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Category Archives: Essays
“Sessions Vows To Protect All Deeply Held Religious Bigotry”
Ed Note: In case you’re not familiar with The Onion, it specializes in political satire where there happens to be so much fertile ground these days. From the Onion: “WASHINGTON—Standing firm in his commitment to one of the nation’s guiding … Continue reading
Are things getting worse – or does it just feel that way ..
Frank Conlon sent this fascinating study for us to ponder – from The Guardian Concepts like ‘trauma’ or ‘violence’ have stretched to encompass things no previous generation would have worried about. Is everything completely terrible – or is the world … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, Uncategorized
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Dance for your brain health!
“The breaking down of cerebral white matter is one of the neural changes that drives age-related declines in cognition. Researchers set out to determine if specific physical activity could result in positive neural changes in older adults. In a recent … Continue reading
Posted in Aging Sites, Dementia, Essays, Health
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Before modern measurement standards, finding the length of a foot took a village
From Aeon: “The foot is a most easily accessible tool and it had a lengthy history as a means of measuring before the introduction of national and international standards. So how were earlier standards created? In this short video from … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, History, Science and Technology
1 Comment
Is it moral to respect the wishes of the dead, above the living?
Trillions of dollars are involved. Should personal wealth be passed unfettered to the family? What are the moral obligations to our country, our institutions and our fellow man. I know a family who left a trust giving $1M to each … Continue reading
Posted in end of life, Essays, Finance, Philanthropy, Social justice
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Herbal overdose
The call came from the ER doc just as I was sitting down to dinner. A young man I’ll call Jason was being admitted to the ICU who appeared to have overdosed on something – as yet unknown. The ER doc had … Continue reading
Incarcerating families is the American way
Natasha Varner is the Communications and Public Engagement Director at Densho, the Seattle-based Japanese American history nonprofit. This opinion piece is published in Crosscut. Over the past week, a torrent of images, … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, History, Law, Social justice
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You’re simply not that big a deal: now isn’t that a relief?
My kids when going through junior high were immersed in the self-esteem movement (they survived fortunately). The Principal laid the groundwork: no competitive sports (too hard on the ego to lose); no grades (too hard to be ranked against others); … Continue reading
Posted in Essays
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The smart home is coming!
Mary Montgomery sent along this interesting article from Forbes Magazine. Some aspects of the smart home sound gimmicky to some but there are aspects which promote safety and comfort. I hear rumors that Skyline is considering having an apartment configured … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, happiness, Health, Retirement, Science and Technology, Skyline Info
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Erma Bombeck on Motherhood
Managing to be both a truth teller, humorist and philosopher Erma Bombeck always made me smile. Have you read her book, “Motherhood the Second Oldest Profession“? She has an amazing repertoire of quotes about mothering. Here are a few: “Someday, … Continue reading
Epigenetics 101: a beginner’s guide to explaining everything
After the discovery and sequencing of DNA, many had a sense of fatalism thinking that our behaviors are pre-programmed from our ancestors. But it turns out that some genes can be modified by the attachment of small molecules such as … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, Science and Technology, Spiritual
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Why learning Latin stays with you forever
My grandson has taken 4 years of this dead language at nearby Garfield High School. Quirky, true. Beneficial – that’s the debate. I must admit I also took 4 years of Latin and often wish I had learned Spanish. How … Continue reading
Posted in Education, Essays
2 Comments
“How going gray made me feel younger”
From the San Diego Tribune: “I found my first gray hair when I was 16. (Cool!) By the time I was in my mid-30s, I was coloring my hair dark brown every six to eight weeks. (Not cool. By my … Continue reading
Posted in Aging Sites, Essays
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“Get your kicks”
Ed note: The following article from Aeon was sent in by Lorraine Woods. It gives food for thought about risk taking adolescents. It reminds me at age 15 when I took my father’s car out on the highway to see how fast … Continue reading
What true things do we know? Writer Anne Lamott talks about her life perceptions.
Posted in Essays
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It Happened by Lincoln Center
Sent along by Ann Milam. Ed Note: This story is about one of our least favorite pastimes – the hazards of finding a parking place. From the NYT: “Dear Diary: My wife and I felt so lucky to find a … Continue reading
Cell phone addiction
If you google cell phone addiction, you’ll find plenty of discussion – some quite serious about what the constant use may be doing to our brains and social interactions. My dentist told me some children must have their smartphone with … Continue reading
Posted in Essays, Humor, Science and Technology
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Do you have a favorite epitaph?
In thinking about a legacy, many notable people left interesting epitaphs. The tone varies widely with strains of lament, humor, religiosity, hope and peace. Do you have a favorite? What would you write for yourself or a loved one? Here … Continue reading
Posted in end of life, Essays
3 Comments
Conned once again
Feb Phenom – sent along by a friend’s mother! The groundhog is a bucktoothed little rodent Who sleeps away the winter in the ground. But once a year there comes his special moment, When February second comes around. It’s then … Continue reading
How (not) to talk to someone with advanced cancer
Kate Bowler is an assistant professor at Duke Divinity School, the author of “Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved.” She has been “terminal” (what does that mean any more?) with stage IV cancer but her life … Continue reading
Posted in end of life, Essays, Health
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One word essays
From Dorothy Wendler: The picture below is from a website that has “one word essays.” It’s subtitled “Gee mail, all the stuff that grandparents forward.” Click here to see more “one word essays.”
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Portland’s weirdness facing some unwelcome changes
For years, Portland has been the symbol for laid-back, inexpensive quirkiness, but the city may be losing that identity. 60 minutes had an revealing report yesterday showing that Portland’s problems are beginning to echo Seattle’s problems. Despite being a progressive … Continue reading
Posted in Essays
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Be Prepared
A friend was vacationing in Kauai and reports some local news: “One of the best stories was from a humorous employee of Living Foods – the Whole Foods-like market and coffee bar. The dairy products and ice cream had just … Continue reading