It's that time of year again. Again.

We're fixin' to head to this year's SFN conference. It would have been in New Orleans this year if only we'd spread enough oil over the ocean to divert the storm. Instead, tomorrow morning after whisking away my whiskers, I'll tell "Jane Dobson" to hose down our couch while I fire up the family helicopter to get from our pleasant suburb to the huge aerial bus that will take us to the region formerly known as Atlanta. While there, we will eat food that was out of the reach of any Roman emperor on plastic plates--topped off by candy made of rayon underwear--and sit around and plan all those Miracles You’ll See In The Next Fifty Years :

The nervous diseases are linked up with electrochemical processes in 2000 in a way that is impossible in our time. Such afflictions as multiple sclerosis or palsy are no longer regarded as incurable. There are electrochemical methods of stimulating and reactivating nerves, so that vistims of Parkinson's disease are no longer objects of pity. But these sufferers from damaged or degenerated nerves are somewhat like our diabetics who must take insulin regularly to remain alive. A little battery-driven apparatus must be carried in the pocket to provide the stimulus the nerves need.