Category: health & fitness

love outdoor escalators

On By Rick McIn cycling, government, health & fitnessLeave a comment

Love ’em. 🙂

Over the last century, cities have been designed to accommodate the automobile. So, how do we redesign them to benefit people?

Outdoor escalators (climate allowing) are a low cost part of a solution to reduce the use of motor vehicles.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. It highlights the system in Medellín, Colombia.

The Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system in Hong Kong is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The entire system covers over 800 metres (2,600 ft) in distance and elevates over 135 metres (443 ft) from bottom to top. …

related – Medellín made urban escalators famous, but have they had any impact?

Norway tops the Social Progress Index

On By Rick McIn economics, education, ethics, government, happiness, health & fitness, Islam, travelLeave a comment

Gross Domestic Product has become the yardstick by which we measure a country’s success. But, says Michael Green, GDP isn’t the best way to measure a good society.

His alternative? The Social Progress Index, which measures things like basic human needs and opportunity. …

The Social Progress Index determines what it means to be a good society according to three dimensions: Basic Human Needs (food, water, shelter, safety); Foundations of Wellbeing (basic education, information, health and a sustainable environment); and Opportunity (do people have rights, freedom of choice, freedom from discrimination, and access to higher education?) …

Norway

Some countries over-perform on social progress relative to their GDP per capita. Costa Rica is the biggest aggregate over-performer, showing strength across all the dimensions. The key lesson here is that building social progress takes persistence. Costa Rica has had strong education, health and welfare systems for a long time, as well as a long democratic tradition. SPI measures outcomes — life expectancy, literacy rate — not inputs, like laws passed or money spent. There are no cheats or quick fixes

WHY WE SHOULDN’T JUDGE A COUNTRY BY ITS GDP

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Saudi Arabia is the biggest underachiever. I’ve just arrived … Actually I’m scheduled to get to San Jose, Costa Rica May 1st, my first visit.

every day should be ‘Buy Nothing’ day

On By Rick McIn Apple, economics, ethics, happiness, health & fitness, philosophyLeave a comment

🙂

‘Live Rich’ – A spoken word film about the true meaning of wealth.

‘Live Rich’ is a film about our relationship with money in a world where we are always being sold to, and how the most important things in life can’t be bought.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Written, Performed & Directed by Gary Turk
Original Score by New Desert Blues
Featuring Megan Turk & Jonathan Royston-Claire

Spend less. Live more.

Buy more experiences, fewer things.

(via Films for Action)

Placebo and Nocebo effects

On By Rick McIn health & fitnessLeave a comment

A placebo is a simulated or otherwise medically ineffectual treatment for a disease or other medical condition intended to deceive the recipient.

Sometimes patients given a placebo treatment will have a perceived or actual improvement in a medical condition, a phenomenon commonly called the placebo effect. …

pills

BBC – The contagious thought that could kill you

In the opposite effect, a patient who disbelieves in a treatment may experience a worsening of symptoms. This effect, now called by analogy nocebo (Latin nocebo = “I shall harm”) can be measured in the same way as the placebo effect …

anti-vaxers are wrong, wrong, wrong

On By Rick McIn bad news, education, government, health & fitness, product endorsements, things getting worseLeave a comment

The New Jersey Governor, normally a smart guy, bungled this one. It seemed to me he was pandering to the anti-Obama, lowest common denominator base of the Republican Party.

Now he’s trying to back-pedal.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Holds News Conference To Address Traffic Scandal

Chris Christie’s Terrible Vaccine Advice

Watch A Discredited Vaccine Study’s Continuing Impact on Public Health on the NY Times.

It’s not uneducated people, but rather wealthy L.A. and San Francisco area parents. Jenny McCarthy fans, I wildly speculate.

If you don’t want to wade through the specifics of why anti-vaxers are wrong, Penn and Teller will give you a graphic explanation.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That all said, I agree that we should be researching vaccines. Finding the best. Looking for side effects.

But to not vaccinate your kids for measles is near criminal parenting behaviour.

who was most wrong about Ebola?

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, health & fitnessLeave a comment

Good news. The outbreak is still in decline – New Ebola cases fall most in week since June.

Economist Oct 2014:

IN THE crowded field of Ebola alarmists, Rand Paul of Kentucky stands out. …

Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana says planes must be grounded “to protect our people”. …

Some leaders are more responsible. The Republican governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has tried to keep people calm. Few countries are better equipped than America to keep the public safe, he has assured Texans. He is right. It should not need saying. …

The Ebola alarmists – Stoking panic will not help America fight Ebola

Ebola alarmists

Senator Ted Cruz should be apologizing, as well.

A world pandemic will come, sooner or later. But Ebola is not it.

The Dash – Wireless Smart In Ear Headphones

On By Rick McIn books, health & fitness, musicLeave a comment

The ideal music/book player. IF it ever becomes available for sale.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

… I’m worried about battery life in a device so tiny.

(via Gear Junkie – 10 Innovations From CES 2015)

the world IS getting better

On By Rick McIn climate change, economics, education, ethics, firearms, food, good news, government, happiness, health & fitness, internet, things getting betterLeave a comment

More people are going to school for longer

Access to the internet is increasing

Solar power is getting cheaper

Beer consumption going up ??? 🙂

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

details on vox

(via Bill Gates)

New Year at the Adlards

On By Rick McIn friends, health & fitnessLeave a comment

For the 3rd year in a row I crashed the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Adlards in northern Idaho.

New Years Eve Adlareds 2014-15For a change, they got a LOT of snow this season.

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Their log cabin in the woods looks like one of those Christmas shops. Very festive.

check the Adventure Racing snowman
check the Adventure Racing snowman

Here’s where Dave works online. 🙂

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Dave got a new barbecue for Christmas. Whoop whoop!

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Delaney got new snowshoes.

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And there’s a new playhouse in the back yard.

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The no excuses 10km run went well for me again.

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I finished 2nd behind Andy this year, just ahead of Dr. Jeni, my best finish ever.

Andy put on a burst of speed uphill to finish first. Something was motivating him. I can’t imagine what he was thinking about.

Andy and the Olympians

Thanks to Dave, Lisa and 5yr-old Delaney for hosting. 🙂

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