Diagnosis: Negative

I got my results for the sleep study in which I participated.  They were disappointing.  It turns out, I'm fine.  I snore lightly (which I knew), but it in no way affects my breathing and my oxygen levels were normal through out the night.

The results would be good, except now there are more questions.  I know that I've woken up during the night in the past not breathing, but now I have to wonder if those times were unusual or if I slept atypically during the study.

For now, I'm going to focus on changing my medication.  I should be approved this week to start the transition.  If the levetiracetam is causing the majority of my problems, I don't want to change other variables and miss something.

I guess the results being negative was a good thing and I was just hoping for an easy answer.  I'll simply have to keep investigating until I find the correct solution.

Tuesdays with Media: A Real-world Troll

About a year ago, I defined what an internet troll is in order to explain some principles of proper communication.  Today, I want to focus on why some people become trolls in the first place by using as an example, someone who does not limit themselves to saying terrible things on the internet:

Not all trolls live under bridges.

Donald Trump is currently pretending to run for the Republican Presidential nomination, but don't be fooled into thinking that he's serious about it.  Since he announced his candidacy, he's only said inflammatory things that would be sure to be passed around every news outlets.  Are there other candidates that are campaigning that we should have stronger borders?  Sure, but the rest are diplomatic about it, not saying that Mexicans "are rapists," among other terrible things.  Even his supporters thought he crossed the line when he implied that a female debate moderator was acting crazy because she was menstruating.

Trump has no previous political experience, his company has filed for bankruptcy four times, and he's changed party alignment as frequently as most people change socks.  This is not a man that has any real chance at becoming president.  The only reason it looks like he has a chance right now is that there are way too many GOP candidates right now.  Once things shake out a bit, Trump will drop out, just like he did the last time he ran.

If you're of the opinion that any publicity is good publicity, like Trump apparently is, then trolling is a very effective technique.  If, however, you actually want to both make a positive difference within our country and convince people to agree with you, then you may want to stick with showing how diplomatic you can be.  So, for the foreseeable future, expect Trump to show up in news headlines -- in strictly negative ways.

Freedom of Intolerance

On Sunday, two armed men were killed by police when they opened fire on an auditorium in Garland, Texas.  The quick action under fire by the officers on duty is commendable and impressive (besides the two felled antagonists, no on was killed), but what sparked the ire of the gunman was nothing short of an act of hatred: an art exhibit on cartoons and caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad.  The event was put on by the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), an organization described by many as a "hate group" -- I heartily agree.

For those that don't know, Muslims believe no images of their founder, the Prophet Mohammad, should ever be made and any depictions of him are considered blasphemous.  With so many terrorists in the world inappropriately claiming Islam as their motivation, metaphorically spitting in their faces is just asking for trouble.

According to the AFDI, they put on the event in support of "free speech" and people who are challenging the "American way of life" (I assume that "American way of life" they're talking about is being mind-bogglingly stupid).  What the AFDI should really say is that they're a bunch of intolerant cowards that can't stand it when people do things differently than them, because that's the truth of the matter.  Yes, there are a bunch of radical Muslims in the world that are committing terrible acts, but they are the minority.  Judging an entire group of people based on the most extreme examples will only lead to trouble, as was seen on Sunday.

When I heard about what had happened, I felt a brotherhood with the peaceful Muslims in this country.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have seen my religion mocked (and that mockery being praised), I have read about "radicals" that claim the same core beliefs I do but practice things that are denounced by Church leaders, and I have had people tell me to my face that I am going to hell.  The major difference is, of course, that the Church is true, but no one should be mistreated because of their religion.

While I still believe that Americans have the right to be stupid, I really am disappointed with how some people choose to exercise that right.