Keeping It All In Perspective

I've been thinking recently of an old friend who died from injuries sustained in a car accident 7 years ago. I keep his funeral card in the visor of my car and consider him a guardian angel. It happened on August 23rd, so I'm thinking of him more often this time of year, and can't believe it was so long ago.

Just today, in my pursuit to know everything that's going everywhere in the world all the time (this is a futile one, obviously), I happened upon an article on NPR's website about a support group for people who have outlived their children, called  The Compassionate Friends. It's important to know that there are many people struggling with this alienating situation and that we should be appreciative of the ones we have in our lives.

Marriage Is What Brings Us Together Today

Married people who have children are happier than married people who don't have children and are also happier than people who are unmarried who do have children. Interesting.

health.msn.com/kids-health

And this is from the Princess Bride, one of the greatest movies ever made -



I met Chris Sarandon (Prince Humperdink) at Albany Airport once. It was a fine day.

I Was Going to Make the Title of This "That's What Friends Are For" But That's Already Implied by the Title of the Article

From the New York Times -

What Are Friends For? A Longer Life

"Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship and social networks in overall health. A 10-year Australian study found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the risk for obesity among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties could promote brain health as we age. "

I think it says something that I haven't posted anything with "friendship" as a blog label.



God, I miss ensembles likes that.

TMQ Sign-off

Some words of wisdom from a pretty smart guy -

TMQ Season Sign-Off: Tuesday Morning Quarterback folds its tent and steals off into the desert till August, though will resurface briefly around the NFL draft. As usual, I recommend you employ the offseason to engage in spiritual growth. Take long walks. Perform volunteer work in your community. Exercise more and eat less. Attend worship services of any faith. Drink less coffee, more green tea. Appreciate the beauty of nature -- God did not make nature by accident. Read one of the great books you've always meant to read. Be with your family and friends. As Barbara Bush said to the graduating class of Wellesley College in 1990, "At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent."

Of newly released works, in political books, I recommend "The Party Faithful" by Amy Sullivan; in science, "Why Evolution Is True" by Jerry Coyne; in psychology, "Beyond Revenge" by Michael McCullough (explains why the desire for retribution is an evolutionary proclivity we must overcome); in general nonfiction, "Traffic" by Tom Vanderbilt (hilariously shows that traffic jams have plagued society at least since the days of the Caesars); in economics, "Good Capitalism Bad Capitalism" by William Baumol, Robert Litan and Carl Schramm; in history, "A Nation on Fire" by Clay Risen (about the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. -- the night before King died, he said, "Only when it's dark can you see the stars"); in self-published books, "The Losing Game" by T.E. Scott, which argues Wall Street is a giant hustle designed to separate investors from their money; in sports, "Positive Sports Parenting" by Jim Thompson, a book every youth-league and high-school coach and parent should read; in humor, "Our Dumb World" by the writers of The Onion; in fiction, "Bridge of Sighs" by Richard Russo and "Lark and Termite" by Jayne Anne Phillips.

Read, mediate, serve others: Do these things, and you will feel justified in racing back to the remote, the swimsuit calendars and the microbrews when the football artificial universe resumes anew in the autumn.

You may find Gregg Easterbrook's final TMQ column of the season here.

Turning Japanese

A study at Osaka University has concluded that people who eat quickly and until they feel full are much more likely to be overweight or obese. This comes from Japan, a country that has one of the lowest obesity rates in the developed world. Japan's obesity rate is around 3% to the USA's 30%. They are doing something better than we are and some of it is diet, some of it is custom.

Aside from eating lots of fish and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cabbage), there is a Japanese custom embodied in the phrase "hara hachi bunme". It means "eat until 80% full". I've lived in Japan and it really seems like everyone there is thin.

From MSN Health & Fitness -

"Until recently, most adults didn't have the opportunity to consume enough energy to enable the body to store fat, according to background information in the study. But eating behaviors have changed due to increased availability of inexpensive food in larger portions, fast food, fewer families eating together, and eating while distracted (such as watching TV)."

I grew up having dinner with my parents and three brothers. I don't know how a family spends time together and family members know what's going on in every one else's life if not at dinner time. It's not going to happen sitting in front of the boob tube, that's for sure.

Virgin Money

Richard Branson's Virgin Corporation has acquired Northern Rock. This is another one of those "why didn't I think of that?" products to arrive on the Internet. Loans among friends and relatives are getting some help from technology. Check out Virgin Money.

The Greatest Country in the World?

Well, I still think we are, but we've got a hell of a lot wrong with us.

"British, U.S. Kids Worst Off in Industrialized World, UN Says"

This is really quite shocking:

"The United States was last among the 21 countries for health and safety, measured by rates of infant mortality, low birth weight, immunization, and deaths from accidents and injuries.

Britain was last in the family and peer relationships ranking, which measured such things as the rate of single-parent families and whether families ate the main meal of the day together more than once a week.

Britain also finished at the bottom in behaviours and risks, which considered factors such as the percentage of children who ate breakfast, consumed fruit regularly, were overweight, used drugs or alcohol or were sexually active.

The United States was second last in both the family and peer, and the behaviours and risks categories."

What good is all of this prosperity if people aren't safe, healthy and happy?

Come and Get It (and by "it", I mean communication, manners, nourishment, encouragement to try new things, better grades, saved money...)

Well, the author (a licensed dietician) doesn't propose how a family is to get over the many hurdles cited to scheduling family meals, but I don't remember that being an issue when I was growing up. We did eat later than most families (around 7:30, usually), but other than dinner time, when would a family even have a chance to learn what is going on in everyone's life? It certainly won't happen sitting in front of the boob tube together. According to A.C. Nielsen Co., Americans watch an average of 4 hours of television per day. How can the average American complain about not having enough time? After earning the money to pay for the meal, what could possibly be more important than spending time with one's family?

Read the list of benefits to a family that eats dinner together on SparkPeople.