YOUR HEALTH: The Obesity Myth exposed again

I have long and often criticized the BMI and its definitions for ‘healthy’, ‘overweight’ and ‘obese’ weight.  Without going into details again, the BMI used for its calculation a sample population of predominantly white adult males. This is now recognized even by the United Nation’s WHO (which stilled used it for its  recent world health report) as a major ‘limitation’ when applied to other ethnic and racial groups, and children under 18.

I have long argued that an even more important flaw is the assumption that ‘lean’ bodies are healthier and will live longer.

Insurance actuarial studies for some 40 years have disproved this.

They have found that people who have an extra 10 lbs of weight or even 10% above BMI adult ‘ideals’ simply live longer.

Why?  Because when severe illness or surgery cause major weight loss, people with extra weight have ‘room to spare’ and do not fall below the body’s innate ‘tipping point’ and die.

Now, as reported in York University Magazine, fall 2018, “How obesity measures up as a global crisis”, longitudinal studies in the U.S.A., Denmark, Japan and Asia -- involving well over 1.8 million people -- refute the obesity epidemic mania; a mania that has become doctrine in North American and UN medical circles, and which has inundated our mass media and culture.

The results of the above studies have been summarized by York University’s Professor Dennis Raphael in Critical Public Health (2017).

“People considered overweight – measured by body mass index (BMI) – had the highest life expectancy, followed by those considered obese. The most short-lived were those with the least fat.”[i]                     [My bold and italics.]

Any health issues: from heart disease to diabetes, are not usually due to extra ‘fat’ but the stresses of personal life and the workplace. 

Consequently, both Professors Raphael and Professor Angela Alberga of Concordia University in her article in the Journal of Obersity (2018) have gone further and argued the BMI and obesity mania are not only wrong
but, in fact, endanger human life.

The physical stresses of repeat, failed dieting and the low self-esteem of overweight and so-called obese individuals is threatening their well being!

They therefore recommend our physicians and governments cease their false fixation on weight and ‘fat’.

So, as I have long suggested, ditch the BMI and similar methods.

Ditch your household weighing scale and daily weigh ins.

Unless your body's bulk is a problem when trying to move or breath, stop stressing out on your body image and weight.

Let your body tell you what is ‘normal’ for you.

We must also stand up and repudiate the current medical profession mindset and government policies that have gotten it all wrong.

For example:

The Ontario government’s 2012 “No Time to Wait” strategy projected that without major intervention as many as 70% of today’s children will be “overweight or obese by 2040, with severe impact on health”[ii].

What garbage!!!

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[i] Cited in York University Magazine, Fall 2018,  page 15.

[ii] Ibid.

Your World :Corporate ingenuity outpaces Politics and Environmentalists

This weekend, some 200 nations of the world – including surprisingly the U.S.A. --have signed an agreement at a Global Warming conference in Poland to use one and the same ‘universal’ standard and rules for carbon reduction.

This is a follow up to the original agreements of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord.

Already, environmental activists are upset that the timeline for reduction are too long on the one hand, and will probably not even be met -- based on past government performance.

It is therefore worth noting that oil and mining related companies are not waiting for government (in)action but are proceeding on their own to innovate solutions that are practical and which generate a profit.

Maclean’s magazine (November 2018, pages 23-24 ) highlighted the American oil company, Occidental Petroleum Corporation which is reviving old oil wells by using a new process that injects Co₂ – carbon dioxide -- underground to force out oil deposits while simultaneously ‘storing’ the injected carbon deep in the ground.

According to the article, Occidental is storing at its Permian Basin site as much carbon as is emitted by the entire state of Maine or Hawaii in a full year!

As well, the article notes that on September 24, Occidental, ExxonMobil and Chevron joined with other world leading oil companies to create a $1 billion (U.S.) research fund for new energy reducing emissions – including methane; a gas 30 times more heat trapping than carbon[i].

And Time magazine recently (November 23 – December 3, 2018 issue, page 57) listed among the 50 best inventions of 2018 a 3M roof shingle that breaks up smog particles so they can wash away in rainfall.                           

So while governments talk and make promises that are never fully kept, and environmentalists and climate scientists fixate on carbon and hope to ‘eliminate’ the use of all fossil fuels: by the imposition of tax penalties and forced use of super-expensive and non-continuous/unreliable solar and wind technology -- and even NUCLEAR (suicidal) power, oil and mining businesses are innovating to solve Global Warming and atmospheric concerns in ways that are straightforward, profitable and allow the underground resources and  ‘gifts’ of Gaia, our planet, to be harvested for the betterment of humanity.

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[i] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140327111724.htm

Wildfires and the 3 little pigs

Wildfires for the last 3 years have been headline news across Canada and the U.S. -- in Summer and even Fall.

Fort McMurry in Alberta (2016)[i] and now Paradise in California have been engulfed by flames and destroyed, with thousands forced to flee for their lives and only to return to find mass destruction and loss.

California's current two major wildfires -- in the north and south -- have claimed over 77 lives with over 700 plus missing and unaccounted for.

Lack of seasonal rain and resultant droughts have made forests into easily started matches - whether from lightening or human error.

And, of course, ‘experts’ and the media link these fires and losses to Global Warming and Climate Change – all caused by us humans.

But as I have argued many times in the past, human activity in the period since the Industrial Revolution is a very small factor in climate change.

1.    Volcanoes and earthquakes produce far more carbon and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere 'naturally'.

2.    So do massive wildfires in heavily wooded or grassland areas of British Columbia, Ontario, California and elsewhere.– whether started by ‘natural’ lightning, spontaneous combust or human error.

As well, and more importantly, the changes in rainfall patterns are simply explained by the global impact of the ‘natural’ El Nino and La Nina effects off the coast of Peru.  When they flare up for years on end, they alter wind and air moisture across the world: east, south, north and west.

In North America the effects go to mid-continent, and their westward reach is across Japan and China and India and all of Europe to Britain.

So do not fall victim to the mantra that it is human activity is the key cause of Global Warming and Climate Change.

The media frenzy -- that wildfires are becoming more frequent and much larger of late – due to Global Warming -- is also incorrect.

Despite readily available media pictures and video footage, we actually have fewer and smaller ‘massive’ wildfires today than in previous centuries[ii] as we have far better technology to stop their spread:  aerial water and chemical drops from specialized airplanes, and satellite and other methods to see where fires are rising and spreading.

Obvious Solutions

Most importantly, as pointed by Glenn McGillivray in his article, “We have to treat wildfires like actual fires” (G&M, Nov. 14, 2018, A9), it is not hard for towns and cities to avoid suffering massive destruction and loss of life if 4 simple rules are implemented:

   1.     Build only at a safe distance from wooded and dense grassland areas.  Most buildings damaged and destroyed by wildfires are not caught in rolling, ground level fireballs but start from burning cinders that are blown by the wind downstream. So a ‘safe’ distance is a substantial distance.

   2.   Plant and ensure trees closest to human habitation areas and communities are ‘slow burn’ or ‘fire resistant’ varieties.  These act as a barrier and allow firefighters extra time to arrive and defend homes and communities.

           

         The government of Alberta recommends the following species:

“Trembling aspen, balsam poplar and white birch are commonly found throughout Alberta. Since the characteristics of these trees do not readily support fast-moving wildfires, they make ideal species to plant in and around FireSmart communities[iii]”. 

In British Columbia, giant cedars and Douglas fir also resist fire spreading.

3.  ‘Block cutting’ – i.e., rectangular clear cutting - is now recommended by the government of Alberta so dense sections of trees can be separated by safety gaps to minimize wildfire spread[iv].

     4. Build with fire resistant exterior materials such as BRICK and   CONCRETE     – or other, fire resistant materials and new technologies.
 

Other recommendations:

As noted in SHARP magazine (Winter 20019, pages 88 -91),  ”How the West was Burned”:

         1. Plant within forests Douglas fir, mountain ash, cedar and spruce.

They are fire resistant varieties unlike the predominant, lodgepole pine favoured by forestry companies and – unfortunately – the Mountain Pine Beetle that has already burrowed into and killed over 30 million hectares of western Canadian and U.S. forests.

    2.  ‘Cull’ such dead standing lodgepole forests. Where possible, use their wood as best as possible[v] or they are matches waiting to blaze at up to 800* C.

3.  Have governments and park authorities return to the old practice of larger ‘prescribed burns’:  to create ‘buffer zones’ within and on the edges of forests.

                                                                

Conclusion

The mindset that forests must be preserved in their ‘natural state’ – the naive ‘tree hugger’ mindset – has proven counter-productive and destructive: to the forest themselves, human property and lives.

The government of Alberta in the above quote talks of FireSmart communities who anticipate the worst and are pro-active. 

This mindset must become the norm in all human habitations and communities near potential fire Armageddons.

Governments must insist on this!

Japan’s example

Japan learned its lesson re: earthquakes in 1923 when almost every dwelling and building in Tokyo fell to the ground and 143,000 people lost their lives. 

Today, skyscrapers dot Tokyo with high tech floating base pads and shock absorbers built into each such tower.

Since 1981 every building in Japan must be able to withstand an earthquake of Level 6 on the 7 level Japanese Shindo scale.[vi]

We need to similarly smarten up re: wildfires.

Remember the tale of the Big Bad Wolf and Three Little Pigs. 

Build for survival.  No straw or stick dwellings.  Wildfires do not 'huff and puff'  like hurricanes and cyclones and tornados do, but their predictable effects on human dwellings and human life can be thwarted..

                             

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[i] 88,000 people were forced to evacuate,. 2,400 homes and building destroyed at a totawl cost of $9.9 billion. (Wikipedia, “2016 Fort McMurry wildfire”).

[ii] See for 19^th century U.S.A. wildfires https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_wildfire_suppression_in_the_United_States and re: Canada see the table at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fires_in_Canada.

[iii] https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/%24department/deptdocs.nsf/all/formain15744/%24FILE/tree-species-impact-wildfire-aug03-2012.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjIxaT2qe7eAhUq04MKHfrNBzQQFjAAegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw1OXtdaEKWu46T_hyjV6Fec 

[iv] Ibid.

[v] See latter half of entry at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_pine_beetle

[vi] From  https://www.ft.com/content/3efc4da8-c3bd-11e2-aa5b-00144feab7de

TECHNOLOGY - Should Canada make Snoopy the head of its Air Force?

The cartoon character Snoopy was a World War 1 ace pilot who overcame the great German Red Baron. Snoopy flew a Sopwith Camel fighter bi-plane while the baron had a Fokker Dr1 Dreidecker, triplane. 

Their great aerial confrontations were immortalized in comics, TV specials and the hit song “Snoopy vs the Red Baron”.

So maybe the Government of Canada and Ministry of Defense should somehow contact Snoopy to lead our air force into the future.

This may sound ludicrous and a joke, but so too is the ongoing incompetence of the current government regarding the needs and obligations of our air force and soldiers-in-the air.

The very title of the report released today says it all: “Canada’s jets don’t meet international obligations: Auditor-General”  (G&M online, Nov, 20, 2018).

 

According to the report, our ancient fleet of F18 Hornets (first flight =1978)  has the following operational problems:

 

1.      Shortage of pilots

2.      Shortage of technicians

3.      Shortage of airplanes to meet our current NORAD and NATO obligations.

 

4.      And, finally, our fleet of F18 have ”NOT HAD ANY MAJOR UPGRADES TO COMBAT CAPABILITIES SINCE 2008”…. “LAGGING FAR BEHIND FOREIGN FLEETS” …and “WILL BE   DISADVANTAGED AGAINST POTENTIAL ADVERSARIES …”.

According to the Auditor General, these antiques were originally scheduled to be decommissioned (and put out to pasture as scrap) no later than 2020, but will now be expected to fly and carry out missions until 2032!!!!

This is insanity and gross incompetence!!!

*****  Oh, sorry. Snoopy cannot help as he is American. 

         Maybe we can get the ghost of Canadian Billy Bishop instead.     

TECHNOLOGY --- F35 and Trudeau dithering

How ironic.

Canadians last week on November 11 join together in mourning and grief to  commemorate the 100th Remembrance Day.

In every town and city there were mass processions to local war memorials, speeches, wreaths and the playing of the Last Post.

In Ottawa, the ceremony included a 21 gun salute, the wailing of bagpipes and an overhead  pass over by five  F18 fighter jets.

Numerous national and  government officials were prominently in attendance and all gave thanks to those who gave up their lives or came back "maimed in body,mind and soul" --  after fighting in the name of  Canada for our values of liberty, democracy, and peace:  in WW1, WW2, the Korean War and more recent missions  including Afghanistan.

Yet, at the same time --  and for three long years now -- our current Liberal government continues to dither and delay and simply try to find excuses NOT to supply our air force with the best equipment needed for the survival of our pilots and aircrews, and the success of their missions: in a world of high tech ground to air missiles and new air to air weapons.

Only the F35 Lightning fighter -- with its unique stealth design which makes it invisible to ground and airplane radar -- can meet the dual goals of crew survival and mission success.

The previous Harper Conservative government understood this and signed on to make the F35 the replacement for our 40 year old and militarily dated F18s (first flight =1978). Canada thereby joined the US, U.K., Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Turkey and Israel.

But since taking power in 2015, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has backtracked on this commitment seeking cheaper alternatives.

It has therefore opened the 'competition' again to three European jet makers and America’s Boeing.

To make these jets eligible, the Liberals have played around with the criteria and mission specifications for our next generation fighters, but these maneuvers have faltered on the required communication system.

 As a member of NORAD, Canadian jet fighters and ground command must be able to coordinate activities with US forces and so must speak the same highly encrypted and secure 'language'.

Canada is also part of the 5 Eyes co-ordination group of US., Britain, Australia and New Zealand who share military intelligence.

As a consequence of these two related requirements, the Dassault of France has withdrawn its Rafale jet from the competition.

In fact, no European manufacturer can meet these key requirements: including the Swedish Gripen and the last European entry, the Typhoon.

  

So the ‘competition is solely the F 35 Lightning II and American Boeing’s SuperHornet.

As the communication requirements should have been obvious to our government and military from the start, this ‘open competition’ is clearly a sham.

More importantly, saving money on a cheaper alternative that is ‘almost comparable’ to the F 35 has long been Liberal mantra when in opposition.

The data summary below (based on Wikipedia entries) tells it all:   

	First flight	Current price US millions	Number produced to date	Stealth design
F 35 Lightning II	2006	89.2 - 100	320+	YES
F 18 SuperHornet	1995	70.5	600	NO
Gripen	1988	30 - 60	247	NO
Rafale	1991	80 - 90	121   (total as of 2012)	NO
Typhoon	1994	101 - 120	623	NO

Fact 1:  No other jet fighter in the world has comparable stealth technology to the F35 Lightning II.

Fact 2: Every alternative to the F35 is at least a decade to 2 decades older design technology than the F35.

Fact 3:  Surprisingly, only the Gripen is substantially cheaper. The old Typhoon and Rafale are still comparably priced to the F35 with the SuperHornet just somewhat cheaper.  

Finally, the U.S. will be replacing its entire fleet – including SuperHornets -- with some 3,000 F35 Lightnings!

So will Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government --  to save money by buying 'antiques'  -- be willing to sacrifice the lives of Canadian airmen -- and the success of future missions --  against any enemy ready to fight us with state-of-the- art weapons and not just sticks and stones?

I foresee the day when Justin Trudeau or a successor will proclaim a formal apology – probably on a November 11 -- for allowing our soldiers-in-the-air to be slaughtered in combat --  and missions failed -- because our current government was too cheap to do the right thing.

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See G&M Nov 7, 2018 pageA6. "European fighter jet maker pulls out of competition to replace CF -18s"