jason partin fishing - catfish frog

The War on Drugs

I’m not sure who’s responsible for me being a casualty of the War on Drugs. It could have been the new president, Ronald Reagan. In 1980 he promised the Evangelical Christian groups that financed his presidential campaign that he’d fight, and end, America’s drug problem. Or, it could have been my dad, who had earned enough money growing marijuana to buy remote land in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, where he grew even more marijuana. Either way, I at a lot ketchup in the early 80’s.

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Play Celebrity Jeopardy! to learn the European Medical Device Regulation

I grouped celebrities who share a common medical treatment and ask you to classify the device using the new European Union Medical Device Regulation rules. I give the answers, you respond in the form of a question.

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My DHF, Version 2.1

I suggest that you stop reading. This is boring. I’m not saying that as a way to interest someone into reading more, I truly believe that this would be boring to most people.

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Bid Daddy and Jimmy Hoffa

1940’s – 1972

What Big Daddy and Uncle Doug had done in Woodville Mississippi was being repeated on a larger scale nationally. Crime and labor unions were unifying in the prosperity and opportunities that followed WWII. Politicians and presidents and gangsters were promising to make every man a king. One of those people was James “Jimmy” Hoffa, president of the national Teamsters union.

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Gumbo in Auntie Lo's fancy gumbo bowls

Wendy’s Family

1955-1972

In the 1950’s, my grandmother was a young woman, living a comfortable life in Richmond Hill Canada, a neighborhood of Toronto. She was petite, barely 5 feet 1 inches tall. Or, as Canadians say, she was a’boot 1.5 meters tall, ‘eh. Her wrists were so thin that her watch would barely fit around the wrist of an average eight year old girl, but her hands were big enough to hold a cocktail glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other. She enjoyed life.

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How to retire early

This article is how to retire early, based on personal experiences.

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My DHF, Version 2.1

I suggest that you stop reading. This is boring. I’m not saying that as a way to interest someone into reading more, I truly believe that this would be boring to most people.

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How to meditate

This article is how to meditate and reduce suffering from chronic pain.

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You get what you give in Varanasi India

7 minute read if you skip the bad stuff.

The Lonely Planet guide to India, the gold-standard of travel guides, a bible for budget backpackers, and usually a kind voice encouraging you to travel without judgement, said this about Varanasi India:

Brace yourself. You’re about to enter one of the most blindingly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetically indiscreet places on earth. Varanasi takes no prisoners.

Varanasi tested my patience, humor, and immune system more than anywhere in the world, yet remains one of my favorite memories of a trip across Nepal and India.

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Mindful meditation for pain relief

7 minute read.

Meditation and mindfulness reduce suffering from pain. The United States Veterans Administration advocates mindful awareness, a process each person must follow until finding what works for their unique situation. Many books and online resources are available to help your process; here’s what worked for me, I hope it helps you. Read more