![]() I’ve been out of the loop for a while, travelling in Scandinavia. And while I’ve been an anti-ageism supporter of Joe Biden (even though, as a Canuck, I have no vote), I moved to the “You need to step down now Joe” majority after he lost all of his key supporters following the disastrous debate and then getting Covid. Still, I’m confident Joe Biden will go down in history as a great American President. He’s accomplished a great deal. Now, I must tell you, I was worried about Kamala Harris being selected as the Democratic nominee. Yes, she’s a talented politician, but my concern was whether she’d be strong enough to fight against that bully Trump. But, then I saw her video wherein she is accepting Joe Biden’s support. Man! I was impressed. And yes, she is indeed strong enough to fight Trump!! So, go Kamala go! And I shall look forward to see who you select as your running mate.
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![]() I would not want to be in Joe Biden’s shoes right now. Since his poor showing in last week’s debate, many members of the Democratic party are calling for him to step down and let someone else run to defeat Trump. And yet, President Biden is convinced his poor showing last week was an irregular event, that he is up to the contest and has more work to do in office. He’s also convinced he is the one to defeat Trump, as he did in the last election. Apparently, if Joe Biden doesn’t want to step aside, so be it. Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said earlier today that President Biden “should take a moment to make the best-informed judgment” about the future of his presidential campaign. Schiff, who is running for the US Senate in California, stressed the importance for Democrats of beating former President Donald Trump in November. “This is an existential race,” Schiff said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Joe Biden is running against a criminal,” Schiff said. “It should not be even close, and there’s only one reason it is close, and that’s the president’s age.” Schiff advised Biden to “take a moment to make the best-informed judgment” about remaining in the presidential race. “If the judgment is run, then run hard and beat that SOB,” Schiff said. Asked whether Vice President Kamala Harris would make a better candidate than Biden, Schiff said Harris would make a “phenomenal president,” adding, “I think she has the experience, the judgment, the leadership ability to be an extraordinary president.” But he reiterated that the decision about staying in the race was up to Biden, saying, “I don’t think it’s good for the party to get into a debate over okay, if not him, then whom?” I've been a Joe Biden fan for some time now. I'm convinced he has the mental acuity to make the right decision. Time will tell. ![]() Is it time for Joe Biden to relinquish his hold on running for another term? His performance last night in the debate with Trump was less than stellar. While I have steadfastly rejected the ageism claims made against him, there is no question that President Biden failed to inspire those who think he’s too old to run for a second term: they are more fearful now. Still, Donald Trump must not have a second term as President of the U.S.! It would be a terrible disaster. But is there a Democrat contender ready to take the lead if Biden steps down? While Trump lied consistently and avoided answering many questions at all in the “debate”, he did manage to avoid the kind of interruptions and belligerence that have undermined his past debate performances. The BBC reports that at least so far, no prominent Democratic officials have publicly broken ranks, even as some have reportedly raised alarms in anonymous conversations with journalists. “It is unlikely that Mr. Biden will be replaced as the Democratic Party’s nominee for a number of reasons: he's the incumbent president, there are only a handful of months left before the election and the chaotic process of choosing another nominee could derail the party's chances of winning the White House in November.” ![]() “Do Less. It’s Good For You.” So says the article in Time Magazine that confirms this fact: unproductive moments can not only boost your health but can increase your happiness as well. This follows on the news that taking time off during your day for a short siesta is good for you. It's a truism I've been sharing for some time. Now, it's finally justified. Who knew? ![]() This just in. If you've supported Ed Marshall's jump, as I have, you'll have to wait a bit until the weather is more on side... Dear 100 Year Jump Donor, On behalf of Ed Marshall and the Sick Kids Foundation, we are truly overwhelmed by your support and generosity! Thanks to you, over $77,000 has been raised in the lead up to The 100 Year Jump! Unfortunately, Mother Nature has different plans for tomorrow. Due to high winds, we must reschedule and we will notify you with the new date and time. We would love to have many of you there to enjoy the show. As the anticipation and excitement builds, we are so glad that you are along for the ride! ![]() As the ageism nonsense keeps weaving it’s way into the U.S. presidential campaign, we have 100 year old Ed Marshall who’s about to parachute out of a plane to raise money for Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. Ed has parachuted before – almost 80 years ago! But he decided it was time “for another leap”. Here’s how the Globe and Mail newspaper covers the story: “With the help of Canadian Armed Forces veteran Adam Winnicki, Mr. Marshall will make his first jump in nearly 80 years on June 13 at Cayuga, Ont., outside Hamilton. The pair will fly UP to an altitude of 3,810 metres before free falling and parachuting back to the ground.” Ed Marshall’s on side with my plans, when he says, “People might think that’s a bit too much for someone my age. I’ve only got about 10 years or so left of my life to do this.” Love it!! I’ve made a donation to Ed's campaign, and let me recommend you do so too at: https://fundraise.sickkidsfoundation.com/edmarshall/page/ChequeDonations ![]() It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Macy died this morning at 10:30am. For those of you pet lovers, you’ll know the sorrow this creates. Poor Macy was almost 13 and had a wonderful life. She was a rescue dog that I got from the SPCA, part lab and part shepherd. But she had not been doing at all well lately, a combination of the Cushing’s Disease that she suffered from – and from which there is no cure – and the mass that had been detected via ultrasound and that was enlarging around her spleen. As such, as we tried to use meds to improve her outcome, her quality life was noticeably slipping away. Walking was even becoming a trial for her and this morning, she would not eat at all, not even the treats that she normally loved. Tania, our vet, was wonderful. I had called her, explaining how Macy was failing, and she said to bring her in immediately. After running tests and another ultrasound, Tania told us that surgery was not a viable solution and that the time had come for us to say goodbye to lovely Macy. “Her quality of life is fading away quickly,” Tania explained, “and she will not be getting better. It’s time.” We made that awful decision, to “put her to sleep”. But it was a decision that made sense because it took Macy out of her pain. She so deserved peace after all the medical trials and anxiety she had been experiencing lately. Macy was a wonderful companion and she and I had almost 13 terrific years together. The memoires are flooding in right now so I will just say, “Thanks for the memories Mace, what a great time we had”, and bid her a fond farewell. ![]() I was noticing a TV show the other day that focused on “Being Lazy”. Seems people are awakening to the fact that “stop and chill out” isn’t such a bad strategy for moving forward with a clear head. As I watched folks talking about taking time to rest their noggins, it remined me of my discussion with Dr. Christine Carter, sociologist at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center and the expert who labeled me a “Happiness Expert”. I interviewed her for my new book that’s about to be published, “Being Happy Matters” (beinghappymatters.life). “We humans are not built for multi-tasking,” Dr. Carter told me. Gotta tell you, this surprised me: in my career running a marketing agency, I used to delight in thinking of myself as a multi-tasker. “Our brains are wired for doing one thing at a time, really well,” Dr. Carter explained. “But when we try to do a few things at once, our brains begin to shut down and go into sleep mode. We’re always better to focus, aiming at doing one thing at a time, to the best of our abilities.” Mind you, we should acknowledge here that one person’s idea of “lazy” may be another’s concept of a hard day’s work. And it’s important to understand that “lazy” is a term that should distance itself from definitions of productivity. Markham Heid, writing in “Everyday Health”, tell us: “What we call laziness does not actually exist because there are always valid explanations for a person’s apparent indolence.” Bottom line: turns out, being lazy can be a good thing. “Everyday Health” suggests that although it may feel counterintuitive to slow down and take a step back from your usual grind, science shows there are many physical, mental and emotional benefits to letting go of structure and routine from time to time. So… if anyone wants me, I’ll be that guy over there in the corner having a siesta. ![]() You know, I lose patience with folks who say Joe Biden is too old to run for President again. To me, that’s ageism at his worst. The guy’s in his early 80s. Big deal. So now we’re going to send him out to sea? Nonsense! I mean, just look at Clive Davis. You know, the guy who’s discovered and fostered some of the most iconic names in music, like Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Barry Manilow, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Laura Nyro, Santana, Chicago, Billy Joel, Donovan, Bay City Rollers, Blood Sweat & Tears, Loggins and Messina, Ace of Base, Aerosmith, Olivia, Pink Floyd, Westlife, Puff Daddy, Simon and Garfunkel, Earth Wind and Fire, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lynn Anderson… the list goes on and on. “There is no executive in the music business, nor will there ever be, who loves songs and songwriters like Clive Davis,” says composer Diane Warren. When I profiled Clive’s son Fred for my soon-to-be-published book “Icons. Growing Up In The Shadow of Greatness” (iconsbook.life), my research showed that Clive has never performed in his life but has won five Grammy Awards and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (amazing recognition for a non-performer). He’s also received the. Grammy Trustees Award and the President's Merit Award, as well as having the 200-seat theater at the Grammy Museum named the "Clive Davis Theatre”. Oh, and he’s been President of Columbia Records, founder and President of Arista Records, and founder of J Records. He’s been chair and CEO of the RCA Music Group, chair and CEO of J Records and chair and CEO of BMG North America. And he’s not slowing down at all, currently operating as Chief Creative Officer of Sony Music Entertainment. Oh, did I mention that Clive Davis is 92 years of age? Apparently, no one’s telling him he’s too old! ![]() Well, here we are at the month of May which turns out to be ALS Awareness Month. If you’ve followed my website at all (peterjennings.me) you’ll be aware that I do think it’s reasonable for those of us with any kind of web presence to show support for a cause. I have chosen to provide awareness for finding a cure for ALS as my contribution to life. I’ve come to know a lot about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It’s also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after a well-known baseball player in the 1930s who contracted ALS and had to retire from baseball because of it. It’s also the condition that famed theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author Stephen Hawking suffered from. So, what is ALS? Simply put, it’s a disease that affects the nerve cells that make muscles work in the body. For someone with ALS, they find that the nerves lose the ability to trigger specific muscles, which causes the muscles to become weak and often leads to paralysis. Why support research into finding a cure for ALS when it’s such a rare disease (only .0007% of the population contract the condition and no two cases are ever exactly the same)? No one knows for sure what causes ALS and there is no cure (most theories center on a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors). I guess that’s the answer right there: tireless research is being carried out by professionals, and while there are currently no treatments to stop the progression of ALS, there are three drugs available that provide some benefits to people living with ALS. At ALSTDI in the U.S., the most comprehensive drug discovery lab dedicated to ALS research, they say, “ALS is not an incurable disease. It is an underfunded one. We are dedicated to discovering and developing effective treatments to end amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We will not stop until there are treatments for every single person living with ALS.” And listen to Dr. Lorne Zinman, Director of the ALS and Neuromuscular Clinic at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto: “Unfortunately, many people still have not heard of ALS – it doesn’t have the same level of awareness as other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. ALS isn’t top of mind and it’s generally not the first thing someone would think about when they have trouble opening a water bottle for example. Also, ALS is thankfully rare and most primary care physicians will only see one to two cases throughout their careers. Increasing ALS awareness can help patients and family physicians recognize symptoms earlier in the course of the disease. This will ensure that the necessary tests and referral to a neurologist are expedited to shorten the time from symptom onset to diagnosis.” OK, you get the picture. And since this is ALS Awareness Month, why don’t we all make a donation. I support both the Canadian and U.S. teams, but you can make your own choice as follows: For Canada, click here For the U.S., click here |
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