Preserving Democracy; Thwarting Alzheimer’s June 8, 2021June 8, 2021 Professor Snyder’s nightmare (thanks, Tom) concludes: We have to act now. This is what no one wants to hear. We want to believe in American democracy. We want to take pride in new laws, a growing economy, the end of covid. I get all of that. I want to feel that way too. I have not yet figured out how to tell this story. In waking life I feel as I did in the dream, facing those senior citizens. I couldn’t convince a single one of them. And so I just stood in the doorway and kept talking. And woke up in the middle of the night and wrote this. Must read. One way to “act now” — join me here. Another — that costs nothing: sign up for America Talks. Promoted by USA TODAY, America Talks will bring thousands of Americans together across differences to engage in one-on-one, face-to-face (video) conversations designed to increase warmth and decrease fear. We won’t heal America in one weekend, but it’s a great start and will be immediately followed by the fourth annual National Week of Conversation showcasing many additional opportunities for conversations despite differences in bold and energizing ways. Seeded by the #ListenFirst Coalition, we hope many more organizations and individuals will host and participate in conversations during NWOC ’21 (June 14-20). Here’s how America Talks can help save our nation from toxic polarization (thanks, Ed): . . . to those who reject the idea of engaging across differences, I earnestly ask, what’s your endgame? I’ve heard four answers, which I shorthand as delusion, doom, duck and dash. Many of us behave as if one day, we’ll vanquish the other side into oblivion and not have to contend with them or their values any more (delusion). Others have given up hope and think we’re irrevocably destined for another violent civil war (doom). Some have forsaken civic engagement of any kind and secluded themselves with only family and closest friends (duck). Finally, I keep running into people who tell me they have an exit plan from the United States (dash). Instead, how about we lean in together on the only universally plausible, palatable and prosperous path forward? . . . I signed up. ALZHEIMERS You could have aducanumab, the unproven-but-yesterday-approved early-stage Alzheimer’s drug, administered intravenously at enormous cost . . . . . . or . . . you could possibly avoid dementia altogether by exercising a few minutes a week for free (or for $96 a year) with extensively-peer-reviewed BrainHQ. We know what happened to the 700 subjects who exercised 10 hours the first year: ten years from the start of the study, they had a 33% lower incidence of dementia than the 700 who did crossword puzzles. The 700 who did those first-year 10 hours but also a fourth-year 4-hour booster had a 48% lower incidence. What we don’t know: what would the reduction in incidence of dementia be for those who got into the habit of doing, say, 15 minutes every Saturday morning (13 hours a year) every year? Maybe 80%? 90%? Tom Brady swears by it . . . auto insurers have found it reduces accident frequency and severity (sharper reflexes, quicker reaction times) . . . it may help with tinnitus . . . with depression . . . the research just keeps coming in. BONUS For the third year in a row, PBS is airing The Lavender Scare. It’s becoming to Pride Month what It’s a Wonderful Life is to Christmas. Click here for air times.