(0818) Difficult morning, cyber-wise, dull grey and damp outside but we’re ok, yes? By the way, the jazz segment this afternoon is not just jazz … yes, Tuna Skinny are there but so are two others from southern Louisiana, playing Zydeco and Cajun … so I can’t rightly call it jazz. (0955)

 

5. Housekeeping

There’s a three way battle right now between Ggl, Apple and me … Blgr simply refused to upload graphics at OoL, so I had to use a convoluted method to get around it. Anyway, the post is up:

https://orphansofliberty.blogspot.com/2026/05/hanging-out-washing.html

4. Steve at 1371

• Trump Administration Fights Anthropic’s Plan To Expand Mythos AI Tool That Could Cause Doomsday ‘If It Falls in the Wrong Hands’
• Stanford Biosecurity Expert Says AI Chatbot Gave Him a Blueprint for Genocidal Bioweapon, Including Step-by-Step Instructions for Modifying Deadly Pathogen and Conducting Mass Transit Attack
• Two More Executed By Brutal Iranian Regime
• Pope Leo Appoints Former Illegal Alien and Rabid Progressive as Bishop to Deep Red West Virginia
• US Military Just Caught Iran Building Insane Weapons During Ceasefire
• Methylene blue has been shown to shrink cancer tumours
• Japan’s Coal and Nuclear Expansion Poses Risk to Renewable Energy Growth, Report Claims
• Much more.

3. Ageing

Earlier, I saw a YT on ageing and will only summarise it so that you don’t have to … it has everything wrong with it* compositionally (ouch).

Anyway, before that … this was on Quora, from a Mary Gebsoni (med doctorate University of Melbourne):

“One of my patients celebrated his seventieth birthday and felt that being seventy-one years old was merely a suggestion. He was still working, still as sharp as ever and walking three miles every day prior to having breakfast. However, three other factors had slowly sneaked into his life to start aging him faster than time ever would.

When I mentioned these factors to him, he looked as if I was reading his diary. This is something no doctor has yet found the courage to mention because it is not one of those obvious solutions, but rather an extremely important factor affecting our health which almost no one knows about.

One of the factors is chronic dehydration caused by the body’s natural reduction of thirst as we get older. Starting from the age of seventy the body’s mechanism to signal dehydration becomes less reliable and most elderly people become chronically dehydrated leading to accelerated brain function decline, thickening of blood, greater risk of strokes, destruction of joint lubrication and kidney problems since kidneys must now do much more work than they did when the person was younger. According to ancient Chinese medical practices, water consumption and kidney health was the cornerstone of longevity as kidneys were considered the source of life force itself and special foods and herbs were prescribed in order to counteract this age-related phenomenon.

The second and the third factors are loneliness and consumption of processed food. The latter starts to steal energy from elderly people’s already tired organs, while loneliness causes inflammatory processes inside the body which can be measured through blood work. Amish communities and other Old World cultures used to know something about keeping elderly people alive and healthy and realized that a family dinner table is actually the ultimate medicinal treatment because they consumed real ancestral food products together and maintained social contacts which helped elderly people to stay healthy long enough to celebrate many more years to come.”

* The composition issue … There’s a “doctor” supposedly speaking (he’s in a white jacket, which means he must be a doctor instead of a paid actor … or both?) over that is what appears to be an “AI” voice … but at least there are subtitles. It really is a terrible video for production values.

That video summary … ok, first few points quite good:

a. Until maybe 70, stress training helped … think think think and stay fresher … push weights … stress training … muscles grow. This slowly ceases after 70 or so.

Now interestingly, this is what I thought happened last weekend … I overlifted but actually, it was a light weight cf. my PB last year. The lift went fine but straight after, the heart overstressed, which in turn brought on hearing, sight and circulatory issues. Some people need to learn the hard way … I seem to be one of those. I’ve trained twice this week after that … no issues, new riutines, more aerobic than anaerobic.

b. Restrictive eating habits not good for you later according to official guidelines. Age related malnutrition … body is not processing nutrients as well. When protein reduces, muscle decline starts … which for oldies is a killer. Legs, arms, hips, bones, internal organs, processes decline. In turn, susceptibility to strokes etc. Fats are essential, not the processed carbs.

c. Forcing yourself to wake up at the same time each morning. Changes in sleep are natural later … melatonin declines, deep sleep shortens. You wake up during the night, earlier in the morning or later. Don’t force yourself to get up and rush off … so much to do, oh goodness, must get to work quickly.

That’s short changing your body. The essential though is not to stress over sleep. Whatever your bod needs, it needs. Relax over it. You’re an oldie now, you’re allowed. However your bod and mind need you to do it … do it. Never mind other people’s expectations. Let go of “all sleep must happen in one block”.

d. This next one is me now. So much online about Big Pharma, all medication is unneeded … some does help. For example, I experimented with a day off meds etc, having more natural foods. Once I went back on, it was better … that’s just me.

However, all we’ve been posting is still right about side effects, esp. with statins. So it’s a complex thing. Doctors today are awful, the NHS is awful, yet there is still some knowledge in them, e.g. blood pressure meds. I have no advice for you, the video does.

e. Unnecessary relationships. We need to gently let go certain obligations, while keeping up necessary ones, e.g. spose, chn, grandchn, very close friends. Dtop trying to be everyone’s friend … coworkers, acquaintances etc. Out of obligation, out of fear of resentment.

This is a biggy with me. My gamut of blogs, tweeters, one or two DMers … is extensive and at a certain level, it’s wunnerful to keep. For example, Deryl’s hubby had a heart attack (she posted on it). So I occasionally tweet “thoughts and prayers”, just those three words, while keeping up with all the others … yet it becomes more and more clear whom to keep going … some take themsekves away … just let it go, stick with those who appreciate the effort.

Exactly the case with Unherdables … we have our circle and occasional chaps and chapesses … attend to them, even a few words help. Correspondents, two people closest to me, my neighbours here too. You know where this is. You can’t do everything … but you can do much … and should do.

f. Pretending you are still as young as you were. Any issues putting on socks? How about getting out of a chair without using your arms (quads and glutes, hamstrings and calves). Work your legs moderately each day … walks, riding, whatever. In your legs is your independence. Knees, hips. Gently, gently.

After 70, the most dangerous accident is a fall.

My bath has handrails, my corridors about four feet … yes, sudden movemt and I fall, with strong shoulders and arms into a doorway upright … piece of cake, no issue … every room here has something at least to break a fall.

g. Meaningful solitude. Mix formal obligations with a feeling that a certain person gets benefit from you … but also spend time on peaceful self time, reflection … don’t let people rush you. For example, I know that I need to post DAD and Steve, maybe others start kicking in later, e.g. IYE … yet I also feel that this vid has turned out to be important. Unherdables is a meeting place for ideas … therefore I gpfeel I really must post this item.

2. DAD at 1371

a) Britain needs a Bastard. Leaders are simply better—more effective, more popular at their peaks, more trusted in the moments that matter—precisely when they refuse to pretend they are better than the rest of us.

b) Free Speech win: Scottish Grandmother cleared for protesting outside of Abortion Clinic. (JH: Hallelujah)

c) United Kingdom: According to an article written by two researchers from Oxford University, between 2000 and 2025, transgender people were more likely to have killed than to have been killed.

d) Stagflation is coming, but the ECB Is in denial. The numbers don’t lie, but euro zone money chief Christine Lagarde still refuses to be responsible and admit the obvious.