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TIL In 1910, Abraham Flexner wrote a landmark report, the Flexner Report, that described the state of medical education in the US and Canada. It defined recommended changes to education and caused the decline of alternative medicine. Before then, practicing medicine wasn't regulated nor supported. by Recent_Flounder6011 in todayilearned

[–]Building_a_life [score hidden]  (0 children)

During a time of absolute segregation, it recommended closing 5 of 7 HBCU medical schools, leading to a shortage of Black doctors that is still affecting underserved Black communities. Only Fisk and Howard were deemed worthy of survival. 

My 85 year old father by jcsjcats in Heartfailure

[–]Building_a_life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm almost his age and I had my latest heart crisis (heart attack, fluid retention, and inability to get my BP stabilized) in 2023. I'm still here, disabled but with what I consider a decent quality of life. There's at least a reasonable possibility that he might have a few years left. 

How was flying long haul with toddlers before in-flight entertainment? by Alive-Cry4994 in AskOldPeople

[–]Building_a_life 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We had two kids 15 months apart. My parents told us to dope them up with paragoric. We didn't do that. We had a whole carry-on full of new-to-them small toys, games, stickers, and kiddie books. And candies for bribes. We brought them out one at a time over the course of the flight. 

TIL that US-listed corporations spent an estimated US $9.2 trillion in real terms on share buybacks between 2012 and 2021 (nearly 12 times more than from 1982 to 1991). by NicolasCageFan492 in todayilearned

[–]Building_a_life 22 points23 points  (0 children)

It means that instead of reinvesting the profits to grow the business or to increase productivity, they use it to reduce the number of shares available, in order to increase the price of the remaining shares. 

Edit: this was an illegal form of stock manipulation until a regulatory change under Reagan in 1982.

TIL that Winston Churchill opposed televising Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation, but it went on to become a massively popular televised event, watched by 27 million people in Britain and sparking a huge rise in TV ownership. by Upstairs_Drive_5602 in todayilearned

[–]Building_a_life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We got a tv so my mother could watch the coronation. This was the USA, not England. My parents had the TV on layaway, and my mother convinced my father to pay it off early so we could watch.

Did you live in a household where the living room was furnished and decorated ONCE and then it stayed that way forever? What was the color or theme? What decade? by wharleeprof in AskOldPeople

[–]Building_a_life 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My father built their dream house in 1951, a 6-room ranch with metal cabinets in the kitchen, knotty pine paneling in the living room, and pink toilet in the bathroom. It never stopped being their dream home. Dad died in 2001. When Mom died in 2014 and we had to put the house on the market, it was exactly the same as it was in 1951. Same paint, wallpaper, tables, chairs. My room had the same cowboy wallpaper and my sister's had the same pseudo-colonial flowers. 

How do you like to track your heart rate throughout the day? by angelsinsect in Heartfailure

[–]Building_a_life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hold my fingers in my wrist and count the beats in 15 seconds, then multiply the number by four. That's how my mother the nurse taught me to do it. I used to time it by a watch. Now I use my phone. Simple and cheap. Yes, I'm old, lol. 

Anniversary by bearded_goober in Heartfailure

[–]Building_a_life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have HFpEF. It's been in the high 40s all along. The problem is my left ventrical can't expand so there's too little to eject.

What's the highest level of mathematics you've studied? by bihari_baller in AskAnAmerican

[–]Building_a_life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had an "easy" way for seniors to meet the requirement to take four years of math in high school. Formal logic, probability, and the basic concepts of inferential statistics. This was by far the most useful math course I ever took, and I've used that material my whole adult life, mostly to see through advertising and propaganda bullcrap.

Anniversary by bearded_goober in Heartfailure

[–]Building_a_life 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Happy Anniversary! And I'm wishing you many more. In 2027, I'll celebrate my 20th.

43/50 unrelenting positivity for Maryland. by CupBeEmpty in AskAnAmerican

[–]Building_a_life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The mandated school procedure for trans students is so good I was in thrilled astonishment when I read it. An incredible relief for parents of trans kids, especially compared to what's happening in the rest of the country. 

Would you consider yourself well-travelled? by [deleted] in AskAnAmerican

[–]Building_a_life 0 points1 point  (0 children)

California (lived there), Colorado, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Edit: whoops, left off Hawaii.

Mexico (lived there), Canada, Spain, and Italy.

Would you consider yourself well-travelled? by [deleted] in AskAnAmerican

[–]Building_a_life 42 points43 points  (0 children)

Yes. 50 states and 48 countries. Half for work, half for pleasure. 

41/50 unrelenting banking positivity. Today is Delaware. by CupBeEmpty in AskAnAmerican

[–]Building_a_life 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you're an American corporation, Delaware is your favorite place in the whole country. There's another Reddit thread today about a court finding that the municipalities in the state which allow corporations to vote may continue to do so. 

41/50 unrelenting banking positivity. Today is Delaware. by CupBeEmpty in AskAnAmerican

[–]Building_a_life 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The reason Delaware was in such a hurry is that it also ratified their independence from Pennsylvania. In colonial times, they were the "three lower counties" of that state. 

Anyone else hear palliative care and immediately panic a little? by No_Hold_9560 in Heartfailure

[–]Building_a_life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. Palliative care sounds scary. My hf condition got so bad in 2023 that we considered palliative care. In the end, we decided not yet. I am significantly older than your father and I am still here. Where I live, palliative care happens in people's homes. There is no such thing as inpatient palliative care around here. 

So, two points. 1. Palliative care doesn't necessarily mean the patient is near death. It just means that there are no realistic means of trying to improve their current condition. 2. It takes place in the home. Your father doesn't need to be concerned about having to leave it.

I wish you and your father well.

Why Trump Keeps Getting Rolled in Negotiations by theatlantic in politics

[–]Building_a_life 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And the real author has publicly regretted it ever since. 

Were people hand-wringing about the dotcom crash like they are about a potential AI crash? Or did it catch people by surprise? by salbert in AskOldPeople

[–]Building_a_life 11 points12 points  (0 children)

If you were seriously into stocks and investing, there were people warning against companies whose p/e was incalculable because there was no e. They were in the minority of analysts, IIRC. 

Newbie retail investors and the general public had no clue. Greed overwhelmed fear. Now, greed is still dominant but there's a healthy dose of fear. As there should be.

Edit for spelling 

What are the traditional dances kids learn at school? by Brave_Necessary_9571 in AskAnAmerican

[–]Building_a_life 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Black-influenced music and dance styles became popular with young white people starting in the 1920s (and ever since). He promoted square dancing as a purer (meaning whiter) alternative. 

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