Relationships and Going Places

Ferida Wolff writes: We visited a Cuban cooperative organic farm. The land is still state-owned but the produce can be sold privately. We ate in a few paladars, small, privately owned restaurants located in homes. What we found was a resourceful culture, friendly people, and music that enlivens everything. more »

A NIA study has shown that older people are less adept than younger people at discerning visual clues of dishonesty in others, helping explain why many older people are more susceptible to financial fraud and other scams. In the other study, science faculty participants rated the male applicant as significantly more competent and hireable than the (identical) female applicant. These participants also selected a higher starting salary and offered more career mentoring to the male applicant. more »

Rose Madeline Mula writes: We’ve all heard stories from the old folks of how they used to be beside themselves with joy if they found so much as an orange, instead of a lump of coal, in their Christmas stockings. Today it’s not so easy to please a kid. Unless the eight-foot tree is completely hidden behind a pile of bionic, electronic, computerized, overautomated and overpriced toys that cost more than you used to have to spend to furnish an entire house (real, not doll), they start reading you their Constitutional rights. more »

My daughter and I were combing the aisles of Ocean State Job Lots, not seeking the retailer’s “quality brand name merchandise at closeout prices,” but instead searching for Tommy. Perhaps he had had enough of my hovering, my reminding, my suggesting, and decided to give me the slip. I worried because his condition has left him vulnerable if he should get lost. more »