Posts

Jason Aldean and the history of white vigilantism

  Jason Aldean and his anthem to vigilantism. I haven't listened to country-western music since junior high, so Jason Aldean's song "Try That in a Small Town" would have escaped my attention were it not for the articles it inspired. If art is meant to provoke, Aldean's CW song qualifies. Its lyrics are plainly meant to appeal to white rural grievance, but it provoked many of us to recall the sordid history of vigilantism in this country. Having grown up in the American South at the end of apartheid, racist violence and lynching was part of the soundtrack of my youth. Anyone who wants to return to the days where citizens routinely deputized themselves as judge, jury and executioner is simply anti-American. Here's an essay that recalls the bad old days that Aldean's song valorizes: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/jason-aldean-song-triggered-renewed-attention-on-racist-vigilante-justice-and-small-town-nationalism

Asking questions about Medicare Advantage

  From over at Common Dreams: 7 Questions to Ask to Protect Yourself From Medicare Advantage Scams 1. What’s the biggest difference between traditional Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan? 2. Should I trust an insurance agent’s advice about my Medicare options? 3. Why can’t I rely on my friends or the government’s star-rating system to pick a good Medicare Advantage plan? 4. If I’m enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, can I count on seeing the physicians listed in the network and lower costs? 5. Doesn’t the government make sure that Medicare Advantage plans deliver the same benefits as traditional Medicare? 6. If I join a Medicare Advantage plan, can I disenroll and switch to traditional Medicare? 7. If I have traditional Medicare and Medicaid, what should I do? For answers, click the link: https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/protect-yourself-from-medicare-advantage

Pumpkin pie rankings

 From my friend Lori Wallrath: The votes are in for this year’s frozen pumpkin pie competition. For a fourth year in a row, Marie Callender’s comes in first place! The flaky crust and tasty, firm pie filling wins the family over every year. In second place, Sara Lee’s crust was too dense and the cinnamon in the filling overpowered the other spices. In third place, Kuhn’s bakery out of Drakesville, Iowa, was all natural; however, the crust separated from the filling and the filling lacked spices - “too gourd” were the comments."

Visceral fat and Alzheimers

I've always been amused at the sight of guys in their 50's and beyond who appear to be pregnant. You know those guys with bulging "beer bellies." But that visceral fat isn't a sign of a jollity, it's a sign of inflammatory tissue. And the inflammation can transmit itself to the brain, advancing the processes leading to dementia, among other serious pathologies. If you have significant visceral fat, consider asking your doc about semaglutides as a pathway to weight reduction. Turns out, visceral fat is easier to lose than subcutaneous fat. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/20/health/belly-fat-alzheimers-wellness/index.html

Semaglutides and the next public health revolution

  It is hard to overstate the transformational public health benefits of anti-hypertensives and statins for blood pressure and serum cholesterol control. For a modest cost, these drugs not only mitigate human suffering but save billions, if not trillions, of dollars by avoiding costly surgical interventions. The repurposing of anti-diabetic drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide for weight loss in obese populations promises to be similarly transformative. I’ve witnessed this anecdotally; one of my sisters lost 90 lbs in 2.5 years on semaglutide, and for the first time in decades has a BMI in the healthy range. “The need for the medications is undeniable. Obesity is a major contributor to preventable death in the U.S. It can lead to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, several forms of cancer, mental illness, difficulty with physical function, kidney failure, and many other maladies. It is stubbornly resistant to behavioral and dietary changes in many people. “Obesity and its myriad consequ

WWJD

"Factions have fought for decades about sexuality and Scripture at the General Conference, the church’s top legislative body. After the church strengthened its bans on partnered LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage in 2019, many Methodists argued a split was likely inevitable in the second-largest Protestant denomination in the US. "In recent decades, several of the traditional mainline Protestant denominations have split up over homosexuality or related issues, including the American Baptist Churches USA, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Presbyterian Church USA. "On Saturday, the requests of four of the Georgia congregations seeking to be disaffiliated were not ratified, “following discussion by the members of the Annual Conference,” according to a news release. "The exits of the 261 other churches will go into effect at the end of November." Jesus was silent on the subjects of homosexuality, LGBTQ and gay marriage. True C