tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9263167.post2720590569472013382..comments2024-03-18T12:22:54.723-04:00Comments on Stayin' Alive: FoobawCervanteshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11302076828795198187noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9263167.post-39632709095481948872017-08-07T09:40:12.013-04:002017-08-07T09:40:12.013-04:00It is certainly true that we take all sorts of ris...It is certainly true that we take all sorts of risks in life. People have to balance their tolerance for risk with whatever reward they get for risky activity. The issue here is that the knowledge that playing football presents such a high risk of such an extremely unpleasant outcome is new -- it changes the risk/reward relationship from what it was previously presumed to be. How people will respond to this information is the question, and it looks like a lot of them -- including men who are already making millions in the NFL -- are deciding it isn't worth it.Cervanteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11302076828795198187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9263167.post-17943313756386053772017-08-04T11:39:41.609-04:002017-08-04T11:39:41.609-04:00If you were to design physical games from scratch ...<br />If you were to design physical games from scratch without any regard to traditional and cultural influences and norms, everyone would agree with your assessment of the terrible evils of American football.<br /><br />They would also agree to to the evils of automobiles, motorcycles, skydiving, scuba diving, spelunking, zip-lining, carnival rides, dodge ball (thank God they've saved us from *that*!) and anything else that could involve any risk of injury.<br /><br />I would suggest that you wear a rubber helmet to work just in case you fall. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9263167.post-3218713404133204222017-08-03T10:34:33.332-04:002017-08-03T10:34:33.332-04:00My father had FTD, and ultimately died from it. Hi...My father had FTD, and ultimately died from it. His disease was triggered by a stroke. So yeah, I know what it is. Just about the worst thing any family can go through.Cervanteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11302076828795198187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9263167.post-18852688470855254712017-08-02T23:09:41.329-04:002017-08-02T23:09:41.329-04:00The "mush" with CTE is physical changes,...The "mush" with CTE is physical changes, as well as behavioral and cognitive changes, and generally early onset. There are not great systems in place to help the affected people or their families cope; and nobody expects those kinds of changes earlier in life. There is overlap with conditions like frontotemporal dementia (FTD), because the symptoms and challenges are so similar when the frontal and temporal lobes are affected -- and, the cause can't actually be determined until autopsy. Not even then, unless a person's brain is donated for research, because the kind of investigation of changes in the brain's tissues is so specialized.<br /><br />So, the results of this study were of great interest to my group dealing with FTD. kathy a.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14479337952651746193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9263167.post-71572685824518167602017-08-02T17:05:38.082-04:002017-08-02T17:05:38.082-04:00Rather OT, but I agree with you. Libertarianism, l...Rather OT, but I agree with you. Libertarianism, like the concept of God, is internally inconsistent and inconsistent with observable reality.Cervanteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11302076828795198187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9263167.post-50556324693079791962017-08-02T16:55:41.683-04:002017-08-02T16:55:41.683-04:00Good column. While we're at it, I also hope th...Good column. While we're at it, I also hope that in addition to football, religious and other proselytizing will dry up and die eventually. Evangelizing for any cause--i.e., Christianity or "Objectivism," the "religion" of Ayn Rand followers (who, curiously, largely claim to be atheists)--also seems to have a way of shrinking people's brains to cornmeal mush.Smithnoreply@blogger.com