Hi, folks ! 'Tis Saturday night ... in the wake of hurricane Floyd. In lieu of baling water out my wee boat, I stayed home and tackled the big bottom drawer of my old typewriter desk. .It's chock full of old brownish, raggedy,NYT clippings, vintage 1980s or earlier (for me, early Parkie and pre-computer). I found a few treasures: Russel Baker, Bert Atchison, John Houseman, who said when he read the obits "There but for the grace of God go I" ..and one little 2x 4 inch treasure which quoted Sen. Jacob Javits who suffered from ALS. In May 1984, in remarks at New York Hospital, where he was a patient - remarks delivered to doctors but directed toward others who suffered incurable diseases - Mr. Javits declared: "As long as your brain can function, you can contribute. The most positive therapy is to perpetuate the life force, and whether the patient is a mechanic or a U.S. Senator, he or she has a motivation which must prevail over the illness." [log in to unmask] (Mary Manfredi)