Prolong and Winding Road

Long Covid, Impeach Pit, Zuck's Hidden Paradise

"My doctors were confused when I wanted them to be alarmed. After many tests returned inconclusive results, they told me that I was probably just stressed and should take a break from work. Or I should try to push through and exercise. Or maybe I should start anti-anxiety meds." That experience will sound familiar to anyone who's suffered from a chronic set of ailments (often referred to as a "syndrome") that doctors can't quite explain and therefore can't fix. And most doctors don't want to deal with patients with prolonged, unfixable problems. After a while, others stop having sympathy for the constant problems, too. People don't like to think about mysterious, chronic symptoms, even though those suffering can't stop thinking about them. This already depressing reality can be even worse when it comes to Covid, another topic people are sick and tired of hearing about. Giorgia Lupi in the NYT (Gift Article): 1,374 Days: My Life With Long Covid. "In the past three years, I have: Experienced and tracked more than 21 symptoms, consolidated here into 13 colored categories. Seen 46 doctors at 233 doctor appointments. Had my blood drawn 59 times. Done 12 X-rays, 15 M.R.I.s, four CT scans, one PET scan (some of them admittedly very beautiful to look at), a tilt table test, an electromyogram, a skin biopsy, a carotid ultrasound, microclot and neuroinflammation tests and more. Been to the emergency room six times. Participated in four research studies and one clinical trial. Had 81 procedures done (injections, infusions, nerve ablations, immunotherapy) to try to reduce my symptoms. Tried 63 medications and 95 types of supplements (some of which have been harmful). Tried several diets (no gluten, no carbs, low histamine, paleo-autoimmune, low glycemic index). Tried weekly physical therapy and acupuncture, osteopathic and chiropractic treatments, cranial sacral therapy, pain reprocessing psychotherapy and brain retraining, health coaching, cardiac rehab, lymphatic massages and more. And spent tens of thousands of dollars on medical bills."

2

Impeach Pit

The House GOP's ethical descent into a bottomless pit continues as they move forward with a formal impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden, even though they've found no evidence of any kind to support such a move. Why did they vote unanimously to carry on with the charade? Because Trump told them to. The Atlantic (Gift Article): Republicans Are Playing House. "The House can open an impeachment inquiry whenever it wants, for any reason, and the investigators could find clear evidence of wrongdoing later, but in the past an inquiry has followed from solid, existing evidence. The resolution passed yesterday doesn’t accuse Biden of any high crimes or misdemeanors. This is just playing around." Of course, the transparently stupid political goal is to make voters see Trump and Biden as equally criminal. Sadly, similar transparently stupid efforts have been pretty effective in the past.

3

The Corpse Pose

"As the group stood in silence under the glare of fluorescent lights, Ms. Moore removed a white sheet covering the body. Dissecting a human being can be an emotional and jarring experience, she said, so she suggested that the students give the cadaver, a 75-year-old female, a name, in recognition of her humanity. The group decided on 'Betty.'" If you donate your body to science, you never know where it will end up. It turns out that fitness professionals and massage therapists can learn a lot with an inside perspective. NYT (Gift Article): Why Yoga Teachers Are Learning to Dissect Cadavers. (I'm so shockingly stiff that working with a dead body would be the perfect prep for any practitioner attempting to get me to bend to their will.)

4

Hidden Paradise

This is a story about the depressingly large compound that Mark Zuckerberg is building in Kauai. But it's also a story (one I've been covering since 2015) about the lengths to which social media CEOs will go to protect their own privacy, even as they introduce products that depend on you ceding yours. Wired: Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Top-Secret Hawaii Compound. "A 6-foot wall blocks the view from a nearby road fronting the project, where cars slow to try to catch a glimpse of what’s behind it. Security guards stand watch at an entrance gate and patrol the surrounding beaches on ATVs. Pickup trucks roll in and out, hauling building materials and transporting hundreds of workers. Nobody working on this project is allowed to talk about what they’re building. Almost anyone who passes compound security—from carpenters to electricians to painters to security guards—is bound by a strict nondisclosure agreement, according to several workers involved in the project. And, they say, these agreements aren’t a formality. Multiple workers claim they saw or heard about colleagues removed from the project for posting about it on social media. Different construction crews within the site are assigned to separate projects and workers are forbidden from speaking with other crews about their work."

5

Extra, Extra

Double Trouble "It doesn't mean they're a terrorist ... It means there's something that has led a department or agency to say, 'This person needs a closer look.'" And that means looking at a whole lot of people. U.S. terrorist watchlist grows to 2 million people — nearly doubling in 6 years.

+ Video Clipped: "We counted 79 killings in which there was body-worn-camera footage. A year and a half later, the police have released footage in just 33 cases — or about 42%." ProPublica and NYT Mag: How Police Have Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras.

+ Dumb Questions: A US report suggests that nearly half of the Israeli munitions dropped on Gaza are dumb bombs. The Biden administration is pushing Israel to move to a lower intensity battle within weeks. Israel warned the war could take many more months. Here's the latest from CNN, BBC, and Times of Israel.

+ Putin Perspective: "Emboldened by battlefield gains and flagging Western support for Ukraine, a relaxed and confident President Vladimir Putin said Thursday there would be no peace until Russia achieves its goals." (Tyrants don't stop. They need to be stopped.)

+ Green Peace: Even Warriors fans are getting tired of Draymond Green's constant antics. The NBA is even more tired of them. He's been suspended indefinitely. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a franchise record 64 points last night. Then came the weird part. Everything we know about the Giannis Antetokounmpo game ball drama, the silliest sports saga of the year.

+ Silent Night, Violent Night: "From flying fists to crispy chicken wings, here's a look at some of the interesting ways in which people celebrate the Christmas season and beyond."

+ Curbed: "As ‘Curb’ comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be – the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character." ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Ending With Season 12 as Larry David Says ‘I Bid You Farewell’. (I'm pretty, pretty, pretty dubious...)

6

Bottom of the News

"Steer clear! A bull was spotted running along the tracks at New Jersey's Newark Penn Station train station Thursday morning, delaying trains for commuters heading into New York City." (Bull getting in the way of people moving forward. A metaphor for America.)

+ WaPo (Gift Article) on the latest from a flavor company founded by a couple of former NOMA staff members. "What native American botanicals would get thrown into their fermentation tanks? Would we see a pawpaw spirit? A fiddlehead fern distillate, accented with jewelweed flowers? Batched cocktails make you a better holiday host — and giver. I did not expect the first new release would be made from ingredients more typically foraged from 7-Eleven: Nacho Cheese Doritos." Doritos nacho cheese liquor sounds like a stunt, but it’s actually good. (Doritos anything is probably good.)