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dialecticdreamer

Exceptional Holiday
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1518
[21 December 2016]

:: A young woman is expecting to have the day off work for a nontraditional holiday. There’s enough of a snag that a stranger steps in to ensure that the problem gets cleared up. Part of the Polychrome Heroics universe, and written for the December of 2025 Giftmas event. Many thanks to the prompter for the wonderful idea. ::

“You called me shouting to get in on time today, after I had asked for today off weeks ago,” Summer Longacre declared, crossing her arms next to the small lectern labeled with a crisp sign which read, “Please wait to be seated.”. The name badge pinned on Summer’s uniform shirt held a strip of beige masking tape with her first name written on it in permanent marker.

Elaine didn’t look up. “Everybody works the entire week before Christmas because the diner is closed that day.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: artistic

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists Thought Parkinson’s Was in Our Genes. It Might Be in the Water

New ideas about chronic illness could revolutionize treatment, if we take the research seriously.

All told, more than half of Parkinson’s research dollars in the past two decades have flowed toward genetics.
But Parkinson’s rates in the US have doubled in the past 30 years. And studies suggest they will climb another 15 to 35 percent in each coming decade. This is not how an inherited genetic disease is supposed to behave.
Despite the avalanche of funding, the latest research suggests that only 10 to 15 percent of Parkinson’s cases can be fully explained by genetics. The other three-quarters are, functionally, a mystery.
[---8<---]
Parkinson’s, it appeared, could be caused by a chemical.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists find dark chocolate ingredient that slows aging

Scientists have uncovered a surprising link between dark chocolate and slower aging. A natural cocoa compound called theobromine was found in higher levels among people who appeared biologically younger than their real age.

Well, that's good news! :D Watch for clinical-grade chocolate with a high level of cocoa solids (dark or the higher end of milk), preferably organic and environmentally friendly. Enjoy a recipe:

Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Three-year-old child forced to serve as her own attorney in Tucson immigration court

The child, barely old enough to talk, was one of 25 immigrant children forced to fight removal efforts by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at the Pima County immigration courthouse in Tucson on Nov. 24.

This article highlights numerous abuses and other problems.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is mostly sunny and quite frigid. It snowed copiously yesterday, wiping out our plans to visit a holiday market. :(

I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus at least one mourning dove. The windows are frosted so much that it's hard to identify them.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/14/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

I've seen two male and one female cardinal. At one point, the sparrows were trying to fit 7-8 birds on an edge of the hopper feeder with room for maybe 4-5 if they weren't fighting. So it's actually beyond four-bird-cold today!

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

One Critical Factor Predicts Longevity Better Than Diet or Exercise, Study Says

They then factored in other variables that can affect life expectancy, including physical inactivity, employment status, and educational level. The association between insufficient sleep and lower life expectancy still held. Only smoking had a stronger link.

Good, adequate sleep is a survival need. Modern society often sabotages it.

However, this study suggests that banking sleep on weekends can mitigate the effects of lost sleep during the week. I used to do that in school, and people said it didn't work, but it certainly helped my energy level. It may be a trick that some but not all bodies can do.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today's plan to visit a holiday market got wiped out by copious snow. Again. :( So I'm drowning our sorrows in a batch of Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread.

Current Mood: busy

dialecticdreamer

Skiing Lesson
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1375

:: Farrah is visiting friends in Colorado when they interrupt their original plans to give her a birthday surprise. General fiction, written for the December of 2025 prompt call, from a suggestion made by

callibr8. My deepest thanks to her! ::

Farrah walked as quickly as her snow pants allowed, and reached the front desk at the hotel before the clerk could page her a third time. “Call for Miss Anders? I’m here,” Farrah declared, crossing her arms. “You do realize that it’s before eight in the morning?”

“Yes, Miss Anders.” The clerk shrugged almost imperceptibly. “We tried calling your room, and when there was no answer, switched to making a general announcement. You had a call, but they asked that you be told to be ready to depart at a quarter of nine. I’m doing my best to make sure that you’re ready.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: artistic

ysabetwordsmith

Human brains light up for chimp voices in a way no one expected

Humans may carry ancient neural traces that let us recognize the voices of our primate cousins.

Humans don’t just recognize each other’s voices—our brains also light up for the calls of chimpanzees, hinting at ancient communication roots shared with our closest primate relatives. Researchers found a specialized region in the auditory cortex that reacts distinctly to chimp vocalizations, but not to those of bonobos or macaques, revealing an unexpected mix of evolutionary and acoustic influences.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and cold with copious snow. This has wiped out our plans to visit a holiday market. :(

I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, at least one female and four male cardinals, a mourning dove, and a tiny wren clinging to the bathroom window as it probed the edges for hibernating insects.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Ground Zero: Los Angeles and the Endgame of the Growth Ponzi Scheme

Los Angeles didn’t mismanage its way into crisis. It built its way here.

I disagree. If a city does not track all of its liabilities, such as the maintenance costs of roads and utilities, that is mismanagement. You can't run a budget when you don't know where your money is going. That ought to be obvious.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

Is the human tendency to create groups an overall positive or a negative trait in terms of general human flourishing?

Necessary. Insofar as we know, Homo like most primates is a troop animal, evolved to live in groups rather than alone. Individuals may choose to live alone, but it is much more difficult. Of course, humans can choose to create groups that are themselves positive or negative in structure and behavior, but that's a personal choice.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Scientists find hidden rainfall pattern that could reshape farming

Where rain comes from may decide the future stability of global food production.

New research shows that crops are far more vulnerable when too much rainfall originates from land rather than the ocean. Land-sourced moisture leads to weaker, less reliable rainfall, heightening drought risk. The U.S. Midwest and East Africa are particularly exposed due to soil drying and deforestation. Protecting forests and improving land management could help stabilize rainfall and crop yields.

Allow me to point out that the Midwest used to have copious fencerows of trees and bushes, more pocket forests, and more farmhouse yards. People cut down most of those to clear a few more acres of farmland. The results have been poor across multiple areas including wildlife losses, soil erosion, worsening winds with less interruption, and of course the aforementioned droughts.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today is partly cloudy and chilly. Yesterday it snowed.

I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.

Current Mood: busy

dialecticdreamer

Holiday Extras
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 2 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1375
[Mid-December 2016, flexible timing]

:: Genna is spending most of the month of December touching base with her students via crafting. Edison arrives with Zipper, and both get a surprise. Part of the Strange Family and the Finn Family story arcs in the Polychrome Heroics universe. Posted for the December 2025 Giftmas, with my deepest thanks. ::

Back to part one
:: Thanks for reading! ::

Genna motioned toward the row of imperfect, awkward-looking snowflakes made of curls of wood, then touched Edison’s shoulder gently. “Those look good. Wabi-sabi means beauty in imperfections. They aren’t ugly or lumpy or… what was the other word that you said?”

“Bruscar,” Edison murmured, the syllables heavy with disappointment. “It means trash.”

“They’re not trash,” Genna assured the boy.
( Read more... )

Current Mood: cold

ysabetwordsmith

'It is the most exciting discovery in my 40-year career': Archaeologists uncover evidence that Neanderthals made fire 400,000 years ago in England

Neanderthals were the world's first innovators of fire technology, tiny specks of evidence in England suggest. Flecks of pyrite found at a more than 400,000-year-old archaeological site in Suffolk, in eastern England, push back archaeologists' evidence for controlled fire-making and suggest that key human brain developments began far earlier than previously thought.

It's exciting to see such concrete evidence.

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today's theme is Labyrinth.

comicsfanfiction -- Comics Fanfiction
The community for posting any fanfiction, ANY RATING IS ALLOWED, based on COMICS including webcomics or graphic novels. One main place to find all those stories that we all want. Comic fandoms that were originally from another medium (show, book, movie, etc) - for example Gargoyles, Star Wars or Star Trek - and has a comic series line (miniseries or not) are allowed here, but only if you focus on the comics-based information.
[Active with multiple posts in December.]

crossovers -- Crossover fiction from across the universe!
Crossover fan fiction.
[Active with multiple posts in November.]

fandom_fanvids -- A Collection of Fanvids from different Fandoms
[Active with one post in November.]

labyfic -- In Search of New Dreams: A Labyrinth Fan Community
Labyrinth movie community: fanfiction, fan art, & discussion.
[Active with multiple posts in December.]

Current Mood: busy

ysabetwordsmith

Today we went up to Danville.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

dialecticdreamer

Holiday Extras
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 2, complete
Word count (story only): 1059
[Mid-December 2016, flexible timing]

:: Genna is spending most of the month of December touching base with her students via crafting. Edison arrives with Zipper, and both get a surprise. Part of the Strange Family and the Finn Family story arcs in the Polychrome Heroics universe. Posted for the December 2025 Giftmas, with my deepest thanks. ::

On to part two

Edison giggled as Zipper swept him high into the air, then turned the boy from a “flying” pose to standing. The small yellow sneakers touched the grass gently. “Here you are. Want me to ring the --” Zipper began.

A tall, bulky man with curly brown hair opened the door. “Hey, kiddo, Genna’s in the schoolroom, but it’s basically a craft room for the holidays. Go on in.”
( Read more... )

Current Mood: amused

ysabetwordsmith

Today is cloudy and chilly.

I fed the birds. I haven't seen much activity today though.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 12/11/25 -- It snowed quite a bit today.

Current Mood: busy

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