HI-
We’re in the Florida dry season, normally being pretty parched until the monsoon months of JeJune, Jewel-Lye, AwGhost, and SapTimber, which run six to twelve inches each. But the past month was an exception, and we got just over nine inches. Now you know why the ogres call it Marsh. The following month is when they have their tug-of-war contests. If that makes sense to you, you may be as stupid as an ogre. Congratulations! Ogres, as you know, are justifiably proud of their stupidity.
MaryLee encountered a sequence on the Internet that had us laughing. It seems that a nurse heard a patient ask “Are my testicles black?” Alarmed, she reached under his hospital gown and lifted his scrotum to the light. Fortunately there was no discoloration. “Your testicles are fine,” she reported. He seemed slightly nonplussed. “Thank you. To repeat my question: are my test results back?”
Life continues in its petty pace. I completed chapters 5 and 6 of Three Novel Nymphs and am now about 45,000 words along, of a projected 100,000. The Nymphs have just recruited Moonroe, the Man in the Moon, to their Quest to discover what is agitating the Five Elements. The moon, of course, is largely green cheese, interspersed by seas of liquid cheese. Moonsters prowl there. Aery, the personification of the Element of Air, has joined them; she and Moonroe are getting along, though she feels he’s been mooning her for centuries. Soon I will tackle chapters 7 and 8, as they recruit the Elements of Earth and the Void to the cause. After that it may get interesting. Stay tuned.
One day on my exercise walk – they used to be runs, but I fell too often on my face – I encountered a fallen dead pine tree across the drive. My guess is that it weighed about 400 pounds. So later in the day I came out with our six foot pry bar, excellent for leverage, and wedged it foot by foot to the side of the drive. Except that soon it started resisting, swinging back into place the moment I stopped heaving. So I tried heaving it the opposite way, but soon that too resisted. Sigh. Back to the first way, and this time it got there. Maybe the reverse movement jarred it loose from its stump. So I finally got it clear so the drive was drivable again. One reason I exercise seriously is to be in shape for exactly such challenges. Meanwhile, MaryLee in the car was taking pictures of my efforts. She may arrange to have one accompany this Column. So if you like watching a geezer struggle with a dead tree, you will have your chance.
As I have reported here, I get impatient waiting the one minute it takes for my email system to connect, so I look at books on my library shelves. I meant to comment on a lovely picture book, but don’t think I did. This is This Is the American Earth, by Ansel Adams and Nancy Newhall, both now deceased. These are intriguing pictures of the landscapes, buildings, people, animals, and plants of America, with poetic commentary. For example, on page 34 is a formidable thundercloud. “To St. John the Divine, on his island in the sea, appeared apocalypse; he saw the world as ending in the terrible glory and majesty of God … Today, in the 20th century, more frightful visions arise … sitting together to consider the mathematics of survival.” Page 82 shows a waterfall in Yosemite National Park. “You shall know immensity, and see continuing the primeval forces of the world.” Random samples of a marvelous book. Unfortunately, mankind is destroying the world it illustrates.
I commented last time on the first portion of The Longevity Strategy, by David Mahoney and Richard Restak. Now I have completed going through it. It’s a potent compendium of health advice for those who aspire to reach the century mark. Some traits associated with early death are hostility, which produces stress hormones; hostiles die at four to five times the death rate, between ages 25 and 50, as do normal folk. Depression — treatment for it prolongs life. Social isolation — having few friends can be lethal. That bothers me, because I am largely isolated, especially during the pandemic. Most of my family members have died, and I’m not close with neighbors, here on the set-apart tree farm. But I do have my readers; most are brief passing contacts, but some aren’t. I have collaborated on novels with some, and of course I married one. She’s an ongoing parcel of distraction. And it says that just plain worry is mischief; learn to do it less. Um, easier said than done. A sense of humor helps. Who, me? I have no sense of humor; ask any critic. What makes them laugh is the notion that I think my books are readable. Yes, I do suspect that critics project their own failings to others. But for those of you in the real world, it is to laugh. The brain does change with age. AAMI is Age Associated Memory Impairment. Coming up with names can be difficult. I can even have trouble remembering the titles to some of my novels; fortunately I keep a list. But problem-solving skills generally improve with age; experience counts. Curiosity – that leads to a lifetime of education, not the kind taught in schools, but about the vagaries of existence. I’m glad, because I am curious about everything, from the baffling mystery of the ultimate nature of the universe to the intriguing enigma of what’s under a woman’s skirt. Alzheimer’s Disease may be the most feared American ailment. Yes, I fear it; if I knew that my mind was going to go, I would think seriously about quitting this life before it happened. Fortunately it doesn’t run in my family, though that’s no guarantee, and I am aware of no symptoms of it in myself. No, I’m not in denial; for example, autism does run in my family, and I do find indications of it in myself. But it doesn’t seem to be progressive. Then there’s stroke. That kills twice as many women as breast cancer. I think my father had a stroke that took out his exercise circuit. He had exercised and stayed lean all his life, then around age 90 quit, seeing no reason for it, and by the time he died at age 93 he weighed too much to stand alone. I exercise and stay lean; should I lose that circuit, I hope I have the sense to stick with what has sustained my health so long. Heart disease – the book recommends taking supplemental vitamins. I do. Cancer – damn, my daughter died of that. “People aged 65 or older are ten times more likely than younger persons to develop cancer.” Now they tell me? To evade it, eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid high fat foods. Increase your physical activity. No smoking, and stay largely clear of alcohol. Have regular health exams. I do these things. Use your brain; you tend to lose what you don’t use. The psychologist Alfred Adler said “Life is what happens to you when you’re making other plans.” Beware of nursing homes. “As they presently exist (they) aren’t solutions at all.” The brain atrophies for lack of stimulation. Families are important. The fact that half of all marriages split is bad news for longevity. Well, my first marriage lasted 63 years, until death did us part; I can’t say that my second will last as long, but who knows? We’re trying. Have an avocation. That’s not recreation, its more like an alternate career, challenging mind and body. Don’t be afraid of risk. “Boredom, meaninglessness, and depression must be countered with a shift from problem-solving to problem-finding.” Wow! That’s a new take on problems! “To hold the same views at forty as we held at twenty is to have been stupefied for a score of years.” Wow again! Never retire. Right; when I noticed early on that the average age of retirement for men was 65, and their average age of death was 67, I knew that retirement is deadly. When I die I’ll be halfway through writing a great novel that will baffle the skills of whoever tries to complete it; the fans will know exactly where I left off. Do right by your body; strength, flexibility, and endurance count. And stay with it. “Although it takes about twelve weeks to get fit, it takes only two weeks of doing nothing to get unfit.” And that, in essence, is the message of this book. It makes a lot of sense to me, and I hope it does to you. Maybe we will meet as centenarians.
The Equedia Letter for 3/20/22 predicts horrendous inflation and food shortages, because of the Ukrainian war. Well, maybe. But I note that Ukraine is fighting back increasingly effectively, and the Russians are taking horrendous losses as well as covering themselves in shame for their atrocities. The global sanctions are ruining their economy. China is watching, not necessarily considering whether to help Russia; they might be eyeing Russian territory for themselves. The March 27 edition says that a new “fitness” revolution is brewing. And that tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Apple are quietly buying out companies, developing gadgets, and training algorithms for what will be a major lifestyle change for many. Could they be eyeing centenarianism too? It seems that folk were not much interested in it before, but it’s catching on. Starting with sleep. “Simply put, if you don’t sleep, you don’t grow, you get fat, and you lose brainpower.” One third of Americans don’t get nearly enough sleep; one in four develop insomnia each year. That has to be overstated, because in four years we all would be insomniacs, unless it’s a temporary condition, but it’s a significant number. Sleep disorders may be the underlying cause of mental health issues. “In fact, studies show that sleep deprivation does more harm than a poor diet and no exercise combined.” That’s scary. Yes, I do my best to get seven hours of sleep a night. This issue works up to its commercial point: Hapbee Technologies Inc. has wellness wearable tech, delivering low-power electromagnetic signals that emulate the molecular signature of compounds like caffeine, THC, CBD, NICOTINE, MELATONIN, etc. I don’t know what all the letters stand for, but it does look formidable. This should be worth tracking. Meanwhile I’m garnering my sleep the old fashioned way, by avoiding most chemicals, and trying to handle stresses sensibly. I don’t take sleeping pills. As a general rule, I prefer natural things to artificial things. But there are limits.
Related: a reader forwarded an article by Dr. Joseph Mercola, “The Best Choices of my Life.” He was once a conventional physician who later broke ranks and started educating himself about nutrition. More doctors should do that. I remember from way back when mentioning to my doctor that I tried to eat right and exercise, and he was mystified. “Why?” I suspect that medical education needs to be seriously overhauled. This article says that 94% of those who die from Covid have an average of 2.6 comorbidities, that is, preexisting health conditions that contribute. He says that the absolute worst type of foods you can eat are seed oils. Oops; now my nutcase antennae are twinging. For example, I use flaxseed oil to counter the omega 6 in my diet; what we need is Omega 3. He’s against that? It seems to me that seeds are generally healthy to eat, like sunflower seeds; it stands to reason that their oils should be similarly healthy. But I’m a layman in this respect; time should tell. The doctor does identify omega 6 fat as a primary culprit, which he says acts as a metabolic poison when consumed in excess. So he is in the ballpark. He says don’t eat fake meat products like Impossible Burger, because all of the fat in them comes from seed oils. Uh-oh; as a vegetarian I am nervous. I don’t seek meat substitutes, I just avoid meat; maybe that’s best. He says that mainstream media are lying to us 24/7. I’m not sure that’s true, as it might be only 23/7, but they don’t seem to have a great concern for truth, especially when it conflicts with profits. So as with Equedia, this may be worth watching despite being imperfect. My interest is in the truth, whatever it may turn out to be.
Article in THE HUMANIST Winter 2022 titled “The Everyday Practicality of Evil” by Al Carroll has some nasty thoughts. When Holocaust deniers deny the Holocaust, it’s because they know that their neo-Nazi or antisemitic beliefs are discredited by the massive horror of genocide their ideological clones committed. When Turks deny the Armenian, Assyrian, and Pontic Greek genocides, we know it is because the truth offends their sense of pride in the Turkish nation and people. But it’s more complex for American deniers. “Most are actually repeating the poor, heavily whitewashed, and highly censored and sanitized schooling they had, and thus are blameless.” But some are no different in motive than their antisemitic or Turkish nationalist counterparts. The Myth of American Innocence demands that we be clean. “Genocide denial in America is a product of cognitive dissonance. Genocide in America is denied because it is uncomfortable to admit to it if you strongly believe in American patriotism.” Yes. We are really no better or worse than the Europeans in that respect. “America is mostly a nation in denial about the genocides (yes, plural) that took place on its own soil. America is mostly a nation in denial about genocides carried out by some of its people, including governments and leaders. This denial is taught by most of its schools and teachers, and led by and enforced and reinforced by its leading commentators, journalists, politicians, and even scholars … Those who deny genocide need to be recognized as collaborators after the fact, like a criminal who helps another criminal conceal evidence of a crime.” It mentions the California Indian Genocide that no one has heard of, and neither have I; it has been so well covered up as to seem not to exist. “Now imagine yourself as an American Indian, say one who is 30 years old, born in 1989. Nine tenths of your people were killed during the Gold Rush, or a third killed on the Trail of Tears, or many of them slaughtered at Sand Creek or any number of other massacres. But the textbooks, when they discuss this at all, often call such massacres ‘battles.’ … But everyone keeps telling you, ‘Native Americans never went through genocide.’ The schools claim this, and most non-Natives do not know any better, even while Natives do.” If faced with the evidence, they make excuses, claiming it was all by accident or disease. It continues today, with things like forced sterilization and forced adoption from intact families. Apparently there have been seven American genocides. “Deniers make genocide likely to happen again and again. An entire industry of genocide denial in America, almost all public schools, parts of universities, and textbook companies lazily reproduce denial. Genocide deniers should be named and shamed.” Amen.
And the clippings. Whatever would I do for “content” here if it weren’t for the myriad folk who are smarter than I am? The “Ask Marilyn” column says that yes we do lose height as we age. Women generally lose 2 to 3 inches after age 30, and men lose 1 or 2 inches. Yes, in my prime I stood five feet, ten and a half inches tall barefoot; now it’s more like five nine. Another of her columns addresses creativity; she feels it’s mostly just plain hard work. I pride myself on my own creativity, and agree; my mind is on perpetual duty fielding new notions. Comment column in NEW SCIENTIST for 12 March 2022 by Lucy Cooke, who wrote Bitch: A revolutionary guide. So sex, evolution & the female animal, which does sound interesting. This says that the passive female is a Victorian myth; promiscuity is a winning maternal strategy. I remember the ditty “Hogamus higamus, man is polygamous; Higamus hogamus, woman monogamous.” But this says that fertile female lions are known to mate 100 times with multiple males in a matter of days. Could this be an indication of the preference of fertile female humans? I appreciate the underlying strategy: males have been known to kill the offspring sired by competing males, but if she mates with everyone, he might be killing his own. So it’s a neat ploy to save the babies. So were the truth known, women might be as promiscuous as men. But I have my doubts; prostitution is mainly females available for straying males, at a price. Question in the same issue: If energy can’t be created or destroyed, where does it come from? The answer is that the total energy of the universal may be zero, so none was created. As I see it, the Big Bang produced an equal amount of positive and negative energy, much of which later coalesced into what we call matter and became the known universe. So what happened to the negatives? Could they be in a parallel universe, much like ours, but never the twain shall meet lest they merge into nothingness? Could Dark Matter and Dark Energy be examples? I hope I live long enough to find out. And a cartoon in the same issue. A woman says, “Doctor, every day things get more confusing and unstable…when another crazy thing pops up, it’s freaking me out.” He replies that she should attend a lecture by the great physicist Grimaldi and be reassured. She says that won’t help. Why not? “I am Professor Grimaldi.” Which reminds me of the saying that if you can keep your head when everyone else is losing theirs, you probably don’t understand the situation. Newspaper letter published March 26, 2022, by Betty Honkonen, president of of the Democratic Women’s Club of Citrus County, lays into the local powers that be. She says that the Republicans passed a bill that was drafted by Florida Power and Light and will severely limit the expansion of rooftop solar in this state. She says the Republicans like to say that Florida is the freest state in the nation, but they are working hand in hand with one of the largest corporate donors to kill the rooftop solar industry, which creates clean renewable energy that can power our homes and help protect our environment for generations to come. “But Republicans and the utility industry want to keep our state dependent on dirty fossil fuels that intensify our climate crisis and harm Floridians’ way of life.” Exactly. For the sake of making money today they are destroying tomorrow. THE WEEK for March 25, 2022, has another blast at that. “Republicans are killing us.” That’s the “inescapable conclusion” of two new analyses of state by state data on Covid deaths since July 1, when lifesaving vaccines became available to all Americans. The 14 states with the highest death rates are all run by Republican governors, with Wyoming worst and Florida second worst. A judge has struck down parts of a Florida election law, saying it is designed to suppress Black votes. LGBTQ (I recently saw that Q listed as Questioning) groups are suing over the Republican law that forbids teaching sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade, arguing that its intent is to marginalize LGBTQ and their families. So it seems that the Republicans have been busy on all fronts to damage minorities and garner power for themselves, and to hell with American ideals. Article in 12 March NEW SCIENTIST by Sara Novak says it’s a myth that extra belly fat in middle age is due to a slowing metabolism. Metabolism is constant, but we let fat get ahead of us and obesity is killing us. In the 26 February issue an article by Matthew Sparkes says that AI (Artificial Intelligence) is bringing fusion power closer. Remember, fusion is the process the sun and stars use to generate their heat; it’s safer than the old fashioned nuclear fission plants, but harder to do here on Earth. The FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) says that Citrus County, Florida, where I live, leads in traffic fatalities. Yes, we have encountered some of those drivers. Enforcement of the rules of the road is noticeably lacking. NEW SCIENTIST 19 February 2020 “Making a mind” by Edd Gent suggests that the effort to make artificial intelligence think like humans, maybe they should be looking instead to psychology. Maybe we need to emulate not the brain but the mind. Newspaper item by Marcia Dunn says that we have discovered Earendel, “Morning Star,” the most distant star ever, nearly 13 billion light years away. It was more than 50 times the size of our sun, and about one million times as bright. They don’t make stars like that today. NEW SCIENTIST 19 March 2022 “Wave after wave,” suggests that the observation of gravitational waves is enabling us to solve some of the universe’s deepest puzzles. “If the traditional astronomy of telescopes is like seeing the cosmos, then gravitational waves is akin to hearing it.” These ripples in the fabric of space are less than the width of a subatomic particle, so it takes a pretty sensitive instrument to pick them up. But now that we have those instruments, a new age of discovery is upon us. One thing is a neutron star, a thimbleful of whose substance weighs hundreds of millions of tons. One question that may be answered is whether primordial tiny black holes exist that might be Dark Matter. I don’t believe in Dark Matter, but if they actually find it, I may reluctantly change my mind. They have also found a massive planet 855 light years from us that has a violent climate, with winds up to 11,000 miles per hour, and it rains gemstones. The Raspy Cricket has the strongest bite of any insect in the world. Florida’s manatees are starving because water pollution is destroying their natural food, so they have been fed 55 tons of lettuce. Will it be enough?
Enough. I wish all of you the best of Spring.
