Alzheimer's Disease

On Monday, I watched about an hour of the first episode of The Alzheimer's Project on HBO. My daughter recommended it. I was interested, but increasingly saddened by the people who were being shown; the loss of memory and indeed, the self, is appalling. EDIT: if you don't get HBO, you can watch the episodes on your computer; just click the link above.

A man named Joe Potocny writes a blog about his experiences with AD. You may find it interesting; especially if you have someone with AD who is close to you. He chronicles his downward progression.

I lost it at the point they showed a man named Woody Geist; a once handsome man who is still very nice looking. He has no short-term memory at all and has to be told often where he is going and why. His wife and daughter were taking him to a gathering of his old singing group. They took him up on stage, and as the other men started singing the background lyrics, he chimed right in with the words to the song, doing very well as the soloist. That's when it hit me how much he (and his family) had lost and I cried like a baby. Woody seems always to be cheerful, however. He repeatedly says "It's so nice we could be together", even though it is obvious he has no idea who the people are. He has a "wife" at the assisted living; a woman who follows him around and pets his face and kisses him. I don't blame her - I think I might too. His daughter and wife and very gracious to the other lady, who doesn't seem to complain when they take him away from her.

This documentary is good at showing the stages of AD, I believe, and we should be familiar enough with them to recognize when someone is showing symptoms. I recommend it!

This Just In.........

Sarah Palin's sister-in-law busted for burglary!



My, aren't we glad she's not in office? (national, I mean)

Brains of Britain

Back in February, a reader named Susan (who doesn't have a blog) sent me this list of gaffs from various TV and radio shows in England. I tried to post it then, but something about the format of the email prevented that. I saved it until I had time to type it out for you. ENJOY!! and thank Susan in the comments.

All I can think of when I read these is ......they walk among us!

Host: Where do you think Cambridge University is?

Contestant: Geography isn’t my strong point.

Host: There’s a clue in the title.

Contestant: Leicester.

Host: Who had a worldwide hit with “What a Wonderful World?”

Contestant: I don’t know.

Host: I’ll give you come clues: what do you call the part between your hand and your elbow?

Contestant: Arm

Host: Correct, and if you’re not weak you’re _____?

Contestant: Strong.

Host: Correct – and what was Lord Mountbatten’s first name?

Contestant: Louis

Host: Well, there we are then. So who had a worldwide hit with the song What a Wonderful World?

Contestant: Frank Sinatra?

***

Host: What is the capital of Italy?

Contestant: France

Host: France is another country. Try again.

Contestant: Oh, um Benidorm.

Host: Wrong, sorry. Let’s just try another question. In which country is the Parthenon?

Contestant: Sorry, I don’t know.

Host: Just a guess then……

Contestant: Paris

***

DJ: For 10 [points], what is the nationality of the Pope?

Caller: I think I know that one. Is it Jewish?

***

Host: What is another name for ‘cherry pickers’ and ‘cheese mongers’?

Contestant: homosexuals

Host: No, they’re regiments in the British Army who will be very upset with you!

***

Host: What’s 11 squared?

Contestant: I don’t know.

Host: I’ll give you a clue. It’s two ones with a two in the middle.

Contestant: Is it five?

***

Host: Which is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world?

Contestant: Barcelona

Host: I was really after the name of a country.

Contestant: I’m sorry, I don’t know the names of any countries in Spain.

***

On the National Lottery:

Question: What is the world’s largest continent?

Contestant: The Pacific.

***

Host: How many kings of England have been called Henry?

Contestant: Er, well, I know there was a Henry the Eighth…..Er.Er….

Three?

***

Host: In which European Country is Mount Etna?

Contestant: Japan.

Host: I did say European country, so in case you didn’t hear that, I can let you try again.

Contestant: Er……Mexico?

***

Host: In which country would you spend shekels?

Contestant: Holland?

Host: Try the next letter of the alphabet.

Contestant: Iceland? Ireland?

Host: The line is bad; did you say Israel?

Contestant: No.

***

Host: What “K” could be described as the Islamic Bible?

Contestant: Er…..

Host: It’s got two syllables…..Kor____

Contestant: Blimey.

Host: Ha ha ha, no. The past participle of run….

Contestant: (silence)

Host: Ok, try it another way. Today I run, yesterday I…

Contestant: walked?

***

Host: Johnny Weismuller died on this day. Which jungle-swinging character clad only in a loin cloth did he play?

Contestant: Jesus.

***

Now before you think we're picking on Britain, I submit that some people in almost any other country wouldn't do all that well either. Susan is from Britain, and the list originated in Canada.

Why I Hardly Ever Watch the News Anymore

Click to embiggen.

This came from the December 15, 2008 issue of The New Yorker Magazine.

++==++===++==++

In spite of my intention to stay away from all but frivolous news, I bought a paper on Thursday at the cafe in the health club building, while waiting for mr. kenju to finish his therapy. The main headline assaulted my eyes:

RALEIGH-CARY AREA TOPS

THE NATION IN GROWTH

"The metropolitan area is home to more than 1 million people after growing by more than 4% from 2007 to 2008. But that is slower than in previous years." By Kristen Collins

"As the national economy lost steam last year, the Raleigh area continued to attract residents, becoming the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country.

According to census numbers released today, the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area, which includes Wake, Johnston and Franklin counties, grew by 4.3 percent from July 2007 to July 2008, and is now home to close to 1.1 million people. It well outpaced its closest rival, the Austin, Texas area, which grew by 3.8 percent."


Raleigh and the surrounding areas have been cited in many polls and publications over the last 5-10 years for a number of reasons; quality of life, income levels, job availability, educational advantages, etc. That has caused the large influx of people, from many different areas. This is a good thing, but it also contributes to the problems we have seen crop up recently, such as rampant traffic, city and county services lagging behind the need for them, higher taxes, etc. I'm trying to see the silver lining to the dark clouds on the horizon.

Is your area faced with unbridled growth? Or are you suffering from a lack of it?

ARE THEY SERIOUS???

Maybe tidbits like these are part of the reason why newspapers are becoming obsolete.... (A friend sent these in email.)



Only once, huh.....Maybe you shoulda' stayed there.

I wonder what it was doing at the time? Robbing a bank? Jamming a parking meter? Turning a screw?

EW. I hope it wasn't, uh, you know..... used.


Duh!

So, the duck refused medical treatment? I wonder how they knew?

Somebody had a bad monilia problem, huh? I've always wanted anti-fungal cream for my birthday. (no, no, just kidding.)

Duh, again. Seems odd they'd have to go to a senior vice president for the answer to this question......LOL

Wonder why he didn't notice it sooner?



I'd sure like to see that.


That's just wrong. Doesn't Arnie have better things to do?



Hey, Grady, we have a good deal for you!



Darn, I bet they took all the white meat. And such a bargain!


Oh, well, if the smell is slight......we'll take it. (not)

Are you a newspaper devotee?

Have I got a site for you!!

Go here to read the front pages of country-wide newspapers!

During my recent visit to Northern Virginia and DC, we didn't visit the new Newseum, although I would have liked to see it again. Told that it takes about three hours to see it properly, we decided to save that for another time. The admittance is $20 per person, and at that cost, we want to make sure we maximize the available time for the visit. We went there once when it was housed in Arlington and entry was free, but now it is larger and there is much more to see.

Driving by, I noticed that there are also condos in the same building, just around the corner from the entrance to the Newseum. Can you imagine living there and going down in the elevator with your morning coffee; having the opportunity read the front pages of approximately 180 papers from across the globe?

^^^//\\^^^

Here's another link everyone should see - it's the story of my life lately!!

Links of Interest

Want to know if someone is lying to you? Here's how you can tell.

Statistics!

More email goodies here.....my brain is mush again.


I can hardly believe that the U.S. isn't on the list. Tiny Luxembourg? I can't believe it.






Swiss chocolate is SOOOOOOO good! No wonder they consume a lot of it.


I know nothing about the Maldives; time for some research into why they have a high rate.




Wonder what it is about Andorra? Time for more research.

Soon To Be Extinct In America

Today is mr. kenju's birthday! NO, I don't think he is about to become extinct, although he is like a dinosaur in many ways.....LOL.....Happy Birthday, Mr. kenju! ::{::}:::{:::}:: Here's another batch of information to perhaps upset your day - our ways are fast disappearing. Common Sense and some research indicate that there are: 24 THINGS ABOUT TO BECOME EXTINCT IN AMERICA 24. Yellow Pages This year will be pivotal for the global Yellow Pages industry. Much like newspapers, print Yellow Pages will continue to bleed dollars to their various digital counterparts, from Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs), to local search engines and combination search/listing services like Reach Local and Yodel Factors like an acceleration of the print 'fade rate' and the looming recession will contribute to the onslaught. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year -- much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in past years. 23. Classified Ads The Internet has made so many things obsolete that newspaper classified ads might sound like just another trivial item on a long list. But this is one of those harbingers of the future that could signal the end of civilization as we know it. The argument is that if newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings at sites like Craig'slist.org and Google Base, then newspapers are not far behind them. 22. Movie Rental Stores While Netflix is looking up at the moment, Blockbuster keeps closing store locations by the hundreds. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling and the stock is down considerably in 2008, especially since the company gave up a quest of Circuit City. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed up shop earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have given up the ghost already. 21. Dial-up Internet Access Dial-up connections have fallen from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008. The combination of an infrastructure to accommodate affordable high speed Internet connections and the disappearing home phone have all but pounded the final nail in the coffin of dial-up Internet access. 20. Phone Landlines According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on their cells. 19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs Maryland's icon, the blue crab, has been fading away in Chesapeake Bay. Last year Maryland saw the lowest harvest (22 million pounds) since 1945. Just four decades ago the bay produced 96 million pounds. The population is down 70% since 1990, when they first did a formal count. There are only about 120 million crabs in the bay and they think they need 200 million for a sustainable population. Over-fishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame. 18. VCRs For the better part of three decades, the VCR was a best-seller and staple in every American household until being completely decimated by the DVD, and now the Digital Video Recorder (DVR). In fact, the only remnants of the VHS age at your local Wal-Mart or Radio Shack are blank VHS tapes these days. Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS decks are practically nowhere to be found. They served us so well. 17. Ash Trees In the late 1990s, a pretty, iridescent green species of beetle, now known as the emerald ash borer, hitched a ride to North America with ash wood products imported from eastern Asia. In less than a decade, its larvae have killed millions of trees in the Midwest, and continue to spread. They've killed more than 30 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan alone, with tens of millions more lost in Ohio and Indiana. More than 7.5 billion ash trees are currently at risk. 16. Ham Radio Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communications if necessary, while increasing their personal knowledge of electronics and radio theory. However, proliferation of the Internet and its popularity among youth has caused the decline of amateur radio. In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement. 15. The Swimming Hole Thanks to our litigious society, swimming holes are becoming a thing of the past. '20/20' reports that swimming hole owners, like Robert Every in High Falls, NY, are shutting them down out of worry that if someone gets hurt they'll sue. And that's exactly what happened in Seattle. The city of Bellingham was sued by Katie Hofstetter who was paralyzed in a fall at a popular swimming hole in Whatcom Falls Park. As injuries occur and lawsuits follow, expect more swimming holes to post 'Keep out!' signs. 14. Answering Machines The increasing disappearance of answering machines is directly tied to No 20 our list -- the decline of landlines. According to USA Today, the number of homes that only use cell phones jumped 159% between 2004 and 2007. It has been particularly bad in New York; since 2000, landline usage has dropped 55%. It's logical that as cell phones rise, many of them replacing traditional landlines, that there will be fewer answering machines. \ 13. Cameras That Use Film It doesn't require a statistician to prove the rapid disappearance of the film camera in America. Just look to companies like Nikon, the professional's choice for quality camera equipment. In 2006, it announced that it would stop making film cameras, pointing to the shrinking market -- only 3% of its sales in 2005, compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment. 12. Incandescent Bulbs Before a few years ago, the standard 60-watt (or, yikes, 100-watt) bulb was the mainstay of every U.S. home. With the green movement and all-things-sustainable-energy crowd, the Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) is largely replacing the older, Edison-era incandescent bulb. The EPA reports that 2007 sales for Energy Star CFLs nearly doubled from 2006, and these sales accounted for approximately 20 percent of the U.S. light bulb market. And according to USA Today, a new energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12 years. 11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys Bowling Balls. US claims there are still 60 million Americans who bowl at least once a year, but many are not bowling in stand-alone bowling alleys. Today most new bowling alleys are part of facilities for all types or recreation including laser tag, go-karts, bumper cars, video game arcades, climbing walls and glow miniature golf. Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and gambling casinos. 10. The Milkman According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 1950, over half of the milk delivered was to the home in quart bottles, by 1963, it was about a third and by 2001, it represented only 0.4% percent. Nowadays most milk is sold through supermarkets in gallon jugs. The steady decline in home-delivered milk is blamed, of course, on the rise of the supermarket, better home refrigeration and longer-lasting milk. Although some milkmen still make the rounds in pockets of the U.S., they are certainly a dying breed. 9. Hand-Written Letters In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day. Two million each second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world's population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then. So where amongst this gorge of gabble is there room for the elegant, polite hand-written letter? 8. Wild Horses It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two million horses were roaming free within the United States. In 2001, National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population had decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada. The Bureau of Land Management is seeking to reduce the total number of free range horses to 27,000, possibly by selective euthanasia. 7. Personal Checks According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net 23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two years, while a net 14% plan to increase their use of PIN debit. Bill payment remains the last stronghold of paper-based payments -- for the time being. Checks continue to be the most commonly used bill payment method, with 71% of consumers paying at least one recurring bill per month by writing a check. However, on a bill-by-bill basis, checks account for only 49% of consumers' recurring bill payments (down from 72% in 2001 and 60% in 2003). 6. Drive-in Theaters During the peak in 1958, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in this country, but in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were still operating. Exactly zero new drive-ins have been built since 2005. Only one reopened in 2005 and five reopened in 2006, so there isn't much of a movement toward reviving the closed ones. 5. Mumps & Measles Despite what's been in the news lately, the measles and mumps actually, truly are disappearing from the United States. In 1964, 212,000 cases of mumps were reported in the U.S. By 1983, this figure had dropped to 3,000, thanks to a vigorous vaccination program. Prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine, approximately half a million cases of measles were reported in the U.S. annually, resulting in 450 deaths. In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded. 4. Honey Bees Perhaps nothing on our list of disappearing America is so dire; plummeting so enormously; and so necessary to the survival of our food supply as the honey bee. Very scary. 'Colony Collapse Disorder,' or CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers -- and along with it, their livelihood. 3. News Magazines and TV News While the TV evening newscasts haven't gone anywhere over the last several decades, their audiences have. In 1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what they have today is half that. 2. Analog TV According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% -- or 13 million individuals -- who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. If you are one of these people you'll need to get a new TV or a converter box in order to get the new stations which will only be broadcast in digital. 1. The Family Farm Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm census (data from the 2007 census hasn't yet been published). Ninety-one percent of the U.S. FARMS are small Family Farms. Both interesting and saddening, isn't it? Can you think of anything else that is facing extinction?

A New Era Begins.... (Oh, YES, WE DID)

My daughter and I requested tickets from our senators to the inauguration, but we didn't receive them. I resigned myself to staying home and not attending this history-making event. About 5 days ago, my daughter got an email from her former firm, saying that they had secured tickets for anyone who wanted them. She called to offer me one, but I had to say no. I had made several appointments and obligations since deciding that I was not going to go - and it was just too late to change all those things.

Deciding to stay home was difficult; standing on the frigid, windy streets in downtown DC for hours on end, with millions of people jockeying for position and no bathrooms, except for dirty porta potties, eating food sold by vendors who charge quadruple what it is worth (if not more) sounds enticing, doesn't it? But I gave all that up to watch it from the comfort of my recliner.

Hush! I can too make the tough decisions!!

Now I hope you will all join me in welcoming Barack Obama to the job of President and praying that his deliberations and decisions will be well thought out, intelligent and compassionate.

Odds and Ends + a Visitor

Look who came to visit yesterday. I was washing windows in my den and he flew down to the deck and sat there long enough for me to take six photos, but this was the only one that turned out well enough to show. He and his mate live in a forsythia bush that grows just off the upper deck. They are wary, since we have cats who sometimes go outside, but today he must have known they were safely indoors. Or maybe he was heavily invested in the stock market and he was hoping they'd put an end to his misery?

Casa Kenju super-cleaning 2009 is coming right along, as they say. Isn't it amazing/awful how much grime can settle on mirrors, picture frame glass and blinds? We don't smoke or use gas heat, so where does it come from? Today I washed more glassware and thinned out a few more pieces from my collections. I finally had to admit that there is stuff here I can live without. Boxes are accumulating, people! Coming to a Goodwill near you. (Or maybe eb*y? or a garage sale?) One more room to go on the first floor and then I move to the top!

New Definitions

CEO -- Chief Embezzlement Officer.

CFO -- Corporate Fraud Officer.

BULL MARKET -- A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.

BEAR MARKET -- A 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no nooky.

VALUE INVESTING -- The art of buying low and selling lower.

P/E RATIO -- The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.

BROKER -- What my broker has made me.

STANDARD & POOR -- Your life in a nutshell.

STOCK ANALYST -- Idiot who just down-graded your stock.

STOCK SPLIT -- When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.

FINANCIAL PLANNER -- A guy whose phone has been disconnected.

MARKET CORRECTION -- The day after you buy stocks.

CASH FLOW-- The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.

YAHOO -- What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.

WINDOWS -- What you jump out of when you're the sucker who bought Yahoo @ $240 per share.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR -- Past year investor who's now locked up in a nuthouse.

PROFIT -- An archaic word no longer in use. (which hopefully will come back someday soon)

Mother of the Year +

A friend sent me these pix in an email, and I forgot to save the captions along with them. The cubs were orphans and the chimp, Anjana, began mothering them. Aren't they too cute for words?

It just proves what I've always said; that if you have a mothering instinct, it doesn't matter what or who it is - you'll mother it!

Mr. kenju asks what the chimp will do when the tiger cubs get big enough to bite and claw? He always sees the negative side of things.....lol.

::-::-:::-:::-::-::

I have discovered that there are four blogs (maybe more) on which I cannot leave comments, and it has to do with the way that they have chosen to have the comment window show. When the comments require me to click what type of account I have (which is g**gle, blogger), I do and then their word verification pops-up and asks me to type the word/letters. The problem is that the letters I am supposed to type never appear - so the comment will not register. One of those blogs is a newish one which I immediately liked and would love to be able to comment on - but can't. It is Marcy's. Will you please tell her for me?

Maxine and the Bailout

*****************

Nothing truer than that!!

*************

Where's mine?

************

I always run into this kind.

************

I know what I'd prefer.....

************

And how could it not be, after all the financial news this year?!

::::||::::||::::||::::

In the "HOW COOL IS THAT?" department: I have befriended someone with my same name on Facebook. I know that there are other women out there with my name; one in Florida and one in Chicago, but this one actually answered my message. I suppose there is a big possibility that she is related to mr. kenju, because she comes from the same area of the country that he does. Wouldn't it be fun if we discover that they are related?!

Have you ever met or learned of anyone with your name (other than being a junior or II, I mean)?

Leftovers

They better not even try!!

Age 12. What a skinny geek. Somebody should have told her that her underwear was showing.

The ballroom mantel in the Governor's Mansion, 2008, by Mel Day of Dogwood Tree Florals.

The first house we owned after we got married. We bought this one in 1965 and lived here for almost 5 years. We took this photo in November when we went to VA Beach. I can't believe all my roses are gone!

We're about to be swamped!!

My baby at 18 months. She crawled into the drum table to hide from my visiting uncle. I finally coaxed a smile out of her.

The porch of the Governor's Mansion on the night of our party. Curtains of light...!

**//**\\**

Our office luncheon was scrumptious and true to form, I didn't remember to take any photos! The camera was in my purse, so there's no excuse except stupidity. We went to Porter's on Hillsborough Street; my first time there - but definitely not the last! I had flounder (at the suggestion of my employer) and it was served swimming in a plate of clarified butter, with the best fresh green beans I've had in years. They were cooked with slivered red onion and small pieces of nuts (pine nuts and walnuts, I think). The flounder was so tender and prepared to perfection. I ate every last bite and I could have licked the platter clean. I can't wait to go back!

We exchanged gifts. I got a lovely coffee table book about my favorite place - Italy, a silver pine cone ornament, some excellent home-made mixed spices (think Ms. Dash, but better) and a metal plaque which says "Joy", made by one of our part-time associates who is taking a class in metal-working. All in all, I'd say it was a great day - except for the PINK wedding work. we had to do.....LOL. Actually, I think the pink wedding will turn out fine.......it's just different. You'll see it in the next few days.

Hope all your Christmas/Holiday plans are going well. Mine are stalled. The tree is up, but largely undecorated, cards have mostly not been written, and the only baking has been for gifts, not my family.

I've got 'miles to go before I rest'.