The Validity of Charles Darwin

This being the 150th anniversity of the birth of two great contributors to the good of mankind namely Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln, I am sure the latter would approve of some observations of the former. Darwin's theory was in direct opposition to the universal God theory of his day. Darwin knew his ideas would bring the wrath of the God theory adherents down on he and his family in unmerciful ways and so published his opinions perhaps 50 years after his world shaking evolution thinking. The curious Monk, Gregor Mandel added validity by experiences in his pea garden. Today we look around and try to decipher the past by clues of the present and that is what this blog is all about.
As an old man in horrible condition I decided to try to, "get in shape." I thought I had reached the end of my life because, with a little effort I nearly collapsed. I decided on running as my preferred method over calisthenics and weight exercises. A strange metamorphosis was the result with my not only getting in shape but excelling so that in 5 years I was selected as "Outstanding Athlete" in my age group, 85-89 in the U S for 2004 by the USATF(track and field). To which my wife jokingly said, "but that's only in the U S." It was that designation that raised many questions. How could that be? I was dieing 5 years ago. So began an unplanned for study about running. I did not recognize that I was investigating an important subject until recently when so many varied facts practically slapped me in the face. In the past I would take an idea to Dorothy, my wife. She had the wisdom to explain her pro or con reception and steer me in a productive direction. The facts concerning the health of runners was one such. It seemed incomprehensible to me that I could feel so young and vibrant and so interested in life than 5 years previously that I kept asking, why? Why do runners live an average of two to two and a half years longer than the non-runners? Why don't runners have more fractures from falling down than the average non-runners? A study from the Salk Institute in California suggested older running people actually create new neurons in their brains. Wow. Then it was reported that older runners virtually never developed the problem my mother died with, Alzheimer's disease. Then a study of hundreds of older humans showed less than half the number of deaths in a 20 year period among runners than in non-runners. Asking about ALS and was told no studies had been done but the Dr. questioned did not recall of a runner having had that problem. The same for Parkinson's. It suddenly hit me, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? and right under our noses. Why on earth should running make such a difference? Then I checked about other exercises and found none seemed to have the effect that running did. That included cycling, walking, golf etc. As late in life as I am in, I began to read Darwin's "Origin of Species" for the first time and I wondered how Mr. Darwin would explain the connection with inherited running ability and less disease in runners. For the inherited trait of running to be so well provided to all normal humans required thousands of years of genetic change. What environmental factors over an extended time necessary for the survival of the fittest to result in present day humans? Could it be that human bodily functions require running to function properly? If the flow of blood through our internal organs required those organs to function properly by increase blood flow from time to time and that flow did not happen, could wastes build up that could do harm? Does that mean that most medications humans take are to replace the lack of the exercise necessary for normalcy? Could it be that it took 100 years for that observation to be accepted? My book waiting for a publisher, "Come Run with Me" could be a landmark book. Again, what do you think? ahmen.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

From experience we have learned that the Peace Corps works. On the other hand do we know the Armed Forces solve many problems? Grenada was a joke. Vietnam was a study in miscalculation. How does Iraq stack up? Well, by giving our wrong conception of our problem to the Armed Forces we were not trying to prevail by peacful means. Or were we? Can you visualize a group of top military officers sitting around a table and hearing, "We will give 'em a little taste of their not taking our advice by blasting their electrical systems, water supplies and bridges and they will be happy to take our advice from then on." And then the bombing started and before it was over in 43 days we had delivered about 90 thousand TONS of bombs on Iraq. Can you imagine what one ton of bombs in your back yard would do? Would it make a lot of friends? Bombs don't recognize mothers trying to protect their children and I stopped reading long enough to recall our four little ones being protected by their mother from a cool spring breeze. Bill Moyers, at the end of a TV show mentioned that he thought the most important book he had read in some time is, "Nemesis," by Chalmers Johnson. I agree and even though we may prefer "out of sight, out of mind,"
as a comforting philosophy, perhaps you are one who seeks the truth and,"Nemesis is for you. I wonder if any one of my friends sitting around the table with the military men mentioned above would agree on the indiscriminate bombing our tax money provided. Even a small part of the 90 thousand tons. What a way to win friends! Immagine the hatred not only in survivors in Iraq but others who might fear our force applied to them. I know there are times we must fight but first, try the Peace Corps.
I signed holiday cards this year with, Pax et Luv.

Formula for Dissster or How to Get Rich Quick

The word was out. Don't let cash lie around in a bank. Get it out where it can do some good. Bank Loan Officer, get loans out to be successful in your job. Don't pay any attention to servicing loans. Get the money out and we will buy the loan on the same day you make it and we will service the loan. Don't be left holding the bag while other lenders are making hay while the sun shines. PLEASE NOTE: The managers of a group or groups who gave that information out should be in jail right now. What are we waiting for? You don't have to see the dead rat in the wall to know it's there. And your local bank loan officer who made the bad loans should be in the next cell to the perpetrator. Are we to believe there are no honest bankers who will come forward and admit the details of that scheme? It's so obvious, like they say, "If it had been a snake it would have bitten you". Of course, to play that harmless little game out there were others who sold thousands of loans in a package with the claim that package paid 14% interest so other bankers should buy that deal. Who can refuse 14% ? After paying the 14% for a year or two the package(s) fell under their own weight and those who had sold them ran off with the cash. Nice judao/Christian honesty? Let's face it, the human animal can be dishonest if the reason is great enough unless there are others looking over their shoulders. One problem is that the on lookers have to be honest. I wrote a blog about publishing the names and addresses of foul acting individuals for all to see and the book would be up dated yearly. Shame is a powerful deterrent. Who wants to be exposed as a crock for friends and neighbors to see? If your friendly local banker thought he or she would be exposed in print, would the crime have been committed in the first place? I doubt it. What do you think? What to do about it?

Peaceful Penetration

Do you recall, while in history class in high school or perhaps in grammar school the term, "Peaceful penetration?" I recall the expression used in the history of warfare when one power had concurred another and the looser, with normal human reproduction of the time and place would prevail eventually as a majority party and so have won the war. All religions excepting one have mellowed over the short span of recorded human history.Almost all of us can live with the thought that everyone should be able to live with religions other than their own. Everyone embracing a religion knows theirs is "the true" one and live up to a point by its teachings. Those teachings are called allegorical by most true believers. For example where a holy writing calls for parents to stone their children to death for some mentioned reason, most would interpret that to mean severe punishment and not death. That's an example from the Christian Bible.
How can non believers cope with a religion that has all the answers including principals of governing and permits no competition? Eventually, by "peacful penetration," it should prevail shouldn't it? What are the ways such a movement can be minimized? So this blog asks the question, what peaceful solutions are possible? That is a question that must be a major challenge of the future. I can propose one solution that is unacceptable, namely, join it.

More about running

I mentioned previously that according to the USATF(track and field) last year there were 30 million runners in our country. Compared to all other sports added together that trivializes the other sports or actions that may be called exercise sports. I wonder if all other fun activities of we humans were added to exercise sports such as cross word puzzles, card playing, chess and all others other than reading, that running would still come out first.
Now consider this. As a species we have adopted the attitude that work or exercise should be avoided. The great criminal lawyer, Clarance Darrow once said he would defend a working man to the death but would never be one himself. For more periods of history than I like to imagine, humans have had slave societies for the haves and the have-nots were often the slaves. It is only more recently that males treated their mates as other than slaves and the women accepted it. Even today that reasoning seems to be evident with abusive males. On a shelf I have a line of running trophies. Each is someones idea of the perfect human male physic although once I was given a female trophy. Looking at the trophies I marvel at the fantastic anatomical structures each demonstrates. Visiting "rest" homes I see countless older humans dressed to cover those remarkable attributes. Why the inactivity? Many ethnic groups came to our land after having worked endless hours to provide the opportunity for their children to have opportunities the parents did not have. Four such groups come to mind. Italians, Irish, Chinese and Africans. Think of the scholars who are now Americans who are extractions of the four. Perhaps most of the offspring have had the attitude of working that they will not have to work their butts off like their parents did.
So, my thesis is that the above are a significant part of our population who profess to dislike it and therefore avoid exercise. If I am correct please tell me why the 30 million of us are runners. Once the attitude of avoiding exercise is accepted at a young age then that attitude seems to be reinforced all a persons life. I believe if once the average non-runner realizes he or she has the ability and the equipment to run, running may be tried. Once tried it will become so worthwhile in physical and mental health that the idea will sweep our country. Thinking ahead, with little or no Alzheimer's or strokes or much arthritis and with half the breast cancer in women and fewer heart attacks in all, the reduction in health costs will drop markedly. Consider this; if a small group of enterprising people were to get together and publish my book, "Come Run With Me," they would not only do a tremendous amount of good for our senior citizens but could benefit financially themselves. Please remember this, I started when completely out of shape when 80 years of age and now run regularly for the fun of it at over 90..

A Running Theory of Good Health

Evolutionists tell us our ancestors were tree dwellers until some found a better life on the ground. Then there was an advantage in being able to rise up on his legs to look for danger or food over the vegetation of the African Savannah. With the hardware each human possesses he must have had a good reason for it whatever the reason. The bones, muscles, tendons, arteries, veins and also upstairs, the inclination to run.
Think about it. After childhood most of us try to discourage exercise. Think of those of us who invent stuff to minimize exercise and to avoid using our fantastic hardware. Having been equipped for running and so well equipped what else of our anatomy may we fail to use? Suppose we have organs that are dependent on exercise to function properly and do not exercise? Suppose we have organs equipped for the food we ingested in the millions of years we have taken to be here and now. And suppose those organs are exposed to stuff they are not equipped to handle, what then?
Of course the answer is obvious, we could be poisoned. Suppose we know our livers are important in trapping unwelcome stuff and removes the stuff from our systems with the flow of blood through that organ. Once again suppose the exercise which our anatomy is equipped for is not utilized to it's fullest extent. Unless the exercise is present that organ fails to do its job?
Could that be the reason that running women have half as much breast cancer as non-running women? Is that why runners have fewer strokes, stronger bones, almost no Alzheimer's as well as fewer trips to physicians? Another wonder is, if the above reasoning is valid, can we say those problems not found in runners may be caused by environmental reasons? Environmental reasons that, if eliminated would solve many human mysteries? Autism comes to mind as well as atherosclerosis and heart attacks and even the likes of ALS and Parkinson's?
To take that thinking step farther, we know if a woman takes the likes of thalidomide, her child may be born a cripple. The same result is found in a cow eating the vegetation we call lupine while pregnant. We have to factor in the susceptibility of the mother in all the strange unaccountable problems of humans.
So that's my thinking for today. Other thoughts should be factored in the equation but the basis is that by the excess circulation of blood through the liver provides a flushing of that organ that rids the system of more stuff than almost any other exercise and results in better health for runners than for non-runners. Ahmen. End of serman. You can take it from there but, you older couch potatoes, get off your butts and relearn to run for two to two and a half more years of healthier life. I did it starting at 80 years of age and so can you even starting at 90.