Dear Friends and Acquaintances, My partner of 20 + years and spouse, Kelly (aka Stratofrog), finally laid down her burdens early this morning at 2:30am. She went through an heroic end on her own terms after fighting a brief but bitter battle with an inoperable brain cancer. She shared her love and warmth with many and those who called her friend almost always formed a deep and lasting bond. She loved the best in each of us without judgment.

Kelly was a musician, poet, and artist and what she loved the most was her family and most particularly, her children Josh and Cory. She will be missed but not forgotten as she has left her imprint on our hearts.

Many of you already expressed beautiful sentiments in my earlier post and I shared them all with her several times. To say she was touched would be an understatement.

Former movie producer Harvey Weinstein is a serial sexual harasser, exercises zero anger management, and abuses nearly everybody with whom he has contact. He is one among a number of powerful, or once powerful, Hollywood men who share some or all of these behaviors and characteristics. Trying to avoid the rapists, gropers, and grinders is, therefore, a very serious dilemma for women in the entertainment industry. Sadly, it’s not the only one.

While watching the documentary Don’t Look Back about Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England, I was struck, as so many others have been, by the dichotomy between Dylan the young man and Dylan the artist. As a man, he comes across as immature, petulant, and sometimes downright nasty. As an artist, his musical genius shines through every guitar strum, harmonica chord, and whiny nasally sung note. In one uncomfortable hotel room scene, Dylan wields his multifarious talents - he’s a master songwriter, lyricist, guitar player, and troubador - as weapons against the outclassed Donovan. But Dylan also evinces humanity, humility, and empathy in his public performances.

Here's what I know about the lecture circuit from being a part of it back in 82. I was a salaried employee, which in that world meant I was a step above the people who got paid an hourly wage, in a mid level national computer company. When my team got sent out to Indianapolis or Colorado Springs we were on an expense account. We didn't stay at Trump Towers quality hotels but we sure didn't get put up at a Motel 6. We didn't eat at diners. The company paid for fancy restaurants. I still remember the coconut breaded shrimp, the lobster, the filet mignon. I'm not talking about Red Lobster or Olive Gardens. We went to quality restaurants that I haven't been able to afford since.

Vice-President Mike Pence on the tragic deaths revealed today of 8 nursing home residents in a private nursing home in Florida, when the facility exceeded legal temperatures due to the loss of effective air conditioning:

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Congressman Mike Pence (R-Indiana) on the family that requested voluntary removal of life support apparatus and subsequent passing of irreversibly brain damaged Terri Shiavo in 2005:

Washington, Apr 1 - 2005:

"I grieve with the Schindler family and millions of Americans at the death of their precious daughter, Terri Schiavo. With her death, America lost not only a precious citizen, America lost its innocence.

"Although Terri Schiavo's life may be over, the debate over the rights of incapacitated Americans is not over. Congress must right this wrong by ensuring that incapacitated Americans may not be deprived of their inalienable right to life without the assurance of the due process of law that our federal courts were established to protect. This will be Terri Schiavo's legacy."