personal responsibility for health - patriotism 2.0

  
Great blog post at Jen’s Posterous

 http://hmrx.posterous.com/personal-responsibility-for-health-patriotism

This makes perfect sense to me.  One problem with health care is exactly as Jen describes.  Its easy for us to make poor health-related choices and then expect the heath care industry to solve our problem for us.  It certainly doesn't help that our free-market economy spends billions marketing poor choices to us. And also marketing diets and exercise schemes to help us counteract our bad habits.

Not to ignore the fact that real health care issues certainly arise, but our system could probably work better if we could spend more resources on providing health care remedies (and researching medical solutions) for unavoidable or otherwise tragic diseases and injuries.   Ironically, in a time of economic distress for many, it can turn out that eating better and exercising simply but with consistency, not only saves money in the short-term but can save larger heath care costs in the longer term.

dueling black holes?!

Thanks to Chandra and the Chandra Photo Album, via Harvard: http://www.chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2009/ngc6240/   Wouldn't want to live in this neighborhood:

more on healthy life extension

See: Living to 100 will be common in developed nations, study says from the Boston Globe, referring to recent research, to be published in The Lancet..

Snippet:

Danish specialists say that since the 20th century, people in developed countries are living about three decades longer than in the past. Surprisingly, the trend shows little sign of slowing down.

Profound changes ahead in how we think about life, its stages, and and our own personal and long-term planning. We'll need to manage new risks associated with longevity.

following James Fallows blog

Always enjoyed reading his work in Atlantic, or the occasional book. Recently discovered his blog here:
http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/

He incorporated a reference to this article he wrote in 1993: How the World Works.   Timely for today, an analysis of economics (and capitalism) taking onto consideration the viewpoint of American and British economic orthodoxy, vs other points of view, particularly Friedrich List.

Saved here in part for future reference.

future exploration - Pillsbury State Park in NH

Perhaps we'll check this out, thanks to the Globe: Rugged beauty and solitude without a long hike.

NH Division of Parks and Recreation has this to say: Pillsbury State Park.

people who died

Jim Carroll joins his own list: 'Basketball Diaries' author Jim Carroll dies

I enjoyed his work back in the day.

update: Boing Boing posts an interview Jim Carroll did in 1987: http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/14/jim-carroll-intervie.html

recently, in the White Mountains

the Presidentials, and Mt Pierce to be specific:

recently, in or near Camden Maine

Camden Maine, more or less.  A little bit of New Harbor as well. 

thinking about climate change

In the past I've tried to link to thoughtful information about climate change.   Here is more useful information and analysis that helps puts opinions like those of George Will in perspective.

From The Loom: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/07/23/george-wills-crack-fact-checkers-continue-their-nap/

monadnock 2009

From our yearly hike - July 4th this year.   White dot up, white cross down.

 

 

Another note - we talked to a fit guy who was doing four laps.   Bottom to top four times in one day.   Something to strive for?