Category Archives: links

Opportunities to Learn for FREE!

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An imporant healthy habit, as discussed in the Longevity Project, is lifelong learning.  Today there are several opportunities to pick up new skills and learn new subjects online.  Over the past year, Jeremy and I have found several resources to learn and actually receive a completion certificate from top universities for free.  Subjects include (but are not limited to) business, finance, nutrition, the sciences, engineering, programming, history, math and philosophy.

Check out the links below and see if there may be something worth your time. :-)

Coursera:  https://www.coursera.org/courses

MIT Open Courseware:  http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

Most Claimed Research Findings Are False

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In a recent article in STANFORD magazine, I came across the work of J.A. Ioannidis who caused a metaphoric earthquake in the medical field.  J.A. Ioannidis is a specialist in meta-research or the study of studies.  He along with a team of researchers re-analyzed data from previous published medical studies and found that “it can be proven that most claimed research findings are false”.  His pivotal work was published in 2005 in the Public Library of Science.  You can download the paper from this link:

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0020124

This is a significant problem since research findings are used to:

  • market treatments for the chronically and critically ill
  • dictate the diets we should feed our families to ensure good health
  • provide guidance to medical experts on how they should treat patients.

Ioannidis’ team analysis found that published studies often lacked reproducible results.  They also found that the studies themselves used ill-founded strategies for claiming positive research findings.

Bias is one of the key culprits for this problem.  Biased findings occur in industry- sponsored studies.  However, they also occur with funding from most other sources.  The reasoning is that medical professionals feel pressure to publish in high impact journals to promote their career and secure future funding.  To do this, they need to report high impact findings in their research.  Negative or null research findings do not receive the same attention.  The team estimates that 99% of the studies they reviewed yielded null results.

Due to the existing health and health care crisis in the U.S., Ioannidis’ work is recieving attention in the medical community.  We hope this will lead to greater scrutiny of ongoing medical research and the claims that researchers make.

The Things Happy People Do

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Recently, I was reading an article from Oprah’s site entitled “5 Things Happy People Do”.  The list includes:

  • Strive towards excellence based on your talents.  This means taking on challenges and fulfill your sense of purpose in life.
  • Design your life to bring in joy.  Stated another way, spend time doing things you enjoy.  Minimize time doing things you hate.
  • Avoid the “if only” fantasies.  In reality fulfilling these fantasies won’t be enough to make you happy.
  • Put high quality relationships first.
  • Allow yourself to be happy.

Based on several books I have read over this year, I would modify this list to include:

  • First and foremost, strive for optimum health.  Consult with a nutritionist and learn to eat healthy.  Meditate, exercise and aviod toxins.  The Longevity Project found that those who are healthy are also happy (not the other way around!).
  • Be an active participant in your life.  Be willing to try new things and be willing to fail.  In the spirit of this, I have included a picture of me flying my glider in Minden, NV.  It was scary flying this the first time but I had a great experience and look forward to flying it again this weekend.

Several other sources agree that establishing a sense of purpose and having positive relationships are beneficial to happiness and also longevity.

Book Review: The Longevity Project

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Ever since researching the Blue Zone group, I have been interested in learning more about people who live the longest.  The Longevity Project by Drs. Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin builds on the work of Lewis Terman and the famous Terman study to provide the key conclusions about which traits and behaviors lead to longevity.  The data and conclusions are based on a select group of over 1,500 middle class Americans born in 1910.

I first heard of the Terman study when reading Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers.  Lewis Terman of the interviewed over 1,500 gifted school children in California, their parents, and their teachers.  He asked questions to understand the children’s interests, habits, environment, and personality.  Almost two decades later, he interviewed the same group of children again.  The interviews continued to be detailed in an effort to understand the habits, personality, and various other traits of the participants at this stage in life.  Decades later, a large team (including the authors of this book) interviewed those participants who were still living.  They analyzed the death certificates and causes of death of those who are decreased.  They gathered over eighty years of detailed information on the Terman group to understand which traits and behaviors that lead to long life.

The Longevity Project is a carefully conducted statistical study that pours through millions of pieces of information.  The multidiscipline study used a variety of subject matter experts to compliment their analysis and understanding of the data. They performed various calibrations to relate the traits and behaviors of people born in 1910 to the traits and behaviors of those born in the more modern times.

Each chapter of the book focuses on either a key trait or behavior which proved important to longevity.  The authors also provide self-assessment tests so the reader can gauge their strength in each area.

I found the book to be well worth reading.  It provided me with insight into key traits and behaviors to cultivate in order to protect my long term health.  It also helps support the idea that it is a healthy lifestyle that is key, not some specific food or exercise regieme.  In addition, several of the important traits and behaviors are quite surprising and often contrary to common wisdom.

Interestingly, the study does not mention specifics of diet such as meat and fat consumption.  The participants did not grow up on the frankenfoods of my generation so the influence of under nourished food and toxicity likely did not influence this group as much.

The key conclusion from this book is that those who lived the longest lived healthy throughout their lives.  That seems like a major non-surprise, doesn’t it? But when you understand the behaviors and characteristics that actually ended up being “healthy” (resulting in longer life), you’ll realize that some of them really are surprising.  And that is the topic of tomorrow’s post.

Deepening My Understanding of Holism

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Over the past two years while living in Pine Mountain Lake, I have developed an understanding of the holistic philosophy that is much deeper than appreciating the beauty of Nature.  In the beginning of this period, we met the Oler’s who encouraged a natural approach to health.  At the same time, Jeremy was reading voraciously on the topic.  Both encouraged us to change out eating habits.  Now we eat more protein and fat – as our ancestors did.  We look more carefully at the sources of our food and buy as much as we can from local farms who farm responsibly.  We take supplements made from real food.  We incorporate natural probiotics into our diet.  We strive to eliminate sugar and other toxins from out diet.

Over this time, we’ve become healthier people.  We also came to understand the trickle down effects of departing from the traditional lifestyle (the lifestyle we evolved from) and how this impacts our health and the health of the environment.   Non-traditional behaviors include current industrial farming practices and industries that pollute our air, water and soil just to name a few.  Fueled by feeling great, we both strive to learn more and do more to have a positive impact on the environment, since doing so will eventually benefit our health–thus forming a positive feedback loop.

We now:

  • recycle our green waste
  • grow our own food (when possible)
  • buy locally grown food (eggs, cheese, milk, fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, pork)
  • care for the woods on our property
  • give to charities
  • support our health through holistic means [this feels self-referential]
  • communicate our knowledge and ideas through this blog
  • meditate daily

We value businesses that are responsible to the environment.  We value leaders that see the connection of today’s actions on future generations.  I now understand that it is NOT ONE thing but instead it is EVERYTHING that matters.  One change to the system, our planet, has cascading effects that can impact each of us.

I have gained a greater appreciation of the whole of holism.  I now see how my choices in what I do and how I spend my time can give me a greater of connection to the whole and have a positive impact on our future.

Our Flight Over Morro Bay

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Back in December 2011, we took a vacation down to Morro Bay and the Central Coast.  As is common in the winter, the coast is mostly clear.  We flew down to Paso Robes Airport in our Flight Design from Pine Mountain Lake Airport.  We arrived after an hour and twenty minute flight.  This helped us avoid a many multi-hour car trip.  This also gave us an opportunity to get an aerial view of this part of the California coast.

This part of the coastline has a smoothness and curvature that is different from the northern coastline.  The crests of the ocean waves can be seen contouring the shoreline.

They are several features that make Morro Bay unique and can be easily seen from the air.  Morro Rock jets out of the ocean at 571 feet.  It is the remnants of a volcano at the entrance to the Bay.

A large natural sand spit is also visible.  It protects the harbor that houses sailboats, fishing boats and wildlife.  It is clearly visible from the air since it extends several miles from land and serves as a clear barrier to the rough Pacific waters and the calm bay.

Houses cover the mainland of the bay.  Areas of forests, estuaries and sand dunes can also been seen.

Choose Your Conversation and Impact Your Future

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In the book Creating Your Future, Dave Ellis points out the importance of managing our conversation space in order to develop the future we want.  This is an insightful idea.  I had never thought about the impact of conversation on my actions until I examined this relationship more closely.

Conversations include discussions with friends and family, the TV we watch, the radio programs we listen to, the books and articles we read, and the thoughts we have in our heads.  We have a choice to which of these conversations we engage in.  We can be selective and align our conversations to our goals and dreams for the future.  In my own experience, I have been too complacent about managing my conversation space – not fully understanding the importance of controlling it.  However, I have paid a price for this complacency.  I have often times been discouraged from pursuing my dreams because I have been listening to the negativity that sometimes surrounds me.  Managing our conversations impacts our thoughts, ideas and goals and ends up impacting our future actions.

In addition to the bad habit of complacency around conversations, Ellis also points out that people tend to identify themselves with things that are not under their control which include appearance, finances, emotions and possessions.  When we loose them, it impacts how we think about ourselves.  He identifies himself by his conversations.  Conversations are not fleeting but instead transcend time and space.  Examples are seen in literature, art, music and oral history.  Again, we can align this conversation space with our goals.

He also cautions to avoid dream crashers.  Dream crashers are people who express negativity towards your goals.  They do this regardless of how they see this impact you.  I had one of these in my life and have been better off for avoiding this interaction.

You can build and expand your community of people to support your goals through groups on LinkedIn, local clubs, and international group – just to name a few.  You can shape your conversation by choosing who and what you read, steer conversations or walk away from negative ones and engage in daily meditation.

Raise the quality of your choices about conversations and align these around the future you want.

Protecting Biodiversity in Peru

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Industrial farming practices throughout the world have significantly reduced the biodiversity of our vegetables and fruits (up to 75%) resulting in the increased probability that the world’s long term food supply can be wiped out by future pests, disease and climate change.  A few weeks ago, I wrote an article on the extreme measures that countries around the world are going to in order to protect the biodiversity of our food.  Another story that I read recently “Protecting Potato Diversity in Peru” caught my eye and I thought I would share to highlight the international concern over this problem.

In Peru, a film is currently being developed to document protecting the potato biodiversity in that country.  At the heart of this effort is Lima’s International Potato Center.  Established in 1971, the center is one of 15 centers supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.  The center currently maintains the largest collections of potato and sweet potato in the world.

The center works with farmers to maintain the diversity of native potatoes through its gene bank.  Currently, the bank houses more than 7,000 potato and wild potato samples.  In addition, potato breeders at the center work with farmers to develop new breeds that are resistant to disease and have a higher nutritional content.

Our Trip to Montana De Oro State Park

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Morro Bay is my favorite California coastal place to visit.  It is located just south of San Luis Obispo.  This quaint and fairly quiet fishing community has wonderful scenery, seafood, and diverse activities.  Jeremy and I have been there several times and always find new places to visit and activities to do.

During a recent trip, we flew down to Paso Robles Airport in our light sport airplane.  It was about an hour flight from Pine Mountain Lake Airport.  After we picked up our rental car, we first visited the local Paso Robes wineries.  This region is known for very good Zinfandel wines.  One of our stops was the Peachy Canyon Winery.  Afterwards, we drove to our hotel in Morro Bay and arrived around sunset.  The next morning, we head to the nearby State Park, Montana de Oro.

As with Morro Bay, nature is all around in this state park.  There are both migrating and indigenous birds the hug the coastline.  Pelicans and seagulls are often seen slope soaring the sea cliffs.  Sand Pipers chase the incoming surf in search for food.  Hawks can be seen flying overhead hunting.  Occasionally, you can witness a kill.

Tidal pools are teaming with life.  Along the Bluff trial, you can stop off and see orange, purple and red starfish hugging the rocks.  Green colored sea anemone and hermit crabs occupy much of the remaining rock.  Bright colored green kelp cover the sand stone rock.  The surf periodically pounds the tidal rocks bringing in new sea life.

Montana de Oro is painted with wild flowers.  The region is carpeted with California Poppies, Indian Paintbrush, and Ice plants to name a few.  The fragrant air is sweet and salty.  Small birds, butterflies, bees and lizards can be seen weaving in and out of this natural garden.

The topography varies from sand beaches and dunes to rocky sea cliffs and steep hill sides.  There are several views of the Pacific meeting land’s edge.

To me, this seems to be the closest to heaven on Earth.  The sounds, the smellls, and the views overwhelm the senses.  If you plan to visit the Central Coast of California, I suggest taking time to visit this area.

Our Summer Garden

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Recently, I reported on our Winter Garden.  Over the past 2 weeks, we’ve planted our summer garden.  We now have five 4′ by 8′ raised beds, each about one foot deep.  We have aviary wire lining the base to keep out gofers. We have fencing in place to keep out deer.

We’ve planted 17 heirloom tomatoes of various types, 9 chilli, 4 bell peppers, 2 Japanese eggplant, 1 Lemon cucumber plant, and 1 zucchini squash heirloom variety.  We still have chard, carrots, onions and lettuce left over from the Winter Garden.

In terms of fruit, we have both berries and tree fruit growing.  Last year, I planted 2 blackberry bushes, one black current plant and one blueberry plant.  This year, I’ve added two raspberry bushes and several strawberry plants.  All are thriving.  Our fruit trees include cherry, peach, apple, lemon and lime.  The apple, recently planted, still has yet to bloom.  However, the others are all in bloom.

We also are growing herbs.  We have three types of sage, three types of oregano, two types of rosemary, garlic chives, parsley, tarragon and three different types of mint – which all wintered over.   I recently planted four different types of basil (Lemon, Lime, Thai and Sweet), Lemon Grass and Cilantro.

Garden maintenance is pretty much hands-off except for harvest. :-)   We spent several hours this weekend hooking up our irrigation.  We use the dripper and spray system from Raindrip.  The irrigation system is connected to a daily timer so that all watering is automatic.  Once a week, we’ll visit the garden to check how the plants are doing.  The next big time commitment is hopefully freezing and canning the fruit and vegetables we can’t eat.