Lead contributor Greg Asimakoupoulos expresses his perspective on current events and life in general through verse. We have used Greg's weekly expressions since SeniorLifesytle began in 2006 and borrowed (with permission) the "Rhymes & Reasons" title used on the Partial Observer website where his work still appears.

The updated SeniorLIfestyle site includes all of the Rhymes & Reasons we have used since April 2006. 


Filter Article list:
Article Scope:  

The Author, Category and Topic selectors will reflect the Article Scope setting.

Date range:    
Current: articles posted within the last 30 Days
Recent: articles posted within the last 3 Months
Sort Order:    

Hints on searching Articles

Some articles may be restricted—viewable only to logged-in users with the appropriate Security Level.

You can narrow your search using one or all of six criteria:

  1. Article Scope:
    • This Collection Only (default) limits search results to this article "home page."
    • All includes all articles (including blog entries) on the site.
  2. Date range:
    • Current shows articles posted within the past 30 Days
    • Recent shows articles posted within the past 3 Months
    • All includes all articles within the Collection Scope.
    • NOTE: Based on the number of articles found and other filter settings, the Date Scope may be adjusted automatically. However, in most cases you can still use the form to choose a specific range.
  3. Author--regular contributors are listed by name; "special" is used for ocassional or one-time authors. (They are idenitified by name in the article list using a "byline" field in the database).
  4. Category—each article is assigned to one category ( a master category list is used for Articles, Blog Entries, Resources, and similar features on the site).
  5. Topic—each article can be assigned to multiple topics (also uses a master list). You can narrow the search by one topic at a time.
    Even though we try to keep the number of topics limited and as general as possible, the list of topics is long and constantly growing simply because of the wide scope of content covered by aritcles on the site. A good alternative to using the drop-down list is to click on a topic from the Summary View of the Article List, or the category and topic summary at the top of an Article.
    NOTE: Because topics are added over time, some topics may not be associated with earlier articles to which they could apply. From time to time, we update category and topic links.
  6. Keywords
    Looks for a word, phrase or part of a word in the component parts of the article.

Viewing the Results

In addition to the "Most Recent" and "Top Articles" lists, there are three Views of the searchable Article List: (where you are now):

  1. Quick. Shows Categories in alphabetical order, with a list of articles by post date (most recent first), title, author. This is the default view. Return to it anytime by selecting "Clear Filter" in the Article Filter.
  2. Minimal. Shows a list of Categories in which articles for this collection appear, including the number of articles in each category. Activate this view by clicking on "View Category names only" under the gray view description bar.
  3. Summary. Expands a single Category to include a brief description of each article, the primary category, and any topics assigned to it.

Actions from the Article List

  • Click on an Article title to view it.
    • A link at the bottom of the article will bring you back to this page.
    • If you have expanded the Collection Scope to All, and view an article or blog entry outside this collection, the return link will take you to the corresponding "home" page. To return to this page, use the Back button in your browser or use the Site Menu.
  • Click on a Category name to expand the list into Summary View, which will include more detals about the articles within that Category, including the topics associated with it.
    • If you have selected "All" in the Article Scope, the initial Summary View will reset the Article Scope to "This Collection only." From there, you can go back to "All" if desired.
  • Click on a Topic name (Summary View) to see recent articles associated with that topic. From there you can expand to "All" articles or narrow the search using the Filter.
    • There are some categories that also appear as topics. In this case, the filter will set the topic, since that will return the greatest number of results. From there, you can modify the Search Filter to narrow your search.

Actions from the Article (listing of Categories and Topics at top of Article)

  • Click on the Category or a Topic and you will be taken to the Article List page with the search filter set accordingly. (The notes under Article List also apply here).

Printing the List or individual Articles

Using Print this page at the upper left will print the content displayed in the Articles List or an individual Article, without any of the surrounding page elements. The filter form in the list view is replaced with a summary of the filter settings.

Please note: Using the "Print this page" option is highly recommended over the print options available through the Share utility (described below).

Additional Hint: On some smaller devices you may find it helpful to use the Print option to display a simpler content-only view. Depending on the device, you may not actually be able to print, but it may produce a view that is easier to read. You will need to close the print window to get back to the site navigation.

Sharing and Commenting on Article Lists and Individual Articles

There is a lot of discussion about the merits of commenting within a site. At this time we have decided not to integrate it into the site. The AddThis Share utility that appears at the upper left on the page as well as at the end of articles allows you to share the selected page through Facebook, Twitter, and more than 200 other social media services. Most of these options allow you to add comments.

You can also comment through the site's own social media connections, which are linked through the icons in the site masthead (only active social media accounts are shown).


0 articles found.

SUMMARY VIEW  Expanded details within a Category. Click on article title, Category, or a listed Topic

To change sort order or make another search, modify the form above

Government & Politics

 24 records found

A Fable about Bewilderment by Garrison Keillor


(My World   October 5, 2023)
It's very simple, people. Stupidity is contagious, it makes us dumber, as Ambassador Haley pointed out in the most recent Republican presidential debate…
Topics: Attitudes Beliefs Current Events, News Government Humor News Politics Voting & Elections


Where Will the Political Violence Lead? Look to the 1850s. by Joshua Zeitz / Politico


(My World   November 5, 2022)
In the mid-19th century, a pro-slavery minority — encouraged by lawmakers — used violence to stifle a growing anti-slavery majority. It wasn’t long before the other side embraced force as a necessary response…
Topics: Beliefs Government History News Politics Social Issues Social Movements Values Voting & Elections


My Thoughts After Being Cut Down by a Tree by Garrison Keillor


(My World   November 3, 2022)
Everyone has disappointments and worries about the future and sometimes a person can imagine the country is about to crack at the seams…
Topics: Attitudes Beliefs Contemplation, Insight Current Events, News News Politics Social Issues


Life versus Love by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   June 27, 2022)
A Supreme Court ruling has raised the bar of civil discourse…
Topics: Beliefs Civility Communication Dysfunctional, Broken Faith Government News Policy, Policy Formation Politics Prayer Social Issues Social Movements


Liz Cheney's Not Lon Chaney by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   May 15, 2021)
Why recent events on Capitol Hill resemble a horror show…
Topics: Government News Politics Values Voting & Elections


Inauguration Day by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   January 22, 2021)
It's a day of new beginnings…
Topics: COVID-19 Current Events, News Government History Hopes & Dreams News Politics Prayer Racism and Inequality Unity, Unified Values Voting & Elections


The Supremes Have a New Member by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   October 31, 2020)
Let's hear it for Amy Coney Barret…
Topics: Crime, Justice, Punishment Government History News


Voting Problems by Dan Seagren


(Senior Moments   October 10, 2020)
Digging into voter registration and election problems…
Topics: COVID-19 Fraud Government News Politics Social Issues Voting & Elections


2020 Census Update Reported by Stu Johnson


(Our World   August 29, 2020)
One month to be counted!…
Topics: COVID-19 Current Events, News Demographics Government News Statistics


Will I be Counted? by Stu Johnson


(My World   August 21, 2020)
Don't be left out of the 2020 Election or Census!…
Topics: COVID-19 Crime, Justice, Punishment Demographics News Politics Racism and Inequality Social Issues Statistics Voting & Elections


A House Divided by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   February 8, 2020)
The state of our nation is not what we're told…
Topics: Dysfunctional, Broken Government History News Politics


The Last Candidate Standing by James N. Watkins


(My World   September 1, 2019)
Are you already tired of teh 2020 election?…
Topics: Current Events, News Government Media News Politics Social Issues


Venti Dreams by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   February 2, 2019)
What is Howard Schultz thinking?…
Topics: News Politics


A Way with Words by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   July 21, 2018)
Exposing President Trump's verbal challenges…
Topics: Current Events, News Language, Meaning News Politics Popular Culture Writing


A Call for Respect by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   February 4, 2018)
Lessons from the State of the Union
Topics: Character, Integrity Civility Communication Government News Relationships


May I Be Frank, Mr. President? by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   December 17, 2017)
Challenging a double standard in the Oval Office…
Topics: Crime, Justice, Punishment Current Events, News Ethics & Morality News Politics Scandal Social Issues Values


Praying for a Dictator by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   June 4, 2017)
Asking God to silence Kim Jong-Un…
Topics: Change Government News Prayer


Hold the Phone by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   May 21, 2017)
If only The Donald would do just that…
Topics: Communication Government News Politics


A Prayer for the President-Elect by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   November 13, 2016)
A new hymn text to a time-honored tune…
Topics: Change Government Leadership News Politics Prayer


The White House Race is a Mud Bowl by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   October 15, 2016)
Just how low can they go?…
Topics: Ethics & Morality News Politics


The Republican by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   April 2, 2016)
It's more like a funeral wake…
Topics: News Politics


Good Lord, He's a Bad Candidate by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   March 12, 2016)
Why I hope Donald Trump is not the GOP's nominee…
Topics: News Politics


Why Donald Trump Troubles Me by Greg Asimakoupoulos


(Rhymes & Reasons   February 27, 2016)
One poetic commentator's opinion…
Topics: Current Events, News News Politics


Watkins for President 2016 by James N. Watkins


(My World   February 6, 2016)
Contributor and humorist Watkins throws his pen into the presidential race…
Topics: Humor News Politics