Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Science and More Rubbish

Life is funny. Not always in the ha ha that was a knee slapper funny. Just, you know, the kind of funny that when you hear it or read it you go ... that's weird in a funny way. So much there and it just keeps on coming.

Funniest stuff is still science, of course now that we have five minutes between elections. I mean what could be funnier than a bunch of people making stuff up based upon tests that they devise to prove what they want so they can get the scientists at the FDA to say ... yeah, that sounds good ... go make another billion and we will call our friends over at Medicare to help pay for it because it just sounds so good what with that test and all. Was that a sentence?

Well, Time Magazine's recent issue ... is Time too liberal for you? ... had Medicine and Health Care as its central theme. I capitalize Medicine and Health Care because people realize that they are a mystery. There is a myth, well I believe it is a myth, that if you take proper care of yourself, eat right, exercise regularly ... you will live longer. Seems to sound reasonable. We know it must be true because 2/3 or for you statisticians ... 66 2/3% of the U.S. population are either obese or just plain fat or otherwise overweight. Combine that with are desire to be pompous and self righteous, topped off with our vast overspending on medical care and Americans do not live as long as the Japanese, Swiss, the Australians, Canadians, French, Italians, Germans, Norwegians and the Brits. Why we barely live longer than the Panamanians. Now it is clear that must certainly take better care of ourselves than the French and Italians and the Brits ... well we outspend them so why shouldn't we live longer.

But that is not the point, except that how are the 1/3 who are not overweight and all those anorexic teens going to feel? Remember your grade point. Yes, way back when life was simple and you knew where you stood because at the end of sixteen weeks someone gave you a grade so you knew exactly how much you had not studied. Remember all those living room lectures about pulling your grade point up? Well, think about it. If you fool around for three of the four years you are in high school or college, what must your grade point be in your senior year to give you a nice 3.5 for graduation? So, how must those 1/3 feel? Look at the effort they must undertake to bring the average up to a respectable 10th place. How can 10th place be respectable unless you really need to build your self esteem. Do they only get to live as long as the other 2/3? So, why should you starve yourself if you have the same end as the obese ... have an extra scoop of ice cream. Finally on this point, those obnoxious people drinking diet soda which is only dirty water, eating their no calories artificially flavored soy ... they are so rude, pompous and so full of themselves that it would not be fair if they lived longer.

Is there a point here? Yes, I think so.

Scientists have decided that there are no more big issues to solve so they been studying whether or not your DNA fixes your destiny. Are you predisposed based upon the genes that your parents dumped on you to be say obnoxious or shy or rude or to say silly things at dinner parties ... is it your grandparents fault that you interrupt other peoples conversations to point out the silly position they are taking on important issues? Well after exhaustive tests ... scientists who received large government grants to figure this out have created tests running over several years and meetings in exotic places like Omaha and Boise ... yes your DNA forces you to be who you will be.

Except. I was going to say "but" because that is the normal featured word here but we will use "except". Seems there is another group who got money more large amounts from the government, yes the same government that is currently $11 Trillion in debt. These science types after many tests and blind studies and their own exotic meeting in Des Moines and Buffalo, that you can overcome your DNA by hard work and determination and depending upon who you hang out with at the water cooler or the bowling alley. There is hope that you can overcome the legacy your parents stuck you with if you are determined.

So who is right in this DNA or environment argument? Your right and your right.

If you want to know the answer ... have children. As they are growing up, your spouse will point out where your DNA is screwing up your children because they are taking after all your dumb habits. If they are now brilliant, hard working then of course her environmental efforts to provide them with a positive role model and the correct ecosystem have saved the day. As you child does things that unfortunately remind you of your bad habits ... go out and find them hard working industrious friends.

The big question ... since this question was answered clearly maybe three four thousand years ago. Yaakov became a hard working industrious leader of a nation while his twin brother Esau went out and became a bum with a dozen sons heading many nations. One book smart, one a hunter ... same parents ... different kids.

Why are we wasting money when there are real problems to solve and besides what will you do with the information once you learn that it is both DNA and environment?

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