Shakespeare’s Old Age
TIME GOES BY — Perhaps Shakespeare’s judgment of old age was more nuanced and not nearly as negative as it is thought to be.
Continue Reading
When Aging is a Good Thing
That headline, “When Aging is a Good Thing,” turned up earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal but hardly in a positive sense. Since the story is about aged beef at a certain Manhattan restaurant, the headline is a near perfect example of the subtle type of elder bias that pervades all media all the time.
Continue ReadingThe Kindness and Caring of a Dog
Cats are mysterious, mercurial and manipulative beings, ever unpredictable and fascinating. Certainly they are loyal to the humans they happen to like and are sometimes known to behave altruistically toward people, especially children.
That last attribute, however, is more commonly in the repertoire of dogs and this video is a beautiful example. A Labrador with a Down syndrome toddler who isn’t sure he wants the dog’s attention at all. But the dog gently and patiently perseveres.
Continue ReadingHenri the Cat – The Worst Noel
Millions of people save some vacation for this time of year and the week between Christmas and New Years has always felt to me like a vaguely pleasant waiting period, even when I was employed and at work. Now? I’m mostly frittering away the days this year.
TGB reader, Bev Carney, keeps me up on internet happenings and she forwarded this new video of Henri the depressed French cat in an episode made especially for the season.
Continue ReadingSome Elder Humor
Not long ago ago, I told you about a book I recently purchased titled The Art of Aging with a lot of quotations from writers of many historical eras. It continues to engage me. Here is the editor, Wayne Booth, on the subject of age humor:
”Why is humor about aging so effective – when it works – and so exasperating – at least to the elderly – most of the time? No doubt because effective comedy preserves the losses while transcending them, while too many attempts at humor simply fall into denials…”
Continue ReadingThe Unspeakable Tragedy at Sandy Hook
By now you undoubtedly have seen and read the accounts of the horrific shootings Friday in Connecticut where 27 were killed including 20 children. It is those children – babies really, kindergartners – who make this latest gun tragedy unbearable….
Continue ReadingLiterary Lamentations on Old Age
From Wayne Booth (1921-2005), a literary critic who spent most of his career as a professor in English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago: “Readers will have noticed that through all of these powerful lamentations run that paradox…
Continue ReadingElder Scams – Social Security Edition
Yes, I realize there has been a lot of Social Security talk at this blog lately but it is the majority of retirement income for most of us and therefore of crucial importance. Today’s story, however, is different from politicians…
Continue Reading Or search for a post here:
