Author Archives: Jim deMaine

New law for CCRCs goes into effect

A DATE WORTH CELEBRATING!! On July 1, 2017, a new Chapter of the Revised Code of Washington comes into effect. Entitled “Continuing Care Retirement Communities”, this new law provides protections for residents of CCRCs in Washington State. 4:00 pm at … Continue reading

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Anti-Shariah rallies are a shrewd attack on Islam

The most conservative Islamic States like Saudi Arabia operate under a strict interpretation of Shariah law. But many Muslim majority countries have adopted a more moderate European model. The USA is certainly in no danger of having Shariah law adopted … Continue reading

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Not understanding yourself

 

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Father’s Day – it started in Spokane!

Father’s day was first popularized in Spokane, Washington, by the efforts of Mrs Sonora Smart Dodd. From the Farmer’s Almanac: “Her story began as she sat listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. Mrs. Dodd thought that it might … Continue reading

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Baby boomers don’t like being called elderly!

The Seattle times today has an Op-ed piece titled Don’t call baby boomers ‘elderly’ — try ‘late middle age.’  I guess labels do mean something, but we are all on a slope with an often blind trajectory. It’s probably a good thing … Continue reading

Posted in Aging Sites, Essays | 1 Comment

The changing views

from Yvonne Powell “The window has a view of the park”  

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Trump Fires Kim Jong-un

Fake news of the day Donald Trump in a swift and unexpected move tweeted that he has fired the North Korean Leader, Kim Jong-Un. The President stated that enough is enough, “He’s a bad dude. It’s very very important that we … Continue reading

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SYSO Brass at Benorya Hall June 2017

At the recent 4 orchestra SYSO concert, there was a brass performance at intermission!  

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When facts don’t matter

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A less than spectacular day

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“Grief, when it comes, is nothing like we expect it to be.”

Maria Popov has a thoughtful literary web site called Brainpickings. She recently  published an essay by Joan Didion on the subject of grief. She notes, “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it. … Continue reading

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Find it – Fix it

From Carmen:  The Find It, Fix It Community Walks are a series of Mayor-led walks that help to improve neighborhoods one block at a time. During these walks, neighbors, police, and City officials walk together to identify physical elements in … Continue reading

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What your dog might say

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The Smallpox Miracle

Smallpox dates back to the body of Pharaoh Ramses V, who died more than 3000 years ago. He had telltale pockmarks on his mummified skin. There have been horrendous repetitive epidemics over the centuries, for example an epidemic raged in … Continue reading

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Doctor, get off the computer!

I recently had my Medicare annual checkup. The checks in the checkup turned out to be the boxes on the computer screen carefully completed by my Internist. As she smiled and we chatted, there were a lot of computer screens … Continue reading

Posted in Health | 1 Comment

A few thoughts

Do we have to know who’s gay and who’s straight?  Can’t we just love everybody and judge them by the car they drive?  — Ellen DeGeneres “At first sign of crisis, the ignorant don’t panic because they don’t know what’s … Continue reading

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Could Seattle Center become cool again?

Knute Berger of Crosscut likens Seattle Center as an old rec room badly in need of updating. There are wonderful venues at the Center to be sure – such as the new KEXP studios and coffee shop, McCaw Hall, the … Continue reading

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Children, the lunchroom, and opera

from Gordon G. Let’s try it in the ODR!

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Crossing to Safety on Madison

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aPodments are sprouting up in Seattle

Go to www.apodment.com and find the latest living space. “Our aPodment® communities offer a wide selection of micro-studio suite layouts designed to address your unique requirements. Depending on the specific building you’re interested in, you can choose from standard and loft … Continue reading

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Civil Rights Pilgrimage in the South – Sunday June 4th at 12:45 PM

Jan Anderson and Peggy Newsom are repeating their Civil Rights Pilgrimage presentation at the Seattle First Baptist Church. Click the link below for the flyer. June 4–Civil Rights Pilgrimage

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After a Loss, Learning to Be Happy Again

After a loss, how can we love again? Life has a way of helping us to heal and go on. From the NYT: “A wedding lay just around the corner: my son’s. Major family events stir things up, the way … Continue reading

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“Here Lies Love” at the Rep

During our lifetimes we saw the rise and fall of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. Now think of producing a disco musical transforming Seattle’s Repertory Theater in order to portray this dramatic story with an all Filipino cast in a nightclub … Continue reading

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The first time

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Remembering the fallen

What does Memorial Day mean to you? The above may have more religious overtones than you might want, but I hope it can help us all stop and remember – not to glorify war, but to honor the sacrifices made … Continue reading

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