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Today’s roundup — 27 Comments

  1. Apropos of (4), rumor has it that McConnell is taking advantage of his hospital stay to caucus with Fetterman. (I’m not so sure that’s a joke!)

  2. Confirmation bias: I sometimes have both kinds of insomnia, but don’t take sleeping medications for either, so I’m good — if this study means anything.

    McConnell had childhood polio and has had balance issues for a long time. This time, he seems to have gotten a concussion from the fall. I think he should resign, but I’m sure he won’t.

  3. 1. Certain people on the left are not buying the sausage.
    2. Yep that’s me. I take Melatonin and a RX drug (not sleeping pills though) and it takes me time to fall asleep. I wake up several times in the night (well I am a 76 yr old Man), and at time can’t get back to sleep for a long time if ever. Last night I spent the first hr in bed tossing and turning, then got up took a hot shower (read that hot showers are good to get you to sleep), then stayed up for another 2 hr. Do I have dementia? Might considering what is going on in the world.
    3. No they did not, why should they? They would not changed their mind so why bother.
    4. Will not comment because it would not be polite.
    5.RIP. Never saw the movie.

  4. (3) Did the January 6th committee even watch the videos before going through their kangaroo court proceedings?

    Spin is they did not watch video, so that is proof they did not manipulate and cherry pick video.

    Or, panel did not watch video but relied on staff and hirelings to do it.

  5. Even though I find McConnell maddening, I sympathize with him. Falling is a real menace for old people. I hope he recovers okay.

  6. McConnell had childhood polio and has had balance issues for a long time.

    Not buying. I’m working from memory here.

    McConnell landed a position on the staff of one of the Kentucky congressional delegation in 1967, subsequent to completing his law degree. He then departed the staff to enter the military (inducted, enlisted, or activated reserves, I forget). After a brief time in the service, he was discharged, with the story his staff tells being it was so for medical reasons. (IIRC, something to do with his eyesight). The thing is, he was well-connected enough that politicians leaning on certain gatekeepers cannot be ruled out and McConnell and his staff have been very chary about allowing inquiring reporters to see documents from his service record. One was permitted to view a requisitioned dossier, but not to copy anything.

    I cannot imagine that if he had mobility issues from childhood polio that he could have passed an induction physical. At the time, about a quarter of those examined for military service were disqualified. Usually, it was for failing the medical examination, but you could also be disqualified for failing psychological tests. I think people with a history of criminal convictions of a certain severity were also disqualified. You could be contingently disqualified (I-Y) for remarkably minor problems. I knew a man who was disqualified for eczema on his feet; others were disqualified for being overweight or underweight or corrective lenses. Rush Limbaugh received a I-Y deferment because he had a pilonidal cyst. Hubert Humphrey failed an induction physical during the 2d World War due to a hernia.

    If someone here has granular knowledge of this, that would help.

  7. For what it’s worth on item #2 (insomnia and sleep medication):

    I had serious problems falling asleep, and my nephrologist prescribed an antidepressant one of whose side effects is drowsiness.

    I generally fall asleep reasonably quickly now and, as a bonus, I fall asleep less anguished over the state of the known universe!

  8. Good news for me. I pretty much never have trouble going to sleep unless I am facing an unusually early time for getting up. Otherwise, I am usually asleep inside of 10 minutes. I also have no trouble getting back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night, which I do about once or twice a night (usually to urinate, though not always).

  9. I pretty much never have trouble going to sleep unless I am facing an unusually early time for getting up. Otherwise, I am usually asleep inside of 10 minutes. I also have no trouble getting back to sleep if I wake up in the middle of the night, which I do about once or twice a night

    Oh, shut up.

  10. topol played hans zarkov with great brio, and the antihero colombo, in one of the more gritty bond films before craig,

  11. Apropos of draft disqualifications back in the day, You could be contingently disqualified (I-Y) for remarkably minor problems.

    Had a buddy back in grad school who was 1-Y– I had not heard of the classification before and asked him what it meant. He said, “It’s the Freak Brigade: too thin, too fat, too short, too tall– won’t fit into a standard Army uniform or equipment.” Said buddy was 6′ 7″ and had played basketball for Princeton– and yes, he would have had trouble fitting into an M60 tank.

  12. FYI on polio. I don’t know anything about any individual. However, due to experiences within my extended family I have learned a bit about childhood polio’s effects on the elderly. In short, sometimes symptoms will return in old age — muscle weakness, balance problems, etc. — not quite the same as the initial case of polio, but related type stuff. It is a well-known phenomenon. IIRC it’s called Post-Polio Syndrome.

    Of course, the alternative assumption is that somebody who is a thousand years old is expected to have muscle weakness, balance problems, etc. So it might just be that simple.

  13. If you have problems going back to sleep, your mind is the problem. Don’t doubt me.

  14. It’s the Freak Brigade:

    Joseph Biden was granted a I-Y for asthma, Donald Trump for bone spurs. Per partisan Democrats, the one isn’t a problem, the other is just the most contemptible thing ever because reasons.

    People classified I-Y were sent to the back of the queue and could be recalled if the military’s demand for manpower exceeded a certain threshold. IIRC, one could be summoned for another physical in as little as 90 days. Donald Trump was left in peace by Selective Service for 18 months, at the end of which time the draft lottery was instituted. Both he and brother Robert received lottery numbers high enough to preclude their being summoned for a physical.

    About 12% of each cohort received a I-Y deferment in that era. About 12% received a categorical disqualification (IV-F).

  15. Chaim Topol – RIP! I’ve seen a few play versions of Fiddler on the Roof; and while they were all very enjoyable, nobody came close to Chaim Topol’s Tevye.

  16. Actually, I don’t think much of this study. Older adults are at risk for sleep disturbances and for dementia, and I think it’s hard to separate out what’s what in this population.

    There have been a number of recent studies (over the past ?five years or so) showing a strong correlation between sedative hypnotics, as well as benzodiazepam use and cognititve impairment/dementia in “seniors.”

    You can dismiss them as not causal–which they may not be — but a prudent person interested in retaining their ability to live independently long term will not use these drugs, or use them only sparingly.
    And from my experience, that becomes a major goal as time goes by.

    (And tracking THOSE people might be the way to answer the chicken or the egg question—people in their 60s say, with sleep initiation issues who chose to not use drugs. What is their incidence of demntia in ten years??)

  17. }}} (4) Mitch McConnell fell and is hospitalized. No further word on his condition except that he’s expected to stay in the hospital for a few days.

    Probably fell on his head, thus, no risks and no possible damage…

    }}} I think he should resign, but I’m sure he won’t.

    Should have resigned before he won his first election, but that’s a moot point. 😛

    }}} (not sleeping pills though)

    The primary chemical in most OTC sleeping pills is benadryl. Benadryl has been around since the 60s (I got it as an antihistamine back then, as a child). And it has been noted that it has fewer side effect than aspirin, so, you might check to see if it is better for you than your prescription, if it works for you (I’ve seen people claim it doesn’t but there is a very important reason for its “don’t operate machinery” warning.

    In general, you only want to take it if you want to sleep for more than 4h, as that is the general limit it has on drowsiness.

  18. Regarding number 3 : If they watched for 10 hours a day, every day, how many years would it take to watch 14,000 hours of video ? what about 44,000 hours ?

    No chance.

  19. Tucker explained there was a lot of dead space and duplications, thats why they used computers to zero in on key elements

  20. Why watch the raw video when you can turn it over to a professional mainstream film team to produce a slick piece of propaganda?

    I want to see a lot of convictions overturned for Brady violations.

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