MANY HAPPY RETURNS: I got this timely note yesterday.

Dear Friend,

I extend to you my condolences on the occasion of tomorrow's international day of mourning for the United States Constitution.

David Van Os

On the other hand, there's good news for today from a new report in Nature.

Can a drink a day prevent mental decline? The finding that older women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol score better on cognitive tests suggests that it can.

An investigation has revealed for the first time that the brain can benefit from consumption of both beer and wine. ...

They found that the women who had the equivalent of one drink a day had a 23% lower risk of becoming mentally impaired during the two-year period, compared with non-drinkers.

It made no significant difference whether they drank beer or wine, the researchers report this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.

So, people, drink up today in memory of a beautiful dream which lasted a little over two centuries. It's too soon to know if we can get it back, but it certainly merits a little stimulation of our cognitive functions. Maybe if there had been more widespread drinking before election day, we wouldn't be in this mess again. Cheers.