Rats, ships, and a “real” America.

Friday, October 16, 2026. It's Frigg's day . . . and the first Fall cold snap is moving in on us at this 8 o'clock hour. GreenCountry forecasts indicate strong Northerlies, and 40's in spite of sunny skies. TulseyTown's afternoon will feel downright cold in the blustery winds.

Life isn’t a Rubik’s Cube. – Steve Hauptman, LCSW, in Tiny Buddha,

Never in the history of modern polling has “corruption” been the leading issue in an American election. Trump has made it one. – Miles Taylor, Defiance.

Rats and sinking ships. – Heather Cox Richardson, in Letters From An American.

What would a real “America First” agenda look like? – Robert Reich, posted on subtack.

American conductor Marin Alsop celebrates her 70th birthday today. The international laureate was born on this day in New York City.

Today is the birthdate of Eugene O’Neill. The dramatist and Nobel Laureate for literature was born in 1888, New York City. His works included Long Day’s Journey into Night and The Iceman Cometh.

Playwriter Oscar Wilde was born on this day in 1854 Dublin.

The author of the first American/English dictionary, Noah Webster was born today in 1758 Hartford, Connecticut.

Nobel Prize laureate Günter Grass was also born on this date. The German poet, novelist (The Tin Drum), playwright, and sculptor was born in 1927, Danzig [now Gdańsk, Poland].

And today in 1847 English novelist Charlotte Brontë (under the pseudonym Currer Bell) published Jane Eyre, which became a classic, giving a new truthfulness to the Victorian novel.

I have never understood how people can look at a health care system where tens of thousands of Americans die because they don't have insurance and think that is acceptable. I have never understood how anyone can look at the hundreds of thousands of Americans who face financial ruin or declare bankruptcy because of medical bills and think that is ok. In every other developed country on this planet people get sick -- just like we do. But in those countries -- as a right -- they are able to go to a doctor, get the medicine they need, and don't go bankrupt as a result. – AOC, in an email to me yesterday.

There are a million additional reasons why the midterm elections – two weeks away – and the Presidential election – two years away – why they are important, if not crucial. If you haven't latley, check your registration and polling location. Online search for your local election board. In Tulsa County you can find it here.