१२ जानेवारी, २०१६

You say it's your birthday...

P1150005

... it's my birthday too.

ADDED:  "... Dan explained that the Netherlands has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe. 'As long as you get a master’s degree you’re pretty much guaranteed a job.' He himself was in his second year of college, majoring in saving the Earth. 'That’s not the actual name of the program, but it’s pretty much what it amounts to,' he told us. I asked what sort of things he was learning, and he brought up a biology class he’d sat through earlier that week. 'We were talking about aging and how the average life expectancy keeps creeping upward. It used to be that people died in their midthirties, but now look at us! And it’s all changing so quickly.' Dan said that the first person who’ll reach the age of two hundred has already been born. 'It’s anyone’s guess who it is, but he or she is definitely here.' It could have been the authority in his voice, or maybe the firelight reflected in his eyes, but for whatever reason, this sounded to me like a prophecy. I swallowed the last of my cake and leaned forward to ask a question. 'At the age of a hundred sixty, will this person be like, "You know what? I’m starting to feel a little tired," or will he be curled into a ball, puddled in drool and Botox?' 'We don’t know,” Dan said."

David Sedaris, "The Happy Place" (in "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls").

५१ टिप्पण्या:

Unknown म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday Ann. I hope you have a lovely year. Thank you for another year of sustained, excellent blogging.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

So, once again Sirius is on the meridian at midnight. Happy Birthday!

Mark म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday!

cubanbob म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday. I hope you have a wonderful day and many, many thanks for the wonderful blog.

mezzrow म्हणाले...

Many happy returns of the day, Professor.

Rusty म्हणाले...

Well. Happy fucking birthday to you.

Tank म्हणाले...

HB AA

I Have Misplaced My Pants म्हणाले...

I am pleased you were born. Your presence in the world through the work that you do makes my life and that of others more interesting and enjoyable. I hope you have a very lovely day!

Hagar म्हणाले...

Happy birthday!

He himself was in his second year of college, majoring in saving the Earth.
Our colleges have graduating this kind of people for a long time and the bureaucracies are full of them.
That is what has been going on around the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. The bureaucrats have been cooperating in driving the ranchers off the range so that they can "save" it.

Jimmy म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday to you! Hope the coming year is wonderful for you. I look forward to reading your blog, particularly this year. interesting times to be alive.

madAsHell म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday to our hostess.

I'm thinking this is close to a cafe post. So....I'm reading the German news, and I see that 9 of the 10 dead in Istanbul were Germans, and 1 was a Norwegian. Was the suicide bomber hunting for white people?

The German Interior, and Justice ministers are calling for the Cologne "Rapefugees" to be deported. It's like the world is playing into Trump's hand, and Obama's reality distortion bubble is collapsing.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday!

It used to be that people died in their midthirties, but now look at us!

They died from diseases, accidents, murders, etc, not old age. In fact, "old age" now isn't much greater than old-age was 100+ years ago...it's mostly just that more people are getting there because they haven't been previously killed by something else. B. Franklin lived to be 85.

Dan said that the first person who’ll reach the age of two hundred has already been born.

"When people predict the future, the rats laugh in the attic."

Sebastian म्हणाले...

Ha! Beat you to it at 10:10 in another thread.

MayBee म्हणाले...

Happy birthday! What a wonderful thing you have created!!!! I'm happy you were created.

lohwoman म्हणाले...

Happy birthday to you and to Rush Limbaugh, too.

Limited blogger म्हणाले...

Happy birthday! Enjoy your day.

Carol म्हणाले...

The University of Montana also has a Saving the Earth major, called Environmental Studies. From its loins spring many if not most of our young Democrat office holders.

I wish the right had a similar system in place.

Static Ping म्हणाले...

Happy birthday!

David Begley म्हणाले...

Ann and Rush Limbaugh share the same birthday. Two giants of commentary.

Roger Sweeny म्हणाले...

What Fernandinande 1/12/16, 12:43 PM said. "The world's oldest person" has been just about 120 for decades now.

YoungHegelian म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday, Prof A!

Except, somehow, at our age, birthdays just aren't as much fun as they were when we were 11.

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Happy 65th birthday, Dear Professor. We are all singing happy birthday to you.

n.n म्हणाले...

Another year to reflect on the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Happy Birthday!

Bushman of the Kohlrabi म्हणाले...

Althouse, Happy Birthday and best wishes for many more.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Except, somehow, at our age, birthdays just aren't as much fun as they were when we were 11."

Meade likes to say that celebrating birthdays only makes sense up to the age of 11. By then you should "realize the reality of time."

HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...Meade likes to say that celebrating birthdays only makes sense up to the age of 11. By then you should "realize the reality of time.

Patton Oswalt: You Are Only Allowed 20 Birthdays

HoodlumDoodlum म्हणाले...

Also happy birthday, Professor!

Rick म्हणाले...

Dan said that the first person who’ll reach the age of two hundred has already been born.

We'd better spend more time discovering ways to keep people healthy and able to work rather than just keeping them alive. Medicare is already going broke trying to extend lives, and while SS is in somewhat better shape adding 50 years of average retirement will bankrupt it also.

teej म्हणाले...

HoodlumDoodlum said...

...

Patton Oswalt: You Are Only Allowed 20 Birthdays

David Bowie said "We live for just these twenty years, do we have to die for the 50 more?"

In his case, it was only 49 more.

CWJ म्हणाले...

Happy Medicare Day!

Nonapod म्हणाले...

Ann and Rush Limbaugh share the same birthday. Two giants of commentary.

...and Howard Stern.

Barry Dauphin म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday, AA!

Birches म्हणाले...

Happy Happy Birthday!

Dad म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday, Ann. Thanks for always having something interesting to read.

pm317 म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday, Prof. Althouse!

pm317 म्हणाले...

oh.. no moderation.. woohoo.. even the trolls have to have a heart not to be nasty on a birthday post.

Coconuss Network म्हणाले...

Happiest of Birthdays to you dear Annie.

FWBuff म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday, Ann! Thank you for your excellent blog!

अनामित म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday. You share it with quite a few fellow communicators.

David म्हणाले...

"Dan said that the first person who’ll reach the age of two hundred has already been born. 'It’s anyone’s guess who it is, but he or she is definitely here.' It could have been the authority in his voice, or maybe the firelight reflected in his eyes, but for whatever reason, this sounded to me like a prophecy. I swallowed the last of my cake and leaned forward to ask a question. 'At the age of a hundred sixty, will this person be like, "You know what? I’m starting to feel a little tired," or will he be curled into a ball, puddled in drool and Botox?' 'We don’t know,” Dan said."

Poor Dan. Actually we do know. We know that all this stuff Dan believes is beyond remotely likely.

I wonder what kind of prophecy a conversation like that was to Sedaris?

Humperdink म्हणाले...

Didn't want to miss wishing you a Happy Birthday Ann. Happy Birthday!!!

PS: My favorite blog.

FullMoon म्हणाले...

Oh, yeah?
Let's see the birth certifictae. THe real one !

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

Thanks, all.

ken in tx म्हणाले...

The moderation warning is still there? Happy Birthday Ann.

nina म्हणाले...

Happy Birthday! Did you go to B V? No? Well now. Time you and I grabbed a glass of wine there.

BN म्हणाले...

Well, I was hoping we'd be talking here about the coming immortality and the self-creation of ourselves into gods that we humans will soon be undergoing--and by humans, i mean the really, really rich post-humans who we mere PoS's will be worshiping someday.

But, since it seems we are all just sucking up to the teacher today, let me just say, perfesser, today go ahead and have yer cake and eat it too. Happy birthday! (insert smiley face here)

Tari म्हणाले...

Many years, Professor!

dustbunny म्हणाले...

Happy belated! I also want to thank you for this blog, I check it everyday and I've got my daughters reading it too.

Paul Snively म्हणाले...

"I swallowed the last of my cake and leaned forward to ask a question. 'At the age of a hundred sixty, will this person be like, "You know what? I’m starting to feel a little tired," or will he be curled into a ball, puddled in drool and Botox?' 'We don’t know,” Dan said.""

At least if the old coot is Dutch we can hope they'll do the right thing and self-euthanize.

Michael McNeil म्हणाले...

Roger Sweeny said...

What Fernandinande 1/12/16, 12:43 PM said. "The world's oldest person" has been just about 120 for decades now.

David said...

Poor Dan. Actually we do know. We know that all this stuff Dan believes is beyond remotely likely.

Really? It isn't like we're not in a biological revolution where genetics is becoming easily reprogrammable. The CRISPR technique of gene editing was declared by Science journal its “Breakthrough of the Year” just last month. Earlier last year the method illustrated its power in just a single application by excising all 62 copies of an anciently invasive retrovirus from the pig genome in one fell swoop. (After a few more such retroviruses are deleted, pig organs will become safe for transplant into humans.)

As a result of technology like this coming up to speed, the idea that someone now living will not ultimately live to be 200 years old is not a good bet. Yes, it will no doubt involve new engineering, and not just killing off diseases.

ngtrains म्हणाले...

happy birthday Ann. I celebrated #78 on the same day.
Glad I found the blog about 4 years ago. It's interesting