News roundup
(1) Trump turned 80 on Sunday. Whatever you may think of him, he’s doing pretty darn well physically for 80. USA Today marks the occasion with an article purporting to say “what happens to your body at 80.” Bodies age at different rates, and we can all observe that quite easily. Well, guess what? That’s what the article says, too. Fancy that.
(2) On Trump’s birthday, there was this event at the White House, although it wasn’t billed as a birthday celebration for Trump but rather one for the US:
Mixed martial arts fighters squared off on the White House South Lawn for UFC Freedom 250, culminating in a main card fight between Georgian-Spanish Ilia Topuria and American Justin Gaethje for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship. Gaethje defeated Topuria. The main card streamed on Paramount+, which is owned by Paramount Skydance, the parent company of CBS News.
Despite the threat of storms, thousands turned out to watch the fights, which took place in an eight-sided cage beneath a massive canopy known as “The Claw.”
Not my cup of tea. But I heard commentary saying the matches were very exciting. The left was not happy about any of this. Trump delights in confounding snobs.
(3) Hillary Clinton blames Biden for the 2024 debacle. I have to say she’s not wrong, but it wasn’t Biden alone – he had plenty of help, and Kamala Harris was a terrible choice as his replacement:
Hillary Clinton said former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection in 2024 was a “terrible mistake,” arguing that Democrats could have defeated President Donald Trump had he stepped aside earlier and opened the field to a competitive primary.
Maybe Hillary thought she would have won that primary.
But the Democrats had the chance to “open the field” to a competitive nomination process; not a primary, but a convention. They chose a Kamala Harris coronation instead.
(4) Ukraine has fully autonomous killing drones.
(5)Terrible crash of B-52 Stratofortress kills 8 at Edwards Air Force Base:
This sad loss at Edwards Air Force Base stands as a heavy reminder of the risks carried by those who defend our nation.
God bless the eight crew members who were dedicated to duty.
USA Today marks the occasion with an article purporting to say “what happens to your body at 80.”
Joe Biden appears to be a “superager”, doctors say
I’ve only provided one link from January 2024, there are literally dozens that all showed up at the same time in different publications.
All else being equal I think it would make more sense for Presidents to be much younger. Clinton, Obama and W. Bush weren’t exactly head and shoulders above Trump despite their much younger ages, but there’s almost 350 million people in this country and something like 75 million of them are between 35 and 50.
Let’s put it this way: do you want to get on an airplane see that the pilot sitting in the left hand seat is young enough to be your grandchild? Didn’t think so. At the same, you don’t want him or her to be so old that they’re collecting Social Security. About the only thing that one can say about getting older is that most people have better judgment and don’t take unnecessary chances – a good trait for a pilot (or president) to have.
(OTOH, it’s said the good judgment is the result of experience, and experience comes from having bad judgment.)
My grandmother is 93 and still smart as a whip. She does the “difficult” crossword puzzles, is computer-literate, and runs a home business as a hobby. She has some physical issues (partly due to a botched medical procedure), but lives independently with a little help. I think it’s true that as a general rule, a lot of people are aging more slowly than in previous generations.
“…superager…”
Gosh, what are the chances Hunter’s inherited those incredible genes…?
Speaking of which…,
“Supreme Court Rejects Bid By 98-Year-Old Appeals Judge To Be Reinstated”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/supreme-court-rejects-bid-98-year-old-appeals-judge-be-reinstated
Revenge of the whippersnappers?
“All else being equal I think it would make more sense for Presidents to be much younger.” Niketas Choniates
What country has ever elected a succession of younger Presidents? Invariably, if one does get in, the next President is not nearly so young.
Societies where governance is elected will inevitably gravitate toward a leadership in which a preponderance are well over 50.
Whether for good or ill, things are as they are for reasons.
“Chesterton’s Fence” applies, “Don’t ever take a fence down until you know the reason why it was put up.” English writer G.K. Chesterton
Two of the dead were Boeing employees.
Trump’s age doesn’t bother me as much as the fact that he allegedly never sleeps.
I read the study about the changes that occur after 80 a couple of weeks ago. There was some interesting information, and I recommended it to some folks.
As it turns out I was better at 80 than I was at 60—before sleep apnea was finally diagnosed.
Now, 90 is a different story. You definitely have to make more accommodations than you might wish; but it isn’t over.
For what it is worth, about six months ago I started a little exercise program designed for folks over 60 (only 30 years late although I have always exercised sporadically); and mixed it with some Tai Chi principles (I also tried that previously for a short time.) Those who counsel movement at any age are spot on. It has made a difference.
My mother is 90. She is losing the ability to swallow due to ALS and is refusing a feeding tube. UW medicine said it couldn’t be ALS because she is too old. After exams, they decided she is the oldest ALS patient they had encountered by a large margin. I don’t know if she will make 91. Her mind is still pretty good but there are signs.
Normal crew for a B-52H was 6 when the gunner’s station was manned. I believe the DFCS system was deactivated years ago, so I wonder what the 8th person aboard was for. Since the crash happened at Edwards, the plane that crashed on takeoff was probably part of the test facility, maybe for the re-engining program.
I’ve seen a report of the BUFF test being for a new radar type, rather than the engine program.
Not for the faint of heart.
RIP
Chases Eagles is correct.
I was mystified as to what kind of catastrophe would cause a B-52 to crash after take off. Turns out that it was a test flight. The presence of the Boeing employees suggest that they were testing some significant modification. We will probably never know what.
The story of the B-52 is amazing. My older cousin, who started me flying, was a B-52 aircraft commander when he retired from the USAF in 1963. He retired but the airplane didn’t.
His career was a commentary on changing attitudes. He was a tail gunner in B-17s in the 8th AF; and after surviving that entered directly into flight training, finishing just as the war was closing down. In those days the U.S. did not think you needed a college degree to be an officer/pilot. Actually, in 1955 the Navy still didn’t think so as a high percentage of nascent pilots were without. They later insisted that I get one.
I’m 82, still play tennis and pickleball 3-4 times a week, against people often 20-30 years younger than I am, and do a 10-15 minute gym workout every other day.
I believe the most important priority to retain your freedom is to take care of your legs. When your legs go, walkers,wheelchairs and electric carts come into play. Easy to lose it, and easy to keep your legs fit without equipment and it takes very little workout time. Things like chair sits (no hands up or down), wall sits , toe/calf lifts are great. If you have access to equipment, leg curls are great. None of this takes much time but you must do them every day, religiously.
Trump’s age doesn’t matter as much as Biden’s cognitive decline did. But, I won’t hold my breath waiting for anyone on the left to admit that.
From WSJ: munitions expended in Iran would represent roughly 27% of Tomahawk stockpiles, about 23% of Jassm missiles, a third of SM-6 missiles, nearly half of SM-3 missiles, more than half of Patriot interceptors and up to 80% of Thaad interceptors.
“It’s going to be years before we can rebuild those inventories,” Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at CSIS who co-wrote the report, told the Journal at the time.
IMHO this is the major factor in all things Iranian.
It’s Flag Day. Also the start of the US Army. Hence the parade last year, for its 250th birthday.
I saw a leftist asserting that you can’t tell her that it’s a coincidence that this parade was held on Trump’s birthday, to get the response that unless she knew something about his mother she wasn’t telling, it was pretty much a picture-perfect example of a coincidence.
Obama Tried to Warn Us: ‘Don’t Underestimate Joe’s Ability to F— Things Up’
Richard Illyes:
Diversity is our strength. Fighting white supremacy is our number one priority. Medical services for trannies is our necessity. Before January 2025.
Ordnance stocks? Not their problem. Those things take time to build.