THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OBAMACARE AND THE ACA

It is standard politicking for the right and the left to declare the other side stupid. But we shouldn't let the American public off the hook on that account.

Last week, late night host Jimmy Kimmel asked random pedestrians which they like better, Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. Stick around for the very end; at least one of them has a sense of humor about being so embarrassingly misinformed.

18TH CENTURY AUTOMATON “THE WRITER”

Wow. This is gorgeous and amazing. From a BBC programme titled Mechanical Marvels: Clockwork Dreams. The automaton was created by Pierre Jaquet-Droz. The video was recommended by TGB reader Nikki Linkquist and others.

SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN TAKES ON THE SHUTDOWN

As the emails from Darlene Costner and Nancy Leitz were headlined: You go, girl. Is the freshman senator from Massachusetts the only one who tells anything at all like it is? If so, poor us.

A GAZILLION NEWBORN TURTLES

Look at all these little buggers heading for the sea. They are born knowing exactly what to do and in which direction to head. Hat tip to Darlene Costner.

NEW LIMITS ON REVERSE MORTGAGES

Reverse mortgages can be a good option for some retirees age 62 and older, and they also have a bad reputation. Although they are complicated to understand, they should not be shunned.

Now, however, some of the rules have changed that make these federally insured mortgages more difficult and more expensive. As The Motley Fool reports:

”First-year limit. A homeowner may now withdraw only up to 60% of the eligible sum during the first year. If, for example, a person can receive a reverse mortgage of $300,000, only $180,000 can be withdrawn in year one.

“Smaller loans. Before the new rules, borrowers could take out as much as 61.9% of their home's value -- the limit depended on your age, your home value, and the prevailing interest rate. That same evaluation applies, but on average, borrowers will be able to take out about 15% less than they used to.”

You can read more here. Also, three years ago, I wrote a series to help readers understand reverse mortgages. You will find it here. Keep it mind that it has not been updated since 2010, but it is still a good overview.

UNMANNED DRONE CRASHES IN MANHATTAN

No, not one of the big ones that drops bombs. This was a three-pound surveillance model.

It fell to earth on a crowded Manhattan sidewalk during rush hour. Take a look at this report from the local ABC channel in New York:

You can read more here.

ELDER FASHION PLATES

TGB reader Jane Cornwell sent this nearly full-length movie (47 minutes) titled Fabulous Fashionistas about six healthy, stylish women whose average age is 80.

As I have ranted here many times, I abhor the media's proclivity to hold up extremely active elders as the standard against which all old people are judged - especially those who were not lucky enough to win the old age health sweepstakes.

On the other hand, I equally abhor that the vast majority of media stories about old age present our time in life as “grim and boring” - a phrase that turns up in the first minute of this film.

Considering all that, these are compelling women with a lot more to say about being old than just fashion. It is well worth your time to get to know them.

THE TEA-BELLY SNEECHES

Just in time for the government shutdown from my friend Jim Stone. Well done, driftglass. You can watch the story below or read it in print here.

GOLF MAGIC

From Darlene Costner again – a talented young magician applying his skills with golf players in Scotland.

The magician's name is DMC or, more properly, Drummond Money-Coutts, an Englishman whose magic specialty is cards.

You can find out more about him at his website and at an informative Wikipedia page.

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Interesting Stuff is a weekly listing of short takes and links to web items that have caught my attention; some related to aging and some not, some useful and others just for fun.

You are all encouraged to submit items for inclusion. Just click “Contact” in the upper left corner of any Time Goes By page to send them. I'm sorry that I probably won't have time to acknowledge receipt and there is no guarantee of publication. But when I do include them, you will be credited and I will link to your blog if you have one.