Author Archives: Jim deMaine

Can its own “Arab Spring” save Saudi Arabia and temper Islam?

Tom Friedman recently made another of many visits to Saudi Arabia – the heart of Islam with two of its holiest sites. Much to his delight he’s found changes for the better he never thought he’d see in his lifetime. … Continue reading

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Is technology good – or perhaps really evil?

Is technology bringing us together or driving up apart. David Brooks addresses this in a recent NYT OpEd in which he outlines the evils (or potential evils) of screen technologies. There may be purposeful addiction, disruption of social interaction and … Continue reading

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First Hill – a lot is going on!

Do you want to learn about Twinkle Twinkle Freeway Park, Figgy Pudding Parade to Westlake, the bus route proposals for the 3 and 4, the design review for 715 8th Avenue – and many other activities in the neighborhood? Click here to … Continue reading

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When “selfies” weren’t available

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Too many skin biopsies? Too many treatments?

A few years ago I had a small basal cell carcinoma scraped off my lower leg, band-aid applied and that was that. This year I had a different dermatologist and a similar lesion. This time it was scraped off and … Continue reading

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What everyone wants to know

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“Why We Sleep”

Do you get 8 hours of sleep? Matthew Walker says we should and tells us why. He was recently  interviewed on NPR – click here for the link. Or perhaps you have insomnia or a medical problem which keeps you … Continue reading

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Dancing: Good for the Brain

According to Consumer Reports (and Fred Brandenauer) dancing is indeed good for the brain as reported in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, June 15, 2017: “When 26 older adults took dance lessons or did endurance and flexibility exercises at least once a week … Continue reading

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It’s a wonderful world – BBC

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“The Five Invitations”

From The Lion’s Roar: Buddhist teacher Frank Ostaseski has been one of the leading voices in contemplative end-of-life care since the 1980s. In this video, he talks with Lion’s Roar’s Lindsay Kyte about the lessons he’s learned at the bedsides of … Continue reading

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A therapeutic “crapsule?”

My sister ruptured her bowel and almost died while taking antibiotics for Lime Disease. C Difficile was the culprit. It appears that our “intestinal flora” is a lot more complicated than we know. Manipulating it may harmful, but also may … Continue reading

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Where some believe our leaders may take us

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“So about that Space Needle time capsule…”

I was fortunate to visit the Space Needle in 1962 on my first visit to Seattle – what a thrill to have a drink in a rotating restaurant! Apparently there was no thought of a time capsule until 1982. From … Continue reading

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The first 2020 bumper sticker strikes a note

Sent by Mary Jane Francis! This was not put in the “humor” category!

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“That time of year thou mayst in me behold”

Shakespeare wasn’t referring to beauty of this tree in his 73rd sonnet in which he compares aging to an old tree – “bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang.” Photo two days ago at the Seattle Tennis Club. … Continue reading

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Morning view

Diane Stevens took this photo from her living room window at about 6:30 AM on November 7th!

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The future of dog walking

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Can we remember who we were?

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WACCRA & LeadingAge: “Senior Living Industry Trends”

Washington Continuing Care Resident’s Association (WACCRA) and LeadingAge (the industry trade association) came together at Skyline to hear from Zeigler (Ziegler is a privately held investment bank, capital markets, wealth management and proprietary investments firm. Specializing in the healthcare, senior living, …). … Continue reading

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Uber, Lift – or Waymo by Google?

From Axios: “Waymo, Google’s self-driving car company, is pulling the human backup driver from self-driving minivans and will test vehicles on public roads with only an employee in the back seat, AP’s Tom Krisher reports from Detroit: Why it matters: “It’s a major step … Continue reading

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Progress on cancer survival, but a long way to go

Data: Journal of the National Cancer Institute; Chart: Chris Canipe / Axios Ed note: One thing that might falsely improve survival is the early diagnosis bias. In other words, the earlier a disease is diagnosed the longer the survival. Men still … Continue reading

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Tommy Smothers does Johnny Carson

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Where does love stand?

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Another lovely couple from a few years back – guess who?

Posted in History, Remembrances | 1 Comment

Chopin’s heart revisited

Seattle author, pianist and physician Steve Lagerberg has written a book Chopin’s Heart: The Quest to Identify the Mysterious Illness of the World’s Most Beloved Composer. Chopin’s body rests in Paris, but his heart in Poland. The heart was recently secretly exhumed … Continue reading

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