@alexspanko has left this earthly realm way too early. May his compassion be lived on by those who knew and loved him. Much condolence to his family and loved ones.

Fareed Zakaria stood at Bard College’s commencement. He had a trigger warning. “I’m about to utter the two most provocative letters in English today. AI.” Students braced to boo. Instead, he flipped it. “I don’t want to talk about AI. I want to talk about HI. Human Intelligence.” The story: He pointed to the human brain. 3 pounds. ~20 watts. Less power than a laptop charger. AI data centers? They consume enough electricity to power entire cities. His point: humans aren’t “inferior computers.” We were never computers at all. The lesson: “A machine can write a sad poem. But it cannot weep at a funeral. It can generate a love letter. But it cannot fall in love.” Human intelligence doesn’t win on speed. Or efficiency. It wins because it’s embedded, consciousness, emotion, morality, memory, relationships, lived experience. The takeaway: Don’t ask “what’s left for humans to do?” Ask “what does AI reveal about everything humans already do, that’s irreplaceable?” Curiosity. Wisdom. Empathy. Critical thinking. These aren’t soft skills anymore. They’re the moat. Build the tech. Use the tech. But champion HI, human imagination, human inspiration, human interconnection. “Our imperfections aren’t bugs in some system’s code. They’re the cracks that let the light in.”

Social Isolation -50% increase risk of dementia, 29% increase of heart disease, 32% increased risk of stroke, 68% increased risk of hospitalization,57% increased risk of ER visits, 4x the risk of death. According to CDC. And in Nursing Homes, you, the taxpayer, pay for it thru' Medicare and Mediciad programs.. It pays to have #EssentialCaregivers in nursing homes. Save lives, Saves Monies. Support #EssentialCaregiversAct now. @aoc @mtaylorstark @NYNHCARE @NYHammond @AARPNY

We will never forget the stories we lived and of our 'adopted' family that watched a loved one behind a pane of glass almost disappear before our eyes. Traumatization on both sides of the pane. Ask your legislator to co-sponsor the Essential Caregivers ACT.@wassdoc @GgagingJ @DanielCPotts @AARPNY @AARPCA @RepGregMurphy aarp.org/caregiving/medical/…

Thank you for caring for Long Term Residents. @RepJasonSmith @AARPMD @AARPWV @LeadingAgePA theconsumervoice.org/news/fa…

“There is now a lot more bipartisan support for reforming the system,” says @RepGregMurphy. MD. Thank you for Long Term Care is always a non partisan issue. All of us are going to aged out of this earthly realm. Support #EssentialCareAct Already over 145 co-sponsors in the house and 30 in the Senate. 20 members of the Ways and Means committees have already given their suport. @AARPNY @NCDgov @REPNC @mtaylorstark @wassdoc

Thank you for standing up for Resident Centered Care. #EssentialCaregiversAct #HR6766 #S3492 Essential caregivers are not visitors — they are unpaid, highly motivated care partners who monitor condition changes, assist with feeding and mobility, and serve as a check on care quality. Replacing even a fraction of this labor with paid staff costs thousands of dollars per resident per month. They are an off-budget subsidy to the long-term care system. @WaysandMeansGOP @wassdoc @GeriPalBlog @claudiatenney @RepGuthrie @AmyGoyer @AARPNY @maitely @mtaylorstark @AOC @Eric_M_Carlson

The ink of '87 promised rights, a shield upon the bed, But abstract laws are paper ghosts when panic rules instead. When virus came and iron lowered, the ancient statutes failed; Behind the glass, behind the locks, the silent elders wailed. They called it "safety" when they barred the daughter from the room, A mandate from the distant state that sealed a lonely doom. The federal hand relaxed the rules, the local hand immune, While deep inside the sterile halls, the vital spirits swooned. For care is not a visitor with flowers in their hand, It is the pulse of memory, the voice they understand. To feed, to shave, to hold the hand, to keep the mind awake— A clinical necessity no bureaucrat can take. #EssentialCareAct Contact your legislators TODAY. A Total Ban is NEVER a choice. @TonyChicotel @ConsumerVoices @UCSFGeriatrics secure2.convio.net/tncv/site…

I finally understand what Machiavelli meant when he said, “Never play fair in a game where others cheat.” It doesn’t mean become evil. It means stop being naive. Stop bringing honesty to people who study manipulation, stop giving access to people who weaponize closeness, and stop expecting clean hands from people who already showed you they’ll throw dirt. Sometimes wisdom is not revenge. Sometimes wisdom is learning the rules of the room before the room uses your goodness against you.

#EssentialCaregiversAct @AOC @WaysandMeansGOP

“𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳.” — 𝘙𝘶𝘮𝘪