We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Colonel Van T. Barfoot won the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II. He also fought the battle vs his local homeowner's association to erect a flagpole in his front yard.
It's full of fun facts and techniques without being overly technical. Good high school bio should suffice with a gross anatomy refresher. A little biochem won't hurt either but you get the Krebs Cycle in basic bio.
Did you know that physical conditioning includes mitochondrial growth? It does, over time. It's remarkable to learn the ways the body rises to meet stresses slowly but surely.
Since a study came out a few years ago, based on BMI, that heavy people live longer and healthier than thinner people, many heavy people applauded the news.
In fact, it turns out that higher muscle mass correlates with reduced risk of illness and death. (Well, risk of death is 100% but they mean sooner rather than later.)
A meaningful gauge of being overweight for your build and fitness is your Body Fat percentage. The simplest way to do this is to have somebody use the body fat caliper method on you. That does not measure intra-abdominal fat deposits, but it assumes a correlation. Your doctor's nurse knows how to do that. There are other ways too. (An easier way is to study yourself naked in a mirror.)
This site has two charts, one depicting "ideal" fat percentages based on fitness, and the second based on age. As an athletic female, I like to be around 25-30%. Seems disgusting for your body to be 30% lard, doesn't it? It can be fine for a slender lady, though.
Just for fun, no ab exercises will give you 6-pack abs. Killer abs are all about fat. "Good abs" are visible in men at around 8% body fat, and in women around 12%. Those are either highly-athletic (ie well-beyond "fit" percentages) or otherwise verging on anorectic. I will not recommend any %s lower than those, even for models and ballet dancers, and, generally, feel that those %s are too low for regular fit people. 20% is fine for a regular fit male who plays sports and works out.
Below the fold, photos for comparison of men and women with varying body fat percentages.
He's right. Peterson is a (mostly secular) pastor with a dark message (Life is suffering, a hard thing to do) and a challenge to life adventure (Fight chaos, Be the best you can be, Don't make things worse, etc.). Like a good preacher, he brings truisms and even banalities back to life in a useful and, for many, inspirational way. He rights the ship in a crazy world.
Besides that, he's smarter and more articulate than any of us. God bless him.
WSJ: You Can Limit Death’s Financial Costs, if Not the Emotional Ones - The transfer of assets when a spouse dies can be fairly simple—if you learn from my mistakes.
... the phony caravan of asylum seekers are at the border and several have already been caught jumping the fences. The key takeaways here are a) if they truly were fleeing Honduras seeking political asylum, then they should remain in Mexico; actually they should have stayed in Guatemala since that is the first nation directly across the Honduran border and b) this is not about asylum; it's a political stunt orchestrated by a Soros-funded radical Marxist group headed by Americans.
"Unprepared" is a euphemism with the hidden assumption that everybody, if "prepared," would be higher ed material. Of course, there are countless reasons why the assumption is wrong, but let's start with some of the obvious ones: half of the population has below-average IQ; many people lack the interest or the character traits needed for rigorous high ed (or for high school for that matter, but may want the diploma); many kids float through secondary school while benefiting minimally.
It is women, not men, who have the ability to do the most important task in the world: create life. What’s more, their bodies are designed to nourish that life. Even a woman's nurturing is more critical than a man's in the first few years of life. A woman’s value to society, then, is immeasurable—even if she never earns a dime. That is not the case for men
Since work is one of the main sources of individual dignity, independence, and self-respect, this makes sense to me: Some thoughts on Trump, work, and rest.
It's no different from the Clinton view. Everybody has something to offer, no matter how humble. And the funny thing is that fewer people are retiring these days. It's not the money so much as the need to be useful and productive.
I had the good fortune, and position, to have attended a few of these White House Correspondents' Dinners. It was a long time ago in a previous job. They were not, by any means, for the faint of heart. The roasting was often hot, barbed, but generally all in good spirits (with one or two notable exceptions, naturally involving Republicans). I heard it described as the "Super Bowl of Washington and general news journalism." I'd have to say this was an accurate description. The people in the good seats were high-profile, the coverage (like any in media) was extensive because what's better than the media reporting on itself?
The past two, however, have taken on a different look and feel than those which preceded. It's no surprise to me that Trump wouldn't want to attend. I do think he can handle a barb or two, even a few good-natured jabs. But the press refuses to deal with him in any tone except the most vicious. I've never hidden the fact that I am not a Trump supporter. That said, I don't hate him the way his opposition and the media does. I don't see a good reason for making outrageous and unsubstantiated claims about him, or using them as the basis for mean-spirited attacks. I also don't see any logical reason for attacking his support staff or supporters, even on the basis of some of the more lurid details which are well-known about his behavior and commentary.
There is a very long history of popes behaving politically instead of spiritually. Historically, popes were often worldly powers. It's not all religion.
The older you get, the more important strength-training becomes to maintain full functionality. And while it may be most important for women (to deter osteoporosis), all men want to be stronger.
Our recommendation is that 1/3 of fitness training/conditioning (ie about 2 hrs/wk) be basic weight-training with gradually-increasing weights as tolerated. (Our simple plan is 2 hrs mixed cardio, 2 hrs calisthenics, 2 hrs weights, even though there is plenty of overlap to make it all synergistic.)
Snarky about brunch. Truth is, brunch after church with friends is one of the most pleasant things in life. A delicious meal too, with smoked salmon and other neat things.
My best Sunday morning: Early one-hour workout, church, brunch with friends in an outdoor cafe with a Bloody Mary or Bloody Bull, until 1 or 2 pm. Then go do something interesting or go for a walk.
Life can be wonderful and beautiful if structured correctly and a Sunday brunch is part of that on a lovely Spring day.
Since a study came out a few years ago, based on BMI, that heavy people live longer and healthier than thinner people, many heavy people applauded the news.
Harvard Against the Police - 
Coyote attacking children on New York playground
Photo of our neighborhood eagles. 2 chicks now. Fun to see eagles flying over the olde homestead in the morning.
‘How Long Do I Have Left?’ AI 