How much damage can RFKJr do, and for how long? Actually, A LOT, and for a VERY LONG TIME

Show-&-Tell from the Hungarian Autocrat to the United States of America

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CONTEMPLATING LONGTERM PAYMENT PLANS CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH. BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE THESE LITTLE VICTORIES This (above) is a selfie with my new iPhone 16e. I was going for an Edvard Munch ‘The Scream’ effect, which is how I feel about the thing. I was actually very happy with my elderly iPhone 11, but oh, the horror of having a device that’s several models out of date.

THE OLD WORD IS A DESCRIPTIVE TERM WHOSE TIME HAS COME At a recent San Francisco People's March (Author photo) (This is an exception to my policy of avoiding politics on this website, posted here just because this good Webster's Dictionary word deserves our attention at the very least. Regularly my political observations are on Substack, weekly, @ The Optimistic Eye…

LITTLE OLD LADY, TRAVELING ALONE! OH THE HORROR!! ITA Airlines flight tracker (Author photo) Blood was beginning to drip across the marble tile. What can I say? After a trip to Sicily with a short stop in Rome, I had made it without incident from my hotel to Rome Airport FCO Fiumicino well ahead of 7 AM for a 9:10 AM flight home.

THIS IS HOW IT FEELS TO BE THE OLDEST PERSON ALIVE?? Photo by Harli Marten on Unsplash It is right there on the website: 100% of the people in the world are younger than I am; 0% are older. The French Institute for Demographic Studies told me this. I found it more than a little disconcerting. But could I argue with INED, a public research institute specializing in population studies, working in partnership with national and international academic and research communities?

SHE MODELED, FOR THE LIVING, HOW TO DIE WELL Photo by Rafael Hoyos Weht on Unsplash I’ve just finished an obituary of sorts for my friend Laurie, who died yesterday afternoon, slipping quietly into an ever-deeper sleep with those she loved best beside her. We should all, eventually, be so lucky. The way you know you’re dead, in today’s senior living communities, is that your picture goes up on the hall table.

BEFORE WE FORGET WHAT GOOD DAYS USED TO FEEL LIKE . . . Photo by Catalin Pop on Unsplash This piece was written in early 2022, when good days uninterrupted by bad news were easier to come by. When it resurfaced recently, thanks to a Medium.com friend adding it to a list of “Favorites,” I thought I’d reprint it (with slight additions & comments) here.

Americans still have a lot to say. At town halls they're saying it loud and clear

"THIS IS WHAT WE DO. THIS IS WHO WE ARE" Conductor Outwater & Pianist Ohlsson taking a bow (Author photo) “When we are living in cruel times,” the maestro said, “music heals.” Symphony conductor Edwin Outwater was speaking to an audience of several thousand* who, appalled by the cruelties being inflicted by our government on innocent people everywhere, had come for a few hours of healing, and the hopefulness that helping others can bring.

"This is what we do. This is who we are."

Decency, democracy and truth are worth defending. Together we can.

They’re burrowing into every data system in the federal government, although many wouldn’t pass a security test

Shock and Awe meets the U.S. Constitution

Kindness has to stand up to cruelty. And to selfishness in all its glory.

Ordinary people & extraordinary firefighters are keeping L.A. hope alive

A journey out of despair. C'mon along