tonight from work, I’m going to have a good drink in his name.
You made us laugh. And think. At the same time.
We’ll miss you George.
Not all of us, but that is as it should be, how you preferred it, and that is why you left an impression on so many.
Metafilter: George Carlin Dead at 71
Doc Searls has been blogging from the hospital these past few days and its been at times frightening and at times heartening to follow as each days up and downs are shared. Doctors have found three pancreatic cysts, but should be on his way home soon.
Shelley Powers is blogging about her latest book at Painting the Web, about all things society and tech at RealTech, on personal matters at Just Shelley, and about Missouri at MissouriGreen Her latest posts at MissouriGreen are covering the sandbagging efforts she has been taking part in and have been harrowing.
The news coverage of the weather and floods has been spotty at best. I’d like to urge folks to donate to the Red Cross (probably what Richelle and me will do this week) but I don’t know if that’s the best route to help for those of us so distant and disconnected.
So much conflicting research!
ABC News: Back Surgery Can Quickly Relieve Pain
MedicineNet.com: Back Pain Often Ends Without Surgery