Politico: The GOP Is Literally Dying Off

Via Politico:

Since the average Republican is significantly older than the average Democrat, far more Republicans than Democrats have died since the 2012 elections. To make matters worse, the GOP is attracting fewer first-time voters. Unless the party is able to make inroads with new voters, or discover a fountain of youth, the GOP’s slow demographic slide will continue election to election. Actuarial tables make that part clear, but just how much of a problem for the GOP is this?

Since it appears that no political data geek keeps track of voters who die between elections, I took it upon myself to do some basic math. And that quick back-of-the-napkin math shows that the trend could have a real effect in certain states, and make a battleground states like Florida and Ohio even harder for the Republican Party to capture.

By combining presidential election exit polls with mortality rates per age group from the U.S. Census Bureau, I calculated that, of the 61 million who voted for Mitt Romney in 2012, about 2.75 million will be dead by the 2016 election. President Barack Obama’s voters, of course, will have died too—about 2.3 million of the 66 million who voted for the president won’t make it to 2016 either. That leaves a big gap in between, a difference of roughly 453,000 in favor of the Democrats.

RELATED: In the last hundred years, four presidential elections resulted in popular vote margins of under one million. In 2000 Al Gore won the popular vote by 543K, but lost via the electoral college.

Madonna Vents On Ageism

"It's still the one area where you can totally discriminate against somebody. and talk shit. Because of their age. Only females, though. Not males. So in that respect we still live in a very sexist society. No one would dare to say a degrading remark about being black or dare to say a degrading remark on Instagram about someone being gay. But my age – anybody and everybody would say something degrading to me. And I always think to myself, why is that accepted? What's the difference between that and racism, or any discrimination? They're judging me by my age. I don't understand. I'm trying to get my head around it. Because women, generally, when they reach a certain age, have accepted that they're not allowed to behave a certain way. But I don't follow the rules. I never did, and I'm not going to start." - Madonna, speaking to Rolling Stone.

Anxiety Meds Linked To Alzheimer's

According to a study issued this week, long-term use of anti-anxiety and insomnia drugs may dramatically increase the odds of developing Alzheimer's.

Regular use of benzodiazepines -- which include medications such as Valium (diazepam), Ativan (lorazepam), Xanax (alprazolam) and Klonopin (clonazepam) -- is associated with as much as a 51 percent increased risk for Alzheimer's among people who use the drugs for three months or more. For the study, published in BMJ-British Medical Journal, researchers looked at data from the Quebec health insurance program database. They tracked elderly people living in Quebec, Canada who were prescribed benzodiazepines (sometimes called 'benzos'). The researchers analyzed six years of data, and noted 1,796 cases of Alzheimer's disease. The study found that beyond three months on the drug, the longer people took it, the higher their risk for dementia. Additionally, the study indicated that long-acting or extended release forms of the drugs were associated with higher risk for Alzheimer's than shorter acting forms of the same medication.

A study published in 2012 found a similar but less dramatic link between this class of drugs and the incidence of dementia.

Daddy Days Returns To Provincetown

After a successful launch last year, Daddy Days is returning to Provincetown for the week of August 10th - 17th. The event is again sponsored, unsurprisingly, by the website DaddyHunt. Via press release:

"The success of last year's DaddyDays showed us how much we needed an event like this,” says Carl Sandler, founder of Daddyhunt. "Love and sex aren’t limited by age. With Daddy Days, we bring together not only daddies and daddy hunters, but guys that enjoy a broader definition of community. It's an incredible week, and we're excited to see it grow.” Provincetown Daddy Days kicks off on Sunday with a sweaty, sexy dance party at the historic Gifford House. Events continue throughout the week, including parties at the Vault, Crown & Anchor, Paramount and the Brass Key. For the second year in a row, the center of the action will be at the host hotel — Crew’s Quarters on Commercial Street. “2014 is the Year of the Daddy,” says Sandler. “From Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley in the news to Dom and Lynn on Looking, gay men are seeing that sex appeal only grows with age."

At this year's Bear Week, several of my friends estimated the average age of the attendees as in the mid-high 40s. I'm told that last year's Daddy Days drew a slightly older crowd.

RELATED: DaddyHunt was founded by Chris Turner, who met his husband Armistead Maupin through his own site. Turner sold the site several years ago.

Can "Young Blood" Cure Alzheimer's?

Via the New York Times:

Two teams of scientists published studies on Sunday showing that blood from young mice reverses aging in old mice, rejuvenating their muscles and brains. As ghoulish as the research may sound, experts said that it could lead to treatments for disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. “I am extremely excited,” said Rudolph Tanzi, a professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the research. “These findings could be a game changer.” The research builds on centuries of speculation that the blood of young people contains substances that might rejuvenate older adults. “We can turn back the clock instead of slowing the clock down,” said Dr. Toren Finkel, director of the Center for Molecular Medicine at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. “That’s a nice thought if it pans out.” This reversal could occur throughout the body, the new research suggests. “Instead of taking a drug for your heart and a drug for your muscles and a drug for your brain, maybe you could come up with something that affected them all,” Dr. Wagers said.

Researchers cautioned that waking up stem cells could lead to them multiplying uncontrollably.

Blood Test Can Predict Alzheimer's

Via CNN:

In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers have developed a blood test for Alzheimer's disease that predicts with astonishing accuracy whether a healthy person will develop the disease. Though much work still needs to be done, it is hoped the test will someday be available in doctors' offices, since the only methods for predicting Alzheimer's right now, such as PET scans and spinal taps, are expensive, impractical, often unreliable and sometimes risky. "This is a potential game-changer," said Dr. Howard Federoff, senior author of the report and a neurologist at Georgetown University Medical Center. "My level of enthusiasm is very high." The study was published in Nature Medicine.

The clip below is from Georgetown's channel.

Michelle Obama: "I'm Fifty And Fabulous"

Today is the First Lady's 50th birthday.

Michelle Obama's not just embracing her half-century milestone, she's relishing it. Describing herself as "50 and fabulous," the "Let's Move" creator is getting ready to move herself on Saturday -- as in show off some dance moves -- with a big birthday celebration at the White House. And when asked if she has peaked at 50, she joked that first lady is "pretty high up," but said she's always felt her life is "ever-evolving." "I've got to keep figuring out ways to have an impact, whether as a mother or as a professional or as a mentor to other kids," said Obama, who has made talking with teens and increasing the college graduation rate among her major issues during her husband's second term as president.

I do not recommend reading the comments on any article about the First Lady's birthday.

HomoQuotable - Michelangelo Signorile

"Let's cut the ageist crap. The 'yuk' is a display of nothing but disgust for someone older. Yes, [Dustin Lance] Black is old enough to be [Tom] Daley's father. But he's not. If Black were just a couple of years older than Daley, he could be his brother too. But he's not. Shocking news for you: You're all going to be old. And your tastes are going to evolve over time. Some younger people are attracted to older people, and vice versa. There's even a gay website called Daddyhunt. The famed novelist Armistead Maupin's 27-years-younger husband, Christopher Turner, founded it. They met on another one of Turner's sites, HotOlderMale.com. If that's not your thing, it's totally cool, but in that case just shut your mouth." - Michelangelo Signorile, writing for the Huffington Post.

The Moob-Busting Shirt

So there's an undershirt that's billed as "moob-busting." Via Gizmodo:

Not only does the Funkybod t-shirt promise to camouflage manboobs, it also creates the illusion you've got a muscular toned physique, no matter how frail you might be in real life. It's all thanks to a set of subtle plates—presumably made of a comfortable foam—that accentuate your shoulder, bicep, lat, pectoral, and shoulder muscles. Worn by itself the fake muscles are easy to spot, but when worn under another shirt no one will be able to tell you don't spend every morning at the gym. And the plates supposedly even feel like real muscle, so no one will be the wiser until you're forced to take your shirt off.

Fifty bucks each.

Aging Simulation

Via Huffington Post:

Watching it never grows old. Anthony Cerniello's aging simulation video (above) is blowing minds across the Web not only for its haunting effect -- but for his painstaking process to achieve it. Cerniello used his friend Danielle as a model and turned her into a composite by combining photos of her relatives, young and old, who have the greatest facial resemblance, thisiscolossal.com reported. Then animators and a 3D specialist helped bring the subtle transitions to life.

STUDY: Sex Keeps You Younger Looking

According to a British study:

“My message is that lovemaking is good,” Dr. David Weeks told the British Psychological Society. Former head of old age psychology at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Weeks said he spent a decade prying into the private lives of thousands of men and women of all ages. Weeks found that sexual pleasure is a “crucial factor” in preserving youth.

How? Lovemaking releases the human growth hormone, which helps keep the skin elastic and thus less likely to wrinkle, he said. Sex also released endorphins, which are the body’s feel-good chemicals and natural painkillers that ease anxiety and make it easier to sleep, Weeks added. Nookie boosts blood circulation, which is good for that heart and gives skin that healthy glow, the good doctor said. Finally, sex burns fat and releases other chemicals that bolster the immune system, he said.

Now we know why JMG readers look so great. You hussies.

Oldest Man In History Dies At Age 116

The oldest man in the history of the world has died in Japan at the age of 116.

Jiroemon Kimura, a former postman, died of natural causes in hospital in his hometown of Kyotango, western Japan, in the early hours of Wednesday, city officials told CNN. In December, Kimura had been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person, and as the oldest man whose age had ever been verified. Kimura, who attributed his longevity to eating light, healthy meals, worked for the post office until his retirement in 1962, continuing to carry out agricultural work until the age of 90. Only the third man in history verified to have reached the age of 115, Kimura had seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grand children and 14 great-great grandchildren.

Born on April 19th, 1897, Kimura had been the world's only male survivor of the 19th century. The oldest human in history was France's Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the verified age of 122.

On Failing Gaydar

Fred Bernstein writes for the New York Times:

The real reason my gaydar has failed is that there is no such thing as gaydar. No item of clothing, speech pattern, hairstyle or career choice (or even facial topography) is enough to identify someone as gay. In reality, the way you know, when you enter a room, if another man is gay is by seeing how he looks at you. If he maintains eye contact a split second longer than he needs to, or gives you a once-over, he’s gay. After all, those are things a man does if he’s interested in what he sees. So if I don’t have much gaydar anymore, it may be that not many men I come across are interested in what they see. In other words: At 55, I’ve become invisible to them, so they’ve become invisible to me. If they won’t check me out, I can’t check them off.

NYT Reports On Aging With HIV

The New York Times has published a look at the growing population of older people living with HIV and the health challenges they face.

This group of almost 50,000 men and women moving through middle age is a living science experiment, entering medical and psychological territories that are largely uncharted. What are the consequences of long-term exposure to the virus, or to the medications? How do these interact with the effects of normal aging? And how, after you have braced for death, do you turn around and create a new life, often without the friends and loved ones who gave your life definition? Interviews with a dozen members of this population elicited a mixture of wonder and anxiety. Some said they were healthier and better adjusted than they had been for decades. But for others, survival has come with consequences, both medical and social. Many said they felt forgotten by a city whose attention has turned away from H.I.V. and AIDS, and by a gay community whose activism long ago shifted to same-sex marriage.

Among the six people profiled in a sidebar to the above-linked report are my pal, songwriter Steve Schalchlin, and Dr. Perry Halkitis, who moderated the Broadway Cares panel that I appeared on last month.

NEXT THURSDAY: Broadway Cares To Host Public Meeting On AIDS Survivorship

Last night I went to the Broadway Cares planning session for next week's public forum on AIDS survivorship where I'll be one of the panelists. In the left foreground of the above photo is Tony winner Stephen Spinella, who will be the evening's host. On the right is famed activist and panelist Peter Staley. At the head of the table is HIV researcher Dr. Perry Halkaitis, the panel's moderator, and to his right is event organizer John Voelcker.  More details:

The Medius Working Group presents a free community forum to assess what it’s like to be part of the “AIDS Generation,” to have lived through the epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s and how those experiences have affected the lives we’ve led since then. The evening begins at 7 pm with an excerpt from the Oscar-nominated documentary How to Survive a Plague, followed by a panel at 7:15 pm and an open discussion at 8:30 pm.  

We've been told that over 400 people have already registered for the event, which will be held at 7pm next Thursday at Baruch College's Mason Hall in Gramercy Park. Hit the free registration link. It would be great to have a lot of JMG folks in the house.

Today's Gay Advice Request To NYT

Here's the most recent letter sent to New York Times gay advice columnist Steven Petrow:

Dear Civil Behavior: Your comment in a recent column about gays at midlife finding themselves “suddenly invisible — aged out by the young, restless and beautiful” resonated loudly with me. At 59 I am single and almost friendless. I live in Philadelphia, which has a reasonably sized gay community, yet I feel like an outsider. Many of my friends died two decades ago and my contemporaries have started retiring to Florida. I would like to go out dancing sometimes, but I don’t feel comfortable going to bars anymore. The Internet seems full of people looking to do drugs. I remember the distaste we all once had for “old people,” but I’m tired of staying home on weekends. Do you have any advice?

Give us your answer then go see how Petrow responded.

The Science Of Balding

This seems a logical follow-up to yesterday's shrinkage post.

Shrinkage Is Real

From WebMD's article Life Cycle Of A Penis:

Recent research confirms what men have long suspected and, in some cases, feared. The penis itself undergoes significant changes as a man moves from his sexual prime -- around age 30 for most guys -- into middle age and on to older age. The penis tends to undergo an actual (and irreversible) reduction in size. The reduction -- in both length and thickness -- typically isn't dramatic but may be noticeable. "If a man's erect penis is 6 inches long when he is in his 30s, it might be 5 or 5-and-a-half inches when he reaches his 60s or 70s," Goldstein says. What causes the penis to shrink? At least two mechanisms are involved. One is the slow deposit of fatty substances (plaques) inside tiny arteries in the penis, which impairs blood flow to the organ. This process, known as atherosclerosis, is the same one that contributes to blockages inside the coronary arteries -- a leading cause of heart attack.

Testicles also tend to shrink by one-third by age 60. (Via Queerty)

At #LGBTmedia13

The fourth annual Haas Convening is underway in Philadelphia, where about 70 LGBT journalists have gathered for brainstorming and training on critical issues facing the community. Among today's presenters are noted lawyer Lavi Soloway, who advocates for bi-national couples who face DOMA-related deportations.

Other issues on today's agenda include LGBT rights abroad and asylum rights, aging and seniors in the gay community, transgender rights, and the LGBT community's place in the labor movement. In the photo above, Shuya Ohno skypes in from the National Immigration Forum. Follow the goings-on via the Twitter hashtag #LGBTmedia13.  The Haas Convening is sponsored by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association.

Brain "Pacemakers" For Alzheimer's

Fascinating study.