I've been sick for the past six months. As I said in my post in February, I was hospitalized three times in January and February, initially for cellulitis in both legs. The cellulitis is long gone, but I had ulcers (open sores) on both legs for several months ...   more »

I've been in the hospital - three times. And in between - and since - I've had visiting nurses. The cellulitis infection in my legs got out of hand, and I was much too slow about going to the hospital in the first place ...   more »

Happy New Year!

2008 was a terrible, horrible, awfully bad year. I think the phrase comes from a children's book, only perhaps it applied to a day, rather than a year. A year seems like forever, to a kid ....   more »

The only people who really have a hope of understanding the real nature of the current crisis are those who lived through the Depression. To a lesser extent, people who have intensively studied economic cycles in general, and the depression in particular, have the next best comprehension of just what's going on. To them, this doesn't feel as awful as it feels to the rest of us ...   more »

There aren't too many people who can say they're in better circumstances this year than last year - at least financially. Isn't it a good thing that money isn't everything? I'm not going to try to be a Pollyanna about this. There are too many people who are in serious want for me to be cheerful ...   more »

It's that time of year again. Hannukah started on December 22nd this year. I know it's considered a minor holiday to observant Jews, but it commemorates a miracle. If you don't know the story, you should look it up ...   more »

Yes, I'm still alive. No, I didn't forget the blog. So why haven't I been posting?   more »

Until the other day, the only experience I can recall that came even close to discrimination was teasing when I was growing up. I was taller than all the other girls my age in elementary school, and had a large vocabulary. In fact, until I was nine, and some other kids started calling me "dictionary" and "encyclopedia", I ignored it, but that stung. I thought about how I could change that

...

I have an idea now. It's like comparing an ice cube to Antarctica, but at least I have an idea now ...   more »

Where have I been? I've been frantically trying to get information together to complete forms for more than a week. When you've lived in the same place, and with inadequate space, for eight years, things have a way of finding homes in places where you might not expect. I wouldn't have taken time to put out word on the new scam, except that I thought it was important not to waste time on it ...   more »

At any rate, it's not one listed on the FBI's site. A friend forwarded me an email she received, alleging that a Western Union office (as if there were only one) iin Ghana is holding $850 thousand dollars for the holder of her email account. Since she'd never seen or heard of this before, she asked me, "What is this?" ...   more »

You've received them - everybody does, occasionally. I'm talking about those emails that talk about all the "hypenated Americans", and saying how they have more privileges, and get special treatment, etc.

Recently, one of of those was forwarded to one of my really close friends. She decided she'd write a rebuttal, and forwarded it, together with the one that set her off. I'm not going to include the litany of things they consider unfair to white people. I have no doubt you've seen either this one, or one that's very similar ...   more »

I finally got around to reading - or trying to read - the book about Paul O'Neill, George W. Bush's first Treasury Secretary. At the time that Mr. Bush took office, I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to any of his appointees whose names were unfamiliar to me. I didn't know Mr. O'Neill, and I was feeling cheated over how the election was determined.

I'm not a huge fan of Al Gore, but ...   more »

I imagine that many others outside New York and Washington, like me, saw the attacks live. I was getting dressed to go to church when the first plane hit the World Trade Center, and still waiting to be picked up when the second plane hit.

I understand that Senators McCain and Obama intend to both be at the site this year. It remains to be seen just how much propaganda each campaign will generate in relation to it ...   more »

Shortly after finishing and queueing up the first three parts of the essay, I realized that I needed to add more about my personal beliefs and practices. If you haven't read earlier parts, you are likely to miss, or misconstrue, matters of some importance ...   more »

One of the things that I believe led both early Christians and many of today's Christians in the U.S. astray is their view of ancient Israel. Despite the fact that it became a monarchy, when Saul was selected as king, they see it as a continuing theocracy. It's true there remained an element of God-rule, but not as much as I believe they wish to read into it ...   more »

Some of the other religions being practiced in the Roman Empire at the time Christianity began had some valuable aspects, especially Stoicism. Of course, Stoicism didn't really have much faith in gods. It was more about morality and self-control. But nearly all of the other religions required that one worship deities that the Christians now saw as inert idols, or worse, demonic powers ...   more »

I haven't formed an opinion about Governor Palin yet, but it does seem that - at least with regard to getting conservative Republicans behind him, Senator McCain made a clever choice ...   more »

I've nearly finished a new series on Christianity and its relationship to society and government ...   more »

I'm unsure how much information is available to the public about Senator McCain's injuries, other than the bare outline. I haven't seen actual medical information. However, I know from my own experience - and that of a dear friend whose nerve damage is much worse - what the effects of nerve damage are. Any kind of real damage affects the sensations you can feel and the control you can exert at levels below or beyond the injury ...   more »

I fully realize I'm "late to the party" on this issue, but I have been revolted by the speculations of the media about Senator McCain's failure to use computers. They have implied that he's either unwilling to or mentally incapable of mastering the technology.

They're overlooking one very important limiting factor. To discuss this, I have to start by talking about what I know; how injuries have affected my own ability to use a computer ...   more »