Changing the Wind
Below is the speech given by James Smith at the 2008 Alzheimer’s Public Policy Forum Candlelight Vigil earlier this week. His words–moving, clear, and true–blew me away. Like a powerful wind. Changing. 2008 Alzheimer’s Public Policy Forum – Candlelight Vigil
Washington, D.C.
Remarks by James W Smith “Thank you. It is an incredible honor to be asked to speak to you tonight. And it is especially fitting that we are here at the Capitol reflecting pool, at a time when reflectin
Emotions Unleashed
Not too long ago, I studied acting for a year and a half. As with any approach to acting, the ultimate goal was to ‘live truthfully under imaginary circumstances.’ You don’t pretend to be enraged, grief-stricken, or in love, you actually feel these things in response to what happens. And when an actor is able to achieve this, the effect on the audience is powerful (I always think of Shirley MacLaine screaming in a heartsick rage on the beach with Jack Nicholson in Terms of En
Busting The Myth of Alzheimer's
Peter Whitehouse and Daniel George wrote a book called The Myth of Alzheimer’s. In it, they claim that “there is no such thing as Alzheimer’s Disease.” “Alzheimer’s Disease represents our culture’s attempt to make sense of the natural process of brain aging that we cannot fully control.” So, in an attempt to control it, “we’ve created an antagonist” and named it Alzheimer’s Disease. They claim that because we don’t know the “singular cause” of Alzheimer’s, because we can’t cu
