Yesterday, SCROTUS released more decisions, and JOyce Vance is going to have a lot to say. So are others – most everyone I subcribe to on Substack and also many others. And I’m sure all of you will also have opinions. It may take me a while, but I’ll share a few evemntually which I consider the best thought out and worded.
It’s always possible that our altitude might exacerbate this effect (the lowest point in Colorado is between 3000 and 4000 feet. It’s in some riverbed.) But I doubt that accounts for all of these effects. I’d recommend not living near an oil well in any state.
A DU member who received a somewhat detailed summary of the Biden/Harris team’s response to the debate reactions posted it in full. It should be somewhat reassuring. Here it is.
Yesterday, I observed that Donald Trump** is now claiming that Biden ordered him assassinated, specifically on the day of the raid on Mar-a-Lago. Magats are, frankly, to evil to eben be able to imagine a person who just wouldn’t do that, so perhaps we should counter with something like “Democrats get things done. If Joe wanted him assassinated, he’d have been assassinated. He wasn’t. End of story.” Also, among the petitions I signed was one for Thomas and Alito to recude from the Trump** immnity case. Actually, I’d rather leave those to on and have the three he nominated recuse.Knocking out those two still leaves it 4-3, and the best hope we have is for Roberts to do the right thing. But if we knock out Gorsuch, Javanaugh and Barrett, it’s now 3-3. Unless Roberts does the right thing, there’s an unbreakable tie.
I’m going to word my hanky alert differently on this by quoting Shakespeare’s Mark Antony: “If youhave tears, prepare to shed them now.” Yes, I’m preaching to the choir. But sharing it couldn’t hurt.
Just as I’m highly in favor of the National Interstate Popular Vote Compact, because I don’t see any possibility to amend the Constitution without the nation being able to see that the popular vote works, I also don’t see equirable tax reform happening unless people can see it works. That’s why I;m posting this,and enci=ourage sharing it as widely as possible.
And here is yet another article which desperately needs to be widely shared. I’ll try to help on this one with the”Food for Thought” cartoon below.
Yesterday, Wonkette informed me about the male-genitals-shaped balloons Trump** supporters had released Thursday outside the courthouse where he is being tried. Most of us outgrow our toddler obsession with genitals at an age much younger than these people have (God knows how) achieved. Also, there was a kerfuffle in the House involving Representatives Jasmine Crockett and Marjorie Three Names. Many people have had something to say about this. My take is that I’m going to the Atlanta Black Star to get some Black folks’ take before I even begin to formulate my lily-white take. And then, there’s this. (And no, you aren’t losig it, Jamie is still from Maryland -that was in error.)
This story from Joyce Vance is years old – but she (and the nation) have only just learned about it now. And that fact alone may be the biggest part of the story.
Sigh. I suppose we should have known this was coming – somewhere. And it will probably be repeated. It is well sourced, but I chose this link rather than ne of the sources, partly because I thought there was value in the comments.
Yesterday, although there’s more been published about it now, I decided to use this, the first I heard of it, to share. And the cherry on the sundae is that yes, Maggie was in court that day (as a “journalist”) so, whether intentionally or not, it was said to her face.
This from Heather Cox Richardson combines encouraging news about the actual state of our economy with discouraging news about what most people think about the economy, and points up the importance of not only what the media report, but also how they report on it.
Interesting idea. It certainly could be a lot of fun. Has anyone told Pete Buttigieg about this? (apparently someone has, since the article says they have to abide by Federal Railroad rules.)
Yesterday, I saw another Parody Project production. I’m not sure it’s new, but it is delightful. (The original song is IMO deplorable, but this may redeem it.) Also, Trinette was by (and returns greetings). I had a whole bunch of stuff- trash, recyclables, and charity – which I needed help getting it out. After seeing Virgil, despite coming home exhausted, I had a burst of energy over the week. That helped me with the decision to start making it every other week to see him.
This site was down yesterday evening, but should be up today . (And I don’t want to hear a single word about a PhD candidate using a double negative. There’s more to brains than formal grammar.)
When I saw this article (and particularly when I learned something else I’ll get to after the article). I figured I had to go right to the top – Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Athena is likely so intellectual because she wasn’t born as we understand it – she emerged fully formed and an adult from Zeus’s head (I assume without the helmet, although the size of the helmet does suggest a large brain.)
At a time when we are aware that Alzheimer’s disease exists, and that there is no cure, many of us are terrified of it – of having it ourselves, and of it happening to someone near and dear. I know my mother was terrified of it. (She was spared it – she was still expertly solving crossword puzzles until her final coma, caused by pneumonia, at age 93.) So I can’t imagine anyone willing to miss out on any opportunity to avoid it, or to slow its progress.
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New studies suggest millions with mild cognitive impairment go undiagnosed, often until it’s too late
Mild cognitive impairment – an early stage of dementia – is widely underdiagnosed in people 65 and older. That is the key takeaway of two recent studies from our team.
In the first study, we used Medicare data for about 40 million beneficiaries age 65 and older from 2015 to 2019 to estimate the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in that population and to identify what proportion of them had actually been diagnosed.
Our finding was sobering: A mere 8% of the number of cases with mild cognitive impairment that we expected based on a statistical model had actually been diagnosed. Scaled up to the general population 65 and older, this means that approximately 7.4 million cases across the country remain undiagnosed.
Mild cognitive impairment is an early symptom of Alzheimer’s disease in about half of cases and progresses to dementia at a rate of 10% to 15% per year. It includes symptoms such as losing the ability to remember recent events and appointments, make sound decisions and master complex tasks. Failure to detect it might deprive patients of an opportunity to get treated and to slow down disease progression.
In 2023, the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug lecanemab as the first disease-modifying treatmentfor Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of mild cognitive impairment. In contrast to previous drugs, which can temporarily improve symptoms of the disease, such as memory loss and agitation, this new treatment addresses the underlying cause of the disease.
An earlier diagnosis leads to early treatment and better outcomes.
What still isn’t known
Many factors contribute to the lack of timely detection. But researchers don’t have a good understanding of the relative importance of those individual factors or how to reduce the high rate of underdiagnosis.
While distinct, symptoms are subtle and their slow progression means that they can be overlooked or misinterpreted as normal aging. A neurologist in China told our research team that diagnosis rates spike in China after the New Year’s holiday, when children who haven’t seen their parents for a year notice changes that are harder to pick up when interacting with someone daily.
Doctors also commonly discount memory concerns as normal aging and doubt that much can be done about it. While cognitive tests to distinguish mild cognitive impairment from pathologic decline do exist, they take about 15 minutes, which can be hard to come by during the limited time of a doctor’s visit and may require a follow-up appointment.
What’s next
People, particularly those in their 60s and beyond, as well as their families and friends need to be vigilant about cognitive decline, bring it up during doctor’s appointments and insist on a formal assessment.
Just as physicians ask patients about unexplained weight loss and take those concerns seriously, we believe questions that explore a patient’s cognitive state need to become the norm.
The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work.
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Pat B, (who is celebrating her fiftieth wedding anniversary today) has graciously given me permission to share that this coming Friday she has an appointment with her Doctor to discuss her memory loss. While no one can prove it, I would not be surprised to learn this was inspired by Athena. I can’t imagine anything wiser than getting checked out for any possible signs of dementia, knowing that waiting will not make it any better but it could make it worse. Thank you, Athena, and may you inspire all of us who are 65 or older to be wise also.
Yesterday, I got a new email from the Theater of War and immediately thought of SpyCat, because they will be doing two readings of “An Enemy of the People” live in Ohio in April, in Mount Vernon and Gambier on the 6th and 7th respectively (and of course also on Zoom.) These productions are not just theater – there’s no stage, no sets, no costumes or makeup, just readings, and voice acting. And the whole play is never presented – selections are read pertinent to the public health topic addressed. And after the reading, audience members react, both on site and now, since the pandemic, through Zoom, and share through their experience what has touched them and what applies to today. Their website is theaterofwar.com, and it’s headed up with a four minute video describing what they do and why, with three examples (obviously very short.) But there’s also a lot of information there with more detail. “An Enemy of the People,” written in 1882, could almost be the story of CoViD and Dr. Fauci.
Robert Reich makes the case for what he calls “Nauseous Optimism,” by which he means being optimistic even when one’s stomach is churning. but he explains it better than I can.
One of the Mar-a-Lago documents case who has been known as “Employee Number 5” is speaking out on the case and his part in it. I think he’s hoping it will make a bigger difference than I think it will – but any difference in the right direction is a good thing.
I learned that another state – Illinois – is now onn the bandwagon of keeping Trump off the ballot. Good luck to all of us.
Heather Cox Richardson is reminded in our time of the times of the “Know Nothing” Party in the 1850s. And with good reason. The actual party name was “the Native American Party,” and later just “the American Party.” Just as misidentified as today’s “Patriots.”
(I have multiple sources for all of this – Wikipedia is the main one but Performance Today deserves mention.) Today being the second day of Women’s History month, and on the heels of Black History month, it seems to me a good day to bring up Florence Beatrice Price, an American woman of color who was a composer in the 20th Century. She was told many times she was “not a good fit” by publishers – but the Chicago Symphony played her works and they were met with appreciation. Wanamaker’s there (the first retail department store in the U.S.) would hold annual composition contests for local composers, and she was a consistent winner, in one year winning first, second, and third place. But all her manuscripts were kept in the home she used as a summer residence, and when she died, it was abandoned. It was not until 2009 that someone interested in purchasing the home discovered them, and fortunately, was musical enough to know what they had. The works included four symphonies, two violin concertos, a piano concerto, other orchestral works, songs, choral works, chamber music, arangements of spirituals, and probably more piano solos than anything else. According to Performance Today, she is not the most performed female composer in America. And that happened in the 15 years between 2009 and now. I am so glad that I have lived to hear at least some of it. I am listening to one on the radio as I type – her Symphony #3. And it is beautiful.
