It's National Senior Day.....get the point!

Today is National Senior Citizens Day. 

On August 19, 1988, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5847 creating National Senior Citizens Day to be August 21.

It honors our elderly population. On this day, we are encouraged to recognize and show appreciation for the value and contribution of elderly people to home, family and society.

President Ronald Reagan said "For all they have achieved throughout life and for all they continue to accomplish, we owe older citizens our thanks and a heartfelt salute. We can best demonstrate our gratitude and esteem by making sure that our communities are good places in which to mature and grow older."

At the time of this Presidential Proclamation Ronald Regan was less than six months from retirement and 77-years-old. In a recently discovered document Regan writes: In addition to my portrayals of "The Gipper", Grover Cleveland Alexander and the POTUS, I want to make sure I'm appreciated at least once a year. 

On National Senior Citizens Day, we should:

Spend some time with senior citizens

Show our appreciation for senior citizens

Do volunteer work in support of the elderly

If you are a senior citizen, enjoy your day any way you desire. Make sure to take advantage of senior citizens specials and discounts.

Special deals today only include, walk-in tubs, HurrryCanes, 10% discounts for online defensive driving classes and 20% off tickets at the Minnesota State Fair (Midway rides or food not included).

With all the media outlets in the world it would be nice if a reminder was broadcast a month or two before this holiday. Then again most of us would probably forget, we're old you know.

This day is celebrated in the U.K. as well. There they refer to seniors as (among other things) OAP's.....Old Age Pensioners; it has a nice ring to it.

Like many people our age, neither Wanda nor I feel old. I have a great appreciation for seniors like an aunt who is 98 and friend's parents in their second century of life, they are old.

Facebook is testing a new feature intended to stop users accidentally falling victim to satirical websites hoping that tagging articles could stop users accidentally believing joke stories.

Stories can appear real to many Facebook users. Recent controversies include one about a 9,600 mile long rollercoaster, including users wondering about how to take toilet breaks, Sarah Palin taking a job at al-Jazeera, and an article proclaiming the North Korean ruler, Kim Jong-un, the sexiest man alive.

"We are running a small test which shows the text '[Satire]' in front of links to satirical articles in the related articles unit in News Feed. This is because we received feedback that people wanted a clearer way to distinguish satirical articles from others in these units."

The big contributor to satire-blindness is our diminishing attention span. The average American attention span in 2000 was 12 seconds; in 2013, it was eight seconds. This is less than the average attention span of a goldfish.

Facebook is considering headlining political commentary with red or blue banners, removing Pokes due to complaints of sexual harassment and locating all photos of pedicures to a special foot fetish feed.

As part of an effort to provide comfort and serenity to patients, officials at Mount Sinai Hospital have launched a new therapy oyster program that brings hundreds of the bivalve mollusks to the bedsides of those most in need of cheering up. 

“Our hospitals provide patients with the best medical care available, but the soothing presence of a therapy oyster can offer reassurance that no doctor can,” director Miriam Lucas said of the new program, which brings saltwater tanks of oysters to the rooms of ill and end-of-life patients for them to pet, cuddle, or simply have nearby during a difficult time. 

“There’s nothing quite like the way a weak, ailing patient’s face lights up when the therapy oysters arrive. Even just watching them filter plankton for 15 minutes a day can make all the difference in the world.” Lucas added that not only do the patients benefit from the therapy oyster program, the oysters seem to enjoy spending time with the patients too.

According to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, blame has now surpassed instinctive responses such as blinking and flinching as the fastest human reflex. 

“Our research shows that assigning fault to another person for a negative or unintended outcome is now the human body’s quickest involuntary action,” said lead author Dr. John Wittsack, adding that changes to the brain’s neural pathways over time have allowed for a nearly instantaneous transition between perceiving a problem and condemning someone else for causing it. 

“In the time it takes for a single sneeze or for the pupil to contract once, an average human can blame dozens, if not hundreds of individuals. In fact, the blame reflex may soon be too rapid to be measured even by our most sensitive instruments.” By contrast, Wittsack added that accepting responsibility had degenerated into a purely vestigial reflex and would eventually exit the human race altogether.

Expressing contrition over the organization’s failure to rescue the species from critical endangerment, the World Wildlife Fund reportedly reimbursed $7 million to approximately 11,000 donors this week following the confirmed extinction of the western black rhinoceros. 

“We regret to inform you that the WWF was not successful in its efforts to ensure the survival of the western black rhino, and in accordance with our nonprofit’s satisfaction policy, we have attached compensation in the full dollar amount of your charitable assistance,” read the letter mailed to thousands of WWF sponsors, which included a cashier’s check refunding all donations. 

“We are sorry; you expected and deserved a higher level of preservation from us. We may not have been able to preserve the black rhinoceros, but we hope to preserve your trust. We sincerely hope that this doesn’t affect your readiness to give to the World Wildlife Fund in the future.” 

The WWF also clarified that it is willing to exchange all magnets or tote bags bearing an image or silhouette of the extinct rhinoceros for another piece of comparable merchandise.

Saying that the offer includes all-you-can-eat portions of customers’ favorite krill entrees, casual dining chain Red Lobster announced this week the return of its popular Krill Fest seasonal promotion. 

“Whether you’re craving crunchy popcorn krill or you prefer your krill lightly sauteed, you’ll find mouthwatering platters piled high with fresh, succulent krill all this month at our locations nationwide,” said company president Salli Setta, noting that customers could purchase seawater-filled pails of the half-inch, heterotrophic crustaceans for $6.99, with family-size 58,000-piece vats available for $16.99. 

“Enjoy a Chesapeake Bay Krill Bake, Parrot Isle Coconut Krill, any of our Captain’s Choice Krill Platters, Krill Linguine Alfredo, or a Krill-Plankton Combo Barrel. They’re all right here at Red Lobster.” Setta added that customers should hurry into participating restaurants soon as Krill Fest deals will only be available until the end of the month, at which point the promotion will be replaced by the company’s annual Barnacle Bonanza.

Setta said, "Although Krill and Barnacles are officially arthropods not mollusks any not consumed will be donated to Mount Sinai Hospital in the hopes of expanding the program. Although most of their patients never eat at our establishments The Red Lobster is happy to donate to this great cause."