“DON’T USE THE VENDING MACHINE IN THE REC ROOM,” Harry told me one day when we were in the clubhouse. “Why not?” I asked. “It never works right,” Harry said. I walked over to the vending machine, put my money in the slot, punched the button for the bag of chips, and out it came. “I use it all the time,” I told him, opening my chips. “You got lucky. I hear it never works right,” he groused. “Well, that may be what you hear,” I answered, “but has it ever failed to work for you?” Harry grimaced. “No, ‘cause I never use it,” he said. “Just based on what you hear?” I pressed. Now he was getting defensive. “Well, lots of people say it doesn’t work,” he insisted. “And that’s enough for you?” I responded. Harry gave me a dirty look. This is a common phenomenon, people believing what they want to believe, any facts to the contrary notwithstanding. “Man is a credulous animal and must believe something,” said Bertrand Russell. “In the absence of good grounds for belief, he will be satisfied with bad ones.” Harry seemed satisfied with hearsay, rumor, and unproven gossip, the essence of being ill-informed. We were setting up for a game of nine ball. “You sure you want to play?” I asked Harry. “I hear these balls are made in China.”

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Once you recover from ostomy surgery and settle into a routine, you'll learn what kind of diet works best for you.
Here are a few dos and don'ts to keep you healthy and active.
Here are a few dos and don'ts to keep you healthy and active.
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