Lift Up Your Hearts!

I like to check out Google News every morning, and I'm especially interested in their Health section. Today there were two headlines that caught my attention, and each turned out to be totally misleading.

Flying does not cause blood clots, say experts

Do you feel safer now, as you prepare for your long flight? Do you think you can relax, forget about periodically wiggling your toes, stretching your feet, and disturbing your seatmates so you can get up and walk around? Not so fast! What the article says is that low cabin pressure and reduced oxygen do not increase the risk of blood clots. The damage is done by reduced circulation caused by long periods of inactivity, whether on plane, train, bus, or car. Although the article does not address this issue, I'm guessing sitting at a desk all day isn't a good situation, either.

Considering the relative leg room offered by the other modes of transportation, it's not surprising that the problem appears more often among those who fly. To give the casual reader the impression that he's safe from bloodclots on a long flight is misleading and dangerous.

Nonsmoking Men, Women Face Same Lung Cancer Death Risk

Same as whom? The point of the article is that among nonsmokers, women face no greater risk of lung cancer than men. But the impression I received from the headline itself was that nonsmokers face the same lung cancer risk as smokers, a truly startling (and untrue) finding.

Thomas Edison said that genius is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration. Anders Ericsson, a psychology professor at Florida State University, would agree. His studies of what makes someone really good at something are discussed in the May 7, 2006 New York Times column, A Star Is Made, by Freakonomics authors Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt. (The New York Times requires registration before you can read their content, but it's free and worth the effort.)

What Ericcsson concludes is that talent is overrated; what really makes the difference for success—in any field, from art to sport, from finances to computer programming—is hard work and deliberate practice. Here are some quotes to whet your appetite (and maybe make it worth your while to go to the effort of getting to the article):

Here is more information on the subject from the Freakonomics website.

When I was in high school, a semester course in economics was required for graduation. I managed to convince the school to accept an advanced physics course instead, so I can't claim to know much economics. Yet being married to a guy who majored in that field in college helps, and in any case the following scenario not only makes no economic sense, it makes no sense at all.

Last time we took the Venture to our favorite mechanic, we asked about a slight shimmy, and were told that everything was okay, but if it got worse we should probably have a wheel alignment done. It has now reached the point where it is "worse" enough, so today we took it to a nearby tire store / garage and asked them to look at it. (Bllue Book doesn't do wheel alignments.)

When they called to tell us it needed two new tie rods, an alignment, and a new tire, I was floored and took the easy way out: I turned the phone over to Porter. He politely told them thank you but we couldn't have the work done today and would be in to retrieve the car. If the tire really needs replacing, we need to look into the warranty situation first, and any tie rod work we want to have done at Blue Book. Particularly since they had replaced a tie rod end last April, and had not that long ago given the car a clean bill of health. In any case, we think it calls for a second opinion.

But that's not my real quarrel with the local place; I'll reserve judgement until after we get that second opinion. What flabbergasted me was the reaction of the mechanic, who kept telling Porter, "But you don't have to pay anything now"! It reminded me of the time Janet was at an outpatient clinic, trying to decide whether or not to get an x-ray there. She tried many times to find out how much the procedure would cost, and I don't think she ever received an answer. She couldn't find anyone who would admit to knowing what the charge would be. Yet even that was less absurd than those who puzzled, "Why do you want to know? You don't have to pay anything now; we'll bill you and you can pay it later."

Pardon me, but—huh? The cost of something doesn't matter if you don't have to fork over the cash this instant? If economics classes are still required in high school, they're not doing much good. And—double huh? The only reason one might do or not do something, be it medical or automotive, is its dollar cost? Even economists, who are accustomed to measuring the strangest things in terms of their dollar value, would choke on that attitude. At least my economist did.

I think I've discovered another reason why our culture is in financial trouble.

I hear it's officially TV-Turnoff Week. Those who know me know I'm more likely to respond negatively to social pressure like that. Still, I'm not about to turn on the television just to be different.

But if TV is a regular part of your life, do yourself a huge favor and turn it off. Start with a week, but don't stop there. What would you give for an extra four hours in your day? More than 20 more hours in your week? Even if you are one of the very rare folks who watches only half an hour a day, think about what you could do in that time. With just half an hour each day you could learn to play a musical instrument, learn a foreign language, read many books, keep in touch with far away friends and family, create your own weblog, spend time in serious, concentrated prayer, get some much-needed sleep, learn to juggle, create a garden, get in shape...and accomplish at least one if not many of those things you say you'd love to do, "but I don't have time." Go for it! You have nothing to lose but your chains.

Here are some more interesting links:

The TV-Turnoff Network

Excerpts from Marie Winn's The Plug-In Drug

Ruben Bolling's fabulous comic, Flowers for Trinitron.

Our local newspaper includes Parade Magazine in its Sunday edition. I find it generally to be a waste of paper. (A judgment almost equally true of the whole paper, now that it has gone to a format that emphasizes pictures over words, but that's another blog post.) However, I ususally find Marilyn vos Savant's column interesting, and this week it was especially so.

Marilyn answers questions sent in by readers, and last Sunday featured two that have been high on my list of Questions I Wonder about but Have Been Too Lazy to Investigate.

The first one was why entertainers play their music at such a high volume, to which I would add churches, theaters, theme parks, skating rinks, and many other places. I had thought perhaps it was because the rest of the world is deaf, but here is her very interesting answer:

They’re trying to generate excitement, and a high level of decibels accomplishes that goal. Subjected to such intense sound, listeners’ bodies produce adrenaline, noradrenaline and more. These substances make the heart pound and give an impression of increased muscle strength. Not surprisingly, some people become psychologically addicted to this hormone rush, which is implicated in thrill-seeking behavior.

I'm not sure the churches would take that conclusion very kindly, but some might think it worth considering.

The other question concerns the number of people (specifically, Americans) killed in automobile accidents, as compared to wars. I've often wondered how the automobile-related death rate would stack up against other causes of death, not just wars, but crimes, illnesses, and the like. Here is the answer for war:

Since the start of the Revolution in 1775, about a million Americans have died in wars. And since Henry Ford introduced the mass-produced motorcar in 1913, more than 2.5 million Americans have met their deaths on the road.

Not the sort of statistic that makes me want to jump into the car and drive off. Nonetheless, we leave soon for choir rehearsal.... Which explains why people don't pay much attention to automotive risks: as yet there are few of us who have a reasonable alternative.

This Orlando Sentinel column by Leonore Waldrip needs a wider audience. So for the dozen or so of my non-robotic readers, here it is.

While browsing the USPS website for international postage rates, I found it amusing to note some of the items one cannot mail to certain places. Most countries prohibit money and weapons; some countries also have more interesting restrictions:

You will get in trouble if you send "coffee in any form" to the Philippines. Jordan prohibits "advertisements concerning treatment of venereal diseases." Don't send "wireless receivers and their accessories, parts, or batteries" to Iceland, "Japanese shaving brushes" to Uganda, horror comics to Great Britain, playing cards to Spain or Madagascar, "books and prints contrary to the Islamic faith" to Saudi Arabia, "circulars or advertisements containing amulets, charms or talismans" to Malaysia, or "primary educational books not written in Portuguese" to Brazil.

Italy prohibits stamp albums, artificial flowers, "bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof," "hair and articles made of hair," "nutmeg, vanilla, sea salt, rock salt, saffron," typewriter ribbons, and "toys not made wholly of wood." The list for Ecuador includes "all maps showing the territory of Ecuador with incorrect boundaries," "bits and mouthpieces made of copper or any alloy containing copper," "preparations for erasing ink and handwriting," "so-called 'Panama' and 'Mocora' hats and the straw used for making them," and unrefined salt. Taiwan forbids coins over 100 years old along with "extracts, essences, and concentrates of tea" and "sugar, molasses, saccharine, and other sweetening substances."

North Korea makes it very simple: "All merchandise is prohibited."

I'm reading an extraordinarily important and fascinating book: What's Going on in There: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years of Life (Lise Eliot, 1999, Bantam Books). I'll probably end up making several blog posts out of quotations from this book, so here's a start. I always wondered why deliberate smiles, such as those manufactured for photographs or in an attempt to look more cheerful than one actually is, usually look so false:

This afternoon, searching for a birthday gift for my nephew, I ventured into long-forgotten territory: a Toys R Us store. Just as a child's growth is more noticeable to one who has been away for a while, so did I find the cultural changes represented by the toys and games to be startling. While there were a few of what I might call generic games, most were branded with characters from television shows and movies. Even the old standby, Candyland, now comes in Dora the Explorer and Winnie the Pooh (Disney version, of course) flavors. Back when I was a more regular visitor of toy stores, there were already a few media-inspired toys, but now the genre has exploded. I did not linger, but left with the impression that I would find more of reality at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Like many Americans, we plan to spend this Memorial Day relaxing with friends. As good and proper an activity as that is, we would be wrong not to recognize the true purpose of this holiday. Those who have given the last full measure of devotion to our country died for more substantial freedoms than a three-day weekend.

Here is some information on Memorial Day by the Department of Veterans' Affairs.

And here is a link to our Veterans' Day tribute to all who have laid their lives on the line for our country, including two family members who died in World War I.

Hard, painstaking work is the toll an independent spirit charges itself for self-respect.

— John Taylor Gatto

Better yet, who proofreads them?

I was curious to compare the ingredients and nutritional value of the two varieties of soy milk in my refrigerator: Organic Valley Soy Vanilla, and Silk Unsweetened Soymilk. Staring at the nutritional labelling, I couldn't get past the beginning. Two half-gallon containers. Both say "Serving size: 1 cup." The Organic Valley carton says the expected, "Servings per container: 8," whereas the Silk Unsweetened says, "Servings per container: 4."

When kids would come to me for tutoring in mathematics, I would often feed them cookies, claiming this would help their "math brains." I offer the above as evidence that sugar is, indeed, important for correct mathematical thinking.

When Terri Schiavo dies, there's going to be cheering, and I don't understand why. I know there will be cries of exultation because of the commentary I've heard, and the rude jesting, even from as mainstream a production as National Public Radio's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Perhaps people make light of tragedy in self-defense; I know my family was able to find humor even as our father lay dying. There was, however, an enormous difference: our humor was suffused with an undeniable love for the man and a determination to do all we could for him.

Why are we laughing now, and why will we cheer? Terri is someone's daughter. I will not say she is someone's wife, because I don't think Michael Schiavo will be sad to see his wife die. Perhaps he still loves Terri, although his living with another woman, with whom he has two children, tends to provoke doubt. I assume he accepted losing her years ago, and has no more grief left to give at her death. But Terri's parents still love their daughter dearly, and why would anyone exult in another's grief? Perhaps the hard-hearted would say the body Terri's parents treat so tenderly is not really their daughter, and when she dies they will lose nothing they haven't already lost. Even so—when a family's house burns to the ground, and they lose the treasured, irreplaceable pictures of their children, do we cheer? Don't we mourn with them? Is Terri worth less than a photograph?

Some, no doubt, will just be happy the prolonged battle is over, but they will be wrong. All three branches of government have been invited into a personal, private, agonizing medical decision—not to mention the Fourth Estate in all its glory, and voyeristic lay people all over the world. This camel's nose will not easily be shoved out of our tent. For that we should grieve, if nothing else.

As part of our constant dialogue on worship and music styles, Jon send me this SheepComics link. I was actually more intrigued by the commentary than the comic, in particular this part:

 

I find that interesting because I disagree strongly. It is certainly true of some churches, but I wouldn't say majority—at least it would not characterize most of the churches I've been to. And certainly not what I would consider a more ideal "script" if you want one, which would be simply...

1. The Word (Scripture and sermon)
2. The Eucharist

...with prayers and singing liberally interwoven in all parts.

There is a place for "performed" music, just as there is a place for the "professional" sermon, each bringing to the service knowledge, skill, and experience above the level of most of the congregation. However, neither should be of primary importance. If the music, prayers, and Scripture reading do not actively involve the congregation most of the time, what is to distinguish it from a concert, or a lecture? Maybe we need more of the "Amen! Preach it, brother!" from the black church traditions. :) There's a reason the form of the service in many churches is called "Liturgy"—"the work of the people."

We are too much a nation of watchers, not doers. We have given worship, music, sports, child care, health care, meal preparation, tax preparation, and even thinking itself over to the professionals. It reminds me of something C. S. Lewis said, in The Screwtape Letters: