Free Republic

Eighty-six-year-old actress and activist Jane Fonda said Tuesday on CNN’s “The Situation Room” that she was older than President Joe Biden and that, therefore, his age would not be an issue. Host Wolf Blitzer asked, “At that event that you were just referring to Jane, that Seniors for Biden/Harris event that you attended the first lady said her husband, ‘Isn’t one of the most effective presidents of our lives, in spite of his age but because of it.’ Her words, the president’s age and fitness is a key issue in this campaign. It keeps coming up why do you think...

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” in a preview of an interview with network White House correspondent Arlette Saenz, first lady Jill Biden criticized Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s call for politicians over 75 years old to take mental competency tests. Saenz said, “Nikki Haley, one of the Republican candidates, is calling for mental competency tests for those politicians over the age of 75. What do you think about that?” Biden said, “It’s ridiculous.”

Vaccines, better workplace conditions, and higher wages are encouraging older people to get back into the workforce, so undermining business demands for more migrants. “The percentage of retirees returning to work has picked up momentum in recent months, hitting a pandemic high of 3.2 percent in March,” according to a May 5 Washington Post article that relies on data from Indeed.com. The Post continued:

As I get older, I’m finding out there’s less and less room for error in how I eat… and my tolerance for animal fat has shrunk. I’ve discussed meat eating and veganism HERE and HERE, and even Kosher Bodybuilding, which holds much promise for eating meat successfully (without blood and with lower fat). I’ve eaten red meat my whole life, starting when I was young when my dad would take us to Sizzler on many a Sunday evening. This is back when they had sawdust on the floor, so you know I’m talking old school! My favorite meal was always...

Race baiters and hustlers continue to ply their wares, while now including the highest levels of political office in the USA The Obama-Holder team has now taken over the investigation of the Ferguson, MO shooting. At the same time, that team has, apparently, effectively usurped both the city’s authority and the titles of “biggest race hustlers and race-baiters in America” from the team of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Note: I assume the Jackson-Sharpton team is now demanding royalties from both Holder and Obama. Determined to find (or likely fabricate?) “evidence” in order to indict and prosecute the badly-beaten-by-Michael-Brown Police...

<p>Not only is the American population aging, businesses in the U.S. also are growing older.</p> <p>Older firms are increasingly controlling the largest market share in different sectors of the economy, according to a paper by the Brooking Institution’s Robert E. Litan and Ennsyte Economics’s Ian Hathaway. By 2011, the portion of U.S. businesses aged at least 16 years reached 34%, compared to 23% in 1992. Moreover, those mature companies went from employing only 60% of private-sector workers in 1992 to employing nearly three quarters of the private-sector labor force in 2011.</p>

In the latest installment of another long-running series, we look at the age bracket distribution of those who are lucky enough to get new jobs each month, versus those who aren't. It should come as no surprise that once more the majority of new jobs created in the month of May went to the oldest age-group cohort, those 55 and older, which saw an increase of 203,000 jobs in May, more than every other age group bracket. The result: with an all time high 31,488,000 workers aged 55-69, Americans are far more busy working in their older years than retiring...

Republican leaders of the House Judiciary Committee on Monday accused Attorney General Eric Holder of having "something to hide," after the Justice Department issued a formal defense of his questionable testimony on reporter surveillance -- a defense Republicans rejected as inadequate. "This response is insulting and further proof that Attorney General Holder refuses to hold himself accountable," Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said. Holder was facing a Wednesday deadline, set by the committee, to explain his May 15 testimony. At the time, the attorney general said under oath he knew nothing of the "potential prosecution" of the press. Days later, it...

More than one in five older Americans skimp on health care to save money, says the Employee Benefit Research Group. A significant number of Americans over the age of 50 skip medication or postpone doctors’ appointments to save money, according to a recent report by the EBRI, a private, nonprofit research institute based in Washington. According to the study, 21.5% cut down on their prescription drugs, switched to cheaper drugs or got free samples, and 19.4% skipped or postponed doctor appointments. An even larger number, 27.5 %, reported having difficulty paying their monthly bills. “We know that consumption tends to...

Older lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in California are more likely to suffer from chronic physical and mental health problems than their heterosexual counterparts, a new analysis has found. They also are less likely to have live-in partners or adult children who can help care for them. The research brief was based on data from the California Health Interview Survey, the nation’s largest state health survey, gathered in 2003, 2005 and 2007 by the Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California, Los Angeles. Older gay and bisexual men — ages 50 to 70 — reported higher rates...

It's change grandma and grandpa believe in. Seniors are poised to vote at historic levels on Election Day. And it's bad news for Democrats. They support Republicans more than any other age group. Republicans are more likely to vote at every age this year. But it's older Republican voters--including GOP-leaning independents--who could create a generational tide. Young adults are not less likely to vote. Older adults are remarkably likely. Seniors and baby boomers are more engaged in the election and more enthusiastic about voting than pre-election polling has found since at least 1994... The trend is strongest among voters age...

George Anter knows he has a lot to be thankful for during the holidays. The heart he received during a transplant procedure 12 years ago, for which he gives thanks every day, continues to do its job. Most Popular Stories # Elderly question flu shot controls # NORM: Wynns finalize divorce papers # U.S. HIGHWAY 95 CRASH: Longtime LV officer mourned # Slaying details emerge # NORM: At last, Ripa gets her wedding cake # NORM: Crash compounds Woods' problems # Surgeon agrees to plea deal in medical malpractice fraud case # Two more teens arrested in slaying of officer...

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Obamacare, and Death Panels by rayharvey on August 27, 2009 Poor misunderstood Ezekiel J. Emanuel. Ezekiel, if you don’t know, is the older brother of the statist Rahm Emanuel, and recently Ezekiel got his feeling hurt. In an interview he just gave the Associated Press, Monday (August 24th), Ezekiel said this: “I’m completely dumbfounded. I’ve been in academic disputes before, but I never thought I’d be disparaged on Sunday morning talk shows and in the papers, being distorted in ways that can only be described as willful and intentional.” What Ezekiel Emanuel is referring to here is...

Low Blood Levels Of Vitamin D May Be Associated With Depression In Older Adults ScienceDaily (May 6, 2008) — Older adults with low blood levels of vitamin D and high blood levels of a hormone secreted by the parathyroid glands may have a higher risk of depression, according to a new report . About 13 percent of older individuals have symptoms of depression, and other researchers have speculated that vitamin D may be linked to depression and other psychiatric illnesses, according to background information in the article. "Underlying causes of vitamin D deficiency such as less sun exposure as a...

Older People Are Happy: Life Begins At 40 And 50 And 60 ScienceDaily (Feb. 18, 2008) — Growing old is a happier experience than many of us imagine - that’s according to the findings of a study conducted at Queen’s University, Belfast, on behalf of the Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP). The study, which was conducted by Dr John Garry from Queen’s University, looked at young people’s attitudes to happiness in old age and how these attitudes affect their current health-related behaviour. Dr Garry said: “We have all heard the saying ‘life begins at forty’. But it seems that many people,...

Berlin dig finds city older than thought By DAVID RISING, Associated Press Writer Wed Jan 30, 1:59 PM ET BERLIN - An archaeological dig in downtown Berlin has uncovered evidence that the German capital is at least 45 years older than had previously been established, authorities said Wednesday. During excavation work last week in the Mitte district, archaeologists uncovered a wooden beam from an ancient earthen cellar, said Karin Wagner of the city-state's office for historical preservation. It was in exceptionally good condition, having lain under the water table for centuries, and scientists were able to determine from a sample...

Lack Of Imagination In Older Adults Linked To Declining Memory ScienceDaily (Jan. 8, 2008) — Most children are able to imagine their future selves as astronauts, politicians or even superheroes; however, many older adults find it difficult to recollect past events, let alone generate new ones. A new Harvard University study reveals that the ability of older adults to form imaginary scenarios is linked to their ability to recall detailed memories. According to the study, episodic memory, which represents our personal memories of past experiences, "allows individuals to project themselves both backward and forward in subjective time." Therefore, in order...

Why the older generation don't get jokes By Ben Quinn Last Updated: 2:47pm BST 12/07/2007 It's no laughing matter, but the reason why grumpy old men behave in just such a way may finally have been pinpointed. Older adults have a harder time getting jokes as they age because of memory and reasoning problems, according to a new study. The researchers tested 40 healthy adults aged over 65 against 40 undergraduate students with exercises in which they had to correctly complete jokes and funny stories. When asked to choose the correct punchline for verbal jokes, younger participants performed six per...

Archaeologists find terracotta figurines older than those buried with Chinese first emperor Chinese archaeologists have discovered two terracotta figurines dating back to about 2,500 years ago, older than the famous terracotta warriors buried with first Chinese emperor Qinshihuang. The rough-hewn, 10-centimeter tall statues might be the oldest terracotta figurines produced by the Qin State at the beginning of the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC), said some experts. The two figurines were found at the ruins of Yongcheng, an ancient Qin State capital, in northwest Shaanxi Province, according to local media reports. Qin State unified China in 221 BC. Qinshihuang,...

A project aiming to create an easier way to measure cosmic distances has instead turned up surprising evidence that our large and ancient universe might be even bigger and older than previously thought. If accurate, the finding would be difficult to mesh with current thinking about how the universe evolved, one scientist said. A research team led by Alceste Bonanos at the Carnegie Institution of Washington has found that the Triangulum Galaxy, also known as M33, is about 15 percent farther away from our own Milky Way than previously calculated. The finding, which will be detailed in an upcoming issue...