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Sam

@sammyzorba.bsky.social

1.5K followers 2.1K following 840 posts

Words. Books. Quotes. Dogs. Horses. All living creatures. Trees! Photography, especially B&W film, painting, drawing. Baseball. Food: married to a great cook. Prefer to follow positive, upbeat people posting about life.

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Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 5h

I'm probably one of those.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 6h

It's everywhere! In all niches of society, all age groups, even among "writers", using insider jargon and lazy language which renders it nearly meaningless.

Reposted by Sam

paris martineau @paris.nyc · 1d

there are currently about 12,000 registered supplement manufacturers. last year the FDA inspected only 600 of them!

when the agency does do inspections, it overwhelmingly focuses on domestic manufacturers. that's a problem because a LOT of these materials are sourced from foreign factories

$Manufacturers generally don’t even have to notify the FDA when introducing a new product. A 2023 Government Accountability Office report found the FDA’s oversight of the supplement industry so lacking that it urged Congress to expand its authority. The report noted that the FDA relies largely on voluntarily submitted complaints and inspections to identify safety issues and ensure companies are complying with manufacturing guidelines. Those inspections cover only a fraction of the industry. There are currently about 12,000 registered supplement manufacturers, according to an agency spokesperson. Last year the FDA inspected only 600 of them: 510 domestic and 90 foreign. With so little oversight, people who turn to supplements out of concern for their health are left to navigate the risks on their own. “When these products that should be straightforward contain more heavy metals than expected, that exposes the challenge for consumers these days,” says Cohen.$

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you for getting back anyway.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Since you have experience with this, and my only teacher(s) so far live in cyber land, any idea why it's harder for me to get a nice sound out of the E string than any of the others? The E want to squeak or scratch or do other unpleasant sounds.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you. Helpful. For now I've started on Shenandoah, so I'm gonna to try to learn the full song first.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Darn it, I meant to put the alt-text on this picture. Forgot.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

I have NO concept of which songs might be easier for me and which are a bear. But the first three I was thinking about are :
Shenandoah, Greensleeves and Amazing Grace.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

I'm going toward learning a few songs I really like. I have no conception of which might be more difficult. Shenandoah, Greensleeves, Amazing Grace. That's my starting point.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

For me it seems the best solution is to commit as often as possible to 20 minute sessions. Some days i miss, but tell myself 20 minutes, that's all. Usually ends up being more, once it's out of the case. But that's enough. I'm not expecting to get to Carnegie hall. And i love the sound it makes.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Yes i'd never have chosen Twinkle, twinkle but the guy teaching on YouTube was very good I thought. That was his starter choice. I'm now on to one I really like, Shenandoah. I've got the first 5-7 notes so far.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

The thing is, I've noticed so often when people are using the same word they are NOT talking about the same thing. Including me for example, when I use the word photography, I'm not quite talking about the same thing as many others seem to be. That's just one example and I know that one well.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Been thinking of starting a hastag: Things My Father Used to Say. And a separate one for mom. Always the push and pull of what to subject to the scrapers of all internet uniqueness. And does it matter?

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

3/3
The scale might help us to realize we may use the same word but be talking about completely different things.

I suppose it won't work though because the meaning of most words keeps evolving, some words mean something far different than at first & many people will never agree on the meaning.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

2/3
At the other end, the tens, are words so mooshy they really don't mean anything, because people construe them so differently. Words toward this end of the scale might include value, time, prior, optionality, etc & others I can't conjure up at the moment

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

1/3
What if words, besides the dictionary definition, came with a scale of mooshiness from one to ten? A one is a word that is very specific & unlikely to be taken to mean anything else than the speaker intended. Like hammer, used as a noun. That's a one. Hammer as verb is about a three or four.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Feeling good feels so good. You might want to give it a go. As often as possible.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

Exactly.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

If nothing else, they're very photogenic.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

I might be the least musically gifted person you've met in real or cyber life. Three months ago I bought this. I hoped maybe to coax one or two nice sounds. Done! Get a teacher, their name is YouTube. Learn 1 or 2 songs. So far, kinda done a wobbly rendition of Twinkle, twinkle little star.

Sam @sammyzorba.bsky.social · 1d

If you are not an absolutist you might have noticed that the answer to almost every question on all subjects is: it depends.

Reposted by Sam

Aubrey Hirsch @aubreyhirsch.bsky.social · 1d

Did you know that if you buy my book on Amazon, Jeff Bezos makes 5 times as much as I do on each copy sold? Sharing some behind-the-scenes book math on why buying directly from presses is best for EVERYONE (except Bezos) in my newsletter today! aubreyhirsch.substack.com/p/book-math

Reposted by Sam

Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 2d

A new Documentary on one of the most beloved, most talented Actors of his generation - JOHN CANDY.

I LIKE ME (2025)

Streaming on Prime right now.

Reposted by Sam

Heather Henry RN Queen’s Nurse MBA @heatherhenry4.bsky.social · Sep 5

. #Self-portrait #photography

Reposted by Sam

Nadia Van Dessel @nadiavandessel.bsky.social · 4d

Dog portrait.🐾 #dog #petportrait #drawing #artsky #artist #art