Author Archives: Jim deMaine

Meeting Bill Gates at his website

Tim Barrick has sent this link to Gate’s website which has info about his work, books, autobiography, family, etc. The initial link is a bit daunting showing all the questions (mostly unanswered) about AI: https://www.gatesnotes.com/a-turbulent-ai-era-and-critical-choices-to-make You can click on other … Continue reading

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The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs

Policies that gave addicts clean needles and places to use drugs were intended to reduce harm. They created a “zombie apocalypse.” By Michael Powell in The Atlantic Photographs by Dana Golan Late last year, I walked roughly a mile from downtown … Continue reading

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Is it still Lake Erie?

Submitted by friend John Roper Even the sportscasters now mock Trump for his lunacy. Last night Al Michaels, narrating an aerial shot of the Cleveland Browns’ waterfront stadium during the first quarter of last night’s Browns-Patriots preseason NFL game, pointed … Continue reading

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Getting to the bottom of our bizarre war with Canada

By Danny Westneat Seattle Times columnist It won’t go down as one of the higher moments in foreign diplomacy. It did hint, though, at how low relations with our northern neighbors might go. At a news conference, Ontario provincial premier, Doug Ford, … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, Essays, Geography, Government, Kindness, Mental Health, Morality, Politics, protests, Satire, Shopping, Social justice, Traffic, Travel, War | Leave a comment

Let’s show our love!

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The ‘Rosetta Stone’ of San Francisco’s Counterculture Revolution Comes Home

Ken Kesey’s psychedelic bus, immortalized in “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” is preparing for one more run. And to its owners, America sure could use it. By Heather Knight in the New York Times (thanks to Mary Jane Francis) Visuals by Ricardo … Continue reading

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Think about it! Words of Pete Buttigieg

On August 17, former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg recorded a video to assure those Americans who oppose the Trump administration that they are in the large majority. He noted that the strategy Republicans are pursuing shows how unpopular they are. … Continue reading

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Need those glasses?

Thanks to Mary Jane Francis

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The White House Freak-Out Over Natalie Harp

The West Wing’s explosive response to a fleeting jab didn’t kill the story. It enabled days of coverage. By Jonathan Lemire in The Atlantic. You are reading this story only because the White House didn’t want you to. I’ll explain. This past … Continue reading

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The DSO will see you now

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When wildfire smoke hits home

“With a son on the fire line, what I’ve learned about protecting the air we breathe”, by Matt Willis – published by Your Local Epidemiologist. Ed note: This morning Seattle’s air is quite clean and free of the smoke from … Continue reading

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Woodrow Wilson by Patricia O’Toole

Inspiring words can carry a leader to the loftiest heights. Then what? “I doubt if there is any man in America,” the muckraking journalist Ida Tarbell said of President Woodrow Wilson, “that can talk… with such precision and at the … Continue reading

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Helen Herron Taft – a Remarkable First Lady

Democracy flourishes when we cultivate a shared civic culture—and leaders have the courage to build it In Pursuit by John Bridgeland Democracy flourishes not only through laws, elections, and institutions, but through a shared civic culture that invites people into a … Continue reading

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A Trumpian vision of America

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William Howard Taft by John G. Roberts, Jr.

In Pursuit with Colleen Shogan, Maintaining your dignity and principles through defeat can pave the road for future success William Howard Taft holds the distinction of being the only person in the history of our Nation to have served as … Continue reading

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Theodore Roosevelt by William Jefferson Clinton

An ever more perfect union requires an ever wider “we.” In Pursuit Aug 04, 2026 (Ed note: “In Pursuit isn’t just a history project. It begins a dialogue about our past, present, and future as Americans. On President’s Day 2026, we’ll … Continue reading

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Farmer’s Market nearby on Friday’s

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What climate change?

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The Paradox of Medical Aid in Dying (MAID)

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NASA’s Image of the Day – Updated

Thanks to John Roper “On Monday, July 20, 2026 NASA featured a splendid photo of Seattle, for their Image of the Day. Pretty fun to see Seattle from space. Part of what stands out to me is the amount of green. … Continue reading

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Seniors at the Crossroads Demonstration

Thanks to Judy Mayotte Join us for the next Seniors at the Crossroads**demonstration.  WHEN: Thursday, July 23 TIME:  4:30-5:30 p.m. WHERE:  8th and Madison intersection Our regular gatherings are on the second and fourth Thursdays at 4:30 p.m.  Mark your calendars. … Continue reading

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The End of Reading Is Here

Optimists once believed that universal literacy was inevitable. Now it seems that the age of reading might be a short anomaly in human history. By Rose Horowitch in The Atlantic (a subject for Guy Talk on Monday)

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Let’s better equip the elevators for those inconvenient breakdowns

Thanks to David Pelton who notes that A J used his IT skills to render an elevator that accommodates all, but sadly has room for only two occupants!

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Mount Rushmore…or Less?

We the People must act quickly on an issue that’s absolutely rocking America… by Parker J. Palmer (thanks to Mary Montgomery) Mount Rushmore as created by God, Geology and Gutzon Borglum“Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and … Continue reading

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The Living Presidents’ Call to Vote

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